Western Lands.
A colossal city thundered past Quinn Shepherd, leaving him stunned. He quickly called out, "Is that you, Sister Ivy He?"
The running city slowed its pace. Several gods stood atop the city walls, craning their necks to look down. "This is White Emperor City's carriage, not some sister of yours. Who are you?"
Quinn replied, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable. May I ask if High Heaven Academy now belongs to White Emperor's domain?"
One of the gods on the city wall said, "High Heaven Academy? You mean High Heaven? That isn't White Emperor City's territory. There's someone there named Qi Jiuyi—he's a disciple of Red Emperor Claudia Qi. The Red Emperor and White Emperor split Western Lands between them, and the Red Emperor also gave half of Southern Lands to the White Emperor... Wait, who did you say you were again?"
"Shepherd Heavenly Venerable," Quinn said with a smile.
The gods on the city tower snapped out of their daze and exchanged glances with each other.
Quinn asked, "So, how do I get to High Heaven Academy?"
The gods conferred for a moment. One of them said, "Heavenly Venerable, look—those pale blue heavens over there, that's High Heaven. Once you reach High Heaven, you'll meet its people; just ask them for the exact location of the academy."
Quinn thanked them, then urged Dragon‑Qilin to head toward the direction of High Heaven. He thought aloud, "I used to think High Heaven was so mysterious, always monitoring the Great Ruins and Everpeace. Now I realize it's just one of countless worlds in the Origin Realm—not much to fuss over."
Dragon‑Qilin said, "Cult Master, you used to be just a little Divine Ability cultivator and thought High Heaven was a terrifying behemoth. Now that you're Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, High Heaven doesn't seem so impressive anymore."
Quinn laughed, "Fat Dragon, you're getting more perceptive by the day. You're growing too."
The gods on the city wall watched them leave, exchanging glances again. One asked, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable has come to the Western Lands of the Origin Realm—should we notify White Emperor City?"
"He's headed to the Red Emperor. If our White Emperor City's elites block him, wouldn't that offend the Red Emperor?"
An older god, more experienced, said, "Besides, he's a Heavenly Venerable—who would dare touch him? Just let him go."
The gods agreed, and the great city picked up speed again, billowing smoke as it raced away.
Along the way, Quinn saw many such land-running cities, all moving at incredible speed. These were the Western gods and demons' vehicles for travel, troop transport, and quelling uprisings—extremely convenient.
"These are True Heaven Palace's techniques, but True Heaven Palace itself comes from the Outer Heaven Court."
Quinn whispered, "True Heaven Matron is a true god from the Outer Heaven Court. Most likely, she's under the White Emperor's command..."
Because of High Heaven and True Heaven Palace, Western Lands hadn't suffered the horrors of war like Everpeace. The people here could still make a living.
When Quinn entered the Red Empress's domain, he found it even better governed than White Emperor's territory. The people of Western Lands lived in peace, their lives seemingly unchanged from before.
Some Western girls recognized him and greeted him warmly.
"There's no more High Heaven Academy now—only High Heaven Divine Sect. The sect master is Victor Bloom, who used to be High Heaven Academy's Grand Libationer."
The girls told him, "As for Young Master Cyrus Qi, he's even more impressive. He doesn't care for the sect master position at High Heaven Divine Sect. Now he lives in the Red Empress's palace, acting as Western Lands' young lord, overseeing gods and demons across half the region. He's really something!"
Dragon‑Qilin exclaimed excitedly, "Young Master Cyrus Qi is my sworn brother!"
"Victor Bloom really is clever—he turned High Heaven Academy into High Heaven Divine Sect and made it a proper sect."
Quinn marveled, "He's the type who, if he puts his mind to cultivation, excels in it; if he turns to romance, he's deeply passionate; and when it comes to worldly affairs, he's a master diplomat. Not inferior to me at all—"
He asked the girls for directions to High Heaven Divine Sect and the Red Empress's palace, then bid them farewell and set out for the sect.
High Heaven Divine Sect was simply the old High Heaven Academy, located beside the Red Empress's palace. The palace was built in the sky, while the sect stood near True Heaven Palace.
