The Ancient Gods' Whisper

Gu Jianlin was quite surprised by the outcome.

But when he recalled the altar he had seen aboard the Bren Hill, it all started to make sense.

"This time, I found a hideout of The Order of the Hidden on the Bren Hill. There was an altar there, known as the Penglai Ascension Array. Basically, it's a method of human refinement, treating people like alchemical pills."

He roughly recounted what he had seen and experienced earlier.

Su Youzhu rested her cheek in her hand and quipped, "Calling it a hideout is fitting. But with your understanding of the Extraordinary World, how did you recognize what was depicted in those murals? You even know about human refinement?"

Gu Jianlin cleared his throat. "Because I've been trying my best to study."

He omitted the parts involving Senior Sister Tang, mainly because that girl tended to get jealous easily.

Now it seemed that when the Candle Dragon Venerable left the East Sea back then, it was far from as simple as breaking and sealing the Qilin Wedge. She must have left something else behind, which required guardianship.

Xu Fu was precisely the Gatekeeper she had left behind.

Including the Kui Dragon Ancestor, which might have been the second layer of insurance she had arranged.

"Wait a minute."

Su Youzhu suddenly fixed her gaze on the soul trapped inside the Soul Comforting Bell, suspicion evident in her tone. "Why do you know such high-level secrets so clearly? Matters involving the Ancient Supreme are way beyond your capabilities to handle."

Unexpectedly, Councilman Zhang interjected, "The Order of the Hidden discovered this matter because of the Lin Family massacre six years ago. I was promoted from Deacon to Councilman after that incident and was recruited as an informant. The Lin Family was the lineage tasked with guarding this secret."

"Initially, when the Judgement Court started investigating them, it was because they were trying to find a method to evolve. But during my inquiry, I discovered that the Lin Family had secretly preserved thousand-year-old murals, confirming that their ancestors had entered the Qilin Immortal Palace and come out alive, bringing these secrets with them."

"I didn't report this matter but passed it on to my superiors. Currently, besides members of The Order of the Hidden, the Ether Association has no knowledge of this. Otherwise, they would have launched an investigation by now."

He added, "The current focus of The Order of the Hidden is to locate the Candle Dragon Venerable's inheritance."

Gu Jianlin nodded slightly. Everything aligned for now.

The Candle Dragon Venerable's inheritance wasn't the Dragon Bone, as it was useless to others.

During the Returning Burial Forest incident, what The Order of the Hidden was searching for was the Qilin Wedge.

Not something left behind by the Candle Dragon Venerable.

"Back then, Third Master and others from the You Ying Group also mentioned the Candle Dragon Venerable's inheritance. It's highly likely that The Order of the Hidden deliberately spread the rumor, leveraging the Dark World to search for it."

Su Youzhu mused thoughtfully.

Gu Jianlin's thoughts stirred. "Lin Wanqiu, she must be from the Lin Family, right? Is she a member of The Order of the Hidden?"

"No, Lin Wanqiu is an adopted daughter of the Lin Family. It was she who reported the Lin Family's secret experiments. The Judgement Court places great trust in her. This woman is incredibly shrewd and cautious, never trusting anyone. The Order of the Hidden originally planned to control her during her advancement to the Superdimension stage, but by then, she had quietly advanced to the Fourth Rank," Councilman Zhang explained.

"The Order of the Hidden's mind control must occur during the Zero-tier, Third Rank, or Sixth Rank stages. If they miss those stages, they have to wait for the next one. Currently, their stance on Lin Wanqiu is to observe and wait for her to make a mistake, so they can have an excuse to detain and interrogate her."

So that's how it was!

"Who knew Lin Wanqiu would be so cunning?"

Gu Jianlin reflected quietly. The five individuals who had appeared in the Ancient Tomb back then were indeed quite capable.

The Pharmacist was the strongest Alchemist at the Extraordinary Stage—a priceless asset.

To any Extraordinary Organization, such a person was critically important.

And he even possessed Xu Fu's Record.

The Moon Princess, needless to say, had both exceptional talent and power—an ice-cold beauty with a sweet voice and an aura of prominence. Underneath, she was his child bride, a legacy from his father with deep and complex familial ties.

The Butcher, although seemingly simple-minded, had unparalleled talent as a Divine Servant. Even the First Generation Qilin Venerable might consider giving him a chance. His only flaw was being overly naive.

Now it appeared that the Sea Demon was also no ordinary person. Not only an adopted daughter of the Lin Family but also a master of cunning and stratagem, capable of eluding even The Order of the Hidden. Truly someone deserving a second look.

The only ordinary person was the Scholar.

A man of no distinguishing traits.

Simply a tool to handle mundane tasks.

"To think Lin Wanqiu was that smart?"

Su Youzhu was stunned. "I never noticed."

Recalling his interactions with that woman, Gu Jianlin's initial impression of her was someone who clung to the powerful—a calculating and opportunistic individual. But The Order of the Hidden claimed she trusted no one and was exceedingly cautious.

So, this must've been her disguise for the outside world.

Most people regarded her poorly, deeming her a manipulative opportunist.

Only Wanwan ever spoke in her favor.

Gu Jianlin's mental profile of her was constantly being updated.

Su Youzhu asked coldly, "Back when we were at the Black Cloud City base, were the people who wanted to kill Gu Jianlin also yours?"

Gu Jianlin's heart skipped. He didn't expect her to remember that incident.

Councilman Zhang replied, "Yes, those were my men."

"Because of Gu Ci'an's presence, The Order of the Hidden's activities were greatly restricted. Although their methods of mind control are extremely covert and inescapable, the changes in behavior before and after control inevitably left discrepancies. Gu Ci'an's profiling ability was simply beyond reason, and there was no way to circumvent it."