Start from a baby to become a Taoist

Chapter 563 The Ancient Road to the End
Chapter 571

What is he trying to do? Is he trying to stand up for Blood Prison Star Sea?
However, to his surprise, the Lord of Heavenly Blade Mountain did not show any hostility. His eyes, which seemed to contain the light of countless blades, simply looked at Xu Ran quietly, as if admiring a peerless treasure.

“Your ‘sword’ is quite special,” the Lord of Heavenly Blade Mountain said, his voice hoarse, like two stubborn rocks rubbing against each other.

"Your knife is not bad either," Xu Ran replied calmly without stopping.

“I can sense that it is not for killing, nor for protection, nor for tyranny.” The Heavenly Blade Mountain Lord’s gaze became somewhat fanatical, like that of a most devout seeker of the Dao. “It… is for ‘severing’. Severing error, severing cause and effect, severing… ’existence’ itself.”

Xu Ran finally stopped and glanced at him: "Your understanding of knives is deeper than I imagined."

"I have honed my sword for three thousand epochs, slashing stars and breaking through space and time. I have also cleaved open a small universe on the verge of decay with a single strike, helping it to be reborn." The Lord of Heavenly Blade Mountain slowly stroked the stone sword in his arms, a trace of loneliness in his eyes. "But I always felt that my sword was still missing something. Until... I sensed your 'sword intent'."

"My blade is 'Break'. It breaks through all obstacles and shatters all constraints."

"But your sword is 'nothingness'. It returns everything to nothingness, to the 'correctness' that should never have existed."

"'Breaking' is still within the Tao. But 'nothingness' is already outside the Tao."

The Lord of Heavenly Blade Mountain looked at Xu Ran with a hint of inquiry in his eyes: "May I ask, sir, does this path have a name?"

These words left Tu Feng, who was standing to the side, completely bewildered, yet he felt that every word contained profound truths, which stirred his mind.

Xu Ran remained silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

The path he walked was a path of transcendence he forged when he stood at the pinnacle, looking back at himself. This path had no predecessors and no references.

He thought for a moment, then slowly uttered three words.

“Correct the way.”

Correcting the Way!
Correct all the errors in the world!
boom!
Upon hearing this, the Lord of Heavenly Blade Mountain was struck dumb, frozen in place. The ancient stone blade in his arms hummed under its strain, and fine cracks appeared on its surface!
His resolve wavered violently because of those three words!
"Correct...correct..." he murmured to himself, his eyes sometimes clear and sometimes confused, as if he had fallen into a mysterious state of enlightenment.

Xu Ran ignored him and walked past him with Tu Feng, who was already dumbfounded.

It wasn't until Xu Ran's figure was about to disappear at the end of the square that the Lord of Heavenly Blade Mountain suddenly snapped out of that state.

He bowed deeply to Xu Ran's retreating figure and said from the bottom of his heart, "Thank you so much for clearing up my doubts!"

"We, Tiandao Mountain, will never forget your kindness today!"

"Furthermore, a reminder to you!" His voice, transmitted precisely to Xu Ran's ears through divine sense, said, "The Blood Prison Star Sea has activated the 'Blood Prison Sky-Searching Array,' and the entire Black Sand Belt is under their surveillance. In addition, they have sent people to the 'Heavenly Secrets Pavilion,' sparing no expense to purchase your information. Please be extremely careful!"

Xu Ran paused slightly, but did not turn around, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

……

The interstellar teleportation hall of Shattered Star City is bustling with people, and countless starships of various sizes dock and set sail here, heading to every corner of the Black Sand Belt and even more distant star fields.

"Senior, where are we going?" Tu Feng asked in a low voice, following behind Xu Ran.

Having just witnessed the encounter with the Lord of Heavenly Blade Mountain, his reverence for Xu Ran had reached a whole new level. To have a mere few words send a Dao Ancestor-level giant into a state of enlightenment, nearly shattering his sword heart—what kind of realm was this?
“Tianji Pavilion,” Xu Ran uttered a name.

"Huh?" Tu Feng was taken aback. "Senior, you're going to the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion? But... the people from the Blood Prison Star Sea are there too..."

"They buy my intelligence, and I want to buy their intelligence too." Xu Ran's logic was simple and direct.

Tu Feng was speechless.

He quickly realized what was happening and hurriedly said, "Senior, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's branches are scattered throughout the myriad realms, and they operate in secrecy. In the Black Sand Belt, their largest branch is not on any star, but in a special place called 'Return to the Ruins.' There, the laws are chaotic, and spacetime is disordered, making it a naturally hidden place. Even if the Lord of the Blood Prison were to come in person, he would not be able to pinpoint its exact location. We must take a special 'Sky-Crossing Boat' to get there."

