The Ancient Gods' Whisper

The Ether Association's principles of confidentiality wouldn't permit them to educate others on these matters.

Young people's thought process, however, is much simpler.

Powerful, and attractive.

As long as these two qualities are met, that's enough.

If one can acquire the Ancient God's power while staying rational, who wouldn't want that?

As for those posts condemning Evolvers as traitors to humanity—

And those emphasizing the threat posed by Evolvers—

They've all been drowned out by irrelevant content.

Gu Jianlin murmured suspiciously, "Cheng Youyu?"

He thought to himself, could this be the work of Fatty's lackeys?

Gu Jianlin tried reaching out but received no response.

It seemed the person had already entered the Ancient God Realm.

Today's dimensional fluctuation had a four-hour window, enough for Ascenders to travel between the two worlds.

There were barely any people left at the Black Cloud Base; they must have all ventured inside.

At the end of the 21st century, some had compared the Ancient God Realm to a massive multiplayer online RPG. Ascenders entered to slay monsters, level up, and explore maps, occasionally stumbling upon cities left behind by ultra-ancient civilizations—akin to dungeon instances—and the ancient history served as the storyline.

The analogy was certainly apt.

Since the Qilin Immortal Palace's dimensional stability was restored, Ascenders worldwide had flocked to it.

Pioneering the unknown was akin to being an open-beta player.

Those who had snuck in earlier through dimensional rifts were like cheaters.

In other words, closed-beta players.

But in reality, this wasn't a game; it was a war.

Or perhaps... an ecosystem.

Just as ordinary people need to earn money, Ascenders need to ascend ranks.

In the real world, regular advancement avenues are through wealth.

In the Extraordinary World, the main path to ascension is through power.

Many Fallen and Unclean have even chosen to settle directly within the Qilin Immortal Palace.

The real world simply held no refuge for them any longer.

Markets, tribes, towns, cities—

Human settlements sprouted one after another. Most people, once inside, had no intention of ever leaving.

But if one wanted to log off, meaning to return to the real world, they'd have to wait for a dimensional fluctuation.

Logging back in worked the same way.

"This time entering the Ancient God Realm, I must ascend to the Fourth Rank as quickly as possible."

Gu Jianlin murmured under his breath: "The roots of the Roaring Tree Monster, the hair of the Charming Lady, the heart of the Mutant, the Egg of Ruin, Corrosive Magma. Youzhu's already gotten me the Corrosive Magma; as for the rest, I can probably check the resource vault in Dawn City. Most importantly, the ritual for ascension."

To perform a battle so staggering it elevates the spirit.

At this point, his spirituality was brimming.

Obtaining the materials wasn't difficult; supposedly, after gathering everything, one could seal it in an Alchemy Scroll.

After completing the ritual, opening the scroll would instantly ensure ascension.

The ritual was the centerpiece.

Even after his five-on-one battle aboard the Bren Hill, Gu Jianlin hadn't felt his mind elevate.

What counts as a staggering battle?

After the ordeal aboard the Bren Hill, Gu Jianlin deeply understood how inadequate his combat strength still was.

Ascending to Fourth-Order Cloud Monarch in the Divine Path grants dominion over the battlefield.

It comes with the ability to control corpses.

On the other hand, Fourth-tier Shura in the Ghost Slayer Path is reputed to be the strongest in one-on-one matches of the same rank.

This is due to the overwhelming power of the Space Freeze ability.

This time around, his goal was to upgrade both his main body and shadow to the Fourth Rank.

"There's one crucial matter left—Minister Lu's ascension."

Gu Jianlin muttered softly.

The business with the Sea of Eternal Life weighed heavily on his mind, especially after seeing that video. In it, he had glimpsed a familiar Alchemy Furnace with ghastly white bones inside—clear signs of human transmutation.

"Xu Fu is highly likely still alive and has already left the underwater tomb. Even the three thousand child boys and girls are missing. No one knows where he's gone, yet traces of human transmutation have appeared in ruins near the Sea of Eternal Life. Doesn't this at least prove that Xu Fu has been here?"

"More importantly, this ties back to the Lin Family's massacre case. At that time, the Qilin Immortal Palace hadn't even been explored. How, then, did they acquire the Penglai Ascension Array?"

He looked down at the video on his phone, as well as the text description below it.

The so-called Sea of Eternal Life is a supernatural location that exists solely in the Ancient God Realm. All who die there have their life force utterly consumed, while their souls wander aimlessly in the ocean depths, never to find release.

