Chapter 526: Goodbye Qing Yuzi, the Plague of the History Book Worm

After Zhao Xing departed from Venerable Baimon’s territory, Peng Yue rushed over with books to see him off, only to just miss his departure.

“Venerable, has Minister Zhao of Agriculture left?”

“He just left,” Baimon nodded. “He seemed to be in a hurry, as if he had something important to attend to.”

“Ah,” Peng Yue sighed regretfully. She had hoped to show Zhao Xing a dharma thesis she had just finished writing. Having missed him this time, she wondered when they would meet again.

A dejected Peng Yue scratched her head and returned to her study. She carefully placed a pile of books on the bookshelf. Among them were some classics annotated by Zhao Xing, which she cherished as precious treasures. Then, Peng Yue carefully closed the door and left.

“Rustle, rustle.”

Just after she left, a very subtle rustling sound of paper came from a corner of the bookshelf.

In the River of Void, the White Jade Five Tombs Boat traveled swiftly. Zhao Xing went to Wei Tianchen’s library and began to examine Wei Tianchen’s notes.

The Path to Heavenly Dao Attainment must have both a goal and a method. For example, Wei Tianchen’s goal was to kill divine beings, and his method was the 'Heaven-Mending Technique.' By slaying divine beings and returning their origins to the cosmos, he would receive rewards from the cosmic origin itself.

If Gu Tianyang’s Primordial Straw Man Technique was a method of Heavenly Dao Attainment, what would its goal be? Zhao Xing searched for a long time in the library and finally found the original notes he had seen before, which contained Wei Tianchen’s comments on various straw man techniques.

"The technique created by Gu Tianyang still holds some substance up to the Void Straw Man stage, but the Primordial Straw Man is purely a pipe dream. Both brothers of the Gu family are obsessed individuals, always dreaming unrealistic dreams. Gu Luohe is like this, and so is Gu Tianyang. Gu Tianyang died, and his disciple Zuo Qiyu inherited his technique. Gu Luohe became one of the founders of the Primal Realm. Time flies so fast. In the ancestral land of the Feathered Emperor, another vast nation, the Crimson Star Empire, has been established. However, I always have a feeling that Gu Tianyang did not die in the Dark Heaven Realm. If what I suspect is true, that fellow has a truly dark heart..."

“Based on what did Wei Tianchen draw this conclusion?” Zhao Xing closed the notebook and began to extensively search through Wei Tianchen’s notes for content related to 'straw man techniques.' Because Wei Tianchen’s collection of books was so vast, even with filtering and searching, it took Zhao Xing half a year to read through the selected books and notes. Finally, Zhao Xing placed several books he deemed useful beside him.

“Due to temporal chaos, there are various accounts of the order of the Five Emperors’ era, but it is certain that Emperor Luo was the last Divine Emperor. Many ancient texts mention that powerful straw man techniques appeared in all five Divine Emperor eras. However, at that time, straw man techniques were not categorized under agricultural spells but rather under sacrificial rites. But the most flourishing period was during the Era of Emperor Li, because Emperor Li abolished the common life sacrifice rituals in various regions and replaced them with straw effigy sacrifices. To enable straw effigies to possess equivalent sacrificial power, the straw man technique could not be too weak; otherwise, it would be impossible to meet the requirements for sacrifices. Thus, a large number of straw man techniques began to emerge during the Era of Emperor Li. However, at that time, straw man techniques were still in the hands of priests, considered sacrificial rites. Many gods who received offerings were still hypocritical, like the Fortune Self-Sovereign Gods, feigning compliance while acting contrary to it. Superficially, straw man techniques replaced life sacrifices, but in reality, the materials for the straw effigies still came from living flesh and blood, and souls. This led to many evil straw man techniques, such as those for devouring souls, consuming flesh and blood, and even those involving the very origins of the Great Dao.”

“Wei Tianchen’s notes mentioned that in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands at that time, there were twelve types of dark and evil straw man techniques. These were the most malicious and most concealed methods of their time, known as the 'Twelve Divine Sacrifices.'” Zhao Xing looked at the books before him, continuously organizing the information. “In the later period of Emperor Li’s era, eight of these twelve powerful evil gods were eliminated by Emperor Li, but four escaped and their whereabouts became unknown. Afterward, straw man techniques were no longer categorized under sacrificial paths but were reclassified under agricultural spells, to be controlled by the God of Agriculture.”

