Heaven-Guide Venerable’s coffin was guarded with exquisite care. Outside, shimmering Netherworld runes—Youdu sigils—spiraled around the casket, drifting in gentle rotation, their hush steeped in mystery.
When Quinn arrived, he felt no surge of excitement. Instead, his expression was calm as he studied each rune, searching for the secrets hidden within.
These runes had been left by Tu Bo, the Earth Sovereign, meant to shield Heaven-Guide Venerable’s physical form.
In truth, even without Tu Bo’s protective runes, Heaven-Guide Venerable’s body would never age or decay.
Heaven-Guide Venerable alone was blessed by every ancient god.
All seven of the primordial Heavenly Venerables received blessings from the ancient gods.
Venerable Vast-Sky, who pioneered the Five Luminaries Realm, was blessed by the Five Luminary Star Lords and Heaven Duke—his flesh never ages, fortune always shines upon him.
Venerable Skysoar, founder of the Six Directions Realm, received Earth Mother's blessing—her fortune flows endlessly, unaging and undying.
Moon-Venerable, who opened the Seven Stars Realm, was blessed by the Great Sun Star Lord, the Moon Star Lord, and Heaven Duke; her body too remains forever young, untouched by sickness or age.
Flame-Venerable, who opened the Heaven-Man Realm, was blessed by the Four Emperors—his life endures, disaster turns to fortune.
Nether-Venerable, founder of the Life-and-Death Realm, received Tu Bo’s blessing—he became undying, his Primordial Spirit fixed forever.
Cloud-Venerable, pioneer of the Divine Bridge Realm, was blessed by Heaven Duke—he lives eternally, never grows old, and his spirit stays clear as crystal.
Though all six Venerables received blessings and gained longevity, each one’s gift followed different rules.
For example, Tu Bo’s blessing made Nether-Venerable undying, his Primordial Spirit unbreakable. But undying is not the same as ageless—Nether-Venerable still grows old, because Tu Bo does not rule over eternal youth. He can grant endless years, but not keep one forever young.
Heaven Duke’s blessing made Cloud-Venerable ageless, but Heaven Duke cannot anchor the Primordial Spirit for eternity; he can only grant clarity of mind and the gift of heavenly sight.
But Heaven-Guide Venerable was blessed by every ancient god.
The blessings of the primordial gods are blessings of law itself—not to mention those from the Heavenly Emperor and the Empress.
By rights, Heaven-Guide Venerable’s Primordial Spirit should have been everlasting, his body ageless, undying and indestructible. But he died in the Serpentine Palace deep within the Jade Pool Little Lodge—his body destroyed, his spirit shattered, the fragments never reaching Youdu or the Umbral World, all his blessings nullified. The deeper intrigue here demands reflection.
Venerable Vast-Sky and Prince Umbral’s assassination of Heaven-Guide was only the surface; beneath it, a deeper contest played out. Whether the Heavenly Emperor or the Empress’s younger sister meddled behind the scenes—no one can say.
As Quinn pondered the hidden layers beneath it all, a chill ran down his spine. The Jade Pool Grand Assembly had seemed utterly tranquil—even after Vast-Sky’s attack, everyone simply mourned, the surface barely disturbed, all calm.
But who could have guessed what terrifying killing intent lurked beneath that calm surface?
Now, having seen Tu Bo’s blessing firsthand, Quinn finally understood—and found it truly frightening.
“Could Vast‑Sky really contend with an Emperor like that? In the three‑way Dragon‑Han split, who truly won?”
He glanced at Nether‑Venerable beside him, who had never mentioned any of this—was it ignorance, or simply unwillingness to speak?
“After reviving Heaven‑Guide, I have to get the whole truth out of Nether‑Venerable!”
Quinn raised his hand; the Buddha‑Origin Red Chrome coffin split open with a clear metallic resonance, its lid flying a short distance before settling gently to the floor, barely making a sound.
This was Saint‑King Tianqi’s Manor, and within it lingered the soul of the Underworld Courier old man’s mother. Quinn had no wish to disturb the elderly spirit.
Under his power, Heaven‑Guide Venerable floated in midair—a million years had passed, yet he remained unchanged, untouched by time.
