Chapter 19: The Path Of The Ancient gods

Wu Ming went ahead and sat silently on the stone steps of the courtyard, his robe billowing slightly in the night breeze. Without a word, he tossed a wine gourd toward Li Cheng.

Li Cheng caught it firmly. He stared at the old gourd in his hands, then looked up.

"Come here. Drink with me," Wu Ming said quietly before raising his own gourd and taking a long swig. There was something unusual about him tonight—his expression was heavy, and a quiet gloom hung around him like mist.

Li Cheng noticed the change immediately. Wu Ming usually laughed first and spoke second, always with a spark of mischief. But tonight, that spark had faded.

Without arguing, Li Cheng walked over and sat beside him. He lifted the gourd and took a cautious sip.

The moment the liquid touched his tongue, he gagged and coughed violently, clutching his chest.

Wu Ming rolled his eyes. "Are you even a man? You can't handle a simple drink?"

Li Cheng wiped his mouth, still wheezing. "Master, this is my first time drinking wine…"

Wu Ming raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes…" Li Cheng nodded and took another small sip. This time, he managed to swallow it without choking.

After a brief pause, Li Cheng glanced at his master and asked, "Master… how did you know martial arts? I thought that was only for mortals who couldn't cultivate."

Wu Ming gave him a long look, then sighed and shook his head. "Li Cheng… I was once like you. When I first saw you, it felt like looking at a younger version of myself."

Li Cheng straightened, his curiosity piqued. "You mean… you had no spiritual root before?"

Wu Ming scoffed. "Tch! You think there's a way to create a new spiritual root from nothing? In your dreams."

He took another swig from his gourd, staring up at the pale moon hanging in the sky.

"Though my case was a bit different from yours, it was still similar," Wu Ming said as he stared at the moon in the distance. "My spiritual root was damaged when I was about your age. I was bullied, mocked, called useless, and isolated by everyone... until one day, my master and my senior brother found me."

He paused, his voice softening as he recalled the memory.

"My master helped me repair my spiritual root. He was good to me and my senior—treated us like his own children," Wu Ming said, then fell silent for a moment. "But he was a man consumed by ambition. He believed that humans could become gods."

Wu Ming let out a short, bitter laugh.

"He wanted to rule over everything and defy the will of Heaven. So he began experimenting, studying forbidden techniques and various cultivation techniques. He researched about the ancient gods and demons... and in the end, he succeeded in creating a new cultivation method."

Wu Ming's gaze darkened.

"But the method came with a price. He suffered a terrible backlash from his experiments… and it led to his death."

Wu Ming shook his head solemnly and looked down at the gourd in his hand.

"After that, my senior and I vowed never to follow that path."

Li Cheng absorbed the words in silence, then asked, "What about your senior? Where is he now?"

Wu Ming chuckled again, this time with a trace of fondness."He's in a place far away from Donghai. His name is Luo Ying," Wu Ming said with a faint smile. "I don't think you'll ever get to meet him. But if you ever do…don't dare mess with him.

He burst into hearty laughter, shaking his head.

He tilted his head toward Li Cheng and grinned.

"He's one scary guy—bad temper, too arrogant. But he's strong. He should have already broken through the final lock of the Nescient Soul stage by now. Most likely, he's at the Deity Transformation stage."

"Wow... he must be really powerful," Li Cheng said, eyes wide in awe.

"Of course."He was always a step ahead." Wu Ming replied with a smirk, their voices fading into the stillness of the night, the quiet broken only by the wind rustling through the trees.

The Sun soon stretch over the sky.

GUM… GUM… GUM…

A deep bell tolled across Qinyun Sect, its sound echoing across the mountains. It was the sect's call for all disciples to gather.

In minutes, all disciples were assembled at the sect's arena. Li Cheng stood among them, ignoring the murmurs.

"What is he doing here?"

"You better keep quiet. If that old geezer gets mad, you'll surely be in trouble," someone whispered nearby.

Several other disciples broke out into hushed murmurs, but none dared to confront him anymore. Li Cheng stood among them, unfazed by their words. He kept his gaze forward, calm and composed.

Elder Mo stepped onto the high platform, his long sleeves fluttering in the gentle breeze as he addressed the gathered disciples.

"We all know that the All-Sect Competition will be hosted by our sect this time," he began, his voice steady and commanding. "It's only a few days away, so I want everyone to work together and keep things in order."

He swept his gaze across the crowd.

"You will divide yourselves into four groups. The sect leader will soon return from seclusion, so the first group will be responsible for preparing his chambers. The second group will ensure the arena is properly arranged—no mistakes will be tolerated during the competition. The third group will oversee the surrounding grounds, and the last group will handle the front gate."

"Huang Hui."