Soon, Dragon‑Qilin arrived at High Heaven Divine Sect, immediately abandoning Quinn to rush up to the sky-bound Red Empress's palace. He shouted, "Cult Master, I'm off to see my sworn brother!"
"Careful not to anger Young Master Cyrus Qi, or he might roast you and eat you!" Quinn Shepherd called out loudly.
Dragon-Qilin shouted, "Relax, I made a pact with him—the Earth Sovereign's Oath: not asking to be born the same day, only to die the same day. Annie, are you coming?"
Annie immediately flew over and said, "Master, I'll watch over Fat Dragon so he doesn't really get eaten!"
Quinn shook his head and entered the High Heaven Divine Sect. Victor Bloom came out to greet him with a smile, saying, "Cult Master, it's been years! You've gotten much thinner. Is Everpeace still holding on?"
Quinn replied, "It's hard to say. I came to see if you and the Western Lands made it through. Seeing the people here safe and you unharmed puts me at ease."
"This time, we owe everything to Young Master Cyrus Qi. Without his connection, Western Lands would have faced disaster."
Victor Bloom said, "Even though Western Lands has ties to High Heaven and True Heaven Palace, if the Heavenly Court really wanted to wipe us out, those connections wouldn't matter. Cyrus Qi is Red Empress Claudia Qi's disciple—his intervention is what saved us."
Hearing the name Claudia Qi, Red Empress, Quinn fell silent.
When the Heavenly Court hunted him down, Claudia Qi was among them. The Four Emperors struck together, driving him to the brink and forcing him to part ways with his brother.
The pain of severing his soul—he'd never spoken of it, but it was a hundred times worse than having his bones scraped by a knife.
But what hurt him most was that, after severing his soul, he was separated from his brother Fenix Greenwood Keane. They were no longer brothers, no longer the sons of Hanjen Keane and Princess Consort Jane.
He was nothing but a walking corpse.
And some of the credit for this belonged to Claudia Qi, the Red Empress.
Victor Bloom knew nothing of his ordeal, nor of the crushing, terrifying weight he had borne.
Nor did the people of Western Lands know the depth of Everpeace's suffering. In this catastrophe, the population of Everpeace fell from tens of billions to just a few billion. Some died fleeing, some were seized by gods as food, some perished to monsters and demons, and many more were captured to be slaves.
One in ten survived—that was the reality for the people of Everpeace.
A once-prosperous nation was nearly wiped out.
And this was only because Everpeace's cultivators and deities fought to the death to resist and to save their people. Had they not resisted, even more would have died; those who survived would have been nothing but livestock, destined for slavery or slaughter.
That is why, no matter what, Quinn Shepherd had to show himself in the Imperial Capital of Everpeace, to confront the Eastern Azure Emperor and the Ancient-God Emperor.
He had to make his name as Shepherd Heavenly Venerable known—otherwise, what awaited Everpeace would be more than just annihilation!
"I came to see you because I'm about to leave the Origin World and head to the Heavenly Court to find a path of survival for Everpeace."
Quinn smiled and said, "You haven't returned to Everpeace these past years—the roads are cut off, news can't get through, and you haven't seen the results of the Everpeace Reform. Before the disaster, I happened to travel to all the academies and learned the fruits of reform. I don't know if I'll survive this trip, so I want to pass Everpeace's achievements on to you first."
Victor Bloom was taken aback, then smiled. "The Heavenly Court, huh? I'll go with you."
Quinn was touched but shook his head. "You can't go. The Everpeace Reform must not be cut off. If I die in the Heavenly Court, you have to carry it on. Your Overlord Body may be female, a bit less impressive than mine, but as long as Everpeace has you, our wisdom won't be lost."
Victor started to protest, but Quinn bowed deeply. "My friend, I'm counting on you!"
Victor quickly helped him up. "I won't go, then. But... you take care of yourself."
Quinn smiled. "I'll be careful. Victor, remember our old bet? Whoever solves the problem of opening the Seventh Divine Treasury first is the real man."
