Quinn Shepherd was startled. He turned to look at Red Plume, whose neck twisted all the way around and then buried itself in his feathers, pretending not to have seen a thing.
Red Plume’s reputation as Lord Hades’s confidant is well deserved—he absolutely refuses to witness his master’s embarrassing moments. That’s the real secret to self-preservation. Anyone else would have rushed into the ruins to rescue Lord Hades by now.
Quinn mused to himself: rescuing Lord Hades might be a show of loyalty, but it would also mean seeing his master’s disgrace firsthand, tarnishing Lord Hades’s image of wisdom and might. Even a good deed could become a liability, and you’d never know which weighed heavier in Lord Hades’s mind. Better to simply act oblivious.
Besides, the collapse of the Hall of King Qin wouldn’t hurt Lord Hades at all—so showing loyalty is pointless anyway.
"Lord Hades said I can walk into the darkness of the Great Ruins without being harmed. Is that really true?"
He hesitated. Entering the darkness was a matter of life and death—if Lord Hades was wrong, he’d die for sure. He didn’t dare risk it. Ever since childhood, the elders of Oldridge Village had taught him that the darkness of the Great Ruins was filled with unspeakable terror, and he’d seen enough horrors there himself to never even consider walking into the dark unprotected.
He’d entered the darkness several times before, but only with treasures or the protection of godlike experts—Aiden Starr’s taotie chest, the Village Chief’s shield, or the Dragon-Keeper Lord. Only then could he pass through unharmed.
But to go in alone, with no protection at all—he still didn’t dare.
"Let’s go."
Red Plume urged, "Once I’ve seen you off, I’m going to rest."
Quinn said, "Red Plume Divine, I need to visit the Cult of the Heavenly Saint and the Human Emperor to pick up Bruno the Dragon-Qilin and the chest."
Red Plume had no choice but to lead him to the residence where generations of Cult Masters of the Heavenly Demon had lived. Every door was tightly shut. Bruno the Dragon-Qilin was stuck outside the Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch’s door, wagging his tail and sweet-talking, trying to get in.
No matter what, the Young Patriarch refused to open the door. From inside, he cried, "The living and the dead walk different roads. I’m already dead, you’re still alive—we can’t be together. Go follow the Cult Master instead!"
Bruno the Dragon-Qilin scratched at the door and wailed.
The Young Patriarch also choked up, wanting to open the door but afraid the gluttonous beast would barge in and freeload off him, so he steeled himself and kept it shut.
Quinn called Bruno over and smiled, "Fat Dragon, don’t be sad. The Patriarch is alive and well here, and we’re alive and well outside. We can come visit him anytime in the future."
Bruno trotted over, and as the Pure Yang Fire from the sun overhead shone down, flesh began to reappear on his bones. Above them, the massive sun had risen even higher, looming so large it seemed ready to fall out of the sky.
Quinn looked up. The sun was studded with golden palaces, and in front of each, gods and demons could be vaguely seen, still pounding drums and using Pure Yang Fire to refine Nether City.
With the sun so close, Quinn couldn’t help but wonder—could those gods and demons attack at any moment?
"They wouldn’t dare."
Red Plume calmly preened his feathers and said, "This is Nether City—part of the Netherworld. It looks close, but in truth it’s very far away, separated by world barriers. Ordinary gods and demons can’t cross over. Besides, they’ve attacked plenty of times before and always lost. Now they only dare to hide in the sun and beat their drums."
Quinn asked in confusion, "The sun here is nothing like the one in the Everpeace Empire. This sun..."
"It’s the sun of the Great Ruins—the real one."
Red Plume added, "The sun in Everpeace is a fake."
Quinn was stunned—this sun was terrifying. Luckily, people lived under the illusion of ordinary sun, moon, and stars. If the Everpeace folk saw the real sun, even the emperor would probably lose his mind.
"Patriarch, do you have any money?"
Quinn called through the crack in the door, "You need Nether City Coins to enter Nether City. I’ve only got three coins left, and you need them for the ferry."
The Young Patriarch shoved a few coins through the crack. "I only just died, so I don’t have much money here. Use it sparingly."
Quinn thanked him, then went door to door begging money from the other Cult Masters. "If you don’t pay up, I’ll cut off your offerings and tear down your spirit tablets!"
"Ungrateful disciple! So it’s money you want? Take it!"
Quinn went door to door, extorting coins and ended up with a couple hundred Nether City Coins. Then he headed to where the Human Emperors lived and asked the strange beasts in front of the Five Suns Shrine, "Has the First Ancestor returned yet?"
The two beasts darted into the shrine and tossed the taotie out of the Five Suns Shrine, saying, "Master hasn’t returned."
The taotie hit the ground and, scorched by the Pure Yang Fire of the sun, instantly transformed with a few pops into a large chest, obediently following behind Bruno the Dragon-Qilin.
"Cult Master Quinn, it’s time to go!" Red Plume urged.
"Just a moment, Red Plume Divine."
Quinn went to visit the Second Ancestor. The Second Ancestor opened the door but didn’t step outside the shrine, probably afraid of being burned by the Pure Yang Fire. "I’m completely broke," he said. "I’ll have to go mooch off the First Ancestor."
Quinn handed him a few Nether City Coins and said with a smile, "I know you’re always upright, so I brought you some coins to tide you over. When I reach the Human Emperor Hall, I’ll burn some more for all the ancestors to enjoy their retirement."
The Second Ancestor was delighted and hurriedly accepted the coins. "You’re much more filial than that brat Su! He hasn’t come back yet, but when he does, we’re planning a big surprise for him!"
Quinn said, "Don’t forget to tell Village Chief I was here."
"Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to tell him!" the Second Ancestor said through gritted teeth.