Buddha-Child Seeing-Emptiness followed Yama King Buddha away from Great Brahma Heaven, feeling puzzled. He wondered, "What happened in Quinn Shepherd's childhood? Why did my Buddha encounter him in Youdu? And why does Quinn not remember any of it?"
He thought about many things, but clearly Yama King Buddha was deeply secretive and unwilling to discuss them.
Moreover, Yama King Buddha left in haste, not as if he couldn't bear to witness Quinn Shepherd's slaughter of the Buddha-Children, but as if he wanted to escape Great Brahma Heaven early, lest he be implicated.
"My Buddha knows many secrets, but refuses to tell me. Is Quinn Shepherd really that frightening?" he wondered to himself.
Outside the ruined monastery in Great Brahma Heaven, Quinn Shepherd's movements were nearly invisible to the naked eye. Only by opening their Buddha-Eyes and Heavenly Eyes could the Buddha-Children catch glimpses of him.
His speed was overwhelming—a blur of light and shadow. Sword arts, divine arts, saber techniques, spear techniques, fist techniques—all were unleashed while he raced about, dazzling to behold.
Buddha-Child Kongxiang roared, his body radiating golden light, transforming into a four-faced, eight-armed giant Buddha. He soared into the air to clash head-on with the charging Quinn Shepherd.
The two streaked through the air at breakneck speed, matching speed for speed. Buddha-Child Kongxiang, towering over two and a half zhang tall and immensely burly, was nonetheless forced backward in midair by Quinn Shepherd's relentless assault.
Their fists collided midair with thunderous force. Other Buddha-Children flew up, preparing to join the attack—when suddenly, golden blood sprayed across the sky like rain.
The blood and qi within Buddha-Child Kongxiang erupted. Explosive sounds crackled all over his body as his skin split and blood poured out. Trading blows with Quinn Shepherd had sent his qi and blood into a frenzy, far surpassing what his flesh could contain—until his body burst apart and he died.
As the other Buddha-Children soared upward to surround Quinn Shepherd, they saw Buddha-Child Kongxiang's battered body plummet from the sky.
The Buddha-Children who had charged into the air suddenly saw sword-light flicker above them. Alarmed, they each unleashed their divine arts upward in panic.
But from above, a vast ocean of sword-light poured down—One Sword Opens the Pioneer Era, Blood Like an Ocean!
Wild qi and blood swept together with sword-light; within the blood-sea, swords darted like dragons, weaving in and out at will. Some Buddha-Children clutched their throats, others shielded their brows, as body after body sank into the crimson waves.
Above the blood-ocean, Prince Capricorn stood atop the waves, lotus flowers surging beneath his feet. He gripped a lotus to block Quinn Shepherd's assault.
Whoosh—
Quinn Shepherd spun around, his robes billowing, long hair flying, sword in hand and back turned to Prince Capricorn.
Prince Capricorn spotted an opening and was about to strike when the blood-sea split open—a pitch-black gate swept through his body.
Prince Capricorn froze, his body slowly sinking into the blood-sea. His Primordial Spirit had already been dragged into Youdu by the Gate of Bearing Heaven.
As the blood-ocean faded, corpses began to rain from the sky.
Compared to these young Buddha-Children sent by the Heavenly Court, Quinn Shepherd's combat experience and skill far surpassed theirs. The Heavenly Court's Buddha-Children had lived peacefully in the Buddha-Realm, a place as calm as dead water, untouched by war.
In such a place, the people were naturally happy and prosperous, lacking desire or ambition. But this same stability had caused their arts and divine techniques to stagnate.
With no need for divine arts or techniques, no one bothered to cultivate or innovate them.
They had lived in peace for too long, losing the drive and courage to fight. Quinn Shepherd was different—he grew up in the perilous Great Ruins, and even as a youth, could walk safely through its dangers.
As for the Everpeace Empire, it was a land brimming with vitality, rapidly growing in strength. There were enemies, but also a stable rear, and divine arts and techniques evolved by the day.
Soldiers fought on the front lines, while divine arts practitioners in the rear used their arts to improve daily life for the people.
Thus, tower-ships, flying carriages, and True Essence Cannons—novel inventions—appeared in droves, driving Everpeace's creativity ever higher. Divine arts and techniques evolved with each passing day.
As for Supreme Emperor Heaven, the war was so brutal that no stable rear remained, and even the social structure was incomplete. Without fertile ground for innovation, divine arts and techniques could not progress.
Quinn Shepherd was born in the Great Ruins, raised by the Village Chief and eight other elders, and came of age during the Everpeace Empire's expansion and the era of the Imperial Preceptor's reforms. That is why he has achieved what he has today.
Moreover, he was one of the architects of those reforms, the creator of the Eighteenth Sword Form and Primordial Spirit Guidance—an innovator who pioneered the path of Sword Dao.
Compared to these Buddha-Children who had never weathered any storms in the Buddha-Realm, he was already on a completely different level.
Quinn Shepherd looked up. Ahead, Buddha-Child Puzhao was charging toward him at full speed. This Buddha-Child was a formidable Heaven-Man Realm expert, once dueling the Demon Ape in a battle of dharma. Bathed in Buddha-light, he was nearly killed by the Demon Ape's casual defense.
Though he was outmatched in dharma debate by the Demon Ape, his true strength was unfathomable. As he ran, his seals stacked atop each other—each move, each punch and kick, was grand and precise.
He unleashed his most masterful seals, each strike manifesting the image of myriad Buddhas. Behind him, his Primordial Spirit sat like a majestic Buddha, surrounded by countless Buddha-shadows, all echoing his techniques!
Buddha-Child Puzhao charged forward, thunder rolling through the clouds—the sound lagging behind the flash!
The seal he now wielded was a great divine art from Great Merit Heaven in the Buddha-Realm: Illuminating All Beings!
Few Buddha-Children could master such a divine art!
His momentum and Primordial Spirit grew ever stronger, like an arrow nocked and ready to fly!
Just then, Quinn Shepherd raised his index and middle fingers, forming a sword-sign at his brow, and thrust forward!
Calamity Sword, First Form—Open the Calamity!
Buddha-Child Puzhao erupted at full power, only to see a sword-light streak toward him. He roared, unleashing all the Buddha-shadows behind him, sending myriad techniques forward to meet the attack.
Quinn Shepherd turned and leapt from midair, landing on the ground. Puzzled, he thought, "Strange—whenever I use this Sword Dao divine art, my vital energy should be nearly depleted. Why do I feel so full of energy now, like a wellspring, endless and inexhaustible...?"
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He felt his vital energy was always at its peak, as if it could never be exhausted. Despite the long battle and having used nearly every divine art and combat technique—including many high-consumption moves—his energy remained untouched.
Stranger still, he even sensed his vital energy cultivation soaring ever higher!
This completely defied common sense.
Immediately, he realized where the problem lay.
It was the third eye at the center of his brow.
Each time he killed someone, vast vital energy poured from that eye, flooding his body, as if rewarding him—the more he killed, the greater the reward.
“Strange, very strange. There’s definitely something wrong with this eye…”