Quinn Shepherd tried again and again to sense the altar outside the Ancestral Court, but each time he failed—there was always a force in the void interfering with his divine sense.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead; that interference was coming from the ore vein, clearly Grant was sabotaging his reverse summoning.
Suddenly, he felt the interference vanish; his spirits soared, and at last his divine sense connected with the altar outside the Ancestral Court!
Quinn was overjoyed and immediately activated the reverse summoning divine art, mixing his vital qi and divine sense to remotely drive the altar outside the Ancestral Court.
A nervous chill ran down Quinn's spine; Queen Gongyun's divine-sense illusion had already invaded his flesh, forcing him to take both herself and Grant away from here.
He turned to look and saw a queen in full regalia dragging Grant as she walked toward him.
Quinn’s vision blurred; the Ancestral Court vanished from his eyes, and he heard the sound of flowing water.
The scene before him shifted—a river appeared, mist drifting over its surface. A sorrowful woman walked into the center of the stream, her body gradually swallowed by the water.
Quinn clenched his jaw, fighting desperately against Queen Gongyun's illusion. The river and the woman within it kept flickering in and out, shifting from sharp to hazy and back again, over and over.
That mournful singing faded, then grew near again, battering Quinn's divine sense again and again.
Quinn suddenly surged his divine sense, shouting angrily, "A divine-sense illusion! You dare show off in front of me? I'm a grandmaster of divine-sense illusions!"
He heard a woman's voice whisper softly in his ear: "I am the ancestor of divine-sense illusions."
Gritting his teeth, Quinn invoked the Overlord Three-Core Art, mobilized the Grand-Luo Supreme Divine Sense and the Immeasurable Kalpa Sutra, using every divine-sense art he knew in an attempt to break through the sudden illusion.
Yet he felt his body and Primordial Spirit moving beyond his control, continuing the reverse summoning divine art and tightening the link with the altar outside the Ancestral Court.
After they entered the Ancestral Court, both armies had pursued them here, holding their positions outside the altar, hoping to catch them like fish in a barrel!
He tried to break free, but clearly Queen Gongyun's divine sense was above his own, always holding him firmly under her control.
The reverse summoning activated; the void trembled, and another altar emerged from its depths.
Light blazed forth!
Quinn clenched his jaw, fighting desperately against Queen Gongyun's illusion. The river and the woman within it kept flickering in and out of existence, shifting from clear to hazy and back again, over and over.
That mournful singing faded away, then drew near again, breaking down Quinn's divine sense time after time.
Suddenly, the woman's voice sounded in Quinn's ear: "Are you Mark Shepherd? The divine-sense arts of later generations are truly remarkable. Perhaps we'll meet again someday—if you survive..."
Her voice grew fainter and fainter. The illusion vanished from Quinn's sight; all around, lanterns blazed and the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin appeared atop the altar outside the Ancestral Court.
Those lanterns belonged to the Celestial River Fleet's tower-ships and war-junks!
Countless tower-ships and war-junks surrounded them on all sides; banners fluttered, and innumerable Heavenly Court soldiers stood atop the altar. Besides the Celestial River Fleet, the Southern Fallen Gate Legion was also present.
After they entered the Ancestral Court, these two armies had chased them all the way here, guarding the altar outside, hoping to trap them like turtles in a jar!
Loren Shaw, riding the Void Behemoth, charged straight at the encirclement, shouting, "Brother Shepherd, fight your way out with me!"
Countless Heavenly Court soldiers activated their formations, surrounding him completely. Divine weapons and spells soared from the ships, crashing toward him in waves.
More Heavenly Court soldiers converged on the altar, launching their assault.
Quinn looked around but saw neither Queen Gongyun nor Grant.
For that ancient God-Queen, no amount of troops could keep her here; even Quinn's divine sense could not break her illusion arts.