The Woodcutter Sage reminisced for a moment, then slowly said, "Back then, I was completely absorbed in reform and change. I believed I could achieve great things and fulfill my ambitions, so I had no mind for romance. Even though there were girls who liked me, I simply had no time for personal affairs."
Quinn Shepherd blinked. The Imperial Preceptor of Everpeace was the same kind of person. The only reason he hadn't become another Woodcutter Sage was that he did eventually marry his current wife—and had children.
The former Imperial Preceptor was pure reason incarnate—he could even use his own injuries as bait to lure out an enemy.
But the Imperial Preceptor now had become a bit more human.
"At that time, I had already noticed that Chase was somewhat dissatisfied with me, and I truly had no heart for personal feelings. That girl was indeed outstanding—talented and beautiful. No matter how you looked at it, she was the ideal partner. But the Pioneer Emperor had entrusted me with the heavy task of reform. If I used the power he gave me to court a young woman, wouldn't that betray his trust?"
The Woodcutter Sage continued, "So I told that girl, 'Elena Cloud, I am not a man you should entrust your life to. The Pioneer Emperor's charge is weighty, and there is so much in the world still waiting for me to change. I can only let down your deep affection.'"
Quinn listened, utterly absorbed, and chuckled, "Teacher, you could've had both family and country. Why refuse her? And how did rejecting her end up offending the Warfist Celestial Teacher?"
"Her name was Elena Cloud. She was a woman—a very captivating one."
The Woodcutter Sage was clearly lost in memories of that remarkable, otherworldly woman. He stared blankly, rare gentleness in his voice, and said softly, "She was also very smart, extremely talented. For her to favor me made me truly happy, but I respected her far more than I ever loved her. She then asked me: 'Celestial Teacher, Chase has feelings for me—is he someone worthy of lifelong trust?' Chase is what we called him back then. I smiled and told her..."
The Woodcutter Sage's expression turned odd. "I said, 'Chase's love for martial Dao surpasses his love for you. His passion for martial arts is true; his feelings for you are a passing fancy. Chase isn't someone you should entrust your life to.' I spoke as a friend, analyzing Chase's character—and I was pretty accurate. I suppose those words reached Chase later, which is why he's always had it in for me."
The Woodcutter fell silent, gazing out the door.
Outside, Old Ox hurriedly pulled back his ears and puffed on his water pipe, though the fire had long since gone out.
The Dragon-Qilin immediately sprawled on the ground, pretending to sleep, snoring like thunder.
The Woodcutter stood, pulled on his clothes, and said, "I think my injuries are nearly healed. With Creation Art, I can slowly recover the rest—there won't be any lingering problems."
Quinn quickly asked, "Is Celestial Teacher Zixi and Senior Aunt Elena Cloud the same person?"
The Woodcutter didn't answer, heading outside. "This time, Chase will definitely leave seclusion. Once he does, there'll be much more room to maneuver. You're planning to go see Victor Bloom with Hugh No-Return? Then Chase might even go with you to meet Victor. I have other matters, so I'll be off."
Quinn followed him. "I also plan to meet up with Selena Moon and see how she and Tanner Shue plan to rebuild Nether City."
The Woodcutter shook his head. "Rebuilding Nether City won't happen overnight. And if she's looking for Tanner, chances are she won't find him. That guy is probably hiding out in Everpeace's biggest, finest wine shop, drinking himself silly."
Quinn's eyes lit up and he laughed, "Then he must be in the palace wine cellar."
"I'll find a way to notify Selena Moon and have her look for Tanner."
The Woodcutter stepped outside, glancing at Old Ox, who was still fumbling with his water pipe. "The fire's out," he said blandly.
Old Ox hurried to relight the pipe, sending a thick cloud of smoke billowing out and making his eyes and nose stream with tears.
"Say what needs saying. If it shouldn't be said, then keep quiet."
The Woodcutter added, "I may not be able to deal with you, but the second-ranked Celestial Teacher could kill you easily."
Old Ox nodded quickly, forcing a smile. "Don't worry, Great Celestial Teacher, I understand."
The Woodcutter then walked over to the Dragon-Qilin, who was still pretending to sleep. "Talk too much, and you'll end up on a platter, served at the table."
The Dragon-Qilin gave a startled grunt, jumped up, and bowed his head obsequiously. "My mouth is sealed! I've never leaked a single embarrassing story about the Cult Master!"
Quinn hesitated, stroking the few small hairs on his chin. "Fat Dragon knows a lot of my embarrassing stories? Hmm, can't let him stay... How should I cook him to taste best?"
The Woodcutter found the Old Farmer to bid farewell, but the Old Farmer barely acknowledged him, squinting as he dozed, so the Woodcutter had no choice but to leave.
The Old Farmer snorted and spat a heavy wad of phlegm at his departing back.
Quinn's expression was odd—these two Celestial Teachers were tens of thousands of years old, yet still acted like children.
Not long after, Hugh No-Return emerged from War-Ox Realm with a small bundle on his back, dressed simply and looking sharp and capable.
The villagers moved the mountains back into place and, using some unknown method, sealed off War-Ox Realm. Quinn inspected the area but found no trace of a spatial seal, and couldn't help but marvel.
From his experiences inside, Quinn knew War-Ox Realm was completely cut off from the Great Ruins—at night, the darkness couldn't invade. In other words, War-Ox Realm wasn't in this world at all.
Moreover, Hugh and the other youths of War-Ox Realm had said that when they were children, they'd go to the Demon Realm to fight its experts as training.
That meant War-Ox Realm was probably unimaginably far from the Great Ruins—maybe farther than anyone could imagine.
