Quinn Shepherd called out a few times, but Fenix Greenwood Keane didn’t respond. Incredibly, the big-headed baby had fallen asleep at a moment like this, still sucking on a thumb.
Quinn gently pulled his thumb from Fenix’s mouth, wiped it on his robe—because the thumb Fenix was sucking was his own.
[Omitted irrelevant meta line per guidelines.]
Earlier, whenever Fenix dozed off, he’d grab Quinn’s hand and stuff the thumb into his mouth.
Without anything to suck on, Fenix’s sleep grew restless. He smacked his lips and mumbled a few words.
Quinn raised Fenix’s left hand and placed the thumb into his mouth. Only then did Fenix settle down.
“So, is he the elder brother, or am I?”
Quinn shook his head and drifted through the darkness inside the Slaughter Cauldron, searching for an exit. He kept flying, but no matter how far he went, he never found an edge.
The Slaughter Cauldron might look small from the outside, but inside, space seemed utterly boundless—no end in sight.
Even teleportation divine arts couldn’t get him out of this cauldron.
After a long time, he finally gave up searching for the cauldron’s boundary and instead flew upward. The Slaughter Cauldron was forged by Tu Bo, whose powers were unfathomable. Fenix’s strength was high, but compared to Tu Bo, still worlds apart. That meant attacking the God-Lock Chaos Net above was the best way out.
He approached the firmament, but before he could get close, countless starlights swirled above—star-rivers twisting and coiling like dragons, surging down at him.
Quinn raised a hand to block. His法力 became a wall of force, and the star-river crashed into it with a roar.
The stars in the river weren’t real—they were strange branded imprints. At first, only a dozen struck at once, not too powerful. But in a blink, the torrent multiplied: countless stars surged like a mighty current. Wherever they hit Quinn’s barrier, pinpricks of starlight flared, and in the next instant, the whole wall blazed with dazzling light!
BOOM—
A violent shockwave tore through him. His法力 barrier shattered with a crash, and the star-river hammered his body, blasting him down from the heights!
In a few heartbeats, countless stars slammed into his flesh, pain exploding through him. Quinn gritted his teeth and endured, then roared in the Netherworld demonic tongue: “Where my body stands, there is Youdu!”
Below, Netherworld demonic qi surged up from the cauldron, condensing beneath his feet into a continent of darkness. Then the Netherworld qi shot skyward, crashing into the star-river above!
Quinn realized, to his shock and delight, that he could channel the Slaughter Cauldron’s power directly. The star-river’s assault was scattered by Netherworld qi. Standing atop the growing Youdu continent, his form swelled ever taller, rising straight into the heart of the stars.
The star-river churned, growing more violent. Suddenly, countless starlights linked together, weaving a dense net that fell from the heavens—slicing through Netherworld qi and dropping straight down to ensnare him.
A jolt ran through Quinn. He summoned Netherworld demonic qi, which surged in his hands and shaped itself into a long saber. He slashed upward at the falling net of starlight!
Butcher’s Cross—Boundless One-Line Heaven Slash!
The saber’s light swept both horizontally and vertically, tearing the net of starlight apart. Quinn drew a deep breath, his body swelling, transforming into a giant ten thousand zhang tall. Four arms hammered upward, fists pounding until the star-river shattered!
Outside the cauldron, Flame Thousandfold, Heavenly King Gao, and the other ancient giants were still locked in a standoff, none willing to give up this chance. Suddenly, the Slaughter Cauldron shook violently, its lid clanging, the whole vessel rocking side to side as if some colossal beast inside was about to burst free!
The crowd’s hearts leapt. Lady Lurien quickly shouted, “Seniors, now’s not the time for squabbling! Let’s kill the Netherworld Divine Son first, then we can talk!”
She and Marshal Noctis, Lord Deluge, and Marshal Thunderbane immediately stepped forward, each pressing a palm to one corner of the God-Lock Chaos Net and channeling its power.
“Agreed!”
Flame Thousandfold advanced, wheels of fire spinning behind him. His Primordial Spirit’s法力 shot out like a beam and struck the Slaughter Cauldron. He shouted, “Refine the Netherworld Divine Son first!”
Heavenly King Gao followed. He traced a finger across his brow, revealing a jade-green eye that fired a beam into the cauldron. He smiled, “Fine—let’s discuss who gets the Netherworld Divine Son’s body after we’ve killed him.”
The other ancient giants each unleashed their own methods—some with palms, some with法力 from their mouths, others manifesting vast Heaven Palaces behind them. All poured their power into the Slaughter Cauldron and God-Lock Chaos Net, awakening the treasures’ might!
