And out at sea, a graceful and enchanting silhouette faintly appeared.
A swarm of dragons churned within the deep ocean, bowing in reverence to her.
Tang Ling, even with her monocle, was unable to divine the answer.
"Candle Dragon Venerable."
Gu Jianlin softly responded.
Tang Ling's beautiful eyes flashed with a hint of shock: "Candle Dragon Venerable? Candle Dragon Venerable is female?"
Gu Jianlin said nothing, which was as good as confirming.
Not only was she female, but also stunningly attractive.
If you're not afraid to die, I could take you inside to have a look.
You could take a few more glances too.
Though the two of us might then end up buried together in a coffin.
The contents of this mural were somewhat horrifying, for from the heavens descended a meteor.
Mighty dragons were struck by the meteor, collapsing into the depths of the sea.
"Looking at this mural, what comes to your mind?"
Tang Ling muttered softly: "Candle Dragon Venerable sealed the Ancient God of the Candle Dragon Clan inside the Immortal Palace?"
Gu Jianlin fell silent as he gazed at the dragon depicted.
Though the mural was crude, he still recognized features of the dragon.
The dragon had just one foot!
The Kui Dragon Ancestor!
Judging by appearances, the Kui Dragon Ancestor was forcibly sealed within the Qilin Immortal Palace!
This implied that the Ancestor might not have been all that loyal to his Master!
"I think I understand something now."
A flicker of peculiar light danced in Gu Jianlin's eyes: "Candle Dragon Venerable and Kui Dragon Ancestor might not have been on the same side. When Candle Dragon Venerable sealed the Qilin Immortal Palace, in addition to suppressing the Qilin Venerable, there could have been another purpose. Kui Dragon Ancestor might have been forcibly left behind by her to guard something. She didn't fully trust Xu Fu."
Tang Ling furrowed her brows: "Fragments of the Qilin Wedge?"
Gu Jianlin disagreed: "Yes, but it's also possible there's something else."
Yet, he had a persistent premonition.
Things weren't as simple as they seemed.
"Looking at it now, whatever Xu Fu left behind was acquired by The Order of the Hidden."
Tang Ling walked to the altar's center, gazing at the four empty coffins, and remarked: "The source of that tremendous power they wielded likely came from the sacrifices. That's why Director Li said he obtained five sacrifices. With five sacrifices, even a novice could achieve overwhelming power."
Gu Jianlin moved beside her, looking up at the coffins suspended above the mountain, shaking his head: "Utter madness. The Order of the Hidden's hideout is probably more than just this one. Storing these items within the You Ying Group was likely because they had a traitor here, pulling off this blind-under-the-lamp strategy without anyone noticing."
Just then, his expression changed dramatically: "Someone's here."
Through his Life Perception, he detected an eerie life rhythm intruding.
It was unsettling, like the grating sound of a blade against a chalkboard.
"At this time, shouldn't they be auctioning the Ancient God's Blood?"
Tang Ling gave him a glance: "Let's not count on luck, shall we?"
Gu Jianlin agreed with her assessment; whoever came now was undoubtedly someone from The Order of the Hidden.
Director Li was already dead, after all.
To be thorough, The Order of the Hidden would certainly send people here to investigate this hideout.
"Now we have only two options."
Gu Jianlin spoke impassively: "Either we escape immediately—we've already gathered plenty of clues today. Or, we take a calculated risk and try to leave them behind, at least to confirm their identity. What do you think, Senior Sister?"
Tang Ling narrowed her vermillion-colored eyes, lifted her chin, and answered coldly: "Of course, we leave them behind."
[Recommendation Ticket]