The Ancient Gods' Whisper

The dark tomb chamber trembled, scattering dust and ash.

Gu Jianlin seemed to be bathing in an ocean of spirituality, yet he was also enduring excruciating pain.

The massive influx of spirituality into his body felt as though it were on the verge of tearing him apart.

In the depths of his consciousness, the Black Qilin had always maintained absolute dominance, greedily devouring the overwhelming spirituality.

Half of the spirituality, it expelled outward.

The spiritual essence was entirely absorbed by his Divine form.

The process was accompanied by a tearing sensation, a pain that was almost unbearable.

If Gu Jianlin were still in his human form, with his mind and body already exhausted, he would never have been able to absorb so much spirituality at once—his human vessel would have collapsed.

The secret medicine Jing Ci gave him earlier had only a minimal amount of spiritual restoration, precisely considering that his body could not withstand more.

However, after Gu Jianlin once again underwent Ancient God Transformation, his now superhuman physique, completely detached from human limitations, forcibly endured the crisis brought on by the overwhelming influx of spirituality.

His body did not collapse; instead, it absorbed all the spirituality with unyielding strength.

"Judging by the current spiritual secret medicine, its potency is about five times that of the last one I absorbed. While meager for an Ancient God, it is just right for me. Even if a slightly higher-tiered spiritual secret medicine were offered, I wouldn't dare to recklessly absorb it; it would only go to waste."

"After all, these people likely wouldn't dare provide me with too much spirituality at once. Otherwise, once I become strong enough to break free, they would lose their purpose."

For Gu Jianlin, though the pain was agonizing, this was indeed an unexpected windfall.

This group of five might genuinely become a resource channel for him!

Using the previous CMJ113 spiritual secret medicine as a reference, this was the equivalent of fifteen vials in one dose. Although not high-tier, it perfectly suited his needs!

Once his internal spirituality was brimming, further absorption would continuously expand his spiritual capacity.

Until reaching the limit, and then advancing!

Previously, Gu Jianlin had only completed a quarter of his spiritual accumulation.

But this time, the massive influx of spirituality filled him to the brim in an instant.

Gu Jianlin distinctly felt the spirituality swelling to its limit within him, as though it was about to break through some kind of shackle.

Deep within the etherial void, he seemed to once again find himself in the illusion he had entered when first choosing his Inheritance Path.

He stood at the center of a colossal altar, dressed in a white sacrificial robe, in the form of his Ancient God Transformation.

Pale flames ignited, and an ethereal staircase materialized before him, waiting for him to ascend.

—He had a strong premonition that as long as he climbed this staircase, his abilities would undergo a qualitative transformation!

Gu Jianlin could clearly sense that his current stage of spirituality had reached its zenith and that he could break through at any moment to advance to the First Rank of the Divine Path: the Fate-controlling Rank.

However, just as he was about to step onto the staircase, a soul-piercing dragon roar echoed suddenly.

That sound was like thunder, booming in his ears, while the chains binding his Dragon Bone constricted sharply.

In the void, it felt as though a pair of enormous, blood-red vertical pupils were staring down at him.

In the endless darkness, those blood-red eyes seemed to burn with the flames of divine wrath!

Boom!

A terrifying wave of draconic might surged forth.

Gu Jianlin was nearly overwhelmed; his scalp tingled as all illusions in his mind shattered, forcibly cutting off his advancement.

Boom!

In the core of his consciousness, the Black Qilin let out an enraged and unwilling roar, filled with fury.

Once again, it was Candle Dragon Venerable's binding!

For a split second, Gu Jianlin felt both shocked and fearful, his gaze darkening.

"So that's it. The binding of Candle Dragon Venerable isn't just a mere seal. Perhaps it even anticipated that, in the future, someone might venture into the depths of the tomb to provide spirituality for the slumbering Qilin Venerable to restore their power. Thus, Candle Dragon Venerable's seal is capable of even preventing the Qilin Venerable from advancing!"

Gu Jianlin couldn't help but feel a sense of dread toward this Ancient God he had never met.

If he couldn't advance, no amount of spirituality would matter.

Without advancement, his abilities would not experience qualitative change, and his spiritual capacity would not increase.

For Ancient Gods, being sealed for millennia and having their power completely eroded would make them dependent on devouring spirituality for recovery. Every new stage would bring a dramatic leap in power.

After all, the advancement of an Ascender is a process that mirrors the divine.

Wait!

At that moment, Gu Jianlin suddenly realized something.

If his Ancient God Transformation in reality comes with such a high price, yet he can evolve freely in the Qilin Immortal Palace...

