Gu Jianlin asked again, "What are the identities of the other three?"
Currently, there are only three individuals who haven't consumed the Ancient God's Blood.
Sea Demon, Butcher, and Moon Princess.
"Not sure. The three of them joined later to help me and my teacher get deeper into the Immortal Palace. We haven't met in the real world; they've only pledged a soul oath to ensure they won't leak any information."
The Scholar said, "I only know that the Butcher mingles in Peak City's underground black market, while the Sea Demon is part of the association—not exactly high-ranking, but not low either. The origins of the Moon Princess are unclear; she's probably a member of some heretical organization. To my knowledge, all three of them have ranks higher than mine."
When Gu Jianlin first entered the Immortal Palace and faced these five people, he thought they were an organized group.
But as it turns out, it's just a temporary alliance.
That explains why the Pharmacist and the Scholar are teacher and disciple—and even share a blood connection.
The Scholar continued, "What can be confirmed right now is that the Butcher follows the Ancient Martial Path, the Moon Princess follows the Ghost Slayer Path, and the Sea Demon follows the Divine Path. Each of us has an ancient token from the Immortal Palace—these tokens allow us to teleport deep into the Immortal Palace, gather periodically, and explore the Ancient Tomb."
Gu Jianlin hummed in acknowledgment, "Like resurrection spawn points. Gathering together for dungeon raids, right?"
The Scholar froze, "I didn't expect you to even know that..."
This Ancient God had completely integrated into human society.
Damn it, this pressure was far beyond what someone of his mere Third Rank should bear.
This should really be something for the Catastrophe category to handle!
"You used Xu Fu's Record to get into the Immortal Palace earlier, like beta testers. But your powers aren't strong enough; once the Ether Association enters, you'll all have to leave."
Gu Jianlin smiled faintly, "Of course, perhaps I'll have to leave too."
What a pity. After crossing into the Qilin Immortal Palace, he was confined to the tomb chamber and couldn't go out to explore.
Who knows what's out there?
The Scholar lowered his head, "Indeed."
Gu Jianlin glanced at him, "Tell me about the leader of the Grave Digger Organization—Hasegawa Shinichi."
That individual's soul was currently contained within the Soul Comforting Bell.
But this time, with the Joker incident as a lesson, he didn't rush to interrogate.
Clearly, behind the Grave Digger Organization was an unknown entity capable of remotely manipulating their souls.
The last time he interrogated the mastermind behind the Joker, the soul disintegrated into nothingness.
This person was extremely mysterious.
And it seemed they suspected Gu Jianlin of carrying some kind of treasure from the Qilin Immortal Palace.
"Hasegawa Shinichi, like me, was once a member of the Ether Association and participated in the excavation plan for the Immortal Palace. He's also one of the survivors of the Blood Moon Slaughter Incident. Because you instructed us to investigate the truth behind the Blood Moon Slaughter, I locked onto him as a key target, hoping to extract some information from him."
The Scholar lowered his voice, "Hasegawa Shinichi and John Berger—these two didn't have high ranks. How did they even survive the Blood Moon Slaughter Incident?"
Gu Jianlin raised an eyebrow, "Hmm?"
"What puzzles me most is that back then, John Berger—the Joker—already showed signs of mental instability before the Blood Moon Slaughter. The Ether Association has always pursued Fallen relentlessly. The Judgement Court intervened in the Blood Moon Slaughter Incident, and Vice President Rhein from headquarters issued the highest directive."
The Scholar said, "But the investigation report from the Judgement Court claimed that the Joker stole a Mythical Weapon and escaped during his transfer to the hospital. Does that seem likely to you?"
Gu Jianlin narrowed his eyes; this indeed felt peculiar.
The Judgement Court's attitude toward Fallen was absolute eradication.
From a certain perspective, this stance made sense—Fallen, once out of control, were inherently dangerous.
What truly disgusted Gu Jianlin was how the Judgement Court equated Unclean with Fallen.
As for Gu Jianlin's own predicament, it stemmed from the instability of his Divine Path and being the son of a Fallen.
