Taihua spoke softly: "That child's talent far surpasses mine. Her temperament is still lacking maturity, but given time, she will undoubtedly outshine me. If the Heavenly Person's Wedge is placed in her hands, it could truly shine."

The figure in black robes replied calmly: "We're naturally aware of her talents and eagerly anticipate her arrival."

Taihua suddenly seemed to recall something, hesitation flickering in her gaze: "Recently, I discovered another remarkable child. Within an instant, he grasped the rhythm of the Heavenly Realm."

The black-robed figure turned toward her, his eyes showing the first hint of emotion: "You're changing your mind, aren't you?"

"Not exactly."

Taihua gazed into the distance: "Are you truly not going to intervene?"

The black-robed figure shook his head and said, "The divine mandate we received involves only two matters. First, to thwart Candle Dragon Venerable's plans. Second, to ensure your remains are properly handled."

Taihua sneered coldly.

·

·

Inside the colossal Golden Temple, Gu Jianlin exhaled a turbid breath from his chest. This time, he had virtually drained all the Ancient God's Breath within a radius of several kilometers, using both his true form and shadow avatar.

The energy consumption was immense.

Luckily, this was the Qilin Immortal Palace and not the real world. Even after battling for so long, he could continue maintaining the Ancient God Transformation for at least another three minutes.

He stretched his muscles, the snapping and crackling of his joints echoing throughout: "That fight was genuinely satisfying. Although it was still a dimension-reducing strike, it was ultimately one against four—or rather, two against five, considering how powerful this shadow avatar has grown. It even managed to achieve Ancient God Transformation. At this rate, could it one day cosplay as Candle Dragon Venerable?"

Bending down, he picked up the near-shattered ring.

This seemed to be a growth-oriented Mythical Weapon, capable of repair.

Four icy corpses lay within the temple, and he pulled out the Soul Comforting Bell, casually imprisoning their souls.

Sure enough, only Twilight Candidates of this caliber could push him toward true ascension.

Whether it was their madness or battle intelligence, these four were exceptional.

They even saw through many of his techniques.

Moreover, these four likely weren't the strongest among the Twilight Candidates.

As a black halo shimmered around them, four numb souls floated mid-air.

"Your rankings among the Twilight Candidates."

Gu Jianlin inquired.

"Ninth."

"Seventh."

"Tenth."

"Fifth."

Jiang Hanyi ranked the highest.

Gu Jianlin was surprised; he didn't expect this crazy woman to be so strong, yet only rank fifth.

It seemed there were even stronger individuals further up the ladder.

He didn't waste time on small talk and continued asking: "How did You Ying Group pinpoint Minister Lu's location?"

The answer was unexpected. Jiang Hanyi replied blankly: "The Red King's diary, combined with Old Master Si's divination abilities, allowed them to precisely determine Lu Zijin's whereabouts."

Gu Jianlin's eyes narrowed suspiciously: "What is the Red King's diary?"

"It's a diary left by the king before his death, rumored to foresee events three hundred years into the future. So far, everything recorded in the diary has been accurately fulfilled. You Ying Group bases most of their plans on its contents. The diary is in Lord Youming's possession; only the Think Tank can access it besides him."

Jiang Hanyi explained, "Lord Youming doesn't handle the group's planning; most responsibilities are delegated to the Think Tank."

Gu Jianlin found it horrifying—an uncanny notebook left by a dead man capable of foreseeing three centuries ahead.

It was simply terrifying.

After all, the Red King wasn't a Divination Master or Spirit Medium.

Even a demigod following those paths couldn't achieve such feats.

"Are you trying to kill Lu Zijin? Is it just out of revenge?"

Gu Jianlin frowned.

"Not entirely. This is because the Think Tank is orchestrating a scheme based on the diary."

Jiang Hanyi said, "Few know what he's planning. It's likely only a portion of You Ying Group's senior figures are aware. These individuals are mostly the six directors and the family heads behind them."

Gu Jianlin had already heard the Think Tank's name multiple times: "Who is the Think Tank?"

"Unknown. No one has ever known his origins, name, inheritance path, or exact rank. He appears and disappears unpredictably. The only certainty is even the Dusk Organization follows his commands. And he is a fanatical believer in the king."

