Gu Jianlin pondered for a long time: "Is there anything else?"

Tang Ling put down the sheepskin scroll and continued, "This is a fragment of an ancient Han Dynasty scroll, containing some information about the Qilin Venerable. Historically, he has appeared three times. The first was during the Xia Dynasty, where he appeared on Min Mountain, under the alias 'Wu.' Legend has it that the establishment of the Ancient Shu Kingdom was due to his direct involvement."

"The second was in the Pre-Qin Period, in Chu. Legend has it that the Vermilion Bird Clan and Candle Dragon Clan erupted into a war, during which the Qilin Wedge appeared, forcefully devouring the life force of all surrounding tribes. This led to years of natural disasters and man-made calamities afterward."

She paused and explained, "The third was during the Qin Dynasty, where he appeared at the East Sea. Using the Wedge, he devoured the entire sea's life force and, at the peak of his power, fought against the Candle Dragon Venerable. This is the closest appearance to the present day."

Gu Jianlin thought to himself that this First Generation Qilin Venerable was indeed insane, with that unmistakable taste of late-stage misfortune.

No, wait—this doesn't seem like just late-stage misfortune.

This is damn perpetual misfortune!

He originally thought the Qilin Venerable might have companions.

But now it seems even the Vermilion Bird Venerate's relationship with him is questionable.

Indeed, the existence of the Qilin Venerable made nearly all other Supremes wary.

Even his own clan betrayed him.

Truly a case of being unloved by both grandmother and uncle.

Yet the next moment, Gu Jianlin suddenly thought of himself.

The First Generation Qilin Venerable had offended so many, and wouldn't all this karmic burden now fall on his shoulders?

Gu Jianlin suddenly felt a weight pressing down on his head, as if saddled with an enormous burden.

This was not a weight meant for someone his age!

And he vaguely realized something.

Though his self-control could completely keep him rational, his reputation had become abysmal.

To the extent that he'd become the figure used to scare children into silence at night.

He couldn't let this continue.

Be kind to others!

Always remember to be kind to others!

"Your expression looks pretty grim," Tang Ling suddenly remarked.

Gu Jianlin shook his head. "One question: what exactly is the Qilin Wedge?"

Tang Ling glanced at the contents of the scroll again and said, "The Wedge is said to be the companion artifact of each Ancient Supreme, formed from their flesh and soul. The status of an Ancient Supreme is born from the devouring of an entire planet, each owning a world. The Wedge allows their world to manifest in reality."

"I see."

Gu Jianlin curiously asked, "How did this information survive? Is it reliable?"

"It's largely reliable. Many legends passed down from ancient tribal times have been verified through historical research over the ages. Additionally, many secrets actually originate from within the Ancient God Clan," Tang Ling replied.

She continued, "It's not just humans who defected to the Ancient God Clan; some members of the Ancient God Clan chose to join the human faction. This reportedly happened even during the era of the Emperor."

Gu Jianlin thought about it and agreed.

Though the Ancient God Clan seemed like a unified race, they were constantly fighting among themselves like lunatics.

Joining the human faction for peace of mind made more sense.

"According to the President, such individuals are considered the shame of the Ancient Gods."

Tang Ling adopted a peculiar expression and said, "Not of much use."

"Hmm?"

Gu Jianlin asked, "Ancient Gods joining the human faction isn't a good thing?"

Tang Ling's reply was concise: "Because they don't listen to the President."

Gu Jianlin suddenly understood—this was indeed the President's style.

After all, even among Ancient Gods, distinctions existed.

Supremes, Primordials, Ancestors.

These weren't concepts on the same level.

His senior brother once remarked that he had no idea how many lesser-tier Ancient God Seeds he had killed.

"By the way."

Gu Jianlin remembered an urgent matter: "Is a Supreme's authority tied to the Wedge?"

Tang Ling shook her head. "Not necessarily. The authority of Ancient Gods likely has multiple uses, while the Wedge is applied to domains or world-level effects. Scholars speculate that the ultimate goal of the Ancient God Clan is to implant their Wedges into Earth's core, completely transforming this planet into the Ancient God Realm."

Gu Jianlin frowned. "What happens if the Wedge is lost?"

He suddenly remembered something.

The Candle Dragon Venerable had told him to return something to her.

Could it be the Wedge?

However, Tang Ling's next words disproved this assumption: "That's impossible. Wedges can't be truly lost. As long as a Supreme wills it, the Wedge can return anytime. If it ends up in someone else's possession, there are only three possibilities. First, the Supreme has fallen asleep or been exiled into dimensional chaos. Second, the Supreme intentionally handed the Wedge to another. Third, the Supreme has completely died."

She then added a reminder: "The third possibility is mere speculation, as no one has truly killed an Ancient Supreme. Theoretically, if a Supreme died completely, the Wedge would lose its function."

Gu Jianlin understood.

The Nightmare Master once sought the Qilin Wedge with the hope of taking a gamble.

If the first possibility were true, it would be a huge gain.

The real challenge now was how he could reclaim the Qilin Wedge.

Frankly, this lack of a beginner's tutorial was frustrating.

Tang Ling glanced at the document again and pondered momentarily before saying, "Well, I have to admit your father is quite capable. Although this guide is not detailed, failing to illustrate methods for tackling dangers within the Immortal Palace, it is highly useful for Ascenders competing for supremacy."

"If this is a trap and the Qilin Venerable isn't actually dead, it would pose an enormous risk to humanity, potentially crippling its top-tier combat power."

She softly remarked, "And his authority is focused on devouring."

