"What a brilliant idea! If I eat everyone, Mother won't know anyone was ever here, so she can't blame me for doing something bad!"
The infant bounced with excitement, but suddenly countless gods of the Hanging Realm flew in from all directions. Seeing the sacred mountain smashed open and the temple reduced to rubble, they were shocked and furious, and charged madly at the baby.
There were many gods in the Hanging Realm. Although they had faced no enemies for fifty thousand years and their cultivators progressed slowly compared to the competitive outside world, these ages had still accumulated a considerable number of deities.
Plus, with the gods left over from the Chiming Era, their numbers approached ten thousand. So many gods and demons surging forth made for a truly earthshaking spectacle—like a divine war.
Meanwhile, many gods and demons of the Hanging Realm were busy evacuating the citizens from the divine city, trying to keep them from being caught in the crossfire. These guardians swiftly led the people away.
In the Chiming Era, cultivation focused on refining the physical body, making their flesh incredibly strong. Their mastery of body-based divine arts was profound, and they usually practiced battle skill techniques—close combat, overwhelming force—so their fighting style was explosively intense.
Nearly ten thousand gods and demons charged in, quickly forming a battle array in midair. The Chiming Divine Son hovered above, his body battered and torn, personally commanding the formation and shouting, "Draw him into the sky and use the Crimson Emperor's Eye against him!"
The baby looked at the swarming gods, utterly thrilled, and rushed forward. "Smaller than the battles in Youdu, but still enough to play for a while!"
Inside the Qin-glyph continent, Heaven Duke's avatar, Crimson Emperor, and Quinn Shepherd sat solemnly together, all with grave expressions.
Heaven Duke said, "How strong is he? He is the first fetal-born being to emerge from Youdu, uniquely favored by fortune. At his birth, he absorbed nearly half the accumulated resentment and demonic filth of Youdu. Even Tu Bo can't erase such foul energy, but he took it in. That's why he has no concept of realms or tiers. It's like me and Tu Bo—we don't have realms either."
Crimson Emperor frowned and asked, "If we match his combat power to a realm, what level would he be?"
Heaven Duke's avatar pondered for a moment and replied, "Roughly equivalent to the Lingxiao tier. But..."
He frowned, but did not continue.
Crimson waited a while, then couldn't help but ask, "Brother, is there something you can't say?"
Heaven Duke sighed, "Nineteen years ago—almost twenty now—when he was born, he caused chaos in Youdu. Out of curiosity, I sent a wisp of my consciousness into Youdu to watch. Many ancient beings also entered, making a huge commotion. At first, the Heavenly Court besieged him, but he devoured tens of thousands of heavenly and ghost soldiers. He and his mother kept fleeing deeper into Youdu. As he ate more, the Heavenly Court's forces couldn't match him, and he trampled the interests of several ancient powers. Those big shots couldn't sit still any longer. You should know a couple of them."
Crimson Emperor shook his head. "I rarely went to Youdu. I don't know many people there."
Heaven Duke smiled, "Anyone who can stand in Youdu besides the Heavenly Court are dead Emperor’s-Throne experts. The Heavenly Court carves up territory, and so do these experts after death—Tu Bo gives them some respect. These Emperor’s-Throne experts only have Primordial Spirits, no bodies, so they're weaker than in life. The Heavenly Court stations troops in Youdu not just to guard against Tu Bo, but mainly to guard against them. So Youdu is extremely complex—more than my Xuandu. Crimson, if you died outside, you’d be a big shot in Youdu, and your power would not be small."
Crimson Emperor was stunned, murmuring, "Did this little devil really fight those Emperor’s-Throne experts?"
Heaven Duke nodded and sighed, "Yes. Even after death, those big shots care about face, so they fought him one-on-one instead of ganging up. But... his growth was too fast. He ate too many Youdu demons and ghosts—in just a few months..."
Crimson Emperor felt a sense of dread and said firmly, "There's no way he's that strong!"
Heaven Duke said, "In Youdu, he really is that strong. He was born in Youdu—a sacred being, a demon king. Being invincible there is only natural; only Tu Bo can suppress him. But outside Youdu, he's not nearly as powerful."
