"Hong, Da Hong—could he be the future Venerable Vastflood? In other words, is he possibly Supreme Emperor Taidi?"
Quinn Shepherd stared at the young man in wide sleeves, instantly feeling as though his life was gripped in someone else's hand.
He suspected that Venerable Vastflood was actually Supreme Emperor Taidi's hidden identity within Heavenly Court, and now this young man named Hong had suddenly appeared here, making Quinn feel targeted.
If he hadn’t come from a later era, and didn’t know about the future Venerable Vastflood, he might really have been fooled by this young man named Da Hong.
If Hong really was Supreme Emperor Taidi, that would be terrifying.
Supreme Emperor Taidi’s power was on par with the Heavenly Emperor; his flesh was honored by the Creators as the strongest in existence—though Quinn believed the Heavenly Emperor’s body was even stronger.
But one thing was certain: Supreme Emperor Taidi’s divine sense was absolutely unrivaled—unprecedented, and for millions of years, none would ever match it. Even Red Emperor, famed for his indestructible divine sense, was worlds apart!
If Supreme Emperor Taidi wanted to kill him, it would be all too easy.
Sitting inside the carriage, Quinn felt as if he were facing the ancient-god Heavenly Emperor himself—his skin crawled. Of course, he suppressed his fear, letting only the back of his neck prickle with goosebumps.
Flags fluttered atop the Celestial River Fleet’s massive warships; every ship was packed with thousands of troops—mostly demigods trained into divine demons.
Quinn glanced into the distance and laughed, "Friend Hong, you’ve got too many people chasing you—better not drag us into it."
But Hong suddenly boarded the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin, laughing, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, you’re on the run too—what’s the harm in bringing me along?"
He stepped into the carriage. Quinn fought to suppress his fear—Supreme Emperor Taidi of this era hadn’t yet been killed by Cloud-Venerable and the Creators of the Grand Void working together.
Cloud-Venerable and the Grand Void Creators had ambushed Supreme Emperor Taidi’s body and half his divine sense; but this Hong was likely Taidi in his complete form.
Quinn felt cold sweat breaking out on the back of his neck, forcibly suppressing his body’s reaction. He smiled, "Hong—Heavenly Venerable... Friend Hong, you know me?"
Hong sat across from Loren Shaw, glanced at him, then at the window, visibly nervous. "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, you stirred up Jade Pool a thousand years ago, took on Madam Yuanmu’s projection, and even wounded Venerable Haotian with a single sword under her Dao pressure—who in the world wouldn’t know you?"
Just then, another voice cried for help outside the carriage: "Is Shepherd Heavenly Venerable here? Save me!"
Quinn, Loren, and Hong all looked outside—another army surged out of South Heaven Gate, the Southern Fallen Gate’s troops chasing an exceptionally handsome youth.
The youth dashed across the Celestial River, racing toward the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin—he was so fast, he leapt aboard and shouted, "Go! Go!"
The armies of the Four Great Master Gates in Heaven were each commanded by a Heavenly Court Grandmaster. Quinn didn’t know who the Four Grandmasters of the Dragon-Han era were, but if Southern Fallen Gate had mobilized its main force, whoever they were chasing had to be a major figure!
The Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin sped away, leaving the Celestial River Fleet and Southern Fallen Gate’s army behind.
Quinn sent a divine sense transmission to Dragon-Qilin, telling him the location of the Ancestral Court and instructing him to head there.
Just then, he sensed his own divine sense being probed.
The probing was from Loren Shaw, whose divine sense was obvious—he was very curious about Quinn, knowing his divine sense was powerful and mysterious, and that he seemed to understand the Creators well.
So when Loren sensed Quinn’s divine sense fluctuating, he tried to probe it with his own.
Yet Quinn sensed a second thread of divine sense.
This second probe was so well hidden, it was almost undetectable!
It came from deep within layers of void, making it hard to notice. If Quinn hadn’t inherited Supreme Emperor Taidi’s Grand-Luo Supreme Divine Sense, he wouldn’t have detected it at all.
