The Ancient Gods' Whisper

Gu Jianlin tilted his head slightly and glanced at the man.

A familiar, ordinary face.

Chen Bojun, Overlord Path, Seventh Rank Annihilation Arrow, head of the Omega Sequence.

"How are Uncle Mu and Wanwan?"

Gu Jianlin asked softly.

Chen Bojun replied calmly, "Mu Feng is out of immediate danger, but his physical condition isn't good. On top of that, the prolonged use of Heavenly Born Grass has taken its toll—we're not sure how much longer he'll live. Wanwan just took a slap to the face, has a minor concussion, but nothing serious. The Nightmare Pendant your father left her suppressed her deformation."

Gu Jianlin let out a small sigh of relief.

"Some of the people in the shelter… have already died."

Sadness flashed in Chen Bojun's eyes as he said in a low voice, "Although Mu Feng survived, that doesn't mean he's out of trouble. His physical condition, on top of his past involvement in the Fallen incident and the harm to his companions—these are things the Judgement Court won't let slide. This is all a matter of power dynamics now."

He paused for a moment. "The only truly innocent person here is Mu Feng's daughter, Wanwan. Even though she's been tainted, she has the Nightmare Pendant your father found for her, which successfully suppressed the spread of the corruption and deformation. That's why she appears perfectly normal to you—healthy and unaffected, without ever using Heavenly Born Grass."

Gu Jianlin thought for a moment: "That purple crystal pendant?"

Chen Bojun explained, "Yes, don't underestimate that little thing. Your father snatched it from the hands of an Ancient God Seed. An Ancient God Seed is essentially an Ancient God below ancestor-level. The Nightmare Pendant is something countless Fallen would kill for—money can't buy it; it's a rare treasure."

Gu Jianlin fell silent for a second. No wonder Uncle Mu once warned him not to overly rely on Life Perception.

Transcendent abilities are indeed not omnipotent.

The little girl hadn't interacted with him long, but from her personality profile, some issues were apparent.

Either she was a Fallen, or deep down, she saw herself as one.

"But the Nightmare Pendant will lose its effect in three years. Afterward, she'll have to rely on Heavenly Born Grass or risk deforming into a monster. She currently has no criminal record, so I can step in to protect her."

Chen Bojun said solemnly, "But here's the problem: Mu Feng is alive now only because of the protection and backing of King of Qing, Huai Yin. However, should the Judgement Court present concrete evidence of his crimes, even King of Qing, Huai Yin won't shield him anymore."

His expression grew grave as he added, "And I won't either."

Gu Jianlin narrowed his eyes in response.

The situation with Uncle Mu involved amnesia—he didn't remember what had happened when he Fell.

All he knew was that the association declared he had harmed his companions and branded him a Fallen.

It was only because many people refused to believe he'd committed such acts that they helped him evade capture.

Uncle Mu himself used Heavenly Born Grass to suppress the deformation.

"Perhaps you don't know the exact definition of a Fallen. I can tell you."

Chen Bojun locked eyes with the young man's face and said, "Falling means being mentally corrupted by an Ancient God, with the innermost darkness of the soul triggered, swallowing humanity. People like Li Changzhi, John Berger, Hasegawa Shinichi, and those Grave Digger Organization members you've fought—do you think they have any humanity left?"

Gu Jianlin shook his head. "None."

"If Mu Feng really did harm his companions back then, then he's no different from them. Under circumstances of minor deformation, consuming large quantities of Heavenly Born Grass can indeed restore some sanity in the aftermath."

Chen Bojun stressed, "But that doesn't wash away his sins."

"Understood."

Gu Jianlin replied.

"Therefore, within the Ether Association, any Fallen who exhibits aggression must be killed. Back when Light was still alive, the rules for the Unclean were comparatively less strict. Most were sealed spiritually and sent to a resort or an island where they'd be cared for, protected, and monitored."

Chen Bojun said, "They'd regularly take Heavenly Born Grass until they lived out their natural lives."

