Back on the ship, Elaina Cloud once mentioned that when she led two of Heavenly Court’s Celestial Teachers, the Shenwu Army from among the Ten Guard Legions, and her most prized disciples into the Grand Void, the result was catastrophic.
The Shenwu Army was completely wiped out, none of her disciples survived, and both Celestial Teachers perished in the Grand Void.
She had mentioned that one of those Celestial Teachers was Celestial Teacher Yue, who uncovered the secret of the Grand Void’s heart demons—yet even he didn’t make it out alive.
But Quinn Shepherd still saw through her story.
At the time, for her own survival, she killed the Shenwu Army, her own disciples, and even the two Celestial Teachers!
If this Evil Daoist, Yue Tingge, is the same Celestial Teacher Yue Elaina Cloud spoke of, how did he survive a massacre by a Heavenly Venerable?
His qi and blood were completely drained, leaving him skin and bones.
Anyone who can become a Celestial Teacher must have unimaginable abilities. Yue Tingge must have had a way out. Elaina Cloud once said that both Celestial Teachers were top experts at the Emperor’s Throne stage…
Cold sweat broke out on Quinn’s forehead. He’d just revealed his identity as Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, and Yue Tingge had stormed over to kneel before him—if he hadn’t knelt, but attacked instead…
"Then my corpse would already be cold, wouldn’t it?" he thought to himself.
Even his bony body started collapsing inward—a death so painful it defied description.
He didn’t know much about Yue Tingge as a Celestial Teacher. In Heavenly Court, the high-ranking figures rarely used their real names, always choosing titles instead; only those of lesser status went by their true names, so he had never learned the actual names of the Four Celestial Teachers.
Besides, the current Four Celestial Teachers don’t include Yue Tingge.
The Four Celestial Teachers, Four Heavenly Kings, and Four Color Emperors of Heavenly Court aren’t fixed positions. They seem prestigious, but to the Ten Heavenly Venerables, they’re just expendable—if one dies, they simply replace them.
Back then and even now, Logan’s rank was never high; he’d only glimpsed Celestial Teacher Yue from afar. Besides, Yue Tingge had been ‘dead’ for over ten thousand years, and the current Celestial Teachers in Heavenly Court had long since changed.
And the Yue Tingge of old was elegant and refined, but now he looks vicious and wild, completely unkempt—there’s no trace of his former self. That’s why Logan didn’t recognize him right away.
How could this Celestial Teacher, supposedly dead for over ten thousand years, suddenly appear here?
"Celestial Teacher Yue, I have a few questions I’d like to ask you."
Quinn Shepherd stepped forward and said to the Evil Daoist, "May I ask, how did you survive? And which of the Ten Heavenly Venerables led you into the Grand Void?"
The Evil Daoist Yue Tingge stood up, shot him a glance, slung the roasted beast leg over his shoulder, and strode out, snarling, "I respect you as a Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon-Han era, so I won’t kill you. Mind your own business!"
Quinn followed him out of the city, continuing to press: "Where are the Creators here? Why haven’t we seen any? Have you met Flame-Venerable or Venerable Void? Do you know the whereabouts of Carefree Haven? Have you encountered Qin Heavenly Venerable here?"
Yue Tingge gave a twisted smile, a little crazed: "Flame-Venerable and Venerable Void? They came to kill me, didn’t they? That must be it! They came to kill me! So I lured them into that deathtrap—hee hee hee… There’s no way out for them, they’ll definitely die there! That means I’m safe…"
Logan Cross caught up with Quinn, whispering, "There’s something off about this Celestial Teacher Yue—it’s like he’s gone mad after being trapped here for over ten thousand years."
Yue Tingge shot him a cold look and sneered, "One hand? You underestimate me. Not just ten thousand years—even a million wouldn’t drive me mad! I just don’t trust those Heavenly Venerables."
He’d just been rambling, but now his thoughts were clear. He said, "Back then, Qin Heavenly Venerable became the Pioneer Emperor and founded the pseudo-court Pioneer Heaven Court. The Ten Heavenly Venerables of Heavenly Court wanted to deal with him, and as the head of the Four Celestial Teachers at the time, it was my strategy that was used against him."
