The Ancient Gods' Whisper

An ancient, dimly lit hall, Ji Zhou turned around to face the three young individuals.

It was said that Divine Generals were at least of the Seventh Rank, Holy Land Level. No one knew what level this woman had reached, but the instant she cast a glance backward, an immense sense of oppression could be felt.

The ancient stone tower trembled, and the towering stone statues also shuddered.

"Senior."

Gu Jianlin nodded in greeting: "We meet again."

Cheng Youyu quickly said, "Senior Ji, we're here to exchange some materials for promotion!"

Faced with such pressure, Nie Xiangsi was frightened pale, not daring to utter a single word. She shrank to the back, afraid to even poke her head out.

"The material storage is on the second floor."

Ji Zhou said indifferently, "Go ahead."

"Thank you, Senior! Farewell, Senior!" Cheng Youyu and Nie Xiangsi felt as though they had narrowly escaped calamity. After exchanging a glance, they hurried up the stone steps.

The spiraling black stone staircase suddenly roared into motion. In the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished completely, swallowed by the darkness, with not even the rhythms of their life remaining. If one didn't know better, they might have thought they had been killed instantly.

Gu Jianlin's expression grew peculiar.

"It's merely a spatial trick of the Alchemy Matrix, no need to overreact."

Ji Zhou held a teacup in her hand, speaking casually, "Tea?"

For an instant, a steaming hot teacup appeared out of thin air before Gu Jianlin. Within the cup, light brown tea leaves floated, exuding a rich fragrance.

If not for his quick reflexes, the cup might have fallen and shattered on the ground.

"This is Heavenly Fragrant Tea, nurtured with the blood of Ancient God Seeds. Seeing as you're about to advance, I wouldn't offer this to you otherwise. Your rapid advancement may appear promising, but ultimately, your foundation is weak. Over time, this will affect your psyche and temperament."

Ji Zhou held the teacup close, inhaling lightly: "Heavenly Fragrant Tea can nourish your spirit, preventing your overwhelming power from crushing your rationality and turning you into someone like the King of Qing or the Red King—a lunatic."

A parrot screeched, "What a savage tongue she has!"

Gu Jianlin said earnestly, "I don't know if the Red King is a lunatic, but my teacher is not."

At these words, Ji Zhou looked at him with newfound interest. "Explain."

Without hesitation, Gu Jianlin spoke, "My teacher's philosophy is straightforward. When humanity faces the crisis posed by the Ancient God Clan, we cannot cling to outdated traditions. We must grasp more formidable powers because the Ancient God Clan's civilization hasn't stagnated. Humanity… doesn't actually have the great advantage we imagine."

He paused: "What's more, my teacher doesn't arbitrarily kill innocents. He only targets members of The Order of the Hidden. Although the Evolution Path is indeed perilous and could cause massive upheaval, we cannot abandon it entirely out of fear."

Abandon it entirely out of fear.

Ji Zhou raised an eyebrow and sipped her tea. "I'll tentatively agree. The King of Qing killing those members of The Order of the Hidden was an act of relatively minor destruction to prevent greater crises in the future. However, his reason for pioneering the Evolution Path is his belief that the Heavenly Person Realm cannot serve as a weapon to protect the Human World."

She raised her hand and pointed to the sky.

Above the spire's dome, dazzling golden light radiated intensely.

"This is the Heavenly Person Realm, a peerless marvel created by the Heavenly Person's Wedge. For over two thousand years since the Qin and Han Era, the Ancient God Clan hasn't managed to invade even an inch of the Human World."

She said: "Take the President, for example. At her peak, she could compete against an Ancient Supreme in the real world. And an Ancient Supreme would never dare set foot in the Heavenly Person Realm."

Gu Jianlin understood her meaning and replied, "Even the Sun will burn out in billions of years."

There is nothing eternal in this world.

"Evidence?"

Ji Zhou gazed at him deeply with profound eyes.

Gu Jianlin fell silent for a moment and shook his head.

But deep down, he had an answer.

Because his very existence was evidence.

"Still, from my personal perspective, I do agree with you. The Heavenly Person Realm indeed might be cracked, and humanity truly needs stronger power to defend this world."

Ji Zhou's lips curled into a faint smile: "But why can't it be upgrading the Heavenly Person's Wedge?"

Gu Jianlin lowered his eyes and drank his tea.

He thought to himself that it was better not to say more. He had only just become an amphibian; he didn't want to get dragged into another mess.

"Why have you come today?"

Ji Zhou asked calmly.

Gu Jianlin replied earnestly, "I want to select a growth-type Mythical Weapon."

"Do you have enough merit?"

"I should, and it's plenty—absurdly plentiful."

"Heh."

With the faint sound of crisp footsteps, Ji Zhou turned and ascended the spiraling staircase.

"Follow me."

Gu Jianlin instinctively realized that this woman's attitude toward him was noticeably different from her attitude toward others.

Though she seemed cold, she was, in fact, quite amicable.

With a loud rumble, the black stone spiral staircase rotated, and the surrounding scenery spun wildly as chaotic sounds echoed all around.

Unbeknownst to them, they found themselves in a massive museum, surrounded on all sides by ancient and exquisitely crafted display stands showcasing all sorts of strange artifacts, as if they had entered an antique shop.

"This is the third floor, which contains the Omega Sequence Mythical Weapon resource library."

Ji Zhou said indifferently, "The level above is the location of the Cloud Bright Secret Treasure. However, it's not exchanged for merit but earned through bounty missions to collect ancient tokens before you're allowed to observe it. The Cloud Bright Secret Treasure is quite the treasure; even now, its full value hasn't been completely unearthed."