Quinn Shepherd smiled, and the muscles in his arms recovered in just that brief moment.
Xuan-Emperor cast him a glance, then addressed the sword gods of the True-Martial Sword Academy: "Since you have volunteered, then go and visit the Origin World. But remember: you are no longer sword gods of Northern Extremity Heaven, nor are you my descendants. First, you must not act in my name—you have been expelled from the Black Tortoise bloodline. Second, you have no background and are not superior to others; you must treat the weaker Everpeace people kindly. Do you understand?"
Quinn couldn't help but look at Xuan-Emperor with newfound respect; these instructions were timely. Without using Xuan-Emperor's name, the True-Martial sword gods wouldn't attract Heavenly Court's attention, reducing danger. Even if they caused trouble, it wouldn't implicate Northern Extremity Heaven.
Without any background, and treating Everpeace people kindly, there would be no conflict with Everpeace. If they relied on their Black Tortoise bloodline, discriminated against Everpeace, and bullied the weak, it would only bring disaster upon themselves—Quinn would be the first to refuse them.
If they follow these two rules, this group of True-Martial sword gods can integrate into Everpeace and become part of its Reform.
Old ginger is spicier—Xuan-Emperor saw right through it all.
The True-Martial sword gods assented.
Xuan-Emperor stripped them of their surname. The leader of the True-Martial sword gods turned to Quinn and said, "Heavenly Venerable, we are now people without a surname. We beg Heavenly Venerable to bestow one."
Quinn pondered for a moment and said, "Forty thousand years ago, you entered the Dao through sword, became gods through sword, and now, because of sword Dao, you leave Northern Extremity Heaven and surrender your surname. Let your new surname be 'Sword.'"
The leader of the True-Martial sword gods smiled and said, "Then I shall be called Wesley Sword."
"I'll be Trevor Jensen."
"I'll be Ewan Sword!"
...
Everyone burst out laughing. Xuan-Emperor couldn't help but say, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, though my disciples are capable, they haven't seen much of the world and don't know its dangers. I ask you to treat them kindly."
Quinn nodded solemnly. "Rest assured, Xuan-Emperor. My reputation in the Origin World is stellar—I'm called the conscience of Everpeace. Mention my name, and everyone gives a thumbs-up, calling me a peerless good man. I certainly won't mistreat them."
Xuan-Emperor said, "Yes, yes. I've also asked around about your character—everyone speaks highly of you." Then, tossing a glance at Wesley Sword, he whispered, "Keep your wits about you. Don't get sold and help count the money!"
Wesley Sword felt a chill run through his heart.
Quinn wrote a letter and handed it to Wesley Sword, saying, "You and your fellow disciples should go ahead to Everpeace in the Origin World and deliver this letter to Empress Lynn. She'll make arrangements for you. Xuan-Emperor, why not give those hundred Five-Thunder War Gourds to them to carry to Everpeace? What do you think?"
Xuan-Emperor nodded. "Wesley Sword, after you retrieve the hundred Five-Thunder War Gourds, go to the True-Martial Dao Institute, collect six volumes of Black Tortoise Dao exegesis and the Fire-Bell Divine Weapon scrolls, and deliver them to Empress Lynn in Everpeace."
Wesley Sword accepted the order and led the group away.
Xuan-Emperor watched them go and sighed, "You really plucked me clean, Shepherd Heavenly Venerable. Now you can see my sincerity, can't you?"
Quinn bowed deeply, solemnly saying, "Xuan-Emperor, you didn't look down on me for my lack of strength—instead, you entrusted me with great responsibility. I am truly grateful."
Xuan-Emperor hurried to return the salute, laughing, "No need for such formality! The reason I value you is because of the Everpeace Cataclysm. During the Pioneer Cataclysm, Pioneer Emperor led his elites and abandoned the people to flee. But during the Everpeace Cataclysm, you fought to the death, maneuvered among all the factions, and managed to preserve Everpeace. That's why I'm willing to entrust them to you."
Quinn said sincerely, "With your wholehearted trust, Xuan-Emperor, I will surely repay you in the future."
Xuan-Emperor burst out laughing. "I've already ordered a banquet prepared. You and I are friends across generations—tonight, we drink till we drop!"
Quinn laughed heartily as well. "Just what I needed!"
At the banquet, Xuan-Emperor and Quinn drank themselves silly, arms slung around each other, swearing brotherhood. Dragon-Qilin and Annie kept them company, while some high officials from Xuan-Heaven Palace looked on, secretly grumbling: "If Xuan-Emperor and Shepherd Heavenly Venerable are sworn brothers, how do we rank if Pioneer Emperor shows up?"
Host and guest enjoyed themselves—though the company forced a smile.
Xuan-Emperor saw Quinn off from Xuan-Heaven Palace and said, "When you go see that witch Wu-Empress, be careful. She's not easy to deal with. She'll know you came to see me first and will be jealous—expect her to make things difficult."
Quinn laughed, "Sister-in-law shouldn't be that sort of person. Xuan-Emperor, old friend, I have something else to ask: the Artifact-Class Heaven-Guide Venerable stationed in Northern Extremity Heaven—whose weapon is it?"
"Consort Cherise's weapon."
Quinn nodded, committing it to memory, then asked, "May I ask if Northern Extremity Heaven has a back side?"
Xuan-Emperor's expression shifted slightly, and he smiled, "Why do you ask, my good brother?"
Quinn didn't answer. "I met a Creator in the Grand Void and learned their ancestral land is called the Ancestral Court. Xuan-Emperor, do you know the whereabouts of the Ancestral Court?"
Xuan-Emperor's face darkened and he said in a deep voice, "See the guest out!"
Quinn was startled, bowed, and was about to leave when Xuan-Emperor sighed, "It's not that I'm being unfriendly, but what you're asking is too earth-shattering. Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, I know you love probing history, but some things are best left untouched."
Quinn nodded gently, then boarded the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin with Dragon-Qilin and Annie, heading for Wu Nation.
Xuan-Emperor watched them go, eyes flickering, and whispered, "The Creators' Ancestral Court—we went to great lengths to seal that place. Don't ever unseal that buried history..."
"Xuan-Emperor still revealed quite a lot. His words mean that the Origin World, Profound Capital, the Four Extremity Heavens, Heavenly Court, and other places have no back side—and that this is related to the Creators' Ancestral Court."
Quinn sat on the palanquin, lightly tapping the armrest, speaking to Dragon-Qilin and Annie—or perhaps to himself: "But these places shouldn't be the Ancestral Court. Otherwise, God-Queen Langwo would have sensed it. Yet the back sides of these realms are connected to the Ancestral Court. That's strange..."
The Origin World lies at the center, overlapped by the Netherworld, which also connects to the Four Extremity Heavens. Profound Capital sits high above the Origin World. Quinn looked toward the Four Extremity Heavens, pondering for a moment. "The Celestial River links the Four Extremity Heavens with Heavenly Court, but they're not all on the same plane. There's also Home's End Abyss, which isn't inside the Origin World, but in another dimension. When I found Home's End, I relied on Senior Brother Wayne Gale's spatial numerology. His records described another spatial dimension..."
He circled the Grand Cosmos Star Map, eyes fixed on the diagram, constantly calculating.
Suddenly, he reached out, gently pulling the star map downward, and a funnel-shaped Home's End Grand Abyss appeared beneath the Origin World.
Quinn's eyes flickered as he murmured, "The Netherworld doesn't completely overlap with the Origin World. Instead, it also connects to the Four Extremity Heavens and countless other realms—the only place it doesn't reach is Profound Capital. In other words, Profound Capital and the Netherworld interlock, forming a great circle!"
He expanded the territory of the Netherworld, and with a thought, his vital qi formed Tu Bo, the Earth Sovereign, standing within the Netherworld—his body immense, crowned with the Yellow Springs.
Quinn frowned, gazing at the continent beneath Tu Bo’s feet, and saw that it overlapped perfectly with the Home’s End Grand Abyss.
He couldn't help but freeze.
"According to legend, the Celestial River flows into Home's End Grand Abyss, but no one ever said the abyss was beneath Tu Bo's feet, or that the Celestial River passed through the Netherworld. But what if the Celestial River did pass through the Netherworld?"
Quinn’s eyes grew ever brighter. He adjusted the Celestial River, guiding its waters to pierce through Profound Capital and the Netherworld—since these two realms overlap in space, the Celestial River could reach the Netherworld without crossing the Origin World's continent, but instead by entering another dimension.
The Celestial River transformed into the Nether River, surging around Tu Bo’s vast figure.
Quinn stared blankly at Tu Bo’s palm, speechless.
Tu Bo’s weapon was a whip—Quinn had seen him use it to bind Tanner Shue before—and as the Celestial River turned to Nether River and flowed into the Netherworld, it just happened to pass over Tu Bo’s hand!
The Nether River was the whip in Tu Bo’s hand!
"No wonder every time I visited the Netherworld, I always felt Tu Bo was missing something—it was the Nether River Whip!"
Quinn composed himself and adjusted the Nether River, watching it flow straight into Home's End Grand Abyss.
"But something still feels off!"
Quinn looked up at Profound Capital, then at the Four Extremity Heavens. "The height of the Four Extremity Heavens isn’t right! They should be higher than the Origin World but lower than Heavenly Court. Also, the Celestial River should flow through Profound Capital, but instead it flows through Heavenly Court, like a giant circular rope, hanging down and dipping into the Netherworld..."
He calculated furiously. After a while, he traced a line and laughed, "The waters of the Celestial River come from the heavens—naturally, they originate from Profound Capital!"
Within Profound Capital, a Celestial River rushed downward, changing its course so that it now flowed from the sky into Northern Extremity Heaven, then through Western, Southern, and Eastern Extremity Heavens, and from Eastern Extremity Heaven into Heavenly Court.
Upon reaching Heavenly Court, the Celestial River descended into the Origin World. Overlapping with the Netherworld, the Celestial River thus became the Nether River, pouring into the Netherworld and finally into Home’s End Grand Abyss beneath Tu Bo’s feet!
Quinn studied the Grand Cosmos Star Map, pacing back and forth. If calculated according to the map, the Four Extremity Heavens should stand upright, perpendicular to the Origin World, facing away from it.
He reached out, drawing lines to connect the worlds, but couldn’t get them all to converge at a single point.
Quinn frowned, then his eyes lit up. He whispered, "The original Dragon-Han Heavenly Court wasn’t in its current position—it was above the Origin World’s sky. So, if we move Heavenly Court downward..."
He shifted Heavenly Court on the star map, suspending it above the Origin World.
Outside the carriage, the voice of the heavenly dragon called, "Heavenly Venerable, we've arrived at Wu Nation!"
Quinn paid no heed, slowly adjusting Heavenly Court’s position, when suddenly his heart trembled—all the lines finally converged, forming a single bright spot!
Quinn was overwhelmed with joy, tears streaming down his face as he muttered, "Here... here is the Ancestral Court—the Creators’ Ancestral Court! Mastering numerology really pays off!"