“Knock him down from the God-Lock Chaos Net first!”
Lady Lurien yelled, “Let the Slaughter Cauldron finish him!”
By now, Quinn had fought his way to the star-river at the cauldron’s summit, standing atop the Youdu continent, breaking through with every move. He was just about to escape when the star-river suddenly spun wildly, its power surging.
At the same time, four giant Tu Bo heads appeared around the star-river, jaws gaping wide. With a crunch, all four bit down on the edges of his Netherworld continent.
Above, the star-river twisted into a sky-filling net, starlight linking into chains. The net chopped downward, its power now more than ten times what it was before!
“Don’t try to take it head-on!”
The four Tu Bo heads pinned the Youdu continent. Quinn was about to teleport away when, suddenly, an endless surge of power from the Slaughter Cauldron flooded into him, filling him to the brim. He was stunned and elated: “Before, I could barely draw on the cauldron’s strength—why can I summon so much now?”
He didn’t know it was Heavenly King Gao, Flame Thousandfold, and the others fueling the cauldron—and those giants didn’t realize their efforts only let Quinn channel even more Netherworld power.
Quinn’s aura surged. He roared, tore apart the chains of starlight, broke through the net, and charged upward—only for the star-river to whirl and crash down on him again.
He punched and kicked, shaking the star-river to its core. Even the four Tu Bo heads couldn’t suppress the Netherworld continent, which carried Quinn ever higher.
Outside the cauldron, Lady Lurien and the others felt their arms go numb from the shock, hearts pounding with alarm and dread.
Inside, Quinn was downright unstoppable—even the Slaughter Cauldron and God-Lock Chaos Net couldn’t suppress him. If this kept up, he’d blast the net sky-high and break out to slaughter them all!
[Omitted irrelevant meta line per guidelines.]
“Isn’t the Slaughter Cauldron supposed to be Youdu’s number one killing treasure? Why can’t it refine him?”
Panic rippled through the crowd. They poured法力 into the Slaughter Cauldron and God-Lock Chaos Net. Lady Lurien shouted, “Unleash the net’s full power—drive him to the cauldron’s bottom!”
A dozen ancient giants stopped fueling the cauldron and instead sent their power into the God-Lock Chaos Net. Its might surged. From inside came a thunderous boom. Suddenly, the pressure outside eased, leaving everyone uneasy—no one knew what was happening within.
“Did the God-Lock Chaos Net kill the Netherworld Divine Son?” Flame Thousandfold murmured.
Inside the cauldron, Quinn stood atop the Youdu continent. The star-river above fired beams of starlight; net after net sliced downward, forcing him to fight desperately just to fend off the relentless cutting.
With the net’s power pushed to its limit, the star-river suddenly morphed into a colossal handprint. It crashed down. Quinn raised all four arms, catching the giant star-hand and straining as it drove him lower and lower.
Then, the third eyes on all four Tu Bo heads snapped open. Four beams sliced down, instantly chopping the Netherworld continent beneath Quinn into fragments.
The star-hand slammed Quinn downward, pinning him beneath its palm. Wind roared in his ears, the force thickening the demonic qi into walls and continents, trapping him at the center.
BOOM!
The hand’s power exploded, blasting straight to the cauldron’s bottom. The vessel shook violently. Quinn’s bones snapped, tendons tore, neck twisted, four arms broke, and both legs bent at odd angles—he lay crumpled on the ground in a grotesque pose. Fenix, meanwhile, kept on sleeping, thumb in mouth.
Just now, Quinn had shielded Fenix from the star-hand’s force, taking the brunt himself. That’s why Fenix was unharmed, but Quinn’s injuries were severe.
The star-hand faded, starlight swirling upward like a tornado and quickly vanishing.
For the first time, Quinn was beaten so badly he couldn’t move. His法力 was in chaos, his Primordial Spirit gravely wounded. Just then, the Slaughter Cauldron’s power exploded, torrents of Netherworld qi flooding his body.
Quinn was startled and delighted: “Who’s healing me? Is it Tu Bo? He’s not usually this generous…”
His法力 filled up instantly, and he hurriedly activated the Creation Art to heal his wounds.
But the Slaughter Cauldron’s power kept climbing, flooding him with more and more energy. Quinn’s wounds healed fast, but the cauldron’s strength was still surging!
“Something’s not right…”
Quinn’s body swelled, stretched tight by the raging demonic qi—he was growing larger and larger, panic rising in his chest. He called out urgently, “Fenix! Fenix, wake up! Are you done digesting yet? I can’t hold out much longer…!”