"Yes!"

Huang Hui stepped forward, bandages wrapped around his arms—which was as a result of the earlier incident.

"Huang Hui, you'll lead the coordination. Get everyone organized," Elder Mo instructed with a nod, then waved his hand dismissively. "Now, everyone, get to work."

Everyone began to disperse, breaking off into their assigned groups.

But one name was called again.

"Li Cheng" Elder Mo called out.

Li Cheng stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes slightly. He turned around just as Elder Mo approached him.

"Elder Mo," he greeted with a respectful bow.

"You may be Wu Ming's disciple, but you're still a member of Qinyun Sect. Elder Mo said, his tone stern but calm. "I have a task for you. Go and clean the Shuya Library at the back of the sect grounds. Make sure everything is tidied and properly arranged. The Sect Leader may need to use it once he emerges from seclusion."

As he spoke, Elder Mo pulled out a bronze token and handed it over to Li Cheng

"Use this to unlock the door once you arrive."

Li Cheng accepted the token with a slight bow."Yes, Elder Mo. I will do as you say," Li Cheng replied respectfully.

Elder Mo gave a nod of acknowledgment before turning and walking away, his robes trailing behind him.

..:::::::::::::::::::

As the sun dipped lower, Li Cheng arrived at the library. He held the token to the engraved lock,A soft glow radiated from the token as soon as it neared the door a formation lit up, spinning with faint spiritual energy.

Click!!.

the heavy wooden doors creaked open on their own.

Inside, it was pitch black. Dust clung to every surface. He pulled out his light stick and blew on it. A small flame flickered to life, casting a weak glow through the room.

Cobwebs lined the corners. Shelves sagged under the weight of neglected scrolls. Books lay scattered across the stone floor.

Li Cheng wrinkled his nose. "This place hasn't been touched in years…"

He walked along the walls, lighting candle stands one by one. Slowly, the room brightened, revealing just how forgotten this place was.

He walked toward the window and pushed it open. The afternoon sun streamed through, instantly bathing the library in warm light. But Li Cheng's expression darkened.

The library was a disaster.

The library looked like it hadn't been used in decades. Cobwebs clung to every corner, dust coated the furniture in thick layers, and countless scrolls and books were scattered across the floor. The shelves were rotting, half-eaten by insects, and the tables were buried beneath grime.

"This place looks more like an abandoned ruin than a library," Li Cheng muttered, brows furrowed.

Realization soon hit him—this wasn't just a cleaning task. It was deliberate.

"So that's it... he's making things difficult for me because of what happened last time," Li Cheng said to himself.

Still, he didn't linger on the thought. He had grown used to being treated unfairly. With a quiet sigh, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

For hours, Li Cheng cleaned and sorted. He arranged scrolls by category, wiped each shelf, swept out layers of dust, and even patched a few broken boards. The scrolls were mostly about cultivation—various methods, qi circulation patterns, elemental affinities.

He paused as he held one up. Li Cheng stared at the scroll in his hand for a while, then slowly shook his head.

"It's a pity I can't cultivate… otherwise, these scrolls would've been a great help," he muttered.

With a sigh, he closed the scroll and carefully placed it back on the shelf.

Finally, the room looked presentable. Exhausted, Li Cheng dropped onto a nearby chair and let out a long breath.

Clink.

His elbow unknowingly hit something. A flower pot.

He winced, waiting for it to crash.

Instead, he heard—crack.

His brows furrowed. Behind him, the wall began to tremble.

"What…?"

He turned sharply. The flower pot had shifted. A moment later, a panel in the stone wall receded with a grinding sound, and soon revealed a narrow passage.

"A secret room?" Li Cheng whispered.

He cautiously stepped into the secret room, eyes scanning his surroundings. Unlike the library, this room was pristine. Rows of scrolls and books filled polished shelves.

Scrolls and books were neatly arranged on wooden shelves, large boxes stacked on either side of the room. A thick layer of dust coated everything, hinting that no one had been here in a very long time.

Li Cheng walked between the shelves, fingers lightly brushing the spines of old tomes. Soon His gaze fell upon a medium-sized box tucked between two rows of scrolls. What drew his attention was the mark etched on its surface—a symbol identical to the one engraved on the artifact his master had given him.

He looked down at his wrist, then back at the box. The mark was the same.

Without hesitation, he reached for the box, pulling it free from the shelf. Dust puffed into the air as he set it down and wiped the top clean. Slowly, he opened the lid.

Inside was a thick, leather-bound book with an aged cover, and beside it, a piece of folded leather tied with a red ribbon. But gaze soon landed on the words engraved on the book cover.

His eyes narrowed as he read the worn, faded letters:

THE PATH OF THE ANCIENT GOD'S