Everyone's expressions were grim. Although the Seamless Creation Mystic Canon of the Bright Emperor was an Emperor's Throne-grade art and a supreme masterpiece, the mere presence of 'seamless' in its name did not make it flawless; the defect in the Primordial Spirit created a major vulnerability in the Bright Emperor's method.
This flaw meant that his four arms were weaker than his other two, and his two heads were inferior to the main head. As a result, when facing opponents of the same realm, those four arms and two heads became his fatal weaknesses.
This flaw was the direct cause of the Bright Emperor's defeat and death.
The Seamless Creation Mystic Canon was built on the foundation of the three-headed, six-armed form. In the Chiming Era, this body type encompassed all the combat arts of the time; every technique and divine ability was based on this form. Without two heads and four arms, one would lose nearly eighty to ninety percent of their offensive capabilities, leaving countless openings and greatly diminishing their strength.
That is why Village Chief said the Bright Emperor died so miserably.
From this, it can be inferred that the downfall of the Chiming Era was due to the same reason.
In the late Chiming Era, most arts cultivated by divine practitioners were variants of Seamless War-God Art and similar techniques, all derived from the Seamless Creation Mystic Canon. Once the Canon was cracked, the other arts fell as well!
The destruction of the entire era was closely tied to the flaw in the Bright Emperor's Seamless Creation Mystic Canon!
“If the Seamless Creation Mystic Canon is merged with the Threefold Undying Mind, will there be no more flaws?” the Butcher suddenly asked.
Village Chief replied, “Perhaps there are still flaws, but we cannot see them. The arts of the Chiming Era were too singular, all built upon one Emperor's Throne-grade method. Though brilliant, once the art was broken, death was inevitable and tragic.”
Granny Sue said, “Nowadays in Everpeace, countless arts and divine abilities emerge, which avoids the situation of the Chiming Era. Perhaps that is a good thing.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The First Human Emperor studied them with curiosity. These people all looked ordinary, some even strange—some were breathtakingly beautiful, others downright odd, with shifty eyes or missing limbs. Yet their insight and experience were truly extraordinary.
Quinn also taught both Emperor's Throne-grade arts to the First Ancestor, but the First Ancestor had never considered so many things.
Although his cultivation was higher, in some respects he was far inferior to these Oldridge Village elders, who had experienced hardship and all manner of worldly affairs—things the First Ancestor had never gone through.
After becoming Human Emperor, the First Ancestor lost interest and turned into a stone statue to avoid the world.
“No wonder they could raise someone like Quinn.”
He showed a faint smile, thinking to himself, “If Quinn had grown up in Carefree Haven, he might not be who he is now, nor have achieved what he has. It is those who raised him that shaped the person he is today.”
Quinn repeated the explanations of the two arts several times, but Crippled Joe and Apothecary still found them like heavenly script, utterly incomprehensible. Village Chief laughed, “Quinn, go handle your own affairs. We old folks will keep discussing—maybe we’ll drag Crippled Joe and Apothecary over the threshold yet.”
Quinn agreed, stormed out with a dark face, and shouted, “Bruno, get over here!”
Bruno the Dragon-Qilin tried to scamper over, but his four legs barely touched the ground and he couldn't run at all—he could only shuffle obediently. He wanted to bow his head in apology, but was so fat he no longer had a neck, and couldn't lower his head.
"I taught you the Ancestral Dragon Supreme-Mystic Art. Haven't you practiced it at all?"
Quinn was heartbroken and scolded, “The Ancestral Dragon Eight Tones temper both flesh and spirit. What medicine could possibly remain unrefined in your body? If you trained diligently, could you still be this fat? How am I supposed to show my face in public with you? Look at Senior Tiger—he charges through armies with the Woodcutter Sage, one man and one tiger, slaying generals amid a host of demons. If I rode you onto the battlefield at your current speed, we'd both be hacked to pieces before we got anywhere!”
Bruno bowed his head and dared not speak.
Quinn fumed, “Why won't you say anything? You stole Grandpa Apothecary’s spirit pills, but in the end you’re only hurting yourself! If you were just greedy, that’d be one thing. Greedy but hardworking, you wouldn’t get fat at all—instead, you’d grow stronger, and your Dragon Pearl and Qilin Pearl could reach the Life-and-Death Realm! But you’re not just greedy, you’re lazy too! I don’t want you anymore. Go to Nether City—I’ll return you to the Grandmaster!”
Bruno hurriedly begged for mercy, tears streaming down his face.
Quinn was still furious and tried to drag Bruno out of the city to the Spirit Bridge, but he was too fat and heavy—even with Quinn’s divine strength, he couldn’t budge him.
Who knows how many spirit pills Bruno had eaten in the last two years! He weighed as much as a true god’s physical body!
“Lynn, give me a hand!” Quinn called loudly.
Lynn Ling strolled over, smiling. “If you haul him to Nether City, it’ll take at least ten days, and you’ll be half dead from exhaustion. Why not give him another chance? If he trains away his fat, problem solved.”
Bruno shook his round head repeatedly, his eyes brimming with tears.
Quinn’s heart softened. “All right, one more chance. I have a treasure called the Five-Thunder War Gourd—a calamity-summoning artifact from the Heavenly Court. I’ve won many battles with it. Inside are the Five Great Cloud-Thunders; if released, they could blanket all of Everpeace in lightning, every inch of land erupting in thunder. If you train with the Five Great Cloud-Thunders and the Ancestral Dragon Eight Tones, you can burn away all your fat—but it’ll be tough. If you’re willing, you can stay with me. If not, go to Nether City—I’ll return you to the Grandmaster.”
Bruno hesitated. “Cult Master, does lightning hurt?”
