After a long silence, Chen Bojun took a sip of hot water steeped with goji berries and sighed.

"Young people nowadays are truly becoming more and more reckless."

He chuckled angrily and cursed, "A mere Third Rank and Fourth Rank, daring to set their sights on the Qilin Venerable? Are they tired of living? That kind of forbidden power is so perilous that even I hesitate to dabble in it. If I'm not mistaken, those two youngsters are hoping to see the Destiny Mud Tablet, aren't they? Ha, how amusing."

At this moment, Wang Taisheng took a deep breath and said coldly, "But is there a possibility that it's not for themselves? That it's for the factions behind them? One comes from the Sword Tomb, and the other is a favored student of the King of Qing. Hmph, is this because the President's end is near, so they think it's time to stir up trouble?"

Han Jing glanced at him, speaking indifferently, "I'm not sure if the Catastrophes want to break the rules. While they, too, have only a few years left to live, I tend to believe that they're more interested in the Mystery of Immortality within the Immortal Palace. Yet, it can't be ruled out that they may also aim to support certain factions within the association right now.

Undoubtedly, the Catastrophes are the pillars that protect the Human World.

But because their power is excessively strong, it must be restricted.

Otherwise, any move they make could be a devastating thunderclap, unleashing Natural Disasters and Man-made Calamities.

A single thought from them can spark upheaval, potentially overturning the world.

Even if the Catastrophes have no intent to manipulate the world, there will always be those seeking to leverage their influence.

So, the previous generation's President once set a rule:

Catastrophes are forbidden from holding power.

Thus, the Silver King can establish the Sword Tomb, train students, and foster lineage.

But he must never attempt to let his people gain power within the association.

Similarly, should someone defy the King of Qing—even a high-ranking official in the association—if he's killed, it's his own fault for seeking death.

However, internally, there must never be a faction controlled by you within the Ether Association.

Two hundred years ago, during a particular upheaval, the Ether Association even activated the Heaven's Punishment Meteor.

This was done to balance out the influence of the Catastrophes.

That upheaval was initiated precisely because a Catastrophe sought to gain power.

That furious Instructor Zhu slammed the table, roaring angrily, "This is a threat! A naked threat, a despicable act of opportunism! I adamantly refuse to comply. We must uphold our principles and never compromise!"

"This is no longer a matter of compromise or not,"

Nie, the Deacon, turned his head, glancing at the councilman beside him.

Councilman Zhang, as the representative of the Judgement Court, had a status far above his own.

And he represented the will of the Saint.

"Let's wait for the results of the divination first."

Councilman Zhang spoke in a chilling voice, "Currently, we can't rule out the possibility that Thunder might just be fearmongering. If the divination proves that the mission's danger level isn't too high, we can simply send someone else into the Immortal Palace for the rescue. There's no need to insist on those two young individuals leading the team."

"After all, everyone knows that Mr. Han Ting and his party are still alive. I'm more inclined to believe they've merely encountered temporary difficulties and are not in immediate mortal danger, don't you agree?"

He snorted coldly, "Let's wait."

His words were reasonable.

Yet, the slight tremor in his hand betrayed his true thoughts.

After all, the top ten of the Omega Sequence were all individuals with monumental backgrounds.

Any slip-up could become a major catastrophe.

Especially considering that among them was the Saint's own grandson.

·

·

The sea breeze swept across the deck, causing the large parasols to flutter slightly in the wind.

Gu Jianlin sat by the dining table, stirring mashed potatoes. "I haven't congratulated you yet on advancing to Fourth Rank."

Tang Ling responded with a soft "Mm," fiddling with the hot latte in front of her. "Mm, and you're now Third Rank."

She then tore open seven or eight packets of sugar and poured them all into her cup.

The surrounding waitstaff stared, dumbfounded.

The restaurant's music was lighthearted and melodious, as a slanting ray of twilight cast shimmering patterns on the wooden planks.

The restaurant at the Black Cloud City Base had been converted from a massive ancient ship. It was reportedly an artifact accidentally discovered during the underwater exploration of the Qilin Immortal Palace, estimated to be more than six hundred years old.

After thorough examination and verification revealed no significant scientific value, the ship was salvaged and remodeled. After expanding the interior of the cabins, the space became large enough to accommodate up to eight hundred people. The deck also offered open-air dining, and the elegant, refined décor with retro elements allowed patrons to enjoy scenic coastal views, making it especially popular among young people.

Many couples, after returning from the Immortal Palace, loved to come here for dates.

"Are you sure you still want to drink that?"

Gu Jianlin stared at the coffee with its astronomically high sugar content, deep in thought.

The parrot perched on his shoulder seemed equally flabbergasted.

"What's the matter?"

Tang Ling raised her sharp, strikingly beautiful eyes, her expression wary.

Then, as though nothing were out of the ordinary, she sipped the latte, her demeanor utterly relaxed.

"Nevermind, as long as you're happy."

Gu Jianlin was at a loss for words and could only change the subject. "So tell me, what exactly happened today?"

Tang Ling flicked her head of snow-white hair and, after a moment of contemplation, said, "Hmm, roughly speaking, when we were pioneering in the Immortal Palace, we entered a Living Burial Pit. There were many living corpses there, as well as a few surviving Ancient Ancestors. The combat strength on their side wasn't particularly formidable, but they were quite troublesome."

"According to our squad's division of labor, I stayed behind alone to handle dozens of living corpses while protecting the nano warriors from the Dawn Combat Sequence. Meanwhile, the ten of them went to chase down those Ancient Ancestors."

She paused for a moment. "But at that moment, I caught sight of a strange blood mist."