36: The ruins are beginning to appear, and the storm is coming

Lin Gou sat cross-legged in the quiet room of his Immortal Cave, meticulously comprehending the nascent state of the 'Thunder Spirit Saint Body'.

The spiritual energy within his body had already reached the Peak of the ninth Qi Refinement Stage.

Every inch of his flesh and blood seemed to resonate softly with the stray electric arcs in the air.

An unprecedented sense of power filled his limbs and bones.

"An A-Rank death was truly worth it."

"This Thunder Spirit Saint Body is practically a portable charger tailor-made for me."

"If I encounter lightning-element attacks again in the future, won't it be like paying my opponent to give me a massage?"

A satisfied smile had just begun to curve on Lin Gou's lips.

Boom—!

Without any warning, the stone bed beneath him violently shook.

No.

It wasn't the stone bed.

It was the entire mountain Peak he was on.

It was the entire continuous Qingyun Mountains!

Rumble—!

A dull roar, like an ancient behemoth awakening, came from the deepest part of the earth, carrying an irresistible will that shook the entire world.

Dust rustling fell from the stone walls inside the Immortal Cave.

Lin Gou's smile instantly vanished, and he sprang up from his meditation, rushing out of the Immortal Cave in one step.

He stood on the edge of the cliff of his mountain Peak, looking up into the distance.

Then, he saw the most magnificent and terrifying scene of his life.

In the distant sky, countless miles away from the Sect.

A colossal pillar of light, interwoven with seven colors, tore through the thick clouds, piercing through heaven and earth with a brutal posture.

The light pillar was so thick, it seemed like a divine pillar supporting the firmament.

Endless rays of light burst forth from the pillar, dyeing half the sky in a dreamlike, brilliant array of colors.

And at the apex of that seven-colored light.

The outline of a magnificent, Ancient Immortal Palace, exuding an aura of boundless desolation and majesty, was slowly emerging in the Void Realm.

It was indistinct, as if separated by a thin veil of space and time, not belonging to this era.

A vast and boundless pressure, originating from ancient primordial times, traversed tens of thousands of miles, like an invisible giant hand, pressing down heavily on everyone's Divine Soul.

Lin Gou felt his breathing become somewhat stagnant.

This pressure was even a hundred times more terrifying than when he faced the lightning liquid at the core of the lightning pool.

"What is that?"

"Is the sky falling apart!"

"A miracle! A miracle has descended!"

The entire Qingyun Sect was in an uproar.

Countless streams of light shot up from the Immortal Caves on various mountain Peaks.

They hovered in mid-air, staring blankly at the seven-colored light piercing through heaven and earth in the distance, and the indistinct Ancient Immortal Palace.

Everyone's face was filled with undisguised, extreme shock.

After the shock, an even more fervent emotion wildly sprouted from the depths of everyone's eyes.

That was greed.

It was the most primitive desire for Opportunity and power.

Lin Gou stood on his mountain Peak, quietly watching the anomaly in the distance.

His expression was calm and unruffled, appearing out of place compared to his excited or worried fellow Disciples.

Because his attention was not on the seven-colored light at all.

But on his retina.

A rapidly flashing System map, visible only to him, was constantly popping up notifications.

"Warning! Super high-risk energy source detected!"

"Mapping in progress... Mapping complete!"

"Location Name: Super High-Risk Ancient Ruin · Large Death Instance!"

"Instance Danger Rank: Hell Rank!"

"Instance Drop Preview: Ancient Pill Formula 'Nine Revolutions Soul Restoration Pill', Earth Rank Magic Treasure fragment 'Reincarnation Mirror', Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique 'Skyflame Art' (Incomplete), Special Spirit Beast 'Treasure Seeking Rat' cub, Special Physique 'Ancient War Body' Legacy..."

A long list of glittering rewards almost blinded Lin Gou.

His heart, against his will, pounded wildly.

"Large Death Instance?"

"Drops Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique and Special Physique?"

"This isn't a slaughterhouse; this is clearly a buffet feast prepared for me!"

"Others go there to face certain death, but I go... for unlimited refills!"

Lin Gou's heart was ecstatic, roaring.

