Scripture of Days Past

After crushing the wolf fiend's head, Chu Qiguang briefly wiped his bloodied hand on the ground before resuming his journey to the archive building. Having reached the third level in the Star Shifting Cloud Piercing Step, he was now able to easily cover a distance of over ten meters with each stride.

By the time Jiang Longyu finally worked up the courage to peek out from the water vat, Chu Qiguang was already long gone.

However, before entering the archive building, Chu Qiguang stopped for a moment and struck himself in the chest with his Heavenly Demon Vanquishing Palms. The force of the blow immediately caused him to cough up a mouthful of blood.

He then put on a feeble expression as he began banging on the gates of the archive building and calling for the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper was naturally very surprised to see Chu Qiguang in such terrible condition, and he hurriedly asked, "What happened? Were you injured in a sparring match?"

Blood trickled from the corner of Chu Qiguang's lips as he replied feebly, "Some fiends are attacking the mountain!"

The gatekeeper was stunned to hear this, and only then did he notice the faint sounds of battle ringing out in the distance.

Chu Qiguang continued, "The fiends are here to kill Jiang Longyu and the other trainees, and the instructors and lecturers are fighting them as we speak."

"Where's the head instructor?"

"He's caught up in a battle right now."

A grim look appeared on the gatekeeper's face. In his mind, only a Dao Comprehension-state adversary would be capable of holding Zhong Shan'e back.

"Why aren't you with the other trainees?" the gatekeeper asked.

Chu Qiguang leaned against the wall for support as he replied between raspy breaths, "The fiends are too powerful, and there are too many of them... Everyone's been split up, and the instructors sent me to request reinforcements from the archive building."

Before the gatekeeper could ask any more questions, Lin Lan rushed out of the archive building with an urgent look of concern on her face as she asked, "What happened to you, Brother Chu?"

Chu Qiguang gave her the same explanation. As he spoke, the gatekeeper examined his condition and found that he had suffered a heavy blow to the chest, but none of his vital regions had been injured. All he needed was rest and treatment.

"We don't have any time," Chu Qiguang said urgently. "Jiang Longyu and the others are in grave danger right now! What's going to happen if one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals is killed on the mountain? The fate of the entire empire hinges on his survival! Don't worry about me. Go and help the others!"

The gatekeeper knew what had to be done, but at the same time, he was still a little hesitant.

"You're not going to try and go to the second floor again while I'm gone, are you?"

"Can't you see what condition I'm in?" Chu Qiguang replied with a wry smile. "I'd have a death wish if I tried to read those forbidden books in my current condition!"

Satisfied with this answer, the gatekeeper turned to Lin Lan and said, "You stay here with Chu Qiguang. Don't leave the archive building until I return, and don't open the gates for anyone other than me. Also, go and activate the building's formation..."

After giving Lin Lan a series of instructions, the gatekeeper quickly departed, while Lin Lan helped Chu Qiguang into the archive building.

"Don't you need to go and activate the formation?" Chu Qiguang asked as he turned to Lin Lan. "I'll be fine on my own."

Lin Lan was very concerned about Chu Qiguang's condition, but she knew that protecting the archive building had to take priority.

"Wait here for me, Brother Chu. I'll be back soon."

As Lin Lan rushed into the darkness, a faint smile appeared on Chu Qiguang's face. He sat down on the ground with his legs crossed and began channeling his Primordial High Zenith Demonic Arts.

All of a sudden, his back began to writhe and squirm as though something were crawling around inside his body. A faint tearing sound rang out as a pair of hands emerged from his back, followed by a brand new, completely naked Chu Qiguang covered in slime.

He shook off the slime clinging to his skin and could feel that he had already mostly recovered from his injuries. The Dragon Snake Skin boon had significantly enhanced the restorative effects of his sloughing ability.

After putting on his clothes, Chu Qiguang quickly disposed of the husk on the ground that had once been his body, pulverizing it with a series of palm strikes. Then Chu Qiguang sat down again.

Before long, he felt a peculiar power begin to permeate the air. A series of clicks rang out in the darkness around him, as if some kind of mechanical components were shifting into place.

Chu Qiguang remained where he was, waiting for Lin Lan to return.

"Brother Chu!" Lin Lan called out as she emerged from the darkness, but her attention was quickly drawn to the puddle of slime on the ground. "What's this sticky stuff on the ground?"

"It's just my sweat," Chu Qiguang replied.

"Really? It smells really strange," Lin Lan mused.

"There must be some fiend blood mixed in with it."

Lin Lan didn't doubt his explanation.

After taking a moment to assess his condition, she observed, "You look like you're in much better condition than before, Brother Chu."

"Really?" Chu Qiguang asked, putting on a feeble voice. "It must be a trick of the light."

Lin Lan helped Chu Qiguang to his feet and said, "I'll take you somewhere you can rest."

Chu Qiguang leaned heavily against her, continuing to put on a feeble display. Lin Lan couldn't help but blush furiously with him pressed against her.

"What if someone tries to break into the archive building?" Chu Qiguang asked with a concerned expression.

"That's not going to be easy now that the archive building's formation has been activated," Lin Lan replied confidently.

"But the enemy is being led by a Dao Comprehension-state cultivator. Will the archive building's formation be able to keep a Dao Comprehension-state cultivator at bay?"

Lin Lan's confidence waned upon hearing this. "But... But surely the head instructor will stop them."

Chu Qiguang shook his head as he said, "We have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. If those fiends outside manage to get their hands on the forbidden books on the second floor, then the entire world could be plunged into calamity, and both of us would be to blame. The dissemination of the knowledge in those books could lead to the deaths of countless people, and the northern fiends would surely take advantage of that opportunity to invade. It's no exaggeration to say that the fate of the entire Great Han Empire may rest in our hands right now!"

Lin Lan trusted Chu Qiguang completely, and his words immediately filled her with panic.

Chu Qiguang continued, "We can't just sit around and do nothing."

"What should we do, Brother Chu?" Lin Lan asked earnestly.

"Let's go up to the second floor and light a fire," Chu Qiguang replied. "If a Dao Comprehension-state cultivator manages to break into the archive building, then we'll start burning books, as many as we can."