But besides Loren Shaw and Hong, there was also the newly boarded youth—it was hard to say which of the two was secretly probing Quinn.
"One thing’s for sure: Supreme Emperor Taidi is in this carriage!"
Quinn forced down his fear and asked, "Friend Hong, you were in Heavenly Court back then? If you weren’t at Jade Pool, you must have attended the Heavenly Court grand assembly. To be invited by the Heavenly Emperor, you must be a leader among demigods—why is the Celestial River Fleet hunting you?"
Hong tucked his hands into his sleeves and sighed, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, you’re truly clever. I am the world’s first monster, different from you humans. Our monster race awakened early—while your kind couldn’t yet cultivate, we were already practicing. I was the first to awaken, living on wind and dew, absorbing the essence of sun and moon, and eventually gained intelligence. The Heavenly Emperor made me lord of the monsters and invited me to the Heavenly Court assembly. But I was in the Lingxiao Palace then, so I didn’t meet you."
"I see," Quinn replied.
Quinn looked at the handsome youth who had just climbed aboard, secretly admiring his looks—he was probably a match for Yin Tianzi or Yin Chaojin in beauty. Quinn smiled, "May I ask your name, friend?"
"My name is Xiao."
The handsome youth smiled, "Xiao of the human race, as in the dawn of spring. Shepherd Heavenly Venerable may not have heard of me, but your name is famous to me."
Quinn’s heart skipped a beat, his blood almost freezing: "Could he be Venerable Xiao? If so, things are lively in this little carriage—Supreme Emperor Taidi from the Creators and the ancient-god Heavenly Emperor, both here..."
He fought the urge to order Yan’er to extinguish the lantern and flee, forcing a stiff smile, "Xiao is your given name, but what’s your surname?"
The handsome youth said, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable may not know, but surnames came later—only those with status have them. My family was poor, so I had no surname, just a name. Later, I randomly took one: Gu. So I’m Gu Xiao, but those who know me still call me Xiao."
Quinn glanced at Hong and this human Gu Xiao—his heart gave another violent twitch.
Hong looked very young, smiling with hands tucked in his sleeves and arms folded across his chest. His features faintly resembled those of the future Venerable Vastflood.
Gu Xiao, on the other hand, was strikingly handsome—completely unlike the future Venerable Xiao.
The later Venerable Xiao was aloof, eccentric, and domineering—a nominal Heavenly Venerable of the human race, but not at all handsome, bearing no resemblance to this youth called Gu Xiao.
Besides, judging by Venerable Xiao’s age, he hadn’t even been born yet—he only became Cloud-Venerable’s zealous disciple in the mid-Dragon-Han era.
"Is this Xiao really Venerable Xiao?" Quinn wondered.
Silence fell in the carriage; all four had their own thoughts.
The Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin had already left the Celestial River, speeding toward the outer heavens—the spatial coordinates Quinn gave Dragon-Qilin were indeed out there.
Behind them, the Celestial River Fleet’s warships roared, flags waving, as the river split into a tributary. The warships, banners flying, continued their pursuit.
Hong stared in surprise outside, his eyes flickering. "Heavenly Venerable, are you really fleeing to the outer heavens? The world barrier of Yuan Realm is thick—it’s not easy to leave."
Quinn’s eyes glinted and he smiled, "Friend Hong, do you know how to leave Yuan Realm?"
Hong shook his head, "I’d love to escape to the outer heavens, but I’m trapped in Yuan Realm—there’s nothing I can do. Though I’ve heard that if you follow the Celestial River, you can leave Yuan Realm and reach the cosmic starry sky. You might even roam the Four Extremities, visit Profound Capital or the Netherworld!"
"Thank you for the advice, Friend Hong."
Quinn chuckled, "You say you’re powerless to leave Yuan Realm, yet you seem to know a lot about how to do it—how odd."
Hong laughed heartily.
Gu Xiao took out a small file, trimming his nails. He glanced at Hong curiously, "Why is the Celestial River Fleet hunting you, Friend Hong? As far as I know, you’re the Grand Marshal of the Fleet—why would they chase their own commander?"
