Scripture of Days Past

For all of Jiang Longyu's aptitude as one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals, the fact remained that he was still only a fourth-state martial artist and was no match for a fifth-state fiend.

The wolf fiend glanced irritably at his severed staff, then tossed it aside before closing in on Jiang Longyu with his claws extended.

Jiang Longyu frantically retreated as a hint of despair welled up in his heart.

Shit! If only I had another year to grow stronger...

At that moment, the half-yearly examination, his rivalry with Chu Qiguang... all of it suddenly seemed like a complete joke to him.

However, just as the wolf fiend was about to strike, a figure rushed onto the scene and crashed into him from the side, saving Jiang Longyu. It was Li Jian, the pill lecturer, and judging from the bright red color of his skin, it was clear that he had already taken a Bloodbath Pill.

"Run! Run to the archive building! That's the safest place to be!" Li Jian urged frantically as he struggled with all his might to hold off the wolf fiend.

The wolf fiend let out a roar of frustration as Jiang Longyu turned and fled, doing his best to stay out of sight while making a mad dash for the archive building.

However, Li Jian wasn't able to buy him enough time to reach the archive building. Before long, the wolf fiend was already hot on his trail. If he kept running, he would surely be caught before he could reach the archive building. Left with no other choice, Jiang Longyu hid inside a water vat, praying that the wolf fiend wouldn't be able to find him.

Unfortunately, the wolf fiend had an exceptional sense of smell, allowing him to follow Jiang Longyu's trail. It didn't take long before he was less than a hundred meters away.

Through the narrow gap between the water vat and its lid, Jiang Longyu could see the menacing wolf fiend rapidly closing in. The wolf fiend's entire body was drenched in blood, and half of his front right paw was missing.

Clearly, he had encountered some resistance while pursuing Jiang Longyu, but even in this condition, he was still far too formidable for Jiang Longyu to oppose.

"You're not getting away," the wolf fiend snarled as he sniffed the air. "I already know where you are! I'm going to break your limbs, then disembowel you and eat your organs one by one..."

The wolf fiend continued to intimidate Jiang Longyu while listening intently for any sounds. Right at that moment, the lid of the water vat shifted ever so slightly, and the wolf fiend immediately picked up on the sound, turning to the water vat with a sinister grin.

Jiang Longyu was peeking out from beneath the lid, and the blood in his veins ran cold the instant their eyes met. He hurriedly ducked his head, but that only caused the lid to drop against the rim of the water vat with an even louder sound.

Jiang Longyu remained hidden in the water vat with his eyes squeezed tightly shut, praying to the Profound Origin Dao Lord that he had somehow managed to escape the wolf fiend's notice. Deep down, however, the despair was already beginning to set in.

Right at that moment, the wolf fiend suddenly stopped in his tracks, then asked in an alert voice, "Who's there?"

A familiar voice rang out in response. "Don't mind me, I'm just passing through."

Jiang Longyu's eyes sprang open in surprise upon hearing the voice.

A chaotic jumble of thoughts flashed through Jiang Longyu's mind. It's Chu Qiguang! What's he doing here? That idiot! He must not know that this is a fifth-state wolf fiend! He's going to get himself killed! Should I come out and help him?

But he was too afraid to even poke his head out of the water vat, leaving him completely paralyzed by fear and hesitation.

"You're one of the trainees, right?" the wolf fiend asked with a sinister grin. "I'm in luck! Who would've thought that there would be a two-for-one deal here?"

One of the wolf fiend's missions was to kill any martial arts prodigies of the Great Han Empire that he encountered, and given that Chu Qiguang was one of the trainees on Jade Face Mountain, he clearly fell into that category.

Chu Qiguang was in a hurry to get to the archive building, but he could tell that the wolf fiend had no intention to let him pass. Since a battle was unavoidable, he decided to strike first, springing into action without a word. With an explosive burst of speed, he closed the distance between himself and the wolf fiend in a single stride before grabbing tightly onto the wolf fiend's head.

The wolf fiend was completely off guard by Chu Qiguang's extraordinary speed, but he reacted quickly, lashing out at his assailant with his claws and fangs. However, his attacks were completely ineffective against the defenses of Chu Qiguang's Primordial High Zenith Demonic Arts, and panic quickly began to set in as Chu Qiguang tightened his vice-like grip around his head.

The wolf fiend let out an agonized howl as his skull began to crack. He frantically lashed out at Chu Qiguang, but it was as if his claws were scraping against an indestructible scratching post, unable to leave even the slightest scratch on Chu Qiguang.

Inside the water vat, Jiang Longyu was so terrified that he couldn't even tell who the agonized howls were coming from, but he naturally assumed that they had to be coming from Chu Qiguang.

Before long, the agonized howls faded into desperate gurgles, and Jiang Longyu finally managed to overcome his fear. He slowly raised his head and peeked outside to see how Chu Qiguang was doing. However, right at that moment, one final, blood-curdling howl rang out, followed by what sounded like a watermelon being completely pulverized.

Jiang Longyu froze for a moment before hurriedly sticking his head out of the water vat, only to see the headless body of the wolf fiend lying on the ground. All of the wolf fiend's claws were bloodied and broken, indicating that he had been clawing frantically at something in the moments leading up to his death.

Large plumes of steam were still rising from the headless stump of his neck, and Jiang Longyu struggleduggled to process this grisly scene before him as he shuddered in shock and horror.

What the hell just happened?!