The sheepskin scroll in Si Wei'an's hand began to burn.

He unfolded the scroll, watching line after line of burning text emerge, his gaze growing cold: "All eight Vajra Arhats are dead. Your two personal bodyguards are also dead."

Jing Shangxiu remained expressionless, waved his hand indifferently, and said, "The Order of the Hidden is never short of talent. Their deaths serve as contributions to our supreme cause, and are their honor."

"I do admire your way of treating people as nothing more than tools."

Si Wei'an's smile gradually twisted: "But I must admit, your Order of the Hidden holds considerable power. Let me guess: the structure of your organization resembles a spiderweb spread across the globe, with countless hidden threads. Within your strand, where do you stand? Whose tool are you?"

Jing Shangxiu tapped his cane and said irritably, "Do not attempt to probe us. The fact that you uncovered the existence of the Order of the Hidden and came into contact with us was due to your own capability, and also a mark of recognition from above. But this does not grant you the right to explore our secrets—otherwise... you will die."

"Heh."

Si Wei'an sneered, dismissing the threat.

Jing Shangxiu's gaze turned sinister, his voice hoarse as he said, "It seems you're truly unafraid of death. Is it because the You Ying Group possesses the Sorrowful Corpse Cycle? That's no secret to us."

Si Wei'an raised an eyebrow, showing no surprise, and his grin only deepened.

"Looks like I'll need to clean up the traitors within my group when I return."

He licked his lips: "Your organization has extended its reach too far."

"Suit yourself."

Jing Shangxiu sneered coldly, "But you'll never truly root them all out."

Si Wei'an stared at the old man.

Though ostensibly they were allies tied by circumstance, the hidden rivalry never ceased.

What he most wanted to uncover was the method by which the other party could continuously infiltrate and manipulate members across various organizations.

"What I'm more curious about is—since the Ether Association failed to stop us from entering the ruins, they should be fuming by now? If they resort to unleashing their Thunder tactics and forcibly tearing open this space."

He squinted and asked, "Wouldn't that turn us into sitting ducks?"

Jing Shangxiu sneered: "Relax, we have insiders within the Ether Association. The priority now is to kill that Moon Princess. She cannot be allowed to live; she must die here."

Si Wei'an glanced at the text on the sheepskin scroll and said, "Miss Yue Ji's body appears to rely on some form of Mythical Weapon for support. Quite interesting—upon entering the underground ruins, she's already nearly at her limit."

Jing Shangxiu suddenly understood upon hearing this.

"So that's it. This underground ruin was constructed using the corpse of the Red Qilin Ancestor. Its Authority while alive continues to influence this fragment of spacetime. As a result, all Mythical Weapon effects are nullified here."

The old man's gaze turned chilling: "This domain is still not strong enough. We can push it further."

Blood-red light illuminated their faces.

Their surroundings were revealed to be a blood-red cave, its walls pulsating with living tissue and membrane. Countless crimson blood vessels throbbed, connecting to a massive, dormant heart.

"It's hard to imagine—the once-roaring Primordial, now as pitiful as livestock before an even more powerful Supreme. The allure of the Ancient Supreme's power is eternally captivating, always drawing reverence."

Si Wei'an tugged at his bowtie, clicking his tongue: "If the Wedge is indeed sealed within this corpse of the Ancient God, then the past eight years of planning hasn't been in vain."

"Two thousand five hundred years... Let us witness the divine miracle once more."

Jing Shangxiu's face twisted with feverish fervor as he knelt on the ground, shouting zealously.

"The ritual begins!"

·

·

Gu Jianlin was debating how to handle the situation. The matter involving Qilin Venerable carried immense karmic weight; he couldn't possibly disclose it to anyone and could only shoulder it alone.

Suddenly, the cave trembled again, and countless blood-red vein-like patterns emerged on the rock walls, radiating crimson light, resembling molten lava.

The girl in his arms quivered slightly, her complexion as pale as a lifeless paper flower.

Su Youzhu let out a muffled groan, the veins on her wrist protruding like vines. Her skin became even paler.

"The Alchemy Domain has been strengthened!"

Gu Jianlin exclaimed in shock.

Su Youzhu curled up in his embrace, speaking softly: "It seems so."

She whispered, "Teacher said that the essence of Extraordinary Creatures is similar to Mythical Weapon. Look at the Parrot Emperor perched on your shoulder—it has already fallen into slumber. Only once we leave here will it awaken again."

The Parrot Emperor indeed hadn't spoken for quite some time.

Otherwise, when the siblings were arguing earlier, it would've undoubtedly chimed in with sarcastic remarks.

On the rocky walls, the veins convulsed violently, revealing the surging, roaring flow of blood within!

"What's happening!"

Butcher exclaimed in shock.

Gu Jianlin understood exactly what was occurring.

Clearly, the corpse of this Ancient God was being forcibly awakened.

"Dead for two thousand five hundred years, but still possesses power?"

Su Youzhu's voice was soft.

Gu Jianlin knew well how mysterious and unfathomable the power of the Ancient God Clan could be.

Moreover, this situation was quite different from his own.

Even after being slain for two thousand years, Qilin Venerable could still awaken, using its Spiritual Domain to contaminate the external world. It could even coalesce its own rank and Authority into a mask and send it out.