Just as when Quinn met him at Jade Pool years ago, this youthful Venerable seemed like a tree of white blossoms—gentle and serene.
A million years had gone by, yet for Quinn it felt like only months; for him, it seemed much the same.
Because a million years have passed, the Heavenly Court and Celestial River of old have changed beyond recognition. Heaven-Guide Venerable’s soul fragments have scattered across far more worlds than Quinn expected, and the strain is showing; his Primordial Spirit pours out ever-greater power, the incantation growing clearer and louder.
“Why didn’t you call his soul back back then?”
The Underworld Courier old man asked, puzzled, “Back then his soul was scattered in the Heavenly Court. Wouldn’t it have been easier to call him then, without all this effort?”
“Back then, I didn’t even know Tu Bo or Heaven Duke. If I’d recklessly tried to borrow their power, I’d have been swatted dead.”
Sweat beaded on Quinn’s forehead, steaming off him like clouds. He said hoarsely, “Now I have a working relationship with Heaven Duke and Tu Bo. If I borrow their power, they won’t mind. But at that time, it was impossible.”
The Underworld Courier old man’s face twisted oddly, cheeks bulging as if stuffed with two eggs, his eyes wide as copper bells. He thought, “Does Shepherd Venerable misunderstand what ‘good relationship’ means? I don’t know about Heaven Duke, but Tu Bo definitely doesn’t like him. Tu Bo just gets annoyed when he comes to Youdu causing trouble…”
Quinn was clearly struggling now; every rune he cast grew heavier, each seal imprinted onto Heaven-Guide’s body felt like hefting a Mount Sumeru. His voice turned hoarse: “Besides, the Heavenly Court back then was too dangerous. The ones who wanted Heaven-Guide dead weren’t just Vast-Sky. Their power was so great that even Heaven Duke and Tu Bo didn’t dare provoke them. If I’d revived Heaven-Guide then, he’d have died again, and I would have too. That’s why I only reconstructed his body, had Venerable Skysoar entrust it to you, and waited until today to finally bring him back!”
His whole body shuddered; both his Primordial Spirit and physical form froze, one standing on the floor, the other at his spiritual brow. Behind each, layers of halo-wheels spun, their runes flaring with light that bathed Heaven-Guide in radiance!
Tiny soul fragments drifted in, one after another entering Heaven-Guide’s body—through his features, his brow, throat, heart and lungs, dantian, even the base of his spine.
Quinn and his Primordial Spirit stood motionless, the halo-wheels behind their heads spinning without pause.
Quinn’s Primordial Spirit kept driving the Soul‑Calling Rite, while he circled Heaven‑Guide Venerable’s body in the air—his gait strange, yet as steady as walking on solid ground.
His hands danced, sending out seal arts that transformed into runes, imprinting them onto Heaven‑Guide’s flesh. Compared to the awkward, dangerous soul‑calling for Lady Umbral years ago, he now worked with practiced ease, even turning to smile: “That’s right, it’s the Soul‑Calling Rite. I taught you this.”
(Irrelevant meta prompt—skip translation for this line.)
The Underworld Courier old man widened his eyes. “Even if you hadn’t taught me, I could have figured it out myself.”
Quinn burst out laughing.
His seal arts and Soul‑Calling Rite began to emit obscure, mysterious ripples, as if stirring some deep law of heaven and earth—Youdu itself trembled, and the effect spread to countless worlds.
The God‑Speech and demon speech from his Primordial Spirit were inaudible to ordinary ears; even skilled cultivators could not hear it. Yet to certain ancient beings, it sounded like the Dao itself murmuring—evoking a tremor in the soul.
The shock to those ancient beings was beyond compare—as if an ancient god, master of vast laws, was awakening his power: deep, resonant, unfathomable.
Scattered across heaven and earth, soul particles began to stir—like grains of black sand, they were drawn in, drifting toward Youdu.
These were infinitesimal fragments of soul, shattered by endless ages—so fine as to be nearly invisible, yet undeniably real.
A chill ran through the Underworld Courier old man; he knew this was the critical moment. Instantly, he grew alert. Paper boats sped in from all directions in Youdu, massing outside Saint-King Tianqi’s Manor, a dense protective fleet.
After an unknown span of time, Quinn’s face was exhausted, the halo-wheels behind his head gradually slowed and faded away.
