Although it was only a fleeting and fragmented vision,

he actually caught a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg from that war two thousand years ago!

The oppressive feeling, like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, was hauntingly familiar.

In this world, only one person could achieve this.

Candle Dragon Venerable!

"Youzhu."

Gu Jianlin suddenly said, "I saw it."

Su Youzhu frowned. "Saw what?"

"If my guess is correct, this cave we're in is not actually some kind of special space."

Gu Jianlin muttered, "We might be inside the corpse of an Ancient God."

Su Youzhu was stunned.

"Candle Dragon Venerable used the corpse of an Ancient God to bury these Wedges. That Ancient God should be from the Qilin Clan, a Fire Qilin, though its exact rank is unclear. It's either an Ancestor, or a Primordial."

Gu Jianlin stared at the blood-red fissures on the walls. "These things should be its blood vessels, and the so-called Alchemy Matrix that can nullify Mythical Weapons is likely operating with this corpse as its core. In other words, the design of this place wasn't solely done by Qilin Venerable but also by Candle Dragon Venerable."

Su Youzhu fell into silence.

The moment the Primordial was mentioned, her first thought was whether it might reanimate.

To be fair, Gu Jianlin had the same thought.

The most troublesome aspect of the Ancient God Clan was this:

They could die, but not completely.

Who knew if it might suddenly reanimate?

"Are we inside a giant corpse?"

Su Youzhu said with a blank expression.

"Yes, a super-giant corpse."

Gu Jianlin nodded.

In the deathly silence, the Butcher suddenly poked his head over. "Where's the corpse? I'm starving."

The siblings glared at him in unison. "Shut up."

The Butcher: "…"

What truly made Gu Jianlin's scalp tingle was Candle Dragon Venerable's power.

The scene he had just witnessed was too horrifying.

That Fire Qilin felt unimaginably powerful to him, undoubtedly a Primordial.

Yet, Candle Dragon Venerable killed a Primordial with merely a glance.

Thinking about how he had provoked such an existence, he suddenly felt a twinge of regret.

Then again, even if he hadn't provoked her, she was likely to come after him eventually.

That old monster was truly terrifying.

"Candle Dragon Venerable used a Primordial's corpse to bury the Qilin Wedge?"

Su Youzhu asked softly, "Why would she do that?"

Gu Jianlin was silent for a second. "I don't know. But perhaps if we continue to explore, we'll find out."

Because he had a hunch.

Candle Dragon Venerable had once mentioned that he needed to return something to her!

What had Qilin Venerable taken all those years ago?

"Oh, by the way."

Gu Jianlin recalled something and frowned. "You didn't consume the Ancient God's Blood of the Candle Dragon Clan, did you?"

Su Youzhu shook her head in his arms. "Nope. Do I look like someone stupid enough to do that? Becoming a Divine Servant would mean losing my freedom. I evolved on my own… Well, okay, your dad actually watched over me while I completed my evolution. He said that way I wouldn't have to fear contamination."

Gu Jianlin sighed with relief. "If that's the case, does that mean my dad has also mastered Controllable Deformation?"

Su Youzhu nodded. "Because he's on the Heavenly Master Path, mastering an evolution path similar to the Vermilion Bird Clan, yet independent from it."

Gu Jianlin nodded slightly. "Selling one's soul to the Ancient God Clan is sheer stupidity."

The Butcher's eye twitched slightly.

First of all, I didn't mess with any of you.

And secondly, having a backer isn't so bad, is it?

"What about you?"

Su Youzhu looked up at the boy. "I also saw what you just did."

Gu Jianlin's face remained calm, and he said evenly, "The King of Qing taught me."

Su Youzhu's gaze was suspicious. "Oh, really? Then how did you get in here? If this is the corpse of an Ancient God, Candle Dragon Venerable should've placed a temporal seal over it, and you don't even have a bronze compass."

Gu Jianlin fell silent.

·

·

In the lost ancient city, yellow sand swept across the landscape.

Wan Rentu smoked in silence, his face a mask of exasperation, saying nothing.

"Still no contact with Tang Ling or Gu Jianlin?"

Arms crossed, his headache visibly grew. "Now this is a real mess."

Nightmare sat cross-legged on the ground, clutching a crystal ball maniacally. His whole body convulsed as if possessed, blood oozing from his seven orifices, muttering nonsensical fragments under his breath.

Moments later, he opened his bloodshot eyes. "Still no divination of their whereabouts."

Dawn wordlessly cast down a ray of Holy Light.

The Poison Master quickly handed over a bottle of Spiritual Secret Medicine.

"What's the big deal? Look on the bright side."

Ji Xiaoyu said carefreely, "Maybe they're dead?"

Ji Han and Ji Ye were instantly stunned into silence.

Blue Whale hesitated, as if wanting to speak but stopping.

Ji Xiaoyu gazed into the depths of the Ancient Ruins, wondering if those two bastards really had died just like that.

She hadn't even had her revenge yet.

Recalling the kick those two gave her backside, she couldn't help but seethe with rage.

You two better come out alive so we can have a rematch!

Elsewhere, in another part of the ruins, Mr. Liu lounged nonchalantly on a chair, turning his head to ask, "Moon Princess and the Butcher are missing, too? They must've entered the underground ruins, right?"

"Most likely."

Ning Chen frowned. "They're in danger."

Mr. Liu winced as if in physical pain. "Don't say that."

The howling winds filled the ruins as silence and unease fell over the group.

Their gazes, consciously or not, drifted toward the scene ahead.

Eight silver coffins lay shattered, their remnants scattered chaotically.

Even more chilling, the corpses of eight Ancient Ancestors kneeled lifelessly on the ground.

Their deathly expressions were frozen on their faces:

Shock, terror, awe, and distortion.

As if, at the moment of their demise, they had witnessed something that should not exist.

Even these ancient inhabitants seemed to have met their end in a quivering, haunting fear, dying with lingering dread.

Not long ago, everyone had simultaneously felt something horrifying descend upon these ruins.

But because of interference from the Calamity Ruins, no one caught a clear glimpse.

By the time the black mist dissipated, the eight Ancient Ancestors were already dead.

Dead without a sound.

Strangely, abruptly.

Especially their death postures, which sent shivers down the spine.

"Hey, Old Chen."

Wan Rentu picked up a walkie-talkie. "The mission's gone sideways. The Fourth Master from You Ying Group entered the underground ruins of Returning Burial Forest with his team. Tang Ling and Gu Jianlin are missing as well. Changsheng and the others are searching outside on their swords, but no trace has been found yet. Odds are, they've ventured inside, too."

On the other end, Chen Bojun went silent.

"I understand," he said. "I'll immediately organize Dawn City's combat units to level Returning Burial Forest."

Wan Rentu's expression became gravely serious as he shook his head. "No, Old Chen. You need to come in person. Also, report directly to headquarters and convene a strategic meeting, or this could end badly."

Chen Bojun paused. "What happened?"

"Something monstrous just descended upon these ruins and then vanished mysteriously."

Wan Rentu explained, "There's not much trace left of it, but my gut instincts as of late tell me it was at least a Primordial. A living Primordial, roaming the Qilin Immortal Palace. If this goes south, we could lose everyone. Even encountering it ourselves felt like a close call."

A tense silence.

After a long pause, Chen Bojun asked, "Where do you think it will go?"

Wan Rentu smirked. "The ruins?"

Chen Bojun was just about to reply when an urgent alarm interrupted him.

"Hold on."

He said, "The Judgement Court has arrived, demanding a full report on the mission."

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