Scripture of Days Past

All the fiends looked up into the sky and saw a pair of enormous Chongming Birds descending from the heavens.

A figure jumped down from the back of one of the Chongming Birds, landing with a loud thump and shattering the ground beneath his feet. It was a cat fiend that was standing upright on his hind legs. His entire body was covered in silver fur, making it look as though he were wrapped in a silver halo. His thick, long silver tail whipped back and forth, sweeping up gusts of fierce wind.

His fiery red eyes gleamed with regal authority, and many of the fiends instinctively averted their gazes, feeling inferior in his presence.

What terrified the fiends even more were the two Chongming Birds behind the cat fiend. They looked like a pair of small mountains.

These two Chongming Birds possess physical prowess on par with fifth-state martial artists, and they can fly as well, yet they've clearly been tamed. Who could've possibly tamed them? A Dao Comprehension-state fiend? Chu Youtian wondered to himself.

The fiends didn't know what Chu Qiguang's cultivation base was, but the fact that the two Chongming Birds were standing so obediently behind him was very telling.

"This is Master Omniscient," Qiao Zhi introduced. "He's been cultivating for many years in the Millet Mountain Range. Master Omniscient was able to speak as soon as he was born, and he became a first-state martial artist at just four years of age."

As Qiao Zhi spoke, the two Chongming Birds lowered their heads to the ground behind Chu Qiguang. Their submissive displays further convinced all the fiends present that Chu Qiguang was truly some unfathomable master.

"He is a fiend among fiends, a prodigy among prodigies," Qiao Zhi continued. "Not only was he able to tame these two Chongming Birds, he has even successfully slain a thousand-man commander of the Demon Vanquishing Department."

Chu Qiguang pulled out Li Changqing's identity badge, then tossed it onto the ground.

Big Head pounced on the badge, and after pretending to give it a thorough inspection, he exclaimed, "It really is an identification badge from the Demon Vanquishing Department! Master Omniscient has killed someone from the Demon Vanquishing Department! He's my hero!"

The badge was passed from fiend to fiend, and before long, it made its way to Chu Youtian.

"It looks genuine," one of his subordinates concluded.

"What's even more remarkable is that Master Omniscient is entirely self-taught and has never had any master to guide him," Qiao Zhi continued. "He is revered even in the distant Great Zhu Nation, where even the king treats him as a distinguished guest. One time, he delivered a lecture in the Great Zhu Nation, and over a hundred thousand fiends gathered to listen! After being blessed by his wisdom, some of the fiends went on to become prime ministers, some became generals, and some gained unimaginable wealth..."

All of a sudden, Jin Ji rushed onto the scene, then fell to the ground before Chu Qiguang. He began speaking fervently in the language of the Great Zhu Nation while kowtowing and weeping nonstop.

"This vole brother came from the Great Zhu Nation," Qiao Zhi introduced. "He traveled all the way to the Great Han Empire just to see Master Omniscient and listen to his teachings once more."

The other fiends didn't understand what Jin Ji was saying, but they were all stunned that even a foreign fiend was so reverent of Master Omniscient.

Chu Youtian had come into contact with slaves from the Great Zhu Nation in the past, and to his surprise, the vole really did sound as though he were speaking the language of the Great Zhu Nation.

"Master Omniscient can't bear to see all of us being oppressed in Azure Sun County, so he has decided to come out of seclusion to lead us toward a brighter future, one where we won't have to starve or constantly hide from the Heavenly Master Religion and the authorities!" Qiao Zhi declared.

None of the fiends present had ever seen anything like this before, and they were already completely blown away. Even Chu Youtian and his subordinates were stunned. His initial plan had been to force the fiend king of Azure Sun County into submission, but he was quickly pivoting to a new plan where he would try to strike up an alliance with Master Omniscient instead.

Clearly, all the fiends present were already convinced by what they were seeing, and Qiao Zhi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Last time around, Chu Qiguang was able to singlehandedly divide the entire Great Zhu Nation in just three years, causing so much civil unrest that the imperial clan was abolished. Compared with that feat, swindling these ignorant fiends is child's play!

With a wave of Chu Qiguang's hand, a line of cat and dog fiends immediately stepped onto the scene, carrying platters that were laden with delectable meat dishes that had cost Chu Qiguang thirty taels of silver. All the fiends' eyes lit up at the sight of the food.

It seemed that this food was more alluring and convincing than anything that Qiao Zhi could possibly say.

"If you make me your king, then I can promise all of you three things," Chu Qiguang declared. "No fiend under me will ever have to starve again. No fiend under me will have to worry about being oppressed by others. All fiends under me can learn all of my martial arts and Dao arts."

Qiao Zhi and the others immediately erupted into applause, and all the other fiends quickly followed suit.

Jin Ji fell to the ground at Chu Qiguang's feet and yelled, "Master Omniscient! I feel so honored to be in your presence! I fled from the Great Zhu Nation to the Great Qian Empire, then to the Great Han Empire, and in all that time, I've never met any fiend king who could even begin to compare with you!"

"I don't care what anyone else says! From now on, you are my king, Master Omniscient!" Big Head declared.

"I choose Master Omniscient to be our king!" White Rice yelled from afar. "I don't ever want to starve again!"

"You can stay and enjoy this food if you accept Master Omniscient as your king. Otherwise, the Chongming Birds will carry you down the mountain," Qiao Zhi declared.

As Qiao Zhi spoke, one of the Chongming Birds stomped down, crushing the huge rock with its powerful talons in a clear display of intimidation.

"You are all free to leave if you wish, so there's no pressure," Qiao Zhi continued.

All the fiends present expressed their willingness to accept Master Omniscient as their king. Meanwhile, Qiao Zhi was selected as Master Omniscient's second-in-command and given the title of Timely Rain.

White Rice was selected as the third-in-command by all the cat fiends, and he was given the title of White Qilin. Big Head was lauded as the fourth-in-command by the dog fiends, and he became known as Big Head Dog.

With the four leaders decided, Qiao Zhi declared that it was time to feast.

Most of the fiends of Azure Sun County had never enjoyed such a lavish meal feast before. They all chomped away with blissful looks on their faces and renewed hope for the future in their hearts.

Chu Qiguang's plan was to send most of them to the basin, where they would receive training in various skills and undergo ideological education.

While the other fiends were enjoying the feast, Chu Youtian had been observing Chu Qiguang the entire time. At the first available opportunity, he approached the latter to strike up a conversation.

Are these wolf fiends from the Great Qian Empire, Master Qiao? Chu Qiguang asked.

That's them, Qiao Zhi confirmed. Jin Ji says that they speak with a northwestern accent, so they're not even trying to hide it.

Chu Qiguang knew that these northern fiends were eager to establish alliances with fiends from the Great Han Empire, and that played right into his hands.

Both sides were using false aliases, and after a brief conversation, they were already getting along very well. Feeling that the time was right, Chu Youtian asked Chu Qiguang how he felt about the Great Qian Empire.

In response, Chu Qiguang began showering the Great Qian Empire with praise, lauding them as the rulers of the north and the future rulers of the entire world.