In High-Emperor Heaven, within the demon territories, Lady Lurien took her leave of Furylo, saying, "Venerated King, I've been away from the Netherworld too long. I must return. Today, I'll lead my army and depart."
Furylo frowned slightly and asked, "Sister, you still haven't caught the Netherworld Divine Son. Why the rush to leave?"
"The guests from the Netherworld won't give me a chance to capture the Divine Son. As much as I crave the power of the Netherworld Divine Son, I know my limits. My strength can't possibly contend with the Netherworld, so I choose to withdraw."
Lady Lurien hesitated, then said, "Venerated King, you and I are both demons. Before I go, let me give you three pieces of advice."
Furylo asked curiously, "Please, Sister, go ahead."
"First, endure—no matter what happens, endure. Second, shrink—turtles live long because they know how to hide their heads. Third, be loyal—loyalty keeps you out of trouble. Farewell!"
Lady Lurien let out a shrill cry; countless Netherworld demons instantly dissolved into black smoke and vanished. Her figure spun and slowly sank into the earth, disappearing without a trace.
Spirit energy stabilizes the transfer bridge.
Quinn finally let out a breath of relief. The First Human Emperor had gone to the alien star and instructed the gods and demons of the Hanging Realm there to enter Everpeace at a slower pace. Only then did the spirit energy stabilizing the transfer bridge stop threatening to collapse from overload.
Only now did he feel a sharp pain in his chest. Lou Qianchong had left him with two wounds, piercing straight through his torso. Quinn had destroyed the central prong of the trident, which had been aimed at his heart. The other two prongs, though they pierced him, had missed his vital points.
This was the main purpose of his third sword strike—to destroy the mortal threat and preserve his own life.
Lou Qianchong was exceptionally strong. Even though Quinn had avoided the vital points, the injuries he suffered were severe. The Dragon Spittle alone couldn't heal him, as remnants of Lou's divine arts lingered in the wounds and needed to be purged.
Quinn tended to his injuries, refining away the lingering divine arts from Lou Qianchong. He activated the Seamless Creation Mystic Canon and applied Dragon Spittle; using both, he finally felt some relief.
There was a noisy commotion by the transfer bridge. When Quinn approached, he found that the guardians of the bridge were blocking Zechariah Lee and Cyrus Qi.
The guards, seeing Quinn walk over, quickly said, "Cult Master, these two are from the demon side and are clamoring to cross the transfer bridge into Everpeace."
Quinn smiled and said, "Brothers, you came to the human territory and now want to enter Everpeace. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Zechariah Lee shook his head, "Quinn, you're not that kind of person. By jianghu rules, in a one-on-one fight, I fear no human except you. But since you were injured fighting Lou Qianchong, you might not be my match now."
Who says we have to play by jianghu rules?
Quinn looked puzzled. "I'm wearing Everpeace's official robe, so of course I follow the court's rules. And the Everpeace court's rule is: when fighting, there are no rules."
Cyrus Qi grew nervous, glancing around and looking up at the sky. Quinn noticed this and grew suspicious: Cyrus was checking if Quinn would order everyone to swarm and beat them to death, but what was he watching for above?
He looked up at the sky, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Why do you two insist on entering Everpeace? Right now, an alien star is entering Everpeace, and the transfer energy is enormous. If you cross the bridge, you'll add even more strain to the transfer.
Quinn said sincerely, "Give me a reason. Maybe I'll agree."
Zechariah Lee didn't know why Cyrus Qi insisted on going to Everpeace, so he turned to look at him.
Cyrus Qi's expression darkened; he gritted his teeth and said, "Cult Master Quinn, though I apprenticed under the Black Emperor, I can't stand their methods. I have my limits, but they have none! They're too ruthless and malicious. Since we're just passing through to survive, I have to tell you what they're planning."
Quinn listened patiently, while others continued reinforcing the transfer bridge. Pang Yu led the group, using his immense divine power to stabilize its vibration frequency. Though Pang Yu had learned many formation techniques over the years, his mastery was limited; he could only rely on his deep reserves of power to keep the bridge stable, unable to repair the runes.
Cyrus Qi continued, "You may have a Book of Life and Death, but you have no idea how powerful it is. The Black Emperor's Book can control life and death, and awaken the dead. It's personally refined by the Black Emperor; no matter if the souls of the dead are in the Netherworld or Youdu, this Book can forcibly summon them."
Quinn's heart skipped a beat. "The Book of Life and Death can do that? Doesn't that mean Lowell Yunch and the others can summon all the dead of High-Emperor Heaven to fight for them? The three of them could command an endless army of gods and demons!"
That's not all!
Cyrus Qi said, "Their target isn't High-Emperor Heaven. It's Luofu Heaven!"