Quinn grew alert and looked at Hong.
Hong sighed, "I was punished for my words. To be honest, when Shepherd Heavenly Venerable killed the Five Luminary Star Lords on the Celestial River, I was drilling the Fleet and witnessed it. I couldn’t help but praise him. I was awed by his divine arts, not rebellious, but someone reported me to the Heavenly Emperor. He was furious and ordered my arrest, to be brought to the Execution Platform. I had no choice but to flee for my life."
Quinn lamented, wiping away tears, "I never imagined I’d implicate you, Friend Hong! It’s my fault!"
Hong’s gaze flickered to Gu Xiao. "I’ve heard the Celestial Teacher of Southern Fallen Gate is extremely mysterious—like a dragon’s head with no tail. I have friends in the Gate who say their Celestial Teacher is a human god. I was both surprised and impressed—could that human Celestial Teacher be you, Friend Xiao? And why is your own army chasing you?"
Quinn looked at Gu Xiao, his face puzzled.
Gu Xiao put down the file, sighing deeply. "I, too, was punished because Shepherd Heavenly Venerable killed the Five Luminary Ancient Gods on the Celestial River. But I wasn’t praising his divine arts—instead, I was admiring this friend here."
He looked at Loren Shaw. "I saw this friend’s vast and boundless body, even surpassing the ancient gods, and couldn’t help but marvel. Later I learned he was a Creator, and there’s some bad blood between the ancient gods and Creators. Because of one careless comment, the Heavenly Court came after me too."
Quinn couldn’t help but sigh, "Both of you were punished for your words. You were once high and mighty, but one wrong sentence brought you to this—forced to flee with me."
He was overwhelmed with emotion, almost moved to tears again.
Gu Xiao and Hong quickly comforted him, "Everyone says Shepherd Heavenly Venerable is righteous and warm-hearted, a timely rain for the world. Meeting you today, the reputation is well deserved."
"Heavenly Venerable, don’t worry about our fate—perhaps it’s just our destiny to suffer this tribulation."
Quinn wiped his tears and choked out, "Hearing your stories and thinking of my own, I can’t help but feel sorrow. Our fates are so similar, it’s made me lose control. Though we’re different people, we share the same destiny. Today, fortune brings us together as fugitives—why not..."
He clenched his fists, excited. "Why don’t we become sworn brothers? Let’s form a bond of brotherhood—not seeking to be born on the same day, but to die on the same day!"
Gu Xiao and Hong were dumbstruck, exchanging glances, speechless.
Quinn grew even more excited, stood up, paced in the carriage, then clapped his hands and laughed, "Loren Shaw, you’re a Creator, a stranger in a foreign land, hunted by the Heavenly Court and rejected by the ancient gods—just like us! Let’s all become sworn brothers!"
Gu Xiao and Hong’s expressions grew stranger, their brows furrowing.
Quinn, full of enthusiasm, shouted, "Let’s swear to the Earth Count—to die on the same day, month, and year!"
Sweat broke out on Hong’s forehead. He forced a laugh, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, you’re a Venerable—we can hardly compare!"
Gu Xiao also chuckled, "Creators are enemies of the ancient gods—if we swear to Earth Count, aren’t we sending Loren Shaw into his jaws? Let’s think this over."
Quinn seemed too excited to control himself. He grabbed their hands and knelt, laughing, "No need to wait for another day—let’s kneel and swear brotherhood now! Loren Shaw, join us!"
Loren Shaw hesitated, made up his mind, and knelt with them.
Quinn glanced at Gu Xiao and Hong, sneering, "Are you two looking down on me and Loren Shaw? I’m Shepherd Heavenly Venerable—I’ve already knelt, and you still won’t?"
Gu Xiao and Hong exchanged a look and reluctantly knelt. Gu Xiao whispered, "Loren Shaw is a Creator—we can’t swear to Earth Count or Heaven..."
Quinn pressed Gu Xiao’s head with one hand and Hong’s with the other, and the four bowed together, laughing, "Then we won’t swear to Earth Count or Heaven."
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page to continue reading!