Jasper Ling's face changed dramatically and he staggered backward. The Nethervault Demon King and Dragon-Qilin were forced even further away by Quinn Shepherd's overwhelming aura, retreating hundreds of yards and still unable to steady themselves.
Beneath Quinn's feet, the Moon Warden's face was stomped deep into the deck of the Lunar Ark.
He had been clinging to life, but now, crushed underfoot, he fully merged with the Lunar Ark and became part of the ship—his body and soul utterly destroyed.
His feet had already started to sink into the deck of the Lunar Ark, his soles fusing with the ship itself.
Jasper Ling was shaken to the core. He barely registered the fate of the old Moon Warden—after all, the man had always been a madman.
What truly shocked him was that Quinn's flesh and blood were regenerating—he had actually broken through the restrictions of the Dead-Alive Realm!
Entering the Dead-Alive Realm, even someone like Jasper Ling would be reduced to a skeleton, stripped of all flesh.
When Quinn entered the Dead-Alive Realm with him, he too was left with only bones; Dragon-Qilin was the same. Only the Nethervault Demon King, whose body was not made of flesh, remained unchanged.
But now, not only had Quinn's flesh returned, his form was growing ever larger—like a living celestial god, divine light swirling around him, his aura unmatched!
He had replaced the last Moon Shepherd as the new Moon Warden.
Quinn looked down from above at Jasper Ling, his voice rumbling like thunder: "I'm heading out tonight to look for Village Chief and the others—this is where we part ways!"
Jasper Ling swallowed his shock and leapt from the Lunar Ark, hovering in the air.
Now Jasper Ling appeared as a skeleton, his Daoist robes in tatters. He bowed deeply. "Cult Master, after you!"
He believed only those extraordinary Moon Shepherds could do this, and only if they possessed a particularly special constitution.
The human body is a great furnace. Ordinary Moon Shepherds shouldn’t be able to contain the Lunar Ark’s terrifying power—only those with a special constitution might be able to endure such vast energy.
The Moon Shepherds seemed to be extinct, leaving only the one old man aboard this ship, and even he was trapped within the Lunar Ark, barely hanging on.
Now Quinn was controlling the Lunar Ark and its power—could he be a Moon Shepherd, and one with a rare constitution?
But Quinn was not a Moon Shepherd.
Gripping those giant pillars would be dangerous for anyone, even Moon Shepherds—but for Quinn, it seemed perfectly safe. His body naturally absorbed the power, letting it reshape his flesh and soul as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Such incredible power!”
Quinn was both shocked and delighted. The power surging within him had reached an unimaginable level; compared to this, his old strength was just a drop in the ocean—utterly insignificant.
He felt as if he could change heaven and earth with a gesture, alter the very laws of the world, and command its rules at will.
A halo of moonlight enveloped Quinn, streaming down in rings from his crown to his feet before vanishing into the deck of the Lunar Ark.
His feet had already begun to sink into the Lunar Ark, merging with the ship.
This was the Lunar Ark's backlash.
Quinn had seen a similar backlash before—in the Sun Warden who piloted the Solar Ark.
The Sun Warden was Crystal Blaze of the Sun-Herder Clan. When the sun aboard the Solar Ark went out, she took command of the ship and gained its immense power—but she also had to endure the Ark's backlash, burning her own life to drive it. The longer she piloted the Solar Ark, the faster she died.
Now, the broken moon above the Lunar Ark was also extinguished, giving off no light. Quinn drew on the ship's power, but the price was his own life!
He had to act quickly—using the Lunar Ark's strength and speed to plunge into the darkness, find Carefree Haven, and locate Village Chief and the others. Otherwise, the deeper he fused, the higher the price to escape—perhaps more than he could ever bear!
“Senior Brother Jasper, thank you for your help along the way.”
From high above, Quinn looked down at Jasper Ling, his voice booming like thunder: "Tonight, I'm heading out to search for Village Chief and the others—this is where we part ways!"
Jasper Ling forced down his shock and leapt from the Lunar Ark, hovering in midair.
He now appeared as a skeleton, his Daoist robes in tatters. He bowed and said, "Cult Master, please go ahead!"
The deck of the Lunar Ark was crowded with countless palaces and halls—the living quarters of the Moon Shepherds. Sadly, after a devastating battle, the Moon Shepherds were wiped out; the last survivor was the Moon Warden, who was completely fused into the Lunar Ark when Quinn became the new Moon Warden.
The colossal Lunar Ark took a step forward. Beneath its hull was a three-legged toad formed from towering mountains; with each stride, it crossed more than ten li.
He could see Quinn, towering like a mountain among the pillars—his power made solid, the cascading moonlight rings around him condensed into pure force, radiating terrifying might.
Within Nether City, countless powerful beings flew over, able only to watch the Lunar Ark recede into the distance.
