The movements were cautious yet highly professional.

But the others were different; their focus was on their own safety and the traces of the missing persons.

Many of them were here under orders.

Most likely, the forces supporting them had issued directives demanding the missing people be found, no matter what.

As a result, each of them was somewhat anxious.

Only Tang Ling was focused on collecting Merit.

Gu Jianlin observed this woman. He had been pondering something for a while.

Tang Ling, clearly a Sword Tomb successor, a student of the Catastrophe, esteemed by the President, with exceptional innate talent—frankly put, a true daughter of heaven.

Yet she dressed extremely simply, wearing a plain white jacket, a camisole, and a pair of ultra-short shorts.

The total cost of her entire outfit might not even exceed two hundred bucks.

In comparison to Youzhu, the difference in cost was astonishing.

Even her phone seemed quite dated.

Yet, the cosmetics she pulled out from her bag were high-end products.

Though still inferior compared to Youzhu's, at least they weren't garbage.

It didn't make any sense.

By anyone's standards, she should be the kind of person who has everything handed to her, commanding the world as she pleased.

When constructing a profile of her personality, Gu Jianlin was struck by a pervasive sense of discord.

It might be due to frugality, but the odds of that were slim.

She simply spent her limited money wisely, on necessities.

So the question was: Why is this girl broke?

And considering how much she spent on games, she didn't seem poor at all.

Suddenly, eerie laughter echoed throughout the dense forest.

"Who's laughing!?"

The crowd jolted in alarm, scanning their surroundings.

Without anyone noticing, the mist in the Returning Burial Forest had thickened dramatically, and the sinister laughter grew heavier.

Without hesitation, Dawn released golden light, enveloping everyone.

Poison immunity.

Life Force enhancement.

Mental interference blocked.

Increased resistance to physical damage.

The fortune of all team members received a positive boost.

Meanwhile, Nightmare started divination with the Crystal Ball, muttering incantations softly.

At the same time, a silver-white halo lit up beneath their feet, Danger foreknowledge shared across the team!

"Feel free to use your powers; I'll prepare secret medicine to replenish your spirituality,"

The Poison Master uttered faintly.

"Mountain Ghost, Demon Blade, Blue Whale."

Tang Ling issued commands indifferently, "The three of you are responsible for support and defense."

As for the fighting, they had three powerhouses for that.

Tang Ling, Gu Jianlin, and Ji Xiaoyu.

The team allocation was perfectly executed.

At this moment, Gu Jianlin seemed to sense something. Lacking a suitable weapon, he simply picked up a big rock from the ground, tested its weight, and slowly approached a withered ancient tree.

Tang Ling noticed this, her vermillion eyes narrowing as she tightened her grip on the Iron Sword.

Ji Xiaoyu was brimming with excitement, cracking her knuckles.

The child buried in the tree hung its head, seemingly still asleep.

At that moment, everyone heard faint whispers.

It seemed to say: Come!

Come here!

Summoning his courage, Gu Jianlin moved forward first, earning silent admiration from the crowd for his outrageous bravery.

"I'm here."

He said coldly, "What do you want?"

In truth, it wasn't that he was fearless; his confidence wasn't entirely firm either.

Though he felt assured that nothing would go wrong, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

After all, this was a thousand-year-old corpse before him—saying he had no fear would be a lie.

Even if Gu Jianlin instantly regained the full power of Qilin Venerable, he was still just a seventeen-year-old boy. No matter how precocious, there were limits to his mental resilience.

Even the special training he underwent with Candle Dragon Venerable hadn't changed that.

After all, she was a peerless beauty; no matter how solemn and majestic she appeared, she didn't trigger actual dread.

But a corpse lying before you, with the potential to reanimate?

That was a different kind of unnerving.

He had to keep silently repeating to himself:

You inherited the power of an Ancient Supreme.

You are the legendary Qilin Venerable!

You are invincible!

The parrot screeched mockingly, "Afraid of a ghost?!"

However, at that very moment, the child sleeping in the tree suddenly opened its blood-red eyes, thrusting its head out while issuing a beast-like roar, grotesque and horrifying!

"Oh, hell!"

Gu Jianlin genuinely felt like giving this horrific creature a certificate of achievement.

Congratulations on unlocking the achievement: You scared Qilin Venerable!

Take that honor and die!

Gu Jianlin's forehead flared with a pale Ghost Fire, which suddenly turned pitch black.

In his moment of terror, he immediately activated Ghost Transformation, entering a rampage on the spot!

With a deafening bang, the child's head exploded violently.

It shattered like a watermelon, but what gushed out was black blood!

Gu Jianlin instantly dodged backward, ensuring that none of the foul liquid touched him.

But the more pressing issue was that the ghostly entity remained alive!

Despite its head being shattered, the child forcibly tore apart the decayed tree bark with its hands, crawling out from within stark naked. Its wrinkled, withered body was drenched in black blood.

Utterly revolting.

"Oh, turns out it's a boy."

A tall, slender shadow darted forward, red hair flowing in the air.

Tang Ling lunged ahead, gripping the Iron Sword tightly as it buzzed with vibrations. In an instant, countless strikes overlapped like illusions, erupting in a conflagration of devastating force. The violent Sword Qi surged like tidal waves!

With a thundering roar, the boy's body was slashed into fragments before being torn apart by the rampant Sword Qi!