CHAPTER 792: CHAPTER 015 THE ROAD ENDS

Zhou Yan’s manner of conduct and attitude gradually calmed the old man down, leading to a peer-to-peer exchange between the two.

After some discussion, Zhou Yan learned that his brother Lee Ran was not the first cultivator to set foot on the journey westward to seek the Dao, but he was the first in modern society to successfully achieve Transcendence from the Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town, leaving behind a formidable reputation in the Cultivation World.

When talking about Lee Ran, the old man’s body seethed with the power of Merit, his gaze intense with respect and admiration.

This was something he didn’t hide in the slightest just because of Zhou Yan’s identity.

The two conversed openly, and Zhou Yan noticed that aside from the old man, the other cultivators, upon hearing Lee Ran’s name, displayed shock, astonishment, and fear in their expressions.

And some cultivators had never even heard of this name, looking completely clueless.

Zhou Yan silently took note of all this and began to discuss the current state of the world with the old man.

The old man clearly felt a sense of regret for today’s Cultivation World, yet in front of his fellow cultivators, he didn’t express his thoughts, instead inviting Zhou Yan to his palace residence for a discussion on the Dao and planning to invite fellow Daoists to gather together, bringing all the elite cultivators to listen to Zhou Yan’s teachings.

Naturally, Zhou Yan wouldn’t refuse such a request and readily agreed.

From the old man’s words, Zhou Yan also learned that the latter hailed from the Shushan Taoist Sect, a leading figure of the old generation in the Taoist path named Hua Qiudao, who out of despair for the Cultivation World and devotion to the Dao, rarely made an appearance.

His presence this time was to prevent the Yu King’s Nine Cauldrons from causing a disaster and to stop the Western Great Sect from controlling the legendary divine objects of Central Earth.

But unexpectedly, upon venturing out, he ran into Zhou Yan and thus intervened immediately.

The old man had no intent to conceal these facts and was very straightforward.

...

Shushan Taoist Sect.

Shushan has always been a place of legends, and even today, as a fading world, it still possesses an incredibly strong presence and invokes awe with its unyielding divinity.

Arriving here, Zhou Yan sensed an immensely ancient atmosphere, as if supreme ancient beings had perished here, ancient yet with a hint of desolation.

The grey miasma was excluded from the Ancient Array, with the Ancient Sealing omnipresent and ceaseless.

This world seemed to be derived from endless Tai Chu Runes, like a vast complex web, creating a uniquely isolated space.

When Zhou Yan arrived at the Taoist sect, he could hear some of the older cultivators discussing from afar.

The topics centered on the depletion of the heaven and earth energy in this world, the difficulties in cultivation, and the advantages of the Western belief-powered cultivation in this Land of Dharma Decline, among others.

In the discussion, some old cultivators were greatly disillusioned with the Cultivation World, believing that their ancestors had forsaken them, embarking on a journey to the Outer Star Domain, abandoning their Ancestor Land.

Zhou Yan proceeded to approach as the old man, Hua Qiudao, let out a faint sigh and said, "At our age, when there’s no longer a breakthrough in sight, and the way forward is lost, many will fall into bewilderment. Unable to control even ourselves, how then can we guide the next generation?"

"If we ourselves see no hope, shall we also set the next generation upon this same path? Among the old cultivators who are still alive, each one is outstanding, even more so than the current generation, and yet the outcome is still the same."

"Now, with Fellow Daoist Zhou Yan arriving from beyond our lands, you represent the hope of us cultivators of the End of Dharma..."

Hua Qiudao revealed his feelings, his voice tinged with a sense of age.

No cultivator, not living through these stricken times at the End of Dharma, can fully appreciate the sadness that lies within.

Zhou Yan could understand, for his experiences destined him to empathize with many such matters.

"Yes, my current visit primarily carries a heavy responsibility, intending to embark on the Western journey. If you all can cultivate to such a realm under the Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town, why have you not considered setting forth on the Western journey?"

Zhou Yan inquired.

For cultivators with no path left, taking the journey of the Thirty-Three Heavens westward is an act of transcendence, a brand new expedition.

"Western Ancestor Worship? Refining Void and Merging Dao? Is this your intention, Fellow Daoist Zhou Yan?" Hua Qiudao, while walking, suddenly stopped and looked at Zhou Yan with a surprised expression.

"Yes, much like the legendary Western journey of the past. Did not the Supreme of Virtue also venture westward beyond the Hangu Pass? And didn’t Zhuangzi also roam freely on his Western journey?"

Zhou Yan suddenly felt an inexplicable unease in his heart, not even he knew why.

"Yes, indeed, it indeed represents a further expedition, but that path has long been suppressed by the Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town, and all above this first layer of heaven has withered."

The old man sighed and continued, "Fellow Daoist Zhou Yan, if you wish to retrace the Western journey, I’m afraid that desire is doomed to remain unfulfilled."

Zhou Yan stood rooted to the spot, the news hitting him like a bolt of lightning.

The Western journey, broken?

"The path of Western Ancestor Worship is broken?"

Zhou Yan took a deep breath to calm himself down and asked softly.

