The Ancient Gods' Whisper

The light in the grocery store was dim, with moths fluttering around it.

Gu Jianlin pushed the wheelchair as he strolled along the beach. The midsummer sea breeze rippled the calm water, and faintly, the sound of waves could be heard.

At the farthest point of the firmament, deep purple lightning collided with blood-red flashes, creating a web of sparks that flickered, as if trying to tear the night sky apart. The cloud sea, resembling coral clusters, fragmented into wisps.

Strangely, no sound echoed, a silence so eerie it felt terrifying.

"Don't worry, your senior brother is currently having a great time battling the Netherworld. Young people need an outlet now and then."

Huai Yin spoke softly, sitting in the wheelchair: "You don't need to worry. There are probably only a handful of humans in this world who could threaten your senior brother. Those who could truly kill him are nonexistent. Although he hasn't yet ascended to the Ninth Rank Candle Yin God, the ritual was actually completed long ago. I merely suppressed it myself."

He said flatly: "To him, this is nothing more than small potatoes."

Gu Jianlin looked up at the sky, thinking to himself that this certainly didn't look like "small potatoes."

"Next, I have a few things I need to tell you."

Huai Yin said quietly: "They're important, and you must remember them."

Gu Jianlin replied calmly: "Don't bother."

Huai Yin raised an eyebrow and glared at his shadow: "Hmm?"

"If it's a last will, then don't bother saying it,"

Gu Jianlin said expressionlessly: "Bad omen."

Huai Yin didn't take kindly to this, puffing his beard and glaring, scolding: "Unworthy pupil! How dare you curse your teacher! Your teacher's bones are still solid enough to survive for at least another couple of years."

Before accepting disciples, they're good kids.

Once accepted, they become ungrateful brats.

Ha.

Gu Jianlin asked: "Then why are you speaking as if you're sharing your last words?"

"Just going along with the mood, that's all."

Huai Yin slapped his thigh, laughing: "Don't worry, I really won't die. To me, Heaven's Punishment might be an inconvenience, but it's ultimately nothing extraordinary. As for those few in the Judgement Court, they're even more fragile—utterly useless. Wait until you grow a bit stronger; you'll be able to casually dispatch those worthless ones."

Gu Jianlin wasn't buying it one bit, calmly replying: "My experiences from childhood tell me that adults' words aren't reliable at all. Anyway, if you do kick the bucket, I'll head over to the Dark World and take the Red King as my mentor instead."

"What?"

Huai Yin widened his eyes again: "What's the point in becoming the disciple of a dead man? Have you lost your mind?"

Yet after a moment of silence, he chuckled helplessly.

Snap—a finger clicked.

Gu Jianlin felt as if the world had suddenly shifted somehow, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Every cockroach and mosquito across the northern region has just died."

Huai Yin's face looked noticeably revitalized—this was the superiority of the Divine Path.

Gu Jianlin, bewildered, sensed the surrounding rhythm of life, unsure of what to say.

"When you reach the Ninth Rank Taiyi God someday, you'll understand this feeling," Huai Yin said with faint amusement. "Legend has it that one of the reasons the Qilin Venerable is so dreaded is that, given enough time, He could genuinely ravage this planet into a barren wasteland—taking the entire dimension with it."

"Ninth Rank Taiyi God?"

Gu Jianlin suddenly understood: "Do all Ninth Ranks get a divine designation?"

This was the first time he learned the Divine Path's nomenclature for Ninth Rank.

"That's correct, because Ninth Rank falls within the Demigod Domain—able to rival Primordial beings in the real world, and in the Ancient God Realm, they stand a chance for survival in the fiercest of struggles. A Catastrophe must be a Ninth Rank Demigod, but not all Demigods are catastrophes."

Huai Yin smiled: "The definition of a Catastrophe adheres to only two criteria."

Gu Jianlin waited for the explanation.

"First, surviving a clash with an Ancient Supreme."

Huai Yin paused: "Second, mastering the Evolution Path."

Gu Jianlin froze momentarily.

"Exactly—once I activated the Evolution Path, both the Red King and others like Gold and Silver were forced to follow suit. How should I explain this to you? Ah, yes—it's like an arms race. Imagine we're students in the same school, but I secretly enrolled in a tutoring class first, forcing them to follow suit or risk losing their edge."

Huai Yin elaborated: "Otherwise, they would lose all competitiveness."

Gu Jianlin saw the light.

"Truth be told, I no longer qualify as a Catastrophe."

Huai Yin chuckled: "You've noticed, haven't you? Everyone's already treating me like an Ancient Supreme."

Gu Jianlin didn't know how to respond; he almost mistook this teacher for the Qilin Venerable himself.

To determine who truly resembled a Supreme, it absolutely had to be him.

"What about the President?"

He asked: "Isn't she a Catastrophe?"

"No, because she hasn't embraced the Evolution Path, nor is she willing to align herself with us,"

Huai Yin explained: "Her strength comes mostly from her mastery of the Breathing Technique and Forbidden Spells, as well as humanity's ultimate weapon—the Heavenly Person's Wedge. It's modeled after the Ancient God's Wedge, created according to the rules of the human world, and is held exclusively by each generation's President."

"I understand now."

Gu Jianlin hesitated briefly before asking seriously: "So what's your current level, then?"

Huai Yin laughed: "Quasi-Supreme Level."

It was as if thunder had erupted without a sound.

It felt as though the world's sea tides had all grown more tumultuous.

Gu Jianlin's hand trembled as if shocked by electricity. He tightened his grip on the wheelchair's arm.

"But it's not as exaggerated as it sounds. If I had achieved this level in my youth, I surely would've accomplished great feats. Now, though, I'm old—only a few years left to live. You've probably sensed my Life Rhythm; it's as hollow as a black hole. And… though I hate to admit it."