“Supreme Sovereign’s twenty-six-thousandth birthday?”
Quinn Shepherd was stunned. The era he came from was already twenty thousand years after the Pioneer Emperor, and the Pioneer Emperor’s own reign must have lasted thousands more. Didn’t that mean they were now living thirty or forty thousand years in the past?
Ben Coates’s single teleport sent them thirty or forty thousand years into the past?
Under the box, Ben Coates was equally bewildered, an indescribable strangeness rising in his chest. He’d only triggered the Transmission Flag before his mana ran out—had he really just sent himself thirty or forty thousand years into the past?
This must be a dream!
He was about to pinch himself when a bolt of agony shot through his broken leg, making him cry out in pain.
Quinn Shepherd pulled the sword from Ben’s broken leg and muttered, “That hurt—a lot. Not a dream. Did we just experience a history’s returning light? Are we inside a replay of history itself?”
The girl in front of him saw him stab the broken-legged boy under the box and was clearly displeased. She snapped, “Why are you bullying a disabled person? Being good-looking is useless if you’ve got a wolf’s heart and dog’s lungs!” With that, she turned to leave.
Quinn quickly called out, “Wait, good sister!”
The girl, hearing his voice, couldn’t bear to refuse him and stopped. She saw the boy come up to her, reach out, and cup her face in his hands.
The girl’s cheeks flushed red. She stammered, “What are you doing? This is our first meeting—how can you be so forward? And you’re weird, carrying a strange box, dragging around a giant pig, and bullying a cripple. My father and brother won’t like you one bit… My father’s really fierce, and so is my brother—they’ll beat you up, you know… so don’t do this…"
Quinn stood there, dumbstruck, thunderstruck as if lightning had crashed down on his head. 'It’s real! You’re a living, breathing person—warm flesh and blood! This isn’t history’s returning light. We’ve actually traveled to the past—the Supreme Sovereign Era… Is time travel really possible?'
The girl looked at him curiously. “What are you talking about? What’s history’s returning light? What do you mean, ‘the past’? What’s time travel…?”
Before she could voice all her questions, a young couple approached, arms around each other. The young man asked in surprise, “Queena, who’s this?”
The girl blushed and whispered, “Brother, I think I’ve found someone I like…”
Ben Coates crawled out from under the box, just about to coax Bruno the Dragon-Qilin to lick his broken leg wound, when he heard this and nearly choked. He spat and muttered, “Already fallen for him? So what if he’s good-looking? Looks are useless if you’ve got nothing else going for you…”
Quinn looked utterly lost. The young man, seeing his dazed, helpless expression, shook his head and whispered to Queena, “He doesn’t seem like much. There are so many talented young men in the world—why pick him?”
The woman beside them laughed. “Don’t listen to your brother, little sister. He’s always trying to introduce you to so-called young talents, never caring who you actually like. So, how long have you two known each other?”
The girl lowered her head, shyly saying, “We just met…”
The woman covered her mouth with her sleeve, at a loss for words.
"You just met him and already like him?"
The young man laughed in exasperation, glared at Quinn Shepherd, and barked, “A daughter of the White family should fall for a true hero of the age. Do you really think you’re worthy of my sister?”
He unleashed his aura, shaking heaven and earth. Blinding light erupted behind him as a dragon-headed, human-bodied, dragon-tailed Primordial Spirit slowly rose from the radiance, its presence soul-shaking.
Ben Coates gaped at the Primordial Spirit, blurting out, “A true dragon Primordial Spirit! Wait—shouldn’t it be a green dragon’s? He’s not one of the Four Great Spirit Bodies, so how…”
Quinn snapped back to his senses, studying the youth’s Primordial Spirit with a jolt. 'So it’s true—there aren’t just Four Great Spirit Bodies in this world. There are others.'
The young man lunged at Quinn, his hand shifting into a dragon’s claw—five fingers vibrating, thunder rumbling. “Come, let me test your depth!” he shouted.