Gu Jianlin remarked, "Sounds like a luxurious prison."

"Pretty much, but it beats dying."

Chen Bojun sighed, "But ever since Rhein came to power, there's been little difference between the Unclean and the Fallen. The reason Mu Feng is still alive is due to our extensive efforts behind the scenes. We hope your father can quickly find evidence, but we didn't expect that later…"

Later, Gu Ci'an got into trouble as well.

Gu Jianlin remained silent for a long time before suddenly asking, "Rhein... is he very powerful?"

Chen Bojun hesitated for once.

"Extremely powerful, immensely strong. If your father hadn't wasted so much time dealing with curse-related issues and taken Mr. Huai's advice to shift to the Divine path, he might've been able to suppress Rhein. But, as you know, there's no 'if.'"

He scratched his head. "And it's not purely about individual strength. Rhein is the pupil of the Ether Association's director; he wields the power of the entirety of human civilization. Do you know? Above Ninth-tier Demigod, there's another level: Catastrophe. Anyone granted the title of Catastrophe is capable of confronting the Ancient God Clan head-on in the real world—a true pillar of humanity."

"And Rhein possesses the power to control Catastrophes."

He pointed up and sighed, "For example, the Heaven's Punishment currently floating above our heads—a meteoric fragment from cosmic space—is the Sword of Damocles tethering Catastrophe·King of Qing right now."

Gu Jianlin mulled it over, then said softly, "So… you all can't act as you wish, correct?"

"Of course not, because humanity's biggest enemy—Ancient God Clan—hasn't been dealt with yet. Do you know? The reason the Ancient God Clan failed to conquer reality, aside from being restricted from unleashing their full power here, lies largely in their internal conflicts."

"According to our studies of the authentic version of the Classic of Mountains and Seas—not the widely circulated one online but the true historical account of humanity's war against the Ancient God Clan—we've uncovered numerous clues."

Chen Bojun sighed, "For instance, the invincible Candle Dragon Venerable sealed Bai Ze Venerable eight thousand years ago, forced Vermilion Bird Venerate into slumber within Vermilion Bird Divine Palace five thousand years ago, crushed Qilin Venerable two thousand years ago. A thousand years ago, Candle Dragon Venerable killed Kunpeng Ancestor and Nine-tailed Ancestor. Five hundred years ago, it devoured the rebellious Ying Long and Panlong ancestries."

These were all ancient gods, ranging from supreme beings to fearsome progenitors ruling their domains.

Merely uttering their names evokes reverence and dread.

Every name signifies unparalleled authority and a chapter of hidden history buried in the river of time.

But without exception, they were either sealed or slain.

Gu Jianlin once again felt the overwhelming strength of Candle Dragon Venerable.

He didn't know whether inheriting the power of Qilin meant he was now entangled in this karma.

Honestly, he felt he couldn't bear it.

Candle Dragon Venerable was simply too terrifying.

Not just because of its own strength.

Consider this:

The public records of the Ancient God Clan are fragmented and interwoven with heavily altered myths—by their nature, they're unreliable.

Yet even in those unreliable legends, Candle Dragon was consistently deemed the strongest.

The extent of its power can be imagined.

"This is genuine historical documentation, not idle speculations."

Chen Bojun said, "Humanity's resistance against the Ancient God Clan is already a struggle. In places you don't know, countless warriors are holding the line on ancient battlefields, safeguarding the real world's peace. Do you think, under these conditions, we can afford internal strife? Can we risk a war among ourselves?"

Gu Jianlin exhaled deeply, now understanding.

"Two hundred years ago, one winter night, humanity did engage in infighting. That conflict saw a living Supreme take action and nearly collapse the entire association's framework."

Chen Bojun continued, "If not for someone who turned the tide, human history might have ended there. And that person happens to have deep ties to you. Soon, you'll meet them again."

Gu Jianlin was stunned.

"Yes, the one you're thinking of—that's who I mean. That battle solidified their title as the strongest."

Chen Bojun smiled and said, "King of Qing, Huai Yin."