Countless ancient tomes quivered in the wind, their pages flipping one by one with a rustling sound.

The labyrinthine bookshelves trembled violently, and an erupting Qi Force almost seemed to overturn the entire library!

The iron spear resonated with a sharp, piercing aura, as though it was ready to penetrate your heart!

Gu Jianlin merely cast a glance toward him, only to see an ancient samurai towering and steadfast, standing amidst a battlefield of endless yellow sands, with shattered earth beneath his feet and collapsing mountains at his back.

This was an Ancient Martial!

At least a Holy Sanctuary Level Ancient Martial!

No need to think much; this must be one of the top-tier combat forces of the Ether Association.

This was Gu Jianlin's first time directly facing the might of a Holy Sanctuary Level Ascender. Although still far inferior compared to old monsters, the sheer proximity made him feel a palpable sense of imminent annihilation.

"Go."

Huai Yin casually raised her hand and pushed lightly!

Clang!

It was merely a simple gesture of empty air, yet a muffled thunder erupted from within the red-haired middle-aged man's body. He was sent flying backward, crashing into countless shelves before slamming heavily against the library wall.

Booming sounds reverberated endlessly!

At the same time, horrifying muffled echoes continued resonating within him, accompanied by the iron spear slipping out of his grasp, clattering to the ground with an incessant hum.

In the final roar of the reverberation, this Holy Sanctuary Level Ascender instantly vanished into the Soul Skywell.

The fallen bookshelves and shattered walls began to silently mend themselves.

"The Heavenly Fire God General has improved quite a bit over the years. Otherwise, that little push just now would've reduced him to dust."

Jing Ci explained, "That was one of the six Divine Generals from the Ether Association headquarters—an Eighth Rank Ancient Martial. In a sense, you could say he's one of the Guardians of the real world."

Gu Jianlin sank into prolonged silence.

Indeed, the old man entering the Soul Skywell was more than fitting.

Though, the reality left just the slightest gap from his imagination.

So this is what 'venerable and esteemed' meant, huh.

He seemed to have opened the door to a new world.

Still, the old man's strength was terrifying; defeating an Eighth Rank required nothing more than a casual push.

This was Catastrophe!

Yet Catastrophe was unable to overcome the old monster.

How unfathomably powerful could the old monster truly be?

Gu Jianlin felt his scalp tingling.

"Let's go."

Huai Yin, seated in her wheelchair, led the way.

Jing Ci and Gu Jianlin followed behind.

The towering bookshelves began shifting, reconfiguring into new arrangements, unexpectedly forming a pathway.

One side of the library wall collapsed, revealing a pitch-black and narrow corridor.

Candles burst into flame out of nowhere, illuminating the path ahead.

"I haven't been here for over two hundred years."

Huai Yin sighed, "The last time, I came with my junior disciple."

Gu Jianlin perked up at the mention of the junior disciple.

"The teacher's junior disciple, the famed Red King, was also the one who betrayed the Ether Association and joined the Dark World—a Catastrophe in their ranks. He was the first king of the Dark World and our senior uncle."

Jing Ci casually remarked, "The Qilin Forbidden Curse was his discovery."

Gu Jianlin pondered silently.

The narrow corridor stretched to its end, and suddenly, the path behind was no longer visible.

Faint starlight began to shine ahead.

At some unknown moment, they found themselves amidst a sea of stars. Surrounding them was an endless expanse of brilliant constellations, with countless planet-like spheres encircled by glowing rings floating in the darkness—a boundless Universe.

Beneath the glittering starlight stood an ancient stone monument, solemnly suspended in the Void.

"The Soul Skywell is, in essence, a unique space, detached from the dimensions of the real world—a small, independent realm seized by humanity from the Ancient God Clan. Where we stand now is a fractured timeline, originally located by my junior disciple who anchored it and connected us here."

Huai Yin gazed at the jet-black stone monument and smiled, "Back in the day, Yan Li claimed he was the only one who uncovered the true secrets of the Ancient God Clan because he made contact with the Primordial origin. Though, no one knows what this so-called Primordial origin truly is."

"This fractured timeline was split apart by the Candle Dragon Venerable, one of the first Ancient Supremes to descend upon Earth—and also the mightiest. From ancient times till now, we've always been curious about its purpose, but no answer has ever surfaced. The prevailing thought is, once this purpose is unveiled, it will reveal the origins and truths of everything."

She chuckled nostalgically, "Yan Li was perhaps the most likely to uncover this truth. After all, his talent did surpass mine by a smidgen. What a pity, though—he was too foolish."

Gu Jianlin silently gazed at the surrounding timeline.

Ah yes, the old monster could casually fracture timelines.

While he, hitching a ride across space and time, still got motion sickness.

A long road lies ahead; he needs to continue progressing steadily.

"The true name of the Red King: Jiang Yanli."

Jing Ci remarked coolly, "Once we're out of here, don't ever mention that name again. It's taboo."

Huai Yin stared at the jet-black stone monument and said:

"Since ancient times, one thing remains certain: putting aside the distinctions between the real world and the Ancient God Realm, at the end of humanity's Inheritance Path, their maximum potential only reaches the level equivalent to an ancestor-level Ancient God. Before the Pre-Qin Era, humanity's strongest fighters in the Ancient God Realm could only face ancestor-level Ancient Gods on equal footing."

"So then, post-Pre-Qin Era, how did humanity confront Primordial beings or those allegedly invincible Ancient Supremes? The answer, naturally, was through Breathing Techniques and Forbidden Curses."