·

·

The helicopter roared through mid-air, and the masked Demon Hunters murmured among themselves.

"You guys should have seen the look on the Saint's face just now."

"It was terrifying, honestly. I even suspected he was about to explode in rage, but he managed to hold it in."

"He had no choice—it was the President's order, after all."

"The Cloud Bright Secret Treasure... wasn't that under the Judgement Court's control? No wonder the Saint lost his composure like that."

Back during the Black Cloud City incident, that teenage boy named Gu Jianlin openly defied the Judgement Court.

Right on the spot, he killed the Yan brothers and even took out several captains who were already gravely injured.

Though those people were Fallen, his combat capabilities were clearly abnormal.

For so many years, the Judgement Court had never failed to investigate anyone.

Only he was the exception.

He openly challenged the Judgement Court, refused all investigations, and forcibly protected a group of Unclean.

All because the King of Qing had his back.

Against a Catastrophe, even the Saint wouldn't dare utter a word.

Then came the West Port incident, and that guy mocked them all over again.

The Saint's dignity had been utterly trampled.

And now, it was even worse—an old man's pride was completely shredded.

At that moment, the Demon Hunters noticed that Councilman Zhang, leading the group ahead, was oddly smiling.

Nie, the Deacon, also remained expressionless.

"Shut up! Are you all insane, speaking such blasphemy about the Saint?"

Nie, the Deacon, turned coldly to reprimand them.

Councilman Zhang sat comfortably in the cabin, adjusting his immaculate suit, his eyes behind the glasses inscrutable: "Do not make any rash moves. This is the President's direct order. If you find Gu Jianlin and Tang Ling, inform me immediately."

He paused: "Not a hair on those two is to be harmed."

The Demon Hunters froze for a moment, puzzled by the sudden shift in their leaders' attitudes.

·

·

Deep underground, the ruins collapsed amidst deafening crashes, as dust billowed skyward like a tsunami.

"Cough, cough, cough—what the hell!"

The Butcher rubbed at his dust-filled eyes, looking disheveled as he muttered, "This is insane. What just happened? Wasn't it supposed to be the Ancient God's corpse? Then why did everything collapse?"

In Gu Jianlin's hand, the bronze compass crumbled into ash. He turned back to gaze at the rising dust cloud, shaking his head: "This must have been a safeguard left behind by the Candle Dragon Venerable. Once the Wedge was removed, this corpse of the Primordial would collapse, crushing anyone still inside. Without this bronze compass, none of us would have made it out."

He studied the grains of dust slipping through his fingers, lost in thought.

If he wasn't mistaken, this ancient bronze compass should belong to the Kui Dragon Ancestor.

After all, the Kui Dragon Ancestor was the old monster left behind to guard the Qilin Immortal Palace.

The bronze compass was the key to unlocking the Seal.

But for reasons unknown, these keys had been scattered.

"Such treachery—almost got killed in there,"

The Butcher shuddered at the memory.

"Yeah, that's what happens when dealing with an old monster who's lived for who knows how many years,"

Gu Jianlin mused, thinking how terrifyingly powerful that Supreme must have been to leave behind such an impenetrable Seal.

It hadn't decayed in two and a half millennia.

And the Seal buried deep within the tomb of the Qilin Immortal Palace must have been worn down by the First Generation Qilin Venerable to even make escape possible.

Otherwise, Gu figured, the chains wouldn't budge an inch even today.

The Butcher spat a few more times before exclaiming: "But don't worry, Brother Gu! Now that the boss is back in reality, I've got your back! You may not believe this, but my big daddy's seriously badass!"

Gu Jianlin fell silent, rendered speechless by this fool.

"Though I did call out to Him earlier, and He didn't even bother responding,"

The Butcher scratched his head, looking a bit deflated: "Hey, Brother Gu, earlier—how'd you do it? You pulled out that broken sword and just reversed the Alchemy Matrix on the spot. Does that mean there's something other than the Qilin Wedge in this world that can reverse a Primordial's domain?"

Ha, or is it possible that the broken sword you saw *is* the Qilin Wedge?

Gu Jianlin ignored him. Let this blockhead stay clueless—it was probably for the better.

Not that it was his fault.

No one would have expected that the young man before them was actually an Ancient Supreme from the Ancient Times.

As for the true form of the Qilin Wedge, none of them had ever seen it.

"Where are we?"

Gu Jianlin scanned his surroundings.

The Butcher froze too.

After escaping, they now seemed to be just outside the ruins of the ancient city.

They stood in a dark forest, with a massive lake gleaming with cold, eerie light in the distance.

And deeper within the woods, they spotted a tall Iron Coffin, its lid ajar and the interior empty.

The coffin was clearly not an ancient relic—it was of modern craftsmanship, intricately engraved with countless runes.

And there were distinct footprints pressed into the soft earth below.

Someone had just climbed out of that coffin.

"Master Si Wei'an,"

Gu Jianlin recalled the sight of that man turning into a skeleton and committing suicide—it had been a deliberate deception.

"Ah, the boss did mention something like this to me before. It's a special alchemy secret method called the Sorrowful Corpse Cycle!"

The Butcher's eyes widened.

Gu Jianlin frowned: "What's the Sorrowful Corpse Cycle?"

The Butcher paused to think, then finally admitted, "Uh... I forgot!"

"You absolute idiot!"

The Parrot Emperor on Gu Jianlin's shoulder suddenly sprang back to life, majestic and domineering.

"Forget it. Not important."

Gu Jianlin shook his head, scooping up some soil and rubbing it between his fingers: "Since he showed up here, it means he must have others stationed nearby. This was his pre-arranged escape route, in case he got killed inside. Judging by these tracks, he left just minutes ago—no more than five."

Years ago, Mr. Liu had been shot dead, only to inexplicably come back to life.

So this wasn't all that surprising to him.

Five minutes wouldn't let him get far. He could absolutely catch up!

Gu Jianlin narrowed his eyes, his mind racing.

The Butcher caught on quickly, grinning wickedly: "Master Si, prepare to meet your end!"

Suddenly, Gu Jianlin's expression shifted, a surge of countless life rhythms flooding into his perception!

One of those rhythms struck him as especially familiar.

He spun around, fixing his gaze into the distance.

In the dim twilight, someone stood atop a massive stone face on a cliff wall, the wind tousling her long red hair. Behind her, an oversized instrument case sat open, revealing a rugged, thunder-lit Iron Sword within.

Boom.

The heavens above reverberated with the roar of thunder.

As if sensing his gaze, she blinked her vermillion eyes, a sly smile flickering within their depths.

"He actually made it into the underground ruins and came back alive. We'll need to reevaluate his combat strength."

From the dressing mirror came an arrogant, icy voice, tinged with astonishment.

Tang Ling retracted her gaze, her eyes gleaming with mischief: "Indeed, he's full of surprises. He's strong enough; it seems you won't need to step in after all."

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