Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 628: Chapter 632: The Boundless Ancient Path of the Starry Sky

The Stone Forest was vast, its rocks bizarre and uniquely shaped; some resembled a lying ox, others a green tiger, and still others a coiled phoenix.

Ahead lay a small marsh, all that remained of what was once a lake, now almost entirely dry. Could it be the Immortal Transformation Pool? Ye Fan was unsure; it seemed unlikely. How could an Immortal Pool dry up?

Siddhartha Gautama’s imprint was very clear, with a compassionate expression and solemn appearance, exuding the demeanor of a wise saint and an aura of compassion for the people.

He is said to be the World-Honored One, yet also said not to be. The traitor might be related to him. Some even say he is the demon shell of the Buddha…

He recalled the words of the little white-robed nun. Siddhartha Gautama had a rather uncommon status in this world. The reasons were complicated and still unclear to this day.

On Earth, any discussion of Buddhism inevitably involved Siddhartha Gautama. In this world, however, the situation was deeply ironic. This founder became a traitor, even an opposing demon.

“An elder from our Ji Family met one of Siddhartha Gautama’s top ten disciples more than a thousand years ago. At that time, that Buddha Son had just returned from overseas,” Ji Ziyue muttered softly.

Beyond the Five Great Domains lay an endless ocean dotted with countless islands. Some said there were Divine Islands in the vast sea, harboring unmatched masters, perhaps even ancient emperors who had passed away there.

Furthermore, some said that in an ocean far broader than the Five Great Domains, there might be Immortal Islands where deities were born.

The crux was that the overseas regions were immense—vast and boundless, far more expansive than the current Five Great Domains. No one could sail to its farthest reaches, and people held it in awe.

One of Siddhartha Gautama’s top ten disciples, returning from overseas… Ye Fan’s heart skipped a beat. He thought of An Miaoyi’s words. When she gave him the key tenets of the Nirvana Scripture, hadn’t she said something similar?

“How was that person’s cultivation base?” Pang Bo asked.

“Immeasurable. At that time, even a Grand Elder facing him couldn’t discern his depth, as if gazing into an abyss,” Ji Ziyue said. She had only learned of this recently.

“The noble Siddhartha Gautama, called the Buddha in another world, yet here he is a great traitor. It is indeed ironic,” Pang Bo shook his head.

Ye Fan pondered, thinking of the Buddhism of his homeland. Though it was attributed to Siddhartha Gautama as its founder, Buddhist disciples existed long before. Rather than creating it, he had propagated it.

Some ancient scriptures recorded that during his travels, Siddhartha Gautama witnessed Buddhist disciples harming their bodies in their practice, which he considered unorthodox. Thus, the Tathagata’s Method emerged.

Ye Fan gradually developed a bold association. Earth had a segment of obliterated history. Not to mention the most mysterious ancient palace, even ancient India had an extraordinary past.

If Buddhism existed early on, originating before Siddhartha Gautama, then could there have been Buddhist sages even earlier than the Tathagata, sages who were the first to use the Star Gates left by the ancients to reach Paramita?

If so, countless connections could be made! A corner of many mysteries might be unveiled.

Instantly, Ye Fan thought of “Paramita,” an extraordinary term in Buddhism.

Did Earth truly lose a segment of its records, obliterating a piece of history? Perhaps this lost history was extremely long, not merely a matter of thousands of years!

Of course, there was another possibility: that people of this world once traveled to Earth via the ancient path of the starry sky, establishing Buddhism, and later Siddhartha Gautama sought the Source, journeying to this place.

Ye Fan considered so many possibilities. The ancient path of the starry sky, endlessly distant, was surely not built by the inhabitants of just one or two Ancient Stars; it involved numerous starry skies. Where did the paths of the ancients lead?

“Look, the marks he left here are very intricate, composed of almost invisible, strange characters,” Li Heishui said.

Several people gathered around, all secretly shocked. Many small characters were densely packed. Even using Divine Eyes made them difficult to see, as they were too tiny, yet they combined to form a human-shaped figure.

“It’s Sanskrit!” Pang Bo said. He and Ye Fan exchanged glances. This was the script of ancient India, and they couldn’t recognize a single word of it.

No wonder, Ye Fan mused. He left marks at the Holy Cliff, and here too there is Sanskrit, recorded in text, left for later generations.

Last time, I was too careless and didn’t fully examine the marks on the Holy Cliff, which were formed by numerous small, converging characters. It must have been left for people from ancient India.

Did they anticipate that people in later ages would follow their footsteps? Were these meant to guide the way? Where have they gone now?

Ye Fan and Pang Bo squatted there, eyes wide, their hearts itching with curiosity. This was writing left by the Tathagata, likely containing secrets of the starry sky, yet they couldn’t recognize any of it.

Why Sanskrit!? The two men wordlessly questioned the heavens.

In that distant past, Earth produced more than one Buddha; at least in the same era, there was another ancient person of great wisdom.

Two thousand five hundred years ago, in the ancient palace, there was a contention of a hundred schools of thought, and sages of all kinds emerged, each exceptionally talented and leaving an indelible mark in the annals of history.

Regardless of others, Laozi alone was enough to rival the Buddha. Siddhartha Gautama was a divine being with great divine abilities; undoubtedly, Laozi, who possessed great wisdom, was also such a person, both human and divine.

They quickly stood up and impatiently moved over to another set of imprints. An elder riding a Green Bull leisurely headed west, seeming indifferent and beyond worldly cares.

