The shadow of the Divine once again materialized, its rank surging back to the Third Rank.

Tang Ling silently gazed in the direction where the blood mist had dissipated. The Extreme Thunder Great Sword in her hand gradually quieted down, the lightning dimmed and vanished.

"Hmm, I understand."

She nodded slightly and then suddenly said, "Thank you."

Gu Jianlin raised an eyebrow, "Thank me for what?"

Tang Ling's fiery red hair gradually turned frost white, her gaze calm: "Thank you for helping me confirm that it was him, and for helping me find clues. Actually, this time entering the Ancient God Realm, I came here with a task from the President."

Gu Jianlin raised an eyebrow again, "The President?"

Tang Ling nodded gently, "The President sent me here for two reasons: one, to determine the whereabouts of the Qilin Wedge, and two, to trace the existence of The Order of the Hidden. I don't have the skills for that, so I had to rely on you."

Gu Jianlin understood, "So you knew from the start what this matter entailed. Then how did you pinpoint the location of the underground ruin's exit? And how did you determine the specific timing?"

"The President requested a Divination Master to perform divination for me,"

Tang Ling looked at the rippling great lake ahead and said softly, "It happened the first time I returned from the Ancient God Realm. At that time, the President had already foreseen everything. But later, when I recalled that red mist, it felt somewhat familiar, though I wasn't certain it was him."

Gu Jianlin thought to himself: So that's how it is. It seems the President's approach is quite reliable after all.

If he wasn't the Qilin Venerable, then this Wedge fragment probably would've been taken out by someone else already.

Even if Tang Ling couldn't retrieve it, she could confirm its whereabouts.

"I told you, when I was little, my great-grandfather cared for me a lot. Later, to ascend to a higher rank, he sent me to the Sword Tomb to be cultivated as a secret weapon. As a result, he gained the opportunity to ascend to the Holy Land. But for some unknown reason, he fell into madness afterward and killed many fellow disciples of the Sword Tomb, as well as members of the Tang Family."

Tang Ling tightened the Extreme Thunder Great Sword into her guitar case and paused: "At first, I didn't know why. It wasn't until you mentioned the existence of The Order of the Hidden that I realized what might have happened to him back then."

Gu Jianlin looked at her deeply.

"After all the things you've said, in the end, you just want to confirm one thing."

He said, almost casually, "You just want to know if he was forced into it, don't you?"

He could tell.

This young woman had proposed splitting into groups and later went off on her own.

She simply didn't want her teammates taking risks with her.

Because she had to face her great-grandfather.

A supremely dangerous Sixth Rank Divine Servant.

"More or less,"

Tang Ling reverted to her usual icy demeanor. Her gaze revealed no emotion: "But based on what you've said, if Tang Zijing chose to become the Divine Servant of the Kui Dragon Ancestor to break free from The Order of the Hidden's control, then he undoubtedly succeeded. If he was truly forced back then, he'll explain himself to me."

"Maybe,"

Gu Jianlin glanced at her. Beneath her seemingly calm exterior, she couldn't fully hide her sense of loss.

"Your father, he was probably targeted by The Order of the Hidden too, wasn't he? The two of us have similar fates."

Tang Ling shot him a sidelong glance and said faintly, "The You Ying Group, the Ether Association, and all the large and small factions in the world—more or less, The Order of the Hidden influences them. This organization... it's terrifying."

Gu Jianlin nodded in agreement: "Among the top ten Omegas, is there still a traitor?"

Tang Ling nodded, "There was one. I killed them."

She raised her head and pointed to the cliff wall on the left.

The corpse of a stunning older woman was pinned to the wall by an iron sword, her death horrific.

Gu Jianlin thought to himself: The top ten are all Fifth Rank, yet this woman killed one by surpassing her rank.

Terrifying.

"I didn't expect you'd mastered self-evolution too."

He marveled.

Tang Ling flicked her long hair, her expression complex: "Will you tell others?"

For some reason, a phrase popped into her mind.

"Miss, you wouldn't want others to know you've mastered self-evolution either, right?"

Under the dim light of the sky, her expression became slightly unnatural. Who knew what she was imagining?

"I won't."

Gu Jianlin said calmly.

"Because you've mastered it too, haven't you? Your combat prowess is simply abnormal."

Tang Ling slung the guitar case onto her back and remarked faintly, "After all, you're someone valued by the King of Qing. As the one who opened the Taboo Magic Box, there's no way he wouldn't teach this to you."

Gu Jianlin froze slightly.

Previously, Youzhu had told him too.

The King of Qing was the first to open the Taboo Magic Box.

He hadn't understood what this meant before, but now he seemed to grasp it.

The so-called Pandora's Taboo Magic Box was, in essence, Controllable Deformation—or self-evolution.

"Alright, enough about that."

Tang Ling suddenly said seriously, "One thing I must remind you about this mission: stop here. Matters concerning my great-grandfather and The Order of the Hidden are best not disclosed to others. You never know if there's a traitor in the Ether Association. Relaying such intel recklessly is unsafe."

She paused: "Anyway, based on the current findings, we've already earned enough rewards."

The top ten had been located.

There were clues about the whereabouts of the Qilin Wedge.

The hidden task regarding The Order of the Hidden could also be reported to the President.

"Got it."

Gu Jianlin nodded slightly.

"Pity that the trail of The Order of the Hidden ends here,"

Tang Ling's eyes gleamed with a flicker of coldness. "Who knows where to look for them next."

Gu Jianlin thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, the trail isn't entirely lost."

Tang Ling looked at him in surprise.

Gu Jianlin recalled that old ghost who had set up a ritual while the others were sleeping.

That sacrificial ritual had targeted him specifically.

Yes, he had deliberately let the old ghost target him.

It was the only way to draw out these sewer rats again.

As for his personal safety, there was no need for concern.

One of the traits of the Ancient Supreme—mental interference from external forces was impossible!

Meanwhile, the sound of helicopters echoed in the distance.

Gu Jianlin's phone automatically connected to the Deep Space Network. The Ether Association's support had arrived.

"B-Rank Investigator Gu Jianlin, welcome aboard Deep Space."

"Mission complete. Rewards are being calculated. Please wait."

"Friendly reminder: Time until dimensional stability, countdown—12 hours."

"Do you choose to return?"

[Recommendation Ticket]

[Monthly Ticket]