Chapter 1246: Doomsday Ancient Path_2

“I am the rules.”

Before Xu Ran’s words fell, an invisible Sword Intent enveloped the entire void-crossing boat.

The hull, constructed from unknown Divine Wood and capable of withstanding space-time storms, under the enveloping Sword Intent began to silently “dematerialize.” The matter, the concept, and the causality forming the hull were being slowly erased.

The ferryman’s fluctuating aura suddenly solidified!

In horror, he realized that his connection with this void-crossing vessel was being forcibly severed!

This vessel was a Magical Treasure bestowed by the Celestial Secret Pavilion, linked to his very life; when the vessel perished, so too would he!

“Pre… Senior! Please stop!” The ferryman’s voice, for the first time, carried a tone of panic.

Xu Ran’s Sword Intent slowly retracted.

The void-crossing boat returned to its original state, as if everything earlier was merely an illusion.

However, the ferryman’s back was soaked with cold sweat. He no longer dared to mention anything about Source Crystals and respectfully made a gesture of invitation: “Honored guests, please board the vessel!”

Xu Ran and Tu Feng stepped onto the void-crossing boat.

The small boat slightly trembled, did not enter any space channel, but instead directly merged into the void, disappearing from sight.

…

Gui Xu.

This was a land of dazzling wonders.

Fragments of continents, inverted star rivers, solidified time waterfalls, stars burning with black flames… everything defied common sense, chaotic and unordered.

Here lay the Cosmos’ “scar,” rumored to be a forbidden land formed when two supreme beings of an ancient era battled, shattering the Dao Laws.

The void-crossing boat traversed the chaotic flow of time and space, eventually stopping before an ancient pavilion floating in the void.

The material constructing the pavilion was unknown, entirely black, void of light, seemingly capable of devouring everything. On its signboard, three large characters were inscribed in flamboyant strokes—Celestial Secret Pavilion.

“Senior, we’ve arrived.”

Xu Ran disembarked from the small boat, his gaze falling upon the pavilion.

He could sense that the pavilion itself was a powerful Magical Treasure, with an internal space isolating all external probing.

“A guest has arrived.”

An aged yet gentle voice emanated from within the pavilion.

The doors silently opened.

Xu Ran stepped inside, closely followed by Tu Feng.

Inside the pavilion, another world awaited. It was not the imagined darkness, but instead a bright and spacious hall. In the center of the hall, an elder with the hair of a crane and the face of a child, dressed in a green robe, was leisurely enjoying tea beside a jade table.

Seeing Xu Ran enter, the elder set down the teacup, smiling as he stood and slightly bowed: “I wonder which Fellow Daoist graces us with their presence, my humble self failed to greet you from afar.”

His aura was flawlessly harmonious, unfathomable, evidently an expert at the peak of Dao Ancestor.

Yet Xu Ran felt from him a presence markedly different from that of the Celestial Blade Mountain Master and Master of Blood Prison.

It was a kind of… “knowing” aura. As if the secrets of the past and future, the myriad worlds, were all within his grasp.

“The Celestial Secret Pavilion truly lives up to its reputation.” Xu Ran said flatly.

“Fellow Daoist praises us too highly.” The green-robed elder replied with a smile, “My humble self, Tianji Zi, serves as the steward of the Black Sand Belt branch. May I know your name?”

“Xu Ran.”

“So it’s Fellow Daoist Xu.” Tianji Zi nodded and gestured with his hand, “Fellow Daoist Xu, please take a seat. Presumably, you have come to purchase some intelligence.”

Xu Ran didn’t stand on ceremony and directly sat opposite him: “What price did the Blood Prison Star Sea offer to buy my intelligence?”

Tianji Zi, upon hearing this, displayed a hint of difficulty on his face: “Fellow Daoist Xu, this… is not in accordance with the rules. Our Celestial Secret Pavilion never divulges guest information.”

“Is that so?” Xu Ran lifted the teacup from the table and sipped lightly.

The next moment, Tianji Zi’s smile froze!

In horror, he discovered that the “memory” in his mind regarding the information purchase from the Blood Prison Star Sea was inexplicably vanishing!

No, more terrifying than simple disappearance!

