Scripture of Days Past

The entire divine temple is constructed from massive blocks of ice. I walked a full lap around the structure, but couldn't find a way in, aside from the main gates.

However, when Avul and I arrived at the main gates, we discovered a strange body lying on the ground.

The body was very thin and withered, and it was completely naked aside from a still-vibrant yellow headband wrapped around its head.

When Avul tried to remove the headband, she discovered that it had fused firmly to the body's head, immediately reminding me of some rumors I had heard on the grasslands.

Apparently, the Imperial Heavenly Dao once had a Dao art that has since been lost to time. As long as the cultivator wore a yellow band, it granted them a near-indestructible body and tremendous strength. Could this body have belonged to someone who cultivated that Dao art?

***

It's now the second day since we arrived at the divine temple. After spending the night resting with Avul, I've decided to enter the temple.

I told Avul to wait for me at the entrance, while I ventured into the temple alone. The interior of the temple is very strange, with winding corridors and passageways everywhere.

I feel as if I've entered the intestinal tract of some massive beast, and I could easily get lost in here if I'm not careful. In the end, I could only return to the entrance of the temple before nightfall and try to spend a few more days exploring this place.

It's even colder on the mountain summit at night, so Avul and I were forced to build an igloo out of ice and embrace each other for warmth. I'm really glad I decided to bring her with me. Holding a warm female fiend outside an eerie temple in the freezing cold is truly a unique experience.

***

It's been six days since I arrived at the divine temple. Over the past few days, I've been venturing deeper and deeper inside. The further I go, the less light there is, and the darker my surroundings become.

The structure deep within the temple is even more bizarre. It's filled with strange, unimaginable spaces, including all kinds of impossible staircases, corridors, and courtyards.

Sometimes, I can't even tell whether I'm going up or down. On top of that, there are more of those warriors wearing yellow headbands at almost every turn. They're as thin and withered as mummified corpses, and they constantly wander through the temple while mumbling unintelligible nonsense.

I tried to communicate with them, but they attack any moving object on sight. Their strength is roughly on par with that of a third- or even fourth-state martial artist, and their skin is like a suit of iron armor.

The only way to incapacitate them is to sever the yellow headband from their heads. With the temple getting darker and colder the deeper I go, I've had to avoid them as much as possible to conserve energy.

However, I brought one of the yellow headbands back with me and placed it beside the one at the entrance of the temple. I'm going to see if I can use them to create yellow headband warriors that are loyal to me.

I've been slowly venturing deeper and deeper into the temple, and the further I go, the more unsettling the place feels. Thankfully, Avul's warm embrace waiting for me every night never fails to put my heart at ease.

On one side is the terrifying divine temple, while on the other is the warm and adorable female fiend. It truly is one heck of an experience.

I asked Avul if she wanted to enter the divine temple with me, but she refused. What a shame.

***

It's been eighteen days since I arrived at the divine temple. The interior of the temple is much larger than it appears from the outside. I suspect that a large portion of it is underground, burrowing deep into the mountain.

I don't know how far into the mountain it goes, but I've already ventured so deep into the temple that there's no light at all. Everything is shrouded in complete and absolute darkness. Occasionally, I hear strange sounds in the darkness that don't seem like they could have been made by any human or animal, and they make my skin crawl.

It's so dark that even as a wolf fiend, I can't see a thing. Venturing any deeper would be far too dangerous, so I returned to the igloo and began considering what to do next while examining the yellow headband I had brought out of the temple.

Exploring the temple has already become very dangerous, so I've decided to leave this place if I don't find anything noteworthy tomorrow.

While looking at the yellow headband, I noticed that it isn't entirely yellow. Instead, there are some very faint, mysterious patterns on it that seem to possess some kind of mystical power. For some reason, looking at them relaxes me.

All of a sudden, I was struck by the urge to put on the headband, but Avul's embrace stopped me.

I'm going to sleep for now and see what happens tomorrow.

***

It's been nineteen days since I arrived at the divine temple. This morning, I was awakened by Avul's frantic ramblings.

At first, I thought she wanted to do it early in the morning, but it turned out that she was trying to put on one of the yellow headbands. It immediately occurred to me that doing so could turn her into one of those mindless warriors in the temple.

I stopped her at once, then destroyed all the headbands I had collected. Clearly, neither of us possess the power to resist the allure of these things, so keeping them around would only be tempting fate.

I then set out on my final expedition, and stumbled upon a hall I had never seen before. I swear I've already recorded all the paths around the hall, yet this hall definitely hadn't been here on any of the previous days.

There were many frozen bodies dressed in yellow robes inside the hall. They resembled ice statues, and all of them were facing the center, kneeling as if in prayer.

At the center of the hall was the skeleton of a dragon. I wanted to take some dragon bones back with me, but an instinctive sense of danger stopped me.

This same instinctive sense of danger has saved my life countless times on the grasslands, and I'm not going to ignore it here.

I searched the entire hall and eventually found a stone plaque beneath the dragon skeleton. Inscribed on it was a strange incantation that I couldn't memorize, no matter how hard I tried.

***

Finally, Chu Qiguang and Qiao Zhi were about to reach the last entry in the travel journal, but before turning the page, Chu Qiguang asked, Are you sure you want to see the incantation? It could be dangerous for you.

I'll be fine, Qiao Zhi replied. I'm an immortal among cats! If even Yi Siman could read the incantation and come out unscathed, then I can handle it as well.

Chu Qiguang turned the page. The incantation recorded by Yi Siman read: "The imperial heavens transcends above all. The supreme master existed in the past, exists in the present, and shall continue to exist in the future. May your name be heard far and wide. May your nation stand tall and strong. May your doctrines be known to all..."

As soon as Chu Qiguang finished reading the incantation, its contents vanished from his memory.

Meanwhile, Qiao Zhi repeatedly read through the incantation, trying to decipher its purpose.

After finishing the travel journal, Chu Qiguang immediately received a boon from the Ring of Ignorance. This time, it came in the form of a strange memory.

***

The tainted soul of a Dao pursuer.

It's said that a Dao pursuer once saw the Heavenly Dao.

To guide those who came after him and spread the names of the almighty beings, he was willing to subject himself to the tainting of the Heavenly Dao.

As a result, his soul gained the ability to guide others in their pursuit of the Heavenly Dao, and his soul can be seen through the eyes of Dao pursuers.