"We'll just follow from a distance and stay properly hidden."
The Imperial Preceptor watched as Quinn Shepherd’s army of women marched away, then said leisurely, "We wait for the moment when Princess Father and that god make their move. Cult Master Quinn, he’ll handle everything for us."
Kira Bear was filled with emotion. Back in the Great Ruins, when she’d begged Quinn Shepherd for help, she’d never imagined that the boy who saved her and her mother would possess such terrifying power, stirring up such a storm in the Western Lands.
She’d thought he was just a young scion from a noble family, with a bit of talent. But the more she learned about him, the more she marveled at his extraordinary nature.
The massive Junwood City strode across the vast land. Quinn Shepherd stood atop the city walls with several heads of Western noble houses, coordinating the armies to prevent them from trampling each other.
After all, the heirs of the Western houses weren’t trained soldiers, so organizing them took considerable effort.
Fortunately, they had Ivy He, the renowned Formation Mistress, to manage things. Using arrays to direct the house heirs, she quickly got the hang of it. Even in the Everpeace Empire, there were only a handful with Ivy He’s level of formation mastery—and those few were all first-rank officials.
"Sword Mistress Renee Locke of the Western Lands, greeting Cult Master Quinn of the Central Lands."
Quinn Shepherd looked at the long-haired girl approaching to pay her respects, surprised, and hurried to return the gesture.
The Three Masters of the West: Poison Mistress Mina Frost, Formation Mistress Ivy He, and Sword Mistress Renee Locke. Quinn was already familiar with Mina Frost and Ivy He, but this was his first time meeting Renee Locke.
Unlike other Western women, Sword Mistress Renee Locke wore no gold or silver, no silver crowns, no rings or bracelets on her hands and feet.
She had no ornaments at all.
Her attire was extremely simple—just a plain white robe, elegant and unadorned, with no extra color.
Her long black hair was simply tied at the center with a cord, just enough to keep it neat.
Her black hair, like a woman's slender waist, was set off by her white robe, the contrast striking and vivid.
Her minimalist style reflected her sword-like nature—she could not tolerate impurities, and all adornment was just clutter to her.
She was a woman without other pleasures—one who seemed to have married herself to the sword.
Seeing her, Quinn felt as if a sword was stabbing toward him. When she bowed, her sword intent was fierce and sharp, striking straight at his dao-heart!
Quinn bowed in return, calmly deflecting her sword intent.
Renee Locke straightened, her gaze curious. "Is Cult Master Quinn also a sword expert?"
Quinn replied modestly, "I wouldn't dare claim such a title. There are countless sword masters in this world, and many are far stronger than me. But when it comes to sword technique itself, I suppose I might be able to hold my own among the top ranks."
Renee Locke grew even more curious. "I've always wanted to visit the Central Lands and witness their sword arts. Since you're a sword master from there, Quinn, can you tell me who in your homeland surpasses you in sword technique?"
Quinn thought for a moment, then shook his head. "In terms of sword technique, I don't think anyone surpasses me now. But there are some who have stepped into the realm of Sword Dao, and in that respect, I'm not sure how many are above me. The Imperial Preceptor of Everpeace is certainly greater than I am. And my own Village Chief—he taught me three sword moves, and his attainment in Sword Dao is extraordinary. As for other Sword Dao experts, I don't know many, so I can't say for certain."
"Sword technique and Sword Dao?"
Renee Locke looked crestfallen and murmured, "So there really are people who've entered the realm of Sword Dao? I've spent so many years tirelessly pursuing the ultimate in sword technique, hoping to reach Sword Dao, but I've never succeeded. Yet someone has managed to step into that wondrous realm?"
Quinn understood her disappointment. Right now, Renee was at the stage of 'investigating things to attain knowledge,' pursuing the utmost mastery of sword technique. She had likely reached the pinnacle of sword technique, but hadn't found the gateway to Sword Dao and couldn't truly enter its halls.
Hearing that there were many Sword Dao experts in the Central Lands was a heavy blow to her.
Sword technique and Sword Dao differ by just one word, but they're worlds apart.
No matter how refined your sword technique, before a Sword Dao master, it's still not enough to withstand a single blow.
Quinn grew curious. "I've never seen sword technique from the Western Lands. I wonder how it compares to ours. In the Central Lands, sword technique originally had fourteen basic forms. Later, the Imperial Preceptor added three more, making it seventeen. Not long ago, I created another, bringing it to eighteen basic sword forms. How many forms do you have in the West?"
Renee Locke was astonished. "The Central Lands already have eighteen basic sword forms? Our Western sword technique has only fourteen. But we focus on sword spirits—they're the core, and they greatly boost our power. Maybe that's where we differ from you."
Quinn's interest was piqued. He'd been researching sword spirits lately, though his progress was slow. He always felt there was a deep mystery to them. Meeting Renee Locke, a Western sword master, was a rare chance to learn more.
They talked at length, both gaining much from the exchange.
Western sword technique controls the sword through its spirit—the sword spirit can nearly double the weapon's power. To Quinn, Western sword technique was a bit monotonous, lacking the subtlety of Everpeace's intricate forms. Even Renee, a master, was a notch below the top sects of the Central Lands in technical finesse.
