Village Chief, Apothecary, and the others all looked at him, puzzled. Apothecary asked curiously, "Quinn, have you seen this ship before?"
"I saw it on the Great Ruins Geographical Map..."
Quinn Shepherd was shaken to his core. This gigantic thing that looked like a ship must be the Solar Ark he’d seen on the map in Calamity‑Seal Palace!
He’d always wondered about the name ‘Solar Ark’ when he saw it on the map, not understanding why it was called that. Now he finally understood.
The Solar Ark is a ship that tows the sun!
And the sun must be that huge black sphere chained and dragged by the Solar Ark.
That massive black sphere should be an extinguished sun.
Before the darkness descended on the Great Ruins, there must have been a Solar Ark towing a blazing sun across this land!
Quinn Shepherd was stunned. Why did the sun towed by the Solar Ark go out?
If the Solar Ark tows the sun, then what about the Moon Ship marked on the map? Is there another giant ship towing the moon?
And what about the Sunwell? Or the Moonwell?
Boom. Boom.
The Solar Ark was walking toward them. This unbelievable giant ship actually had legs—legs as thick as mountain peaks, made of molten rock, with firelight shining through the cracks.
That firelight was magma, like the blood flowing through the Solar Ark.
This giant ship had twenty-four legs, corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms.
Its legs looked thick and powerful, but each step covered six or seven li at a time.
Seeing this colossal thing up close was utterly shocking.
Deaf looked at the Mute Smith. The Mute Smith’s eyes burned with excitement as he gestured wildly. Deaf said, “That’s not a real sun—it’s a treasure forged by people from the era before darkness fell. Mute Smith, I think you’re right...”
The enormous Solar Ark drew closer and closer to Dragoncrest City. The air grew increasingly hot and dry. Quinn Shepherd craned his neck, but he could barely see the top of the ship.
The ship was just too big.
The dazzling golden palaces atop the ship came into view. They looked normal at first glance, but considering the distance, that ‘normal’ was anything but—if you got close, they’d be enormous, and any adult inside would seem tiny.
"Those are homes for the god-race," someone said.
Village Chief murmured, "I’ve heard they’re called Sun-Herders, and their god is the Sun Warden."
"Sun-Herders?"
Everyone was a little taken aback. The Village Chief had lived in the Great Ruins longer than anyone, for centuries—he knew more secrets than anyone else. Clearly, he’d heard of the Solar Ark and some of its mysteries.
"I wonder if any descendants of the Sun-Herders still live aboard? And is the Sun Warden still there?" Village Chief said softly.
The Solar Ark strode past Dragoncrest City, heading straight for the Everpeace Empire’s countless troops. The scene was so grand, so awe-inspiring, that the army forgot to march—countless soldiers just stared up in shock at the colossal ship.
It was terrifying. It was overwhelming.
Splat—
One of the Solar Ark’s legs came down—thick as a mountain—and crushed who knows how many soldiers into pulp. When the leg lifted again, it had already stomped out a small lake below.
"Run for your lives—!"
Only then did someone snap out of it and scream, rushing to flee. But the soldiers in the rear hadn’t realized yet, so people pushed and trampled each other. By the time those in back understood and tried to scatter, it was already too late.
The gigantic Solar Ark marched down the Everpeace army’s route toward the border, crushing countless soldiers as it went. No matter how many generals unleashed divine arts or flying swords at it, the ship didn’t budge an inch.
The Everpeace Empire’s two armies had merged into one, packed with people. Now, even if they wanted to run, there was nowhere to go. Even those with divine powers who tried to fly up were swatted by the Solar Ark’s legs—like squashing flies.
The massive Solar Ark kept moving, trampling and smashing countless soldiers. The Route General threw everything he had at the ship, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree—he couldn’t move it at all.
At Frontier Pass Yan, sword-lights flew out in waves, slashing at the towering ship-mountain. Sparks flew, but the Solar Ark wasn’t harmed. When the swords returned, the pass’s experts turned pale—their blades were glowing red, even starting to melt!
Inside Frontier Pass Yan, tens of thousands of cultivators cast spells, summoning wild winds and torrential rain, thunderclouds rolling. But before any of it reached the ship, the heat dispersed it all.
—Even though the Solar Ark was towing an extinguished sun, it was still a sun. Its firepower was just too overwhelming.
With its twenty-four legs, the ship moved fast. In no time, it reached the front of Frontier Pass Yan. Creak, creak—harsh sounds echoed as the Solar Ark slowly came to a halt.
