Quinn Shepherd walked out of Nether City. Annie transformed into her Dragon-Sparrow form, carrying him and Dragon-Qilin as they flew toward the Umbral World.
Inside the Umbral World, in Tianyin Palace, Lady Umbral and the Heavenly Emperor's soul-black-sand remnant sat in silence, while Lila Swallowfeather stood behind the Emperor's remnant.
Quinn waited quietly, awaiting the Heavenly Emperor's remnant's reply.
After a long pause, the Heavenly Emperor's remnant spoke from the soul-black-sand: "Quinn Heavenly Venerable, do you know whose weapon the Heaven-Driving Venerable descending this time belongs to? If you do, you ought to stay as far away as possible—truly, the farther the better."
A shock ran through Quinn's heart; he had already begun to suspect the answer.
"It's the rebellious son."
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant laughed. "It's that same Venerable Vast-Sky—whose plans you disrupted at the Jade Pool Grand Assembly, and whom you struck down with a sword right in front of his mother and the world's heroes. Now his power and arrogance have reached their peak; in the Heavenly Court, his word is law. You..."
He shook his head. "You really ought to keep your distance. The rebellious son's strength has reached the Heavenly Court Realm—imperfect, but still the strongest existence in history. Not even the Pioneer Emperor could stand against him. Half a Heavenly Court Realm—such power isn't something a few Emperor-Throne cultivators could resist, much less when he's wielding a Heaven-Driving Venerable weapon."
Quinn smiled. "Your Majesty, you need someone to reforge your soul, to restore your spirit. That person can only be me. You can't just stand by and watch me die."
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant stared at him for a long time before continuing: "This time, the strongest artifact descends not only on the Origin World, but also on Profound Capital, the Netherworld, and the four Emperor poles. This isn't just Venerable Vast-Sky's idea—it's the plan of all the Heaven Alliance giants. The only thing you should be grateful for is that the strongest weapon isn't aimed at Everpeace, but at Earth Mother Primordial Lady. I'm a giant in the Heaven Alliance too, and I nodded along—I agreed to the descent."
Quinn Shepherd raised his eyebrow.
"I can't help you," the Heavenly Emperor's remnant sighed.
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant said, "The alliance between us ends here."
Quinn said, unwilling to accept defeat, "I can reconstruct your soul and bring you back to life."
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant shook his head, half-smiling. "Quinn Heavenly Venerable, don't you understand? There's no chance of victory. Not even the slightest. If I help you, I'll be implicated. Even with only one soul left, if I help you, I'll lose that too."
Quinn stood there, dazed. After a long pause, he suddenly burst out laughing, stomping his feet. "Ridiculous! These ancient gods are truly ridiculous! And I'm even more ridiculous for ever pinning my hopes on them!"
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant watched him quietly, saying nothing.
Lila Swallowfeather snorted coldly. "What are you laughing at, Quinn Heavenly Venerable?"
"I'm laughing at how naive the ancient gods are!" Quinn replied.
Quinn, a bit manic, clapped his hands and laughed, "And I'm laughing at how naive I am, too!"
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant looked helpless, half laughing, half crying. "Quinn Heavenly Venerable, you do have a point. But in this situation, any rash move is a dead end. With things as they are, I can't help. What do you think I should do?"
"All His Majesty needs to do is give Everpeace a single strand of hope!"
Quinn said gravely, "If Everpeace falls, all the ancient gods, every era in history, will be wiped out—including the Pioneer Emperor! My only request is that His Majesty uses all his strength to save Everpeace!"
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant hesitated, looking troubled. He sighed, "It's too difficult. I still don't see even a shred of hope."
Quinn refused to give up. "I can borrow Heaven Duke's and Tu Bo's power right now to restore Your Majesty's two lost souls!"
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant shook his head, sighing. "If things were different, I'd agree in a heartbeat. That offer is too tempting. But even if I recover all my souls, I won't be who I used to be."
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"Is it because Your Majesty's flesh body is missing?" Quinn suddenly asked.
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant in the soul-black-sand column suddenly trembled, his voice cold. "What do you know?"
Quinn took out the Peach-Wood Hairpin. "I know Your Majesty's flesh body is trapped in Venerable Skysoar's divine art."
"Venerable Skysoar's hairpin!" The Heavenly Emperor's remnant reached for the Peach-Wood Hairpin, visibly shaken.
Quinn let go, allowing him to take the hairpin.
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant snatched the hairpin, pausing for a moment as the soul-black-sand column slowly calmed.
He examined the Peach-Wood Hairpin closely, then gently pinched it—shattering it to dust. But a moment later, the hairpin reappeared in his hand.
"It really is Venerable Skysoar's Peach-Wood Hairpin. Looks like she's already found you."
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant handed the hairpin back to Quinn, chuckling. "I'm tempted—truly tempted. But with Vast-Sky descending, he'll settle everything. I have no reason to descend myself..."
He began to pace, sighing. "That rebellious son holds all the power now. Compared to him, my influence is nothing. And if anyone discovers I'm the former Heavenly Emperor, they'd unite to destroy me. I have no reason to descend."
Quinn's eyes lit up, and he pressed urgently, "But if Vast-Sky can't subdue the Origin World, wouldn't that give Your Majesty a reason to descend?"
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant froze.
Quinn said, "That depends on whether Your Majesty is willing to make the sacrifice."
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant fell silent, deep in thought.
Quinn continued, "It all depends on Your Majesty's resolve."
The Heavenly Emperor's remnant finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "I have nothing left to lose. If sacrificing Earth Mother Primordial Lady is the only way to reclaim my body, then so be it. That will be the only chance for Everpeace and the ancient gods."
He summoned Lila Swallowfeather. From the soul-black-sand, he drew out a round mirror and handed it to her, quietly instructing, "Go to Earth Mother Primordial Lady and make sure she looks directly into this mirror."
Lady Umbral, slow to grasp the politics, grew even more silent at the sight of the mirror.
The Heavenly Emperor told Quinn, "I'm sacrificing my strongest general as proof of sincerity." Quinn bowed. "That sacrifice will bring returns."
The Emperor demanded, "Repay me now—restore my missing souls. Afterward, you and Lila will go together to meet the new Earth Mother Primordial Lady."
Ignoring Lady Umbral's cough of warning, Quinn opened the Gate of Bearing Heaven in the Umbral Palace, borrowing Heaven Duke's and Tu Bo's power to rebuild the Emperor's souls.
The two ancient gods sensed the Gate and, hating the Heavenly Emperor, wanted to withdraw their power. Seeing Quinn kneel and slam his head on the altar until it bled, they relented and let him continue.
The ritual was crushing: Quinn vomited blood several times but persisted until the Emperor's earth-soul and spirit-soul coalesced into a towering two-soul form above the altar. Only then did Quinn collapse, unconscious.