Chapter 48: Edge of the Old Days, the Great Year of the Book Mountain (Requesting Monthly Passes, Requesting Follows)

Third floor of the History Building, the Director's office.

Ba Lie changed into a Ming-style flying-fish robe; paired with his extremely oppressive physique, he looked like the Grand Commander of the Jinyiwei in a TV drama.

He looked at Jiang Yan and asked curiously, "How was the experience at last night's Five Chong Ritual? I heard there was a demon attack. Are you okay?"

Jiang Yan nodded: "Of course I'm fine; the ritual was quite fun."

The one who had trouble was the Fly Child.

"If I hadn't seen the message you sent before returning, I would have almost gone to the headquarters to call for reinforcements to find you."

A trace of fear appeared on Ba Lie's face as he instructed, "Next time, let Zhao Zhao Yinman accompany you; otherwise, it's too dangerous for you to go alone."

Jiang Yan chuckled inwardly; Old Ba was clearly a native of Magic City who grew up in the Great Desert, yet his conduct style was like that of a local parent in Jiangnan Province.

The child goes out for a while, and he gets worried and scared.

Originally, Ba Lie wanted to discuss the matter of Sima Sima Luoshui, but since Jiang Yan said he was fine and assumed he had just dodged disaster by staying at the ritual, he didn't ask further.

Otherwise, it would make him look too nagging.

Mainly because Jiang Yan hadn't taken to heart the fact that he had reported a fake name to General Lu back then; on the surface, he had only experienced his first instance and was a newbie.

Whereas Sima Sima Luoshui could instantly kill a Dao Foundation, obviously making her an old-school History Walker.

No normal person would connect the two.

'This guy could instantly kill the Dao Foundation Fly Child with a single strike; even among the geniuses of many great families, he belongs to the first tier. It's just that this external incarnation is related to Xiangliu, making it easy for those chasing Xiangliu's path to target him.

However, with such strength, he must come from some great power, so there's no need to worry, especially regarding this name... Could it be that he has a grudge against the Sima family? Otherwise, why would he open such a big move so close to their face!'

Old Ba cursed inwardly, took something out of the drawer, threw it to Jiang Yan, and said:

"This is your ID card; I've also renewed your social security for you. Keep it well; if you lose it, getting a replacement will be very troublesome."

Jiang Yan took the ID card, opened it, and saw the photo taken when he first started working, his eyes full of light for the future; unfortunately, after working for a few years...

he became even more manly and charming.

He discovered that Ba Lie hadn't been bluffing him; he really gave him the position of Acting Commander.

Jiang Yan asked, "So are we setting off now? Where is the headquarters? Hangcheng?"

From Pan'an County to Hangzhou, it's only two hours on the highway.

If we go early, we can still rush back in the afternoon.

"No need to make it so troublesome."

Ba Lie waved his hand, pointed at the ID card in Jiang Yan's hand, and said with a smile, "Otherwise, would the headquarters have rushed to send it from Hangcheng to you early this morning, wouldn't that be superfluous?

You must know that supernatural knowledge possesses a certain contagiousness, easily triggering mutations; keeping it in the present world is not safe."

"Therefore, it is generally placed in locations convenient for us History Walkers to reach!"

"The Diseased Domain!"

Jiang Yan instantly realized.

As for the method of use...

He didn't hesitate, closed his eyes, and began to call upon the River of History.

History Walkers can not only passively enter the Diseased Domain but also choose to actively sink down.

But without coordinates, it is easy to get lost within it.

"Speaking to a smart person is simply easy!"

Ba Lie laughed heartily and also began to actively sink down.

Splash, splash, splash!

The sound of flowing water came to his ears.

Jiang Yan opened his eyes again; he was still in the Director's office, but everything began to look old, with countless historical dust particles floating in the air.

The entire world instantly retreated from color back to the black-and-white era.

The dust gathered, forming a huge river that flowed slowly.

In the depths of that river, a desolate land was vaguely visible; tens of thousands of blurred figures walked there, their bodies emaciated and twisted, flickering constantly like mosaics, wandering aimlessly.

