The other two were both peculiar individuals.

One dressed like a priest, clad in a black Divine Robe, wearing a golden cross, muttering "Amen" under his breath. He appeared to be in his thirties, with ordinary features but a tall and imposing stature.

Dawn, Priest Path, Fifth-Rank Pope.

The other one wore a gas mask, resembling a mad scientist, with a tall and graceful figure.

Poison Master, Alchemist Path, Fifth-Rank Medicine King.

In addition, there was a figure clad in flowing white, carrying a massive guitar case, standing at the highest point.

Tang Ling was wearing a sunhat, its brim casting a shadow over her fair and exquisite face. She rested her chin on her hand, sitting on the spectators' platform with an aloof gaze, as if she were an Empress overlooking her army.

Truthfully, she was indeed reviewing her army.

Because aside from Gu Jianlin, everyone else here needed her personal approval.

She was the main force of this operation.

Though she was a Fourth-Order Sword Spirit of the Sword Sect Path, she possessed combat power rivaling that of a Fifth Rank.

As the sole daughter of the Tang Family and trained by the Sword Tomb, she was a personal disciple of a Catastrophe-level figure.

Her talent was so exceptional that the higher-ups collectively valued her highly. The President even ventured into the Dark World himself to kill a Holy Land Level Ascender and seized a growth-oriented Mythical Weapon specifically for her use.

It's no exaggeration to call her a Mary Sue of the highest caliber.

"In the Ancient God Realm, what you need most isn't rank, nor skills, nor Mythical Weapons, or any variety of resources. What you need is courage and guts! Can you withstand the spiritual suppression of the Ancient God Clan, an upper-rank race? Can you resist the momentum precipitated by millennia of heritage?"

Wan Rentu shouted to the rookies, cutting off their daydreams.

"Next, be prepared!"

The towering, iron-like man revealed an insane grin: "Slaughter Domain!"

Boom!

For a moment, his pupils turned blood red.

A brutal bloody aura surged forth, almost solidifying, pressing down on the entire training ground!

Hahaha!

Wan Rentu laughed maniacally to himself. Prepare to die!

Gu Jianlin also glanced at him at this moment, and silently thought of just three words: Prepare to die!

With a resounding boom, the Slaughter Domain engulfed the entire field.

Plop!

Several trainees dropped to their knees instantly, trembling and convulsing, cold sweat pouring down like rain.

Many groaned, struggling to stay standing, but their legs eventually buckled, and they collapsed to the ground.

No matter how hard their legs tried to hold up, they inevitably bent and knelt under the overwhelming pressure.

Even Ji Xiaoyu paled under the intense aura. Her petite frame shivered involuntarily, and the platinum tuft of hair atop her head stood on end. Her legs shook uncontrollably, her whole body on edge.

Thankfully, she managed to endure it, avoiding further embarrassment.

Yet when she turned to look beside her, she froze.

What was going on? Where was his weakness?

Gu Jianlin stood expressionless, seemingly unaffected, casually lowering his gaze as he filed his nails with ease.

The parrot he had with him, unaffected since it wasn't targeted, strutted around arrogantly.

At that moment, Wan Rentu also turned his gaze to this calm youth and was dumbfounded.

Gu Jianlin raised his head slightly and looked at the instructor opposite him with an inscrutable expression.

It wasn't for nothing that Candle Dragon Sister had trained him for six hours.

Such a trivial Slaughter Domain.

A joke—it had no effect on him whatsoever.

"Huh?"

Wan Rentu's eyes widened in disbelief, his mind racing as if tens of thousands of llamas were stampeding through it.

Impossible!

This was absolutely impossible!

He had clearly amplified the Slaughter Domain with a Mythical Weapon and had even consumed secret medicine.

A triple enhancement!

How could this be the result!

The place was filled with cries of agony, but only Gu Jianlin stood tall, as if he were the protagonist on stage.

At this moment, Wan Rentu felt his heart crack.