Victor smiled. "Funny you mention it—shortly after you left, I figured out several ways to open the Seventh Divine Treasury, and chose the best one. I've been waiting for you to come find me, but then disaster struck and all contact with Everpeace was lost."
Quinn narrowed his eyes. "Write down your Seventh Divine Treasury, and I'll write mine—we'll see whose is better."
Victor agreed, and the two of them turned away, each writing down their own method for opening the Seventh Divine Treasury.
They turned back at the same time. Quinn had written 'Celestial River Treasury,' while Victor had written 'Surge River Treasury.'
The Celestial River was the same as the Surge River—Victor's answer wasn't wrong.
The two stared at each other. Quinn grumbled, "You must've opened the Celestial River Treasury later than I did. When I did it, there were omens in heaven and earth!"
Victor replied, "When I opened the Surge River Treasury, I felt the Dao of heaven and earth subtly shifting. It was faint, but the change in the Dao didn't escape me."
Quinn's heart skipped a beat—when he opened the Celestial River Treasury, he hadn't sensed any change in the Dao of heaven and earth!
That meant Victor had indeed opened the Surge River Treasury before him!
"I tried out more than twenty different treasuries, searching for the best one—that wasted a lot of time. Victor, you just picked the optimal one without testing the rest!"
Quinn finally understood why he'd been a step behind. He kept a straight face and laughed, "We probably opened them at the same time. When I did, the omens were terrifying! Let's call it a tie—next time we'll compete again!"
Victor just smiled, not arguing. He turned to Selena, who had arrived, and said, "Selena, I'll be in closed-door retreat with Cult Master Quinn for a while. All you need to do is bring us meals—please don't disturb us for anything else."
Quinn bowed. "Thank you, Selena."
Selena smiled. "Bringing you food is easy—just don't overwork yourselves."
"Don't worry, Selena. Your husband won't be worn out."
The two entered a grand hall. Victor Bloom's hands danced, sending countless runes streaming down from the ceiling like rivers of light, enclosing the hall like an overturned bell and sealing it. He said, "Selena knows my divine arts—she can come in, but no one else can. Cult Master Quinn, you can transmit the teachings now."
Quinn yawned and smiled. "I'll teach you in a dream." With that, he lay down and promptly fell asleep.
Victor was surprised, but laughed. "Is this the Great Brahma King Buddha's technique? I've heard of it for years, but never seen it before."
He lay down beside Quinn, and before long, drifted into a deep sleep as well.
Darkness fell before Victor's eyes, like a curtain drawing open from left to right, and bright sunlight poured in.
Victor raised a hand to block the glare, waited for his eyes to adjust, then stepped into the sunlit world—where Quinn walked up to greet him, smiling. "Victor, you're here. Let's begin the transmission."
"Us?"
Victor was stunned as he watched dozens, then hundreds of Quinns walk toward him. Behind them, even more Quinns sat at desks, busily writing down the fruits of the Everpeace Reform.
Victor was shocked and blurted out, "How long will it take to learn all this?"
"I've learned seventy or eighty percent of the Everpeace Reform—it took me two or three years."
One Quinn looked up and said, "You'll need two or three years as well. But in my dream, it'll just feel like a few naps. Let's begin!"
Victor calmed himself and began to study in earnest.
During this time, Selena came in to deliver food. She found the two of them fast asleep on the floor, shook her head, set the basket beside them, and quietly left.
When Quinn and Victor woke up, they were starving, so they quickly ate the food from the basket.
Quinn started to wash the dishes, but Victor laughed and said, "Cult Master, you don't have to force yourself—just leave the dishes here. My wife will come and clean up. Let's get back to dreaming."
Quinn nodded.
They lay down together again, but after a while, Victor sat up and said, "I can't sleep without washing the dishes. Better get up and do it."
Quinn couldn't sleep either and immediately rolled over, laughing. "Me neither—I just can't relax unless the dishes are clean."
Using their arts of creation, they conjured clear water and washed the dishes. Victor even mopped and wiped the hall floor. Only then, with their minds at ease, could they finally sleep soundly.
"I really wonder how the Imperial Preceptor and Emperor Evan survived in that filthy prison..." Quinn muttered, soon drifting off to sleep, snoring.