I changed the world.

The key is bluish-black in color with a smooth surface and is engraved with complex runes. Judging from its shape, it does not seem to be of an Eastern style. The key is about half the length of a palm and looks quite exquisite overall.

Zhang Jing pondered for a while but still couldn't confirm what the key was for, so he could only put it away for the time being.

Afterwards, Zhang Jing took the jade tablets and jade scepters and examined them one by one. All four were Dharma treasures. Two of the jade tablets introduced the practice methods of the Vajra Path. One was called "Mahayana Sutra," which Zhang Jing roughly understood and seemed to be the practice method of the first level of the Vajra Path. The other was called "Concentration," which Zhang Jing glanced at and believed to be an auxiliary method of the Vajra Path, probably related to spiritual practice.

Of the other two jade tablets, one is a cultivation method of the Celestial Venerable Path called "The Secret Manual of the Azure Scroll." It is also a foundation-building method of the first stage of the Celestial Venerable Path, belonging to a different school of thought than "The Confluence of Ten Thousand Rivers and the Sea," which he had previously studied. Because they are cultivation methods of the same path, Zhang Jing examined them more carefully. He found that although they belong to different schools of thought, their core frameworks are similar, while the other differences well reflect the differences in certain concepts between different schools.

This gave Zhang Jing an opportunity to broaden his horizons. Although he had already completed the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation, it still allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of the system of this path and benefit from it.

The last jade tablet is a collection of miscellaneous notes on Qi cultivation, introducing some experiences and insights into Qi cultivation. It also clarifies and analyzes some common misconceptions. Strictly speaking, of the four texts, this one is the most helpful to Zhang Jing, because he is self-taught and lacks systematic instruction and correction from a teacher. Therefore, this type of text is of considerable help to him, allowing him to avoid many detours.

However, after examining these four Buddhist scriptures, although he had gained some insights, he still couldn't resolve Zhang Jing's wish. Therefore, Zhang Jing then turned his attention to the silver box.

Due to its age, the silver box was slightly deformed, with the lid almost glued to the body. However, Zhang Jing quickly opened it with his current strength. Inside the box were two items: a thick manuscript and a jade tablet placed on top of it.

Zhang Jing carefully reached in and took out the jade tablet first, then the manuscript. The manuscript was bound with thread, and due to the passage of time, the pages were quite fragile.

Zhang Jing used "True Fire Refining Eyes" to examine the jade tablet and found that it emitted a faint yellow light, while the manuscript had no aura at all, clearly indicating that it was just an ordinary object.

Even so, Zhang Jing still dared not be negligent. Moreover, he discovered a problem: from the moment the manuscript was taken out of the silver box, it seemed to be slowly getting darker.

He immediately realized a problem: many artifacts composed of organic matter would rapidly carbonize after leaving the stable, oxygen-deficient environment of a tomb. In such cases, many archaeologists would perform certain technical treatments immediately upon removal to preserve them as much as possible. However, Zhang Jing currently lacked this capability.

Zhang Jing frowned and thought for a moment before realizing that his only option was to take pictures of the internal pages as quickly as possible with his camera. That way, even if the manuscript was heavily carbonized later, he would have a backup and wouldn't be unable to read it.

Without hesitation, Zhang Jing carefully laid the manuscript flat and opened the cover. The cover was very brittle, so he had to be extremely careful. Then he raised his phone and took a picture of the first page after opening it...

It took Zhang Jing about half an hour to photograph the entire manuscript. Fortunately, the manuscript had been stored well and there was no sticking or damage, so the photography went smoothly.

At this point, the previously yellowed manuscript had turned light brown, and the color was showing a tendency to continue to deepen. Zhang Jing didn't have any good solutions for this, so he could only put it back in the silver box and wait for it to stabilize on its own.

Then, Zhang Jing took the jade tablet from the silver box and probed it with his divine sense...

................................................

This is a city that has become ruins. Collapsed buildings are everywhere, and broken building debris and mutilated corpses are scattered all around. Judging from the remaining clothing on these corpses, they are not from any modern country.

Six burly and wary men, dressed in strange armor, were moving rapidly through the ruins. They vaguely formed a formation that could cover each other, stopping from time to time to check their surroundings or pick up an item on the ground to investigate.

At this moment, Zhang Jing's gaze was fixed on the leader, or rather, he was passively watching everything through some form of shared vision.

A dialogue that sounded like a voiceover entered Zhang Jing's mind.

"The war between humanity and evil gods has lasted a very long time, so long that most people no longer remember when it began..."

The entire city was deathly silent, littered with scattered and broken organs and body remains, a testament to its former grandeur and prosperity. Although Zhang Jing could no longer smell anything, he could still sense the intense stench of blood permeating the air.

"The elders of our sect say that the war has been going on for nearly a thousand years..."

Just as the group was passing by, about fifty meters ahead, a collapsed house suddenly burst open, and with a whooshing sound, long, thin objects shot out at the people at the front of the group from different angles at bullet-like speed.

