A crowd of old Daoists surged out of the Dao Palace, standing all around, and at these words, every one of them frowned deeply.
The Azurecloud Sect Master was consulting Dao Ancestor, while Quinn Shepherd, Sterling Xiao, and the others were preparing to kill!
"Should we intervene?"
An old Daoist, his head as large as a bucket, muttered, "The key is, how do we intervene? They are envoys of Heavenly Court, and the death of the disciples of the Constellation Lord Gods here in Azurecloud Heaven is already our sect's crime. If we stop the Heavenly Court envoys from taking revenge, our guilt will be unforgivable. On the other side is the Overlord Body whom even Dao Ancestor dares not accept a bow from—can't fight him, can't curse him, can't even touch him. So how do we intervene?"
The other Daoists wore anxious expressions. With the Azurecloud Sect Master absent, they were at a complete loss for what to do.
Suddenly, Jaden Jadehall spoke quietly, "Quinn Shepherd of Everpeace and Sterling Xiao of Heavenly Court are each thinking of their own survival. While the Sect Master is consulting Dao Ancestor, they want to settle things before the rice becomes porridge."
Several old Daoists immediately looked at him and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Jaden Jadehall said, "Uncles and elders, think about it: if Quinn Shepherd wipes out all the Heavenly Court envoys first, what will become of us in Azurecloud Heaven?"
"Kill that damned Overlord Body and send his head to Heavenly Court!" a hot-tempered Daoist spat viciously.
Jaden Jadehall couldn't help but laugh and cry, "Three or four hundred Heavenly Court envoys and disciples of the Constellation Lord Gods died here in Azurecloud Heaven—how enormous is that crime? It's enough to wipe out our sect, our clan, and our country! In that case, our best move would be to join forces with Everpeace and rebel together!"
The Daoists came to their senses.
"Sterling Xiao's goal is the same. If he kills Quinn Shepherd, Dao Ancestor will have no choice but to bind Dao Gate and Azurecloud Heaven tightly to Heavenly Court, leaving us no chance to rebel. Because if Dao Ancestor sides with Quinn Shepherd, he would have to kill Sterling Xiao and the others as a sacrifice."
Jaden Jadehall said, "Both sides want to settle things before Dao Ancestor decides, leaving him no choice! Quinn Shepherd sent the Sect Master away to consult Dao Ancestor, precisely to cook the rice while he's gone. Sterling Xiao's aim is the same. That's what smart people do—they don't leave their fate and future in someone else's hands."
The Daoists looked at him with newfound respect. An old Daoist asked, "So what should we do?"
Jaden Jadehall pondered, then said decisively, "If we try to stop them, we're choosing for Dao Ancestor, and whatever we do will be wrong. The only thing we need to do now is prepare for the aftermath."
The Daoists all frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"If Quinn Shepherd of Everpeace wins and kills the Heavenly Court envoys, then we must prepare to destroy the bodies and erase the evidence, frame Earth Mother Primordial Lady, and cleanly sever Azurecloud Heaven's involvement. When Heavenly Court investigates, let it fall on Earth Mother Primordial Lady, so our punishment is minimal. Afterward, we can secretly ally with Everpeace and bide our time for future opportunities."
Jaden Jadehall quickly added, "If the Heavenly Court envoys kill Quinn Shepherd, we need to prepare treasures and bribes, so the envoys can speak for us in Heavenly Court and reduce our punishment to the lowest possible. As long as we do these two things, no matter who wins, no matter what Dao Ancestor decides, we can handle it calmly."
"Good!"
The Daoists all praised him and immediately set to work preparing.
In front of the Dao Palace, Quinn Shepherd, Lucas Lin, and Sterling Xiao all noticed the old Daoists deliberately ignoring them and hurrying away. Each secretly praised, "Azurecloud Sect has a master who sees the situation clearly."
Their thoughts were exactly as Jaden Jadehall had predicted: not letting Dao Ancestor decide their fate and interests, but instead killing their opponent first to force Dao Ancestor to choose in their favor!