Zhao Xing looked at these ancient texts. Although they held no inherent power, he still felt a sense of a bloody storm. The struggle between Dao traditions was never a small matter. To change a major category of spells from the Path of Sacrifice to the Path of Agriculture must have involved a massive conflict.

“Priests are incredibly weak in this era, but during the Five Emperors period, their Dao was undoubtedly supreme,” Zhao Xing mused. After all, the Five Emperors all performed Feng Shan ceremonies, offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, which surely required powerful priestly gods. The extent of demand determined the prosperity of a Dao tradition. If the environment during the Five Emperors era was relatively stable, then the agriculturists would indeed have struggled to contend with the priests.

“Could it be that the straw man technique created by Gu Tianyang, the 'Twelve Divine Sacrifices,' was actually a sacrificial rite? A wolf in sheep’s clothing?” Zhao Xing pondered. “Gu Luohe believed his brother was on his side, and Gu Tianyang’s straw man technique wasn’t forbidden; instead, it continued to be passed down, constantly nurturing successors like Zuo Qiyu, Jin Yan, and even me.” Zhao Xing thought this highly probable because he had noticed that after Pu Yan’s death, less than 30% of his power was absorbed by himself and Zuo Qiyu; the rest had vanished. If he hadn’t broken through and his true spirit reached the twelfth stage, he might not have discerned this.

“Whoosh~”

Zhao Xing’s consciousness entered his inner world and, simultaneously, the straw man body forged from divine weapon-grade materials.

“Boom~”

Zhao Xing’s true spirit exerted all its might, and even with the amplification from the Soul Tree Heart, he could only manage to lift the index finger of his right hand. As he lifted his index finger, space continuously vibrated. By merely controlling this single index finger, a surge of divine power was drawn from the Earth Core Blood Nucleus and transmitted to it.

“Whoosh!”

A large hole was immediately shot through the boundless continent.

“Hiss~”

Zhao Xing quickly mobilized the world core, and a vast amount of mist spread throughout his inner world to repair the boundless continent. “This power is definitely an attack from a Self-Sovereign God. Pu Yan’s study of the Primordial Straw Man Technique went half a step further than Zuo Qiyu’s. He preserved his true self, allowing him to be reborn from the memories of his split soul. What I have devised makes the straw man’s life Dao pattern structure more perfect at a life-form level, enabling the straw man to take shape even at the divine level. I just don’t know if Zuo Qiyu has made any progress.”

However, Zhao Xing dared not continue his research. Without understanding Gu Tianyang’s situation, he could not delve deeper into this spell, lest he eventually become a mere pawn for others. “There are even stronger straw man techniques in history. If I could travel through time and space, perhaps I could learn more powerful divine-level straw man techniques. Why would I need to learn Gu Tianyang’s secret method?” Zhao Xing couldn’t help but yearn for the Era of Emperor Li.

No wonder the Immeasurable True God didn’t care whether he was an undercover agent. The more one knows, the more one yearns for the evil god faction! Divine-level straw man techniques hold great appeal for a Minister of Agriculture of the Self-Nature sect.

“Let’s go back first.”

The White Jade Five Tombs Boat quickly returned to the Origin Celestial Palace. At this time, Chen Jiu was still leading a group of selected geniuses in cultivating the Devouring Calamity Technique, so Zhao Xing decided to return to the Imperial territories on his own.

Wilds Region, Third Era, Eleventh Star Cycle Year, Tianyou Ancient Kingdom, Bova Star Continent.

Within an endless forest spanning tens of billions of kilometers stood a majestic divine temple. The temple was surrounded by elm trees, and inside, a statue of Qing Yuzi was enshrined. Around the main palace, several smaller palace buildings were constructed, housing a sparse population of only about a million people. Guarding this place were none other than the former 'Purple Moon Prefect' and Jade Clear Prefect from the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom, both of whom had now reached the Emperor Lord level. Although Qing Yuzi had been banished to the past, the Purple God Manor where he once resided had been properly settled. Now, Emperor Lord Ziyue and Emperor Lord Yuqing remained here.

