*

*

*

"Miss Dong."

Fang Zheng answered the phone, his tone filled with helplessness:

"This is the last time. Stop calling me."

"I already know what you told me. If the Zheng Family wants me to treat the illness, they can come to me. I’ll be in Qing Province for a while."

He doesn’t use his phone often, usually keeping it in his storage pouch, only taking it out when necessary.

In the past two months, Dong Lin has called three times a day without a break. Every time he took out his phone, he saw her missed calls.

The matter is simple.

The Zheng Family’s daughter is ill, and they want Fang Zheng to treat her.

Old Cui also mentioned this in a text, and Fang Zheng agreed, but he wasn’t interested in going to the Capital City or Hai Province, so he told them to come to Qing Province to find him.

"I’m really sorry."

Dong Lin’s voice carried an apologetic tone, speaking softly:

"Daoist, how long will you be staying in Qing Province?"

"Shortly, three to five days; at most, a week." Fang Zheng sighed:

"Is that enough?"

"This..." Dong Lin hesitated, then said:

"The Zheng Family has taken their daughter to a foreign research institution, hoping to use the latest research there to treat her illness, so they are not currently in the country."

"Could you stay a few more days in Qing Province?"

"Everyone has their fate; we should not force it." Fang Zheng shook his head:

"I’m hanging up!"

Without waiting for her response, he hung up and blocked the number, shaking his head before putting the phone away.

"Monk!"

Bao Huisheng appeared in front, waving from afar:

"We’ve found the person!"

"Oh!"

Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows and stepped forward.

This is Qingzhou State University, one of the most renowned universities in Xia Country for ancient text research, hosting many experts and scholars in this field.

Chen Lifu,

is one such scholar.

Moreover, his research is rather obscure and little known.

"Daoist Fang!"

"Professor Chen."

The two shook hands and introduced themselves.

"Daoist Fang."

Chen Lifu had a typical scholarly appearance, with an elegant demeanor. His slightly worn suit was still very neat, and his long, gray-and-white hair was neatly combed.

The man was clean and tidy, even his gaze had a clarity often found in young people.

He curiously asked:

"Do you want to understand the Ghost Script?"

"Ghost Script?" Fang Zheng’s eyes flickered.

"Heh..." Chen Lifu chuckled lightly, explaining:

"The text you’re referring to doesn’t have a unified name in the current archaeological field, as too few exist. I’ve termed it Ghost Script."

"Why?" Bao Huisheng was also present, asking curiously:

"The name is quite eerie."

"Because the Ghost Script often appears in tombs and graves." Chen Lifu gently stroked his beard, saying:

"Moreover, it is often related to ghosts and deities."

"Of course!"

"It can also be called Divine Text since, according to current research, the text is largely related to the worship of divine spirits. The name isn’t that important."

"I see." Fang Zheng nodded:

"Professor Chen, could you let me see the existing Ghost Script records?"

"Hmm..." Chen Lifu pondered with a thoughtful expression:

"The data on this hasn’t been published yet."

"Professor Chen." Fang Zheng handed over a letter:

"I am a registered Daoist under the Celestial Master Dao, with a letter of introduction from the Daoist Association. I’m here to study the relationship between Ghost Script and Daoist academic research."

"This is the association’s proof."

"I see!" Chen Lifu understood:

"Indeed, the Ghost Script contains some mystical... Daoist elements."

As a scholar, he had some understanding of Daoism and Daoist sects, but not much, and he was inherently resistant to such unscientific concepts.

Nonetheless.

He still gave face to the Daoist Association.

As for the legitimacy of the letter, with Fang Zheng’s status and wealth, acquiring such a thing wasn’t difficult, and he had even registered a Celestial Master Dao sect.

"Please, the three of you!"

Fang Zheng, Bao Huisheng, and Xiao Hong, who insisted on coming along, followed him to the top floor of the library.

"The Ghost Script is quite unique."

As they walked, Chen Lifu said:

"The first Ghost Script was found mixed with some Oracle Bone Inscriptions, so we speculate that the Ghost Script is a branch of the Oracle Bone Inscriptions from that era."

"Much like how there are Sanskrit, Xia Script, and international common languages today."

"The Ghost Script differs from existing Oracle Bone Inscriptions. Perhaps it was developed by ancient people from a certain region for communication."

He opened a large door, giving the three of them protective suits before proceeding:

"Later, we discovered that the Ghost Script has different branches. There are currently five kinds, and the ages they were unearthed vary."

As he spoke.

The four put on protective suits similar to white coats and arrived at a place resembling a museum, with various unearthed cultural relics in view.

"Please be careful, the three of you." Chen Lifu smiled and said:

"Although these items might not be valuable, they are significant for research, and if they get damaged, it would be hard to find replacements."

Besides them, there were numerous researchers around, some holding tablets, taking photos, and recording information.

"This way!"

As they turned, the front suddenly opened up.

"The first complete Ghost Script was unearthed from an altar in the West Ridge Mountain Range. At that time, the altar had long been covered with vines and was discovered by some tourists accidentally."

"Please take a look."

Chen Lifu used a laser pointer to illuminate the patterns on the wall.

The first image,

depicted countless bizarre entities living on the earth, many of which were things the three had never seen before, such as three-headed giants, nine-tailed wolves, and ghost-faced fish.

All sorts of strange and unexplainable beings.

"The records in the Ghost Script are completely different from the myths we know."

Chen Lifu spoke:

"They depict the early world filled with countless demons and monsters, while the Human Race was enslaved by these beings."

Saying so, he pointed at the second image.

In this image, numerous humans were being driven by winged monsters to open up mountains and work, with some being bitten and devoured by the monsters.

Evidently,

humans at this time were merely food and slaves raised by the monsters.

"Later, some ’gods’ appeared, protecting the people and slaying evil demons, allowing the people to live peaceful lives under the protection of the ’gods’."

The third and fourth images were severely damaged and almost unrecognizable, but the fifth one was barely discernible.

In this image, a luminous giant sat on a massive stone throne, with countless small people prostrating themselves at the giant’s feet, worshiping in reverence.

"Tsk..."

Fang Zheng stopped, lost in thought.

These records differed completely from the myths of Xia Country, and even from those of other countries, no wonder he hadn’t heard of them before.

However.

They closely resembled some legends from the Otherworld.

It seems they were as he suspected, indeed some beings from the Otherworld came to Earth, only it wasn’t humans but gods!

The Ancient Divine Text left behind is proof.

"Finally."

Chen Lifu arrived at the last image and said:

"For reasons unknown, five ’divine spirits’ left their original place and went to a hidden location, but even so, they were eventually killed."

There must have been many images in between, but they were either missing or badly damaged.

The final image.

Depicts five luminous giants within an enclosed sphere, with a small human wielding a long sword outside, as the bodies of the five giants break apart within.

The luminous giants are likely the ’gods’, the Ancient Divine Spirits mentioned by Master Jiuyuan.

Did they escape to Earth?

Yet they were still killed?

Who killed them?

Who could possibly kill them?

"Professor."

Xiao Hong curiously asked:

"It seems that a human killed these gods. Who killed them?"

"Based on the images, that seems to be the case." Professor Chen nodded:

"As for who killed them..."

"It’s called the Celestial Master!"

Celestial Master?

Fang Zheng’s heart trembled, and he quickly turned his head.