Inside the village, Quinn Shepherd turned around and spotted Wes Young, pausing in surprise before breaking into a smile and waving. "So it's Brother Wes and State Duke Wei. Why are you standing outside? Come in!"
Wes Young hurriedly winked and gestured, saying, "Come out quick, I need you! Something big just happened at the Imperial Academy!"
Wes was worried for Quinn Shepherd’s safety, determined to pull him out of danger. He thought, "Quinn must've just come out for a stroll, not realizing this is a Holy Cult revenge site. Accidentally wandering in—how dangerous! These Holy Cult villains are fierce enough to kill even someone like Sun Nanda, a top official and cult master, in an instant. Quinn’s skinny little body might get squeezed for every last drop of marrow!"
State Duke Wei saw that the old man and woman guarding the gate had cut off his escape route. Veins bulged on his forehead and his eye twitched. "Wes Young, that little rascal, gets into even more trouble than I do! Now, even if we want to leave, we probably can't!"
Quinn Shepherd raised his hand, and the old woman behind State Duke Wei quickly stepped forward. Quinn leaned over and whispered a few words to her.
The old woman returned, grinning widely. "State Duke, Young Master Wes, please come inside and have a seat."
State Duke Wei's eye twitched. He gave Quinn Shepherd a long look, took a deep breath, and said to Wes Young, "Let's go in."
The two entered the village. It seemed newly constructed—everything was fresh, and the scent of timber lingered in the air.
State Duke Wei and Wes Young saw Quinn Shepherd heading deeper into the village and forced themselves to follow. State Duke Wei whispered, "Wes, how close are you to Quinn?"
"We've risked our lives together!"
Wes Young said solemnly, "He saved me during the Dragon Tamer Gate attack on the scholars' ship!"
State Duke Wei felt a headache coming on. "Have you ever saved him?"
Wes Young shook his head.
"He saved you, but you never saved him. That kind of life-and-death bond is useless!"
State Duke Wei felt uneasy, thinking, "Now I can only take things one step at a time. I've really been dragged into trouble by this rascal. I wonder if my few encounters with Li Tianxing will help at all..."
They reached the center of the village, where there was a platform just a foot or so above the ground, built entirely of wood.
The platform wasn't large, about ten feet across.
The Holy Cult disciples sat cross-legged below the platform. The old woman beside State Duke Wei chuckled, "Imperial Preceptor, Young Master Wes, just sit down. Don't worry, the floor was just cleaned—it's spotless."
Wes Young looked down and saw faint dark-red bloodstains on the floor, feeling uneasy. "Did they really clean up? What if there's a severed head somewhere..."
The Holy Cult wiped out Nanda Side Palace and Sun Nanda, a top official, in a single instant—their strength was unreal. Even though State Duke Wei was a veteran of many battles, he didn't dare act rashly here. He thought, "Even though the Holy Cult made a big show of force, the capital's experts definitely won't be alerted. They strike so fast—if they decide to kill us, it'll be just as quick..."
Below the platform, hundreds sat in silence, waiting quietly for the Holy Teacher's instruction.
Wes Young looked around, then suddenly spotted Quinn Shepherd and waved excitedly. "Quinn! Quinn! Over here!"
State Duke Wei wished he could pin the chubby kid to the ground and stuff a few dirty socks in his mouth to stop his nonsense.
Fortunately, the Holy Cult disciples around them seemed not to hear Wes Young's shouting; each sat upright and unmoving.
Quinn Shepherd smiled at Wes Young and walked toward the platform, lifting his robes.
Wes Young was startled and hurriedly whispered, "Don't go up there! That's where the Holy Teacher gives instruction..."
State Duke Wei snapped, "You brat, shut your mouth!"
Wes Young quickly shut up. State Duke Wei growled, "I'm known for keeping secrets, but how did I end up with such a loudmouth descendant? Haven't you figured it out yet?"
Wes Young froze, watching as Quinn Shepherd stepped onto the platform and turned around. The Holy Cult disciples below all rose and bowed. "Cult Master and Holy Teacher!"
Quinn Shepherd nodded. "No need for formalities, everyone. Please, sit."
Everyone sat back down.
Wes Young's mouth fell open in shock, unable to recover for a long moment.
State Duke Wei sighed and muttered, "I always said that Ban Gongcuo was trouble, and the Witch Lord Louluo Sutra was off. Turns out, it really was a problem. Now it looks like the Cult Master and Holy Teacher himself has stepped in. The Holy Cult actually chose a teenager as their leader—quite bold..."
On the platform, Quinn Shepherd sat down and asked, "Who here knows soul-searching spells or techniques?"
A woman stood and bowed. "Reporting to the Holy Teacher, I have some skill."
Quinn Shepherd nodded, then suddenly cast the Soul-Calling Rite. A gloomy gate appeared behind him, and black mist poured out, dimming even the fire-oil lamps.
At that moment, everyone saw the souls of Sun Nanda and the monks standing in the black mist.
Quinn Shepherd said, "Hall Master, I need to know who else was in league with Sun Nanda and who helped him harm our two Heavenly Kings."
"By your command."
The female Hall Master stepped forward, took out a gleaming mirror, and cast a secret technique, aiming it at Sun Nanda.
The mirror's light shone on Sun Nanda's soul, piercing through it and casting images in the air behind him. Scenes from Sun Nanda's life flashed by, quickly rewinding to the moment of the siege on Heavenly King Lu.
"Crown Prince's Grand Preceptor Boshan Cloud, Crown Prince's Grand Protector Yanju Ting, Crown Prince's Lesser Master Mingzhi Cui, Crown Prince's Lesser Preceptor Qianqiu He, and..."