Then a humming noise came from the sky—the black sun, carried by inertia, nearly drifted into Everpeace territory.
Countless soldiers inside Frontier Pass Yan stared up in a daze at the giant blocking the pass. Frontier Pass Yan was grand and imposing, but compared to the unimaginable colossus before them, it seemed utterly insignificant.
Some generals turned pale, their bodies trembling so much they could barely stand. Even the warriors and cultivators in the border fortress were scared witless by the sight.
"The Solar Ark, created by beings before darkness descended, is truly extraordinary."
The Imperial Preceptor of the Everpeace Empire stood on a terrace, gazing up at the Solar Ark. The magnificent ship radiated an unparalleled sense of oppression—even he felt a chill in his heart.
At the top of the Solar Ark, in front of the ornate palaces, he saw figures standing there.
He looked up, staring at the black sun.
This black sun wasn’t as large as a real sun, but it was still awe-inspiring. If it ever reignited, the spectacle would be unimaginable!
Even though the sun was extinguished, sending the Everpeace army to fight such a giant was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—utterly futile.
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He could sense the presence of a god emanating from the Solar Ark.
"There really is a living god here. The Great Ruins—still not a place to set foot lightly..."
The Imperial Preceptor of the Everpeace Empire raised his hand and ordered, "Pass the command: withdraw. For the next fifty years, no one is to set foot in the Great Ruins!"
Behind him, the assembled generals shuddered, then hurried to relay the order.
The Imperial Preceptor looked up at the palaces atop the Solar Ark and murmured, "The Solar Ark can’t protect the Great Ruins forever. Even gods die, and the Sun-Herders are just a declining race. In fifty years, my Everpeace Empire should have the strength to unite the Ruins. Now is not the time for a head-on clash."
He turned and walked down from the city wall.
Urgent bells sounded in the city. Hearing the call, the soldiers outside the pass let out a sigh of relief and rushed back toward the gates.
The massive Solar Ark slowly lifted its legs, turned, and—boom, boom—strode toward Dragoncrest City.
Before long, the battered Everpeace army retreated to the border, while the Solar Ark reached the edge of Dragoncrest City. Quinn Shepherd looked up—the towering ship pierced the heavens, hauling a black sun. Not even in dreams had he seen such a sight.
The Solar Ark paused. Its twenty-four legs slowly bent, and it knelt down.
On the dragon pillar, everyone wore strange expressions. The Solar Ark didn’t look like a ship at all—it looked like a living creature with twenty-four legs!
The ship was so close to Dragoncrest City that waves of heat rolled through the streets—even the city walls glowed red, nearly melting.
It didn’t leave right away, as if waiting for the Everpeace army to fully retreat.
"Is the Sun Warden still up there?" Quinn Shepherd murmured.
"Yes. I can sense a god’s presence."
The Village Chief’s expression grew grave. "The Imperial Preceptor knew when to retreat—Everpeace won’t dare set foot in the Great Ruins for decades. Butcher, put away your blade intent, or the dragon pillar will collapse and destroy everything here."
Butcher nodded, gazing excitedly at the Solar Ark. "We’ve prepared for this fight so long, but the Imperial Preceptor was scared off by the Sun Warden and never got to brawl with that old bastard! Why don’t we board the ship and fight the god ourselves!"
Everyone looked at him strangely and shook their heads. This lunatic was out of his mind—if the Sun Warden really was aboard, Butcher would get crushed with just his upper half.
The Village Chief and the others climbed down from the dragon pillar. Quinn Shepherd looked up, eyes shining, itching to board the magnificent Solar Ark and see what secrets it held.
"What kind of era could build something so colossal—and even haul a sun across the land?"
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the Solar Ark’s prow suddenly drooped downward.
Quinn Shepherd stood frozen. The colossal prow of the ship—almost as large as Dragoncrest City itself—drooped gracefully, as if weightless.
He gazed at the scene atop the ship: mountains and lakes, flowers and grass, rows of golden palaces rising like a divine sanctuary. Towering figures strode about—Apothecary was burly, but next to these giants he looked like a child.
By his estimate, those people were at least ten zhang tall—rivaling the strongest warriors of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
Strangely, though the prow had drooped, the lake atop the ship remained perfectly level, not spilling a drop.
"Your jade pendant is strange—it carries a sacred, extraordinary aura..."