The “fact” corresponding to this memory was being forcibly “corrected” from the causal aspect by an incomprehensible mighty force!

As if the Blood Prison Star Sea had never come to the Celestial Secret Pavilion, never proposed this transaction!

This method had exceeded Divine Techniques, surpassed Law, and touched upon the “real” Domain!

“Stop! Stop!” Tianji Zi was horrified beyond measure, no longer able to maintain composure, shouting in panic.

Xu Ran set down the teacup, and the invisible power dissipated accordingly.

Thin beads of cold sweat emerged on Tianji Zi’s forehead. He looked at Xu Ran, his eyes filled with unprecedented dread and terror.

Monster!

This person before him was indeed a monster!

“Now, can you speak?” Xu Ran’s voice remained calm.

“Yes! Yes!” Tianji Zi nodded repeatedly, not daring to mention any rules again.

He wiped his sweat, forced a smile: “Master of Blood Prison offered three percent of their Star Sea’s future ten thousand years’ earnings and an ‘Immortal-level’ star vein as the price to buy all intelligence about you, including your origins, Cultivation Technique, weaknesses…”

“Quite a large appetite.” Xu Ran commented.

“Indeed quite large.” Tianji Zi said with lingering fear, “However, we refused.”

“Oh?” This truly surprised Xu Ran.

Tianji Zi sighed, saying: “Because we couldn’t check. Or rather, any attempt to probe into your past with ‘Celestial Secret techniques’ would point to a realm of… ‘nothing.’ You seem to have appeared out of thin air, not existing in the past—or rather, your ‘past’ is shielded by a power transcending the Heavenly Dao.”

“Our Celestial Secret Pavilion deals in intelligence, valuing causality above all. A presence like yours, where causality is unclear, and even capable of reversing causality, we… dare not inquire, nor can we afford to.”

“Thus, we did not sell the Blood Prison Star Sea’s intelligence.”

Xu Ran nodded, which indeed made sense.

“Then, I come to buy intelligence.” Xu Ran said, “I want to know why the Master of Blood Prison would have such a strong reaction to the ‘Doomsday Ancient Path’ and ‘Ancient Navigation Map’?”

This question was the true purpose of his visit.

Judging by the terrorized response of the Master of Blood Prison, he clearly knew something about the Doomsday Ancient Path.

Tianji Zi, hearing this question, appeared extremely solemn.

He remained silent for a long time, finally speaking slowly: “Fellow Daoist Xu, this question… involves too much. It might even be one of the oldest taboos of this Cosmos.”

“The price.” Xu Ran said succinctly.

“We don’t sell this intelligence.” Tianji Zi shook his head.

“Hmm?” Xu Ran’s gaze faintly cooled.

Tianji Zi hurriedly explained: “It’s not that we don’t want to sell, but dare not. Information regarding the core secrets of the ‘Doomsday Ancient Path’ is bound by a ‘truth spell.’ Once spoken, both speaker and listener would immediately incur unimaginable disaster!”

“Even you, your strength unfathomable, might not…”

“No problem, speak.” Xu Ran interrupted him.

Tianji Zi looked at Xu Ran’s serene eyes, hesitated momentarily, ultimately making a decision.

“So be it! Meeting such a transcendent existence as Fellow Daoist Xu today might also be my chance.”

He took a deep breath, his expression extremely solemn, and slowly said: “Legend says, in the unimaginably distant Taichu Era, our Cosmos was not the only Universe. At that time, myriad realms were assembled, the heavens vied for supremacy, countless brilliant civilizations emerged and then underwent Nirvana.”

“And all the Universes shared a common ‘end.'”

“That is… the Doomsday Ancient Path.”

“It is both the Gui Xu of worlds and the burial ground of eras. The end of everything is played out there.”

“Rumor has it, the secret of ‘transcendence’ hides at the end of the Ancient Path. Hence, since ancient times, countless supremely talented beings tried to tread the Ancient Path, reaching its end.”

“But they all failed.”

“There is great terror on the Ancient Path. Those forbidden beings who died in the cycles of eras, their obsessions and unwillingness are polluted by the Ancient Path’s aura, transformed into non-living ‘Guardians’ who hunt down all life stepping into the Ancient Path.”