"A Creator, just as I thought!"
Wood Star Lord was caught in Loren Shaw's grip, startled. This Creator's power was formidable—far surpassing any he had faced before, clearly an outstanding genius among Creators.
But when it comes to dealing with Creators, every ancient god has their own tricks.
Creators do not cultivate Daoist techniques or divine arts—they cultivate only divine sense, using it to temper their bodies and visualize external objects, but without a Primordial Spirit. This leaves a major weakness in their souls. Creators are powerful, but also vulnerable.
Wood Star Lord commanded the Dao of life and sacrifice. The instant Loren Shaw grabbed him, Loren's hand began to swell—growing four or five times larger in a flash, far beyond what his body could withstand.
His hand started to collapse—the weight of muscle crushed the bone beneath!
Nor did it stop there. Loren's arm began to swell too, like a flood surging upward, spreading along his limb and making his body grow ever larger.
In full form, Loren Shaw's body was already enormous. Wood Star Lord's life Dao triggered his body's growth mechanisms, making him expand without limit—until he crushed himself.
Back in the Primordial Age, this move of Wood Star Lord's was always unstoppable. During the Blood-Rust War, countless Creators charged him, but before they could reach him, they swelled up uncontrollably—eventually crushing themselves to pieces, leaving only floating heaps of rotten flesh drifting in the cosmic void.
No matter how many tens of thousands of years have passed, the Blood-Rust War remains the grandest, most spectacular, and most shocking battle in history.
Quinn's voice came at just the right moment: "Annie, we'll search for the Ancestral Court first. We have plenty of chances to see your mother later."
Annie could only nod in reluctant agreement.
Dragon-Qilin asked, "Master, where is the Ancestral Court?"
"That depends on how high Heaven is," Quinn replied.
Quinn said, "To pinpoint the Ancestral Court's location, I need to know the exact altitude of Dragon-Han Heaven, combined with Profound Capital, Netherworld, Four Extremity Heavens, Origin World, and Home's End Abyss. I already have their positions on the cosmic star map; only Dragon-Han Heaven's original height is unknown. But now that we're here, measuring Heaven's position is easy."
He pushed open the palanquin window, gazing up at Heaven along the Celestial River, his eyes deep and distant. "Heavenly Court must already know about the deaths of the Five Luminary Star Lords. They'll likely send the Ten Heavenly Court Guards or other ancient gods to hunt us. Let's get closer, measure Heaven's altitude, and leave immediately afterward."
Dragon-Qilin, trembling with nerves, drove the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin toward Heaven, thinking, "What if we don't make it in time? Killing ancient gods in this era is bound to shake the heavens..."
Just as Quinn suspected, the battle above the Celestial River triggered a massive upheaval. Earth Mother, who resided atop the Origin World’s World Tree, was watching, and even Heaven Duke, high in Profound Capital, was aware of the conflict.
Tu Bo’s gaze also fell upon the battle at the Celestial River.
Loren paused, his heart stirring, and stopped in his tracks.
Quinn invited him, "Right now, I'm the only one who can help you. Your enemies are all the ancient gods—and mine aren't much better. We're in this mess together... well, united against a common foe. Maybe we can help each other."
Loren stared at him in a daze. Quinn walked to the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin, lifted the beaded curtain, and Loren hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and climbing into the carriage.
Dragon-Qilin dismissed his Dragon-Taming Sutra and secured the Heavenly Dragon. Annie bustled about, collecting the corpses of the Five Luminaries, thinking to herself, "This will last me ages..."
Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the sky. Dragon-Qilin and Annie looked up to see the divine stars—Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, and others—split in half by the Origin World's barrier now that the Five Luminary Star Lords were gone.
The Five Luminaries Star Clans scattered in panic, many gods and demons sliced in two by the world-wall, while the five split stars hung ominously in the heavens.
Dragon-Qilin calculated the star trajectories and said to Annie, who was busy hauling 'provisions' into the carriage, "In five thousand years, these five stars will fall one by one from the sky and crash onto the Origin World. Their paths are dangerous."
Annie didn't care at all. She transformed into a chubby blue sparrow and struggled to fly to Dragon-Qilin's side, saying, "We'll be long gone by then. Let's hurry and find my mother!"
Dragon-Qilin hesitated and whispered, "We've stirred up a huge disaster this time. Killing the Five Luminary Star Lords here—Heaven Duke, Earth Mother, maybe even Tu Bo must be watching. Heavenly Court and the ancient gods will know soon. I doubt we can go to Heavenly Court now..."
Annie froze, then turned to look at Quinn inside the carriage.