Scripture of Days Past

After taking a closer look at his surroundings, Chu Qiguang discovered that the bluestone path leading to the entrance of the archive building was lined with intricate stone statues of all types of different creatures, including tigers, qilins, horses, and lions.

The statues all stood at over three meters tall, and they were headlined by a pair of realistic and lifelike human statues carrying swords. As for the archive building itself, it was constructed using giant black stone blocks.

At the entrance, Chu Qiguang could see elaborate reliefs engraved into the stone material under the light of the nearby lanterns. This place feels more like a mausoleum than an archives building...

The black stone gates were over five meters tall. Chu Qiguang knocked on them as he called out, ”Is anyone there?”

Only after quite some time had passed did the gates slowly swing open, and a bald old man with sunken cheeks poked his head out from inside. His skin was deathly pale, as if he had never been exposed to the sun.

After examining Chu Qiguang for a moment, he chuckled, saying, ”You must be Chu Qiguang. Instructor Yi has already told me about you. Come in.”

Chu Qiguang stepped into the archives building. As soon as he did so, the Ring of Ignorance appeared on its own on his chest.

What’s going on? Why is the Ring of Ignorance reacting to this place?

Just then, a dull thump rang out. The thin gatekeeper had already closed the stone gates again. It seemed that he had tremendous strength despite his gaunt and elderly appearance.

As soon as the gates swung shut, Chu Qiguang found himself in complete darkness. There wasn’t even a single light source in the entire building.

The gatekeeper lit a candle using a piece of flint, and then he handed it to Chu Qiguang with a smile. ”I don’t really use candles when I’m alone.”

”Then how can you see?” Chu Qiguang asked as he accepted the candle.

”I’ve been in here so long that I can find my way around even with my eyes closed,” the gatekeeper replied.

The small candle only granted Chu Qiguang about two to three meters of visibility; he couldn’t see anything beyond that. He held the candle as he followed the gatekeeper deeper into the building. Chu Qiguang could make out more humanoid stone statues in the darkness, and each of them held a sword in both hands.

By Chu Qiguang’s estimate, they walked for about fifty to sixty meters by the time they finally arrived before a set of bookshelves.

”You can read the books on the first floor, but don’t go upstairs,” the gatekeeper said.

”Why not? Chu Qiguang asked.

A slightly unsettling smile appeared on the gatekeeper’s face. ”The books on the first floor can be read, but the book on the second floor may just eat you up if you’re not careful.”

He then turned and walked away into the darkness, offering no further explanation. However, he didn’t go far. Another light source appeared nearby as the gatekeeper lit an oil lamp before setting it down on a desk.

”You can call me if you need anything.”

With that, the gatekeeper finally left, leaving Chu Qiguang on his own.

Chu Qiguang picked up the oil lamp. He felt like his surroundings had been completely engulfed by a suffocating black mist. However, he was more concerned about what was happening with his Ring of Ignorance.

Ever since he arrived near the bookshelves, he had been feeling a burning hot sensation in his chest.

He walked a lap around the bookshelves, and he discovered that the Ring of Ignorance burned particularly hot when he was near one of the bookshelves.

Is it trying to get me to find a certain book?

Chu Qiguang strode over to the bookshelf where the burning sensation was the most intense, and he discovered that all of the books there were on the histories of many different religions.

He reached out to touch the books on the bottom shelf, but there was no change in the heat in his chest.

He worked his way up the bookshelf, and as soon as his hand made contact with a particular book on the third row, the Ring of Ignorance instantly became even hotter, as if someone had placed a piece of lit coal into his chest.

Chu Qiguang pulled out the book and saw the following words written on the cover. A Deep Dive Into the Origins of the Immortal Dao

The pages of the book were already slightly yellow from the passing of time, and some of the text had also become a little faded.

There doesn’t seem to be anything special about this book, Chu Qiguang thought to himself. Does the Ring of Ignorance want me to read it?

Chu Qiguang was rather curious about the origins of the Immortal Dao to begin with, so he sat down at the desk and began reading under the light of the oil lamp.

The author of the book appeared to have been a past researcher from the Demon Vanquishing Department. He had been specifically tasked with uncovering the origins and objectives of the Immortal Dao.

The majority of what you’re about to read comes from verbal accounts from the followers of the Immortal Dao. Not all of them are reliable narrators, so I have made some educated guesses in certain sections that are clearly self-contradictory or too absurd to be true.

The origins of the Immortal Dao can be traced all the way back to the Early Han Dynasty at the earliest. Due to how distant that is, we may never be able to find the true answer. There are reasons why certain pieces of knowledge have become secrets over time.

The Early Han Dynasty was said to be the first human empire in history, Chu Qiguang thought to himself. According to historical records, it existed over four thousand years ago. Has the Immortal Dao been around for that long?

Chu Qiguang turned to the next page.

The low-level followers of the Immortal Dao know nothing of its origins. Most of them are simply obsessed with attaining immortality.

However, during an operation in the south, we captured ███████ of the Immortal Dao.

From her, we learned more about the Immortal Dao. According to her, the first emperor of the Early Han Dynasty had gathered a large number of cultivators and tasked them with finding a path to immortality.

They worked tirelessly for ten years, but ultimately failed. That was, until they found a truly undying being, a man by the name of ███████. By extracting his ███████ and using it to refine pills, they obtained the first Elixir of Undying.

However, the one who took the pill wasn’t rewarded with eternal life. Instead, the event triggered a cataclysmic disaster of unprecedented proportions, one that ultimately led to the downfall of the entire Early Han Dynasty...

As Chu Qiguang continued to read, he felt as if he were transported over four thousand years into the past to experience a twisted, deranged, and horrific calamity.

The Elixir of Undying spread rapidly, and living corpses destroyed the imperial court at the time. The Immortal Dao was founded to study living corpses and to find a way to destroy them as well as the Elixir of Undying.

However, over the course of their extensive research, their minds were gradually tainted by the Elixir of Undying. In the end, they began worshiping the power of undeath instead.

After reading the book, the burning sensation from the Ring of Ignorance faded away, and Chu Qiguang could even feel joy being transmitted directly into his heart.

He then realized that he had forgotten everything he had just read. Something called a boon emerged from the Ring of Ignorance and appeared before his eyes.