“The divine statue is moving strangely.” Suddenly, Emperor Lord Ziyue found Emperor Lord Yuqing.

“What’s happening?” Emperor Lord Yuqing asked, puzzled, as he was meditating.

“A message has been sent from the Divine Venerable, but I can’t receive it,” Emperor Lord Ziyue said, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

“Let’s go take a look!”

Emperor Lord Yuqing and Emperor Lord Ziyue immediately entered the divine temple. Before Qing Yuzi’s statue, a roaring flame burned within a bronze cauldron, illuminating the statue with a brilliant glow. Inside the bronze cauldron, a tattered piece of paper seemed to appear. Emperor Lord Yuqing and Emperor Lord Ziyue were quite bewildered. They tried to communicate, but the statue did not respond. Yet, this truly seemed like some kind of divine miracle.

“Divine Venerable, what exactly are you trying to tell us?” Emperor Lord Ziyue and Emperor Lord Yuqing asked anxiously. But they couldn’t comprehend what Qing Yuzi was trying to convey. They both knew Qing Yuzi had gone to a very distant place, but they didn’t know how far. Many years had passed, and this was the first time Qing Yuzi had manifested a divine sign. Both felt it was very important, but the manifested divine sign was too abstract.

“Divine Venerable, we are dull-witted and cannot comprehend your meaning,” Emperor Lord Yuqing sighed. The gap in the paper continued to widen, and the light on Qing Yuzi’s statue’s forehead flickered as if it were sweating. The statue, gilded with magic power materials, began to show damage, looking as if it was on the verge of breaking apart.

“What should we do?” Emperor Lord Yuqing fretted. “Should we notify the Divine Temple?”

“How would we notify them?” Emperor Lord Ziyue sighed. It was true they had benefited greatly and become Emperor Lords. But within the Reincarnation Divine Temple, they were despised and abandoned. If Zhao Xing was merely inadvertently drawn into the events of that year, then they were peripheral members of the Reincarnation Divine Temple who actively helped Qing Yuzi scheme to achieve godhood. To have their current status was already good enough; did they still wish to return to the Divine Temple? They couldn’t even see anyone now. Who knew if someone was coming to steal something again? “If the Divine Venerable had something major, he would definitely notify the Reincarnation Divine Temple first. If not, it must be because that path is blocked. But we don’t even know what happened, alas—”

Even though they were Emperor Lords, they were helpless when facing the divine level. Normally, when the Divine Qingyu manifested a divine sign, it should be clear and distinct. Why was the situation so vague? Their intuition told them there was a major problem, but they could only stare helplessly now.

“Whoosh, whoosh.”

The flames surged, and the gap in the paper continued to widen. The two stared intently, finally making a decision together.

“Yuqing, let’s each sacrifice a million years of our lifespan and see if we can stabilize the divine manifestation.”

“Alright.” Emperor Lord Yuqing gritted his teeth and immediately cut his wrist. A large amount of their essence blood poured into the bronze cauldron. The flames immediately turned blood-red. The two Emperor Lords sacrificing their lifespans—a million years was a huge amount! This would prematurely trigger their True Spirit Tribulation, shortening the time they had to prepare. But now, they couldn’t afford to worry about that.

“Whoosh~”

The flames within the bronze cauldron surged. The speed at which the paper was damaged immediately slowed down, and with their efforts, four characters finally appeared on it:

Find Zhao Xing.

“Whoosh~”

After that, the flames in the bronze cauldron suddenly extinguished, and everything returned to normal as if nothing had happened. However, both Emperor Lords showed signs of aging, and Qing Yuzi’s divine statue developed cracks.

“Boom~”

A realm ship swiftly took off from Bova Star Continent. Within the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom, a realm ship was traversing the void. In the twelfth year of the Third Era, Zhao Xing returned from the Origin Celestial Palace, accompanied by Venerable Skycrown.