Crimson Emperor relaxed and said, "The Hanging Realm isn't Youdu. It's a small cosmos—I built this cave-heaven with my own flesh."
Heaven Duke sighed, "But the Netherworld Divine Son can transform other heavens and cave-worlds into Youdu—that's the key. Once he does, his power will surge again."
Crimson Emperor's eyes widened. After a long moment, he muttered, "That's cheating... total cheating!"
Heaven Duke said, "But once he turns this place into Youdu, Tu Bo will be able to come. With his skill, Tu Bo will notice the anomaly, realize it's him escaping again, and re-seal him."
Crimson Emperor felt a glimmer of hope. Heaven Duke continued, "But by then, the Hanging Realm will already be mostly transformed into Youdu, probably with no survivors left. And when Tu Bo comes to clean up, he's my equal—if he sees me trapped here, he'll be delighted, even if he doesn't say it. I can't stand that humiliation."
Crimson Emperor's face changed dramatically. He slumped, "The people of the Hanging Realm are my last clansmen. If this place is destroyed, my race is finished... Heaven Duke, you're incredibly skilled—can you reach the Hanging Realm ahead of time?"
Heaven Duke shook his head, "The Hanging Realm is in a separate minor cosmos, outside my jurisdiction. I can't enter. Even as Heaven Duke, there are places I can't go. For example, Everpeace—there's not even a real star there, all the celestial phenomena are fake, so I can't access it. Still, there may be a solution..."
He looked at Quinn, saying gravely, "The key to escaping this predicament probably lies with young Quinn."
Quinn had been listening in stunned silence. Hearing this, he snapped back to reality and protested, "How could I possibly have that kind of power? I'm sealed and suppressed here just like you—I can't escape. And even if I did, he'd just beat me down and send me back!"
Heaven Duke smiled, "You and he are one—you not only share a body, but a single soul. So, if he can wield Youdu’s demonic power, so can you. When you cultivated before, did you never wonder why you were so unique, why you could open the Gate of Bearing Heaven?"
"Because I’m an Overlord Body!" Quinn answered without hesitation.
"Overlord Body?"
Crimson Emperor was shaken, both respectful and a bit regretful. "If only I’d managed to assimilate his mind earlier—if I’d turned him into another me, plus the Overlord Body, maybe I could have made a comeback..."
Heaven Duke said, "It’s not because of the Overlord Body, but because you share the same flesh and soul! Tu Bo’s seal suppressed him and his demonic aura, locking it all away, but at the root, you are still him—just with a different mind. So whatever power he can use, you can too."
Quinn was both startled and delighted. If he could wield such immense power, didn’t that mean he could match Fenix Greenwood Keane’s strength?
But... how to use it?
"You can’t do it alone."
Heaven Duke said, "That’s where Crimson Emperor and I come in. Crimson’s mind is incredibly strong—he forged three Primordial Spirits, cultivating the Threefold Undying Mind. Even if his soul is shattered, his consciousness persists. But he can’t overcome Fenix’s demonic will; it’s too heavy. When Crimson tried to assimilate him, he just got beaten out. Crimson, pass your Threefold Undying Mind to Quinn."
Crimson Emperor hesitated, "This is the only way. But once I give young Quinn the technique, I’ll lose all memory of it. Quinn, please pass it on to my clansmen. I hoarded it in life and never taught it—after my death, it would vanish."
Quinn said solemnly, "Rest assured, Crimson Emperor! I will definitely pass on this technique!"
Crimson Emperor relaxed and carefully separated a portion of his consciousness. After a moment, part of his mind flowed out and entered Quinn’s brow.
It was pure thought—his awareness of the Threefold Undying Mind, including the complete method and cultivation insights. It was as if he cut off a block of Emperor’s-Throne-level experience and delivered it straight into Quinn’s mind!
He did want to seize Quinn’s body and turn him into another version of himself, but with Heaven Duke right there, he couldn’t make a move.
Suddenly, Quinn’s mind was filled with the method and experience for cultivating the Threefold Undying Mind. His vision soared to astonishing heights—he could now view the technique from an Emperor’s-Throne perspective, and his excitement was beyond words!
Heaven Duke said, "The Threefold Undying Mind can strengthen your mind, but your current mental strength still can’t match Fenix Greenwood Keane. That’s where I come in—to help you fortify your spirit."
