Forget Sorrow Grocery Store.

Jing Ci adjusted the tie on his suit, regarded himself in the mirror, and calmly asked, "Teacher, regarding what Junior Brother mentioned about Candle Dragon Venerable—what is your opinion?"

Huai Yin put on his wide-brimmed hat, dressed like a fisherman, picked up his fishing gear, and walked out of the shop while answering, "I have no opinion. Ghosts know what happened when he crossed over to the Immortal Palace or what strange thing Gu Ci'an might have left him. Who can say? Anyway, she won't show herself for a while."

He chuckled and added, "Although Candle Dragon Venerable did defeat Qilin Venerable back then, she paid a heavy price herself. Besides... Qilin Venerable isn't someone easily dealt with; he likely had additional plans."

"The struggle between Supremes is not as simple as you think. You think you've gained, but in truth, I haven't lost. Sometimes you think I've lost, but actually, you haven't gained much either."

What kind of nonsense was this?

Jing Ci turned around, frowned at the elderly man, and asked, "According to your logic, wouldn't it be unsurprising if Candle Dragon Venerable focuses her attention here after the Qilin Immortal Palace manifests? In other words, could this be another showdown between two Ancient Supremes, two thousand years later?"

Huai Yin responded with a "Hmm," and added, "But it won't be as intense as it was two thousand years ago. The structure of the Human World is quite stable now, and humans have already developed the Heavenly Person Realm. Plus, they themselves are not what they once were."

"I see."

Jing Ci posed another question, "Then, what if Candle Dragon Venerable recovers her peak condition?"

Huai Yin replied with a perfectly calm expression, "What does that have to do with me?"

Jing Ci: "…"

"By that time, I'd probably already be dead. What could I possibly do about it? March into Buzhou Mountain for an ultimate one-for-one exchange with Candle Dragon Venerable? Do I look that stupid?"

Huai Yin suddenly glanced at a painting within the grocery store. Staring at the breathtakingly beautiful woman within the artwork, he remarked faintly, "Humans always see Candle Dragon Venerable as their number one threat, but that's entirely humans overestimating themselves. This Venerable has never regarded humanity seriously. From start to finish, the one she truly fears... is someone else altogether."

Jing Ci felt the need to carefully ponder this statement.

"Candle Dragon Venerable is indeed strong. As the first Supreme born after the Primordial Era in the history of the Ancient God Clan, her authority and strength are undeniably unmatched. But precisely because she's so strong, she faces the harshest rejection, and her goals have never involved humanity."

Huai Yin added, "On the contrary, it's the Vermilion Bird Clan that makes me uneasy."

Jing Ci understood—it was because of the curse originating from the Gu Family.

Although a peak-stage Ancestor was certainly terrifying.

It wasn't catastrophic.

Because if this curse was merely the result of Jiuyin slaying countless victims over centuries, its essence wasn't that enigmatic. When the unknown turns into the known, countermeasures can be devised.

For someone like the teacher, it wouldn't pose a real threat.

After all, the King of Qing was a Catastrophe capable of challenging Ancient Supremes in the real world.

But just then, the painting named "Jiuyin" suddenly shimmered with a hint of blood-red light.

Jing Ci's face changed slightly: "Teacher!"

Huai Yin looked bewildered.

The ink in the painting turned crimson as blood, as though a burning dragon were soaring into the heavens.

The breathtaking woman in the painting opened her blood-red slitted pupils just slightly.

The eerie blood light flashed momentarily.

Boom!

The grocery store trembled violently as blood poured from the painting like a waterfall, overwhelming everything.

It wasn't real but a bizarre illusionary phenomenon.

But it undoubtedly signified that the Supreme was enraged.

"Who's the brazen lunatic provoking the Venerable now?"

Huai Yin was visibly stunned: "Is someone courting disaster or what?"

Jing Ci's gaze trembled—it was his first time seeing his teacher lose composure like this.

"Huh, the Venerable's Life Rhythm… weakened?"

Huai Yin murmured.

·

·

At sunset, the cacophony roaring inside Gu Jianlin's mind began to ebb away.

Yet, he now resembled a man wearing the mask of agony, utterly drained and frail, almost lifeless.

He sat on the toilet lid, drenched in sweat, with wet locks of hair plastered against his forehead.

Six hours. Three hundred and seventy-two trips back and forth.

Each time was an experience of his body and soul on the verge of being crushed, akin to being repeatedly run over by a car, except he couldn't die—forced to endure the torment and pain over and over.

The killing intent and oppressive force of Candle Dragon Venerable were terrifying beyond imagination, as if the entire world were about to perish alongside him.

Gu Jianlin managed to survive over two hundred such instances.

Dancing along the edge of death repeatedly.

How exhilarating.

This didn't mean he had some peculiar masochistic tendencies—it was just a rare opportunity for training.

Candle Dragon Venerable was the Strongest, the mightiest Ancient Supreme in existence.

If one could withstand her pressure.

Then in this world, almost no one's aura could impose fear upon him.

Although he hadn't yet experienced the power of the Slaughter Domain.

How could such a lower-level thing compare to the presence of an Ancient Supreme?

It was like being a feeder at the zoo, spending each day joking around with lions and tigers.

Then encountering a stray kitten baring its teeth on the streets—

You certainly wouldn't find it frightening.

During his crash course on the Extraordinary World, Gu Jianlin had learned one thing: once, an unlucky Ascender at Superdimensional Level whose Inheritance Path happened to be Dragon Slayer accidentally encountered an Ancestor in Yun Mengze.

Specifically, a peak-stage Ancestor.

The Superdimensional Dragon Slayer had no resistance whatsoever, losing their sanity on the spot due to the sheer terror.

If Gu Jianlin continued progressing and further awakened Qilin Venerable's strength, he could pull off similar feats.

"In any case, as long as she remains around, this is all profit."

Gu Jianlin exhaled deeply and silently chuckled, "As I gradually break free from bindings, my control over Qilin Immortal Palace grows stronger. Now she's even less able to handle me. I can sense her presence anytime—she seems reliant on those chains to detect me across time and space."

You're powerless against me, while I can use you for leveling.

A peaked Candle Dragon falters; a Third-Order Qilin shines.

The advantage is mine.

In this skirmish, Gu Jianlin once again unilaterally declared victory.

Why so?

Because ultimately, Candle Dragon Venerable was provoked to the point of leaving, dissipating like a thunderous crash as the world seemed to collapse, vanishing entirely without returning.

This prematurely ended today's training.

Gu Jianlin felt it was a bit unsatisfying, lingering inside for an extra half-hour.

Seeing no sign of her return, he had no choice but to accept it.

He'd wait until her fury subsided next time so they could chat some more.

Besides, every word uttered by an Ancient Supreme held immense significance.

Perhaps more secrets could be pried from her.

"Candle Dragon Venerable mentioned that I should return something to her? Could it be that over two thousand years ago, Qilin Venerable took something from her, and that's the true root of their conflict?"

Gu Jianlin pondered for a moment and became increasingly convinced that it was a crucial artifact.

Clearly, he didn't have it now.

If it did exist, it must be within the Qilin Immortal Palace.

Perfect. Worth it!

"As for Pharmacist and the others, I can directly contact them through ancient tokens in the tomb. Saves us from any attacks by Candle Dragon Venerable along the way—I might withstand it, but others could be scared witless. There's no need to use Spiritual Secret Medicine inside the Immortal Palace anymore; aside from Sea Demon, the rest are all my people now."

Gu Jianlin deliberated briefly: "It's time to capture Pharmacist and lock him in the little black room."

With that thought, he struggled to stand, and the Barrier formed by the Lock of Nonexistence silently collapsed.

Silver-white chains rewrapped themselves around his body.

Gu Jianlin stepped out of the bathroom, where his bald parrot flapped its wings and landed on his shoulder.

"If men want healthy kidneys, they should drink Kidney Boost!"

Gu Jianlin's eyebrow twitched slightly as he muttered under his breath: "Shut up!"

He stretched his stiff limbs as he walked into the courtyard.

The setting sun bathed the base in warm, golden hues as the refreshing sea breeze swept through.

A world free of Candle Dragon Venerable truly was wonderful.

"Xiao Gu."

Uncle Mu, practicing in the courtyard, stared at him in shock. "What happened to you?"

Mu Qingge and Wanwan stood frozen, staring at him in astonishment.

Gu Jianlin knew his current condition looked utterly drained.

Well, of course—how could he not be after clashing with such a terrifying woman?

"It's nothing, don't overthink it."

Gu Jianlin, physically and mentally exhausted, blurted out, "Went to look at a beauty."

The group's shock deepened.

This seemingly stoic, ice-cold, and ascetic man—actually went to admire a beauty?

And for hours on end?

Then returned looking like this?

It was hard not to think about it.

Gu Jianlin had no energy left to explain further when his phone suddenly buzzed with a message.

Tang Ling: "Are you free?"

Gu Jianlin paused—since the woman said she was going to shower, she hadn't messaged him until now.

He initially wanted to say no, but thinking of the Black Cloud City situation, he politely replied, "What's up?"

Tang Ling: "There's an opportunity to grab some benefits; I think you'll want in. Plus, you could use the chance to squeeze a bit out of the Judgement Court. You're aiming to clear your father and Mu Feng senior's names, right? This is the perfect chance."

Gu Jianlin's eyes narrowed as he replied, "Alright, on my way."

·

·

Fifteen minutes later, Gu Jianlin arrived at the base's top-floor office.

Before him was a tablet displaying the detailed information for the mission.

"Mission Location: Qilin Immortal Palace, First Layer."

"Mission Difficulty: S-Level."

"Type: Rescue mission, team-based."

"Mission Description: Top ten Omega Sequence prodigies disappeared mysteriously during an investigation of living corpses and Ancient Ancestors in the Living Burial Pit region. The traces left at the scene are exceedingly strange. Immediate clarification of the events is required, along with the assembly of elite rescue teams for the operation."

"Note: As the mission site is within Qilin Immortal Palace's First Layer and outside the Dawn Combat Sequence's guarded areas, the danger level is extremely high. Operatives must proceed with extreme caution."

After a long silence.

Gu Jianlin set the tablet down and said with a blank expression: "Ten Fifth Ranks, all vanished?"

The office fell into a heavy silence; no one seemed capable of answering his question.

[PS: This book is exclusively available on the Qidian Reading App. Three thousand more words remain to complete the ten-thousand-word update, but the last chapters won't be posted immediately—not sure when they'll be done, probably before dawn or sometime in the morning.]