Right Guardian Envoy Xue Bie'e recorded the names from Sun Nanda's memories, her gaze settling on the last person, pupils contracting. "And also Yuxia Ling, Crown Prince of the Everpeace Empire."
Quinn Shepherd nodded. "Write them down. Find an opportunity to send them on their way."
The Right Guardian Envoy wrote down the Crown Prince of Everpeace's name.
State Duke Wei was shocked, his mouth opening but no words coming out.
The Holy Cult was truly audacious—even targeting the Crown Prince of the Everpeace Empire!
Still, he couldn't say much. The Everpeace Empire's glory was only recent, rising in the past two centuries thanks to the Imperial Preceptor.
But the Holy Cult was the true ancient giant, its history spanning countless nations and dynasties. The murder of a Heavenly King was not just a deep grudge, but a humiliation that must be avenged.
Now, even State Duke Wei could barely protect himself—how could he speak up for the Crown Prince?
The female Hall Master continued to rewind Sun Nanda's memories, reaching the siege on Qian Heavenly King. This time, besides the prince and officials, Master Weak Ladle was present.
This generation's Crown Prince's Grand Guardian was not Leonard Goodwin—he had been missing for two centuries, so the emperor gave the position to Master Weak Ladle.
Master Weak Ladle was a Buddhist monk, his Dharma name meaning "Weak Ladle," taken from the saying about Weakwater.
Boshan Cloud and Mingzhi Cui were Daoist sect leaders; Yanju Ting and Qianqiu He came from noble families that followed the founding emperor.
These five, plus the late Sun Nanda, all belonged to the Crown Prince's faction and had served as his tutors.
Of the sixteen top-ranking officials at court, six were part of the Crown Prince's faction.
"Write down Master Weak Ladle's name too."
Quinn Shepherd said, "It's almost New Year's. Let them have one last peaceful holiday and a final reunion dinner. Sun Nanda is dead, Nanda Side Palace is destroyed, but Nanda Temple remains. Guardian Elders, go and wipe out Nanda Temple—leave no trace."
The Guardian Elders all replied in assent.
State Duke Wei breathed a sigh of relief—the young Cult Master was still rational. If six top officials and the Crown Prince died at once, the emperor's investigation would surely lead to the Holy Cult!
The Everpeace court was, after all, the legitimate regime. Opposing it meant the Holy Cult had nowhere to hide. With Daoist sects and Great Thunderclap Temple ready to kick them when they're down, the cult was in real danger.
Killing one every so often kept the risk to a minimum.
For example, in killing Sun Nanda and destroying Nanda Temple, Quinn Shepherd posed as a Loulan Golden Palace member, brought the temple's sacred treasure, lured out the monks, and forced Sun Nanda to show himself—drawing him out of the capital and to this place.
Though Sun Nanda was a sect master, killing him and wiping out Nanda Side Palace took only an instant. The attack happened outside the capital, leaving no trace—everything was perfectly orchestrated.
Even if the emperor investigated, he wouldn’t find a single clue—nothing pointing to the Holy Cult.
After Sun Nanda’s death, the Crown Prince would be on guard, making him harder to target. Acting rashly could backfire, so it was better to wait.
At that moment, Quinn Shepherd looked at Wes Young and State Duke Wei, smiling. State Duke Wei shivered inside but put on a smile. "Cult Master, I have a loud voice."
"I know," Quinn Shepherd replied.
Quinn Shepherd smiled. "If you shout, everyone in the capital will hear. Do you think our Holy Cult handled Sun Nanda neatly enough?"
State Duke Wei tensed up, realizing Quinn meant they could kill him and Wes Young before he had a chance to shout.
State Duke Wei took a deep breath. "I used to be close with your previous Cult Master!"
Quinn Shepherd glanced at the Guardian Envoys. Xue Bie'e said, "The previous Cult Master only met him a few times—not that close."
State Duke Wei’s face darkened, and he glanced around, searching for a way to escape.
Quinn Shepherd said solemnly, "State Duke, our cult has lost two Heavenly Kings. There are two vacant positions. You’re from a noble family, not a sect—becoming our Guardian Heavenly King shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
State Duke Wei forced a laugh and looked around. The twenty strongmen who had killed Sun Nanda were already standing, making his eye twitch. "I’m State Duke Wei, I hold office—how could I have time to be your Guardian Heavenly King? Give me a quieter job…"
Quinn Shepherd smiled gently. "Don’t worry, our Holy Cult is pretty relaxed. You’ll only be needed for fights—the title is mostly honorary. Even I’m not that busy as Cult Master. If you’re unwilling, we won’t force you. Just swear not to reveal what you saw today, and you can leave. People misunderstand our cult, thinking we’re ruthless killers. Isn’t that right?" He laughed heartily.
The Holy Cult followers below also laughed, but their smiles were forced, ready to kill at any moment.
"I’m willing!" State Duke Wei said quickly.
Wes Young hesitated. "State Duke…"
"Shut up!"
State Duke Wei turned and scolded, "You’ve ruined me! My lifelong reputation—all destroyed by you, brat. If you hadn’t called Quinn ‘brother,’ we could’ve gotten away!"
Wes Young pouted. "Grandpa, they said we could leave. Why insist on joining? Quinn is a good guy, not some villain."
State Duke Wei blinked. "You really think he’s not a villain? If he weren’t ruthless, how could he be Cult Master of the Holy Cult?"
Quinn Shepherd coughed. "Heavenly King Wei, we usually call ourselves the Holy Cult, not the Demon Cult. I’m not a demon cult master, but the Holy Cult Master. Please remember that."
Wes Young exclaimed, "Grandpa, being a Heavenly King sounds way cooler than State Duke! Quinn, give me a job too!"