Chapter 422: The Ancient Path

“Let’s go, to the Dragon Platform.”

The words still echoed in his ears when Meng Qi suddenly felt the surrounding noise recede into the distance. Pedestrians and vendors seemed like figures in a painting, as he was swiftly pulled away from this world.

After a brief period of darkness and confusion, a gradually emerging blue hue became visible, eventually revealing a vast, misty lake. The lake stretched into the horizon, maintaining an unfathomable depth even in winter.

The waters of this “Great Marsh” appeared crystal clear, as if filtered through layers, evoking a sense of refreshment at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, one could notice deep within the lake, streams of fiery red liquid continuously surged upward, accompanied by wisps of black vapor. Yet, through prolonged ascent and inexplicable transformations, these elements mysteriously vanished into nothingness.

“This is the true Dragon Platform, the site where the Human Emperor forged his sword,” Gao Lan’s rugged and bold voice rang in Meng Qi’s ears.

Meng Qi had once planned to visit the Dragon Platform but had never managed to do so. Puzzled, he asked, “Big Brother Gao, this is the Dragon Platform?”

The name didn’t sound like it belonged to a lake!

Gao Lan chuckled, “The common folk are ignorant, always mistaking Feng Jing for Ma Liang. At the end of the Middle Ancient era and the beginning of the Near Ancient, the Demon Buddha explored the Dragon Platform but found nothing. In a rage, he destroyed it, transforming the site into a lake connected to the underground magma and infernal flames. The descendants of the Human Emperor who had guarded the Dragon Platform for generations were nearly wiped out. Thus, their servants and maidens impersonated the royal descendants, claiming to be the true heirs, and built another platform ten miles away, which eventually evolved into today’s Wu Prefecture Dragon Platform City.”

“In ancient times, Emperor Ai of the Kang Dynasty, after scouring ancient texts, accidentally discovered something and determined the true location of the Dragon Platform. Despite the risk of destroying the fate of humanity, he sent people to excavate it.”

“No wonder Emperor Ai’s excavation of the Dragon Platform City was merely a rumor without concrete evidence, leading everyone to suspect that he had taken a different route to access the Dragon Platform from elsewhere. It was only later discovered by the royal descendants that this Dragon Platform was not the one they originally sought.” Meng Qi exclaimed in realization. However, how did Gao Lan know all this? Could it be that one of the Han descendants had fallen into his hands?

Gao Lan glanced around and suddenly burst into laughter, “I came secretly and acted suddenly, catching everyone off guard. Looks like I haven’t been disturbed.”

His expression was hidden by his thick beard, but his tone was filled with self-praise, as if to say, “I am indeed clever.”

Gao Lan intercepted Meng Qi midway, and with his extremely fast pace, they traveled from the setting of the moon to sunrise, reaching the Dragon Platform from Ying City. They even made a long stop in An Prefecture’s city. Therefore, unless someone had predicted this in advance, at this moment, Gu Xiaosang’s message would probably only have reached the first few people.

The true Dragon Platform… once valued so highly by the Mad King, who was once ranked alongside the Demon Master… Suddenly, Meng Qi had a guess and softly asked, “Big Brother Gao, your target is the ‘Human Emperor Sword,’ or another divine relic?”

When mentioning the “Human Emperor Sword,” even Meng Qi, who was usually calm, couldn’t help but pause. This was a legendary symbol of humanity, an unparalleled divine weapon. In its prime, in the hands of the Human Emperor, no one could withstand its might.

In the Master of the Six Dao Reincarnation’s exchange list, there were several pages listing “peerless divine weapons,” but the first page only included ten items, among which was the Human Emperor Sword. The complete “Tathagata’s Divine Palm” was worth one million virtuous merits, while the Human Emperor Sword alone was worth nine hundred thousand!

Its value and power were evident!

“That’s right, you have sharp eyes,” Gao Lan said with a smile. “If Emperor Ai hadn’t discovered a clue about the Human Emperor Sword at the Dragon Platform, how could the ‘True Emperor Seal’ possibly carry a trace of its aura?”

