Scripture of Days Past

A scene appeared in the darkness, featuring an old man delivering a monologue.

”This place is called the void. I call it the void network. I describe this place as the Heavenly Dao’s shadow, similar to a subspace or secondary dimension, one that contains a large amount of information from the surface universe.

”It seems like all demons were once able to connect to the Heavenly Dao, but something got in the way, and they only managed to connect to the void, which is the Heavenly Dao’s shadow.

”The void contains a large amount of information from the surface world, and those who discovered this place may have seen it to use as a secret information storage area.

”By connecting to the void through demons, the Ring of Ignorance, or orthodox arts, one can connect to the same set of coordinates every single time, thereby allowing us to store information in a set place.

”Now, a little bit about myself; my name is Zhao Ji, and it is currently the Wei Dynasty. I am a disciple of the Vajra Monastery, through which I was able to learn the Sumeru King Scripture.”

According to Chu Qiguang’s past readings, the Wei Dynasty existed roughly four thousand years before the Great Han Empire.

”The truth is that I am not from this world,” the old man added. ”I came from a place called Earth, but I haven’t been able to go back there.”

Chu Qiguang was astonished by this revelation, but before he had a chance to dwell on his shock, the old man continued, saying, ”If you are also from Earth, then I want to tell you that this world and Earth are connected in unimaginable ways.

”The culture, history, and language here are all extremely similar to Earth’s, so perhaps this is some type of parallel world. I have been searching extensively for ways to return to Earth, but unfortunately, I am nearing the end of my life, so my research cannot continue.

”Before I pass on, I want to leave behind the Demon Refinement Technique, a technique that I created using the Ring of Ignorance in conjunction with the Sumeru King Scripture.

”Using this technique, you’ll be able to control demons like tools, but if you use it excessively, you’ll increase your risk of demonification, so I have not been able to bring the technique into widespread use...”

***

When Chu Qiguang returned to the real world, he discovered that he had been granted the knowledge of the Demon Refinement Technique.

To use the Demon Refinement Technique, one had to release knowledge of the Demon Refinement Technique through the Ring of Ignorance. The technique granted one permanent control over all demons within a fifty-meter radius, provided that they had blood flowing through them.

The blood pool worked in a similar way. By releasing knowledge of the blood pool through the Ring of Ignorance, one could transform the target into something known as a blood pool.

This newfound knowledge gave Chu Qiguang a better understanding of the message that he had heard earlier.

Demons could grow, or in other words, mutate by absorbing knowledge, so perhaps knowledge was some type of energy to demons. Both the Demon Refinement Technique and the blood pool worked off this principle.

By releasing knowledge through the Ring of Ignorance, the Demon Refinement Technique and the blood pool would have different effects.

Chu Qiguang decided to try out the Demon Refinement Technique on the cat demon in the cage.

It’s just a pain that I have to relearn the Demon Refinement Technique every time I use it.

Despite his gripes, Chu Qiguang still decided to go ahead with the experiment, making a record of the Demon Refinement Technique before using it on the cat demon.

The cat demon shuddered, and the blood inside her flowed audibly.

”Sit,” Chu Qiguang instructed.

”Raise your right paw.”

”Lie down.”

The cat demon resembled a puppet on strings, obeying Chu Qiguang’s commands as blood flowed throughout her figure.

This Demon Refinement Technique definitely works! According to Zhao Ji, using it excessively puts one at greater risk of demonification, but I don’t really feel anything.

Maybe this is another advantage of supposedly having the makings of a heavenly immortal. I wonder if the Demon Refinement Technique can be used to control living corpses...

Chu Qiguang gave this new idea a try, but it didn’t work.

Is it because the blood in living corpses no longer flows? The Demon Refinement Technique controls demons through blood, so a flowing blood is required. Wait a minute, I think I can address that problem by creating a blood pool!

The preparatory work required to create a blood pool was rather complex, and while Chu Qiguang busied himself with the preparations, Qiao Zhi and the other cat fiends lay on the ground, watching with keen interest from afar.

They were astonished to see that the cat demon suddenly became so obedient to Chu Qiguang, and they were eager to see what he planned to do next.

To kick things off, Chu Qiguang traveled to the county town to purchase large quantities of medicinal herbs and pork, and then he returned to Hidden Fiend Village.

While Chu Qiguang was toiling away, Zhou Yujiao skipped over to him and demanded, ”You still haven’t given me your fur yet! Your promised! What’re you doing? Why do you have that chicken? Are you going to roast it? Can you give me some? Fine! I don’t want it, anyway!”

”Go away!” Chu Qiguang shooed. ”Don’t get in my way.”

Zhou Yujiao skipped away with a disgruntled face, but her curiosity quickly got the better of her, and she turned back in secret to see what Chu Qiguang was up to.

She watched as Chu Qiguang shed some of his own blood onto the pork that he had bought, and then she saw him activate the Ring of Ignorance to release his knowledge of blood pools.

The live chicken before him swelled drastically in size, transforming into a huge clump of meat that devoured the surrounding pork and medicinal herbs.

As the clump of meat expanded, it gradually turned into a four-square-meter blood pool. The blood in the pool slashed audibly, as if there were something churning around inside.

There was nothing but blood in the pool, but this blood was special, as it could digest food and medicine. The pool could be replenished and expanded by feeding it, and it was capable of nurturing, restoring, and modifying living corpses.

All Chu Qiguang had to do was throw a living corpse into the blood pool, and he would be able to make use of the blood pool’s abilities.

Chu Qiguang threw the living corpse that he had just been experimenting on into the blood pool, and then he pressed his palm down on the ground at the edge of the pool.

The blood in the pool engulfed the living corpse at his behest, and it transformed the living corpse at a rate visible to the naked eye.

The living corpse’s withered and sunken flesh was revitalized, and all of its injuries were healed. What came next was modification; the blood in the pool enveloped the living corpse like a cocoon.

Around fifteen minutes later, the blood cocoon split apart to reveal the living corpse inside, which had grown to over two meters in height, resembling a burly giant.

Meanwhile, the blood in the pool had turned completely transparent. Having exhausted all of its power, it now resembled a pool of ordinary water.