Heavenly Court was in chaos. Southern Emperor Vermilion stepped out from Vermilion Palace, raising her head to watch Ugly Ox—Tu Bo’s reincarnation—dragging a colossal world through the court, shackled by countless Dao chains with each step. Her face was indifferent: “Crown Prince Qi has gone too far. But if not for that one’s indulgence, would Qi have dared do this?”
She gave a cold laugh, gazing toward the seat of power in Heavenly Court. "What are you planning, Your Majesty?"
"Since founding Heavenly Court, you’ve already gathered all our gods’ authority into your own hands. Are you still not satisfied with us?"
She murmured, almost to herself: "Of course. Tu Bo and Heaven Duke are too powerful, beyond your control. As long as you catch them making a mistake, you’ll be able to rein them in, won’t you? Heaven Duke has already been taught a lesson by you. Now it’s Tu Bo’s turn."
Her expression grew bleak. She said quietly, "Soon it’ll be Earth Mother’s turn, then Tianyin, then the Four Emperors, won’t it? But I won’t just sit here waiting for death!"
That day, clouds of intrigue swirled through Heavenly Court. Ugly Ox stormed in, slaughtering ancient gods and demigods one after another; the imperial army suffered catastrophic losses.
At last, he reached Jade Capital City, where the Heavenly Emperor struck him down, sending him plummeting into Youdu.
The Heavenly Emperor stretched out his hand and caught the infant girl tumbling from Tu Bo’s shoulder.
At that moment, Vast-Sky Venerable and Cloud-Venerable both burst out of Radiant Sun Hall, each fleeing in a different direction. Neither spared the other a glance.
A step behind, Quinn Shepherd also rushed out of Radiant Sun Hall, shifting forms again and again to dodge palace maids, slip into Jade Capital City, and finally transform into Loren Shaw’s likeness as he headed for the city gates.
Meanwhile, at that very moment, the Great Azure-Gold Bird carrying the palace plunged into Youdu—still a step too late.
Queen Gongyun of the Makers saw Tu Bo awaken, his eyes opening to gaze up at Heavenly Court from the depths of the Netherworld. All three eyes showed no emotion.
Tu Bo’s eyes did not look at them, but he raised his hand. The Netherworld River surged, sweeping toward the Great Azure-Gold Bird and the palace.
His gaze fell upon the Heavenly Emperor’s hand—where his daughter was held.
Queen Gongyun shuddered inwardly, about to defend herself, when suddenly every binding on Grant snapped apart. The strange man broke free, transformed into a giant bird, and soared away, laughing: “Don’t worry, my dear wife! With me here, Tu Bo won’t dare harm you!”
Queen Gongyun braced herself against the Netherworld River’s blow, her soul reeling. Just then, a terrifying force intervened to block the river—it was Supreme Emperor Taidi’s true body acting, though he did not show himself.
Realizing she could not succeed, Queen Gongyun had no choice but to escape Youdu with Supreme Emperor Taidi's help.
“She’s the daughter of the world’s mightiest demon god—yet she was born not in Youdu, but in the living world.”
The Heavenly Emperor’s voice rang out from above, yet was perfectly clear in Tu Bo’s ears: “The Netherworld’s daughter is false. Then let her be called Xu. The miasma and yin of Youdu are too heavy—let Xu remain in Heavenly Court. What do you say, old friend?”
Tu Bo lowered his head, watching his reincarnation, Ugly Ox, fall endlessly into deeper darkness.
“Your Majesty is wise,” he said.
The Heavenly Emperor smiled.
In Jade Capital City, Crown Prince Qi watched as the Heavenly Emperor repelled Ugly Ox. A chill ran through him: “It seems I still lack the power to kill my father. But now that I’ve targeted Tu Bo and stirred up such chaos, I doubt Father will tolerate me any longer. I have no choice but to rebel... Yet I still have the demigod clans, my mother, and many ancient gods supporting me! I might not lose to Father!”
At that moment, Quinn Shepherd strode lightly through Heavenly Court, heading toward Vermilion Palace. A fine drizzle began to fall from the sky—summoned by the Rain Master to wash the blood from the heavenly streets.
The surviving gods on the streets were busy hauling away corpses.
Ugly Ox, channeling the power of Tu Bo’s true body, had wreaked havoc on Heavenly Court. Yet Quinn Shepherd was in good spirits—danger brings fortune, and what he sought was not wealth, but the Taichu Primal Stone fragments from Supreme Emperor Taidi.
Maybe, just maybe, he could use these fragments to piece together a complete Taichu Primal Stone!
Now, all he needed was to meet Southern Emperor Vermilion—either to obtain a treasure from her, or to warn her to split off a soul for reincarnation and avoid her destined death.
He quickened his pace. As he passed Five-Luminary Palace, a shadow leaned by the gate, calling softly: “Loren Shaw, long time no see.”
Quinn Shepherd’s heart skipped a beat. He turned and looked at the speaker: “Cloud-Venerable, long time no see.”
Cloud-Venerable snorted and walked into Five-Luminary Palace. "Come in. This was the palace of the Five Calamity Luminary Gods, but they were all slain by Shepherd Heavenly Venerable. It's long been empty."
Quinn Shepherd suppressed his delight and followed him inside, preparing to reveal his true form. Just then, he caught sight of Vast-Sky Venerable hanging behind them.
Quinn Shepherd’s heart stirred, but he held himself back.
The two entered Five-Luminary Palace, and Quinn Shepherd moved to Cloud-Venerable’s side.
“I saw you die with my own eyes. You perished on the Celestial River, and your corpse was swept away by the current.”
Cloud-Venerable suddenly stopped. “You couldn’t have survived. And yet, here you are.”
Quinn Shepherd sensed Vast-Sky Venerable had entered the palace too. “Someone saved me.”
Cloud-Venerable said, “You entrusted me to take your eye and divine sense to the Grand Void Expanse. There, I met your kin and witnessed you become an Ancestor-Spirit. I can’t understand how your divine sense became an Ancestor-Spirit, yet your flesh lived on.”
Quinn Shepherd replied, “We Creators are different from you. For us, the death of the soul isn’t true death—only the extinction of divine sense is.”
“Perhaps so.”
Cloud-Venerable nodded and said, "I've visited your people and seen their cultivation methods. They're truly strange, unlike ours. Your kin don't understand intrigue or cunning, nor the art of deception. They communicate by touching divine sense—just a brush and they know each other's hearts. It's like a pure land. I go there from time to time, and it brings me peace. But you—you're different. You know how to lie to me."
Suddenly, he sensed something—clearly Vast-Sky Venerable had slipped into Five-Luminary Palace as well. His divine sense wasn't as strong as Quinn's, but it was no slouch. A powerful divine sense can forewarn of danger.
(This chapter is not over yet~.~, please click next page to continue reading the exciting story!)
Quinn did yearn for the Grand Void Expanse Cloud-Venerable described, but that pure realm was already ruined by Supreme Emperor Taidi, and besides, he was no longer the Loren Shaw who couldn't lie.
'I died on the Celestial River—what happened to that giant beast who was with me?' he asked.
Cloud-Venerable replied, "I sent it to the Grand Void Expanse."
Quinn sighed inwardly. So, Supreme Emperor Taidi finally knew the location of the Grand Void Expanse.
He sent a ripple of divine sense into Cloud-Venerable's mind: "I can't go back. Please carry these Taichu Primal Stones to my people and help them forge the Void Bridge and Beyond-Shore World. As for the Supreme Emperor Seal and Altar—you know their origins and uses. I'm just lending them to you. Return them to me in the future."
Suddenly, he spun around, his gaze sweeping toward Vast-Sky Venerable's hiding place, divine sense erupting forth.
Vast-Sky Venerable froze. The entire palace vanished in an instant—before him stood only an impossibly towering ancient Heavenly Emperor god.
A chill ran down Vast-Sky Venerable's spine. He realized it was an illusion, bit his tongue hard, and spat blood.
His blood carried the power of two ancient god bloodlines. In an instant, Quinn's divine sense illusion melted away, shattered by the burning blood.
At the same time, Cloud-Venerable's hand was suddenly holding a Taichu Primal Stone, along with the Supreme Emperor Seal and Altar.
He flipped his palm, stowing the three items away. When he looked up, Quinn was already gone.
Cloud-Venerable's gaze brimmed with confusion. This Loren Shaw felt different from the one who died on the Celestial River—the divine sense was just as strong, but the personality was not the same.
