Chapter 582: Chapter 582

When Gu Jianlin regained consciousness, he lifted his head to see the overcast sky above.

His pupils constricted abruptly, and a torrent of terror exploded in his mind, for the scene before him was no longer the frozen island—it was an ancient, silent city, the city of the Ancient God Clan!

Beneath the starlit sky, the majestic city stood awe-inspiring.

As someone skilled in profiling, his instincts were keenly perceptive to any phenomena. The moment he saw these familiar structures, he quickly processed the connections and was certain that the city before him was what the island ruins looked like countless years ago. This was the legendary Penglai Fairy Island, a relic of the Ancient God Clan.

Interestingly, Penglai today is also an administrative district in the northern part of the Jiaodong Peninsula.

But the word "Penglai" first appeared in Pre-Qin mythology.

It was said to be a mythical island in the East Sea, surrounded by a black Ming Sea.

From the current perspective, the truth about the Ancient God Clan has likely been submerged in fragmented myths. It's true that Penglai was the so-called Immortal Island, yet it didn't belong to the usual dimension—it resided within the Qilin Immortal Palace.

At that moment, he noticed something peculiar about himself.

He had restored his original appearance, his current attire transformed into loose gray pajamas, and the sword bag was inexplicably still in his hand, with Jiuyin lying quietly inside the scabbard.

The Lock of Nonexistence and the Soul Comforting Bell were also in his possession.

However, the secret medicine was gone.

"An illusion? My consciousness seems unaffected, so it doesn't appear to be one."

He lightly touched his body, and all five senses felt authentic, though there was a faint sense of dissonance.

If his guess was correct, this place was some sort of alternate dimension, created by the rules of existence.

Yet he wasn't here in his physical form—it was his conscious entity that had entered this realm.

And his current self was in peak condition.

The shadow had not yet coalesced.

All the Mythical Weapons were still by his side.

As he surveyed his surroundings, he realized that he was on an altar, built from ancient, massive stones that—when touched—were utterly free of dust, as though they were newly made.

A bonfire burned in the center of the altar, and within the flames was embedded a decrepit iron sword.

It resembled some kind of revival point.

Curiously enough, the defining characteristic of Ancient God Clan civilization was its rituals.

Well, their productivity was so advanced, they hardly needed anything else.

When civilizations ascend to such an elevated level, they often appear incomprehensible to humanity.

Or simply uninteresting.

Suddenly, he noticed two lines of writing etched on the weathered wall.

"Penglai Fairy Island, the mythical island said to hold the secrets of immortality. Here lies an ancient entity in slumber. I heard its cry for help in my mind. Everyone who was with us must have been dragged into this as well."

"This is a world of illusion. Your consciousness and spirituality shape who you are now. But if you can, avoid dying here, or you will stay trapped in this world forever, unable to escape."

The crisscrossing sword marks were uncannily similar to the massive inscriptions on the glacier.

The handwriting was identical.

Gu Jianlin whispered softly.

Evidently, someone had been here before and left these messages for those who came after.

This confirmed that this place was dangerous.

Shouldering his sword bag, he left the silent ancient city. Candles burned atop the city walls, casting light onto the pitch-black night.

"I wonder where Youzhu and Aunt Lu are,"

he murmured, lost in thought as he wandered the deathly still city alone.

Just then, an ancient whisper resounded in his mind.

"Stay alive… save me…"

As quickly as the voice appeared, it vanished.

Gu Jianlin was certain that the voice belonged to a powerful presence, inexplicably trapped in this place.

He continued to explore and soon encountered another line of writing on a wall.

"You will witness the Destiny Reflections of yourself and others. Be cautious!"

This time, the writing seemed hastily scribbled, as if done in a rush.

"Destiny Reflections? What does that mean?"

Gu Jianlin muttered suspiciously, when suddenly, he heard faint, light footsteps.

The Life Rhythm held no effect here.

He abruptly turned, gripping the sword bag, only to gradually release it.

"Don't worry, it's me."

A platinum-haired girl stood before him, her wintry beauty cold as ice, her exquisite features like a painting. Her frosty, detached eyes seemed to glisten with clarity, as if encased in a layer of frost.

She looked as though she had just woken up, dressed in a casual pink-and-white cami-slip dress. The fabric outlined a lithe, youthful figure, her slender, porcelain legs glowing faintly under the hem.

In her hand, she carried a black large sword. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲·𝗻𝗲𝘁

Upon seeing her, Gu Jianlin relaxed: "Is this your real body?"

The Moon Princess seemed relieved too upon seeing his appearance. She said softly, "It seems as though this place depicts us in our truest forms. It's a good thing you reverted; I was a bit worried you'd show up as a little ghost girl."

Gu Jianlin's face darkened: "You're the little ghost girl. By the way, why is your hair color different?"

The Moon Princess snorted, saying, "I felt like a change. My real body just got out of the salon—it took nine hours to dye it."

She casually tied her short platinum hair into a ponytail: "Does it look good?"

Gu Jianlin's gaze followed her strikingly silken strands, trailing along her snow-white neck and delicate collarbone.

Of course, it looked good.

The proximity even allowed him to catch the faint, cool fragrance she exuded.

As his observation grew more detailed, he suddenly noticed something.…

"You've grown bigger, haven't you?"

The Moon Princess's vermilion lips curved slightly in a self-satisfied smile. She puffed up her chest, proud as ever: "I hate to admit it, but that pharmacist old crook certainly has rare talent in alchemy. Knowing you like 'bigger,' care to confirm?"