"I asked my master, 'Why did the war begin?'"

At that moment, the person at the front of the group, who had been targeted, did not hesitate or slow down at all. Several sharp lights shot out from behind him and disappeared into the wind. At the same time, he reached into his waist and drew a long sword into his hand.

Chapter 125 The Person Who Doesn't Want to Be Food

The next moment, the objects that shot out were all cut in half, falling to the ground and writhing, indeed they were terrifying tentacles.

"Master said that if we don't want to become food to be raised, we have no choice but to fight!"

From within the collapsed building, a gigantic monster roared and charged out. However, before it could take more than a few steps, it seemed to be bound by some powerful force. Then, with a series of soft thuds, several sharp beams of light pierced its body from different angles. These seemingly insignificant blows caused terrifying injuries, causing the monster to collapse to the ground.

The sharp lights spun in the air, then returned to the leader's back like weary birds returning to their nests.

"I found records in the sect's secret texts dating back to before the war began. It is said that evil gods have existed in this world since the earliest recorded history of our civilization. Initially, they were called the ancient gods."

Just as this monster charged out, more than a dozen smaller monsters emerged from different hidden locations around it with great speed and agility, forming groups of two or three and surrounding the rest of the group.

A short but intense battle ensued. These men were clearly elite warriors, each possessing extraordinary strength, and they resolved the fight relatively easily.

The group seemed used to this situation and didn't exchange any words. After dealing with the monster, they quickly continued forward...

"They possessed extraordinary power and were therefore worshipped by humankind. However, humankind gradually discovered that they were chaotic and cruel, bloody and tyrannical."

Afterwards, under Zhang Jing's silent watch, these people continued to move forward, encountering various monsters, some of which Zhang Jing considered quite powerful. However, none of these monsters were able to stop their progress.

They arrived at an altar-like site. The sky was filled with churning, low-hanging clouds that seemed to press down on the ground. Several people dressed in black robes knelt before the altar, praying. A mountain of corpses was piled on the altar, blood flowing down like a fountain. Above the altar, a massive rift was forming out of thin air, as if splitting the entire sky in two. A flash of lightning tore through space, creating a gaping hole that stretched to the edge of the horizon.

Seeing this scene, everyone in the group became extremely tense and angry. Almost simultaneously, they began attacking the black-robed figures on the ground. These figures did not resist, but instead, with eerie smiles, were slaughtered. During this process, Zhang Jing discovered that beneath the black robes, parts of these people's bodies were no longer entirely human; they seemed to have been fused with organs from some monster, which was quite bizarre.

"The ever-increasing scale of blood sacrifices and the rampant slaughter by their kin and demons have begun to overwhelm humanity."

However, it was too late. A pitch-black arm emerged from the void, its surface covered with countless eyes and mouthparts, making it look utterly terrifying. The arm's size was beyond description; if one had to put it into words, it would be described as: blotting out the sky.

The moment Zhang Jing saw the arm, he felt a tremendous mental shock, a chilling sense of dread rising from the depths of his soul.

It was as if ancient memories etched deep within his genes were constantly warning him: Danger! Extreme danger! Stay away! Get away as soon as possible! Never come back!

"Hatred began to accumulate, until one day, humanity amassed enough power, and war began..."

What is that?!

Even though Zhang Jing knew that what he was seeing was a scene from ancient times, and not something he actually saw, he still couldn't control the instinctive fear he felt.

One can only imagine how those who actually witnessed this scene must have felt. Two people let out a piercing scream, collapsed to the ground convulsing, their bodies beginning to mutate; bizarre eyes and tentacles sprouted from their skin…

The leader swung his longsword and beheaded the two men instantly. He didn't dare look in the direction of the severed arm, and waved his arm to call for the others to leave. After that, the remaining four people in the group began to leave without looking back.

"In the seemingly endless war, countless cities and colonies were destroyed, the barriers to the celestial realms were utterly destroyed, and countless elites perished. We paid a heavy price. However, the power of the evil beings is also waning. Master said they can't hold on much longer."

In the air, the first arm seemed completely oblivious to the commotion on the ground. A second arm then emerged from the hole, grabbing both ends of the spatial rift and tearing at it with all its might. Beyond that rift, it seemed that some even greater anomaly was about to descend upon this world…

As the squad moved away from the area at an even faster pace than when they arrived, the leader glanced back in his haste and saw that behind them, space seemed to be violently trembling. The void was being torn open, and a writhing, bizarre body with many more arms was struggling to squeeze out of it. Its enormous size was beyond description, and it was trying to completely descend into this world.

Two of the Four Pillar Gods have already fallen, and the major sects and religious orders have begun preparing for a new round of offensives...

Could this be an evil god?! This thought crossed Zhang Jing's mind.

As more and more of the monster's bodies emerged from the spatial rift into this world, bursts of red energy began to emanate from their protruding forms. Just when Zhang Jing thought the escaping team was about to meet their doom, something unexpected happened, and everything suddenly went black...

