The air grew warmer as May approached, and the faint sound of cicadas echoed through the park.

It seemed you could already catch a scent of summer in the air.

Gu Jianlin sat at the stone table in the courtyard, gazing outward, where he saw many young people passing by on the streets. Without exception, they were investigators from various districts, occasionally joined by the prodigious seeds of the Omega Sequence.

The girls mostly had switched to skirts and hot pants, while there was nothing much to look at regarding the guys.

Nano warriors patrolled the streets armed with guns and flashlights.

The wailing sirens of ambulances pierced the night, ringing out without pause.

Now and then, medical personnel hustled past with blood-soaked stretchers. Most of the injured were nano soldiers from the Dawn Combat Sequence, with the occasional investigator mixed in.

"Looks like the Qilin Immortal Palace is truly treacherous."

He muttered softly.

Uncle Mu, seated beside him, sighed and said, "Every time the Ancient God Realm manifests, it's usually like this. Especially with such a Supreme-level Ancient God Realm—during the initial exploration, lives are often the primary currency. You send in over ten military divisions, and in the end, only two or three make it out alive."

"But this work is unavoidable. After all, someone has to conquer it. Typically, it's us in the Nightwatch Department who go in first to survey and map out strategies. Once that's done, the soldiers of the Dawn Combat Sequence enter as pathfinders, opening up the Ancient God Realm and modifying its environment to facilitate the establishment of the Heavenly Person Realm."

"And they'll often garrison themselves there. Sometimes, they stay for years. For you in the Omega Sequence, an Immortal Palace might represent training and opportunity. But for them, it's duty."

Gu Jianlin felt stirred inside.

"The peace of this world often relies on someone carrying the burden silently."

Uncle Mu's tone carried a hint of helplessness and regret as he said, "Many soldiers have only two opportunities in their lifetime to see their families: once when they're gravely injured and hospitalized, and the other when they die."

Gu Jianlin thought to himself, no wonder there were so many soldiers' families gathered here.

"Yet, for many, the Ancient God Realm also represents a land of hope."

Uncle Mu sighed and said, "Did you know? Many Fallen or Unclean individuals who find life unbearable in the real world choose to settle in the Ancient God Realm and live there."

Gu Jianlin was stunned. "That's an option?"

"Of course. The Ancient God Realm is vast, beyond even the absolute control of the Ether Association. They just need to find a relatively safe location, harvest resources, hunt living corpses or monsters, and trade with outsiders who enter for the supplies they need to survive. Places like the Fusang Divine Palace, Yun Mengze, and Buzhou Mountain."

Uncle Mu said meaningfully, "You can think of the Ancient God Realm as another world entirely. In fact, I once considered living there too. But most of these people just want to escape the fighting and killing."

Gu Jianlin suddenly understood. "No wonder so many people are gathering here in Peak City. Some are waiting to stockpile enough medicine to hide somewhere, while others are waiting for the Qilin Immortal Palace to be explored so they can move in and live there?"

"Exactly. There are also certain special forces in this world that exclusively do business within the Ancient God Realm. You'll encounter them eventually. When dealing with them, exercise caution."

Uncle Mu added, "Besides that, it all depends on your luck. Just avoid running into Ancestors or the Primordials, and you shouldn't face too much trouble. Especially be wary of the Ancient Ancestors—most of them ventured into the Realm hundreds or thousands of years ago, pursuing longevity or evolution. Many were once legends in history."

Gu Jianlin commented, "They don't sound easy to deal with."

"Not entirely. In their era, the Ancient Ancestors were celebrated cultivators, but after thousands of years of clinging to life, most of their Rank will decline. Only a rare few retain their original power under specific conditions, and those individuals may as well be considered Divine Servants."

Uncle Mu paused briefly in thought. "If you encounter someone like that…"

Gu Jianlin waited silently for the rest. Maybe there was actually a way to handle them.

"Then you can only accept your bad luck."

Uncle Mu said this with a stern expression.

Gu Jianlin held back a laugh. "Uncle Mu, you sounded just like Old Gu for a moment there."

Unlucky.

"Haha, after spending so many years with him, you can't help but pick up a few things."

Uncle Mu said, "But those Ancient Ancestors are just relics of a bygone era. Their minds aren't all that sharp, and they're completely oblivious to how much the times have changed. That goes for many of the Ancient God Clans too. Back when your dad and I ventured into Buzhou Mountain, we fought an Ancient God Seed to the edge of desperation. In the end, we ran out of spirituality, and the Ancient God Seed snatched our last-ditch survival weapon—a massive alchemical nuclear magnetic rocket launcher designed by the Ether Association. A direct hit from that thing could obliterate even Sixth Rank Dragon Slayers on the spot."

As he spoke, Uncle Mu's expression turned strange. "The Ancient God Seed ended up reversing the missile's barrel at the last moment."

Gu Jianlin asked curiously, "And how did you survive?"

Uncle Mu waved his hand dismissively, "Oh, because that Ancient God Seed managed to blow itself up."

Gu Jianlin rubbed his forehead. "Are you saying it accidentally destroyed itself with your weapon?"

Uncle Mu nodded.

Gu Jianlin fell silent.

What else could he say? That was absurd beyond belief.

"That's why when engaging with these strange entities, you must exploit this kind of weakness—use the information gap. You're a modern person; your thinking should be more flexible than theirs. But at the same time, beware—you know less about the past than they do, and they might use things from the old era to catch you off guard."