65: Chapter 65 Clues to the Missing General

Jiang Xun ignored the heated discussions caused by his victory over Lu Tao.

The wave of praise flooding the internet held little weight in his eyes at this moment.

Returning to his hotel room, he immediately drew the curtains.

The entire room fell into darkness, with only a single desk lamp providing light.

Deputy Director Qian An's smiling face and the snake-shaped tattoo on his wrist lingered persistently in Jiang Xun's mind.

It consisted of a snake devouring its own tail, an ancient form that exuded an aura of evil.

Jiang Xun knew very well that this was no fashionable tattoo.

It was more like a totem, an emblem belonging to some secret organization.

For this organization to have a deputy director of the Jiangnan Province Deity Administration Bureau in its service, its power was unimaginable.

Jiang Xun felt as if his every move was being watched, while the opponent hid in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.

This feeling made him very uncomfortable.

He spread out all the ancient texts and materials left by Old Baitou, hoping to find a clue.

A sleepless night.

Just as dawn broke, Jiang Xun left the hotel and took a taxi straight to Jiangnan Province's largest ancient book library.

Old Baitou's materials were limited; he needed a more extensive knowledge base to search for that snake pattern.

The Jiangnan Province Ancient Book Library was a building that blended classical and modern styles.

Jiang Xun walked directly toward Section B.

The materials stored here were covered in dust and no longer open for public borrowing, including some fragmented and rare volumes.

"Stop there, student. Section B is not open to the public."

A white-haired old librarian stopped him.

"Hello, sir. I am Jiang Xun, a contestant in this year's Prodigy Tournament."

Jiang Xun handed over his contestant ID.

"I know you. The little fellow who used the Undead Wasteland to defeat the Water-Marsh Civilization. Very impressive."

The old librarian nodded but showed no intention of stepping aside.

"Rules are rules. The books in here are very fragile and cannot withstand being handled."

Jiang Xun tried a different approach.

"Sir, I am looking for a special symbol, an ancient snake totem. It's very important for my upcoming matches, as it might relate to a lost civilization tactic. I will only check the catalog and won't touch the originals. Is that alright?"

The old librarian stared at him for a long while, his eyes filled with scrutiny.

"Only the catalog?"

"Yes."

"Follow me."

The old librarian finally relented and led Jiang Xun toward the Ancient Book Preservation and Restoration Center located underground.

Third basement level.

The air was thick with the musty smell of paper and the strange odor of chemical agents.

The lighting was dim, and rows of tall bookshelves stood silently.

The old librarian pointed to a dust-covered search terminal.

"Search for yourself. Remember your promise."

With that, he turned and left, leaving Jiang Xun alone.

Jiang Xun entered keywords like "snake," "totem," and "sacrifice" into the terminal, but thousands of entries popped up, most of which were irrelevant artistic records or myths and legends.

He quickly filtered through them for two hours but found nothing.

The origin of the pattern remained a mystery; no records could be found within any known civilization systems.

Jiang Xun leaned against the cold bookshelf and closed his eyes.

No.

There must be a clue.

Since it was an organization related to ancient gods, its traces couldn't possibly be completely erased.

He took a deep breath, and the civilization core within his Divine Realm vibrated slightly.

The recently plundered Water-Marsh Civilization core emitted a faint blue halo.

Water Element Perception.

This ability could sense not only water currents on the battlefield but also minute changes in moisture within all things.

And a prominent feature of this basement was its dampness.

Jiang Xun's consciousness extended along the moisture in the air, covering the entire third basement level.

Rows of bookshelves and volumes of ancient texts—their dryness and dampness levels formed a three-dimensional image in his mind.

Most of the books were well-protected by special means.

But there were always exceptions.

At the bottom of a bookshelf in the corner, he sensed a slight anomaly.

The concentration of moisture there was significantly higher than in the surroundings.

There was a book that had once been soaked in water.

Jiang Xun opened his eyes and walked straight toward it.

He crouched in that dusty corner, moved aside a few heavy tomes, and a tattered notebook appeared before him. It had no cover and was bound only with coarse hemp twine.

This was it.

Jiang Xun's heart skipped a beat.

He carefully picked up the notebook; the paper was exceptionally fragile due to the dampness, and he didn't dare use any force, fearing he might crumble it.

He flipped to the first page.

On it was handwriting in ancient ink, somewhat scrawled, with parts blurred by water stains and difficult to decipher.

"The Divine Gate shall open, with flesh and blood as sacrifice..."

The very first sentence caused Jiang Xun's pupils to contract sharply.

He continued flipping through the pages.

The contents within made a chill run down his spine.

This notebook was the notes of an ancient deity researcher.

The notes detailed an ancient sacrificial organization called the Ouroboros Society.

They worshipped an ancient god who had long since fallen, attempting to reopen the Divine Gate to the Divine Tomb through bloody sacrificial rituals to welcome the return of their deity.

And that snake totem was their emblem!

Jiang Xun flipped to the latter half of the notebook.

It recorded several suspected locations where the Divine Gate might exist, referred to as the Land of Fallen Gods.

For one of these locations, the owner of the notes had drawn a scrawled map and marked a method for precise positioning by observing the stars... the Star Positioning Method.

When Jiang Xun saw the outline of that map, his breath hitched.

He was very familiar with this place.

This was exactly the no-man's-land where Xu Qingran's father, Xu Zhenbang of the Border Guard Office, had finally disappeared three years ago!

At this moment, all the clues were connected.

Qian An, the Ouroboros Society, ancient god sacrifices, the Land of Fallen Gods, the disappearance of Xu Zhenbang...

A conspiracy spanning the military, political, and divine realms, hidden for countless years, had finally revealed a corner.

Without hesitation, Jiang Xun immediately used his communication bracelet to photograph all the contents of the map and the Star Positioning Method.

He found Xu Qingran's communication ID.

His fingertip hovered over the send button for a moment before he finally pressed it.

The message was simple.

"I've found some clues that might be related to your father."