But the sword spirit let her moves reach a level of power that Central experts could only dream of. Every basic form she performed was precise and brimming with energy, her heroic bearing making it hard for anyone to face her edge head-on.
Renee also saw the remarkable results of the Central reforms. Their sword forms were unpredictable and ever-changing, especially after the Imperial Preceptor and Quinn pioneered four new basic sword forms, opening up endless possibilities.
She tried out the Winding Sword Form, Entangling Sword Form, Drill Sword Form, and Quinn's Eighteenth Form, pondering, "It's strange. The first fourteen basic forms from the Central Lands are the same as ours in the West, but the last four, though also 'basic,' consume much more qi as they go. Especially Quinn's Eighteenth Form—using it once nearly drains half your vital energy! If a Nineteenth Form were created, wouldn't it exhaust a sword cultivator completely? And a Twentieth—no one could possibly execute it."
Quinn was deeply shaken, feeling a rare sense of true understanding. His eyes lit up. "You can sense the existence of a Nineteenth Sword Form?"
Renee Locke exclaimed with joy, "You feel it too—the Nineteenth Sword Form?"
The two regarded each other, sharing a knowing smile.
"After I created the Eighteenth Sword Form, I always felt there was something unfinished about it."
Quinn's mind was stirred, and he poured out his thoughts: "At the time, I sensed there could be a Nineteenth Sword Form, but I was busy dueling Ivy He and couldn't focus on it, so I never explored that feeling further. Still, the Nineteenth Sword Form must exist. Since you can sense it too, it means my intuition wasn't wrong."
Renee Locke nodded. "The Nineteenth Sword Form might well be the key that lets us step directly into Sword Dao!"
Both of them were excited by the prospect.
"By the way, Everpeace is clearly close to the sea. Why do you call it the Central Lands?" Quinn asked.
Renee Locke shook her head. "I don't know much about outside affairs. Most of my time is spent delving into sword arts."
House Fang's matriarch, Bella Fang, smiled and said, "Quinn, the name 'Central Lands' has always referred to the Great Ruins and the eastern continent. Your Everpeace's Eastern Sea is actually called 'Eastern Lands' in older usage."
As Quinn and Renee discussed sword arts, their exchange drew many onlookers. Both were grandmasters in sword technique—even those with far higher cultivation realms could only look on in admiration.
Quinn was still puzzled. "But the Eastern Sea isn't land, so why is it called 'Eastern Lands'?"
Bella Fang hadn't explored the mystery, so she shook her head. "That, I don't know."
"The Eastern Sea was once land, so it was called the Eastern Lands."
House Fortune's matriarch, Dawn Fortune, said, "Our house's cloud records mention that 'Eastern Lands' and 'Central Lands' weren't named according to current geography, but according to very ancient maps."
Quinn was moved, suddenly recalling the Qu Mountain God Temple, which had originally stood atop a towering peak but now lay submerged beneath the Eastern Sea, over sixteen hundred zhang below the waves.
And the mountain's base was even deeper below the surface.
This proved that the present-day Eastern Sea was originally a vast continent—a place called the Eastern Lands!
But since Dawn Fortune said the names came from very ancient geography, that must mean it predates even the Pioneer Era—it's from the Supreme Sovereign Era!
"The Supreme Sovereign Era must have been the age of the Eastern Lands—now the Eastern Sea. The third move in the Sword Diagram, 'Supreme Sovereign Calamity in Motion'—this Supreme Sovereign must be linked to that ancient era."
Quinn fell into deep thought. The Sword Diagram had been created by Village Chief, and its third move, 'Supreme Sovereign Calamity in Motion,' suggested that Village Chief must know a part of that ancient history.
"Village Chief, I will go to Nether City and rescue you!" The young man silently vowed.
Suddenly, Ivy He called out loudly, "True Heaven Palace is near! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Sword Mistress Renee Locke immediately rose and headed toward the Luo family. Dawn Fortune, Bella Fang, Mina Frost, Lily Willow, and the others all returned to their respective family armies.
Quinn stood atop the city wall, gazing ahead, his heart pounding. Before him, a chain of colossal mountains rose—each one like a silent giant thousands of zhang tall, standing between heaven and earth.
These mountains and rivers reminded him of the giant mountain figures he'd seen in Fangxiu City—but here, they were even more massive and imposing. Some peaks were shaped like swords—the Sword Peaks.
There were also Bell Peaks, shaped like great bells.
There were Cauldron Peaks, shaped like giant cauldrons.
Tower Peaks, shaped like treasure towers.
And multi-story building peaks, shaped like great pavilions.
Each peak resembled a different spirit weapon form.
Below the peaks, great rivers surged and wound through the land, twisting nine times and eighteen bends. Waterfalls plunged three thousand zhang, clouds drifted between the ridges, and lightning flashed across the sea of clouds.
Above the cloud sea, a vast palace complex gleamed as if bathed in golden light.
The True Heaven Palace of the Western Lands!
The sacred land of the West—far more daunting than he had imagined!