With that claw, his fingertips flickered, flesh and muscle morphing as runes and patterns shimmered across his skin. Each strike hid a hundred divine arts within the movement of his fingers—top-tier physical divine arts, all packed into that blow.
Quinn hurriedly retreated, dodging the attack. The young man tapped his fingers, and the space beside Quinn erupted with thunderous blasts, flinging him high into the air.
The young man leapt after him, heading straight for Quinn.
Ben Coates looked up, his heart pounding. 'This guy named White is dragon clan! No one else could refine the dragon clan’s physical divine arts to such perfection! He’s so young, but already at the Heaven-Man Realm. Are all Supreme Sovereign Era people this terrifying?'
He’d lived ten thousand years as a monster, traveled the seas, met dragon clan masters—he knew their power. But to reach Heaven-Man Realm so young was truly rare.
“Brother, don’t hurt him!” Queena White pleaded anxiously.
The woman beside her tugged Queena’s sleeve, laughing, “Your brother means well—he just wants to see if this boy is worthy of you. If he approves, Father won’t object. Otherwise, if Father steps in, your little sweetheart might end up with half his bones broken.”
Queena brightened. “Sister-in-law, you’re so clever. But…”
She grew worried again. “But my brother’s so strong—what if he injures him…”
The woman laughed. “Don’t worry. Your brother’s cultivation is powerful, but he’s careful too. Whatever your sweetheart’s realm, he’ll match it—he won’t hurt him.”
Up in the air, Quinn darted back and forth, but the young man’s strength was truly fearsome. Every flick and strike unleashed physical divine arts more potent than spell arts, reaching a hundred feet and moving so fast Quinn had to unlock layer after layer of Divine Treasuries just to keep up.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three booms echoed from within Quinn—seeing this, the young man looked disappointed and shook his head. “Six Directions Realm? Your cultivation’s too weak. Fine, I’ll fight you at Six Directions and see what you’ve got!”
He sealed his Heaven-Man and Seven Stars Divine Treasuries, and his Primordial Spirit vanished. Even so, his combat power was jaw-dropping—his hands and fingers shifting unpredictably as he attacked Quinn.
Ben Coates looked up, inwardly awed. 'This White family youth’s talent is off the charts—his physical divine arts surpass mine. If we fought in the same realm, I wouldn’t win… But wait, isn’t that Quinn bastard supposed to be at Seven Stars Realm?'
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a thunderous crash split the air. The White youth was sent flying by Quinn like a shooting star, streaking across the lamp-lit city.
The two girls below stood frozen in shock.
Ben, meanwhile, just looked smug. “That Quinn bastard is at Seven Stars Realm—so am I. Even I’d break bones taking one of his punches, let alone if you fight him at Six Directions. You got wrecked, huh?”
The White youth shot back even faster, shouting angrily, “No one at Six Directions Realm could have this much power or such a strong body! You’re definitely Seven Stars Realm. I’ll fight you at Seven Stars!”
Boom—
Once again, the White youth was blasted away. A god standing atop a tall building reached out and caught him, laughing, “Young City Lord Qingfu gets knocked back again—finally met your match?”
White Qingfu, fuming, sprang from the god’s palm and charged at Quinn, roaring, “So what if your mana’s strong? Let’s see your divine arts!”
He raced forward, fists shifting unpredictably, dragon claws flying at Quinn from every direction.
A storm of wind and thunder slammed into Quinn, whipping his clothes as killing intent crashed down on him. He forced himself to clear his mind, activated the Overlord Three-Core Art, eyes gleaming. Excitement surged in his chest: 'How do Supreme Sovereign Era arts compare to later generations? Time to find out! Nine-Dragon Thunder Rush!'
The two clashed with a thunderous boom. Waves rippled through the air as dragon-shaped currents exploded outward.
“Aaa—!”
Suddenly, dragon-shaped currents erupted in all directions. Ten thousand dragons roared, their energies clashing and tearing through the sky.
