"I used to imagine the Pioneer Emperor as a great hero, someone who could save the common people from disaster. I fantasized that this ancestor would live and die alongside his supporters and followers, that he would be the person I pictured in my mind. But he wasn't."
Oldridge Village, Great Ruins. Quinn Shepherd sat quietly beside the campfire, watching steam rise from the pot, his expression calm as he said, "The more history I uncover, the more I feel he isn't worthy of being the Pioneer Emperor, nor of leading thousands of heroes. Maybe he was just an old man frightened by his enemies, only wanting to live out his days in comfort. He never had the courage or spirit to inspire those heroes to follow him."
"Cluck!" Right beside him, a Brood-Hen Dragon nodded with grave seriousness.
"You're absolutely right."
Quinn added more firewood, his expression dimming. "If he truly had that kind of courage and spirit, would he have retreated in the final war, abandoning his old brothers and comrades, leaving the common folk to suffer? If he really was the hero I imagined, then what has he done in these twenty thousand years? Nothing at all!"
The Brood-Hen Dragon nodded again, looking as solemn as a judge. "Cluck-cluck!"
"Heh, no wonder all those gods and demons who followed him ended up with chills in their hearts."
Quinn couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head. "I wish I could go back to Carefree Haven, flip over his cozy nest, and question him face to face. Maybe I'll repair the Other Shore Ark and sail there myself. I still have the Carefree Haven Mirror that Village Chief and the elders found on the Ark—a mirror that records the path to Carefree Haven. Village Chief sealed it, saying I could only use it once I break his seal..."
"Cluck?" The Brood-Hen Dragon looked puzzled.
"You're a good listener—putting up with all my nonsense."
Quinn turned to the dragon, slowly drew his sword, and said softly, "But you've learned too many of my secrets... No use struggling. Only a Brood-Hen Dragon that's been cooked and eaten will never spill a secret. Next life, pick a better species."
Oldridge Village erupted into chaos—chickens and dogs scattering everywhere. Flocks of Brood-Hen Dragons huddled together, wide-eyed in terror, staring at Quinn by the campfire as he stewed their kin.
Soon after, Quinn drank his chicken soup and munched on perfectly tender meat, thoroughly content. "Apothecary Grandpa and the rest haven't come back—most likely they went to Nether City to see Village Chief. We're almost at Dragoncrest City, so I can take Between Life and Death to Nether City... But first, I'll pay respects to Village Chief and let him know I'm coming."
He got up and left. Before long, he arrived at the little hill village from his memories—a place with only a handful of households, built around the stone statue of Village Chief.
Quinn paused in surprise when he arrived—several new statues had appeared, but Village Chief's statue was nowhere to be seen!
"You mean the statue without hands or legs? Someone took it away."
The villagers told him, "A few weirdos showed up—a smith, a butcher, a medicine seller, and a couplet-painter. They said the statue was an old friend of theirs, brought us a few new statues, and then carried the old one away."
"The old statue was better! As long as we made offerings, it would show miracles. These new ones never do anything."
"Oh, and one of those weirdos was an old thief—he swiped the cured pork leg hanging in my house!"
Quinn was startled. "Mute Grandpa and the others came here and took Village Chief's statue? Of course!"
His eyes suddenly lit up: "Apothecary Grandpa must be trying to bring Village Chief's soul back—maybe he can save him!"
Excited, he quickly took his leave and rushed straight to Dragoncrest City.
Dragoncrest City.
The city had become a vital commercial hub. In just a few months, its prosperity had far surpassed Quinn's expectations—goods from north and south, east and west, all converged here.
Sky-ships crisscrossed above, so densely packed it was like weaving cloth. Everywhere, ships were unloading cargo.
Merchants from both Eastern and Western Lands traded here, saving the trouble of traveling all the way to Everpeace or the Western capitals. Thanks to Dragoncrest City, other cities in the Great Ruins were thriving too.
This commercial boom sparked the rise of academies and schools. Now, every city in the Great Ruins had many academies, and the locals were called scholars. They studied divine arts, and even some shape-shifting spirits and strange beasts mingled among the students.
Quinn arrived at Between Life and Death. It was as lively as ever, with many scholars paying to enter Nether City from here.
Guarding Between Life and Death was an Incense-Master from the Cult of the Heavenly Saint. Quinn didn't need to pay; he boarded a boat, drifting down the long river toward Nether City. When he reached the bridge, he leapt up, landing on it—and by the time he stepped off, he had become a skeleton.
"Quinn, Human Emperor!"
Quinn turned at the sound and saw the short, stocky Human Emperor Ethan Graves squeezing through the crowd of ghosts, beaming. "It really is you! The moment I saw that skeleton, I knew it was you!"
Quinn hurriedly saluted. "Grand-Master!"
Ethan eyed him warily. "What are you doing in Nether City? You're not here to beat up our founder again, are you? Here to stick up for Village Chief?"
Quinn shook his head. "I just came to see Village Chief..."
Ethan breathed a sigh of relief, then waved to the others peeking around the street corner. "He's not here to beat us up. Come on out!"