But on the surface, he still maintained that calm, unperturbed demeanor.

He even cooperatively frowned slightly, revealing a hint of 'solemnity'.

At the same time, the Sect Head's decree, like a resounding bell, echoed in the ears of every Disciple, warning them of the dangers of the ruins and the covetousness of surrounding forces, strictly forbidding anyone from acting on their own.

This cold water calmed down countless fervent Disciples.

But for Lin Gou, this was akin to adding fuel to the fire.

"Blackwood Sect? Stargazing Tower? Demonic Path Loose Cultivators?"

"Good! Excellent! The more people, the better!"

"Dying to a small monster is a C-Rank evaluation, dying to a BOSS is an A-Rank evaluation, but if I die under the siege of experts from various Schools, wouldn't that be an S-Rank start?"

Half a day later.

The Sect's decree to organize an elite vanguard team spread throughout the entire Inner Sect.

When they saw the first name on the list, all the Inner Sect Disciples fell into a brief silence.

Lin Gou.

This name, not long ago, was just an inconspicuous small character.

But now, he was a legend known to everyone in the entire Inner Sect.

A ruthless individual who, with his Qi Refinement Stage cultivation, played a decisive role against the Blood Fiend Old Devil.

A madman who, immediately after coming out of seclusion, dared to Cultivate in a Forbidden Ground like the lightning pool.

His 'fearlessness of death' and his repeated 'achievements' of creating miracles ultimately led the Elder Council to place his name first.

This decision was unexpected, yet reasonable.

After all, a scouting vanguard needed not only strength but also... the courage not to fear death.

And Lin Gou clearly possessed both.

Outside Lin Gou's Immortal Cave, a soft sound of footsteps echoed.

Zhao Linger, in a moon-white long dress, arrived quietly.

Her name also appeared on the vanguard team's list.

At this moment, her gentle, watery eyes were filled with undisguised worry.

"Junior Brother Lin."

She spoke softly, her voice carrying a hint of imperceptible trembling.

"Ruin exploration is completely different from Sect missions."

"There, top experts from various forces will gather; it's a mix of dragons and snakes, and people's intentions are unpredictable."

She paused, her beautiful eyes fixed on Lin Gou, her voice dropping even lower.

"Your 'secret'... in such a chaotic situation, once exposed, it might bring you immense danger."

She knew how Heaven-Defying Lin Gou's 'Substitute Ancestral Talisman' was.

Precisely because of this, she understood even more clearly what kind of insane covetousness this trump card would attract once outsiders knew about it.

At that time, Lin Gou might face not just the Blackwood Sect, but the greedy gazes of the entire Cultivation World.

Lin Gou looked at the concern in her eyes, and a warmth flowed through his heart.

He offered her a reassuring smile.

In that smile, there was no tension or fear, but rather a kind of incredibly firm confidence that Zhao Linger found unfamiliar.

"Senior Sister, don't worry."

His voice was calm and powerful.

"For me, the more dangerous a place is, the safer it is."

He looked at Zhao Linger's puzzled eyes, and the light in his own eyes grew even brighter.

"Others fear death."

"I..."

"Fear not dying!"

The next morning.

On the huge plaza in front of Qingyun Sect's main Peak.

Twenty of Qingyun Sect's most elite Disciples had gathered.

Each of them had a profound aura and sharp eyes, they were the cream of the Inner Sect Disciples, true favored children of heaven.

At the very front of the team stood a dignified-looking Golden Core Stage Elder, who would lead this operation.

The Elder's gaze slowly swept over the twenty young faces before him, his expression solemn.

"This journey is exceptionally perilous."

"To ensure the efficiency of scouting and minimize casualties, we need to select a 'vanguard among vanguards'."

"This person must possess sufficient courage and wisdom, daring to be the first to test all unknown Restrictions, and the first to face all hidden dangers!"

As soon as the Elder's words fell.

On the plaza, everyone's gazes, subtly, fell upon two individuals.

One was Lin Gou, standing in the team with a calm expression, as if the matter did not concern him.

The other was a tall and handsome young man standing at the very front of the team, his lips curved in an undisguised arrogant smirk.

The Sect's number one Inner Sect Disciple.

Murong Fei.