Quinn's eye twitched violently twice, his palm slick with cold sweat.
He had witnessed Grant’s battle with Noel, the reincarnation of the Ancient-God Emperor, and Grant’s strength was truly overwhelming. Though Grant was no match for Noel, he was still a force to be reckoned with.
Could he really stand on equal footing with Grant?
Even though Quinn had grasped Venerable Skysoar’s method for breaking the Supreme Emperor’s Supreme Divine Sense Domain, he still felt far from confident.
The gap between them was simply too vast.
Grant swept in with his wide sleeves billowing, barging straight into the palanquin. His gaze landed squarely on Quinn.
"Supreme Emperor, you actually dare show your face here? Do you realize you’re surrounded by enemies on all sides? Heaven Duke watches over the Primordial Realm from above; Great Sun Star Lord monitors the heavens; Earth Mother Primordial Lady controls the Primordial Realm below; and Queen Gongyun of the Makers is scouring the world for your whereabouts."
Quinn exhaled a long breath and smiled, "You just exposed your divine sense and powers—there’s no hiding from them now. If I were you, I’d strike once and leave immediately if I failed. But you stayed behind to settle the score with me. Not the wisest move."
Grant’s face remained impassive. "I know all that. But a blood feud this deep must be repaid. If you block me, I’ll kill you. It won’t take much time at all—once you’re dead, I’ll leave at once. Neither Heaven Duke nor Earth Mother will catch me, let alone the likes of Great Sun Star Lord."
Quinn’s pupils contracted sharply. He sneered, "You think you can kill me in mere moments? It’s been a hundred thousand years since we last met, hasn’t it? I’m not who I used to be—my strength now is a hundred times greater than it was back then! I’ve already reached the Emperor’s Throne Stage. Otherwise, how could just one of my Dao incarnations block your strike?"
Grant’s pupils narrowed as he sneered, "Emperor’s Throne Stage? I doubt it."
Quinn’s expression didn’t change. "What do you think of my divine sense attainments?" he asked.
A flicker of uncertainty crossed Grant’s face.
Quinn said coolly, "There’s nothing for you to gain here. Out of respect for your status as a Primordial Emperor, I won’t make things difficult for you. Leave."
Suddenly, Grant burst out laughing. "So what if you’ve reached the Emperor’s Throne Stage? You clearly have no idea what my true powers are! Let me show you a genuine primordial supreme art!"
Boom—
His divine sense erupted, instantly transforming into the Supreme Divine Sense Domain!
The moment the Supreme Divine Sense Domain expanded, a long spear appeared in Grant’s hand. At the same time, everything within the domain froze, as if time and space itself had solidified.
Only Grant could move.
Annie, Dragon-Qilin, and the six Heavenly Dragons—all movement, even the flow of blood—stopped in that instant.
Inside the domain, even the Celestial River stopped flowing.
The instant Grant unleashed the Supreme Divine Sense Domain, Quinn finally relaxed. He had lied about reaching the Emperor’s Throne Stage precisely to force Grant to reveal this domain!
If he couldn’t force out the Supreme Divine Sense Domain, Quinn wouldn’t have survived even one blow from Grant—he’d have been killed instantly!
But as long as Grant cast the Supreme Divine Sense Domain, Quinn would have a sliver of hope!
The moment Grant’s Supreme Divine Sense Domain erupted, Quinn unleashed the breaking method he’d gleaned from Venerable Skysoar’s manuscript!
Venerable Skysoar’s breaking method was rooted in the Creation Dao, the very foundation of the Invariant Divine Art. Quinn had already mastered the Invariant Divine Art, so deriving a counter for Grant’s Supreme Divine Sense Domain was exactly the right approach!
His sword light burst forth within the Supreme Divine Sense Domain. In an instant, the sword tip flickered, countless runes pouring out to fill the domain.
Grant immediately sensed his Supreme Divine Sense Domain solidifying, reversing—his mind thundered in shock.