"lead the way."

"Yes!"

Guided by Tu Feng, the two arrived at a secluded corner of the main hall. There, a strangely shaped small boat was moored, its entire body made of an unknown gray wood, and its hull was covered with intricate and ancient runes.

A boatman wearing a bronze mask, his aura elusive, stood quietly at the bow of the boat.

"Where are you two headed?" the boatman asked, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Tu Feng stepped forward, handed over a heavy bag of source crystals, and respectfully said, "Guixu, Tianji Pavilion."

The boatman took the Source Crystals, weighed them in his hand, and nodded: "One hundred thousand high-grade Source Crystals per person, two hundred thousand for two people."

Tu Feng's lips twitched. This price was practically robbery. But he also knew that this was the rule of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.

He was about to pay when Xu Ran stepped forward and glanced at the boatman indifferently.

"free."

The boatman paused, a strange glint flashing in his eyes beneath the bronze mask: "Sir, the rules of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion..."

"I am the rule."

Before Xu Ran could finish speaking, an invisible sword intent enveloped the entire airship.

The ship, crafted from an unknown divine tree and capable of withstanding temporal storms, began to silently "vanish" under the shroud of sword intent. Its constituent materials, its concepts, its cause and effect, were all being slowly erased.

The boatman's elusive aura suddenly froze!
He was horrified to discover that his connection with this ferryboat was being forcibly severed!
This ship is a magical treasure bestowed upon him by the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, and it is connected to his life. As long as the ship is there, he is there; if the ship is destroyed, he is gone!

"S-Senior! Please stop!" The boatman's voice carried a hint of fear for the first time.

Xu Ran's sword intent slowly subsided.

The airship returned to its original state, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion.

The boatman's back was already soaked with cold sweat. He dared not mention the source crystal again and respectfully gestured for them to board: "Distinguished guests, please board the boat!"

Xu Ran and Tu Feng boarded the airship.

The small boat trembled slightly, but instead of entering any spatial passage, it merged directly into the void and disappeared.

……

Guixu.

This is a bizarre and fantastical place.

A shattered continent, an inverted galaxy, a frozen waterfall of time, a star burning with black flames... everything defies reason, chaotic and disorderly.

This is a "scar" on the universe, said to have been formed in an ancient era when two supreme beings shattered the laws of the universe, creating this forbidden land.

The spaceship traversed the chaotic currents of time and space, eventually stopping in front of an ancient pavilion suspended in the void.

The pavilion, constructed of an unknown material, was entirely black, devoid of any light, as if it could devour everything. On the plaque, three large characters were written in a flamboyant, calligraphic style—"Heavenly Secrets Pavilion." "Senior, we've arrived."

Xu Ran stepped off the small boat and his gaze fell on the pavilion.

He could sense that this pavilion itself was a powerful magical artifact, with its own internal space that isolated it from all external detection.

"A guest has arrived."

An old yet gentle voice came from inside the pavilion.

The door opened silently.

Xu Ran stepped inside, with Tu Feng following closely behind.

Inside the pavilion, a hidden world unfolded. Contrary to expectations of darkness, it was a bright and spacious hall. In the center of the hall, an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face, dressed in a green robe, sat leisurely at a jade table, sipping tea.

Upon seeing Xu Ran enter, the old man put down his teacup, smiled, stood up, and cupped his hands in greeting: "I didn't know which fellow Daoist had graced us with his presence. I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly."

His aura was perfectly harmonious and unfathomable, clearly indicating that he was also a powerful Dao Ancestor at the peak.

However, Xu Ran sensed a completely different aura emanating from him compared to that of the Lord of Heavenly Blade Mountain and the Lord of Blood Prison.

It was an aura of... "knowing" everything. It was as if the past, the future, and the secrets of all the heavens and the myriad worlds were all in his grasp.

"The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion truly lives up to its reputation," Xu Ran said calmly.

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me," the old man in the green robe said with a smile. "I am Tianjizi, and I am the manager of the Black Sand Belt branch. May I ask how you are addressed?"

"Xu Ran".

"So it's Fellow Daoist Xu." Tianjizi nodded and gestured, "Fellow Daoist Xu, please have a seat. I presume you've come to buy some information."

Xu Ran didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly opposite him: "Blood Prison Star Sea, what price did you offer for my information?"