Venerable Skycrown was a historian, but not a pure scholar; he was one who could fight. When Zhao Xing first challenged the Earth Core Blood Nucleus passage, Venerable Skycrown was ranked second. He later rushed to the Origin Celestial Palace, hoping to befriend Zhao Xing and observe the Earth Core Blood Nucleus. But at that time, how could Zhao Xing have any time for him? So he followed Venerable Baimon to the Celestial Demon Kingdom to deal with Jin Yan’s matter. However, after Zhao Xing returned, Venerable Skycrown was still waiting, which finally moved Zhao Xing.

“Venerable Skycrown,” Zhao Xing said, “I didn’t say when I’d return back then. It could have been ten years, or a thousand. Were you just going to keep waiting like that?”

Venerable Skycrown humorously replied, “Minister Zhao, I have no other skills; I’m just best at waiting.”

“Hahaha.” Recalling that this Venerable had also waited for over three hundred thousand years, coming in second after Venerable Zhanghe, Zhao Xing was amused by his words.

“It’s not impossible for you to observe the Earth Core Blood Nucleus,” Zhao Xing said. “What does the Venerable offer in exchange?”

Venerable Skycrown joyfully said, “Please name your price, Minister Zhao. I only need to observe for a hundred years.”

“Then let’s exchange for some historical records,” Zhao Xing said. “Just find some historical records from ancient kingdoms; any will do.” Zhao Xing still had two tasks from the Immeasurable True God: one was to cultivate the Ten Thousand Era Flower Divine Seed, and the other was to cultivate history-eating worms. For the first task, Zhao Xing had no clue how to make the Ten Thousand Era Flower Divine Seed sprout. But for the second task, he had a clear direction: devouring various historical records. Previously, he had exchanged some from Elder Feng Chen of the Academy City, but they were merely low-grade items.

“Good, I happen to have some ancient demon historical records, not low-grade, which I can give to Minister Zhao.” Venerable Skycrown produced three shimmering historical records, each with the image of a demonic beast on its cover. There were also many loose pages, richly illustrated and containing historical origins. However, the strongest three were: "Ancient Demons: The Rongdi Clan," "Chronicles of the Ten Great Demon Kings," and "The Chaotic Sea Ancient Demon Records."

“Alright, you may enter.” Zhao Xing waved his hand, not bothering to haggle, and directly drew Venerable Skycrown into his inner world, allowing him to observe the Earth Core Blood Nucleus within the straw man’s body. Then Zhao Xing took out an exquisite transparent insect box, inside which a larva resembling a silkworm floated, and the box emitted a faint scholarly fragrance.

The history-eating worm feeds on historical records, and its outer skin is covered with many characters. The larva’s strength was very weak, not even reaching the Origin Realm; it could even be said to have no aura. However, if it could enter its growth phase and begin its first metamorphosis, it would display its power.

“It can devour historical records. The Immeasurable True God said that the most powerful divine-level bookworms can even devour Profound Spirit historical records, though I don’t know if that’s true.” Zhao Xing found it hard to believe that a divine object like the Profound Spirit historical records could be devoured by such a tiny bookworm. But since it was just a task, and the materials required by evil gods were always bizarre, he was no longer surprised.

“Eat up, mature quickly so I can complete my mission,” Zhao Xing said, dropping the three historical records into the box.

“Crunch, crunch~”

The history-eating larva instantly transformed into a streak of light and darted towards the three ancient demon books, but it couldn’t bite through them, so it ultimately had to start by gnawing on the loose pages. Zhao Xing watched for a while, quickly grew bored, and then sat cross-legged in meditation, quietly waiting for the realm ship to return to the Empire.

However, just then, “Whoosh~”

His star mirror suddenly rang.

“Hmm? It’s Du Yun. He’s contacting me? Looks like he knows I’ve been to the Origin Celestial Palace.”

Zhao Xing had a purpose for coming to the Origin Celestial Palace, and Du Yun was not in the First Void Ancestor Galaxy, so he simply didn’t contact him.

“Whoosh~”

Du Yun’s phantom appeared before Zhao Xing.

“Brother Du, you know I’ve been to the Origin Celestial Palace? It’s not that I didn’t want to find you, but time was short and the mission was urgent—” But Du Yun interrupted Zhao Xing with a serious expression: “Zhao Xing, let’s catch up later. I have something important. Please admit two other people.”

“Alright.” Zhao Xing nodded. Then, in the star mirror, not only Du Yun’s figure appeared, but also two faces that were both familiar and unfamiliar.