Connor Hayes, Amber Brooks, and the other Human Emperors shuffled out from the corner. Connor, loud as ever, called, "Quinn, Human Emperor! Has that Su Muche brat been complaining to you?"
Quinn looked puzzled. "Complaining about what?"
The Human Emperors exchanged glances, all with weird smiles, laughing it off and dodging the question.
Quinn grew suspicious. "What happened? Why was Village Chief beaten up? How did he offend you all?"
Fifth Ancestor chuckled and said, "That Su Muche brat isn’t in Nether City. He was getting cocky, but Bronze-Face saved his life and said he went to High-Emperor Heaven to find you. A few months ago, some oddballs came to see him and muttered for ages. Then Bronze-Face said there was hope, and Red Plume the bird-god said Su still smelled half-alive, so Bronze-Face dragged his soul back into his body and brought him back to life."
Quinn blinked, then laughed. "So that's it. Bronze-Face is our village's Apothecary Grandpa—the best doctor alive, his skills even surpass mine. If he's taken charge, Village Chief will definitely pull through. But why did you all beat up Village Chief?"
Connor blurted, "That brat tricked us! He had you thrash us all, made us lose face, then ran back bragging he found records of the Overlord Body. As my disciple, he even set up his own master! If we didn't beat him, who would we beat? Giving him a little thrashing was too kind, so we started doing it every day..."
"Every day?"
Quinn's face darkened. In a soft voice he said, "Honored Grand-Masters, I've picked up a few new skills on my travels. Would you care to give me some pointers?"
The Human Emperors' expressions all turned grim as they hurriedly changed the subject.
"Someone burned me a whole set of clothes the other day. Really nice craftsmanship—forgot to wear them out and show off today."
"I got some offerings too. Turns out people still remember I'm a Human Emperor!"
"Someone burned me a few big paper girls—guess folks in the living world still think of us."
"Old Spirit, I heard Emperor Evan just went to the ancestral altar, renewed the family register, and claimed he's your descendant. Maybe those big paper girls were burned for you by the emperor himself."
...
Quinn wasn’t actually planning to fight them. He smiled. "Honored Grand-Masters, I just came back to check on Village Chief. Since he’s not here..."
He didn’t finish his sentence. Suddenly, he looked toward the end of the street, his aura surging violently.
The other Human Emperors instantly sensed his fluctuation and looked down the street. A teenage Human Emperor stood there, quietly watching Quinn.
Second Ancestor tensed up and quickly tried to smooth things over. "Quinn, Human Emperor, you haven’t met the First Ancestor, right? Let me introduce you. First Ancestor, this is Quinn, the current Human Emperor—he came all the way to see us! He built Between Life and Death to link yin and yang—pretty clever, huh? Quinn, come greet the First Ancestor..."
"No need!"
Quinn raised his hand, his tone cool. "Second Ancestor, your bones were smashed, your tombstone overturned—there’s no way you don’t know who did it. You know better than me what he’s done."
Second Ancestor froze, mouth opening and closing, unable to speak.
First Ancestor walked over, face calm. "Since you’ve come..."
"Exactly—since I’ve come!"
Quinn gently raised his hand and peeled off the Golden Willow Leaf from his brow. With the leaf removed, his skeleton body in Nether City began to regenerate flesh and blood at visible speed—he quickly regained his living form!
Quinn flexed his hands and feet, his voice cold. "Then I’ll kill you before I leave!"
The Human Emperors were shocked. Quinn wasn’t standing on the Between Life and Death corridor, yet he’d restored his living body, breaking Nether City’s rules—almost impossible!
They didn’t realize Quinn was born in Youdu, and Nether City was part of Youdu. Previously, he was bound by Nether City’s rules—entering meant becoming a skeleton, losing all flesh.
But now, with his third eye open, his Netherworld Divine Son bloodline was partially activated. When the third eye appeared, he could take on flesh and blood form even in Nether City!
Quinn’s gaze was icy as he stared at the approaching First Ancestor, waves surging inside him. Outside the Human Emperor Hall, he’d suffered his greatest defeat at First Ancestor’s hands, watching helplessly as the founder destroyed the lifework of generations of Human Emperors, crushed Second Ancestor’s bones, and shattered his memorial tablet!
That defeat plunged Quinn into months of despair, forcing him to risk entering High-Emperor Heaven, seeking higher-level cultivation and ways to defeat First Ancestor!
His Sword of Calamity, his path-entering cultivation—all were breakthroughs forged under this man’s pressure!
To Quinn, his strongest enemy wasn’t the demon clans of High-Emperor Heaven, nor the lofty Heavenly Court, but this man before him—the founder of the Human Emperor Hall, the one who shattered his dreams and faith!
First Ancestor’s face was calm. "You want to fight here? Not a good place—if we wreck Nether City, we’ll have to answer to Lord Hades. Let’s go to the Human Emperor Hall. After I defeat you, I’ll destroy another Human Emperor’s corpse!"
Quinn turned and strode toward Nether City’s outskirts, face grim. "Wait for me in the Human Emperor Hall!"
——In the iron pot, the Brood-Hen Dragon’s eyes radiated utter despair: "Cluck..."