For this reason, it brims with immense life force but is likewise extremely perilous.

Generally speaking, Heavenly Masters seek out the Sea of Eternal Life when ascending to the Holy Land, using the abundant vitality of the sea, while in a profoundly weakened state, to complete a rebirth.

This allows them to step into the Holy Land in one leap.

But the Sea of Eternal Life holds more secrets than just these.

There was once a talentless Ascender who accidentally ventured deep into the Sea of Eternal Life.

No one knows what they experienced.

But when they returned, they had been completely reborn, reinvented.

Not only had their appearance improved, but their talent had also been elevated, allowing them to ascend into an elite genius.

No one knew what they had gained.

Terminal cancer patients on the brink of death have entered it and returned fully rejuvenated.

With no trace of cancer cells left, as though they had never existed.

Indeed, it is quite miraculous.

"This matter involves Xu Fu, and what he's doing connects to both the Qilin and Candle Dragon Supremes."

Gu Jianlin murmured softly: "This isn't just a rivalry between two ministers but will also see interference from the Order of the Hidden, that meddlesome force. Especially since this damned organization has agents embedded in every faction."

Utterly hazardous.

And still, no word as to where the Ancient God's Blood will ultimately land.

What a headache.

Just then, the Black Qilin within his consciousness started trembling.

Someone was calling him!

Gu Jianlin quickly stepped into a public restroom, releasing the seal of the Lock of Nonexistence and connecting to the fragments of the Qilin Wedge.

The world shattered in an instant.

·

·

In a haze, the Sea Demon slowly regained consciousness.

She suddenly jolted in shock, realizing this wasn't the depths of the Qilin Immortal Palace's tomb at all but an entirely unfamiliar world. It was shrouded in pitch-black fog, resembling an abyss, utterly devoid of light.

A pitch-dark, silent world where fog entwined with the darkness, and black holes revealed the primordial obscurity of the universe.

"Su… Supreme?"

She knelt, terrified and confused, surveying her surroundings.

In the depths of the darkness, a pair of blazing golden eyes appeared, radiating majesty and fury.

Seeing these golden eyes, an overwhelming pressure surged into her mind. Cold sweat drenched her black camisole, prompting her to instinctively pull her jacket closer and kneel even lower.

"Sea Demon, paying respects to the Supreme."

In the darkness, Gu Jianlin remained silent, looking down on her.

"Supreme… have you broken free from your shackles?"

The Sea Demon lifted her elegant, alluring face, delighted, and asked, "Why have I appeared here?"

Gu Jianlin's inner thoughts remained still.

If I didn't drag you here, and you happened to run into the old monster, you'd probably be as good as gone.

Modern humans, even Ascenders, if they haven't participated in the wars against the Ancient God Clan, have no concrete concept of what it means to interact with a god.

They could only approach gods as if they were people.

Back then, the original group of five felt the same way.

Of course, aside from his Female Sacrifice, the other four had all come with the determination to die.

Thus, they had nothing to lose.

You're a god, so what? If push comes to shove, I'll die right in front of you.

Moreover, apart from gods, killing them would be as easy for Holy Land Level beings as playing games.

Thinking along these lines, aside from the innate fear of the unknown deep within, there wasn't much else to fear.

As for the Sea Demon, she was exceedingly clever—maintaining a sweet and innocent facade to mask her true self, ensuring her usefulness. Otherwise, no matter what, for an Ancient Supreme, discarding her would be effortless.

In the darkness, faint, ancient whispers began to stir.

"Supreme, I don't have much time left."

The Sea Demon knelt low, speaking: "I wish to trade for a drop of Ancient God's Blood."

The silence offered no reply.

Using Life Perception, Gu Jianlin could easily discern that the woman before him wasn't anywhere near losing control.

On the contrary, she had remarkable self-restraint.

But given the Sea Demon's intelligence, there was no way she didn't realize she couldn't deceive an Ancient Supreme.

Which left only one possibility.

This woman wasn't seeking the Ancient God's Blood to save her life.

She had another purpose!

The Sea Demon took a deep breath, speaking with great reverence: "I'm willing to exchange the Lin Family's secret for this precious drop of Ancient God's Blood. I believe you will be very interested in this. Just 157 years ago, the Lin Family's ancestor ventured into the Qilin Immortal Palace and explored the Sea of Eternal Life."

She paused. "This is an absolutely forbidden secret within the Lin Family!"

[Recommendation Ticket]

[Monthly Ticket]