"The sky truly is full of shifting winds and clouds."
Quinn Shepherd looked up at the sky. Wind swept clouds, veiling the artificial sun and moon, while all kinds of man-made star rivers and constellations appeared, dazzling and enchanting. He couldn't help but praise, "Dao Gate's numerology and divine arts are truly extraordinary—they can model every Dao in the world."
Sterling Xiao also looked up and praised, "Quinn Shepherd, your vision is impressive. Heavenly Court values Dao Gate precisely because its numerology skills are unmatched, the best in all ages. Heavenly Court's divine armies, including the Ten Guards, all rely on Dao Gate to design their weapons and formations."
"So anyone who wants to contend with Heavenly Court for dominion must gain Dao Gate's support," said Quinn Shepherd.
Suddenly, a young man behind him roared, leapt into the air, and shouted, "Qin! Let me see what an Overlord Body really is!"
The youth stood midair, his body suddenly shaking as his Primordial Spirit appeared behind him: tortoise and serpent entwined, the tortoise with a dragon's head and turtle body, the serpent covered in a thousand pairs of cicada wings, flapping and opening a bloody maw.
That was the Black Tortoise.
As the Black Tortoise Primordial Spirit appeared, a mighty celestial river surged across the sky, flowing beneath the Black Tortoise's feet, its waves crashing and roaring.
Quinn Shepherd looked at Lucas Lin and smiled, "Dao Lord Lin, do you have confidence against the Northern Emperor Black Tortoise's disciple?"
Lucas Lin didn't even glance at the Northern Emperor's disciple in the sky. He smiled, "Cult Master Quinn, your mind is always full of wild ideas, but you never do them yourself—you leave them to us. And you always run off for a year or two at a time. Even now that you're back in Everpeace, you're busy everywhere. I bet you haven't realized how far Everpeace Dao Gate's divine arts have advanced these past years, have you?"
Quinn Shepherd was slightly taken aback. Dao Lord Lucas Lin, sword on his back, took a step forward, rising higher and higher as he walked toward the Northern Emperor's disciple. He laughed, "Victor Bloom once said, of the two research directions you gave us—the Grand Micro Numerology Canon and Primordial Magnetism—the latter is easier to get results from, but the one that brings true change is the Grand Micro Numerology Canon. Primordial Magnetism just adds a new divine art system to the world, but the Grand Micro Numerology Canon can rewrite every divine art, god-weapon structure, and formation in existence! These years, Dao Gate has focused on the Grand Micro Numerology Canon. You only gave us the general framework, but we've refined it into countless micro-algorithms to upgrade our divine arts!"
In the air, the Northern Emperor's disciple drove his Black Tortoise Primordial Spirit to surge the great river, which roared as five layers of thunderclouds rose from it—fivefold clouds, fivefold thunder. Wind, cloud, thunder, lightning; the river surged like a dragon, its might overwhelming as it pressed down on Lucas Lin!
The Northern Emperor Black Tortoise is one of the Four Emperors, an ancient god-king, born of the Dao itself—even Empress Yiyue once apprenticed under him.
This Northern Emperor disciple's cultivation was also incredibly deep. He stood atop the soaring serpent's head, the serpent coiling and flying with ghostly unpredictability. He cast his divine arts from the serpent's head, while the Black Tortoise below roared with a dragon's fury, its claws and fangs rending the sky—now shrouded in darkness, now lit by lightning!
The Northern Emperor's lineage is famous for its immense cultivation and astonishing defense—this man's strength is not to be underestimated!
"The first thing I reformed was Dao Gate's Dao Sword Fourteen Chapters. I've only perfected the first seven, but even so, they're far beyond what those Heavenly Court bumpkins can match!"
Dao Lord Lucas Lin let out a long howl, drew his sword, and charged at the Northern Emperor's disciple, brimming with supreme confidence. He laughed, "Cult Master Quinn, when you see my true sword, you'll realize just how much you've missed these past years!"
Dao Sword, First Chapter—one point piercing through, the vastness moves; within the two poles, yin and yang cycle without end!