“But wasn’t it destroyed by the Demon Buddha?” Meng Qi inhaled lightly.

Gao Lan stood with his hands behind his back, exuding grandeur and heroism, and said leisurely, “Even the Demon Buddha, for all his might, could at most match the Human Emperor. The true Dragon Platform and the Human Emperor Sword are not so easily destroyed!”

“Come on, I’ll show you the Dragon Platform.”

As he spoke, his aura gradually changed, extending infinitely, as if connecting with the entire land and sky.

Looking at him, Meng Qi seemed to see distant farmers working diligently, woodcutters chopping firewood, fishermen casting nets, paper being made, houses being built, smoke rising gently, luxurious silks being woven, martial artists training, and the whole world of mortals!

Gao Lan took a step forward, and the lake water naturally parted. Meng Qi quickly followed.

As they walked deeper, the water walls on both sides emitted shimmering lights, presenting a dreamlike scene.

Suddenly, Gao Lan raised his hand, and the “True Emperor Seal” flew out from Meng Qi’s embrace, exuding the aura of countless beings and embodying the feeling of kingship, before landing in Gao Lan’s hand.

Gao Lan lightly gripped it, and the world around them instantly changed. Meng Qi felt dizzy and could not control it. The surrounding lake water transformed into an ancient and solemn hall.

At the back of the hall was a corridor wide enough for only two people to walk side by side. On both sides were lampstands, burning warm yellow and red flames that seemed never to extinguish.

“Beyond this ancient Human Emperor Path lies the sword-forging platform,” Gao Lan said, holding the “True Emperor Seal,” without stopping his steps.

Then, he paused at the entrance of the ancient path, smiling, and said, “Young friend, let’s see how far you can go.”

“Huh?” Meng Qi was puzzled, but was then pushed forward by Gao Lan’s aura, stepping into the corridor.

As soon as he entered, he suddenly heard a series of voices and saw a series of scenes in his mind.

In the wild times, hunting beasts; in the turbulent ages, barely surviving; savage beasts thirsting for blood, demon clans cruel, evil spirits fierce, gods indifferent, humans fighting for survival relying only on themselves; forging ahead through thorns and blood, ending chaos, building cities and roads…

These scenes were as real as physical objects, heavy and oppressive, making Meng Qi tremble all over and struggle to move forward.

Suddenly, Meng Qi realized: how far one could advance on this ancient Human Emperor Path depended entirely on one’s own strength. A surge of defiance welled up within him. A pale golden radiance emerged as he fully activated the Eight-Nine Mysteries Art, stabilizing his body and significantly amplifying his power. With this newfound strength, he took another resolute step forward.

The pressure intensified, as if carrying a huge stone. Meng Qi couldn’t help but slightly bend his back. Ahead seemed like an impenetrable wall.

His inner energy surged rapidly, his muscles bulged, and his clothes tightened. Meng Qi gritted his teeth, his face contorted with effort, taking another step forward.

Creaking sounds filled his ears, as if his bones and muscles were groaning. It felt as though countless mountains pressed down from all directions, and even sweat could not seep out.

Meng Qi exerted himself to the utmost, painfully advancing half a step more, when his knees could no longer bear the weight, and his legs slowly bent.

“Not bad, to manage three and a half steps without opening the entrance…” Gao Lan’s slightly surprised voice rang in Meng Qi’s ears, and the oppressive pressure instantly vanished.

Only then did Meng Qi’s sweat pour out, drenching him like water. He turned his head and saw Gao Lan casually holding the “True Emperor Seal,” seemingly without effort.

Truly powerful! Before Meng Qi could express his admiration, he heard Gao Lan chuckle, “If one doesn’t cultivate a human Dao technique or possess a similarly powerful treasure, one can only rely on sheer strength to traverse this ancient Human Emperor Path. Unless the Demon Buddha reappears, the Human Emperor returns, the Celestial Emperor emerges again, or the Holy Buddha comes back, no one can reach the end.”

“The Nine Dao Lords couldn’t do it either?” Meng Qi instinctively asked.