He smiled, "I’m just a wisp of my true self, so I can’t beat Fenix Greenwood Keane. But with a plan, I can catch him off guard and help you reclaim your body. Once you do and leave the Hanging Realm for Xuandu, I’ll personally add another seal so Fenix can’t escape again."
Quinn asked excitedly, "Once I get my body back, will I have his level of power?"
Heaven Duke laughed, "That depends on whether you can truly master Youdu’s power. First, cultivate the Threefold Undying Mind—once you’ve made progress, we’ll act and drag Fenix Greenwood Keane back for sealing! Then we can all escape! Let’s hope the Hanging Realm survives until then."
Quinn was full of enthusiasm and immediately began cultivating.
Crimson Emperor glanced at Heaven Duke and whispered, "You're lying to him. He can't truly control Youdu’s power—once he gets it, he'll be corrupted by demonic influence and become another Fenix Greenwood Keane, but even worse!"
A flicker of light danced in Heaven Duke’s eyes as he nodded, "Worse is putting it mildly. Fenix Greenwood Keane may be wicked, but he’s still just a child—he prefers brute force, only resorting to Youdu magic when pushed. But Quinn..."
His white brows and beard floated as he lowered his voice, "Cunning, sly, devious, quick to adapt—he’s a hundred, a thousand times harder to deal with than Fenix Greenwood Keane. If he’s corrupted by demonic power, his evil would be a hundred, a thousand times greater! Fenix is just wicked; Quinn is truly evil. If evil meets demonic power, it becomes demonic evil. If he wields Youdu magic..."
He shuddered and murmured, "At that point, I might help the Heavenly Court get rid of him myself. Thankfully, there’s Tu Bo’s seal and the Brahma King Buddha’s suppression—once Fenix is dragged back, he can’t escape."
Crimson Emperor sighed, "Old ginger is spicier. Tu Bo and the old Buddha’s seals suppress Youdu’s demonic power; once Fenix is re-sealed, the demonic power will be contained. That’s our chance to escape and be free of this place."
Heaven Duke laughed, "Exactly. Otherwise, we’d be stuck here getting beaten by that little devil every day. This way, we kill two birds with one stone! But really, it’s your fault—if you hadn’t tried to hijack his mind, none of this would’ve happened!"
Crimson Emperor sighed, "I never expected this. And I wasn’t the one who brought him near my mind—it was that brat, the Chiming Divine Son, trying to use me to trap him in a mental maze..."
Quinn cultivated diligently. Outside, the Chiming Divine Son sacrificed countless gods, finally luring Fenix Greenwood Keane into the sky. Crimson Emperor’s three eyes transformed into three suns, then into three moons. Gods and demons climbed atop them, activating the arrays within the eyes.
Buzz—
Intense beams of light converged and blasted the rampaging infant!
Suddenly, the sky dimmed—the sun and moon’s light focused to a single point, casting the rest of the world into darkness.
Boom!
A terrifying shockwave rippled out. The giant infant was blasted away, crashing to the ground and rolling, flattening mountains as he went.
"We did it..."
The gods and demons in the sky watched tensely as the infant landed by a great river, face in the water, butt in the air, motionless.
"We did it!" Cheers erupted in the sky—countless people celebrated, hugging each other, weeping with joy.
"That was fun."
Suddenly, the giant infant pulled his head from the river, sat up, and giggled, "So much fun! Let’s do it again!"
The gods and demons froze, horror and despair spreading among them. The Chiming Divine Son shouted, "Activate the Crimson Emperor’s Eye—kill him!"
Once more, the three suns and three moons converged, plunging the Hanging Realm into darkness.
Buzz—six stars trembled, beams of light shot forth. The giant infant’s eyes flashed with black rays, clashing head-on with the sun and moon’s divine light.
A terrifying power shook the sky, followed by a deafening boom—one sun was pierced through, and a moon was left with a hole in its center, like a jujube pit.
"Again!" the infant shouted in excitement.
———— Another 4,000-word mega-chapter. Please subscribe! (Of course, if you’re reading a pirated copy, you probably won’t see this—but the author always feels empty if he doesn’t ask for something every chapter...)