Then, conversely, his inability to advance within the Qilin Immortal Palace might mean that this restriction doesn't exist in reality!

This is because, in the real world, he is not subject to Candle Dragon Venerable's binding!

But now was not the time to test that theory; he could only forcibly suppress the turbulent spirituality within him, calming it like the ebbing tide.

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In the silence, the booming echoes in the Ancient Tomb gradually subsided.

Gu Jianlin sat within the golden coffin, the cruel and imposing vertical pupils in his eyes flickering with a sinister glow as the spirituality was temporarily suppressed.

The five individuals, led by the mentor, seemed to sense his emotions—that uniquely terrifying aura belonging to an Ancient God, shaking the pitch-black Ancient Tomb like the crash of a tidal wave, sending shivers down their spines.

In truth, the mentor had been carefully observing the expression of this Ancient God all along.

When he sensed the faint anger emanating from the Ancient God, his heart leaped to his throat.

Because he understood clearly that his Alchemy Techniques were insignificant in the eyes of these Ancient Supremes.

If the Ancient God was displeased, it was clearly because of dissatisfaction.

Yet, in the next moment, the Ancient God regained composure.

No one could discern what He was thinking.

This matched the descriptions in Ancient Documents. The fabled Ancient Gods were always so erratic, impossible to predict.

"Supreme! If you find this offering insufficient, next time, I will provide you with more spirituality to restore your power! Please, grant me at least one more opportunity! I will prove my worth! Though I am currently most adept at crafting spiritual secret medicines of the Extraordinary Stage, I have already progressed to the Fourth Rank and can attempt to produce Superdimensional-level spiritual secret medicines!"

The mentor spoke with utmost reverence: "All I need is a bit more time!"

Upon hearing this, even his students grew tense.

Within the golden coffin, Gu Jianlin gazed down at him indifferently, his golden eyes blazing like an inferno.

Not necessary; the current secret medicine suffices, after all.

He thought to himself.

By now, he was no longer an amateur when it came to knowledge about Ascenders.

Extraordinary Level referred to First to Third Rank.

Zero-tier could be included as well.

Superdimensional Level ranged from Fourth to Sixth Rank.

Spiritual secret medicines were meant to be used according to one's stage.

Advancement at the Extraordinary Stage was still relatively straightforward, a matter of simple spiritual accumulation.

But Superdimensional-level secret medicines often required assistance from intricate and precise rituals to be utilized.

If you recklessly used a secret medicine beyond your current Rank while still at the Extraordinary Stage, your body might collapse, and even if you absorbed the spirituality, your mind could experience chaos, making advancement prone to mistakes.

In the world of Ascenders, accumulating spirituality was also a process of familiarizing oneself with their own potential.

One needed to learn how to master their spirituality, to fully understand its latent power.

Only then could one achieve perfect control over all abilities during their advancement.

The simplest analogy would be trying to play a high-resolution Triple-A game on a 20-year-old computer with outdated specs. The outcome is all too predictable.

The Ancient God Power within Gu Jianlin's body, perhaps due to its elevated status, was unlikely to encounter such issues.

But he still had the power of an Ascender, and who could guarantee there wouldn't be unforeseen complications?

He wouldn't take such a risk.

"As a human, you're not entirely useless."

Gu Jianlin raised his golden eyes and said coldly, "It seems you're quite obsessed with alchemy—obsessed enough to nearly push yourself into losing control. No wonder you couldn't stay within the Ether Association, eventually being forced to defect with stolen Ancient Documents."

That one light remark landed like a thunderclap in everyone's ears.

Their expressions turned ghostly pale.

The mentor felt as though he had fallen into an ice pit.

How could the Supreme know about this!

He felt as if the golden vertical pupils in the darkness had stripped him bare.

In the gaze of a God, there were no secrets!

At that moment, the mentor and his four students exchanged glances.

Their eyes seemed to ask: "Did you feel your spirit being invaded?"

In the end, they all subtly shook their heads in unison.

No!

Yet this Ancient God had effortlessly exposed the mentor's secrets.

It was as if He had read the mentor's mind.

It was said that some powerful Ancient Gods possessed such eerie abilities.

But the Qilin Venerable was not supposed to hold such Authority...

"Time, I can grant you. But these spiritual secret medicines alone are insufficient."

Gu Jianlin raised his hand to his chest. Using his Ancient God Transformation physique, he forcibly extracted a drop of golden blood from his heart, releasing it from his fingertip: "The price you must pay will have to be greater."