"Hmm."

Gu Jianlin stared at the painting. "Don't you think this is a bit of a coincidence?"

Uncle Mu glanced at him. "What are you saying?"

"The Nightmare Master also went mad around the time the Qilin Immortal Palace appeared, slaughtering companions, performing sacrifices, and then disappearing. Years later, when the Nightmare Master returned, they had already become a Divine Servant of the Candle Dragon Clan."

Gu Jianlin enunciated each word slowly: "These two events are eerily similar."

Uncle Mu fell silent.

This old man, on the surface, seemed to have moved on, but deep down he had never forgotten what had happened back then.

"The intelligence I have says that back then the Nightmare Master became a Divine Servant for the Candle Dragon Clan to escape the control of a certain organization. The principle involved the Ancient God's control over Divine Servants, allowing the Nightmare Master to break free of that secret organization."

Gu Jianlin mouthed quietly, "Then, could it be the same for Tang Zijing? And both of them share another startling similarity—they were both breaking through a major rank threshold."

This was his deduction, based on the intelligence provided by Hasegawa Shinichi.

Without prior intelligence and information, this conclusion would have been impossible.

Uncle Mu remained silent for a long time before he finally muttered in a low voice, "It's possible. I can smell a conspiracy brewing."

Gu Jianlin stood up and said seriously, "I'll investigate it while I enter the Immortal Palace this time."

Uncle Mu looked at the young man earnestly. "Kid, thank you for your hard work."

"It's no big deal. Since Old Gu is no longer here, I'll finish what he couldn't."

Gu Jianlin prepared to leave. "It's late, so I won't bother you anymore."

Uncle Mu quickly got up. "Let me see you out."

He hesitated for a moment, then reminded, "Xiao Gu, I'm just a useless old man now; I can't stop you. But please, be careful. There's no matter more important than life and death. Otherwise, I won't be able to face your father down below."

"Understood."

Gu Jianlin suddenly asked, "Uncle Mu, have you all been treated well here? Nobody's been bullying you, right?"

The hospital had injured personnel from various factions, including their family members.

Especially those from the Judgment Court, who tended to have extreme views.

Uncle Mu and the others might easily encounter scornful treatment here.

"Not at all."

Uncle Mu replied warmly, "Don't worry so much; we've been doing fine here."

Gu Jianlin replied with a faint hum and then turned to leave.

·

·

Ji Xiaoyu felt like her reputation was about to be destroyed beyond repair.

She had ascended to Fourth Rank Mad King at the age of twelve, boasting an illustrious family background so astonishing it was almost obscene. She prided herself on having the demeanor of a Great Emperor, swearing she would never yield to anyone nor let others trample over her.

That was until she met the Chair Killer.

Only then did she understand the true meaning of brutality and ruthlessness.

Now, she'd been hung here for a full day and a half, strung up like a roasted suckling pig with all four limbs bound. To make matters worse, the ropes were alchemy weapons designed to suppress her spirituality, reducing her to a mere ordinary human.

Strictly speaking, these restraints were usually reserved for living corpses and Ancient Ancestors.

What utter humiliation!

A full day and a half had passed, and still, no one had brought her down.

Every passerby took out their phone to snap pictures of her and then uploaded them to forums.

Some even went a step further—they came over to take selfies with her.

The place had practically turned into a tourist attraction.

And the majority of these people were foes who had been tormented by her pranks.

She felt nothing but disgrace.

Rage.

But there wasn't a single thing she could do about it.

The Guardians and her subordinates stood in a neat line nearby, none daring to rescue her.

This bunch was nothing but ungrateful traitors!

Even with her grandmother's Golden Phoenix Feather hanging over them like a threat, they still stood idly by.

Once she regained her freedom, she swore she'd kick out every single one of them!

"Mmm! Mmm-mmm! Mmm mmm mm!"

Ji Xiaoyu howled like a banshee once again—her only way to protest for now.

The Guardians and subordinates simultaneously covered their ears.

Just then, Gu Jianlin strolled over from the street, yawning with a parrot perched on his shoulder.

Everyone's eyes lit up—finally, he'd arrived!

Ji Xiaoyu's sparkling eyes widened too, filled with a mix of hope and trepidation.

She hoped this demon might unexpectedly show some mercy and let her down.

But deep down, she feared he might unleash more of his beastly wrath and continue persecuting her.

"Everyone's here," Gu Jianlin remarked, scanning the crowd before glancing at the troublemaker dangling from the lamppost.

He then slouched onto the sofa, pulling out the Golden Phoenix Feather from his pocket and slapping it onto his palm.

Everyone's hearts sank; clearly, this wasn't over yet.

Gu Jianlin glanced up and locked eyes with the mischievous brat dangling from the lamp post.

"Done reflecting?"

He stated blankly, "Say sorry, and I'll let you down."

The parrot perched on his shoulder chimed in, "Amitabha. Life is suffering; repentance leads to salvation."

Much to his surprise, even after hanging for so long, Ji Xiaoyu remained feisty, wildly flailing her limbs and glaring fiercely like a little beast. Her muffled cries spoke volumes.

She seemed intent on saying, "Beastmen will never bow to slavery!"

The parrot snapped, "This naughty monkey is beyond saving."

Gu Jianlin was momentarily at a loss—he had zero experience dealing with cheeky kids.

He turned to the side, looking somewhat worn out.

The middle-aged man nearby stood awkwardly, along with the line of punished minions.

"Has this brat always been like this?"

Gu Jianlin asked.

Everyone responded, "Yes."

Gu Jianlin shook his head. "Then there's nothing we can do."

At that moment, the silence was interrupted by a faint, gurgling noise.