Second Brother Luo Feng's inference that demonic energy's essence might originate from "beyond the heavens" was like a boulder thrown into a deep pond, creating waves in Tang Xiaoqi's heart. This was no longer simple righteous-evil struggle, but a grand proposition involving world origin and cosmic laws. To verify this inference and find countermeasures against this "rule virus," more ancient wisdom must be sought.
Xiaoqi immediately issued two orders. First, in his dual capacity as Alliance Master and Purification Institute Institute Master, issue the highest-level "Ancient Texts Collection Order" to all Three Realms forces—any texts, fragments, stone inscriptions, or oral traditions involving ancient secrets, otherworldly records, realm-external beings, celestial changes, or mythological legends, all subjects for collection. Second, he personally wrote letters to several ancient forces isolated from the world with long inheritance, requesting they open ancient knowledge repositories to tide over difficulties together.
The orders sent, the Three Realms were shaken. Major sect libraries, family secret vaults, and rogue cultivator cave dwellings were searched. Countless dusty ancient scrolls were retrieved and transported to Qingxu Temple. Responses came from overseas, Northern Plains, Southern Domain, and Western Desert: elders bearing copies were dispatched, or partial restricted areas were opened for Alliance-designated scholars to enter.
The temporary "Ancient Learning Pavilion" opened within Qingxu Temple was overwhelmed by piles of jade slips, beast skin scrolls, bamboo slips, and stone inscription rubbings. Xiaoqi personally presided, diving into this ocean of knowledge with a group of scholars proficient in ancient texts.
Days passed, progress was slow. Most ancient texts' records of "demons" were locally-born evil cultivators or grievance aggregations. Though similar to this demonic energy's characteristics, their essence was vastly different.
Just as Xiaoqi was nearly feeling discouraged, an elderly monk from Western Desert's Crescent Moon Temple brought a fragmented ancient scroll woven with some unknown golden thread. This scroll had existed for unimaginable long years, its material extraordinary yet still soft.
"This scroll was obtained by our temple's founding master, before the 'Great Silence Era,' from a realm-external meteor's core. Through generations, only the abbot orally transmitted partial content, as its described matters were too shocking and unverifiable." The elderly monk explained.
Xiaoqi respectfully received the scroll and, with several scholars proficient in ancient Sanskrit and upper runes, spent seven days and nights deciphering this scroll named "Star Remains Records."
The critical passage revealed: "Concerning the vastness of the universe, no single world can contain it all. There are places of pure ascent, and depths of turbid descent. There are also those wandering between worlds' crevices and void currents, which we call 'Heavenly Demons from Beyond.'
"This thing is neither living nor dead, formless and intangible. Its essence is a wisp of 'evil intent,' originating from an unknowable place, feeding on the negative emotions of all worlds' living beings and energy of decay and death. Its nature is utmost greed, its intent utmost cunning, can confuse hearts and minds, amplify desires, erode world barriers, like flesh-burrowing bugs, like shadows following forms.
"Crossing world barriers, they come, sometimes attaching to powerful individuals, subtly influencing; sometimes directly polluting spiritual veins, distorting laws. Worlds invaded by them initially show frequent anomalies, hearts become unsettled; then laws collapse, spiritual energy becomes foul, all things wither; ultimately become their nests, all living beings' essence and world origin, all devoured without remainder, leaving only desolate star remains.
"Our world's antiquity once had heavenly demons peering in. Worthies rose gloriously, battled in star fields, sacrificed countless, finally driving them away, sealing their passages, but the cost was grievous, inheritance nearly, this being the cause of the 'Great Silence Era.'"
Reading this, Xiaoqi and all present scholars felt a chill rise from their spines.
This description with everything they had observed in the demon head and demonic energy source! The clues.
They faced not some locally-born demon head, but a genuine "Realm-External Heavenly Demon"! This demonic disaster was not accidental, likely a premeditated, or occurring "realm-external invasion."
The cave dwelling was silent. Truth was often more cruel than imagined.
Knowing where the enemy came from and what kind of existence it was, the road ahead, also more difficult. They not only had to cure demonic spots and oppose the hidden demon head's remnant soul, but also possible other passages to realm-external and future arrivals of more complete, more powerful heavenly demon main bodies.
This war was far from over. They had just touched the edge of the true war.
"Classify this translation as Alliance highest secret," Xiaoqi ordered. "Notify all core members, immediately raise combat readiness level. Our enemy is far more terrible than we imagined."