"Emperor's-Throne powerhouses truly are godlike," Quinn thought.
Quinn glanced at the Old Farmer, who led Old Ox over and announced to the villagers, "I'm going out for a spin, to meet this Victor Bloom with them and see if he's really got the goods. If he does, I'll wander around Everpeace for a while. If not, next time you see the Woodcutter, grab him—I'll kill him with one punch and go back into seclusion."
The villagers all agreed. "Rest assured, Celestial Teacher—we'll stay here and guard War-Ox Palace. If we see the Great Celestial Teacher, we'll grab him for you."
The Old Farmer mounted Old Ox, Quinn climbed onto the Dragon-Qilin, and Hugh No-Return set out on foot.
Quinn invited him to ride, but Hugh No-Return shook his head. "I run faster."
Quinn glanced at the Dragon-Qilin, who shuddered and dashed ahead with all his might, convinced he could leave Hugh behind. But when he looked back, Old Ox was still steadily following, and Hugh No-Return was leaping from mountain to mountain at a shocking speed.
"This guy's physical body is stronger than mine!" the Dragon-Qilin thought, startled.
Dragon-Qilin jumped in fright, feeling a chill run down his spine. "They don't know where Victor Bloom is, so they're following me. Otherwise, they'd have overtaken me ages ago. But since they're following me, they can't get ahead—so the Cult Master won't have an excuse to beat me..."
Quinn sent out his Primordial Spirit and contacted Victor Bloom. "Victor's gone to the Western Lands to build High Heaven Academy. We can go meet him there."
Hugh No-Return perked up, while the Old Farmer sat on Old Ox, looking calm as ever. "If Victor Bloom turns out to be worthless, I'll kill the Woodcutter," he said.
Quinn laughed. "Victor's brilliant—if it weren't for me, he'd be the most gifted man in the world. The Warfist Celestial Teacher will be thrilled to meet him."
The Old Farmer snorted coldly.
Six or seven days later, they arrived near True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands.
The women of True Heaven Palace were busy building palaces; many had already been completed. Victor Bloom and Selena had received Quinn's message and came out to greet them.
Quinn jumped down from the Dragon-Qilin and looked around. The buildings of High Heaven Academy were full of Western Lands flavor—lavish, adorned with flowers and evergreen foliage that never faded.
"Victor and Selena, this is the Warfist Celestial Teacher of the Pioneer Divine Dynasty, and this is Brother Sam Oxley," Quinn introduced.
Quinn added, "And this is the one I told you about—the man who entered the Dao through martial arts, but has no Divine Bridge Realm: Hugh No-Return."
Victor Bloom looked Hugh No-Return up and down, eyes lighting up. "Brother Hugh, could you open up your divine treasuries for me?"
Inside Hugh No-Return, a series of booms sounded as his Spirit Embryo, Five Luminaries, Six Directions, Seven Stars, Heaven-Man, and Life-and-Death Treasuries all opened—only, when it came to the Divine Bridge Treasury, it was simply gone!
He didn't have a Divine Bridge Treasury at all!
Countless runes spun around Victor Bloom as he calculated the location of Hugh's Divine Bridge Treasury. After a moment, he shook his head. "There's truly no Divine Bridge Treasury! Excellent, excellent!"
"I'm going to kill your teacher," the Old Farmer said to Quinn.
Victor circled Hugh No-Return, eyes gleaming with excitement, talking rapidly: "Brother Hugh, your foundations are perfect—just right for testing my new method of merging the divine treasuries! I couldn't do it myself; I'm an Overlord Body, but I realized it too late, so my earlier realms aren't stable. I wanted to test it on Quinn, but your body is solid, your foundation is clean—you're perfect for my experiment! By the way, are you also an Overlord Body?"
The Old Farmer stopped and said to Quinn, "If he kills Hugh No-Return, I'll kill him—and then I'll kill you."
It was the first time Quinn had seen Victor Bloom so wild—he felt a chill of unease in his heart.
"Victor and Selena, this is the Warfist Celestial Teacher of the Pioneer Divine Dynasty, and this is Brother Sam Oxley," Quinn introduced.
Quinn added, "And this is the one I told you about—the man who entered the Dao through martial arts, but has no Divine Bridge Realm: Hugh No-Return."
Victor Bloom looked Hugh No-Return up and down, eyes lighting up. "Brother Hugh, could you open up your divine treasuries for me?"
Inside Hugh No-Return, a series of booms sounded as his Spirit Embryo, Five Luminaries, Six Directions, Seven Stars, Heaven-Man, and Life-and-Death Treasuries all opened—only, when it came to the Divine Bridge Treasury, it was simply gone!
He didn't have a Divine Bridge Treasury at all!
Countless runes spun around Victor Bloom as he calculated the location of Hugh's Divine Bridge Treasury. After a moment, he shook his head. "There's truly no Divine Bridge Treasury! Excellent, excellent!"
"I'm going to kill your teacher," the Old Farmer said to Quinn.
Victor circled Hugh No-Return, eyes gleaming with excitement, talking rapidly: "Brother Hugh, your foundations are perfect—just right for testing my new method of merging the divine treasuries! I couldn't do it myself; I'm an Overlord Body, but I realized it too late, so my earlier realms aren't stable. I wanted to test it on Quinn, but your body is solid, your foundation is clean—you're perfect for my experiment! By the way, are you also an Overlord Body?"
The Old Farmer stopped and said to Quinn, "If he kills Hugh No-Return, I'll kill him—and then I'll kill you."
It was the first time Quinn had seen Victor Bloom so wild—he felt a chill of unease in his heart.