Scripture of Days Past

According to Qiao Zhi and Chen Gang, the fiend population in Hidden Fiend Village had already exceeded three hundred, while the number of planters had reached five hundred.

Once Chu Qiguang used the Demon Refinement Technique on all of them, they would be able to take over all of the manual labor in the village.

Wang Cailiang had abducted over ten skilled workers from various trades, and Qiao Zhi had used the Heavenly Fiend Foundation Establishment Technique on them before instructing them to carry out the projects mandated by Chu Qiguang.

The wheat in the fields was ready for harvest, so from this month onward, the village would become self-sufficient.

After digging up the Sumeru King Scripture, Chu Qiguang quickly began cultivating, and before long, his entire body had turned bright red.

However, his expression showed no signs of strain, even as plumes of white steam began to rise from his body. Chen Gang set a few eggs down beside him before backing away into the distance with Qiao Zhi.

At this point, Chen Gang had reached the second state, but he was still unable to withstand the intense heat from Chu Qiguang's cultivation for long.

The heat radiating from Chu Qiguang's body during his cultivation was enough to cook eggs, so it was certainly nothing to be scoffed at.

Around an hour later, the thunderous sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out in the distance, and a group of well-off young men charged past on horseback, carrying bows, arrows, and bladed weapons.

They were accompanied by hunting dogs, guards, and servants.

At the forefront of the group was a young man with skin as fair as jade. Riding with him was another young man, who said with a look of admiration in his eyes, "Now that you've reached the fifth state, you have a really bright future ahead of you, Brother Zhang."

The fair-skinned young man's name was Zhang Jitian, and he was the eldest son of the nearby Zhang Clan in the Lake Plain Manor.

The Zhang Clan was the most powerful clan in the Lake Plain Manor, having produced three jinshi from a single clan. As the clan's brightest young prodigy, Zhang Jitian had been heavily invested in by his seniors from birth.

He had already become a fifth-state martial artist at a very young age, but his father had instructed him to continue honing his abilities for another three years so that he could secure the wuzhuangyuan title at the next imperial examination in the capital.

On this occasion, Zhang Jitian had gone out with some friends to hunt foxes.

"We've spotted signs of white foxes up ahead, young masters," a veteran hunter reported from the front.

Zhang Jitian's eyes immediately lit up at this news. He was hunting white foxes because he wanted to present a fox fur coat to the young mistress of the Wang Clan as a gift.

The veteran hunter raced to the front of the group with several hunting dogs, while everyone else followed his lead.

"What's all that steam up ahead?" one of the young men asked.

"There are no hot springs near Jade Face Mountain. Could it be coming from some kind of fiend?" a guard speculated.

"You think there are fiends on the Demon Vanquishing Department's territory?" Zhang Jitian scoffed in amusement. "If we want to find out what it is, then we'll just have to go and take a look."

However, as the procession approached Chu Qiguang's location, they were stopped by Chen Gang, who cupped his fist in a salute and said, "My master has lit a campfire up ahead, and he does not wish to be disturbed, so please take another path."

Meanwhile, Qiao Zhi was perched in a tree, inspecting the group with an intrigued expression.

"Do you know who you're speaking to right now?" one of the servants yelled. "This is Young Master Zhang from the Lake Plain Manor's Zhang Clan!"

Zhang Jitian raised a hand, signaling for everyone to stop. He then looked down at Chen Gang from atop his horse in a condescending manner as he said, "Go and inform your master that Zhang Jitian of the Lake Plain Manor would like to see him. I'm sure he won't refuse me an audience."

Zhang Jitian? Ah, that's why he looked so familiar! This guy goes on to become the wuzhuangyuan!

Qiao Zhi recalled that Zhang Jitian had gone on a meteoric rise in the officialdom after becoming the wuzhuangyuan. The reason Zhang Jitian had left such a deep impression on him was that he had been very incompetent in governance and military strategy, yet excelled in politics.

He later became a high-ranking military general, only to flee without putting up a fight when fiendish forces attacked his city. Despite this, the soldiers under him were able to successfully defend the city.

Afterward, he immediately impeached his subordinates, falsely accusing them of embezzling military funds and bribing imperial censors. In the end, he managed to have them executed. After completely distorting the truth and taking credit for defending the city, he even received a promotion.

Before Chen Gang had a chance to answer, someone in the group yelled, "It's a white fox! Over there!"

The entire group immediately galloped away on horseback, leaving Chen Gang to watch them go with a bemused expression.

***

It was only after another hour had passed that Chu Qiguang finally concluded his stint of cultivation.

At that moment, his entire field of vision was taken up by a boundless expanse of golden light, and he could feel something calling out to him.

Is this the Buddha that the monk from the Vajra Monastery spoke of?

However, Chu Qiguang remained unmoved as he reburied the scripture. Looking down at his own feet, he discovered that the sixth tentacle in his shadow was even closer to taking shape.

Chen Gang began peeling the cooked eggs while telling Chu Qiguang about his brief encounter with Zhang Jitian's group, and Qiao Zhi also told Chu Qiguang everything that he could remember about Zhang Jitian.

Chu Qiguang's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing what Qiao Zhi had to say, and he dug up the Sumeru King Scripture again, planning to hide it elsewhere.

However, they had only walked a few hundred meters when someone came rushing toward them from afar.

It was none other than Zhang Jitian, but at that moment, his entire body was covered in blood. He kept looking back with a fearful expression, as if something terrifying were pursuing him.

Earlier, the white fox had led his group on a chase deep into the mountains. The creature seemed to possess some level of intelligence and had ultimately lured them into a col.

There, they were attacked by a fiend, and even as a fifth-state martial artist, Zhang Jitian was no match for his assailant. Before long, everyone else in his group had been killed, and he fled the scene while the fiend was busy devouring the bodies of his companions.

The fiend immediately gave chase, and as Zhang Jitian fled in a panic, he thought of Chen Gang. His plan was to use Chen Gang's group to divert the fiend's attention, thereby buying himself enough time to escape.

As soon as he spotted Chu Qiguang and Chen Gang, his eyes lit up, and he launched himself forward with all his might.

Two huge craters were stomped into the ground beneath his feet as he shot toward Chu Qiguang like a cannonball.

You only have yourselves to blame for your terrible luck! Who could've imagined that there would be such a powerful fiend so close to Jade Face Mountain? Don't you worry! Once I get home, I'll erect a pair of memorial tablets for you to commemorate your noble sacrifice!

As he raced toward Chu Qiguang and Chen Gang, he reached out with both hands, attempting to grab their heads.