His vision blurred from the strain. Suddenly, he heard an elderly woman’s warm, rustic voice laugh: “Ugly Ox, stop fussing! Your wife’s expecting—how could you let her do chores? Go help her!”
Quinn’s sight cleared. All around were green hills and clear waters, birdsong and blooming flowers. An old woman, hair white as snow, sat with a cane by the door, smiling at him.
Quinn was stunned. He heard his own voice, now thick and rough: “Ma, I hear you. I’ll go help right away.”
He stared blankly, then noticed he was fiddling with an iron plow.
He watched his own coarse, callused hands set the plow down and stand up. His body was tall—almost twelve feet.
Confused, Quinn glanced at the ground—and his mind reeled.
There, his shadow had horns and a long ox tail!
Wait, that’s not me…
He couldn’t control his body. He walked toward the house, entering a modest manor where a gentle, pregnant woman struggled to wash clothes.
He hurried over, trying to soften his voice: “Dear, be careful not to strain yourself. Let me do it!”
The woman straightened with effort, and he quickly supported her. Then he sat down and began scrubbing the laundry himself.
At that moment, Quinn glimpsed his own reflection in the water.
He had tiger eyes, tiger stripes on his face, and a pair of twisted ox horns atop his head.
Though his eyes were fierce like a tiger’s, they brimmed with tenderness.
Earth Lord…
Quinn’s mind went blank, then slowly cleared: “Is this the memory of the Slaughter Cauldron? So I’m inside Earth Lord’s memory. The cauldron has gained a soul…”
Earth Lord once reincarnated in ancient times. The Soulwarden spoke of it, saying he was so ugly no one liked him, always chased and cursed. Later, ancient gods and demigods conspired against him, killed his wife and daughter, and Earth Lord’s rage spiraled out of control—he slaughtered countless beings.
The Slaughter Cauldron’s memory must be of that tragedy.
Quinn felt as if he’d become Earth Lord, reliving the memory.
Tu Bo was gentle—a rough, burly man, yet devoted to his wife, a virtuous, filial woman. The old lady was Tu Bo’s mother; she’d been pregnant for years before finally giving birth. On that day, crows filled the sky, and the newborn was a strange child—tiger-faced, ox-horned.
People all around called him a demon king reborn and wanted him dead. But the old lady kept him, gave him the nickname Ugly Ox, and raised him with great effort until he grew up.
When Tu Bo came of age, he showed extraordinary strength and powers—but he was a homebody, unwilling to leave his mother’s side.
Ugly as he was, someone still loved him—his wife.
“Even the ugliest find love,” his mother would say, happy and doting on her daughter-in-law.
But his wife preferred to call him Brother Ox, not Ugly Ox.
Their family was filled with joy. Soon, his wife gave birth to a son and daughter. Tu Bo wept with happiness, holding both children, teaching them to cultivate, their days carefree and bright.
Now, though Tu Bo was ugly, he was more human than the selfless ancient god of Youdu.
He was famous, but humble—never made enemies. When disaster struck nearby, Tu Bo would help, giving generously. Over time, people grew fond of him.
“Word is, demigods have been seen near the neighboring village.”
His wife soothed the children and said, “They’ve eaten many people, and they’re asking after you.”
Tu Bo grunted, then looked up—and saw the demigod his wife spoke of.
“Ugly Ox, Brother Ox…”
The demigod was vast as a mountain, making their little manor seem tiny. He held several people in his hand, grinning as he shoved them into his mouth, chewing loudly. He laughed, “Who’d have thought the Lord of Youdu would reincarnate and marry a mortal woman? Tu Bo, since you’ve reincarnated, hand over Youdu. You don’t need it anymore!”
Tu Bo didn’t answer, but looked behind him—more demigods appeared, each one formidable.
The surrounding villages had already been flattened by the demigods.
“Ugly Ox.”
His mother tottered out of the house, voice trembling: “What’s happened?”
“It’s nothing.”
Quinn heard his own thick, rough voice say, “Ma, go back inside. As for you all—if you want to rule Youdu, it’s empty now. Go ahead, take it. Why bother me?”
“We wouldn’t dare while you live!” the demigods laughed.
“Brother Ox…” his wife called from behind.
Quinn turned. A demigod had become a feathered serpent, coiling around his wife and grabbing both children.
Quinn’s heart trembled—he could hardly bear to look.
[Omitted irrelevant meta author’s note per guidelines.]