This is... the Shadow of the Refugees!

Above their heads, huge black shadows swept past.

One of the bird-like black shadows seemed to have found prey; it swooped down, and in the instant it approached, its body suddenly split into two halves, each side growing full of sharp teeth, then merged violently, swallowing the prey, before continuing to flap its wings and fly away.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Huge pillars fell one after another, causing countless waves to splash up in this river.

Looking up, one would discover these were not pillars, but...

Legs!

A giant with more than ten legs wandered in the tributary, wearing magnificent official robes; a huge hollow existed in its abdomen, and historical dust floated in the air, forming clouds that surrounded its shoulders and neck, making its specific appearance unclear.

Visually estimated, it was at least twenty zhang tall.

Beneath its feet lay a pitch-black ancient city; thousands of people howled and fled; the giant stepped on a large area with one foot, and the hollow in its abdomen was like a deep abyss, sucking in these corpses.

Jiang Yan silently watched this scene, a killing intent flashing in his eyes.

The Lamp of Ashes shone, calming his mood and meditating on himself.

"This is the Many-Legged Eater Mountain Official; it is said to be born from the mutation of certain greedy and violent high officials of a dynasty, believed to be able to devour mountains of gold, mountains of silver, and mountains of people's corpses.

Historical figures and folk legends that leave their names in history books, even with just a few words, already surpass countless others and are exceptionally dangerous."

Ba Lie's voice came, continuing to say:

"They seem very close, but in reality, they are all currently in different Diseased Domains, separated by distances of countless worlds; they are merely refracted projections.

Here, it is like stepping on the mud by the Yellow River; one slip and you will fall in.

Therefore, it is best not to keep thinking about them, and do not let them know... that you can see them; otherwise, it will form a special anchor, pulling them into the present world."

Speaking of this, the burly man gazed at the humans wailing in the distance and could not help but curse:

"This is just the end of a tributary of the River of History. If it were the core of a tributary or even the main channel, who knows how many eerie things it has spawned.

Even the Present World is in grave danger. The number of Plague Domains descending in Jiangnan Province this year is thirty percent higher than last year. Looking at the whole country, this figure would be even more terrifying. But our homes are behind us; we cannot retreat, or we will end up like this."

Jiang Yan nodded, his gaze profound.

Perhaps the next Plague Domain he must face lies within one of them.

As for the Edge of the Old Days, Zhao Zhao Yinman's notes mentioned it is the place where the reflection of the Present World connects with the River of History.

It is boundless, and all mutated monsters are washed up from here.

Since Plague Domains are unsuitable for being brought into the Present World, most are suspended here.

The River of History changes at every moment, so corresponding coordinates are needed; otherwise, one will get lost within it, or even... be swept into the depths of the Old Days.

Zhao Zhao Yinman wrote to this point and additionally underlined the key point:

【Within the River of History, there are things more eerie than Plague Domains wandering about.】

Just as Jiang Yan was recalling this, Ba Lie's voice sounded by his ear:

"Show your credentials."

Jiang Yan took out his Commander's Certificate, only to find it had come alive, breaking free from his palm, dragging a tail like a comet, and flying toward the front.

"Follow!"

The two followed closely behind. Along the way, they encountered many eerie Plague Domains and all sorts of strange Plague Domain creatures, making Jiang Yan feel a bit... hungry.

The Demon God Embryo is starving!

The Coffin Spirit also needs corpses to bury, not to mention the Shadow-Eating Great Snake and others...

There are too many gold-swallowing beasts at home!

Not knowing how long they walked, the two soon arrived before a special "mountain."

It was called special because its entire body was composed of paper and books, piled together into towering ranges and sheer cliffs.

Moreover, its surface shone with an oily luster, looking as if it were... flesh?

A flesh mountain?

The instant this evaluation floated into Jiang Yan's mind, Ba Lie beside him bowed and said:

"Your Excellency, the Great Year of the Book Mountain, it is I, Ba Lie, here today to bring a newcomer to select a Practice Method."

Two 5k chapters, requesting monthly votes, recommendation votes, and continued reading.

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(End of this chapter)