Vast-Sky Venerable approached, glancing around but finding no trace of Quinn, his heart full of doubt.
"I knew the third person in the hall was you, Cloud-Venerable," Vast-Sky Venerable said with a lazy smile.
Cloud-Venerable replied coolly, "And I knew one of them was you."
Vast-Sky Venerable's eyes glinted with curiosity. "So who was the other one? To seize the perfect moment of Tu Bo's Heaven-Riot—besides you and me, there was a third hand at play. I can't help but be curious."
"There are countless strange geniuses in the world—most likely just another one. That game between Crown Prince Qi and Tu Bo, was that your handiwork? Nicely played."
Cloud-Venerable gave genuine praise: "You set up Tu Bo, you set up Crown Prince Qi, and you even set up the Heavenly Emperor's treasure vault. Vast-Sky, you're something else."
Vast-Sky Venerable smiled faintly, his tone leisurely: "I just went with the flow. In the Origin World, I'm the leader of the demigods, but in the myriad heavens, the demigods follow the Crown Prince. I'm just a minor lord, same as you. All I had to do was have a few demigods tell the Crown Prince that Tu Bo had reincarnated and his chance had come—he'd make his move all on his own. Besides..."
He flashed a wry smile: "Truth is, even His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor doesn't much care if the Crown Prince survives. These past years, the Crown Prince's ambition has only grown, and he's gotten too close to the other ancient gods."
"After this, Crown Prince Qi will have no choice but to rebel. But once he does, he'll die, and no one will challenge you for the throne. Still, no matter how clever your schemes, they're just small-time tricks."
Cloud-Venerable glanced toward High Heaven Hall. "You can't compete with that one."
Vast-Sky Venerable felt the same, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, gazing at High Heaven Hall. He murmured, "Every time I meet him, I feel utterly powerless. The more I learn about him, the more I realize how invincible he is. He has only one weakness—if he didn't, he'd be truly unbeatable."
He shuddered several times.
Cloud-Venerable's eyes gleamed. "In this era, only you truly catch my eye. You were born in seeming nobility, but in truth an illegitimate child with no name or rank. You suffered a Dao-heart-shattering blow, yet you rose again, willingly giving up the glittering court to become a grassroots lord in the lower world."
He clasped his hands behind his back. "In you, I see boundless ambition, endless desire. You've befriended demigods, Flame-Venerable, Prince Umbral—even God-Emperor Jadecrest and Galen, the Ancestral God-King, praise you. Across the wars between Dragon-Sky Heavenly Court and Sky-River Court, I've seen your brilliance. In this world, there are only two true heroes."
He raised his hand, pointing at Vast-Sky Venerable, then at himself.
Vast-Sky Venerable burst out laughing. When his laughter faded, he said, "We share a common enemy. You need my strength to fight him, and I need your cunning to keep him in check. Cloud, aside from Heaven-Guide Venerable Lan and Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, the person I admire most is you. I can rally the strongest demigods, you can gather the mightiest humans—let's plan this out carefully."
Cloud-Venerable nodded, a girl's face—Langwo, the Creator maiden—flashed through his mind. "I've already got a plan, but it'll take years of patience. Once you've both reached the Emperor's Throne stage and I'm fully prepared, then we'll strike. His weakness is singular, and we'll only get one shot. Whatever happens, we cannot fail."
His gaze grew distant. "But before that, I need to deal with another—someone as terrifying as your father!"
Vast-Sky Venerable's heart stirred, recalling a dreadful figure. "You mean—?"
"Supreme Emperor Taidi."
Cloud-Venerable turned to leave. "Only by killing him first can we make sure, after your father falls, he won't stir up trouble. Otherwise, Taidi will become the next Heavenly Emperor, and we'll have done all the work for him! Taidi must die before your father!"
Vast-Sky Venerable watched him go, unable to help but admire him.
"Cloud-Venerable truly is my greatest rival. Everything I can think of, he thinks of too. The things I haven't thought of, he's already considered. But in the end, who laughs last depends on momentum."
He strode out of Five-Luminary Palace. "The humans' momentum is a far cry from the demigods'. Once Crown Prince Qi dies and all the demigods fall under my banner, my momentum will surpass his. In the end, I'll be the one who wins!"