The man's gaze revealed an expression as if encountering an old friend after many years.

In the solemn and somber main hall, a chilling murderous intent permeated the air. It seemed that the moment the broken blade appeared, the gates of time and space had already been opened. Across such an immense distance, the girl cast a cold glance that carried an air of puzzlement.

Yet to Old Master Si, this seemed impossible, as this young lady had never interacted with the outside world. Since joining Dusk, her strikes had been few and far between, each time killing from afar without ever showing her true face.

Her nobility, her strength, her arrogance—beyond the reach of anyone.

Ranked last within Dusk, yet the most enigmatic ultimate weapon, the girl codenamed Skylark had her true identity shrouded in mystery. No one knew from whence she came. This enigmatic figure was hailed as the throne sustaining the entire Dark World, and the Chosen One prophesied by the former king before his fall.

How could she possibly have any connection with this man before her!

Wait, the old man suddenly realized!

This was a reflection of destiny!

The unmistakable resemblance—it was undoubtedly Gu Jianlin in his grown-up form!

Which meant that Qilin and Skylark would inevitably cross paths in the future!

"I don't know you."

An emotionless voice resounded in the void; the broken blade vibrated faintly.

From the shadow-filled emptiness, a pitch-black hole seemed to open up, as if someone was about to step out.

In an instant, time and space sank into a stagnant silence.

The man unfolded the domain of Space Freeze but didn't act immediately. He merely gazed silently at the black hole, his expression one of solitude—it resembled fallen leaves in an ancient temple, or a mournful wind on a frigid night, gradually giving way to a murderous intent.

When the girl's voice appeared in his world, everything else became irrelevant.

He lowered his stance, adopting an ancient and fierce starting pose. His hands gripped the knife's hilt tightly, veins bulging as the blood-red blade erupted with jet-black thunder, arcs of black electricity sparking and leaping, echoing with the shrill cries of countless birds.

Facing such a wicked woman, he had to employ the Ghost Slayer Path.

He had to crush her within the domain she excelled in!

Bang!

The stillness of time shattered, leaving only a flash of lightning tearing through the void, forcefully shattering the black hole!

The girl who was about to step out of the black hole was sent plummeting into the abyss.

"Who are you?"

In her final moment, the girl cast a cold and piercing glance, as if committing the man's face to memory.

"You are merely an alchemical projection of her power. I won't waste words with you." Killing intent suffused the man's eyes as he emotionlessly swung the blade. His physical form began to turn illusory, collapsing abruptly!

He had long anticipated this outcome. His very existence had already exceeded the rule constraints of this ephemeral world, and executing such a formidable strike inevitably resulted in self-destruction, irreversible.

Initially, he had come to kill Old Master Si.

But upon seeing the broken blade, he realized he had to change his target.

Otherwise, Gu Jianlin and the others would face disaster today.

With a loud thud, his body disintegrated into a cascade of glowing fragments, vanishing without a trace.

The overwhelming murderous intent filling the main hall abruptly dissipated.

"Hahaha! Heaven does not forsake me—this damned thing is finally gone! I never imagined this person could become so powerful in the future. Even Qing and Chi weren't this strong in their youth. Luckily, I'd prepared contingencies long ago!" Old Master Si stumbled wildly out of the Iron Coffin, his aged face alight with clarity and mania after surviving calamity. He picked up the broken blade with the reverence of a treasure hunter.

The destiny reflection had been incredibly strong, but sacrificing himself to prevent the young lady's strike had cost him.

Suddenly, ancient whispers seemed to echo in his ears.

A hoary voice seemed to call out to him.

"Save me. Please, save me."

Mist began to unfold.

A bronze altar suddenly rose within the main hall, its surroundings aglow with eerie ghostly flames circling the matrix's four corners. Ancient array patterns, inscribed with Dragon and Qilin totems, shimmered with an ominous blood-red phosphorescence, solemn yet sinister.

So, this place truly was the creation of Qilin and Candle Dragon.

Xu Fu does not deceive me!

"I am sealed within frozen time, unable to escape. All you need to do is activate this alchemical matrix to rupture the barriers here. Once it collapses, the Divine Tree will complete its gestation, and I will break free from my prison and grant you treasures."

Xu Fu's ancient voice declared, "Strike down that eye, and it will be done!"

Clutching the broken blade tightly, Old Master Si stepped into the center of the alchemical matrix.

