Dismembering Their Own Sacred Beast?

Although the effects of the Extra Character's stats were incredibly powerful, Qin Yu still toned it down a bit after entering the Heavenly Qilin Palace.

This entry is only meant to keep him almost unnoticed; if something unexpected happens, such as bumping into someone head-on, there is still a risk of exposure.

Qin Yu walked slowly along the corridor inside the palace wall, his gaze sweeping over the palaces and buildings on both sides.

The Heavenly Qilin Palace was much larger than he had imagined, with its halls connected by winding corridors.

Occasionally, palace servants would hurry by carrying trays, but no one noticed Qin Yu, a fellow who shouldn't be there.

He walked for a while, and as he passed a side hall, the door was suddenly pushed open forcefully from the inside.

With a loud bang, the door slammed against the wall, kicking up clouds of dust, demonstrating the force with which the person inside had used.

A thin young man, probably in his early twenties, rushed out, his face ashen, cursing under his breath:

"I'm not going! Let whoever wants to go go! Don't you know what happened to those who soaked in that pool?"

Qin Yu subtly moved a few steps to the side, avoiding a direct collision with this guy who had suddenly appeared.

The gaunt man was clearly furious. He rushed a few steps toward Qin Yu, then suddenly stopped and slammed his fist into the pillar beside him.

"Lin Yi, there's no use in you running away."

A calm voice, tinged with a hint of helplessness, came from inside the hall. Immediately afterward, a middle-aged man dressed in princely robes slowly stepped out and stood in front of the thin man.

Seeing this, Qin Yu immediately realized that he would definitely be able to get some useful information from these two.

So he tiptoed past the two of them and went straight into the room to wait.

The young man named Lin Yi wanted to leave, but the middle-aged man stepped aside and blocked his way.

The two stared at each other, Lin Yi's expression changing repeatedly, until finally, his anger turned into a long sigh.

Lin Yi felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and his shoulders slumped down.

"... Let's go."

He lowered his head and walked back into the room. The middle-aged man followed behind him, turning around and closing the door behind him.

Upon entering the room, Lin Yi plopped down in a chair next to the table, put his hands behind his head, and remained silent.

The middle-aged man walked over and sat down opposite him, poured himself a cup of tea, poured another cup for Lin Yi, and pushed it to his side.

"Have some water first."

Lin Yi didn't move, and the middle-aged man didn't urge him either. He slowly took a sip of his tea before breaking the silence:

"I know what you're worried about. Lin Zhe, Lin Rui, Lin Wan... seven Imperial Family family members in total have been soaked in the Blood Pool, and not one of them has passed."

"Moreover, those who failed all experienced a stagnation in their cultivation afterward. It's normal that you're afraid you'll suffer the same fate."

Lin Yi raised his head, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't say anything.

Inside the room, the two continued their conversation, with Qin Yu leaning against the door, absorbing all the information they shared.

Extra Character are effective.

After some investigation, Qin Yu roughly figured out the truth of the matter.

First of all, the sacred beast Qilin worshipped by the Imperial Family of the Heavenly Qilin Empire has been dead for many years.

But the most outrageous thing was how the Heavenly Qilin Empire's Imperial Family handled the Qilin's corpse.

From a certain perspective, it could actually be considered a "proper handling".

Because these people actually dismembered the Qilin's corpse!

The Qilin, claws, fur, even the eyes and tail of the qilin—everything that could be separated—was meticulously divided up by them.

The blood of the Qilin was drained and used to create a Qilin Blood Pool.

Over the years, every heir to the Heavenly Qilin Empire's Imperial Family family has had to pass the test of the Qilin Blood Pool to obtain the Qilin Bloodline, but in Lin Yi's generation, no one has been able to pass it so far.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yu's mind went blank for a moment.

These people are really daring!

The sacred beast he worshipped had its corpse torn apart the moment it died.

No wonder Heavenly Qilin City is in such a terrible state!

After some persuasion, seeing that Lin Yi remained unmoved, the middle-aged man, Lin Yi's father, Lin Feng, issued an ultimatum:

"No matter how you try to refuse, you're the only one in the Imperial Family who hasn't yet soaked in the Blood Pool."

"Father, I..."

"What?"

Lin Feng's tone turned serious.

"Don't forget the state of the empire these past years. If you don't even try, the Heavenly Qilin Empire will crumble on its own without waiting for an enemy to attack!"

Lin Yi clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and after a long while whispered:

"If those people hadn't insisted on dismembering the sacred beast back then, saying that the Qilin was a treasure trove and that keeping the corpse was not as good as making the most of it, we wouldn't be in this situation today."

"Be careful what you say."

Lin Feng's expression hardened. He glanced around and lowered his voice, saying:

"This matter is forbidden to be mentioned again within the Imperial Family. Don't go around saying anything about it outside."

Lin Feng remained silent for a few moments before continuing:

"As you can see from the current situation, since the fall of the sacred beast, the empire's only Dou Zong- level ancestor couldn't even last two years before dying suddenly."

"Those talents trained using materials from the Qilin are dying one after another. If this continues, the Heavenly Qilin Empire may not even be able to defend its own borders."

Lin Yi didn't reply, but anyone could see the resentment in his expression.

Qin Yu leaned against the pillar, quietly listening to the conversation between the father and son. The puzzle in his heart was gradually pieced together, and he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

No wonder the Heavenly Qilin Empire's national strength has been declining year by year.

Having lost the auspicious beast Qilin, to dare dismember its corpse—isn't that digging one's own grave?

If the people of the Heavenly Qilin Empire had kept the Qilin's complete corpse, even if it was just displayed as a totem, they wouldn't have ended up in this state.

Inside the room, Lin Yi gradually calmed down, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and sighed.

"... I... I'll go back and think about it carefully."

Lin Feng patted him on the shoulder, not pressing him any further, and simply said, "Tell me when you've thought it through," before getting up and walking towards the door.

Lin Yi remained seated, seemingly still lost in thought.

Taking advantage of the moment Lin Feng opened the door, Qin Yu silently followed behind him and walked out of the room.

The corridor was deserted. Qin Yu strode forward, heading deeper into the palace.

The Innate Treasure-Seeking Body's senses are now emanating from that direction, growing clearer and stronger.

"Qilin Blood Pool..."

Qin Yu continued walking, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

No wonder this feeling was so special.

The Qilin Blood is indeed not in the same league as ordinary celestial treasures.

He really wanted to see with his own eyes what this pool, forged with the Qilin Blood, actually looked like.