Quinn glared and was about to explode, but Bruno quickly said, “I’m willing!”
Quinn considered. “Even if you use the Ancestral Dragon Eight Tones, it’s hard to shake off the pill-fat by yourself. Even if I help, it’d be tough to refine all that medicine quickly. We’ll need help. Besides Lynn, there’s Myles Jiang and the Dragon Village experts—Qing Yan, Lily Azure, and others—all skilled in the Ancestral Dragon Supreme-Mystic Art.”
Lynn Ling said excitedly, “I’ll go notify True God Pang Yu and ask him to invite them over.”
Quinn nodded and looked around. “We need a spacious, open place. There’s an empty lot near the city center—let’s go, Dragon Fat!”
Bruno hurried after him, waddling along and tripping as he went, toppling houses in his wake. Luckily, most of the city’s residents had already moved to Everpeace, leaving only the garrison behind.
Quinn arrived at the empty lot in the city center, where True God Pang Yu approached with his soldiers. “Cult Master Quinn, how much space do you need?”
He’d once thought Myles Jiang was just a pet beast, but now their roles seemed reversed. Thankfully, Quinn had declared them sworn brothers, so it wasn’t too awkward.
Quinn apologized, “Everyone, my Bruno is lazy by nature, and now I must trouble you to help refine away his excess fat. I’m deeply ashamed.”
Everyone laughed. “Cult Master, no need to be so polite. We’ll use the Ancestral Dragon Eight Tones—it’s a good chance to train and maybe absorb some heavenly thunder, too. Let’s get started!”
Quinn led Bruno into the Nine-Heaven Cloud Dragon Canopy and placed the Five-Thunder War Gourd at the center. Qing Yan, Lily Azure, Myles Jiang, and others revealed their true forms—each became a hundred-yard-long divine dragon, circling the canopy.
Quinn stood inside the canopy, looking up at the nine layers of swirling cloud, where he could just make out the divine dragons weaving through the mist.
Bruno stood trembling beside the Five-Thunder War Gourd.
“Cult Master isn’t coming out?” Myles Jiang asked.
Quinn shook his head. “My Tyrant Body Three-Pill Art also needs the Five Great Cloud-Thunders for training, and I need to supervise Bruno.”
Bruno’s face turned ashen.
Quinn slapped the Five-Thunder War Gourd and shouted, “Bruno, activate the Ancestral Dragon Supreme-Mystic Art! Everyone, lend me a hand!”
Bruno quickly activated the Ancestral Dragon Supreme-Mystic Art; the Ancestral Dragon Eight Tones resonated within him. Outside, the divine dragons sang in chorus, their cries rising and falling as they circled. The Eight Tones from outside and inside the canopy resonated, shaking Quinn and Bruno’s spirits and bodies!
Suddenly, thunder rolled inside the Five-Thunder War Gourd; countless bolts of multicolored lightning rained down, filling the hundred-yard space with a dense storm. Quinn and Bruno felt as if sharp silver needles pierced them from every direction!
Quinn activated the Tyrant Body Three-Pill Art, a halo appearing behind his head. Divine dragons and buddhas danced along the halo—he’d merged the King Shakra Sutra into his Tyrant Body Three-Pill Art.
Bruno let out a long, piercing howl.
Quinn shouted, “Green dragon rides the wind and clouds, commands thunder—this is the best way for you to train! Bruno, if you keep wailing, you can go back to Nether City!”
Bruno gritted his teeth and desperately activated the Ancestral Dragon Supreme-Mystic Art to resist the lightning.
Suddenly, Quinn’s body shook—he transformed into a three-headed, six-armed form, using the chance to comprehend the Genesis Profound Canon and the Indestructible Divine Consciousness.
“The Divine Son of Crimson will surely fuse these two arts to patch his flaws. Let’s see whose talent and insight are greater—who will comprehend them first!”
Outside, everyone watched in awe. Inside the Nine-Heaven Cloud Dragon Canopy, nothing was visible—only blinding lightning!
True God Pang Yu was uneasy. “If the lightning breaks out, half the city could be destroyed. I hope my canopy holds…”
He soon saw Qing Yan, Lily Azure, and the other divine dragons devouring the lightning, swallowing bolt after bolt and refining dragon pearls. Only then did he relax.
Lynn Ling suddenly rushed into the canopy, hoping to use the lightning for her own training. All she could see was dense heavenly thunder—Quinn and Bruno were nowhere in sight.
She also trained in the Ancestral Dragon Supreme-Mystic Art, but her talent and insight far surpassed Emperor Yan Feng. As a founder of the Six-Directions Primordial Spirit system, she had her own understanding and had long altered the art beyond recognition, pursuing the path of combat fusion.
Lynn Ling fought the lightning, her yuanqi turning into divine dragons that danced and absorbed the thunder. But the closer she got to the Five-Thunder War Gourd, the denser the lightning became—even she dared not approach lightly.
After more than ten days, Lynn Ling edged closer and closer to the Five-Thunder War Gourd.
The lightning inside the canopy remained so dense that she couldn’t see ahead, relying only on instinct to approach the Five-Thunder War Gourd.
One day, she suddenly saw within the lightning a three-headed, six-armed Primordial Spirit standing tall, absorbing thunder. She was startled—the spirit was over thirty feet high, standing firm amid the storm, swallowing hundreds of bolts with each breath!
Beside the Primordial Spirit floated two pearls, each over a yard wide, circling it.
Lynn Ling approached. Beneath the towering Primordial Spirit stood Quinn, also in three-headed, six-armed form, and behind him loomed the shadow of a giant beast.
It was a massive creature with a dragon’s head and qilin’s body, bathed in lightning, its scales polished to a cold gleam by the thunder.
Irrelevant system message. Skipped.