Jiang Hanyi said numbly, "His level of madness is no less than Lord Youming's."

"Go on."

"I know very little about the Think Tank; I've only interacted with him once. It was during my first encounter with the Moon Princess at You Ying Group. Relying on my Guardian, I severely injured that bastard and tried to kill her. In the end, it was the Think Tank's people who stopped me and demanded I spare her."

Bastard.

Golden fury flared in Gu Jianlin's pupils, molten lava seeming to swirl within.

The fragile souls imprisoned by the Soul Comforting Bell nearly shattered under the pressure.

"Why such hostility toward the Moon Princess?"

Gu Jianlin asked coldly.

"The Moon Princess's mother was from the Jiang Family, a member of Dusk; a Holy Land-level Evolver. She was once the Jiang Family's promising heir and a contender for the position of Family Head. However, she is now an unerasable shame for the family. According to family traditions, any illegitimate child or descendant whose bloodline strays must be killed."

Jiang Hanyi explained, "But the Moon Princess's mother is very powerful. The Jiang Family needs her strength and influence, so they compromised slightly. The Jiang Family allowed the bastards to live but stopped them from becoming Ascenders, while demanding permanent loyalty from their mother."

Gu Jianlin understood: "And the Moon Princess became an Ascender?"

"Yes, breaking the family rules, which is why I aimed to kill them—to cleanse the family's disgrace."

Jiang Hanyi replied.

Gu Jianlin paused for a moment. "So the Jiang Family must have been a product of inbreeding."

A parrot peeked out from the bag and squawked:

"Is the Jiang Family's brain filled with trash?"

Gu Jianlin asked coldly: "So the Think Tank stopped you because of the Moon Princess's mother?"

"Presumably."

Jiang Hanyi replied, "But we still intend to act under the radar."

Gu Jianlin's voice turned icy: "Reveal your plan."

"Most of the Twilight Candidates participating in this operation are our people. Once inside the unknown regions of the Ancient God Realm, we'll find an opportunity to kill the Moon Princess. The team leader this time is Old Master Si, a Sixth Rank Divination Master. He'll help me and cover up all traces, ensuring no one knows it was my doing."

Jiang Hanyi continued, "Old Master Si is ruthless. His nephew, Si Wei'an, has always wanted to eliminate that bastard, whether due to the Returning Burial Forest feud or to weaken Third Master's influence."

Gu Jianlin thought it fortunate he had dealt with these four Twilight Candidates.

Otherwise, Youzhu would have been in real danger.

"Did you anticipate the presence of numerous Ancient God Seeds here?"

He asked, "How did you avoid their attacks?"

"The King's diary and the Soul-snatching Fragrance provided by the Think Tank."

Jiang Hanyi explained.

Gu Jianlin contemplated for a moment. The greatest immediate threats had been neutralized.

Si Wei'an hadn't followed them.

But it didn't matter; Gu Jianlin had a plan for dealing with him.

The real trouble now was another figure—Old Master Si.

From all accounts, this old man proved extremely formidable.

Both his teacher and senior brother had previously critiqued him.

If Youzhu intervened today, there was a significant chance Old Master Si would notice.

A solution needed to be devised to eliminate him.

All of a sudden, the Golden Temple began to rumble violently. Both the ground and the dome lit up with blazing crimson patterns, as if a hidden alchemy matrix had been activated.

"What's happening?"

Gu Jianlin retrieved the Soul Comforting Bell, astonished.

The enormous Qilin Divine Statue atop the Golden Divine Seat opened its slit-like, vertical pupils!

Boom!

The kneeling sculptures faintly emitted echoing sounds, seemingly welcoming someone's return.

The massive Qilin Divine Statue fixed its gaze on the void, gathering countless golden specks of light that coalesced into a crimson golden scepter—a spectral creation that paradoxically appeared tangible!

Gu Jianlin froze, recalling the knowledge stored in his mind.

Old Gu murmured into his ear: "What's there to be surprised about? Didn't I already tell you this was Qilin Venerable's city? This is His throne. In the boundless epochs past, He should have sat right here, holding the scepter, punishing traitors within this grave-like city."

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