Gu Jianlin thought to himself, that wouldn't happen, as the Qilin Venerable's power resides within him.

"Furthermore, this document proves one point."

Tang Ling glanced at him. "Your father is either willingly fallen or not fallen at all."

Gu Jianlin narrowed his eyes, realizing this was indeed the case.

Say what you will, Old Gu was already capable of residing within the Qilin Venerable's spiritual domain, sensing the emotions of a deity.

Someone like that being corrupted?

Pure nonsense.

Most who could fight against the Ancient God Clan possessed resistance against corruption.

"By the way, was the man I drew yesterday your great-grandfather?"

Gu Jianlin paused for a second. "I heard his experience was similar to my father's?"

Tang Ling responded with an enigmatic expression: "He used to be very fond of me."

"Have you ever faced discrimination in the Ether Association because of this?"

Gu Jianlin's thoughts stirred, prompting him to ask.

Tang Ling contemplated briefly, her amber-red eyes flashing with pride before plainly answering, "Initially, yes, but after I cut a few down, no one dared anymore. The President once said that this world is full of arrogance and prejudice; you can't change others' opinions, but you can use your fists to silence them."

Gu Jianlin thought this was quite strange.

This girl might be somewhat of a recluse, but her reputation was at least normal.

Yet when it came to him, he was labeled the 'Chair-killer Psycho.'

It had to be deliberate defamation; he refused to believe otherwise.

Tang Ling gazed at him deeply, as if unraveling his thoughts. She earnestly suggested, "Perhaps you weren't ruthless enough. Try being even more violent next time."

Gu Jianlin hesitated. "You mean be even more violent?"

"You've already got every debuff stacked on you; what are you afraid of?"

Tang Ling solemnly said, "Strike harder next time, and maybe no one will dare to slander you anymore. After all, slander taken to extremes becomes reverence—this is another principle the President taught me."

Gu Jianlin suspected this woman was trying to mislead him, but he couldn't prove it.

This kind of nonsense couldn't be trusted—better to stick with kindness!

"Alright, let's look at the Destiny Mud Tablet now."

Tang Ling turned away, gazing at the mist. "Legend has it that this tablet originated from the Qin Dynasty, uncovered by ancient human sages at the battlefield where the Candle Dragon Venerable and Qilin Venerable clashed. Many who glimpsed its contents gained forbidden knowledge."

Gu Jianlin also lifted his head, sensing the presence behind the mist to be intimately familiar.

It belonged to the Ancient God Clan, holding records of ancient, hidden truths.

"Focus your gaze; pierce through the mist," Tang Ling said sternly.

Gu Jianlin nodded and fixed his stare beyond the veil of mist.

The mist churned and rippled, slowly revealing an ancient, decaying mud tablet etched with snake-like, writhing inscriptions. These carvings seemed alive, shimmering with an eerie glow.

Bang!

For a fleeting moment, Gu Jianlin's mind resonated with faint echoing booms.

Darkness.

Profound and overwhelming blackness, with a faint gleam of blood-red light illuminating the abyss.

In this instant, he perceived a majestic and enigmatic Black Qilin.

Stalwart like a sculpture, standing in the depths of the void.

Its body trembled violently, golden blood bleeding from its many fissures, radiating brilliance amidst the pitch-black surroundings.

A fearsome aura brewed, hinting at some kind of transformation.

Yet, as the crescendo of rumbling reached its peak, the Black Qilin crumbled and shattered, like a sandcastle collapsing. Cascading fragments fell like waterfalls, reverberating with roars of frustration and fury.

The darkness surged, condensing into a youth wearing a Qilin Mask.

His pitch-black pupils glimmered faintly with golden light.

Those golden, serpentine eyes burned fiercely, inexplicably reflecting his own likeness!

Bang!

A massive fear exploded in the youth's consciousness.

Gu Jianlin's scalp tingled—he realized that what he saw was crucial, yet its true meaning eluded him.

"As we know, Ancient Supremes represent the pinnacle of two worlds. So if there were a way to transfer an Ancient Supreme's power to a human, only the Ancient Supreme themselves could achieve it," he speculated.

The further he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Startling questions reverberated through his mind: "What exactly is the Qilin Venerable planning?"

The mysterious Qilin Mask.

The long-vanished courier Lao Zhang.

He couldn't even distinguish the truth from the falsehood in his own memories.

"My senior brother once said that the Ancient God Clan's biggest challenge in invading the human world is adapting to the environmental constraints, particularly the Heavenly Person Realm," he recalled.

"If an Ancient Supreme could fully acclimate to human-world conditions, they would undoubtedly become the strongest."

"The Candle Dragon Venerable is unquestionably advancing down this path. That ancient monster has always been active in the real world—it's impossible that they've done nothing. In fact, all five Ancient Supremes are probably exploring ways to adapt to human-life conditions. They are peers, but also competitors."

"But then, what about the Qilin Venerable?"

Imprisoned and suppressed for over two millennia, even if he recovered his peak power and regained freedom, he might not catch up.

Because the other Supremes had already gone ahead.

Unless he could make a radical leap forward.

Or there was another possibility.

In those two thousand years, the Qilin Venerable had also been conducting experiments.

Wait!

Gu Jianlin suddenly thought of a terrifying possibility.

Because he had realized two things.

First, the Qilin Venerable's experiment succeeded.

Second, the Qilin Venerable had returned.

After all, Gu Jianlin himself was the ultimate evidence.

Bang!

His consciousness dissipated in the Soul Skywell.