After a day and a half flying on the Cloudchaser Pirate Ship, they finally arrived at the Yong River, steering toward the encampment on the riverbank.
Lina the Spirit Fox suddenly exclaimed, “Sister, you were a queen once!”
The riverfront of Fairview Prefecture was already heavily fortified, with more than two hundred interconnected water forts and masses of troops. When they arrived, a fierce battle was just ending. Warships crisscrossed the river—some shattered, their masts and decks ablaze, belching thick, black smoke.
Claire Yu laughed, “I was queen for a day—no fun at all. If you want to be an emperor, just declare yourself one somewhere; it’s only a matter of how many people you rule.”
Corpses floated everywhere on the river's surface.
She glanced at the smoke and fire on the river, then turned to Wayne Shen and the others, smiling: “You’re lucky to follow my little brother. He’s truly remarkable.”
On the warships, soldiers cast nets to fish up bodies, hooking them and hanging them off the stern, ready to haul them ashore for burial.
Elias Yun and Monk Yun Que exchanged glances, unsure how this general saw Quinn Shepherd’s greatness.
Quinn Shepherd opened his Azure Firmament Heaven-Eye and looked across the river. On the far bank stood a ruined city, with sporadic fighting still flashing as divine abilities lit up the ruins.
Claire Yu remembered finding a hillside covered in red corpse-biter beetles near Tigerwell County. Besides the beetles, there was a skeleton—no flesh left, just bones and clothes, marked as a Cult of the Corpse Immortal expert.
But the fighting there was already small scale; it seemed the Everpeace troops were mopping up the last enemies in the city.
Though it was impossible to identify the corpse, by the way it controlled so many beetles, its cultivation must have reached the Seven-Star Treasury.
Vance Skyler brought the Cloudchaser down, slowly descending toward the army camp. Soldiers flew up to intercept, but when they learned the newcomers were Imperial Academy scholars, they immediately signaled for the archers to lower their bows.
The Cult of the Corpse Immortal excels in corpses and poison. Even if you’re stronger, it’s hard to defeat them.
The pirate ship landed in the camp. Vance’s eyes—one black, one white—glanced at the scattered skirmishes across the river, then at Wayne Shen, Elias Yun, and the others. He shook his head and said, “Brother Quinn, these scholars will only drag you down. In a big battle, they’re useless, and it’ll be hard for them to survive. I’m off! Once I’ve got enough black iron and ship blueprints, I’ll come find you!” With that, he ordered his crew to fire up the spirit furnaces and sailed away in style.
Yet this expert died by poison—likely at the hands of my honest-looking little brother.
The students were stung by his words. Wayne Shen sneered, “He’s got skill, but his vision is seriously lacking.”
Even I was fooled—gave him a travel pass to the capital.
A general approached and asked, “Are you Imperial Academy scholars?”
Claire Yu thought Wayne Shen and the others were lucky to train with someone so cunning—it was safer than following the Academy Board.
Quinn Shepherd nodded. "Is Deputy Prefect Claire Yu of Fairview Prefecture at the front? Please inform her that Quinn Shepherd from Embankton County requests an audience."
Across the river, the city was in ruins—its towers collapsed, casualties unknown.
The officer was startled but didn’t dare delay. He hurried off at once.
Claire Yu led the troops inside. “When I said the water was deep, there’s another reason. Look how easily we took Lu County—the rebels were far too weak.”
Not long after, the sound of clashing armor echoed over. Everyone looked toward the source and saw a female general striding over, helmet tucked under her arm, clad in bloodstained armor. Her bearing was fierce, her beauty striking—powdered cheeks, crimson lips, unforgettable at a glance.
Quinn Shepherd paused. “A trap?”
She had clearly just come off the battlefield—there were still traces of blood on her.
“Not just a trap—the old foxes haven’t moved yet.”
"So it’s little brother Quinn Shepherd."
