The Great Ruins, Oldridge Village.
As usual, Village Chief lounged in a deck chair at the village entrance, drinking tea with Apothecary. Suddenly, Apothecary turned and said, "Village Chief, you've been slumped here for ages, haven't you? It seems like the last two days you've just stayed here, even when darkness fell—you didn't go back inside to sleep, did you? This morning when I woke up, you were still sprawled here."
Village Chief lazily squinted his eyes and said, "Apothecary, your heart's in turmoil. Ever since Quinn left, you've been unsettled."
Apothecary snorted, "My heart's in turmoil? Clearly it's you who's a mess! Look at me, I still keep myself neat and clean every day. But you—unkempt, filthy, just short of dying on that deck chair."
Village Chief replied, "You're the one who dragged me out here yesterday morning, and then last night you forgot to take me back inside. Isn't that your heart in turmoil? You do this every day, and suddenly you just forgot."
Apothecary laughed in exasperation, "I forgot to take you back inside, but couldn't you walk back yourself? Or fly? What's the point of all your earth-shattering cultivation?"
Village Chief was silent for a moment, then said gloomily, "You know I have no legs, and no hands either..."
Apothecary nearly lost it. This old geezer had been left out in the darkness last night—the curses and fiends in the dark hadn't killed him, and yet he still had the nerve to complain about not having legs.
He was about to argue back when he suddenly looked up. Village Chief perked up at once, full of energy, and laughed, "Friends from afar—how delightful! Fellow Daoist, you look refreshed."
An old man and a young one were coming up from the lower reaches of the Yong River, heading toward the village.
Village Chief looked at Apothecary and hurriedly said, "Where's your comb? Don't hide it, I know you always carry one—it's right there in your coat! Quick, give it here—I haven't tidied up in two days, how can I greet guests like this?"
Apothecary snorted and stood his ground.
Village Chief grinned apologetically, "I was just too lazy to move these past two days—my fault."
Apothecary handed him the comb. Village Chief used yuanqi to guide the comb, tidied his hair a bit, and managed to look somewhat presentable.
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch and Enforcer Elder approached, stopped, and saluted. Village Chief smiled, "A cripple like me can't return the gesture—please forgive me, fellow Daoists. Have a seat. Apothecary, see to the tea."
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch sat down, glanced at the Enforcer Elder standing beside him, and smiled, "I'm no longer the Holy Cult's Patriarch—no need for so many formalities. Sit with me."
Enforcer Elder also sat down, taking off the bamboo basket from his back and setting it aside.
Apothecary fetched the tea set, boiled a fresh pot of water, tossed in tea leaves, let it steep for a while, and poured tea for the two guests.
"Southern style, I see," the Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch remarked with a smile.
Apothecary replied with a smile, "I'm from the south—used to southern tea. Northern tea is all about watching the tender buds rise and fall, while southern tea is clear to the bottom and shines through the heart. Both have their charms."
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch smiled, "No wonder you two are always sitting here. Village Chief, I'd like to take refuge here for a few days—what do you think?"
Before Village Chief could reply, Apothecary clapped his hands and laughed, "Great, that's wonderful! Ever since Quinn left, this old man here nearly bored me to death—he just lies here all day, won't talk or move."
Village Chief shot him a glare, then said to the Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch, "You've got some free time now—staying here for a few days to clear your mind would do you good."
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch said, "I greatly admire you, Dao-brother. The Holy Cult Master received your guidance and has become truly exceptional—extraordinary, in fact. That's why I've come to consult you. The Cult Master was born with an Overlord Body and cultivates the Overlord Three-Core Art; his skills are truly remarkable. My own experience is limited, so I didn't know there was such a thing as an Overlord Body in this world. These few days, I'd like to learn from you..."
"Overlord Body!"
Village Chief and Apothecary exchanged a glance, then suddenly burst out laughing. The two old men, both well on in years, laughed so hard their mouths gaped wide, tears and snot running down their faces, nearly unable to breathe.
"Overlord Body... hahahaha!"
Village Chief laughed so hard he tumbled off his deck chair, while Apothecary collapsed from laughter too, pounding the ground with his fists, unable to get up.
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch and Enforcer Elder were baffled by their laughter. Enforcer Elder felt uneasy: "Just how bored are these two usually? There's nothing funny, and yet they're laughing so hard they're about to pass out. If I stay here with Patriarch long enough, will I end up as crazy as them?"
Village Chief finally caught his breath, lying on the ground panting, while Apothecary pointed at the Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch and laughed, "We've even fooled the Demon Cult Patriarch! Hahahaha!"
Village Chief broke into wild laughter again, while Apothecary pounded the ground.
After a long while, Village Chief floated up and landed back on his deck chair, using yuanqi to tidy his messy hair with the comb. Apothecary wandered off, dusted himself off, washed his face, then pulled out another small comb from his coat, fixed himself up, and finally returned to sit properly. He apologized, "There are only the two of us left in the village—bored out of our minds. Even the Brood-Hen Dragon has run off to find a mate and hatched a whole clutch of little Brood-Hen Dragons. It's rare for someone to come tell us a joke, so we lost our composure."