The two of them stomped on dragon-qi streams midair, weaving between towering god-statues. The gods, wreathed in divine light, watched the battle with laughter and praise.
Down in the city, countless people stopped to watch, some even flying up for a closer look.
One god laughed, “You all go down—don’t disturb them. I’ll light things up so you can see better.” With that, his divine eyes blazed, casting two broad beams of light on Quinn and White Qingfu.
Suddenly, a god strode forward—brows arched, eyes like a dragon’s, radiating authority.
“City Lord White,” the other gods greeted him respectfully.
The god waved them off and looked at Quinn in surprise. “This boy’s remarkable—he’s using Buddhist techniques, but his mana is so vast. And there’s dragon clan qi in his cultivation… Strange. Very strange…”
White Qingfu, unable to gain an advantage, shouted, “Spirit weapons—let’s clash!” With a flick, a stream of dragon-shaped yuanqi unfurled, a dragon pearl spinning at its heart. Swords poured out of the pearl like a dragon, flying at Quinn!
Quinn had been holding back some of his mana, intending to study the Supreme Sovereign Era’s divine arts. But when White Qingfu’s dragon sword was unleashed—its edge razor-sharp—he had no choice but to go all out.
His swordsmanship is exquisite, but it’s just the fourteen basic sword forms—he hasn’t gone beyond their mysteries.
With a glance, Quinn saw through White Qingfu’s swordplay. He slapped his Taotie pouch, and a sword pellet flew out. Quinn caught it, unleashing eight thousand swords like flowing sand from between his fingers!
Midair, the swords clashed—White Qingfu grunted, pierced by hundreds of blades, and tumbled to the ground.
Quinn raised a finger, and the flying swords returned, gathering above his fingertip with a metallic clatter to form a spinning sword pellet.
“Excellent swordsmanship!”
Cheers erupted from all around. Quinn looked and saw a hundred gods gathered—their towering silhouettes looming in the night.
Quinn felt a chill and bowed respectfully to everyone.
A hearty laugh rang out as a middle-aged man strode through the air, walking as if on solid ground, stopping before Quinn—who could only look up at him.
“A true prodigy!”
The man laughed. “Whose disciple are you? You’re truly skilled—and it seems you’ve trained in dragon clan arts.”
Quinn’s mind raced. He quickly replied, “I’m Quinn Shepherd. I arrived here by accident. I found a dragon’s nest with some dragon clan inscriptions, so I trained in their arts.”
White Qingfu leapt up, sincerely praising, “You’re truly talented—even in Heaven Court, you’d stand out among the young generation. Brother Quinn, this is my father, White Yuting, City Lord of Bailong City.”
Quinn quickly bowed in greeting.
Suddenly, battle drums thundered in the darkness. White Yuting’s face grew solemn. “That’s the sound from Beiluo Shimen! Extraterritorial fiends are invading. Four will guard the city gates—everyone else, come with me to meet the enemy!”
He led the gods away.
Quinn was startled. 'Beiluo Shimen? Isn’t the god-bone I awakened a thousand-household from Beiluo Shimen?'
He looked toward White Yuting and the others as they departed, seeing countless lantern lights lining the distant darkness—a heavenly city, Beiluo Shimen.
“Ever since nightfall, fiends invade frequently. It’s nothing to worry about.”
White Qingfu said, “Brother Quinn, your swordsmanship surpasses your fist techniques. Could you teach me?”
Quinn smiled. “There are some dragon clan inscriptions I can’t decipher—perhaps you could help me, Brother White?”
As they landed, Ben Coates’s face changed. He hurriedly signaled Quinn: “Careful not to change history, or we’ll never get back!”
[Author’s Note: Wrote 500 extra words, took 20 more minutes—sorry! Congratulations to Xia Mu Nanshan on your wedding! Happy birthday to Buxiwangxin2018 and Feitian Cainiao Shen!]
[End of chapter notice: This chapter isn’t finished yet—click next page for more!]