Claire Yu’s eyes flashed. “The three old monsters who wounded the Imperial Preceptor haven’t shown up. There are surely more old monsters from the past. Lady Qiu Dieyi of Palace of Parting, the three lords of Three Marvel Fortress, the traitorous Grand Terrace Minister, the Dragon King of Dragon Tamer Sect, and other sect leader–level experts—none have appeared. All the other sect, clan, and gate masters are quiet. And…”
Claire Yu’s gaze landed on Quinn, her eyes lighting up. "The boy who left Embankton County a few months ago has made quite a name for himself. My brother wrote to me about you. You’ve really made something of yourself—I’m genuinely happy for you."
She whispered, “Who knows if any old gods survived?”
"You flatter me, sister."
Quinn Shepherd shivered.
Quinn Shepherd blushed. "I didn’t tell you before, but I’m actually from the Great Ruins."
Wayne Shen and the others felt a chill down their spines.
Claire Yu said, "After you left, I kept wondering when Embankton County gained a Quinn clan capable of raising such a remarkable youth. Later, my brother wrote to explain—so you’re from the Great Ruins."
Claire Yu clearly knew much about the old era but didn’t elaborate. “Don’t worry—the old monsters won’t target you juniors. Their goal is the Imperial Preceptor and top officials. Nine Hells Gate, which occupied Lu County, isn’t much stronger than the Cult of the Corpse Immortal. Some Nine Hells Gate remnants are still fleeing; I’ll give you an easy job—hunt them down.”
Wayne Shen, Elias Yun, Claire Yue, and the others were shocked. Fairview Prefecture was the base for all scholars training outside the capital—they never imagined Quinn Shepherd would be personally acquainted with the Deputy Prefect!
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Quinn Shepherd and the others. “Nine Hells Gate is good at ghost tricks—they claim to summon spirits to fight. Prepare in advance; when the other scholars arrive, you’ll wipe them out.”
A high official in such a place was a true frontier grandee, and Claire Yu’s background made her even more extraordinary—she had once been a princess of Yuyuan Kingdom, while her brother, the former crown prince, now served as a great general in the capital.
Claire Yu smiled. “You’re both right and wrong. My refusal to rebel isn’t just about being clever. Plenty tried to persuade me, sure I’d join them. They all misjudged me. The Yu clan values its people, not the throne. When Yuyuan still stood, Everpeace Empire was already rising, ready to invade. My father knew war meant ruin, so when the Imperial Preceptor came to debate him, the whole court watched. We lost.”
"Sister Claire, what happened to the Cult of the Corpse Immortal?" Quinn Shepherd asked.
"I’ve already crushed the Cult of the Corpse Immortal, but a few remnants escaped to the Southern Frontier," Claire Yu replied.
Claire Yu led them up to the battlements. "The Southern Frontier is now crawling with rebel armies and sects—forces are all mixed together. Every city along the river is garrisoned, ready to invade the south. But the water here runs very deep—the situation is far from clear."
"The water runs deep?" The group was taken aback.
Claire Yu smiled. "In times like these, can you really tell who’s loyal and who’s a traitor? Take me, for example—I’m a dispossessed princess of Yuyuan Kingdom. How do you know I won’t rebel in the next moment?"
Wayne Shen and the others broke into a cold sweat, half afraid this heroic general would suddenly turn on them and declare rebellion.
Claire Yu said calmly, "The court is still tightly entangled with the old era. The Imperial Preceptor wants to build a new age, but all his tools are forces from the old era. His new world can’t fully escape the old’s influence, so who knows which sect or official will rebel next?"
Elias Yun stammered, "But Deputy Prefect, you won’t rebel, right?"
Claire Yu gave him a chilling smile and whispered, "You guess. If you guess right, you get to live."
Elias Yun’s face turned ashen; he nearly wet himself in terror.
Claire Yu was the kind of frontier grand official whose aura could shake anyone. Though she was a woman, a single cold look from her could shatter someone’s nerves.
Claire Yu chuckled, called over a general, and issued a command. The officer immediately mobilized, assembling a force of over a thousand soldiers.
Claire Yu walked down from the city wall, stepping out onto the river’s surface. More than a thousand troops followed, marching across the water toward the far bank.
Quinn Shepherd followed her, his feet landing on the water as yuanqi burst out beneath him, keeping him steady. He laughed, “Don’t scare him, sister.”