“Purple Moon Prefect and Jade Clear Prefect?” Seeing these two, Zhao Xing couldn’t help but recall scenes from when he first entered the universe; at that time, it was the Purple Moon Prefect who picked him up at the Star Pass. Later, relying on the resources of the Purple Moon Manor, he broke through to the Origin Realm, went to the Lunar Luo Cemetery, and gained his first fortune. It was also then that he met Du Yun, who at the time was considered the next successor of the Purple God Manor. After the fall of the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom, he wasn’t clear about how Old Qing’s forces in this life were arranged. Eight thousand years had passed, and he was only now seeing these two for the first time.

“They asked you to find me for something?” Zhao Xing asked. Du Yun was also a member of the Purple God Manor, so in a way, Du Yun was connected to Qing Yuzi.

“I don’t know,” Du Yun shook his head. “They wouldn’t say, only that it was urgent and related to senior Qing Yuzi. They insisted on seeing you in person to explain.”

“Where are they?” Zhao Xing looked at the Purple Moon Prefect and Jade Clear Prefect.

“Tianyou Ancient Kingdom, Bova Star Continent.”

“I’ll be right there.” Zhao Xing wasted no words and immediately changed direction. For both public and private reasons, he should go and see. Moreover, Bova Star Continent was within the Xuanling Starfield. If these two were indeed deluded by evil gods, that would be even better. In this place, the evil god’s level would likely not be high, making it a guaranteed source of contribution points!

“I can’t leave; the Devouring Calamity Technique cultivation is at a critical stage. Zhao Xing, I’m counting on you,” Du Yun said.

“It’s a small matter.”

Three months later, on Bova Star Continent, Zhao Xing’s White Jade Five Tombs Boat landed.

“Boom!”

The cabin opened, and Zhao Xing stepped onto the treetops, beginning to scan the entire star continent. He quickly discovered Emperor Lord Yuqing, Emperor Lord Ziyue, and the divine temple.

“Old Qing has a temple here too?” Zhao Xing’s figure flickered, and the next second he appeared at the entrance of the divine temple. “What exactly is happening?”

He didn’t sense anything unusual; the entire Bova Star Continent was laid bare before him. However, Zhao Xing also put on his Time Valley Rain Robe; it was always wise to be cautious.

“Minister Zhao, just a few months ago...” The Purple Moon Prefect recounted the events. Under the gaze of Zhao Xing’s true spirit, it was impossible for the Purple Moon Prefect to lie.

After listening, Zhao Xing nodded. “Old Qing mentioned an opportunity to meet in the Third Era of the Wilds Region. Could it be that he encountered a problem while working abroad?” Emperor Lord Ziyue and the others didn’t know where Qing Yuzi had gone, but Zhao Xing knew Old Qing had gone to the past. He pictured a scenario: Old Qing left his hometown for a big city and was then bullied by local thugs.

“Old Qing wouldn’t have stumbled into another major event, would he? If he had a problem, he should seek help from the Reincarnation Divine Temple, so why would he look for me?” Zhao Xing was suspicious for a moment, but ultimately dispatched a clone to enter the divine temple. In any case, there was a friendship between him and Qing Yuzi. If Old Qing truly encountered some trouble, he should still help within his capabilities. However, Zhao Xing didn’t even need to send a clone; he could sever the connection at any time to detach, making it absolutely impossible to get involved in major events like the revival of the Dongyan Ancient Clan.

“Buzz!”

As soon as Zhao Xing’s split soul entered, the bronze cauldron ignited. A tattered piece of paper floated in the flames.

“Hmm?” Zhao Xing was stronger than Ziyue and Yuqing and immediately discovered more information. This was a page torn from a historical record because it not only had temporal fluctuations but also the properties of a historical record.

“Crunch, crunch.”

The paper began to break, losing bits from its edges, as if a large mouth was slowly devouring it.

“Bigger, bigger, bigger!”

Zhao Xing ignited his Azure Flower, Vast Sea, and Profound Soul spiritual powers. In this specific scenario, these three spiritual powers were more effective than the three agricultural spiritual powers. Zhao Xing saw more information.