He felt mocked.

Felt humiliated!

All those days and nights of grueling training now seemed like a farce.

What's more, last time the boy must have used some kind of Mythical Weapon.

This time, Wan Rentu had set up a Barrier in advance. If anyone used a Mythical Weapon to cheat, it would create a repelling reaction.

It shouldn't have turned out like this.

Boom!

In his mounting rage and frustration, his eyes turned blood red again, and he pushed the Slaughter Domain to its absolute limit.

Plop, plop!

At this point, even the second-tier prodigies collapsed collectively into unconsciousness.

Those few still standing also fell to their knees.

Ji Xiaoyu hit the ground with a thud, and a curse was stuck in her throat.

Yet under such heavy pressure, Gu Jianlin remained utterly indifferent, even letting out a yawn, his gaze detached.

The parrot mimicked him, yawning and staring with disdain: "Slaughter Domain? That's it?"

Boom!

Wan Rentu's mind went blank.

Yes, it was that look.

A look mingled with apathy and ridicule.

A ridicule that conveyed scorn.

A scorn laced with amusement.

The entire lineage of the King of Qing—every single one of them carried this damn look!

And that cursed parrot too!

At this moment, Wan Rentu once again experienced the fear of being dominated.

The Dawn Pope and the Poison Master, who had been spectating from the stands, froze mid-amusement.

Even the Nightmare allowed a flicker of unease to cross his gaze.

Because all of them realized: not a single Mythical Weapon was in play here.

So how was this boy, nicknamed "Chair Murderer," immune to the Slaughter Domain?

Even they, as Fifth-Rank elites, struggled under such pressure.

From the highest point in the stands, Tang Ling lifted her head. A keen, sharp light flashed beneath her hat's brim.

Even her posture straightened slightly, her demeanor visibly heavy.

Meanwhile, Instructor Zhu walked over with a team, expressionless, distributing ancient tokens.

Among the second-tier prodigies, only five remained conscious under the oppressive pressure.

As a result, they earned the qualification to participate in the rescue mission.

Gu Jianlin and Ji Xiaoyu were among them, each receiving an ancient token.

Gu Jianlin's was a Black Jade Pendant, ancient and exquisite, its touch cool and smooth.

It appeared to be at least three thousand years old, worth a fortune if sold.

"Instructor Wan will be teleporting with you to the Qilin Immortal Palace. The designated location is the Living Burial Area, where you'll receive further mission details. Before teleportation, we'll provide each of you with secret medicine to negate the effects of the Slaughter Domain, so don't panic too much."

"Tang Ling, Gu Jianlin. The two of you should note that once you enter the Qilin Immortal Palace, your consciousness will be drawn into the Soul Skywell, which serves as the Ether Association's repository of forbidden knowledge. You'll be granted access to the materials you wish to study, but you'll only have ten minutes."

"The rescue operation begins now. All participants, proceed to the giant stone array immediately!"

The Black Cloud City's beach lay just beyond the training grounds.

A massive giant stone array had been constructed on the shore, resembling the monoliths of Easter Island, exuding a potent religious aura.

Boom!

It felt as though the spacetime continuum trembled.

The rescue teams stepped into the vast stone array, where ancient, arcane Spells illuminated the towering monoliths on all sides.

Gu Jianlin felt the ancient token in his hand absorbing his spirituality.

For a moment, the Qilin Island above the sky obscured the sunlight, plunging the world into darkness.

He knew that when he opened his eyes again, he would be in the Qilin Immortal Palace.

That was the Ancient God Realm.

A higher-dimensional world.

An ancient civilization that descended upon Earth.

A saga of blood and fire, faith and war.

For Gu Jianlin, he was different from everyone else.

Because this was his first time truly observing a world that did not belong to humanity.

For him, it was the start of something new.

A wholly new world!

[PS: This book is exclusively available on the Qidian Reading App. Today's 10,000-word update ends here. See you tomorrow at 8:30 PM.]