"After Lee Ran, no more divine beings came. After he left, suddenly a mysterious force appeared between heaven and earth, severing the Western path. This lowest layer of the Thirty-Three Heavens, because of the Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town, managed to remain intact.

But the above thirty-two layers, all became desolate, nirvana reduced to ashes."

The old man lamented.

Even as he became younger, his voice still carried an ancient breath of the years.

"After Lee Ran, no more divines? With the western route to the Thirty-Three Heavens severed, how then does Taoist Qiu know of their complete annihilation?" Zhou Yan expressed some doubts.

"Old Tao once traveled that path, but on the last day, I returned.

Along the way, what I saw and heard were lands of stark desolation, fields of decayed and withered bones.

Ten Thousand Buddhas’ Extinction, All Immortals Suffering..."

Hua Qiudao sighed and stretched out his hand to take out a pagoda that resembled a near-immortal, damaged soldier’s treasure, and said, "This is the Tianshu Linglong Pagoda, Heavenly King Li Jing’s ancient soldier treasure. It has now been lost in the Land of Silence, which I have retrieved. Within it, a great battle is recorded.

That battle scene, with a mere gesture, star domains annihilated, immortals perished... Fellow Daoist Zhou Yan, you may have a look."

With trembling hands, Hua Qiudao passed the pagoda, emitting an immortal aura, to Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan’s expression turned solemn as he took this ancient, damaged Immortal Weapon imbued with an immortal aura, then sensed it with the power of his soul.

In that moment, Zhou Yan saw an ancient, shattered world, riddled with holes, a landscape of utter devastation.

That could no longer be called a world.

If before this, Zhou Yan had only been able to empathize with the Xuanyuan Ancestor’s indomitable residual soul’s lonely and desolate mental state, then now, it was as if he were experiencing an era, immersed in its presence.

That was no longer a scene describable by silence, annihilation, or anything else.

Having witnessed such a scene, Zhou Yan finally understood the sorrow of "the end of cultivation reveals no limit, only a pile of bones turning to ash."

"All Immortals Extinct, Ten Thousand Buddhas Suffering."

It seemed that only these few brief words could describe everything.

"That civilization of our predecessors has collapsed into disarray, leaving behind only scattered, decaying bones in those shattered worlds."

"The Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town suppresses all cultivators of Earth, rendering their strength to less than one in a hundred million of its potential, robbing them of their ability to cultivate. But this is perhaps also a form of protection. It is like the severe punishment a strict father inflicts on his child. Though it may be harsh and fierce, it could also be in hopes that the child will succeed."

"The Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town is merely a pure land for cultivators to cultivate in—albeit this ’pure land’ is in actuality terribly miserable."

"Where then lies the path ahead?"

"The cultivators of this world, if they do not set foot on the western path, cannot unlock their own Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town. Unable to unlock it, they cannot traverse the star universe and leave this part of the world."

"Yet, to break their own Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town, one needs a complete inheritance of the Supreme Dao; thus, a guide is required to lead them on their journey."

"But the path to Ancestor Worship is severed, the western path destroyed, thus forming a vicious cycle."

...

From within this damaged Immortal Soldier, Zhou Yan saw the recorded battle, witnessed the birth and extinction of all things.

He saw a sword cleave through the Sky Dome, splitting the Milky Way.

He saw the collapse of star domains into dust, transforming into dark black holes.

Life and Death, utter sorrow, silence, decay.

Various powerful divine forces destroying heaven and earth, sweeping all things.

Those pieces of pure land were truly cleansed, leaving behind nothing but ruins and scorched earth.

Those places of Ultimate Bliss, too, had truly become ultimate lands of despair.

The winds howled mournfully, as that world above the heavens turned into barren and desolate graveyards. Their last wish was to bury themselves with no headstones or monuments to mark their existence.

Indeed, life is so full of sorrow.

After a long while, Zhou Yan came back to his senses, feeling that the Ancestor Worship path within this immortal soldier’s world had reached its limit.

The Ancestor Worship path, the path is broken.

No longer could he see what lay ahead.

Then, with such a long road before him, what should he do? How could he return to the Sword Burial Ancestor Star?

Zhou Yan too was at a loss; he, like the cultivators on Earth, even if spared the Heavenly Tribulation, still had to face the Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town. Being unable to fully exert his strength meant that he had not unlocked the Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town.

Without unlocking the Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town, one could not open the path through the star universe, which meant that he, Zhou Yan, was also unable to leave this star domain.

Even if he were to enter the starry sky, he wouldn’t be able to leave the Milky Way Galaxy, as unknown forces would suppress him there.

This series of truths suddenly made Zhou Yan understand the endless sadness of the cultivators on Earth.

Unable to see the path ahead, unable to see the future, then with all their abilities, should they not enjoy life while they still can? Should they not boast when they have the opportunity, take pride when they can, and express their true nature? For in the future, they might fear they’ll no longer have the chance.

Behind the superficiality, ignorance, frivolity, and impetuousness, what might be hidden is likely the deep-seated sorrow in the hearts of all gifted cultivator geniuses.