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch looked behind them and saw a Brood-Hen Dragon, taller than a person, strutting around the village with a gaggle of little Brood-Hen Dragons. The mother hen flapped her wings, kicking up a wild gust.
"So what's the deal with this Overlord Body, anyway?"
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch humbly asked, "Please, enlighten me. I really am a bit out of my depth..."
"Say no more."
Village Chief stifled his laughter. "I'll tell you."
After a moment, the Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch and Enforcer Elder, having learned the truth, were thunderstruck—as if struck by lightning a hundred times and trampled by a herd of wild oxen a hundred more. For a long while, they couldn't recover.
The mightiest Overlord Body turned out to be just an ordinary human body, and the legendary Overlord Three-Core Art was actually the common Guiding Art that regular folks use to stay fit!
Yet Quinn actually practiced this technique, convinced he was an Overlord Body.
And that wasn't even the main point. The real kicker was that Quinn, utterly convinced, used a Mortal Body and the Guiding Art to beat geniuses and prodigies so badly they'd run for their lives—making him a true Overlord Body in every sense!
Village Chief and Apothecary exchanged smug glances. Village Chief whispered, "Look at their faces—exactly what I expected."
This chapter isn't over yet ^.^ Please click next page to continue reading!
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch let out a long breath, his expression odd. "So that's how it is... but the Overlord Three-Core Art really does have something unusual about it—it's far from ordinary."
"The Overlord Three-Core Art may be just a common Guiding Art, but there is definitely something special about it. Still, almost no one can cultivate it to Quinn's level—in fact, he's probably the only one."
Village Chief grew serious. "I've never seen anything lower. I suspect this art dates back to before the Great Ruins became the Great Ruins. It must have been decent once, but somehow it got passed down and became the most basic Guiding Art. Still, who could have guessed someone would actually master it one day?"
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch's eyes flashed. "Maybe, before the Great Ruins became the Great Ruins, ordinary people could also cultivate—and the Overlord Three-Core Art was their method. But after a great calamity, ordinary people lost that ability, and the Four Great Spirit Bodies became the norm."
Apothecary was intrigued. "If ordinary people can't cultivate, how did Quinn manage it? It's not just that he worked a hundred times harder—there must be others just as diligent. Nor is it only about resources—someone could spend a hundred times more to awaken a Mortal Body. So, he must be different from ordinary people in some way."
Village Chief's heart skipped a beat. "Maybe he's an ordinary person from before the Great Ruins became the Great Ruins."
The three exchanged glances, each agreeing with the idea. The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch asked, "Then where did this pre-calamity ordinary person come from?"
Village Chief and Apothecary spoke in unison, "Carefree Haven!" After they said it, their eyes met, both feeling a bit shaken.
Only Enforcer Elder couldn't keep up—his mind was spinning, and he couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"I feel like my brain can't keep up with them..." Enforcer Elder couldn't help but feel left out.
"Carefree Haven?"
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch was intrigued. "May I ask—where is this Carefree Haven?"
Village Chief smiled faintly. "I don't know. But if you're interested, tonight we can leave the village and try to find it."
"Leave the village?"
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch turned to gaze at the vast expanse of the Great Ruins, suddenly feeling both nervous and excited.
He'd come to the right place.
He thought to himself.
He hadn't felt this excited in ages—the old rascals of Oldridge Village made him feel that youthful urge for adventure again.
Two old men with one foot in the grave, plus another elder and a not-quite-old Apothecary, all heading into the mysterious depths of the Great Ruins at night—just thinking about it was thrilling.
Sacred Descent Mountain. Quinn instructed, "Ling'er, though this mountain is the Holy Cult's sacred ground, it's my first time here too. I don't know what dangers might lurk—don't wander off. Once I finish working out the portal technique on this wall, I'll take you out."
Fox Ling'er answered, then dashed out of the palace.
Quinn sat down in front of the wall, carefully studying the portal technique carved upon it.
The portal technique on the wall was a method for crafting a treasure. All its runes, formations, and divine arts couldn't be used separately—they had to be forged into an artifact to activate the teleportation effect.
Many high-ranking members of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon had crafted teleportation flags and teleportation robes for this reason.
When the teleportation flag unfurled, everyone beneath it could be teleported away. The teleportation robe covered the body and could teleport its wearer.
Quinn studied the mysteries of the portal technique for a whole day. At last, he understood the method inscribed on the wall, but his mind was already turning over new ideas.
The Cult's portal technique relied on runes to activate formations, which in turn triggered divine arts. It was so complex that you couldn't directly cast the divine art—you had to forge it into an artifact to teleport.
If you could cast the divine art directly, you'd get the teleportation effect—it would be far more flexible than relying on flags or robes.
Moreover, after all this study, Quinn realized that mastering the portal technique required advanced calculation skills. The better your command of algorithms, the faster you could grasp the teleportation divine art.
"I need more advanced books on numerology!"
——Three chapters today, no fourth one. Don't wait for it, brothers.