By nature, Grant was cautious. His true body as Supreme Emperor had gone to the Void to annihilate the Creators there, while this borrowed body guarded the entrance to the Void.
When his true body as Supreme Emperor died and his divine sense was trapped, Grant flew into a rage. But he knew he was no match for Cloud-Venerable, Moon-Venerable, or Venerable Skysoar, so in his fury he rushed to Sky-River Court, intending to destroy it and vent his wrath.
Yet what Grant hadn’t expected was that Quinn Shepherd was waiting here, and forced him to unleash his Supreme Divine Sense Domain—falling right into Quinn’s trap.
How eerily similar was this scene to what happened in Taixu?
However, Grant had suffered once before. Now, his divine sense domain hadn’t fully solidified or reversed yet—he still had a chance!
Even though his cultivation was restricted, as long as he killed Quinn before the breaking art was complete, he could interrupt the reversal of the Supreme Divine Sense Domain!
“Die!”
Both shouted at once. Inside the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin, an impossibly bright light erupted, swelling outward like a gigantic sphere!
The waters of the Celestial River were forced back by the expanding sphere, forming a massive globe of water that surged outward!
Boom—
A terrifying shockwave swept in all directions. Amid the tremors, sword-lights darted like swimming dragons within the sphere, crisscrossing—faint outlines of thirty-three heavens appeared.
A long spear transformed into a dragon-vein, mountains and peaks ramming through the thirty-three heavens!
Quinn opened the vertical demon eye at his brow. The Taichu egg, Tu Bo’s horn, and Taichu Primal Stone all erupted at once, fusing into a dazzling divine radiance that met Grant’s divine spear head-on!
Within his god-eye, ten thousand Dao sounds roared—the chanting of myriad gods!
Another, even more terrifying shockwave followed, overtaking the first light sphere and sweeping out across the heavens at an even greater speed!
At last, the light faded. A five-hundred-li stretch of the Celestial River had vanished, blasted clear; the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin plummeted from the sky.
Meanwhile, a blue-gold bird flared its wings, spinning madly in the air, then thundered away—vanishing without a trace, scattering countless clouds across the sky.
Inside the palanquin, Quinn collapsed in defeat—his chest cavity exploded, his limbs flying apart.
Annie had just rushed into the cabin, only to see Quinn’s scattered limbs strewn across the floor, his head rolling twice before coming to a stop.
Quinn’s head stared wide-eyed, coming to rest at Annie’s feet.
“Young master…”
Annie dropped to her knees, trembling as she reached out and closed Quinn’s eyes.
“Annie, don’t… make a fuss…”
With a splatter, Quinn coughed blood all over her hand, barely mustering his divine sense: “Extinguish the lantern—get back to the Ghost Ship—Senior Brother Wayne can save me…”
Annie, shocked and overjoyed, hurriedly tossed his head aside and dashed out of the cabin. But when she looked at the lantern Wayne Gale had forged and hung on the palanquin, she froze—the terrifying shockwave had already destroyed it.
But it was still daylight, not night—the palanquin hadn’t returned to the Ghost Ship.
Cold sweat broke out on Annie’s brow. She shouted, “To Youdu! Fat Dragon, to Youdu!”
Dragon-Qilin, sensing the danger earlier, had instantly activated the Dragon-Raising Codex, fusing himself with the six Heavenly Dragons. They barely blocked the divine art’s shockwave from the cabin, but were all severely wounded.
At Annie’s command, Dragon-Qilin immediately dropped the fusion art, barked an order, and the six Heavenly Dragons dragged their battered bodies forward. Suddenly, the space ahead of the palanquin shuddered—and the palanquin plunged into Youdu.
The instant the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin appeared in Youdu, it vanished again—reappearing a moment later on the deck of the Ghost Ship.
Annie burst out, shouting, “Cloud-Nether Emperor, save him!”