Qilin Immortal Palace, First Layer, Living Burial Area.
When Gu Jianlin regained consciousness, his entire body was already drenched in cold sweat, gasping for air in large gulps.
Howling winds whipped against his face, lifting the stray locks of hair on his forehead.
He raised his head to look—above the Sky Dome, the surface of a flowing sea shimmered, with light inexplicably piercing through.
The light resembled auroras, flowing in the darkness, radiant and dazzling.
Beneath his feet lay a cracked, scorched wasteland, with gaps filled with bubbling molten lava.
Massive stone pillars surged into the sky, piercing through the flowing seawater on the Sky Dome, reaching even higher realms.
A shadowy dense forest sprawled across the expanse, with giant crown-like trees stretching skyward, faint wolf howls echoing within.
Black crows flapped their wings across the sky, their feathers covered with blood-red pupils.
Scorched campfires, abandoned wrappers, and tattered tents were scattered in the distance.
These were traces left behind by humans.
Colossal stone statues of giants loomed between the cliffs—like kneeling believers in prayer, worshiping toward the heavens.
Deeper in the dense forest lay fragmented ruins, with a protruding human face carved into a smooth stone wall!
This was the Qilin Immortal Palace.
The domain of the Qilin Venerable.
However, it was still not as shocking as the things he had just seen within the Destiny Mud Tablet.
Gu Jianlin sensed the Black Qilin within his mind, intricately connected to this world.
In the unseen depths, he seemed to hear an ancient, resonant laughter—malicious and unrestrained.
Yet this malice appeared not necessarily directed at him.
The Qilin Venerable had said before: this is both a gift and a curse.
If Gu Jianlin's suspicions were correct, then the meaning of that phrase was quite straightforward to understand.
Because achieving your goal doesn't always require taking action yourself.
For example, if someone were to tell him now that he could fulfill all his wishes by transferring his power to another,
he wouldn't hesitate to agree.
The Qilin Venerable was mad.
Mad with the desire to exact revenge and obliterate certain existences.
As long as the objective was achieved, that was enough.
Whether the Qilin Venerable broke free or not, it didn't matter.
Whether or not the Qilin Venerable could adapt to the world of reality, also didn't matter.
Gu Jianlin's existence had already perfectly resolved those two problems.
Gu Jianlin felt he was created by it—a weapon forged to avenge this world.
Most crucially, the Qilin Venerable was utterly unconcerned that the weapon it had forged might defy its will.
Because it had no reason to worry.
Once one inherited this power, one was bound by this karma.
The Candle Dragon Venerable targeting him was the best proof of that.
Gu Jianlin did not know why he was the one chosen to accept this gift and this curse.
Most likely, it had something to do with Old Gu.
"Your face looks awful. What on earth rattled you so much?"
Tang Ling squatted beside him, resting her chin in her hands, and stared at him with her sharp, icy eyes: "The Destiny Tablet probably only reveals some details about the Ancient God Clan. What you saw is undoubtedly real, and has surely already happened. Theoretically, it shouldn't scare you . Or... have you grasped some terrifying Forbidden Spell?"
Even now, I don't know what a Forbidden Spell really is.
Gu Jianlin shook his head, fell silent for a moment, then said, "Nothing."
The matter of the Qilin Venerable was of monumental importance, absolutely unacceptable to share. He had to find a way to muddle through.
Tang Ling glanced at him, her tone light: "For someone so young, you're awfully unadorable. I rarely feel like offering comfort, and you can't even pretend to be a little more panicked?"
Gu Jianlin turned and looked at her, his gaze confused.
A parrot nearby was about to throw out a taunt, but he clamped its beak shut.
Without saying more, Tang Ling said, "Get ready; let's begin the operation."
Only then did Gu Jianlin realize that everyone around them was looking at the two of them with envy.
It was likely because they had entered the Soul Skywell and read the top-secret strategies and insights in the Destiny Mud Tablet.
Such a priceless gift would, in time, undoubtedly widen the gap between them and the others.
And within the Omega Sequence, everyone was a competitor.
"Excuse me, do you need healing?"
Dawn approached him, a gentle and friendly smile on his face: "You seem to be in a bad state."
The Poison Master stood nearby—a woman with a graceful figure but dark, heavy eye circles. She looked terminally sick, as if she might collapse at any moment: "I also have secret medicine for recovery."
She offered a sinister smile: "Don't worry. Nightmare tested the poison; it won't kill anyone."
With that, she opened a bottle of the medicine and downed it.
Moments later, her entire body convulsed, froth spurted from her mouth, and blood streamed from her seven orifices.
Nightmare's expression shifted dramatically as he rushed to support her: "Damn it, she grabbed the wrong bottle!"
Gu Jianlin was utterly dumbfounded. Just entering the Immortal Palace and they were already down one teammate?
His voice carried slight hesitation.
Clearly used to such sights, Dawn casually cast a beam of Holy Light, speaking warmly: "I'm Waste Number One."
Bathing in the Holy Light, the Poison Master opened her eyes and murmured weakly, "I'm Waste Number Two."
Nightmare sneered, clearly someone from the Black Iron Faction, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "am Waste Number Three. Looks like our vice-captain didn't even bother reviewing our profiles beforehand—clearly doesn't think we're worth it, huh?"
Gu Jianlin froze. These three were precisely the ones tangled in his mass taunt during the debacle at the West Port Forbidden Zone.
He turned toward the white-haired older sister standing to the side.