"Young master."

A moment later, Chen Qing walked over, crouched beside him, and without saying a word, injected a vial of medicine into his shoulder. She spoke softly, "How is it? Old... No, the Nightmare Master—he's still alive, isn't he?"

Lu Zicheng kept his head down, his damp bangs obscuring his face. His voice was hoarse as he replied, "I don't know. I just wanted to kill him. Even if I can't kill him, I'll do everything I can to stop him."

Chen Qing reached out tentatively and patted his head softly. "Minister Lu called," she said quietly.

She handed the phone over and pressed the answer button.

Lu Zicheng glanced at the name displayed on the screen but said nothing.

"Why didn't you answer your phone when I called?"

Lu Zijin's voice carried her usual spoiled and domineering tone.

Lu Zicheng paused for a moment and replied in a low voice, "My phone shattered during the fight."

"Heh."

Lu Zijin hesitated briefly before speaking with a faint smile, "I've got good news and bad news. Which one first?"

Lu Zicheng rasped, "The bad one."

Lu Zijin cleared her throat and said indifferently, "The battle on my end is over. All the Gu Worms along the entire southern coastline have lost control. To uncover what caused this, I had a high-level witch from the Omega Sequence perform a divination... The conclusion is, the Nightmare Master isn't dead."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zicheng crouched on the ground, clutching his head, threading his fingers through his hair.

"The good news is, the Nightmare Master's Rank has dropped significantly."

Lu Zijin's voice carried a hint of amusement. "At best, he's now at the Second Rank—perhaps even lower. Although it's not entirely precise, we're 100% certain he's no longer at a Superdimensional Level."

Chen Qing froze for a moment upon hearing this.

Lu Zicheng's body stiffened abruptly.

"I don't know who did it," Lu Zijin continued, "but the Nightmare Master has clearly provoked someone he shouldn't have. The follow-up is simple: we just need to clean up the Gu Worms in the city."

She paused before adding, "Cry if you want. I'm hanging up."

Beep. Beep.

The line went dead.

For a long time, Chen Qing remained dazed. Softly, she said, "For the Nightmare Master, completely losing his Rank must be far more painful than death itself, don't you think? Young master, do you remember how, when we were kids, I loved keeping hamsters? Most of them were never truly tamed, and they occasionally bit me. Even when you wanted to throw them out, I couldn't bring myself to do it."

A faint smile played on her lips. "Do you remember how you helped me vent my frustrations back then?"

Crouched on the ground, Lu Zicheng murmured, "Hmm."

"That hamster loved building its nest. Every day, it collected cotton and scraps of paper, tirelessly constructing. Each time it was close to done, you would casually swipe and destroy its nest. When it returned and saw the destruction, it would freeze for a moment, then continue gathering materials and start building again."

Chen Qing continued nonchalantly, "Each time it was close to finishing, you would destroy it all over again. After being stunned countless times, it finally gave up. It crawled into a little corner, sitting there, doubting its existence."

She chuckled softly, "The Nightmare Master must be feeling the same way now, don't you think?"

Lu Zicheng remained silent, his body trembling slightly.

Amidst the storm, a sound that seemed part-sob, part-laughter rang out.

·

·

The wind and rain swirled. A black umbrella reinforced with metal silently drifted through the night.

Gu Jianlin stood in the downpour, his umbrella shielding him. Using the Lock of Nonexistence to minimize his presence, he watched the pair amidst the ruins of the shipping containers. A trace of relief flickered in his smile.

The torrential rain was icy cold, but the figures huddled together burned like a torch.

Warm. Bright.

Both Lu Zicheng and Chen Qing were people carrying untold stories within.

Eight years ago, the past was like a tumultuous storm, trapping them in a cycle of longing and inability to let go.

Gu Jianlin had once been curious about their tale, and now he understood.

The Nightmare Master—he had been their team mentor back then.

Lu Zicheng, Mu Shishi, and Chen Qing.

They were likely part of the same squad.

"Consider this the first installment of repayment for these eight years of pain. Treat it as my thanks for saving me under that overpass back then. Next time I get the chance, I'll make sure to bring the Nightmare Master to you. You can personally sever his head."

Gu Jianlin murmured, "You've got this, captain."

Turning away, he stepped into the storm.

From his final glance, Lu Zicheng tilted his face to the sky, releasing a cathartic, unrestrained roar.

Chen Qing silently held the umbrella for him.

Yet, in Gu Jianlin's view, they were both smiling.

Smiling with such relief.

Because vengeance had been fulfilled; the departed could rest in peace.

What came next was simple.

To commemorate. To reminisce.

Plop.

Gu Jianlin's steps suddenly halted, splashing rainwater.

He realized something.

Since the Nightmare Master figured prominently in every aspect of the Qilin Immortal Palace incidents...

The entire matter appeared inexplicable.

Back when he defected eight years ago, the Nightmare Master was merely a Third Rank lackey. How could he orchestrate such a large-scale blood sacrifice, especially deep within the Underwater Ruins?

Could the Candle Dragon Clan within the Immortal Palace have helped him?

Or was there someone else behind it all!

At that moment, Gu Jianlin suddenly realized he'd made a critical mistake.

Mrs. Yan!

The Nightmare Master was simply too powerful.

Gu Jianlin had been forced to split his focus, summoning the Butcher within the Immortal Palace and enhancing it with Ancient God's Blood.

Then he clashed with an Ancient God from the Candle Dragon Clan, each using their Divine Servants for a violent exchange.

Finally, in the heart of the Immortal Palace, he encountered the true form of the Candle Dragon Venerable.

Three consecutive upheavals had left even Gu Jianlin—meticulous as he was—with lapses.

"Where did Mrs. Yan go?"

Gu Jianlin unleashed Life Perception, scanning the area within a hundred-meter radius—nothing.

At that moment, his phone automatically connected to the Deep Space Network.

"Attention Peak City District departments: detection of Divine Servant-level Ancient God's Breath. All units switch to combat readiness."

Taixu's normally affectionate voice took on a rare coldness, broadcasting to all association members in the city: "Authorization from headquarters confirmed—Heavenly Person Realm deployment imminent. Repeat—authorization confirmed—Heavenly Person Realm deployment imminent. All investigators, proceed to sweep the West Port Forbidden Zone for a full-scale investigation."

Heavenly Person Realm.

Gu Jianlin hesitated briefly, unsure what it entailed.

Soon enough, he understood.

Boom!

A blazing Golden Realm descended from the heavens, crashing into the earth, enveloping the entirety of West Port.

In that instant, all Ascenders tainted by mental contamination emitted bone-chilling screams.

Even Gu Jianlin himself felt an intense headache.

The Black Qilin in his mind roared angrily.

Gu Jianlin sharply noticed that under the influence of this Golden Realm, natural laws and order had shifted.

The rhythmic intricacy unique to the Breathing Technique flowed effortlessly here.

Meanwhile, the Ancient God Power within him felt suppressed, sinking into complete dormancy.

[PS: This book debuts on the Qidian Reading App. Support the official release! See you tomorrow night at 8:30~]