Chapter 312: The Human Skin Evil Book’s Past

Chapter 312 -310: The Human Skin Evil Book’s Past

The Human Skin Evil Book slowly recovered. A single stick figure appeared on its page, giving Chen Yuan a pitiful and aggrieved expression.

It knew it had messed up.

In Chen Yuan’s eyes, the Human Skin Evil Book was his property. It had been here before and knew about the treasures, yet it hadn’t told him immediately. Instead, it tried to blackmail him, demanding the woman’s skin in exchange for the information. The audacity was unbelievable.

‘Is it treating me like Guan Tianming?’

‘It was just begging for a lesson!’

“Get a clear picture of your situation. Do you really think I’m Guan Tianming? You dare make demands of me?”

Chen Yuan sneered. “If you want this skin, answer my questions obediently. Otherwise, forget about getting the skin—I’ll peel a layer right off of you!”

The stick figure on the page transformed into a scantily clad, pitiful yet alluring woman, clutching her chest with a terrified expression.

“Don’t! Master! I only have this one skin!”

“You said you need this skin. What exactly is it?”

Chen Yuan asked, holding the piece of skin.

“I don’t know what it is either, but I can feel it. I need it, I crave it. If I can obtain it, I’ll be able to grow more pages.

So I suspect the material used to create me was this very type of skin, or that this skin was refined using the same method.”

“You said before that you couldn’t remember your origins. Why are you now saying you came into being inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower?”

“When I was first created, my abilities were still weak. I only had a glimmer of sentience and a few memory fragments.

By the time I gained true consciousness, I was already in the outside world. It wasn’t until you came here, Master, that those memory fragments awakened, and I remembered this place.

As you know, Master, I store a vast amount of information. I genuinely couldn’t recall these ancient fragments right away. I really didn’t do it on purpose.”

The alluring woman on the page put on another aggrieved expression. In truth, it was a complete act; the book had done it intentionally.

At first, the Human Skin Evil Book had genuinely forgotten some of its origins, including the memory fragments from the dawn of its consciousness.

But the instant Chen Yuan saw the Heaven-Reaching Tower, the Human Skin Evil Book had remembered everything.

The reason it had kept quiet was to bide its time and sell the information at the highest price, preparing to blackmail Chen Yuan at a critical moment.

The result, of course, was what was happening now: it was being taught a harsh lesson.

“Then do you know why the Heaven-Reaching Tower fell?”

The page fluttered as words appeared. “I don’t know. By the time my memory fragments formed, this place was already collapsing. It seemed as though some terrifying existence appeared at the very top and spread downward like a plague.

I couldn’t even tell if it was a natural disaster or a man-made calamity. In any case, this massive Heaven-Reaching Tower was completely destroyed in a very short time.

I can’t say for sure how long it took, because there is no night inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower, only eternal day. The flow of time is also different from the outside world. My consciousness had just awakened back then, so I had no concept of time.

My later memories are of a group of people trying to flee the Heaven-Reaching Tower. But just before they could escape, the calamity caught up to them. Most died fighting it, and only a very small number managed to escape. One of them was carrying me.

As for how I later ended up in the Jianghu, or where the person who carried me out of the Heaven-Reaching Tower went… for some reason, that part of my memory is a blank.”

Chen Yuan stared at the Human Skin Evil Book, suspecting it was still holding back the truth. But that wasn’t important right now. What mattered was the intelligence he could extract from it.

“So, since you came into being here, you must know the locations of most of the Sects in the Heaven-Reaching Tower and what treasures they hold?”

The figure on the Human Skin Evil Book nodded repeatedly. “I wouldn’t dare say I know everything, but I know most of it.”

“Then do you also know which Sect in the Heaven-Reaching Tower possesses a Seven Kills Stele Fragment?”

“Of course. The Blood Shadow Nether Kill Sect has a Seven Kills Stele Fragment. However, because it’s only a fragment and not a complete Divine Artifact, the Blood Shadow Nether Kill Sect wasn’t considered particularly strong among the Human Race forces within the Heaven-Reaching Tower.”

Chen Yuan had deliberately omitted the Blood Shadow Nether Kill Sect’s name to test the Human Skin Evil Book. He was surprised it actually knew.

“Besides the Seven Kills Stele Fragment, what other supreme treasures are in the Heaven-Reaching Tower?”

The figure on the Human Skin Evil Book grimaced. “There were plenty of supreme treasures, of course, and more than a few Divine Artifact Demon Soldiers.

But, Master, that was all ten thousand years ago. When the calamity struck the Heaven-Reaching Tower, many of those Sects were destroyed.

In all the times the Tower has opened since then, some of them have surely been taken.

Even for those that weren’t taken, the space inside the Tower shattered after the calamity. It’s nothing like it was originally.

I only know the general locations. For the specific ruins of the Sects, I’ll need you to reach each level. Only then can I compare the current Tower with the one in my memory to confirm if any treasures remain.

Besides, my consciousness was just forming back then. Most of the information in my memory fragments came from overhearing conversations, so it’s not that comprehensive.

For example, I have no memory of the ruins of this Corpse Refining Lineage Sect.”

This time, the Human Skin Evil Book was being completely honest. Having just been taught a lesson, it didn’t dare to lie, or even exaggerate.

It was terrified that if it failed to help Chen Yuan find something, it would get burned again.

