"Not flower, not fog. Arrives at midnight, gone by dawn..."
Qin Mu pondered deeply, repeatedly savoring this line of poetry.
A million years ago, at the Jade Pool Grand Assembly, he and the Pioneer Emperor once worked with Venerable Skysoar to research a divine art that could keep matter unchanged—neither increasing nor decreasing. Their time was brief, but they managed to grope out a hazy path forward.
Of course, Venerable Skysoar was the main force behind this research; he and the Pioneer Emperor merely assisted, helping her deduce and teaching her creation arts.
Even so, Qin Mu was thoroughly familiar with Venerable Skysoar's research results.
It was at that time that the foundation of Venerable Skysoar's divine art was established.
In the long years that followed, it was Venerable Skysoar who continued to refine and perfect this divine art.
Judging from the Ghost Ship, when Venerable Skysoar cast this divine art, she had not yet perfected it, which is why the flaw of the Thirty-Six Immutable Constants remained.
Every time the ship resets in time and space, it leaves behind a flaw.
This flaw leads to three consequences.
After Quinn Shepherd passed the Crimson Emperor's Threefold Undying Mind to Chiming Divine Son, he finally patched his greatest weakness. His Primordial Spirit grew three heads and six arms, and paired with Bright Emperor's Seamless Creation Mystic Canon, he became a true war-god: wherever gods or buddhas blocked his path, he smashed through them!
But the two divine beings who accompanied Prince Autumnshade were formidable in their own right. One of them wielded the Silver Rope divine weapon, which left a deep impression on Quinn Shepherd.
The Silver Rope stretched a hundred thousand miles, hanging down from the moon; once it touched the ground, the divine being tucked it away in his sleeve.
Now, he wielded the Silver Rope not as a rope but as a whip. Its length shifted as he cracked, struck, swept, and lashed out with countless techniques—sometimes it became a silver dragon, sometimes a silver spear, changing forms in an instant.
The other divine being was just as powerful. Together, the two besieged Chiming Divine Son, their combined assault causing palace towers on the world-ark to collapse.
Village Chief suddenly said, "Their strength is much weaker than before—likely their cultivation is also becoming virtualized. It seems the stronger you are on this ship, the more you are weakened."
Quinn Shepherd nodded. Just then, all three felt their hair stand on end—a terrifying aura locked onto them, and none dared to move.
It was the dread might of a dragon.
Village Chief's voice was hoarse: "Ancestral Dragon King!"
Quinn Shepherd whipped around. Ancestral Dragon King was charging at them, now less than a hundred steps away—his massive head and gaping maw about to swallow them whole!
But the instant Quinn Shepherd turned and looked at him, Ancestral Dragon King's body began to virtualize, blurring into a shadowy phantom!
His strength was immense, only slightly less than Phoenix Autumncloud's, whose body was already fused with the murals of the world-ark's grand hall, making her so virtualized she was barely visible. Ancestral Dragon King was faring better, but not by much.
Had Quinn Shepherd not turned to break the dragon's suppression and looked, Ancestral Dragon King would have remained in the Unobservable State, avoiding virtualization. But being observed, his body and Primordial Spirit rapidly virtualized, leaving him nearly powerless.
Ancestral Dragon King instantly vanished into the void, reappearing behind Quinn Shepherd. But Village Chief and Dragon-Keeper Lord both fixed their gaze on him.
"Crafty ghosts! I'll let you go!"
Ancestral Dragon King sped off. In the next moment, as Chiming Divine Son closed all three pairs of eyes, the dragon's form appeared behind the Silver Rope divine being and tore him apart!
Chiming Divine Son flipped backward, and the other Heavenly Court divine being was smashed by Ancestral Dragon King with a single blow!
Suddenly, Chiming Divine Son opened all three pairs of eyes. Ancestral Dragon King had appeared before him—caught in his gaze, the dragon's body began to virtualize.
Chiming Divine Son struck fiercely. With his body virtualizing, Ancestral Dragon King's power was drastically reduced, and after just a few exchanges, he spat blood and fled in panic.
Chiming Divine Son could not catch him, so he called out, "Ancestral Dragon King, stop struggling! You won't survive the next cycle before you fully virtualize. If I were you, I'd hide and wait to become another kind of lifeform, rather than throw my life away."
He turned to look at Quinn Shepherd, Village Chief, and Dragon-Keeper Lord, striding toward them.
Village Chief gripped the Worryless Sword, his gaze fixed on Chiming Divine Son's approach. Calmly, he said, "Chiming Divine Son, if you want to escape virtualization, your only hope is to rely on the one-of-a-kind Overlord Body to solve the Ghost Ship's riddle. If you kill us, you'll never see your people again."
Chiming Divine Son halted, his eyes settling on Quinn Shepherd. He said softly, "I've always admired the intelligence of the Overlord Body. But is just being an Overlord Body enough for me to give up my only chance? Quinn Shepherd, what makes you think I should choose you?"
"Divine Son, you can gamble."
Quinn Shepherd said, "Bet that I can break the Ghost Ship and send you home alive—or bet that killing us will make you one of the Thirty-Six Immutable Constants trapped on board forever."
Chiming Divine Son fell silent. After a moment, he asked, "Is the Crimson Emperor inside you?"
Quinn Shepherd nodded. "He has only thought left—no soul, no spirit."
Chiming Divine Son closed his eyes for a long while. When he opened them again, his killing intent was gone. With transcendent calm, he smiled, "I won't last much longer—after the next cycle, virtualization will cripple me. Once that happens, you'll have to rely on yourselves."
Village Chief replied solemnly, "Thank you."