“Yuan Shi, Ling Bao, and Dao De Tianzun currently have no authentic stories circulating about them; most are myths added later by descendants, so it’s hard to guess. Tianzun lords like Dang Mo and Guang Cheng were slightly inferior. They probably reached the end but couldn’t take that final step,” Gao Lan slightly frowned, deducing from ancient texts. “But I’ve never personally witnessed their peak strength, so I can’t be certain.”

The flickering flames bathed them in light, and Meng Qi’s fatigue from his earlier struggle gradually faded. Gao Lan paused for a moment before his aura changed again.

Sensing the shift, Meng Qi turned to look. Gao Lan now seemed dark and profound, filled with a sense of absolute stillness, like the beginning of the universe, when heaven and earth had just formed, and sun, moon, and stars existed, yet there was no vitality, everywhere a deathly silence.

Then, life suddenly emerged, intelligence was born, and tiny sparks of human Dao light flickered to life on different stars and in different worlds, connecting into a vast expanse, “illuminating” the dark universe, resisting the silence and death.

A single spark can start a prairie fire!

Human Dao power can conquer heaven!

“This aura, this feeling…” Meng Qi couldn’t help but marvel.

Gao Lan, holding the seal in his palm, leisurely stepped forward, and Meng Qi followed closely by his side, indeed feeling no pressure anymore.

After walking for a while, they saw remnants of verdant wood energy and the bright intent of the sun lingering on the left side of the ancient path, seamlessly connected.

“Dongyang Shenjun, he could only make it this far,” Gao Lan smiled, pointing to the lingering traces. “This corridor is quite unique; it can preserve the last aura for millions of years.”

Dongyang Shenjun? Meng Qi narrowed his eyes. Was this the Dongyang Shenjun who left behind the words, “Who am I, and who is me?” He had explored the Dragon Platform? Among the ranks of the Law Body, his strength didn’t seem particularly outstanding…

Meng Qi tried to find clues from the note, but here there were only faint traces left by the ancient path, not even enough for any insight. He had no choice but to continue forward with Gao Lan.

“Wu Dai Xuannü, the beloved of the Hegemon, took the Hegemon’s Supreme Blade back to the Su Nu Sect and then destroyed her own Yuan Shen to die,” Gao Lan’s tone was full of emotion, as if he had once had a similar red-haired confidante. “I didn’t expect her strength to be extraordinary, actually making it this far.”

Along the way, many residual auras remained. Gao Lan casually introduced to Meng Qi the parts he could identify, all of them being famous figures from the Middle Ancient era, commonly recorded in today’s texts.

Destroyed her own Yuan Shen to die? Meng Qi looked at that refined and elegant aura, as if it belonged to someone not of this world, quite shocked. Previously, when he heard Gu Xiaosang talk about the Hegemon, he had thought that Wu Dai Xuannü might actually have been in cahoots with the aristocratic sects, thus betraying the Hegemon. He never expected her to ultimately destroy herself for love.

Gao Lan’s expression became somewhat desolate, silently moving forward, only recovering after passing several residual auras and then chuckled, pointing to two trails on the left and right: “Two of the ancient sages from the Middle Ancient era.”

Not far ahead was the stone gate at the end; those who made it this far were all mighty and unfathomable.

One of the auras was immense, upright, and righteous. Meng Qi was very familiar with it—it was the aura of the Benevolent Sage. The other aura, if ignored, felt nothing, but when noticed, it slowly blossomed like a flower in one’s heart.

“This one must be the Benevolent Sage, the one who left behind the Benevolent Aura and the Nine Swords of the Sage. He is the Benevolent Sage. Haha, the Wang Clan of Zhou Prefecture inherited his teachings,” Gao Lan said, looking at the immense and righteous aura.

Meng Qi nodded slightly, recognizing it as well.

“This one is the Mind Sage, the one who believed that nothing exists outside the mind and that knowledge and action must be unified. The Changle Academy is his Dao lineage’s base. Unfortunately, most there are idle talkers of mind and nature, not nearly as good as the Wang Clan,” Gao Lan added with slight mockery.