Quinn Shepherd stared in shock at the giant fish swimming through the ancient seabed ruins, each with three heads and six fins. His mind reeled and he blurted out, "You mean to say these fish are gods and demons from the Chiming Era?"
"Not just fish—there are other sea beasts too!"
The First Human Emperor looked elsewhere, where even more enormous sea monsters swam—also three-headed and six-armed, with massive webbing stretched between their arms. As they swam, the membranes flapped up and down, propelling them swiftly and making them incredibly agile underwater.
Beyond these sea beasts, there were even three-headed, six-armed sea serpent demons—some with male heads, some with female heads, all with arms and a flat serpent tail—swimming toward the ruins.
Quinn also saw some walking plants—like coral, or other kinds of underwater trees—with three crowns each, and always six branches sprouting from their trunks.
There were also drifting anemones and jellyfish, strange creatures in the water, all with three heads and six limbs. Some jellyfish even had faces!
Their roots and tendrils drifted as they moved, as if they were responding to some barely perceptible summons, drawing them toward the seabed ruins.
"They haven't retained their intelligence?" Quinn asked in surprise.
These bizarre sea beasts and giant fish ignored Quinn and the First Ancestor, simply wandering aimlessly through the ruins, letting out calls that were either deep and mellow or short and sharp.
They didn’t treat Quinn and the First Human Emperor as intruders; apparently, they hadn’t awakened any intelligence, wandering in a daze, simply following the summons.
"They have no intelligence."
The First Human Emperor led him to a giant fish. The fish drifted in a daze, its huge eyes sizing up the two tiny humans before quickly losing interest and swimming away with a flick of its tail.
"Only this way can they avoid the Heavenly Court's detection and pursuit."
The First Human Emperor sighed, "I suppose, just like in the Kaihuang Era, they suffered a devastating blow—utter defeat, powerless to resist. So they simply turned themselves into mindless sea beasts and monsters, showing the Heavenly Court they posed no threat. That's how they survived."
The gods and demons of the Chiming Era altered their physical forms, and their Primordial Spirits must have been sealed as well, turning into sea creatures stripped of divine power and abilities—naturally, they were no longer a threat.
That's how they managed to survive.
Another group of Chiming Era gods and demons left for distant lands, searching for somewhere they could settle and multiply.
"The one calling them here is Chi Creek. He's arrived! Does he have some method to restore the original forms and awaken the consciousness of these Chiming Era giants?"
Quinn thought to himself, "No wonder he kept insisting he had to return to the ancestral land. If all these giants are gods and demons, Chi Creek could instantly amass an army of tens of thousands! That would mean disaster for the Everpeace Empire..."
He couldn't help but shiver.
More and more exotic beasts gathered in the sea, and the variety was astonishing. If all these massive sea creatures turned into three-headed, six-armed gods and demons and came ashore, the Everpeace Empire would be the first to bear the brunt!
Everpeace also has its share of gods and demons, but since it's only been developing for a short time, there probably aren't even twenty yet. Most of them are currently fighting the demon race in High-Emperor Heaven. If the Chiming Era gods and demons come ashore now, Emperor Evan will be left wailing and helpless.
Suddenly, beams of light exploded from the center of the ruins.
Buzz—
The glowing spheres expanded, surging with seawater that crashed into Quinn and the First Ancestor. Quinn faintly felt as if the light was sifting through him, his vital energy and Primordial Spirit, every limb and bone trembling. The vibrations were subtle but profound, as though even the tiniest particles of his flesh were being shaken, leaving both his body and spirit tingling.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Wave after wave of glowing spheres swelled from the heart of the ruins, sweeping over them in quick succession. The seawater churned, but each sphere pushed it aside, creating a massive barrier—so much so that the ruins were left completely dry, not a trace of water even on the ground!
Thud, thud, thud—giant beasts plummeted from above, crashing into the ruins. Some landed on palace rooftops, others toppled into the streets; chaos reigned for a moment.
There was no air inside the glowing spheres. The giant beasts opened their mouths wide, trying to gulp in air, but got nothing. Some three-headed, six-finned fish shook their heads and tails, dragging their fins as they tried to crawl out. Many sea-trees and plants scrambled with their roots, desperate to escape the ruins—but the sea beasts were faster.
