Si Wei'an and Jing Shangxiu were already approaching the pitch-black void.

Inside, Gu Jianlin sensed a primal essence stirring, an inexplicable tremor in his heart.

He knew—the Qilin Wedge was within!

Crack!

The eight Vajra Arhats showed no intention of battling them. Instead, they snapped the chains affixed to the Silver Coffins around them.

"These things... let them entertain you!"

They sneered coldly, "Retreat! Protect the boss!"

The Vajra Arhats turned and followed suit, accompanied by two female bodyguards.

Suddenly, the eight Silver Coffins began to tremble violently, as if something was about to break free.

Gu Jianlin squinted his eyes, bracing for imminent danger.

"This is the aura of the Ancient Ancestors."

The Moon Princess murmured softly, "Breaking through here won't be an easy task, at least not anytime soon."

Butcher scanned the surroundings, contemplating whether to undergo Divine Servant Transformation and unleash his full power.

In that brief moment, the unexpected unfolded.

From the distant ruins, a lone figure appeared.

A man with flowing black hair stood, his demeanor regal yet commanding, draped in a black and gold robe billowing in the wind. Above his head hovered sixteen golden Flying Swords, radiating a majestic golden brilliance.

Ranked first in the Omega Sequence—Ying Changsheng!

Meanwhile, on another side, a woman with cascading white hair had a single ominous Iron Sword suspended above her. Its piercing, icy Sword Light reached skyward like a roaring tempest, carrying an aura of stormy ferocity.

Ranked second in the Omega Sequence—Mu Qingyou!

And lastly, a handsome young man clutching a wolf cub stood amidst thirty-two pitch-black Flying Swords. Sharp Sword Qi swirled around him like a blizzard, encasing him in an imposing aura.

Ranked third in the Omega Sequence—Li Hanting!

The three Sword Sect masters of the Fifth Rank!

It all made sense now. With their capabilities, even if ambushed, they wouldn't have disappeared without sound.

They had merely been lying in wait, poised to strike at the most critical moment.

"You three—prepare yourselves!"

Boom!

A shadow descended from the sky, crashing heavily against the cliffside.

Instructor Wan crossed his arms and commanded solemnly, "Focus your attacks on the black hole!"

Boom!

Three blinding Sword Lights soared, illuminating the dark Ancient Ruins like devastating Thunder raining down from above.

Boom!

The pitch-black void quaked violently, teetering on the brink of collapse.

"Is this the Ether Association's grand strategy?"

At that moment, Si Wei'an sneered coldly, tossing a pitch-black magnetic stone into the void.

"Let's go!"

Jing Shangxiu followed him, stepping into the black hole.

Accompanied by the eight Vajra Arhats and two female bodyguards, they vanished without a trace.

The pitch-black magnetic stone momentarily stabilized the collapsing void.

They forced their way into the underground ruins!

At that moment, the expressions of the top three ranks in the Omega Sequence darkened drastically.

Wan Rentu couldn't help cursing aloud, "Bastards!"

Amid the deafening tremors, the entire Ancient Ruins shook, dust falling in cascades.

The colossal statue was riddled with cracks.

A moment too late.

One wrong move.

Such a shame.

The pitch-black void was collapsing visibly, nearing total rupture!

The Ancient Ruins trembled precariously.

"Instructor Wan must've been trying to stop them from entering the ruins, but to no avail. This passage likely requires a specific method to reopen it. Not sure if I have the ability to force another gate open."

Gu Jianlin gazed into the distance, murmuring inwardly.

"It's too late."

The Moon Princess spoke softly, "The fragment of the Qilin Wedge should be inside."

Butcher scratched his head, asking, "Boss, what now?"

Suddenly, Gu Jianlin heard faint rustling noises, spinning around sharply.

Unbeknownst to him, the Moon Princess had retrieved a small dressing mirror and rolled up her sleeve.

On her pale wrist, these words were plainly written: Use the mirror to break hypnosis.

"Moon Princess, wake up!"

She commanded coldly.

For a fleeting moment, the dressing mirror emitted a chill radiance.

A flicker of confusion passed through the girl's bright eyes before clarity returned.

"Butcher, get behind me."

She suddenly said.

Though puzzled, Butcher obediently complied.

Gu Jianlin froze, realizing the girl had just undone some form of hypnosis.

Meaning, she had been hypnotizing herself all along.

"Because you know me too well. Without self-hypnosis, I couldn't deceive you."

The Moon Princess suddenly curved her eyes into crescent moons, her gaze full of sparkling amusement, speaking gently, "You must've suspected who I am a long time ago. But because of the interference from the Mythical Weapon, you couldn't be certain."

She, too, pulled out an ancient bronze compass, whose golden light illuminated her cat-faced mask and sly expression, "Alright, I'm heading into the ruins now. I promised my mentor to take good care of you, to protect you. So this time, I won't bring you with me. If possible, stay home and make dinner. Wait for me to come back and eat."

In an instant, the golden light engulfed both figures.

The Moon Princess and Butcher vanished abruptly.

"Take care of yourself. Don't be reckless out there."

Only a faint voice lingered in the boy's ears.

Gu Jianlin stood silently in place.

The imagined version of Old Gu within him sighed, "That little rascal… still as headstrong as ever."

So that's it; the file she had given him was incomplete.

The most crucial part had been concealed.

Clearly, Old Gu had once reached this location.

Now, as Old Gu's student, the girl was pursuing the truth in her stead.

"Idiot."

·

·

Boom!

It felt as if the world was collapsing, time and space surging like a tidal wave.

The Moon Princess seemed to be plunging into endless darkness, yet her eyes remained serene, her lips pressed tightly together.

"Don't be afraid. You are the best."

She inhaled deeply, murmuring softly, "The mentor has taught you countless times—don't be scared. As someone on the Ghost Slayer Path, the one thing you should fear the least is time-space traversal. Nothing will happen."

The girl comforted herself inwardly.

Meanwhile, Butcher stood beside her, wooden as a puppet, while the bronze fragment in his pocket suddenly burned hot. He began to tremble violently, a phantom of the Black Qilin flashing in the depths of his pupils.

"Boss."

He seemed to receive some kind of command and asked, "Why didn't you let Brother Gu come down here with you?"

Enduring the pressure of the time-space traversal, the Moon Princess's cool voice grew hoarse as she murmured, "Because he's too stubborn, too headstrong. If he came down with me, he wouldn't let me face any risks. In the end, all the danger and stress would fall solely on his shoulders."

She spoke softly, "I don't want that. I couldn't bear that."

Butcher's face twitched, and he asked again, "Do you like him that much?"

The Moon Princess remained silent for a moment before softly saying, "Yes."

"What do you like about him?"

Butcher asked, puzzled.

The Moon Princess shook her head, "I don't know; I just like him."

Butcher saw black spots, feeling like the bronze fragment might scorch him. Grimacing, he asked, "Then when did you start liking him? Surely you know that much?"

The Moon Princess suddenly giggled lightly.

"I truly don't know. Maybe it was back when I watched him from afar with my mentor."

She paused, her deep, mesmerizing eyes softening, "Or maybe it was three months ago, that night when he had a nightmare and woke up, suddenly holding me tightly in his arms."

·

·

Amid the rumbling noises of the Ancient Ruins, Gu Jianlin looked up at the sky, gazing at the depths of the ocean.

Dim light reflected in his eyes.

"Youzhu..."