Indeed, it was also formed by small carved characters, combined to create this Green Ox Carrying Saint Map, meant to guide and explain the way for later generations.

These two ancients certainly wouldn’t have left imprints randomly. They likely knew that successors would follow and so recorded the paths they had traveled.

“Quick, see what’s written here,” Pang Bo urged; he couldn’t recognize a single word.

Although Ye Fan had some familiarity with ancient texts, he also frowned at this moment. A few characters were Bell and Cauldron script, and some were even oracle bone script.

Not just he, but even elderly scholars deeply versed in these scripts, couldn’t read them word by word. On Earth, neither of these scripts has been completely deciphered.

‘West of Han Valley…’ This was the only continuous phrase he could make out. Other characters and words were fragmented, such as ‘Great Emperor,’ ‘ancient path,’ ‘domain,’ ‘Immortal,’ ‘Ziwei Ancient Star,’ and ‘Gouchen.’

“This old man is truly extraordinary. He went west of Han Valley and eventually entered the starry sky,” Pang Bo was speechless.

Ancient Books record: “Laozi headed west; Yin Xi, the gatekeeper, saw Purple Qi from the East floating over the pass, and Laozi indeed rode past on a green bull.”

The last time Laozi appeared in the ancient palace was at Han Valley. Purple Qi came from the East, and he left behind five thousand words of wisdom, recorded by Yin Xi, after which he was never seen in the world again.

Ye Fan also sighed deeply. On the other end of the starry sky, he had never deeply pondered Laozi’s fate, merely considering him a wise ancient figure. Now, however, he had to admit that Laozi was a cultivator who had entered the starry sky and reached Paramita.

Buddha and Laozi lived in almost the same era, both figures from two thousand five hundred years ago. Is this a coincidence?

“They followed the Star Gates left by ancient people into the starry sky…” Ye Fan murmured to himself.

Over two thousand years ago, Earth’s numerous sages came into being around the same time, their appearances close to synchronous. Is this mere coincidence, or is there some hidden mystery?

This world has Buddhism, but not the Buddhism of Siddhartha Gautama. Respecting Amitabha was still understandable, as this notion also existed on Earth.

However, this world also had Taoism, yet it wasn’t Laozi’s Tao, making its origins difficult to trace.

“Who founded Taoism?” Ye Fan couldn’t resist asking.

“It’s too complex. Taoism’s masters are like idle clouds or wild cranes. They leave behind doctrines and secret arts but, unlike Buddhism, do not form a cohesive whole. It is too scattered to trace its origin,” Ji Haoyue responded, shaking his head.

Regarding Taoism, not just in this world but even on the other side of the starry sky, it’s difficult to pinpoint when it began.

When talking about Taoism, one must mention the teachings of Huang and Lao. Mentioning Huang and Lao pushes the timeline even further back.

Laozi was a figure from two thousand five hundred years ago, whereas “Huang” of Huang-Lao was a figure from over four thousand, close to five thousand, years ago.

The Taoism named by later generations can, in fact, be traced infinitely backward through the vast river of history, its ultimate origin difficult to determine.

Laozi left few traces in this world. If he followed the ancient path of the starry sky, where did he ultimately go?

The Star Gates left by ancient people lead to endless, distant unknowns. Where is the endpoint? Ye Fan didn’t know, but he felt this world wasn’t the end; Ancient Stars lay beyond.

Within the huge bronze coffin was an engraved map; he and Pang Bo had once seen it with their own eyes. It depicted a resplendent starry sky, with Earth and Beidou as mere corners, suggesting a broader path lay ahead.

Two thousand five hundred years ago, sages emerged spectacularly—an era of true brilliance… Ye Fan mused to himself.

Given that Laozi and Buddha were nearly divine, how could the other stunningly talented figures of that same period have been mere mortals?

Regrettably, it was like the final fireworks of an era. Since then, divinities gradually faded, and any that remained were artificially created.

Could it be that two thousand five hundred years ago, Earth’s last cohort of ancient sages decided to leave their homeland together, journeying along the ancient path of the starry sky…?

In the ancient palace, the Ziwei Ancient Star, and the Four Symbols and Twenty-Eight Star Domains formed part of a grand celestial map. Would the ancient path of the starry sky require passage through each of these, and where was its endpoint?

Long before Laozi, seventy-two ancient kings had performed consecration ceremonies at Mt. Tai. Had they perhaps entered the starry sky even earlier, already reaching its end?

“The people of Ancient Times lived past one hundred years of age, yet their movements did not falter…” What period was the Yellow Emperor referring to as ‘Ancient Times’?

To modern people, the Yellow Emperor, a figure from four to five thousand years ago, is considered ancient. What sort of period were the ‘Ancient Times’ he lamented?

The ancient palace… how many of its stories have been obliterated? It’s very possible that a vast ancient history lies sealed away in the annals of time. When will it be unveiled?

Ye Fan pondered deeply, filled with infinite longing and speculative thoughts. Within this magnificent starry sky, how many Ancient Stars teeming with life could there be?

Could the constellations spoken of in the ancient palace serve as enlightenment, representing a more profound meaning?

Earth, Red Wanderer, Ziwei… one Ancient Star after another—where is the origin, and where is the endpoint?

What significance does this ancient path hold? To what destination does it lead? What kind of place is it?

Are the nine dragons pulling the coffin carrying warriors returning to their homeland after death in battle, or are they on a purposeless journey?

The five-colored altar, the nine dragons traversing the dark and cold Heavenly Universe, its origin unknown, its path forward unknown… Who or what was it escorting? Would it set sail again one day?