Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

The first library, possessing the most complete and numerous secret manuals in the world, is located halfway up Lotus Peak. Its gate is 170 feet high, and there is no gravity inside. A treasure hall hangs in the center, surrounded by stone figurines, and a white moon is engraved on the dome.

The pavilion contains a massive array of ten billion corrupt gods and six thousand six hundred and sixty-six smaller arrays.

Once the formation is activated, it will gather the filth of the evil world to strangle the enemy.

After all, this is a sacred place for storing scriptures, and the power guarding this place is ridiculously strong. Let alone Zhou Qingfeng, who is only at the peak of the Devouring Fiend Realm, even if he had reached the Devouring Poison Realm, he would still be far from enough in front of the Qingming Elders and many formations. He would be turned into ashes in an instant with just a light touch.

Besides, is it really only the two elders, Qingming and his companion, who are guarding this place? Probably not.

What we see now is only what we can see; the real terror lies in the unknown, unseen protective forces.

After joining the pavilion, the two elders of Qingming did not accompany Zhou Qingfeng to select secret manuals. After all, Zhou Qingfeng was familiar with the place and had been told many rules. Unless he really lost his mind and forcibly climbed to the fourth level, he would not seek death.

The two elders, Qingming and his companion, sat down in the independent reading room on the first floor, carrying their lunchboxes. They took out some chilled desserts and ice cream and quietly enjoyed them. Because of their duty to guard the Scripture Pavilion, they had no time to enjoy life. The dull and boring days had long made them feel bored.

There aren't many people as sensible as Zhou Qingfeng, who not only came to retrieve the scriptures but also brought back some gifts to show respect to his seniors.

The gift wasn't expensive, but the sentiment behind it made the two elders, Qingming and his companion, feel very comfortable and pleased.

Zhou Qingfeng wandered around the first floor, looking for the sacrificial rituals he needed and the sacrificial secrets about the Mortal Python. However, there were too many scriptures on the first floor. In addition to the cultivation manual for eating turbidity, all kinds of rare ancient books and unique copies were stored here, including forbidden books and sacrificial rituals.

These scriptures are not particularly effective in enhancing combat strength; their value lies solely in their rarity, making them highly collectible.

After searching for a long time, Zhou Qingfeng felt it was a bit troublesome. There were countless scriptures on the first floor, and searching around would be a complete waste of time and energy. So he simply went directly to find the two elders, Qingming and respectfully clasped his hands in greeting to inquire.

"Seniors, where are the secret texts concerning the rules of the Dao, sacrificial rites, and offerings to ancient gods kept?"

Upon hearing this, the two elders of Qingming exchanged a glance, smiled slightly, and said nothing.

The two elders, Qingming and his companion, each raised their hands, and their dark golden magical power transformed into streams of silk ribbons that scattered in all directions, easily taking down the numerous scriptures from the bookshelf and placing them on the table for Zhou Qingfeng to choose from.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Thank you both, seniors."

Ni Qing nodded and smiled: "It's nothing, take your time choosing, no rush. If you don't find one you like, come back tomorrow."

Ni Ming said earnestly, "The sacrificial ceremony should be approached with utmost care and should not be decided hastily."

Zhou Qingfeng clasped his hands in response, saying, "This junior has learned a great deal."

After speaking, Zhou Qingfeng walked to the table, sat down, and carefully picked up the scriptures on the table to look at them one by one. There were not many scriptures, only seventy-two, which was just a drop in the ocean compared to the huge collection of books in the Sutra Pavilion.

The sacrificial ceremony will be put aside for now, as it is difficult to select one. However, there is less consideration for the sacrificial text. As long as we find the sacrificial text related to the sacrifice of the Mortal Serpent, it will be fine. This is very important. If we can find it successfully, we will undoubtedly be able to master the secret of the sacrifice.

With the secrets of sacrifice, it's much more cost-effective and precise than making sacrifices haphazardly. At least you can determine what kind of sacrifices the Mortal Serpent likes, so you can figure out how to get the greatest benefit with the least amount of sacrifices, and what extra rewards you can get by sacrificing certain things.

Targeted sacrifices are far better than indiscriminate sacrifices.

Zhou Qingfeng and Gu Shen claimed it was an equal exchange, but in reality, this was highly subjective, there was a serious information asymmetry between them, and the supply and demand imbalance had to be taken into account.

Needless to say, these three points alone are insufficient to achieve an equivalent exchange. The so-called equivalent exchange is when you feel you have gained something, I feel I have gained something, and both parties benefit from it. However, true equivalent exchange does not exist at all.

For example, if someone were to make indiscriminate sacrifices, slaughtering an entire city and offering their flesh, soul, bones, pain, and death to an ancient god, and that ancient god didn't like it at all, then the response might be something like, "Don't be trash and make indiscriminate sacrifices, it's so annoying!"

On the contrary, some people who deliberately sacrifice their most precious memories will gain the favor of the ancient gods and obtain ancient mystical techniques, ancient mystical treasures, or improvements in cultivation, such as greatly strengthening their physical body and many other benefits.

All the ancient gods are dead, a fact acknowledged throughout the Five Turbid Worlds. However, based on Zhou Qingfeng's own experience, the ancient gods are not completely extinct, because if one survives, it means there must be a second, a third, or a fourth.

Even the Mortal Python, the first innate ancient god created at the beginning of the world, has been reduced to its primitive form.

Even if the other ancient gods were still alive, their condition wouldn't be much better than that of the Mortal Serpent; they would be no different from being dead.

The Mortal Serpent of the Primordial Gods: 108 Detailed Rules of the Sacrifice Codex

"Found it!" Zhou Qingfeng reached out and flipped through it casually, confirming that the name, table of contents, and content were all correct. He then set it aside, planning to study it slowly at home when he had time, accumulate some theoretical knowledge, and figure out how the sacrifice worked before getting started, so as to avoid making mistakes.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Qingfeng busied himself with selecting the sacrificial ceremony.

There aren't many rituals related to the rules of power; most of them were heard from the master. Unsurprisingly, the ritual for the 'Emperor' didn't appear in the first library. Perhaps it was hidden in a real secret room. After all, keeping this thing in one's hands is tantamount to treason. How could the first family openly put such a big handle in the library? That would be tantamount to courting death.

That being said, even if there really was such a sacrificial ceremony as the 'Emperor' before him, Zhou Qingfeng would not choose it, because it would be stealing the imperial power from the supreme Gengshi Emperor of the Python Sparrow Empire. Putting aside everything else, even if he succeeded, he probably wouldn't live much longer.

Therefore, there are very few rituals available for selection.

Zhou Qingfeng silently selected the rituals and placed them in front of him. Only three rituals suited his taste.

Firstly, a feudal lord.

Secondly, the prime minister.

Thirdly, Your Majesty

The three sacrificial rituals all embody the rules of power, but the authority they represent differs in subtle ways, and each has its own emphasis. From the perspective of the rules of power, they seem to be equal in importance. The sacrificial rituals are not ranked; it is purely a matter of personal choice.

Some seemingly weak rituals are actually quite powerful.

For example, slave owners, this rule of power is the most brutal. They enslave all living beings, dominate all living beings, and all those below them are slaves.

How brutal, how tyrannical, how powerful these rules of power are!

However, the drawbacks are also very significant. Slaves can turn against their slave owners, especially slaves of the same level. The backlash is terrifying. To date, no cultivator who has ascended to the sixth realm through the 'slave owner' sacrificial ceremony has ever appeared. The fifth realm seems to be the peak.

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