Just then, a pillar of light shot up from the epicenter, piercing through the sea above and opening a passageway. Gale winds howled, rushing into the sunken divine city below.
Those giant beasts immediately began to gasp for breath, but the big fish still couldn't breathe and kept crawling outward.
At that moment, Quinn and the First Ancestor saw the ground at the epicenter of the light pillar suddenly tremble. A massive circular wheel slowly rose up, and then the wheel split apart with a series of sharp clicks, revealing a second wheel inside, then a third, a fourth...
Each wheel was inscribed with exquisitely intricate rune structures. The three-headed, six-armed god Chi Creek stood at the center, his six arms spread wide in all directions.
The wheel began to spin, with Chi Creek as its axis. Wheel after wheel rotated, runes lighting up as they turned, and bright rune symbols shot out, illuminating every direction!
Quinn immediately saw a rune land on a three-headed, six-armed sea beast. A rune mark appeared on the beast's body, like a complex, interlocking lock—a kind of seal. As the wheel's rune shone on the seal, the layers of locks began to open!
"This is bad! He's trying to unseal these Chiming Era gods and demons, restoring them to their true forms!"
Quinn reacted instantly. He patted his Glutton Dragon Pouch, sending out several small mirrors—his usual grooming tools, just five or six in total.
He then took out his Sword Pill. With a hum, eight thousand swords assembled into a single massive mirror, shining brilliantly.
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The First Ancestor hurriedly stopped him, puzzled: "What are you doing?"
"Breaking the spell!"
Quinn replied quickly, "Chi Creek is using the runes on the wheel to break the seals on these giant beasts, restoring them to their god-demon forms. All I have to do is let those runes hit the mirrors—the reflected rune will be inverted, so he can't break the seals on these gods and demons!"
The First Ancestor stared in shock for a moment, then praised, "Chi Creek's divine weapon is a Creation Divine Weapon. Its runes are incredibly complex; even I'd need great effort to break them. I never imagined you'd come up with such a simple method. You're not just an Overlord Body—you've got an overlord brain. But you don't need to go to such lengths. Let him break the seals."
Quinn shook his head, tense. "No! The Chiming Era gods and demons were fierce and warlike, and judging by Chi Creek's actions, he's ruthless. If these Chiming gods and demons are unsealed and restored, Everpeace could face disaster! The enemy of my enemy isn't necessarily my friend—they could just as easily be another enemy! He won't join us, so we have to sabotage this..."
"It's not necessary. You're thinking from a tribal perspective, but I'm looking at it from the standpoint of dao and divine arts."
A hint of pity appeared on the First Ancestor's face as he shook his head. "It's been three hundred fifty thousand years. Chi Creek probably never imagined that the gods and demons of his era would have undergone such a transformation—their Primordial Spirits are no longer what they once were, nor are their souls."
Quinn froze, putting away the small mirrors but keeping the giant sword-mirror. "You mean the Primordial Spirits of these sea beasts and fish can't be restored?"
The First Ancestor nodded. "Too much time has passed—their Primordial Spirits and souls are twisted now. The Chiming Era's understanding of spirit and soul wasn't as advanced as the Kaihuang era. They forcibly used creation arts to alter the bodies and spirits of gods and demons. If they'd reverted quickly, they could've awakened. But after three hundred fifty thousand years of mutation, only a few might still awaken. Whoever gave them this idea probably had malicious intent."
Quinn was shaken, incredulous. "Are you saying the person who proposed this plan back then did it on purpose—so once the Chiming gods and demons became sea beasts and monsters, they'd never be able to return?"
The First Ancestor nodded lightly. "It's possible that person had already sided with the Heavenly Court, and set a trap for the Chiming gods and demons."
Quinn shuddered. "No wonder Village Chief and Grandpa Blind always say I'm too naive, not cunning enough. I really am too naive."
The wheels kept spinning, countless rune marks flashing out. More and more seals appeared on the sea beasts, fish, monsters, and sea-trees, and as the seals broke, their bodies began to change.
