The Ancient Gods' Whisper

The current situation was completely under Gu Jianlin's control, without the slightest oversight.

However, he was still extremely tense, not allowing any room for relaxation.

At this moment, someone timidly approached him and said softly, "D-Don't be afraid. You're safe now."

Gu Jianlin turned his head and saw a delicate and lovely girl with a ponytail, looking pure and beautiful.

She seemed very shy, her pretty face slightly blushing. The blue-and-white sailor uniform accentuated her slender and graceful figure. Beneath the skirt were long, slim legs, her calves wrapped in short black stockings, and she was wearing round-toed leather shoes.

"M-My name is Nie Xiangsi. The team leader told me… to heal you."

Nie Xiangsi wore a cross on her chest. She seemed to follow the Western Priest path. She placed her hands gently on the boy's back, releasing a soft halo of light, like spring rain nourishing dry earth.

Gu Jianlin felt the name sounded a bit familiar, though he couldn't quite recall where he had heard it before.

Taking another look at the girl, he noticed she was wearing a black-and-white nun's uniform with a tall veil, still looking very bashful.

Priest path, Second Rank, a nun!

Gu Jianlin's profiling ability had changed since returning from the Qilin Immortal Palace. Now, whenever an Ascender used their abilities, he could discern their transcendent form and approximate rank.

Typically, the larger the transcendent form, the higher the rank.

The action group's tactics were well thought out. All fourteen of them were Second Rank, relying on numbers to overwhelm the opponent.

A Second Rank Joker couldn't possibly defeat them.

Similarly, it wouldn't even trigger a danger forewarning.

That indeed turned out to be the case—despite undergoing a severe deformation, the Joker was utterly defeated without resistance.

Like a storm sweeping away dead leaves, the battle was resolved.

"Um, are you okay?"

Nie Xiangsi asked softly, "I didn't expect a rookie like you could hold your own against the Joker for so long. If it were me, I'd probably be killed in under five seconds."

"Well, you're a healer, after all."

Gu Jianlin felt his wounds mending, even the spent spirituality within him replenishing. "Thank you."

This Western Priest path truly seemed miraculous.

At that moment, the remaining thirteen members of the action group turned their gazes toward him, their eyes filled with incredulous shock.

They couldn't understand how a Zero-tier Priest could battle a Second Order Fallen to such an extent.

Especially Cheng Youyu, who, upon seeing his face, was utterly stunned. "Holy shit, isn't that Brother Lin?"

To prevent operational secrecy leaks, among the fourteen-member team, only the leader knew the bait's identity.

Cheng Youyu was utterly dumbfounded. Just a few days ago, he had heard there would be a rookie acting as bait to draw out the target.

He had even gloated, wondering which unlucky novice had offended the higher-ups. Such a person would almost certainly perish facing the Joker.

Who would've thought—it turned out to be someone he knew!

"We meet again."

Gu Jianlin nodded in greeting.

"Holy crap, Brother Lin, you're the bait?"

Cheng Youyu's eyes widened so much his jaw nearly hit the floor.

He glanced at the blood-soaked floor and the shattered chairs, imagining how brutal the prior battle must have been.

It was hard to believe the once silent, polite boy from his memories could be responsible for such carnage.

Gu Jianlin gave a simple "Yes."

Cheng Youyu froze for a moment before reacting, blurting out, "Damn! Nie, the Deacon, is such a bastard to make you the bait! What if something happened to you? How am I supposed to pass the entrance exam?"

"…"

Gu Jianlin didn't know what to say, so he merely reminded, "Be careful, the Joker still has a Mythical Weapon."

"So what? A Mythical Weapon doesn't matter."

Cheng Youyu waved dismissively. "With so many of us swarming him, how could we lose?"

"Shut it."

Zhang Cheng said sternly, "Always stay vigilant. We can't yet confirm the target is dead."

Led by him, the action team kept a safe distance and cautiously approached the ruins step by step.

Suddenly, a faint, hoarse, chilling laugh echoed from the rubble.

Without warning, the temperature in the entire cafeteria seemed to plummet.

An unexpected crisis erupted!

·

·

When Gu Jianlin heard the laughter, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

Without any warning, Nie Xiangsi suddenly coughed, her lips spilling a trickle of fresh blood.

"Are you okay?"

Gu Jianlin's heart sank, and he quickly supported her.

"I… I feel terrible…"

Nie Xiangsi's delicate face turned pale. She furrowed her brow in agony and began to cough violently.

A splash of fresh blood spewed from her mouth, accompanied by a fragment of an organ!

The next moment, her eyes closed, and she passed out.

At the same time, every other member of the action team began coughing violently. They collapsed to their knees in pain, their pale faces contorted as they vomited pools of blood mixed with shredded organs!

"Shit!"

Even Cheng Youyu, with his rugged Ancient Martial Path physique, wasn't spared.

He sprawled on the ground, vomiting uncontrollably amidst a bloody mess.

Gu Jianlin's immediate thought was that the Joker had poisoned them earlier.

But he quickly realized it wasn't poison.

Or rather, it wasn't something that had been introduced just now.

Because he didn't feel any abnormalities within his own body.

Amid the ruins, pieces of rubble shifted, and a pitch-black shadow suddenly shot out.

The closest Hunter emitted a blood-curdling scream on the spot.

The Joker had sunk his teeth deep into the Hunter's neck, drinking his blood greedily!

"Heh heh heh…"

After a long while, the Joker flung aside the lifeless Hunter. His blood- and dirt-smeared face contorted into a spine-chilling grin. "What did I say? Ether Association? Judgement Court? A bunch of fools."