Chapter Twenty-Four: The Sacred Tome of Chaos

(1/3)

Suddenly, a shadow appeared behind Du Gu Ling, so quietly that not a sound was heard. When he turned around, a face was instantly imprinted upon his vision, startling him so much that he landed squarely on the ground.

Suppressing his fear, Du Gu Ling looked up to see an old man standing before him, his expression gentle and kindly, though his face bore the marks of many years. The old man leaned on a wooden cane, and his snowy white beard nearly brushed the ground. He smiled warmly as he regarded Du Gu Ling.

“Who are you?” Du Gu Ling asked warily, rising slowly and dusting the earth from his clothes. He knew that such an unusual circumstance could not be simple. He’d come to this secret realm by leaping from a cliff—and now, this old man had appeared out of nowhere, silently materializing behind him. Clearly, this was no ordinary person.

“My young friend,” the old man said with a smile, stroking his beard, “it’s not good for one so young to be so suspicious. Young people ought to have vigor and spirit, you know?” It was as if he could see straight into Du Gu Ling’s thoughts.

“I confess, I am not just an ordinary old man, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. Come, follow me,” he said, turning and walking deeper into the forest.

Du Gu Ling hesitated, unsure what to do. He glanced around, then decided to follow. The old man didn’t seem to mean him any harm—if he had, he could have acted long ago, without all these mysterious airs. With that settled in his mind, Du Gu Ling followed after him.

The old man did not look back, but it seemed as though he knew Du Gu Ling was coming along, for he nodded slightly as they walked, as if in approval.

After a while, the old man led Du Gu Ling to a small house in the woods. It was a humble dwelling, a simple roof made of branches, with four thick tree trunks as supports. It was, in truth, more of a pavilion than a house.

In the center stood a rough-hewn table, with a few stumps serving as makeshift stools—more primitive, even, than anything Du Gu Ling had seen in his home village.

“Come, young man, have a seat. This is my home—what do you think?” The old man sat on a stump with a smile, motioning for Du Gu Ling to join him.

Du Gu Ling sat across from him and said, “It’s... quite simple.”

“I like your candor!” the old man said, continuing to stroke his beard. “Now, tell me, how did you arrive in this secret realm?”

(2/3)

“Um…” Du Gu Ling hesitated, unsure if he should reveal the truth. But as he caught the kindly gaze of the old man, he was reminded of the village chief back home. His instincts told him this elder meant him no harm. So, he recounted the story of how he had come to this place.

Perhaps it was the resemblance to his own grandfatherly village chief, but soon he found himself telling the old man everything that had happened since he appeared in Du Gu Village.

As the old man listened, a shadow of sorrow flickered in his eyes, and when he heard of the massacre of Du Gu Village, he sighed deeply.

“My child, come with me,” the old man said after hearing Du Gu Ling’s tale. He stood, reached into a corner of the pavilion, and pulled out a wooden box, thick with dust. He blew on it, brushed away the dirt, and handed it to Du Gu Ling. “Open it.”

Du Gu Ling took the box. The hinges were rusted from age, so he had to force the lid open. Inside lay a single book. He set the box aside and picked up the book, wiping away the dust. Four gilded characters gleamed on the cover: The Holy Codex of Chaos.

Holding the book, Du Gu Ling looked bewilderedly at the old man, who asked, “You don’t know this book?”

“No, I know nothing of the cultivation world. But it looks like some kind of cultivation manual,” Du Gu Ling replied.

“Yes, you are correct. Not only is it a cultivation manual, it is a supreme, transcendent one,” the old man said proudly.

“What?” Du Gu Ling had heard of manuals ranked as Mortal, Earth, and Heaven, but never one that surpassed even those. What was going on?

“Let me explain,” the old man said. “Cultivation manuals are divided into five major grades: Mortal, Earth, Heaven, Saint, and Divine. The one in your hand surpasses them all—it is a Transcendent Divine manual.”

Du Gu Ling was dumbfounded. The Cold Moon Art he’d obtained from Ouyang Chi was nothing more than a high-level Earth grade manual, and even that would drive countless people to fight to the death. Yet now, in his hands, was a cultivation manual that transcended even the Divine rank—he could scarcely believe it.

“Yes, my child, this is indeed a manual that surpasses the Divine grade. Let me tell you a story,” the old man said. He fell silent, his face slowly lighting up with a smile, as if recalling a time of great happiness.

(3/3)

“This story began a very, very long time ago—perhaps tens of millions of years in the past,” the old man said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

“There was once a tiny, unremarkable young beast, living among a group of other little creatures. This beast was so ordinary, there was nothing special about it at all. Orphaned, it was always alone, often cold and hungry, never imagining that one day it would become a king among beasts.”

“One day, a person appeared and took this little beast away from the group, feeding it, caring for it in every possible way. You might not realize how much it means to someone who is constantly hungry to have a full belly every day,” the old man said, his expression radiant with remembered joy.

“The little beast accepted this person as its master, and together they traveled across the continent—a continent far vaster than the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range you see now. In truth, the Hundred Beasts Mountains are but a small part of this immense land, and Cold Moon Mountain, where you are now, is merely a minor peak among countless others.” Du Gu Ling was astonished, his heart filling with longing for the wider world.

“That time was truly happy,” the old man continued. “With the master’s help, the little beast grew from childhood to adulthood in just a hundred years. The master, the greatest power on the continent, maintained peace and harmony, while the beast, as his right hand, helped resolve many troubles.”

“But one day, the master called the beast to his side and brought it here—yes, to this very place. He entrusted it with a book, instructing that only his successor might open it, and then he departed.”

“That little beast is me, and you are my master’s heir—the chosen successor of the Supreme Immortal of Chaos,” the old man said, enunciating each word clearly.

“What? How could that be?” Du Gu Ling gasped, unable to believe it.

Ps: Don’t blame me—the story really is this exciting. But if you think the protagonist will become invincible just because he’s obtained the most powerful cultivation manual, you are gravely mistaken. As I’ve said before, this part of the tale will be full of hardship for our hero. Imagine seeing a beautiful, radiant woman, only to realize you’re in the body of a four- or five-year-old child—how would that feel? That’s exactly what’s coming, haha! It only gets better from here, so please add this to your favorites!