When the wheels finally slowed to a stop, the magnificent underwater divine city was strewn with naked gods and demons—each three-headed and six-armed, their bodies etched with the unique patterns of the Chiming Era.
Their physical forms were incredibly powerful—the ultimate bodies for battle!
Yet these gods and demons just lay on the ground, twisting and writhing, as if they were still fish or sea monsters. Some even stood up, spreading their six arms as if they were still sea-trees.
Quinn even saw a Chiming Era god demon scraping his toes along the ground—probably a jellyfish-turned-human, imagining he still had tentacles. He blinked madly, as if trying to glow like a jellyfish.
"Wake up! My clansmen! I have returned!"
Chi Creek's voice echoed through the city, trembling with excitement, all three voices overlapping: "The Chiming Era has returned! The battle isn't over! The Chiming divine child still awaits your news! Wake up!"
The First Ancestor dispersed his seal, landed, and followed Chi Creek's voice forward. "Let's go," he said.
Quinn followed, and Chi Creek's voice rang out again, this time tinged with confusion and fear: "What's wrong with you all? Why haven't you awakened? Hurry! Have you forgotten the glory of three hundred fifty thousand years ago?"
His voice grew more and more frantic, unable to understand why these Chiming Era gods and demons weren't waking as he'd hoped. He activated the wheel again, runes flying out, but they had no effect at all.
Soon, Quinn and the First Ancestor arrived beneath the wheel, and Chi Creek sensed them. The wheel stopped spinning; the old era's Monitor-Executioner turned all three heads toward them, staring coldly.
"Cult Master Quinn!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out. Quinn turned to see Ben Coates standing atop a high tower, looking at him with excitement.
Quinn was delighted and waved. "Great Venerable! How are you here too?"
Ben Coates laughed heartily, his body shifting as he revealed his three-headed, six-armed form. He charged down from the tower, all three heads shouting, "I've been searching for you for ages—now I can finally take my revenge! Witness my Seamless War-God Art!"
His footsteps thundered down the tower, six arms flying in all directions, each palm shifting unpredictably. The air exploded with thunder, lightning crackling everywhere!
The Seamless War-God Art was terrifying—so many arms meant no openings, and his attack speed soared. But the technique was more than flawless: it could devour an enemy's qi and blood to strengthen the user, keeping him at his peak at all times!
Quinn looked up. Ben hadn't even reached him yet, but the gale pressing down felt like a mountain—the ground around Quinn kept sinking from the sheer force. The pressure was unimaginable!
Ben laughed wildly, descending from above, unleashing the full power of the Seamless War-God Art!
Boom—
Ben's body shuddered violently, sent flying back to crash into a palace wall, the grin on all three faces not yet faded.
"Stacked Hands!"
Quinn placed his right hand in front, left hand behind, palms pressed together, and pushed toward Ben from afar. The Heaven-Turning Yin-Yang Palm exploded with power—another thunderous boom, rubble flying, walls collapsing, Ben and the palace wall sinking into the main hall.
Quinn kept pushing dozens of times, each blow echoing through the hall, until he finally stopped.
"He sure runs fast."
Quinn shook his head, praising, "No wonder you're the Great Venerable—your cultivation has improved so much, you must be close to the Life-and-Death Realm. Still tough as ever, and just as clever."
Behind Chi Creek, Ben suddenly appeared, drenched in blood. Five of his six arms were broken, two of his three necks snapped, and two heads hung limp. His body tottered, then collapsed to the ground, twitching uncontrollably.
"Quinn, you..." Ben spat out a mouthful of blood.
Quinn turned as if he'd just swatted a fly, and politely saluted Chi Creek: "Senior Chi Creek, we meet again. The Chiming Era is truly astounding—are those creation rune seals inscribed on the wheel? Could you explain them to me?"
His eyes sparkled with anticipation, earnestly seeking instruction.
"That look—exactly like a dumb deer..." The First Ancestor's forehead bulged with veins, muttering inwardly.
——The Butcher sharpened his knife, a pig tied up beside him. With a thumb flick along the blade, he shot the pig a sidelong glance: If you can't beg for votes, what's the use? Today, you're pork for the table!