The high priest nodded slightly: "Please follow me."
The high priest led Xiao Feng and Su Xueqing to the Sutra Repository.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door, a strong musty smell hit me.
Xiao Feng frowned. Before him was a spacious hall, with bookshelves densely packed along the walls, each filled with ancient books.
The dim candlelight flickered in the corner, adding a touch of mystery to this ancient place of books.
"This is the library of our Ming Cult," the high priest explained in a low voice. "All records about the history of our sect are kept here."
Xiao Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping across the bookshelves.
He noticed that some books were covered in a thick layer of dust, clearly indicating that no one had touched them in a long time.
"Where is that book that records the turmoil of thirty years ago?" Xiao Feng asked impatiently.
The high priest pointed to a row of bookshelves on the right: "It should be over there."
Xiao Feng and Su Xueqing immediately headed in that direction and began to search carefully.
However, even after searching the entire bookshelf, they still couldn't find that crucial record.
"Strange," Su Xueqing frowned. "Logically, it should be right here."
Just then, Xiao Feng's gaze fell on a booklet that looked particularly old.
He carefully took it down, opened it, and his expression immediately changed.
"Xueqing, come quick!" Xiao Feng called out urgently.
Su Xueqing leaned closer to take a look and couldn't help but gasp.
The booklet contained a record of the demonic energy upheaval thirty years ago, which had been deliberately erased, leaving only a blurry trace.
"What...what's going on?" Su Xueqing said in surprise, "Who would do such a thing?"
Xiao Feng frowned and said in a deep voice, "It seems someone doesn't want us to know the truth."
Just as the two were puzzled, Su Xueqing suddenly noticed a detail.
"Huh? Xiao Feng, the bookshelf you're standing on seems a little different from the one on my side."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng began to observe carefully.
Sure enough, the books on his bookshelf were arranged slightly differently from those elsewhere.
"What's going on?" Xiao Feng asked curiously.
Su Xueqing explained, "Our Ming Cult has special rules for storing books. Books of different importance are placed in different locations. The bookshelf over there should be where some confidential documents are stored."
Just then, Su Xueqing's gaze was drawn to a strange symbol in the corner.
"Xiao Feng, look over there!"
Xiao Feng looked in the direction she pointed and saw a strange rune carved in the corner of the wall.
The runes were composed of complex lines, faintly glowing.
“This is…” Xiao Feng leaned closer to examine it.
“I’ve seen similar runes in books,” Su Xueqing said in surprise. “If I remember correctly, this should be some kind of jade pendant rune.”
"Jade pendant runes? What are those?" Xiao Feng pressed for an answer.
Su Xueqing shook her head: "I don't know the specifics, but I do know that these kinds of runes don't usually appear in places like this. They're usually related to some ancient secret arts."
Xiao Feng nodded thoughtfully: "It seems there's more to this than meets the eye."
Clearly, they realized that this discovery might be closely related to the turmoil of thirty years ago and the demonic energy within Su Mo's body.
“We need to investigate this rune thoroughly,” Xiao Feng said in a low voice. “Perhaps we can find some clues from it.”
Just as the two were preparing to investigate further, the high priest's voice came from behind them: "Gentlemen, have you found anything?"
Xiao Feng and Su Xueqing exchanged a glance and tacitly decided to keep this secret for the time being.
"Not yet," Xiao Feng said, feigning disappointment. "But we'll keep looking."
The high priest nodded: "Then let's continue. Let me know if you need any help."
Looking at the jade pendant runes that appeared in front of her, Su Xueqing's eyes flashed with curiosity, and she couldn't help but reach out to touch them.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch the rune, a strong hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"Be careful, don't touch anything recklessly," Xiao Feng whispered, his brows furrowed slightly, showing some concern.
Su Xueqing snapped out of her daze and smiled at Xiao Feng: "Don't worry, I'll be careful."
As she spoke, she gently freed herself from Xiao Feng's hand and continued to reach for the jade pendant runes.
Just as Su Xueqing's fingertips lightly touched the jade pendant, a strange current of air suddenly surged on the seventh floor of the library.
Years of accumulated dust were stirred up and swirled in the air.
A thick book titled "Gazetteer of Southern Xinjiang" moved on its own without any wind, its pages turning with a rustling sound.
With a "click," it sounded like some kind of mechanism had been triggered.
Immediately afterwards, a creaking sound pierced the quiet library.
"There really is a hidden layer." Xiao Feng's eyes lit up, and he quickly formed a sword with his fingers, a sharp sword aura slicing across the wall.
Broken bricks fell to the ground with a rustling sound, and the entire wall suddenly flipped over at an incredible speed.
A foul stench wafted over, carrying with it a strong musty smell and a faint hint of blood.
Xiao Feng and Su Xueqing held their breath simultaneously.
In the darkness, thirty-six mermaid lanterns lit up one after another, their eerie blue light illuminating the scene before them.
The wall was covered with scratches, each one so deep that the bone was visible.
The marks were crisscrossed, some straight like knife cuts, others curved like claw tears.
The edges were covered with dark brown scabs, which gleamed eerily under the dim blue light.
Su Xueqing was struck dumb by the sight.
Her pale face instantly lost all color, her pupils contracted sharply, and her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out, as if the horrific scene before her had robbed her of her ability to speak.
"This...this is..." Su Xueqing managed to utter a few words, her voice trembling so much that they were almost inaudible.
She instinctively took a step back, but Xiao Feng caught her.
Xiao Feng's expression also became extremely solemn. He held Su Xueqing's shoulders tightly and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Su Xueqing nodded reluctantly.
When her gaze swept over the horrifying scratches, her heart pounded violently, and a chill rose up her spine and spread throughout her body.
"What... exactly happened here?" Su Xueqing murmured to herself.
Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to a prayer mat in the corner.
There, a familiar object gleamed faintly.
"That's..." Su Xueqing's eyes widened, unable to believe what she was seeing. She quickly walked over and picked up the object with trembling hands.
It is a jade pendant.
It wasn't an ordinary jade pendant, but the one her father often wore.
Holding the jade pendant, Su Xueqing burst into tears uncontrollably.
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