His Primordial Spirit moved forward, shrinking until it merged with his physical body.
Only then did the Underworld Courier old man breathe a sigh of relief and hurry over, about to ask something, when Quinn cut him off, frowning: “Part of Heaven-Guide’s soul wasn’t completely shattered. Someone suppressed a portion—I couldn’t recover it.”
The Underworld Courier old man froze, then quickly asked, “How much was suppressed?”
“Less than one-tenth.”
Quinn exhaled a long breath, rested a moment, and said, “I don’t know how important that missing part is, or who took it. That’s beyond me.”
The Underworld Courier old man asked anxiously, “So what do we do?”
“Simple. Ask Tu Bo.”
Quinn said gravely, “I’ll take him back to the living world right now and reconstruct his soul! Once his soul is rebuilt, Tu Bo will be able to sense the missing part through its connection. All we need to do is ask Tu Bo, and we’ll know where the lost fragment is.”
The two of them placed Heaven-Guide’s body onto a small boat. The old man’s mother was busy cooking and called out, “It’s almost ready! You’ve been working so long—won’t you eat before you go?”
The Underworld Courier old man quickly replied, “Mother, we have urgent business!”
The woman smiled, “Then be careful on the road. I’ll save the food for you. Young man, our You’er is still young, doesn’t know how to speak properly—please have patience with him.”
Quinn suppressed a laugh and said quickly, “Don’t worry, Auntie, I’ll take care of it.”
He glanced at the Underworld Courier old man, who was scowling, his face expressionless.
Once the boat had drifted far, Quinn finally burst out laughing. The Underworld Courier old man’s face faded away, and he said flatly, “What’s so funny? Back then I couldn’t beat you; now I can.”
Quinn quickly stifled his laughter and joked, “You can even beat Heaven-Guide now. I wonder if he’ll recognize us after coming back.”
The Underworld Courier old man gazed blankly for a moment, then murmured, “He’ll always be my elder brother.”
Quinn blinked. “And me?”
“Hmph.”
The Underworld Courier old man turned away, revealing the ghost-face mask on the back of his head. Suddenly, the mask made a face and stuck out its tongue at Quinn.
Quinn jumped in surprise and looked closely. This ghost-face mask wasn’t the one he’d carved before, but the original Nether-Venerable mask. At some point, the old man had dug it out again and put it on the back of his head.
He must be worried that his aged appearance would make Heaven-Guide fail to recognize him, so he found the old mask and put it on again, Quinn thought.
They arrived in the living world, still by the Yong River.
It was the Great Ruins’ night. The darkness no longer boiled with soul-black sand or husk-ghosts. Standing on the paper boat in the river, Quinn performed another rite; the Gate of Bearing Heaven appeared, flipped, and drew down the power of Heaven Duke and Tu Bo, bathing Heaven-Guide’s floating body in light!
The Underworld Courier old man watched nervously as Quinn cast his spell, clenching his fists tight.
After a long while, Quinn dispersed his power and gently lowered Heaven-Guide onto the surface of the river.
“Lan Yutian, long time no see.” Quinn smiled at the youth standing on the water in the heart of the river.
The youth slowly opened his eyes, looking bewildered. The Underworld Courier old man was overwhelmed with emotion, but suddenly, with a splash, Heaven-Guide sank beneath the water, then popped up, flailing, coughing up mouthfuls of river water.
The Yong River’s current was swift, its hidden flows surging, sweeping the water-illiterate youth downstream!
Quinn and the Underworld Courier old man stared in shock, then snapped to attention: “Quick, save him!”
After a moment, they dragged the soaking Heaven-Guide ashore and laid him on the bank.
Heaven-Guide had nearly drowned, coughing and retching, expelling water from his lungs, gasping for breath.
Quinn and the Underworld Courier old man exchanged glances. The old man muttered, “His cultivation’s gone, but that’s okay—we can rebuild it.”
After resting a bit, Heaven-Guide got up and bowed to them both. “Thank you, benefactors, for saving me. By the way, benefactors, what did you call me just now?”
The youth scratched his head, embarrassed. “I don’t remember what my name is.”
————Four thousand one hundred words—enough sincerity, right? Even my pig’s trotters are cramping!