'Supreme existence... I didn't expect this author to already touch upon this... His end probably won't be good...'
From these twisted blood-red characters, Zhong Shenxiu sensed madness, despair, and even... the fear just before death!
The so-called 'supreme', likely refers to existences like the [Heavenly Elder] and [Master of Gates].
A cultivator, as insignificant as an ant, dares to record the disputes of these Outer Gods and True Gods, isn't this courting death? Google seaʀᴄh noᴠelfire.net
It doesn't even require a move; the backlash from fate in the unseen realm is enough to ensnare him in his own cocoon.
Zhong Shenxiu closed the "Records of Strange Events" and placed it back on the shelf.
Old Li chuckled and asked, "Has the guest made a decision?"
"These volumes of books, they're all excellent."
Zhong Shenxiu sighed, "Unfortunately, my pockets are empty. I should earn some money first and come back next time!"
Old Li seemed to react, his gaze suggested—'Are you trying to mooch the books?'
Zhong Shenxiu glanced at him, the implication possibly being—'How can a scholar's pursuit be called mooching?'
"I apologize for the inconvenience, I'll be taking my leave, there's no need to see me off."
Zhong Shenxiu, with Jiang Kun who looked ashamed, descended the stairs and exited Tingchao Pavilion.
Jiang Kun hesitated and said, "Even if you intend to imitate those impoverished scholars, you should at least buy one book to symbolize your intent... How will you have the face to return in the future?"
Zhong Shenxiu waved his hand and pointed to a corner of the market, "What's that over there? It seems lively?"
"That's the stall area; one only needs to pay a coin to set up a stall for a day, among which there are many fake items..."
Jiang Kun, seemingly experienced with being swindled, cautioned solemnly.
"It's alright, you lend me some money first, I'll go set up a stall and earn some pocket money."
Zhong Shenxiu laughed.
"I wonder what kind of business Brother Fang intends to engage in?" Jiang Kun suddenly felt something was off, initially intended to gain favor.
Yet now, it seems he's being mooched in return?
He even has to provide funds and labor, running errands for others...
"Setting up a deciphering stall, specifically deciphering texts about the great path for cultivators, charging them a thousand gold per word, is that excessive?"
Zhong Shenxiu stretched lazily.
Regarding possible follow-ups of Tingchao Pavilion, he was also fishing.
'That person above Tingchao Pavilion seems interesting... Unfortunately, I can't use the light of order from my true form, or I'd make him kneel and lick in minutes...'
After Zhong Shenxiu went downstairs, the expressions of grievance and anger on Old Li's face suddenly vanished, as if he was just a puppet.
He wandered before the bookshelf Zhong Shenxiu had looked at, stared for a long time, then moved to a corner of the attic and pressed a certain mechanism.
A staircase was slowly lowered.
Old Li stepped onto the stairs, ascending slowly, heading to the Third Level of Tingchao Pavilion which was never open to the public.
Through a layer of barrier, various noisy sounds continuously entered the ears.
"The Heavenly Book is eclipsed, how does the text of eclipse solve? How can it be solved?"
"I transform everything, and everything transforms on its own, where do I exist? No... incorrect..."
"Ah... great doom, end of the world, great doom, end of the world, we will eventually die, everything will return to death!"
Numerous animal-like roars were heard, merely listening could distress a normal cultivator, increasing the risk of madness.
This Third Level of Tingchao Pavilion was remarkably a series of cages!
Old Li passed by an iron railing, seeing an old Deciphering Master inside constantly banging his head against the wall, blood flowing, using his hand to write with the blood.
The lines weren't ordinary text, but the text of the great path!
Old Li sighed, quickly passed by this half-insane Deciphering Master, arrived at the core area of the Third Level.
A light so faint yet sufficient to illuminate the darkness, flickered on and off, lit up this region.
Old Li looked up, seeing a mass that oscillated between illusion and reality, resembling a glowing jellyfish, continually contracting and expanding.
Translucent tentacles plunged into various cells, entering the heads of half-insane Deciphering Masters, seemingly extracting something...
If guests at Tingchao Pavilion witnessed this scene, they would surely be shocked beyond measure.
After all, Tingchao Pavilion had kept such an evidently dangerous demon at the Third Level!
Old Li bowed respectfully.
This strange demon was surprisingly the Pavilion Master of Tingchao Pavilion, transformed from a Great Cultivator!
"I sensed... today someone deciphering the text of the great path on the second level? That light of civilization, the fire of information... makes one drool..."
The glowing jellyfish suddenly turned blood red, like a huge meatball.
"Indeed someone did, but did not take any copy of the Earth Department's secret booklet, just browsed the 'Records of Strange Events'... not for long, unsure if it's of use to Pavilion Master..."
Old Li spoke in a low voice.
"I practiced the [Taishang Yuan Severance My True Fate Sutra] and encountered issues, transformed into this non-human non-ghost state, I can only absorb literary energy daily to sustain my life... This text is truly profound, again from the Earth Department, infinitely close to the Heavenly Department, we need to find a Master Jie Wen to translate the true text, to amend the flaws, transform back into human form, you must expedite this task!"
"I've kept the second floor open, to fish for prospects, find a true Master Jie Wen, or even Grandmaster, to stake their lives translating the Earth Department's mysterious scripture for me!"
The blood-red meatball vibrated fiercely, an illusory tentacle fell on Old Li.
Old Li was like being whipped, his whole body stiffened, but he endured forcefully, "Understood! We've already had someone watching that individual closely, he's not left the market, every move is under our control, please be assured Pavilion Master!"
His Pavilion Master, due to practicing secret booklet's cultivation technique incorrectly, has transformed into a demon.
Originally, it was just a bookshelf full of eyes, resembling a 'Book Demon' kind of existence.
But recently, the degree of aberration intensified, mutated into something even more sinister.
Old Li outwardly displayed immense respect, yet inwardly compared this form with descriptions from a certain western tome.
—Information Creature! Civilization's Demon!
Though in merely a larval phase, if goes on rampage, would certainly bring doom to the cultivators within a hundred miles!
If Zhong Shenxiu was here, he would surely know why he had such sensations earlier.
As an information creature, civilization's demon, the essence solidly rests between virtual and real, innately half-digitized existence, inherently bearing cognitive distortion halo, can easily alter cultivator's cognition.
But to Zhong Shenxiu who holds the authority of the light of order, it would be equivalent to a feast delivered at the door.
With just one thought, he could easily take over all permissions of the other, then freely modify on the panel...