Upon hearing this, Tianjizi's face showed a hint of embarrassment: "Fellow Daoist Xu, this... is against the rules. Our Tianji Pavilion never discloses the information of our guests."

"Is that so?" Xu Ran picked up the teacup on the table and took a small sip.

The smile on Tianjizi's face suddenly froze!

He was horrified to discover that the "memory" in his mind about "Blood Prison Star Sea" bidding to buy information had vanished into thin air!
No, it's more terrifying than disappearing!
The "facts" corresponding to this memory are being forcibly "corrected" from a causal perspective by an incomprehensible force!
It's as if Blood Prison Star Sea has never visited the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, and has never proposed this deal!
This method has transcended supernatural powers and laws, and has touched upon the realm of "reality"!

"Stop! Stop!" Tianjizi was terrified and could no longer remain calm, shouting in a hoarse voice.

Xu Ran put down his teacup, and the invisible force dissipated.

A fine layer of cold sweat appeared on Tianjizi's forehead. He looked at Xu Ran, his eyes filled with unprecedented fear and apprehension.

monster!

The person in front of me is a monster!

"Now, can we talk?" Xu Ran's voice remained calm.

"Yes! Yes!" Tianjizi nodded repeatedly, no longer daring to mention any rules.

He wiped away his cold sweat and said with a wry smile, "The Lord of the Blood Prison offered 30% of their Star Sea's profits for the next 10,000 years, as well as an 'Immortal-level' star vein, in exchange for all your information, including your origins, cultivation techniques, and weaknesses..."

"Quite an appetite," Xu Ran commented.

“It is indeed quite large,” Tianjizi said with lingering fear. “However, we refused.”

"Oh?" This surprised Xu Ran somewhat.

Tianjizi sighed and said, "Because we can't find it. Or rather, any 'heavenly secrets' that try to explore your past will point to... 'nothingness'. It's as if you appeared out of thin air, not existing in the past, or rather, your 'past' is shielded by a power that transcends the Heavenly Dao."

“Our Heavenly Secrets Pavilion deals in intelligence, and we place the utmost importance on cause and effect. As for someone like you, whose cause and effect are unclear, and who can even reverse cause and effect, we… dare not investigate, nor can we afford to.”

"Therefore, we did not sell any information about Blood Prison Star Sea."

Xu Ran nodded; that made sense.

“Then, I’ll buy information,” Xu Ran said. “I want to know why the Lord of Blood Prison reacted so strongly to the ‘Ancient Road to the End’ and the ‘Ancient Waterway Map’?”

This is the real purpose of his trip.

Judging from the Blood Prison Lord's fearful reaction, he clearly knows some inside information about the Ancient Road to the End.

Upon hearing this question, Tianjizi's expression became extremely solemn.

He remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, "Fellow Daoist Xu, this question... is far too complex. It could even be said to be one of the oldest taboos in this universe."

"The price," Xu Ran said succinctly.

“We won’t sell this information,” Tianjizi shook his head.

"Hmm?" Xu Ran's eyes turned slightly cold.

Tianjizi quickly explained, "It's not that we don't want to sell, but that we dare not. The information about the core secrets of the 'Ancient Road to the End' has been sealed with a 'True Word Spell.' Once it's spoken, both the speaker and the listener will immediately face unimaginable disaster!"

"Even you, with your unfathomable strength, are probably..."

“It’s alright, go ahead,” Xu Ran interrupted him.

Tianjizi looked into Xu Ran's calm, still eyes, hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth, as if he had made a decision.

"Very well! Perhaps it is my good fortune to meet such a transcendent being as Fellow Daoist Xu today."

He took a deep breath, his expression becoming extremely solemn, and slowly said, "Legend has it that in the incredibly distant Primordial Era, our universe was not the only one. At that time, countless worlds existed, and the heavens vied for supremacy, with countless brilliant civilizations being born and then vanishing."

"And all universes have a common 'end point'."

"That is... the Ancient Road to the End."

"It is both the final resting place of all worlds and the burial ground of eras. The end of everything will take place there."

"It is said that the secret of 'transcendence' lies hidden at the end of the ancient road. Therefore, since ancient times, countless extraordinary beings of unparalleled talent have tried to tread the ancient road and reach its end."

"But they all failed."

"There is great terror on the ancient road. The forbidden beings who perished in the changing of eras, their obsessions and resentments, were corrupted by the aura of the ancient road, turning into 'road guardians' who are neither alive nor dead, hunting down any living being that steps into the ancient road."

(End of this chapter)