Wayne Shen and the others hurried after, each channeling their yuanqi to avoid sinking into the river.
They could run across the water, but walking calmly was much harder—besides controlling the water, they needed robust cultivation and yuanqi.
Claire Yu asked with interest, “You really think I won’t rebel against the court?”
Quinn Shepherd shook his head. “This whole rebellion is the Imperial Preceptor’s own purge—a grand game to cleanse the court and sect world. You’re clever. If you were foolish, you’d have rebelled long ago and died already.”
Claire Yu laughed. "You're both right and wrong. My refusal to rebel isn't just about being clever. Plenty tried to persuade me, convinced I'd join them. They all misjudged me. The Yu clan values its people, not the throne. When Yuyuan Kingdom still stood, the Everpeace Empire was already rising, ready to invade. My father knew war meant certain ruin, so when the Imperial Preceptor came to debate him, the whole court watched. We lost."
Her expression remained calm. "In both governance and care for the people, we failed—utterly convinced. My father abdicated, my brother refused the throne and tried to pass it to me. I..."
She smiled, uncertain if mocking herself or truly amused. "I told the Imperial Preceptor: you surpass me in ruling and caring for the people—Yuyuan Kingdom is yours. If you fail, I'll rebel. He agreed, let me govern Yuyuan—now Fairview Prefecture."
"So that's how it was," the group realized.
Lina the Spirit Fox exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, you were a queen once!"
Claire Yu laughed. "I was queen for a day—no fun at all. If you want to be an emperor, just declare yourself one somewhere; it's only a matter of how many people you rule."
She glanced at the smoke and fire on the river, then turned to Wayne Shen and the others, smiling: "You're lucky to follow my little brother. He's truly remarkable."
Elias Yun and Claire Yue exchanged glances, unsure how this general saw Quinn Shepherd's greatness.
Claire Yu remembered finding a hillside covered in red corpse-biter beetles near Tigerwell County. Besides the beetles, there was a skeleton—no flesh left, just bones and clothes, marked as a Cult of the Corpse Immortal expert.
Though it was impossible to identify the corpse, by the way it controlled so many beetles, its cultivation must have reached the Seven-Star Realm.
The Cult of the Corpse Immortal specialized in corpses and poison. Their cultivation wasn’t especially high, but even those stronger and more skilled found them hard to defeat.
Yet this expert died of poisoning—most likely by the hand of this honest-faced little brother beside her.
He’d even fooled her at the time, and she’d written him a travel pass to the capital.
In Claire Yu’s mind, Wayne Shen and the others were safer training with such a cunning companion than even at the Imperial Academy. That’s why she said they were lucky.
When they reached the opposite bank, the city’s towers had already collapsed—who knew how many were dead or wounded.
Claire Yu led her troops into the city. "Earlier, I said the water runs deep—there’s another reason. See how easily I took Lu County? The rebels were far too weak."
Quinn Shepherd paused. "A trap?"
"Not just a trap—the old foxes haven’t moved yet."
Claire Yu’s eyes flashed. "The three old monsters who wounded the Imperial Preceptor haven’t shown up. There are surely more old monsters from the past. Lady Qiu Dieyi of Palace of Parting, the three lords of Three Marvel Fortress, the traitorous Grand Terrace Minister, the Dragon King of Dragon Tamer Sect, and other sect leader–level experts—none have appeared. All the other sect, clan, and gate masters are quiet. And…"
She whispered, "Who knows if any old gods survived?"
Quinn Shepherd shivered.
Wayne Shen and the others felt a chill down their spines.
Claire Yu clearly knew much about the old era but didn’t elaborate. "Don’t worry—the old monsters won’t target you juniors. Their goal is the Imperial Preceptor and top officials. Nine Hells Gate, which occupied Lu County, isn’t much stronger than the Cult of the Corpse Immortal. Some Nine Hells Gate remnants are still fleeing; I’ll give you an easy job—hunt them down."
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Quinn Shepherd and the others. "Nine Hells Gate is good at ghost tricks—they claim to summon spirits to fight. Prepare in advance; when the other scholars arrive, you’ll wipe them out."