Chen Yuan scoffed. “So much for being all-knowing. Turns out this is the extent of your abilities. You certainly talked a big game before.”

The Human Skin Evil Book was nothing like the truly omniscient Luofu Celestial Book. Its knowledge came from its long existence, the many Cultivation Techniques it had devoured, and the numerous secrets it had learned. It was more like a hard drive with infinite capacity, capable of storing a massive amount of data.

As for its claim that it could deduce Cultivation Techniques, Chen Yuan didn’t believe it for a moment.

Leaving aside the question of whether any technique it produced could even be cultivated, Chen Yuan had to be on guard against it planting some kind of trick within the technique.

“So, I’m going to look for the Seven Kills Stele Fragment now. How should I proceed? Don’t tell me you don’t know the way.”

Words hurriedly appeared on the Human Skin Evil Book. “Of course I know! Right now, you’re on the bottom level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower. You need to go up two more levels. On that level, there should be a shattered Blood Dragon Tree. This Blood Dragon Tree was magnificent, over a thousand feet tall. Even shattered, it should be extremely conspicuous.

The Blood Dragon Tree grew on the landmass where the Blood Shadow Nether Kill Sect was located. If you can find the Blood Dragon Tree, you can follow the trail of its fragments to find the Sect’s location.”

Chen Yuan nodded and sealed the Human Skin Evil Book away again.

Before sealing it, however, Chen Yuan told the Human Skin Evil Book that if they passed by the ruins of other Sects, it was to notify him immediately if it recognized any of them.

If he managed to obtain enough opportunities and treasures, he wouldn’t just give it the human skin; he might even throw in other Cultivation Techniques.

At these words, the Human Skin Evil Book’s pages began to flutter in excitement.

It wasn’t afraid of being used by Chen Yuan; it was afraid of being sealed away forever, never to see the light of day.

Chen Yuan smiled and put the Human Skin Evil Book away.

After Guan Tianming obtained this item, he had been completely led around by the nose, collecting all sorts of Cultivation Techniques for it.

Chen Yuan, however, was the complete opposite. The Human Skin Evil Book was now begging *him* to use it. As for any rewards, the book would first have to prove its value. Only then would Chen Yuan consider giving it a taste. He had to keep it on a string.

It was like when a truly rich man dated: the money wasn’t for the woman to spend, but for her to see.

Guan Tianming’s behavior was a classic case of a simp who gets taken for everything and is left with nothing.

Leaving the ruins, Chen Yuan headed straight for the upper levels.

In truth, after the space within the Heaven-Reaching Tower had shattered, fragments and debris were scattered everywhere, making it difficult to distinguish between the different levels.

But back in its heyday, the Heaven-Reaching Tower had been clearly stratified.

The lower levels had more space, housed more Sect Clans, and were generally weaker.

The upper levels had less space, housed fewer Sect Clans, and were progressively stronger.

Chen Yuan chose a direction and began exploring upward. He encountered a few other Martial Artists along the way, but they all cautiously gave him a wide berth the moment they recognized him.

Just then, however, a figure in the distance began walking toward him.

“Master Chen, it’s been a while.”

The newcomer wore a tight-fitting black martial artist’s uniform, cinched at the waist with a red sash. She was alluring, with a voluptuous and seductive figure. It was none other than Wen Rou, whom he had not seen in a long time.

“What are you doing here?” Chen Yuan asked in surprise.

When climbing the Heaven-Ascending Ladder, Chen Yuan had been in the first group of the inner circle, so he hadn’t noticed who else had managed to enter.

“And why shouldn’t I be here?”

Wen Rou pursed her lips. “The trial in the Heaven-Reaching Tower is bound to cause major shake-ups in the Hidden Dragon Rankings. Of course, we at the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower want to get the latest information firsthand.

And we’re not just here to gather it. The Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower is also here to sell information inside the Tower.”

“Sell information? All contact with the outside world is cut off here. What information could you possibly sell?”

“Intelligence about what’s inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower, of course.”

A hint of pride touched Wen Rou’s face. “Most Jianghu Families and Noble Sects have some understanding of the Tower’s interior, but their so-called understanding is based entirely on summarizing the experiences of their predecessors. How many people’s experiences do they really have? A dozen would be the absolute limit.

But the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower doesn’t just summarize our own experiences. After every trial in the Heaven-Reaching Tower, we also find the Independent Martial Artists who entered and survived. We pay them a hefty sum to detail their encounters, summarizing the ruins, terrain, and everything else they came across.

Over the years, the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower has collected data from hundreds of people’s trials inside the Tower. Our information is far more comprehensive than that of any Noble Sects.

So, Master Chen, if you want to make some gains inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower, feel free to do business with the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower. I guarantee you’ll avoid many dead ends, and I can even give you a fair price. You are a valued client, after all.

And even if I don’t have the information myself, someone else will.

The Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower has more than ten Wind Media Spies inside. We all share information, so our intelligence is guaranteed to be fast and accurate.”

Wen Rou quite enjoyed doing business with Chen Yuan.

When others bought intelligence from her, they paid with various resources and treasures. Chen Yuan, on the other hand, paid with other secrets.

Although Wen Rou had no idea where Chen Yuan got so much secret information, to the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower, that kind of intelligence was far more valuable than any resource or treasure.