The divine maidens attending the Ancient-God Emperor’s body were utterly at a loss; they had never seen the Ancient-God Emperor so frantically out of control.
Now, the Ancient-God Emperor seemed to have completely lost control of his own flesh. The muscles on his face twisted in different directions, splitting his face into eight distinct sections—each one like a separate face, each showing its own expression.
His body’s muscles also seemed to be out of control. All ten fingers twisted, the great tendons writhed, and thick muscles coiled under his skin like countless giant dragons battling each other.
The scene was so horrifying that the divine maidens stood frozen in fear.
Quinn Shepherd stood up and said, “You may all withdraw.”
The divine maidens quickly retreated and left the Hall of Nourishing Glory.
Quinn bowed and said, “Your Majesty seems unwell. I shall take my leave.”
Just as he was about to leave, waves of power suddenly surged; the eight Heavenly Venerables stopped fighting and, almost simultaneously, withdrew from the Emperor’s body, each reclaiming their own magic power and divine sense, no longer entangled with the other seven!
Each was wary of the others; inside the Emperor’s body, they attacked one another while guarding against the other seven. Every one of them felt mentally exhausted, fearing that the rest might join forces and force them to reveal their true cultivation techniques.
Given all that, it was better to simply withdraw.
After all, sharing the Emperor’s body was extremely dangerous for each of them. The Supreme Emperor could be hiding among them; that could be investigated slowly, but exposing their own greatest secrets would be a loss they couldn’t afford.
In an instant, the Emperor’s body was left empty.
Without their control, the Ancient-God Emperor slowly closed his eyes. The halo behind his head continued to spin, now gently instead of violently, and his chest rose and fell—he was still breathing.
His breathing steadied, and blood still flowed through his veins, like a mighty celestial river surging within.
Within his heart was the most turbulent power, as if it were the energy source of an entire galaxy—truly terrifying!
Even though this body was crafted by numerology and creation arts—not the Emperor’s true flesh—it still possessed boundless power.
Quinn Shepherd was momentarily stunned. At this moment, in the Hall of Nourishing Glory, only he and the Emperor’s body remained!
He gazed at the Emperor’s body, eyes flickering. Though it was a replica of the Ancient-God Emperor, this body was still the crystallization of Heavenly Court’s wisdom—second only to the Heaven-Guide Venerable weapon!
But the key wasn’t the Emperor’s artifact body’s power—it was the authority and status it represented!
“If the Ten Heavenly Venerables can play with it, then as Shepherd Heavenly Venerable—whose rank is even higher—why can’t I…?”
Compelled by some strange impulse, Quinn Shepherd walked toward the Ancient-God Emperor’s body, muttering to himself: “Heavenly Court hides countless secrets. Shu Jun said this is also the birthplace of the Ancient-God Emperor, plus the Heaven-Guide Venerable’s residual soul and Zaofu Palace’s greatest artifact—places I can’t normally approach. But if I were to take up residence in the Emperor’s body…”
Suppressing his unease, he kept walking and soon arrived at the Emperor’s brow.
Although this Emperor’s body was a replica, its structure showed no trace of numerology arts.
Heavenly Court’s Daoist engineers had studied the Ancient-God Emperor’s flesh and runes for hundreds of thousands of years—their research into this ancient god was truly exhaustive.
Quinn Shepherd had obtained the Ancient-God Emperor’s Dao runes, but even now he hadn’t fully mastered the Emperor’s Dao. In contrast, he’d gained much more from Heaven Duke’s Dao runes—which showed just how intricate and difficult the Emperor’s Dao truly was.
He released his divine sense, sending it into the Emperor’s brow.
Immediately, he ‘saw’ a haze of violet light within the Emperor’s mind. The Emperor’s brain was made up of countless, exquisitely detailed runes, as if innumerable Daos were interwoven there.
His divine sense entered the Emperor’s Dao, as if stepping into an incredibly intricate machine. Which part of the brain controlled the eyes, the mouth, the fingers—he had to puzzle each out for himself.
Even with Quinn’s divine sense now immensely powerful, fully controlling this body was a struggle.
The Emperor’s body was simply too vast. Each region of the brain represented a different Dao, controlling a different part of the body, and to move those parts required Quinn to precisely command the Emperor’s mind—a feat impossible to master in a short time.
Moreover, controlling the Ancient-God Emperor’s body required constant expenditure of divine sense, and the rate of depletion was exhausting.
“Perhaps I could use the Creators’ Possession technique to draw on the body’s own power…”
No sooner thought than done. Quinn Shepherd had inherited the wisdom of the Creator race and was well acquainted with Possession, their unique technique. The Supreme Emperor once said he could possess anyone’s body at will, becoming whomever he wished.
Though Quinn’s attainment was not equal to the Supreme Emperor’s, he could still perform the Possession technique.
Soon, he felt his divine sense perfectly meld with the Emperor’s body. It was as if he had become the Ancient-God Emperor himself—his control was so keen it felt like commanding his own flesh.
Not only that, he could precisely locate every source of power within the Emperor’s body.
Though a replica, the Ancient-God Emperor’s body still contained nearly two thousand power sources, large and small. Drawing on these powers barely depleted Quinn’s own reserves.
Mobilizing these sources made Quinn feel stronger than ever before!
“The Creators’ Possession technique really is formidable. Now I can wield all the power in this body! Just how strong is the Ancient-God Emperor?”
Delighted, Quinn Shepherd made the Ancient-God Emperor rise with a thunderous motion. He reached a hand to the brow, splitting it open; Quinn soared up, slipped into the Emperor’s brow, and the wound closed behind him. Then, the Ancient-God Emperor strode out of the Hall of Nourishing Glory.
Outside the Hall of Nourishing Glory, a crowd of palace maids knelt, not daring to raise their heads.
Quinn Shepherd waved a hand and said calmly, “You may rise.”
The maids answered in unison, but only stood up after he had walked away.
Quinn Shepherd, piloting the Emperor’s body, wandered through the inner city. He was unfamiliar with the area, so he simply roamed about. Luckily, as the Ancient-God Emperor, no one dared question him—even the palace ladies, eunuchs, and Jade Capital City’s god-generals all dropped to their knees wherever he passed.
“Shu Jun sensed the Emperor’s birthplace in the Imperial Harem, so that place must be there.”
With great excitement, Quinn Shepherd headed toward the harem, his mind wandering: “It’s said the Emperor’s harem is filled with countless beauties of every race. If I enter, what if the consorts beg to serve me in bed?”
He blinked, suddenly feeling a bit troubled.
“Your son pays respects to Father Emperor!”
Suddenly, a burly young god knelt before Quinn Shepherd, exclaiming with joy, “Father Emperor, you always keep to yourself. I haven’t seen you in ages!”
Quinn Shepherd’s heart tightened. He didn’t recognize this young prince or know his name, so he simply raised a hand and said, “You may rise. I’ve been busy these days, and have neglected you.”
The young god was overjoyed, rising quickly, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. He forced himself to hold back and said, “Father Emperor, you haven’t spoken to your son in over forty thousand years. Though I am Eastern Palace Crown Prince, I see you less than the palace maids do, unable to fulfill my filial duties before you.”
Quinn’s heart skipped a beat. Eastern Palace Crown Prince? Could this be the same prince who, at the end of the Supreme Heaven Court era, captured Claudia Qi and forced her surrender? Oh no—this Crown Prince is a top expert at the Emperor’s Throne Stage!
Back then, Claudia Qi was a master of the Southern Supreme Heaven Court, and after slaying the previous Red Emperor, she commemorated her victory with a monument—only to be captured by this Crown Prince and forced to submit to Heavenly Court.
This Eastern Palace Crown Prince was a formidable figure indeed. After capturing Claudia Qi, he also erected a monument; Quinn still remembered seeing both stones when he broke the seal in the Earth-Mother Origin World.
“I wonder if this Crown Prince can see through me…”
His heart was full of unease. Historically, the Ancient-God Emperor appointed many crown princes, but none met a good end. This one was likely born of the Emperor’s true body and possessed extremely powerful blood, making him especially formidable.
If he saw through Quinn’s disguise, could the Emperor’s body withstand him?
More crucially, Quinn had no idea what this Crown Prince’s name was!
“If only Claudia Qi or that little minx Elaina Cloud were here… Bah, that minx is Madam Yuanmu. If she learns I’ve taken over the Emperor’s body, she’ll skin me alive if she doesn’t kill me outright!”
Quinn Shepherd looked down at the Eastern Palace Crown Prince and spoke gently: “You’ve suffered these days. Though I seldom see you, I know your cultivation and powers have advanced rapidly. But in the imperial family, father-son affection is rare. The stronger you grow, the less at ease I feel, so I avoid meeting you. Your elder brothers, after achieving greatness, all rebelled against me, becoming strangers. That’s why I’ve kept my distance—I don’t want you to end up like them.”
The Eastern Palace Crown Prince hurriedly knelt again, choking back tears: “Father Emperor, my loyalty to you is witnessed by Heaven and Earth—I would never betray you! These years I’ve watched the Ten Heavenly Venerables grow ever stronger, controlling the Heavenly Court and sidelining you. I worry constantly for your safety!”
Quinn’s expression shifted slightly, and he replied coldly, “You’re bold indeed, to criticize the Ten Heavenly Venerables. Do you know that’s a capital crime?”
The Crown Prince bowed deeply, not daring to rise, and choked out, “Nowadays, which ancient god in court doesn’t tremble before the Ten Heavenly Venerables, fearing death at the slightest offense? I worry that if this goes on, you’ll have no one left to rely on!”
Quinn Shepherd looked at him coldly for a moment, then said, “Rise. Do you think I don’t know what you’ve said? I know your loyalty, and I have my own ways of dealing with things.”
The Crown Prince rose, wiping tears from his eyes.
Quinn was filled with emotion and sighed, “Good child, you truly are a good child—not like Hao…”
He seemed unwilling to mention Hao Heavenly Venerable, so he changed the subject: “In the Heavenly Court, there’s a place where I was born. Do you know where this sacred ground is?”
The Crown Prince’s heart trembled. He bowed and said, “I dare not inquire into that sacred ground, but I’ve heard palace rumors about that forbidden zone. I’ve never entered it myself!”
Quinn laughed, “Today, as your father, I’ll take you to see this ancestral place. Come, lead the way.”
The Crown Prince was overjoyed at Quinn’s shift in address and eagerly led the way.
Quinn followed, secretly troubled: “What is this Crown Prince’s name, anyway? If I don’t find out soon, I’ll be exposed… And who is his mother? Surely not Her Majesty the Empress?”