After a few breaths, his vision returned. They were now on a hillside far from where they had been. An elderly man in a simple robe, not particularly tall, stood beside them. His robe had wide sleeves and his hair was tied in a simple bun. Just now, these people had been taken into the old man's sleeves, clearly saving their lives.

Before the crowd could express their gratitude, the old man vanished from his spot. The next moment, he appeared in the sky above the city. With a flick of his sleeve, a massive array began to appear, stretching to the horizon and even enveloping the monster still struggling to break free of the rift...

The array, crackling with electricity, resembled a giant net, binding the monster within it.

His brow was deeply furrowed, the wrinkles on his face seeming to bear countless hardships as he silently gazed down at the city below, inhabited by countless monsters. After a moment, he stretched out a hand, palm open, then flipped it over and clasped it downwards…

The instant that palm clenched down, Zhang Jing had an illusion that mountains were overturning and stars were falling. In the blink of an eye, as the palm clenched down, the city below caved in, and large swathes of land collapsed downwards, as if a natural disaster had struck.

At that very moment, all the arms of the monster in the sky that had broken free from the rift stretched out simultaneously and slammed down on the array diagram to the side, shattering the restraints on the diagram...

Then, the sky suddenly darkened, and a blood-red color appeared in the heavens, as if the sun's brilliance had been obscured...

At the same time, a brilliant sword light rose from behind the old man...

..............................

All the scenes then came to a halt, and the scene shifted, revealing a simply furnished room to Zhang Jing. Inside stood a middle-aged man with a weathered face, bearing a ghastly red scar on his right cheek and forehead.

But it seemed as if he could see Zhang Jing, and he bowed respectfully in Zhang Jing's direction: "My junior, I am setting off again. Perhaps, this time I will not return. I imagine, in your time, it must have been a peaceful world..."

“No cultists, no clans, no blood sacrifices, no evil gods, no demons…” As he spoke, a longing expression appeared on his face, and his seemingly ferocious features softened.

"May every child grow up safely and peacefully, and may ordinary people live a healthy and peaceful life, having their own lives, finding someone they love, or becoming a cultivator, truly... achieving immortality..."

"There will be many choices, many hopes..." he said, chuckling lightly and shaking his head, quickly wiping his eyes with his hand. "That kind of world will surely come..."

Finally, he bowed deeply once more: "Younger generation, please be happy."

All the scenes ended there. Zhang Jing held the jade tablet in his hand, remained silent for a long time, then stood up and bowed deeply to the ground in the direction where the last cultivator in the illusion had stood, as if he were really standing in front of him.

From that jade tablet, Zhang Jing could sense the despair and tragedy in the last cultivator's words. He realized that in some period of ancient times, humanity seemed to face a worse situation than he had previously imagined.

This jade tablet did indeed bring him a lot of new information, such as the origin of the millennium war, and some information about the evil god, which gave him some intuitive understanding of it for the first time.

Especially regarding the final scene with the jade tablet, the monster that descended from the spatial rift, Zhang Jing speculated that it was very likely a type of evil god. He just didn't know whether the evil gods in this world had a true form or clones...

Recalling the enormous, visually striking monster he had just seen, and the countless eyes and mouthparts on its massive arm, Zhang Jing couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine again... Just then, a bolt of lightning suddenly shot up from the blade of the "Heavenly Punishment Sword" that he had been keeping aside, striking Zhang Jing.

The lightning wasn't intense, but it instantly snapped Zhang Jing out of his state of shock.

Chapter 126 Leaving the Tomb

Is this sword a reminder to myself?

He was stunned for a moment, then felt a wave of fear wash over him. It seemed that what those novels in his previous life described might actually be true. Even imagining evil gods was dangerous...

He wondered if continuing to imagine things would lead to melodramatic scenarios like "You gaze into the abyss, and the abyss gazes into you." In any case, Zhang Jing reminded himself not to dwell on images of evil gods.

In addition, he made a decision that if he were to carry out any major operations in the future, he would still have to bring the "Heavenly Punishment" sword with him, as this sword was definitely not simple... However, the scabbard of this sword was gone, and he would have to make one for himself later.

Zhang Jing opened the wishing book and saw that his previous wish had indeed come true:

"I make a wish: I previously came across some information about ancient times, information from a very distant era… The jade tablet left behind by the green bamboo mentions further information about the millennium war, and I wish to obtain this knowledge safely… and to attract the attention of certain beings, including evil gods. At the same time…"

The wish has been fulfilled.

40000 Wishing Points deducted.

Looking at the deducted wish points, Zhang Jing felt a bit of a toothache. However, recalling the image of what appeared to be an evil god that he had seen in the jade tablet, and the "Heavenly Punishment Sword" he had obtained, he seemed to understand something.

However, upon further investigation, Zhang Jing discovered another new event: