When the golden domain descended from the heavens, Gu Jianlin felt an unprecedentedly strange experience, as though his entire being had split in two—two vastly different souls stirring within him.

One, the soul belonging to the Qilin, seemed out of place, and immediately fell into a state of languidness.

Meanwhile, the soul belonging to the human resembled a fish diving into the ocean, brimming with ecstatic joy.

"Relax, take a deep breath, maintain the rhythm of the breathing technique. This is a rare opportunity."

Out of nowhere, a faintly amused voice reached him from behind.

Gu Jianlin turned his head and saw that the familiar grocery store had replaced the abandoned ship's cabin. Inside, a warm candlelight glowed brightly, rain cascaded like a waterfall from the eaves, and a redwood recliner quietly rested by the side.

Jing Ci held an umbrella and smiled at him amidst the torrential rain.

Gu Jianlin was at a loss for words. This man was always so elusive, catching him off guard every time.

"Sit down, have a cup of tea, calm your nerves. This is Heart-cleansing tea dug up by my teacher in the Ancient God Tomb. It helps stabilize one's spirit, dispel worries, alleviate depression, and prolong life."

Jing Ci spoke, half-smiling, "Who did you meet just now that scared you like this?"

Gu Jianlin sat as instructed, taking the hot tea Jing Ci handed him without hesitation and pouring it down his throat. Warmth spread throughout his body, relieving the tension in his muscles.

"The Candle Dragon Clan."

He thought it best not to hide the matter: "Inside the Qilin Immortal Palace, there was a member of the Candle Dragon Clan."

Jing Ci tilted his head to look at the surging, pitch-black ocean and said lightly, "Ordinary Ancient God Seeds are unlikely, I've slain many of those. Ancestors are also unlikely. What you saw is very likely a Primordial, but it must have been a weakened Primordial; otherwise, it wouldn't have been defeated in the Ancient God Realm, especially by Chen Bojun."

"Nightmare Masters were created by it as Divine Servants. Judging from the strength of their Divine Servant Transformation, they are formidable. Yet, there aren't many Primordials left among the Candle Dragon Clan. Eliminating those already killed, and excluding the ones at Buzhou Mountain, only one remains."

He chuckled, "The Kui Dragon Ancestor. 'The Ancient Times' once recorded its appearance as cow-like, with a grayish-blue body devoid of horns, and possessing one single foot. Whenever it emerges from water, there must be wind and rain. Its voice resounds like thunder, and it is known as Kui."

Gu Jianlin froze for a moment, realizing Jing Ci had indeed seen it all.

The Kui Dragon Ancestor—he hadn't made a mistake seeing it back then!

"What's interesting is that the Qilin Clan's Divine Servants also appeared in that battle."

Jing Ci smiled, "One of them turned out to be that little creature you've subdued, didn't it?"

Gu Jianlin fell silent, unsure if he should reveal the matter.

However, Jing Ci didn't intend to inquire further. Instead, he asked, "Kui Dragon Ancestor is in the Qilin Immortal Palace? That's unexpected. But was it really the one that scared you to this extent?"

Gu Jianlin hesitated for a second, "No, it was something tens of thousands of times more terrifying than the Kui Dragon Ancestor."

To any human Ascender, the Kui Dragon Ancestor would undoubtedly be a terror.

But as the Second Generation Qilin Venerable, he had long ceased to fear it.

Instead, he found it somewhat amusing.

After all, he could freely enter and exit the Qilin Immortal Palace.

Even if the palace was eventually destroyed by the human faction, he would remain safe outside.

As for the Kui Dragon Ancestor, it seemingly couldn't leave casually—after all, it was a genuine Ancient God.

When the Ether Association invaded the Qilin Immortal Palace, it would be a tough ordeal for the Ancestor!

Jing Ci asked skeptically, "Then what was it?"

Gu Jianlin took a deep breath, pointing to the painting hanging in the shop and calmly said, "This painting—it's terribly inadequate. Though the artist's skills could be considered masterful, they still failed to capture even a fraction of her beauty. No, to be precise, no one in this world could ever portray her beauty."

He paused and commented sincerely, "She is not merely art; she is the ultimate embodiment of art itself. Even using the word 'art' to describe her feels like a blasphemous presumption."

Jing Ci narrowed his eyes, "You've seen the person depicted in this painting?"

"Yes."

Gu Jianlin's throat bobbed slightly, "If there's no mistake, the one I saw was the Candle Dragon Venerable. Although it was only a fleeting glimpse, I indeed saw her—and she was utterly terrifying."

Jing Ci gave him a long, contemplative look, falling into silence.

"Alright, if the Kui Dragon Ancestor is in the Qilin Immortal Palace, then it's evident that it must be guarding something for the Candle Dragon Venerable. It's no wonder that Supreme Being is keeping watch here."

He murmured, "You saw the Candle Dragon Venerable, so your fear stems from her? Across the ages, only six humans have ever been able to contend against the Candle Dragon Venerable, and only two of them are still alive."

Gu Jianlin asked, "Who are they?"

Jing Ci glanced at him with a cryptic smile, "These are ancient secrets. Even if you've joined the Omega Sequence, you'd need sufficient merit to exchange for such information. However, I'll give you a hint. The first of them is none other than the Emperor sleeping in the northern region of Lishan."

"Many refer to him as 'Ancestor Dragon,' believing him to be the first true Emperor in our nation's history, thus earning him the title. In truth, this is a misunderstanding. In the most hidden chapters of history, the Emperor personally slew the Ancestor Dragon Primordial. He was the first human cultivator in history to kill a Primordial one-on-one, in the physical realm, without any external aid."