Gu Jianlin nearly had a reflexive reaction at those three words.

Normally, that would be an unmistakably flirtatious comment.

This girl occasionally had a playful streak.

But saying something so boldly unfiltered seemed off.

"You really won't? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance."

The Moon Princess clasped her hands behind her back and suddenly leaned closer, tilting her petite face up to meet his gaze.

Just then, her adorable nose wrinkled slightly, and her expression turned neutral as she stated, "Something's off."

Gu Jianlin, alarmed, immediately responded, "What is it?"

The Moon Princess lifted her detached gaze toward him: "You smell like her perfume."

It was unbelievable—this was a realm of consciousness projection.

How could there possibly be the scent of Thunder's perfume?

the Moon Princess suddenly said. "I just wanted to see if you were sneaking around during the time we were apart."

Taking a deep breath, Gu Jianlin replied, "Firstly, we're not in a relationship. Secondly, I haven't."

He wasn't sure if such a reply even counted as an explanation.

The Moon Princess, however, hummed skeptically: "Your expression tells me you're guilty!"

Gu Jianlin stiffened internally. He was terrible at lying, especially to the girl who knew him best.

For some reason, he sensed a faint killing intent.

The Moon Princess rose on tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her soft, slender body pressed against him, her long, porcelain legs clasping his left leg: "If I'm not mistaken, it must be Thunder again, right? At the Ether Association, she's practically your only friend—actually, girlfriend now, isn't she?"

Gu Jianlin felt something was increasingly off. The warmth of her body had a narcotic quality, rendering him disoriented.

Her voice practically accused him of cheating!

The Moon Princess exhaled softly near his ear, her frosty gaze tinged with both allure and danger: "Why? I was here first. I raised you, protected you, and stayed by your side. Am I not as good as her? Even my makeup and style are tailored after the anime characters you like. You prefer natural looks, so I kept my makeup simple. I don't enjoy housework, but I learned to cook your favorite dishes. I measure your size every month and buy clothes that fit as you grow."

She continued icily, "Despite all this, am I still inferior to Thunder?"

A flurry of leading "death questions" had Gu Jianlin's alarm bells ringing.

"In that case, why don't I just kill her?"

The Moon Princess licked her vermilion lips. "That way, you won't have a choice."

Gu Jianlin felt a chill settle in his heart—something was definitely wrong with this girl.

"Let's go find Aunt Zijin,"

he said, attempting to gently push her away.

"What for? If she dies here, no one would interrupt us."

The Moon Princess offered a rare smile, her moist eyes brimming: "Why don't we do something fun together?"

Her smooth, flawless skin seemed almost within reach, her petite figure tantalizingly outlined beneath her cami-slip dress, exuding a fatal allure.

Gu Jianlin silently clenched his fists, veins bulging across the back of his hands.

"To avoid losing the upper hand, I've decided we should get everything done here first."

The Moon Princess sneered: "We aren't related by blood. Once the deed is done, even our parents wouldn't object. In fact, I know they've considered our relationship in the past."

"Anything I desire, I must possess,"

she declared, lifting her dainty face, her vermilion lips drawing ever closer. "And that includes you."

Yet at that moment, a tremendous killing intent erupted from above!

In that split second, a fierce burst of sword Qi tore through the air, threatening to split the girl in two!

The Moon Princess vanished abruptly, reappearing atop a nearby stone pillar.

Her platinum hair swayed in the wind, her regal, moonlit presence breathtakingly stunning.

Gu Jianlin's forehead ignited with pitch-black Ghost Fire, and his bones crackled audibly.

The Moon Princess standing opposite him was undoubtedly not herself.

Because the real Su Youzhu had already appeared at his side. Her platinum hair glimmered as she stood there, dressed in a pink cami-slip dress, with slender, snow-white legs adorned in fuzzy slippers.

By comparison, the real one seemed far more vivid.

Her toes were painted black, while her fingernails alternated between shades of blue and red.

A stray lock of hair stood adorably on her head, her dress rumpled with creases.

She was unmistakably more vibrant and real.

In her hand, she held a black Demon Extermination Sword, its blade quivering faintly!

Gu Jianlin's expressionless gaze landed on her as he closed the distance and clasped her hand.

Though silent outwardly, his inner turmoil had already peaked.

All he could think about was her safety.

Su Youzhu murmured a soft "Mm," lips curving faintly as she felt the strength of his grip on her hand.

Gu Jianlin's cold voice rang out as he stared ahead. "You're not my sister."

Su Youzhu's gaze turned icier still, affronted by someone so arrogantly trying to steal her place.

The other "Moon Princess" flipped the black large sword in her hand, her tone haughty: "I am your sister, just not the one you think. I am her Destiny Reflection, her future self!"

Crimson dragon horns burst forth from her forehead, and her blood-colored, eerie vertical pupils brimmed with a deadly menace. A vivid streak of crimson eyeshadow appeared at the corners of her eyes, as a Red Dragon mask coalesced upon her face!

A storm-like pressure surged forth, overwhelming all.

Gu Jianlin stepped in front of the now-confirmed real Su Youzhu, raising a hand to shield against the fierce gusts, his heart pounding heavily.

This Moon Princess had summoned a mask.

Thus far, aside from himself, only his teacher and senior brother had managed to condense the Ancient God's mask.

The rank of the girl across from him didn't seem particularly high, yet her strength was terrifyingly overwhelming.

"Don't look so surprised,"

the blood-eyed Moon Princess said coldly, locking her haunting gaze on him. "Because I am the Red King—Moon Princess!"