The Nethervault Demon King's eyes flickered, his mind churning. "Should I really invade a world like this? What truly terrifies me isn't how advanced this civilization is—it's whatever could destroy something this powerful..."
Now, as the Lunar Ark departed, it was clear Lord Hades had no intention of intervening.
A bird-headed, human-bodied figure swooped down and called to Jasper Ling, "Daoist Jasper, Lord Hades requests your presence."
Jasper Ling hurried after the bird-headed figure into Nether City, heading toward the Hall of Hades.
At that moment, Quinn shone with radiant light, like a celestial god forged from moonlight, steering the ship out of the Dead-Alive Realm. The immense Lunar Ark crossed the sea of mist and entered the darkness of the Great Ruins.
He felt boundless power flooding his body. Every divine treasury within him opened: Spirit Embryo, Five Luminaries, Six Directions, Seven Stars, Heaven and Man, Life and Death, Divine Bridge—all were filled with terrifying energy, and still more poured in from the Lunar Ark.
Inside the demon cloud, a massive fiend thrust out nine heads, each spewing demonic fire straight at Quinn in the center of the pillars.
The realm of celestial gods.
It was hard to imagine how powerful the Lunar Ark would be if it were still whole!
“Carefree Haven, Village Chief—I'm coming!”
The enormous Lunar Ark sailed through the darkness, shadows flickering as mountains flashed past. The jade pendant at Quinn's neck grew gigantic, drifting in the night and pointing toward a distant place in the dark.
(Irrelevant system message—skip translation.)
A blinding beam flashed across the sky, slicing through the darkness and waves of demon fire. Nine bird heads dropped from midair—no more, no less—each trailing a neck that writhed like a dragon and sprayed blood.
Quinn urged the Lunar Ark forward, accelerating to keep pace with the jade pendant as it shot through the darkness. The ship compressed space as it moved, thunder crackling all around, tearing through the gloom with earth-shaking force.
Above the Lunar Ark, fragments of the broken moon kept crashing down, streaking through the air as fiery meteors and plunging into the darkness of the Great Ruins.
Wherever the Lunar Ark traveled, trails of flaming meteors fell, filling the air around the ship with smoke and fire—a dazzling sight.
The deck of the Lunar Ark was packed with countless palaces and halls—the domain of the Moon Shepherds. Sadly, after a great battle, the Moon Shepherds were wiped out; the last survivor was the Moon Warden, who was swallowed by the Lunar Ark when Quinn became the new Moon Warden.
The Nethervault Demon King and Dragon-Qilin hid in one of the few standing palaces, avoiding Quinn's overwhelming aura. Dragon-Qilin was soon lulled to sleep by the rocking, but the Demon King remained wide awake, peering out the window.
He saw Quinn, towering like a mountain among the pillars, his power made manifest. The rings of moonlight swirling around him were solidified force, brimming with terrifying might.
"This world isn’t nearly as primitive as I imagined. Creations of the gods like these require profound Daoist arts and divine powers—far beyond what ordinary civilizations can achieve."
The Nethervault Demon King's eyes flickered with doubt, torn inside: "Should I really invade a world like this? What frightens me isn’t how advanced this civilization is, but the thing that destroyed it…"
Countless monsters in the darkness of the Great Ruins were roused by the passing of the colossal ship, swarming toward it. Though huge, they were dwarfed by the Lunar Ark, like ants before a giant, and much slower.
The Lunar Ark crushed them underfoot, thunder booming as mysterious creatures were flattened—guts and entrails burst open, leaving only puddles of slime.
Countless other demons hurled themselves at the Lunar Ark, chattering in demonic tongues as they tried to climb aboard. But each time the ship moved, thunder struck them down, and their bodies rained from the sky.
"Kankennavu!" (Sanskrit for 'Lunar Ark')
In the darkness, a terrifying aura surged—a shadow grew larger and larger, its wings spreading like clouds. It flew through the thunder layer above the Lunar Ark, bringing with it a rolling cloud of demonic energy to invade the ship.
Within the demonic cloud, a gigantic demon thrust its head out—nine heads, each breathing demonic fire at Quinn in the center of the giant pillars.
Blazing flames lit up the dark sky. The demon's massive body rolled within the cloud—half bird, half dragon, a monstrous fusion of two beasts.
"Garuda!" The Nethervault Demon King gasped in shock.
Moonlight swirled around Quinn, shielding him from the demonic fire. Suddenly, a crescent moon formed on his brow, gradually rounding into a full moon—as if a portal was opening.
Soon, a full moon appeared on his brow—but it was no moon, it was an eye, radiating a moonlike glow.
Ssshh—
A blinding beam sliced across the sky, cleaving the darkness and the waves of demonic fire. Nine bird heads dropped from midair, each trailing a neck that writhed like a dragon and sprayed blood.