He reminisced with pride, "The Pioneer Emperor was, after all, Qin Heavenly Venerable—one of the five founding elders of the Heaven Alliance. Who would dare eliminate him openly? And if he led his forces into Heavenly Court, he’d become one of the most powerful factions in the Heaven Alliance. We couldn’t let him regain control, so I chose a strategy of gradual separation and infiltration."
He grew excited: "Dragon-Han Heavenly Court made contact with the Pioneer Heaven Court, even supported its development. The Pioneer Emperor’s strongest subordinate, Empress Claudia Qi, was swayed by Prince Umbral; War-King Leo Yoran and Red Empress Claudia Qi—Heavenly Court’s influence slowly seeped into the Pioneer Emperor’s ranks, dividing them from within. Then, when the time was right, we exploded the scheme and uprooted his power all at once!"
He said with pride, "The Pioneer Emperor was helpless against my tactics, and in the end, the Pioneer Heaven Court was destroyed in a single stroke. But he was a genius—he saw the danger and began laying plans, secretly creating Carefree Haven and ultimately escaping. The Ten Heavenly Venerables still weren’t satisfied, so they ordered me to track down Carefree Haven. I’d done great service, but I knew the saying: 'When the rabbit dies, the hunting dog gets cooked…'"
He hunched his shoulders, glancing around warily, and chuckled, "I know too many of their secrets—they all want to kill us. Sending me to look for Carefree Haven was just a pretext; really, they wanted me dead!"
Quinn and Logan exchanged glances. This Celestial Teacher Yue was starting to sound crazy again.
Madam Yuanmu only killed him by chance. As one of the Ten Heavenly Venerables, she led a host into the Grand Void, also searching for Carefree Haven, but the Grand Void was too bizarre. For self-preservation, Madam Yuanmu slaughtered all her own subordinates.
After a moment, Senior Sister Li shot out of the vortex, desperately fleeing. As she ran, her body grew lighter and lighter, until she was nothing but a hollow sheet of skin, rolling across the plain in the wind.
Her body was empty; everything beneath her skin—flesh, bone, divine treasuries, Heaven Palaces, and even her primordial spirit—had been devoured.
His eyes flashed with menace as he glared at Quinn, but then the look vanished, replaced by furtive glances from the street corner. He whispered to the roasted beast leg, "Should we lure Shepherd Heavenly Venerable into that deathtrap too, let him die there... No, that won’t do. He may not be an enemy, and he did teach us the God-Making Method… You’re right, we won’t kill him. We could kill just one hand..."
Quinn didn’t hesitate anymore; he decided at once, "He really is crazy! Let’s go!"
Yue Tingge strolled over with the beast leg, his vicious look gone, now appearing like a sagely immortal, smiling, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, you want to know where Qin Heavenly Venerable and Carefree Haven are? Please, follow me."
Quinn blinked.
Logan Cross shook his head, "Quinn Overlord Body, he’s trying to trick us. Don’t fall for it!"
Quinn gritted his teeth and followed Yue Tingge.
Meanwhile, several hundred li away from the city, Liana Flowersoul was dueling another young god. He was a True God, immensely powerful, with four Heaven Palaces floating behind him and boundless mana.
Liana Flowersoul, though only at the Divine Bridge realm, could actually fight him—and even held the upper hand.
The two fought at breakneck speed, their divine arts and Daos dazzling to the eye.
Liana Flowersoul’s divine art had invaded his body—a strange technique, like an abyss, constantly devouring his qi and blood until he became skin and bones.
Not only that, his Seven Divine Treasuries began falling one after another into that abyss.
Even in Heavenly Court, there are many experts in Nether Dao and Nether divine arts—like Prince Umbral, a master of Nether techniques. But when it comes to Home’s End Abyss, Heavenly Court knows little.
Home’s End Abyss divine arts are still a secret in Heavenly Court; few have studied them, let alone mastered the Dao runes of Home’s End.
This young man was undeniably formidable—his prowess even surpassed that of An Qingyu, the True God Quinn had encountered before. Yet against the unfathomable divine arts of Home’s End Abyss, he could only meet a bitter end.
He couldn’t comprehend it—he and Liana Flowersoul were both disciples under Venerable Vast-Sky, and he’d always watched over this junior sister with care.
Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Liana Flowersoul to turn on him—much less with lethal intent!
"There’s no particular reason, Senior Brother Liao."
Liana Flowersoul’s voice was gentle: "I just didn’t want you to find Shepherd Heavenly Venerable before I did."
Senior Brother Liao let out a muffled groan. The abyss within him had already devoured his Heaven-Man Divine Treasury and was now poised to consume his Life-and-Death Divine Treasury and Divine Bridge Divine Treasury.
His qi and blood had been completely drained, leaving him nothing but a skeleton wrapped in skin.
"You’re no match for him."
Liana Flowersoul explained, "If you fought him, you’d use Venerable Vast-Sky’s Eighteen Methods to Slaughter Shepherd. But even then, you might not kill him. He’d see through your moves and refine his own skills and divine arts."
His Life-and-Death Divine Treasury and Divine Bridge Divine Treasury collapsed, plunging into the abyss. The abyss reached the South Heaven Gate, ready to devour his Heaven Palace.
Even his skeletal body began to collapse inward—a death more agonizing than words could describe.
"There are only eighteen Slaughter Shepherd methods. Every time one is exposed, you lose a weapon against Shepherd Heavenly Venerable. You’re all too weak—and too naive. If you let him unravel each method, he’ll only grow stronger. Better to preserve them."
Liana Flowersoul’s voice dropped to a whisper: "Even without using my own ultimate technique, it’s hard to kill him. So I can’t let the Slaughter Shepherd methods be exposed—I have to eliminate you all. Does that answer satisfy you, Senior Brother Liao?"
Senior Brother Liao’s Heaven Palaces thundered as countless halls tumbled into the abyss. His primordial spirit was trapped—drawn down with his collapsing body.
In the end, he vanished from existence—leaving no trace, not even a fragment of soul or a grain of soul-black sand.
He was wholly consumed by the abyss.
Then the abyssal divine art drifted over and entered the center of Liana Flowersoul’s brow.
A faint red mark appeared on her brow, then vanished.
She took out a mirror. Five red dots glimmered on its surface—four of them still in motion.
This was the Soul Mirror—an artifact Venerable Vast-Sky had forged for his nineteen disciples on this mission. Each disciple could use the red dots to locate the others and converge for a joint strike against Shepherd Heavenly Venerable.
But Venerable Vast-Sky never imagined the Soul Mirror would turn into a death warrant for his own disciples.
"Of Venerable Vast-Sky’s eighteen disciples, I’ve already killed five. Four remain—once I finish them, I can go after Shepherd Heavenly Venerable."
Liana Flowersoul smiled, Soul Mirror in hand, and sped toward one of the red dots. "The other nine either died en route or perished to the Grand Void’s strangeness. I don’t know if any were killed by Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, or how many Slaughter Shepherd methods are left. But to kill him, I won’t need many of those methods."
Soon, she caught up with one of the moving dots—a young woman sprinting across the wasteland, clutching her own mirror.
"Senior Sister Li!" Liana Flowersoul called out sharply.
Senior Sister Li’s face paled; she picked up speed, fleeing even faster. She sneered, "Liana Flowersoul, I just saw on the Soul Mirror—your red dot touched another, and that dot vanished. You killed that senior brother, and now you’re coming for me, aren’t you?"
Liana Flowersoul’s expression darkened. She gave chase: "Since you know, I can’t let you live. Stop running—you’ll never escape me."
Though Senior Sister Li was a True God, she didn’t dare confront her—she fled in terror.
Liana Flowersoul pointed ahead. A black vortex formed, and she stepped into it, vanishing from sight.
Senior Sister Li was running when a black vortex suddenly appeared beside her. She tried to stop, but the vortex swelled and swallowed her whole.
The vortex quaked violently in midair, as if two giant beasts were locked in a desperate struggle within.
After a while, Senior Sister Li burst from the vortex, fleeing at breakneck speed. As she ran, her body grew lighter and lighter, until she became nothing but a sheet of human skin, tumbling across the plain on the wind.
Her body was already empty; everything beneath her skin—blood, bone, even her divine treasuries, Heaven Palaces, and primordial spirit—had been devoured.
Liana Flowersoul stepped out of the vortex, checked the Soul Mirror, and headed in a new direction. "Three left…"