Many even believed that Gu Ci'an, after orchestrating the Blood Moon Slaughter Incident, left something behind for his son.
And that something was paid for with the lives and blood of countless people.
"Certainly, it's strange."
Gu Jianlin remembered the scene when the Joker disintegrated into ashes.
The Joker claimed that, in his dying moments, someone saved him—that person must be the mastermind behind the Grave Digger Organization, loyal to Kui.
"I suspect the Judgement Court is hiding something."
The Scholar said grimly, "Take a look: the investigation into the Blood Moon Slaughter Incident wrapped up hastily within a month. All clues and details about it were secretly sealed by the Judgement Court. What did they uncover during the investigation? What are they afraid of?"
Gu Jianlin fell into silent contemplation.
"And after that, the Judgement Court applied to accelerate the progress of the Immortal Palace plan with urgency to enter the palace."
The Scholar continued, "But for now, I couldn't get Hasegawa Shinichi to reveal who's behind him. Regardless, that person's rank is undoubtedly strong—and they've already hidden themselves in the Immortal Palace!"
Gu Jianlin nodded slightly, "You've done well."
The Scholar appeared relieved, "It's my honor to serve you."
At that moment, Gu Jianlin felt the Qilin deep in his consciousness stir restlessly.
In the void, he seemed to hear the distant call from another world.
Like an ancient song, intangible and faint.
"The teacher is trying to contact us to enter the tomb chamber."
The Scholar's expression became extremely strange, rising respectfully, "In that case… Supreme, see you shortly."
With that, he bowed his head and turned to enter the men's restroom.
Unfazed, Gu Jianlin picked up two metal boxes and followed suit, entering another restroom.
The world twisted and inverted, collapsing with a roar.
Within the darkness, a faint light began to glow.
Gu Jianlin opened his eyes again, feeling the ancient, chaotic energy permeate the darkness, as though submerged in a boundless abyssal sea. The sense of tearing across his body was gradually subsiding, and the wounds from his Ancient God Transformation were slowly healing.
This was his third time entering the Qilin Immortal Palace, and he was finally fully acclimated to its environment.
He rose from the golden coffin, the black chains binding his body rattled as the mummy cloth shed layer by layer.
The tomb's door thundered open, the grinding sound of the stone gate echoing throughout.
The Pharmacist's aged voice trembled faintly, echoing again.
However, before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off by a loud slap.
The Pharmacist's furious voice roared, "Sea Demon! What are you doing! We're paying homage to the Supreme! How dare you be so insolent!"
The Scholar was slapped across the face. He was wearing a human skin mask, so the sound was particularly sharp.
The force wasn't that strong, but it was enough to embarrass him.
Sea Demon took a deep breath, her voice icy, "But I can't hold back any longer. I risked exposure and went through immense effort to obtain intelligence from the association for you—all to protect your lives and extend our alliance longer. And what did the Scholar do? He leaked the intelligence to the Grave Digger Organization!"
She seemed exceptionally angry, her voice sharp, "I wouldn't have minded if you sneaked out of Black Cloud City without a word. But look what happened now—the entire Peak City District is sweeping for traitors! Several Unclean individuals at the grassroots level have already been uncovered, and if this keeps up, it won't be long before they trace it back to me!"
"Sea Demon, calm down. Don't you still have connections within the association?"
The Butcher said carelessly, "Worst case, you can just run—I'll cover for you!"
Sea Demon refused his help outright, shooting him a cold glance, "Run like you? Living like a rat in the sewer every day? You can afford to throw caution to the wind, but what about me?"
She paused, "As for connections... heh, when trouble comes, you can't count on anyone."
The Moon Princess said coolly, "I've heard about this matter too. Because Sea Demon leaked intelligence, several personnel from the Peak City District's action team were killed... The Judgement Court has already ordered a thorough investigation."
The Scholar remained silent.
After all, he had already paid a heavy price for this mistake.
The Pharmacist took a deep breath, "Regarding this incident, I've already punished the Scholar. We..."
Someone cleared their throat.
Gu Jianlin gazed at the five figures before the tomb's door. He hadn't expected the drama to start as soon as he arrived.