Scripture of Days Past

Ever since returning to Jade Face Mountain, Chu Qiguang had asked Lin Lan to help him search for the four books mentioned by Shi.

Among the four books, the Heaven Book had far too common a name. Even though it was mentioned in many books, none of those references seemed to point to the right one.

As for the Earth Book, the Star Scripture, and the Moon Diagram, Lin Lan had found some records with similar names, but most of them were related to geography and astrology.

After reading through them, Chu Qiguang didn't feel like they had anything to do with the origins of all Dao arts, as Shi had claimed. However, this time, he could tell that Lin Lan was very confident.

"A Star Scripture was mentioned in the final chapter of this travel journal, and I think it's the one you're looking for," Lin Lan explained.

Chu Qiguang looked down at the travel journal she was offering him and discovered that it dated back to the Wei Dynasty and was titled the Dark Spirit Travel Journal.

Chu Qiguang thought back over the history of the central plains.

The first human empire to unite the central plains was the Early Han Dynasty, which was the era the Profound Origin Dao Lord had come from.

However, according to some of the books that he had read, including A Deep Dive Into the Origins of the Immortal Dao and the Cultivation Karma Scripture, the founding emperor of the Early Han Dynasty had personally brought about the empire's downfall and the mutation of the Immortal Dao in his pursuit of immortality.

Thus, a second dynasty emerged under the Profound Origin Dao Lord's guidance. This was the Zhou Dynasty, which only lasted for several dozen years, and very few historical records remained from that time period.

Then came the Wei Dynasty, the era from which this travel journal originated.

The Dark Spirit Travel Journal chronicled a journey undertaken by a self-proclaimed Dark Spirit Hermit from the central plains to the far west, a journey that spanned over thirty years.

Along the way, he passed through several dozen countries and witnessed and experienced countless things. However, many of the stories recorded in the travel journal were extremely bizarre, and many people were of the opinion that he had simply made them up.

The final chapter of the travel journal introduced a nation called the Great Tai Nation.

The Great Tai Nation was situated tens of thousands of kilometers west of the central plains, with the boundless sea lying beyond it. The nation spanned several thousand kilometers, contained over four hundred cities, and ruled over dozens of smaller subsidiary nations.

Its military boasted more than a million troops, and it frequently waged war against the fiendish nations. Among its ranks were mighty beings capable of performing miracles such as leveling mountains and redirecting rivers, and they were known within the nation as sages.

The part of the chapter that caught Chu Qiguang's attention was the mention of a certain Star Scripture, which was said to contain profound secrets and serve as the foundation of all the nation's Dao arts.

Jin Ji, the vole fiend, had come from the Great Zhu Nation, which was already located far to the west. However, judging from the description in the Dark Spirit Travel Journal, the Great Tai Nation had been situated even farther west, along the western coastline.

Most people were convinced that this Star Scripture didn't actually exist. In their eyes, there was no way the western savages could've possessed a sacred scripture that was one of the progenitors of all Dao arts. However, Chu Qiguang felt that this Star Scripture matched the description of the one Shi had mentioned.

Not only is the Great Tai Nation extremely far away, I don't even know what nation it has become now... Am I going to have to travel all the way there to search for the Star Scripture?

Clearly, that wasn't a feasible option, and Chu Qiguang's brows furrowed slightly in vexation.

"What's wrong, Brother Chu?" Lin Lan asked. "Is this still not what you're looking for?"

"No, it seems like the Star Scripture mentioned in this travel journal is exactly what I'm looking for," Chu Qiguang replied. "But it's just so far away, and I don't know when, if ever, I'll ever get to see it."

"If this Star Scripture really is as amazing as the travel journal claims, then it must be extremely renowned in the west," Lin Lan analyzed. "I'll search through all the historical records we have about the west, and perhaps I'll find more information. At the very least, we have a direction now."

Chu Qiguang returned the Dark Spirit Travel Journal to Lin Lan as he said, "I'll be counting on you then, Ms. Lin."

As Lin Lan reached out to accept the journal, her fingers inadvertently brushed against Chu Qiguang's, and her face instantly turned bright red.

Following Chu Qiguang's departure, the interior of the archive building would normally have descended into complete darkness once again, but on this occasion, an oil lamp remained lit.

The gatekeeper made his way toward the light and found Lin Lan reading through a large pile of books. She was so focused on the task that she didn't even realize he was standing behind her.

"Can't he look for this stuff on his own? Why do you have to help him?" the gatekeeper asked in a disgruntled voice.

"Brother Chu is too busy," Lin Lan replied without even looking up from her book. "I have nothing to do all day anyway, so I may as well help him."

Over two hours later, the gatekeeper returned and said, "You should go and rest."

"I'll read for just a little longer," Lin Lan replied as she continued reading and taking notes.

Another two hours passed, and Lin Lan was still busy reading.

"How could Chu Qiguang make you do this? Isn't he worried that something might happen to you from reading so many books?" the gatekeeper asked, feeling very indignant on Lin Lan's behalf.

"Brother Chu did ask me about that, and I assured him that it was fine," Lin Lan replied with a smile.

The gatekeeper heaved a forlorn sigh.

I should've never let that little bastard come in here!

***

Sixteenth year of the Yong'an Era, June 15th.

Chu Qiguang was walking through a forest at the foot of Jade Face Mountain with Chen Gang and Qiao Zhi as they discussed the recent state of Hidden Fiend Village.

Qiao Zhi had said that he missed Chu Qiguang, which was why he had flown over on one of the Chongming Birds.

As soon as he caught sight of Chu Qiguang, he immediately leapt into the latter's arms, thinking to himself, Chen Gang is always able to remain close to Chu Qiguang, and in that regard, he's in a far more advantageous position than I am. I have to come here more often to maintain my bond with Chu Qiguang so that he'll continue to favor our cat race.

On this day, Chu Qiguang was carrying out one of his procurement assignments. After sending the servants on their way, he dug up the Sumeru King Scripture with Chen Gang and Qiao Zhi.