"Tianyou Records, Seventh Chronicle, Emperor Hong I." Zhao Xing thought for a moment and knew this corresponded to the period of the seventh ruler of the Tianyou Ancient Kingdom, roughly from the 1003rd solar year of the 37th Era before the Wilds Region, to the 34th solar year of the 35th Era. Because Emperor Hong I abdicated after ruling for two eras, attempting to break through to the divine realm, but failed, turning to dust. Immediately, the information on the paper changed again.

"Tianyou Records, Eleventh Chronicle, Duzhen Sect IV." Zhao Xing frowned slightly. Soon after, it became the Fourteenth Chronicle, then the Twenty-Third Chronicle. The time span was vast, but there was a pattern: each instance was progressively closer to modern times. Each time it appeared, the paper would restore itself, only to become tattered again.

“Crunch, crunch.”

When it reached the Eighth Era before the Wilds Region, a pattern began to emerge on the Tianyou Records. Zhao Xing could clearly hear the gnawing sounds now. At this moment, he finally understood what Qing Yuzi was trying to convey.

“Old Qing, are you trying to say that a group of mature history-eating worms are traversing the River of Time, gnawing away at history along the way?” He looked up at Qing Yuzi’s statue, where two lines of tears now streamed from its eyes.

“You’re not kidding, are you...?” Zhao Xing gasped. “These things really exist?” If this was true, then the trouble would be immense. He instantly thought of many possibilities. Historical records symbolize inherent historical memory. If historical records are subverted, then widespread memory alteration will occur. Just like the transmitted realm he and Yang Baihe once experienced, where in that tomb-transmitted realm, both the Grand Tutor and the monarch were utterly evil.

And some cosmic historians could alter memories, such as in the case of the former Dongyan Ancient Clan, where Dongyan Hai swapped out the Yuanhai ruler, and no one even noticed until the moment the plot was launched, even during a Dharma assembly. Furthermore, in the Third Era of the Wilds Region, historical records also served as a protective barrier, ensuring that spacetime memories were not impacted. If the faction from the past released a group of powerful history-eating worms, perhaps even the protection of the Profound Spirit historical records would be compromised!

“A plague of bookworms—live long enough, and you truly see everything.” Recalling the many possibilities, Zhao Xing felt his scalp tingle. He immediately memorized all the information conveyed by Qing Yuzi.

However, just then, an anomaly occurred outside the temple.

“I don’t know what happened to the Divine Venerable, to actually summon Zhao Xing. What exactly occurred—Yuqing, do you think he’s in danger?” The Purple Moon Prefect was waiting anxiously. But at this moment, a hint of confusion appeared in Emperor Lord Yuqing’s eyes. The Purple Moon Prefect looked at her, puzzled. The latter, however, was the first to change expression, as if she didn’t recognize him at all: “Who are you, and why are you here?!”

The Purple Moon Prefect glanced strangely at Zhao Xing, then back at Emperor Lord Yuqing: “Yuqing, w-what’s wrong? It’s me, Ziyue!” Not only did Emperor Lord Yuqing show no sign of clearing her mind, but moments later, her face suddenly turned crimson, and her eyes reddened.

“You traitor, you sellout! Die!” Swords of the heart emanated from Emperor Lord Yuqing’s body, launching a sudden, unexpected assault on the Purple Moon Prefect.

“What? You—”

“Pfft, pfft~”

The Purple Moon Prefect’s body was violently sent flying, his aura rapidly diminishing. If Zhao Xing hadn’t snapped back to his senses and intervened in time, he likely would have died.

“Let go of me! Who are you? This is an internal affair of my Tianyou Ancient Kingdom—” Zhao Xing grabbed Emperor Lord Yuqing, knocking her unconscious. Then he picked up the Purple Moon Prefect: “Are you alright?”

“W-what in the world happened?” The Purple Moon Prefect was utterly perplexed.

“You two have lived long enough that the effects have spread to the very time of your birth,” Zhao Xing sighed. “If I recall correctly, Prefect, you were born in the Seventh Era before the Wilds Region?”

“Yes, Yuqing is a bit older than me.” As he spoke, the Purple Moon Prefect suddenly trailed off. He looked at Zhao Xing, a hint of terror in his voice: “W-who are you? Why am I here?”