The Ancient Gods' Whisper

In the illusory Dark World, Gu Jianlin once again descended upon the ancient monolith altar.

Above the vast sky dome, dark clouds roiled like the surging tides of a deep, oppressive sea. Accompanied by the howling winds, an abyssal vortex storm brewed, while sand and stones swirled through the midair, with floating dust dancing unpredictably.

The barren wasteland stretched out endlessly, riddled with parched cracks, desolate and forlorn.

Countless ghosts wandered aimlessly across the desolate plains.

Some loomed as massive as giants, others were the size of average humans, and still, some were as insignificant as ants.

Only one ethereal, towering celestial ladder pierced the depths of the dark clouds, as if reaching straight to the heavens above.

Gu Jianlin stood atop the monolith altar, clad in a white sacrificial robe covered in pitch-black spells.

Furthermore, he was in a state of Ancient God Transformation, adorned with a black Qilin Mask, burning golden vertical pupils, and dragon scales emerging across his body.

At the center of his forehead, the pale Divine Sacrificial Fire blazed fiercely.

"This is where I initially became a Priest. I still don't fully understand the nature of this space, but one thing is certain—it's intricately tied to the Divine Path."

Gu Jianlin observed his surroundings calmly, unfazed as this was not his first visit.

The ghosts wandering this wasteland were likely other Ascenders walking the Divine Path.

Their varying sizes probably corresponded to their Rank.

All Priests ventured together along this Path, seeking the way to ascend to godhood.

Wait, something isn't right.

Gu Jianlin recollected a colossal presence he had witnessed the last time he came to this world.

That figure, at the end of the celestial ladder, its back towering as high as the heavens, blocked out all light.

The reason it was perpetual night here was that this massive entity eclipsed all illumination.

"How unfathomably powerful must one be to grow this immense? Could it be the mightiest of the Divine Path?"

Gu Jianlin could no longer see that colossal entity, but he could vaguely sense its imposing presence.

The domain of its darkness extended everywhere.

Gu Jianlin fell silent for a few seconds, and instead of gazing further upward, he quietly focused on the changes within himself. Until his inner spirituality once again broke past its barriers, a resounding roar emanated deep within his soul.

The time for advancement had come!

Before him, a flame-like pale glow ignited, converging into an ethereal staircase.

In the real world, without the restraints of the Candle Dragon Venerable, this should be possible.

He took a deep breath and attempted to step onto the stairs.

With a thunderous boom.

At that moment, Gu Jianlin's spiritual consciousness seemed to ascend beyond the skies. The Divine Sacrificial Fire on his forehead suddenly roared to life, blazing intensely.

In his ears, he heard ancient murmurs as if from the depths of the Ancient Times, veiled with cosmic mysteries.

A tidal wave of forbidden, ancient knowledge belonging to the Ancient God Clan surged into his mind!

It succeeded!

At this moment, he completed his first advancement as an Ascender.

——From this moment on, he became a First Order Fate.

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When Gu Jianlin regained full consciousness, dawn had already broken.

Following his advancement, his mental state wasn't as sluggish, though his spirituality recovered slowly, and the sensation of ripping pain throughout his body persisted. At the very least, he could move without needing to collapse on a bed any longer.

"Awake?"

Lu Zicheng's voice came from the side, sounding utterly exhausted.

Gu Jianlin turned his head, startled.

He saw Lu Zicheng sitting by the table, holding a cup of hot coffee.

Chen Qing, still dressed in her business suit ensemble, stood behind him like a secretary, carrying two bags of breakfast.

The parrot, its beak inexplicably bound shut, perched on her shoulder.

Gu Jianlin was startled, not because he hadn't noticed their presence.

But because of the state Lu Zicheng was in. Despite being a dignified Fourth Rank Mad King, he looked utterly drained, his face pale and shriveled, with dark circles under his eyes, as though utterly spent. His overall mental state seemed concerning.

"Are you alright?"

Gu Jianlin sat up and hesitated for a second: "Should I get up so you can lie down?"

For some reason, Lu Zicheng looked at him with a mixture of dejection and resentment before waving him off: "No need. I just had a nightmare last night. I'm on the Ancient Martial Path—I won't falter."

Chen Qing, her icy, beautiful face unreadable, glanced at him subtly.

Looking at Lu Zicheng's clearly strained appearance, Gu Jianlin couldn't help but feel skeptical of his claim.

"I said I'm fine!"

Lu Zicheng retorted dryly: "Mind your own business!"

Chen Qing glanced at him again, expressionless.

Gu Jianlin grew increasingly suspicious: "I wasn't planning to meddle. Why are you so worked up?"

"Who's worked up?"

Lu Zicheng raised an eyebrow: "Quit rambling. I heard Lin Wanqiu came looking for you yesterday?"

Gu Jianlin gave a slight nod.

Yawning, Lu Zicheng nodded faintly: "Judging by the Judgement Court's reaction, Lin Wanqiu didn't seem to uncover anything. She might conduct a few more spiritual evaluations on you later, but you should be fine. If I'm not mistaken, she also tried to recruit you into her team last night, didn't she?"

Gu Jianlin didn't deny it: "Yes. She also mentioned if I wasn't going to use the two pieces of Mythical Weaponry, she could apply to her superiors to exchange them for corresponding resources."

"Why didn't you accept?"

Lu Zicheng, for once, spoke seriously: "You should know, in the world of Ascenders, Alchemists are the rarest resource, second only to Priests. Lin Wanqiu surely told you the most crucial thing for Ascenders is resources and logistics. Her team's captain is a Fourth-tier Holy Mother, and the deputy captain is a Second Rank Pharmacist."