But as his gaze fell upon the eye, horror seized him.

His blood ran cold, as if plunged into an icy abyss.

Yet it was too late—the broken blade had already pierced the eye, its radiant light shattering into countless fragments!

Old Master Si did not regret his decision, but he was deeply terrified.

For the core array pattern of the alchemical matrix turned out to be a vermilion bird, radiating grandeur and nobility.

Its eye happened to be the focal point of the array pattern.

"Old Master, hurry!"

Xia Yu staggered to his feet, urging in a grave tone, "Delay will lead to disaster."

Si Wei'an saw for the first time a look of sheer dread on his uncle's face.

Old Master Si was 130 years old and had survived the Fusang Divine Palace invasion. Back then, when the Divine Race corroded the mortal reality, it was an apocalyptic catastrophe. At that time, he had merely been a novice.

This totem—he had seen it before in the Fusang Divine Palace.

No, not a totem.

But the totem's true form.

At the time, he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of the grand figure in the heavens, at full power, from a vast distance. Yet the mere sight had caused his spirit and will to collapse on the spot, requiring a decade of convalescence.

It was… the Vermilion Bird Venerate!

·

·

Gu Jianlin was still desperately fleeing within the underground palace, alone and taking up the role of rear guard because he was unaffected by misfortune.

Meanwhile, Shadow scouted ahead.

From the darkened corridor came sounds of writhing, as thick, viscous flesh poured in through cracks in the fractured walls, merging into grotesque, monstrous forms exuding dense deathly energy!

This was the Corpse Ghost Skill.

Moreover, it was a variant of the Ancient God Clan's Corpse Ghost Skill—a particularly disgusting one for reasons unknown.

Currently, his spirituality was brimming. The dark-golden Skeleton Giant materialized violently, and the four Ghost Hands condensed into darkness!

Good thing he hadn't brought the parrot along.

Or, upon hearing "Suzanohu" in front of the two Yingzhou people, the bird would have immediately social-died!

Taking a deep breath, he spread his arms and released surging dark energy, erupting like an ebony sun. It blasted the monsters into pulp; bits of shredded flesh splattered the walls, emitting a burnt stench.

"Boy! Keep up!"

Da He Wang called out from ahead.

Yuuki Yocchi didn't forget to cast a layer of Holy Light protection on him. She thought this boy was incredibly reliable—mastering the legendary Original Forbidden Curse, taking on the roles of scout and rear guard alone, tanking damage while dealing output.

Although the burst of Dark Shock was potent, the shredded flesh managed to recombine.

They seemed to be unkillable monsters!

Gu Jianlin's gaze flickered with determination. Luckily, he noticed that the more thoroughly the flesh was shredded, the slower the recombination process. After a brief moment of contemplation, he raised his right hand again, black thunder gathered and elongated!

Ancient Forbidden Curse, All Heavens Divine Thunder!

Forbidden spells had various applications, shaped according to the caster's abilities.

When lightning merged with dark energy, it formed such a Thunderbolt Spear!

"All Heavens Divine Thunder?"

Da He Wang stumbled, almost falling flat: "What sort of godly being is this?"

Yuuki Yocchi glanced sideways, her eyes filled with astonishment: "Such majestic power… so handsome!"

Su Youzhu shot this woman an icy glare, considering from which angle to chop her.

After all, healers aren't afraid of being slashed.

Only Lu Zijin understood why they were so shocked. The President's signature forbidden spell was All Heavens Divine Thunder—a spell that was said to kill living beings, wipe out death energy, and unleash boundless Heavenly Might.

It could even purify evil.

Several Holy Land Level beings in Ying Province had perished beneath All Heavens Divine Thunder.

Boom!

The black Thunderbolt Spear erupted, nearly collapsing the rear corridor. The flesh-formed monsters were obliterated into ash, with even fragments shrouded in faint thunderlight, burned into charcoal.

They could never recombine!

Gu Jianlin stared in awe at the scene before him—this was the power of All Heavens Divine Thunder.

"Senior?"

Yuuki Yocchi looked at her senior, noticing his conflicted expression.

Da He Wang's resolve firmed as he clenched his teeth and said, "Yang Cai, should we take a chance? It seems this team we've encountered is remarkably strong. Continued endless fleeing will only cost us opportunities."

Without waiting for a reply, he yelled, "We can't keep escaping like this. Let's take down the Si Family now!"