In the dim and sweltering cavern, waves of scorching heat surged violently.
Tang Zijing lowered his head and calmly said, "I understand, my lord Primordial."
A majestic and indifferent voice echoed from behind the molten lava waterfall.
The Kui Dragon Ancestor looked down from on high, speaking coldly: "You have only two tasks. First, confirm Qilin Venerable's condition. Second, locate the fragments of the Qilin Wedge. That Dragon Bone is crucial. While it's useless to us, it absolutely cannot fall into the hands of the Candle Dragon or Qilin."
Tang Zijing replied, "To serve you, I would gladly die a thousand deaths."
The Kui Dragon Ancestor remained unmoved and said coldly, "Meng Hebo will accompany you outside. His rank has fallen to rock bottom and requires re-elevation. I'll assign a new-born Ancestor to follow you both."
The faint sound of footsteps echoed. She emerged from the molten lava waterfall.
Her dark red hair drifted in the air, a skeleton mask concealed her face, and her tall, graceful figure was cloaked in a black-gold robe. Her bare feet tread upon the molten lava, her entire body ablaze with searing flames, as though she were a ghostly deity.
She gently raised her hand.
A sinister crystal coffin shot up from the molten lava, crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Don't disappoint me."
Tang Zijing slightly bowed his head: "Rest assured, this will be the last time."
The next morning, Gu Jianlin returned once again to the grocery store outside the residential area.
However, this time, he appeared listless, his face pale with dark circles under his eyes, looking sickly and frail.
After all, with the Symbiotic Lock clasped onto him, the excruciating soul-pain had tormented him all night. It was utterly impossible to fall asleep under such conditions, and even the Breathing Technique for meditation was ineffective. All he could do was silently recite the Great Compassionate Mantra to divert his attention.
Finally enduring until dawn, the agony subsided, leaving him feeling as though an eternity had passed.
Jing Ci adjusted his tie in the mirror, glancing at him intentionally or unintentionally: "Looks like that little girl has suffered quite a lot lately—the pain she's feeding back has messed you up this much?"
Gu Jianlin slumped into the chair at the store entrance, exhaustion written all over his face. He spoke softly: "It doesn't matter. Building tolerance to pain is also a way to increase combat capability. It's good for me."
Jing Ci froze momentarily, surprised at how ruthless this kid was to himself.
"As long as it doesn't interfere with learning Forbidden Spells, it'll be fine."
Gu Jianlin said calmly.
At this moment, Huai Yin emerged from the grocery store, supporting himself on a wheelchair. His frost-white eyebrows lifted slightly as he said in an indifferent tone: "Have you considered the possibility that you could just grab any enemy to bear the main lock and spare yourselves the torment?"
Jing Ci's hand, still tying his bow tie, paused slightly.
Gu Jianlin froze, his expression suddenly stiffening.
Seeing their reactions, Huai Yin's mood instantly brightened, even humming a cheerful tune.
Gu Jianlin pondered for a moment, primarily because he hadn't even thought of such a possibility.
Jing Ci remained silent for a while before casually saying, "Ignore him. What do old men know? They completely lack a sense of charm. Couple's bracelets aren't just for random people to wear, are they?"
Gu Jianlin thought it made sense.
But then he quickly reacted: "Wait. Couples? I have nothing like that. Stop talking nonsense."
Jing Ci gave him a loaded look and said with profound meaning: "What are you concerned about? Legally, you two aren't siblings, and there's no blood relation either—it's permissible. Although there might be some trouble regarding the little girl's biological mother, it's not an unsolvable issue."
Gu Jianlin was taken aback: "Who is Youzhu's biological mother?"
Jing Ci answered indifferently: "From an ancient family in the Dark World. You'll find out eventually."
Gu Jianlin fell into deep thought.
The two brothers soon changed the subject, seemingly realizing something.
Clearly, the old man was retaliating for their discussion of their mentor last night.
It's just the Air Force. Not a big deal.
Huai Yin waved his hand, and the entire grocery store warped suddenly.
"Where are we headed?"
Gu Jianlin asked suddenly.
Jing Ci replied calmly: "To the Soul Skywell."
Gu Jianlin was startled: "Isn't the Soul Skywell the Ether Association's secret archive?"
"What of it? Our teacher originally hailed from the Ether Association, only later becoming independent. When the Soul Skywell was first constructed, our teacher's contributions were indispensable. His venerable reputation allows him access anywhere."
Jing Ci smiled mildly, his tone slightly derisive as he explained: "Besides, the Ether Association is about to enter the highest state of alert. You Omegas have a rare chance to access the Cloud Bright Secret Treasure in the Soul Skywell—it's the perfect opportunity to make the Judgment Court bleed and fleece them."
Gu Jianlin found that reasonable, given that their teacher was a Catastrophe-ranked figure and a former student of the previous President.
Entering the Soul Skywell should indeed be effortless.
The next moment, time and space warped abruptly, plunging everything into darkness.
A buzzing sound filled Gu Jianlin's ears as light gradually emerged before his eyes.
When the distorted spacetime returned to normal, the colossal library once again appeared before him. Endless towering bookshelves formed a matrix following some peculiar order, resembling a vast maze intertwined and interwoven.
Faint sky light poured down from the Soul Skywell above, creating circular patches of light that danced on the wooden floor.
Huai Yin sat in his wheelchair with an air of composed tranquility.
Jing Ci pushed the wheelchair from behind.
At the same time, a sharp and imposing shout rang out: "Who goes there? The Soul Skywell forbids unauthorized entry!"
Within the sunshine streaming from the skywell above, a red-haired middle-aged man had appeared unnoticed. He was clad in an ancient bronze war armor and gripped a rugged black spear resembling a dragon. His terrifying aura, refined through countless battles amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood, erupted with the intensity of a hurricane, sweeping across the entire library.