Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 346 - The Chessboard of the Imperial Platform (1)

The fallen Soul Dream Master from the legends appeared in the Golden Gate Ruins’ great hall. Could it be that he had also been here?

Tian Fangfang said casually, “Looks like this is a blessed land. So many great figures have been here? Should we all take another look? Maybe we’ll recognize a few familiar faces.”

As if to confirm his words, a voice immediately spoke up.

“Isn’t this the War Emperor Wu Lie? It’s definitely him! I’ve seen his portrait before. This set of Taixu armor is unique in all of Douzhou!”

“This seems to be Qingyuan Tianzun. Back then, Tianzun fought against ancient monsters to protect the people and lost his eyesight, but in doing so, he awakened the Heavenly Eye and was able to perceive the heavenly secrets. They say he disappeared many years ago, but it seems he was also here. The likeness is so accurate.”

Rong Shuang walked up to a figurine of a woman and stopped. This woman looked strikingly beautiful, her long hair arranged into a sleek updo, with a bright red forehead band, a radiant and cheerful smile, and she was riding a golden phoenix, gazing at everyone with vibrant energy.

“Fairy Yuling.” Rong Shuang was slightly moved.

Zanxing felt a stir in her heart.

She knew Fairy Yuling was the most skilled Beast Master in Douzhou, able to control all beasts. She was also the one who revitalized the once dilapidated Spirit Beast Sect..

Douzhou had not heard news of Fairy Yuling for a long time. It was said that she was swallowed by the Immortal Dragon while controlling it, leaving no trace behind.

If a Beast Master did not ascend, they would likely perish due to this, and others would have no way of knowing if the news was true or not. In the vast expanse of Douzhou, with its numerous people, the appearance and disappearance of one person did not hold much significance. A single stone thrown into a deep pond would hardly stir any ripples.

But what if it were one stone, ten stones, a hundred stones, or even a thousand stones?

The hall was filled with densely packed figurines, occupying every corner of the otherwise empty space. The figurines, with their distinct features and expressions, were vividly lifelike, making it seem as though hundreds of great figures were gathered here, engaging in animated discussions.

“What exactly is this place?” Rong Shuang murmured.

Why are the missing or ascended great figures of Douzhou all represented here by these figurines? Some of these figurines were people they recognized, while others were unfamiliar, but what was certain was that these individuals must have had formidable cultivation levels. Each one, if they were to step out, would be a genius capable of shaking an entire realm.

Perhaps, they were the closest geniuses to the upper realms.

The pillars at the four corners of the hall firmly supported the azure sky. At the forefront, there stood a square stone tablet shaped like a sword. The tablet was entirely jade white, inscribed with two golden words: Ascension Platform.

The characters had been carved with an elegant style, giving the impression that one could effortlessly ascend to immortality.

“Ascension Platform?” Bu Jiang pondered. “Could this place have been the site of ascension? Were all these people those who had ascended? Did they all come here before ascending?”

If the connection between the human world and the immortal realm was the Golden Gate Ruins, then just as a carp had to leap over the Dragon Gate to become a dragon, those who ascended had to first come here.

“That’s not right,” Gu Baiying had pointed out. “There isn’t a single name on this stone tablet.”

Zanxing’s gaze had sharpened.

She had seen a similar merit tablet in Li’er Country, which recorded the achievements of past rulers. But the Ascension Platform’s tablet was completely blank.

Was this a nameless tablet?

Could it be that none of them had ascended?

But if they hadn’t ascended, why had they left their figurines here? Was there some invisible danger before the Ascension Platform? Were they just a step away from ascension, yet had failed and could not achieve their great path?

The sound of water had seemed to grow louder.

The torrents falling from the Nine Heavens had turned into ephemeral dust within the hall, leaving no trace of water. Yet Zanxing felt an unusual warm current flowing through her heart and limbs. This warmth was strikingly similar to the sensation coming from above, and the summoned feeling grew stronger.

The silver lion beside her suddenly growled lowly, having seemingly detected something, and leapt away from Zanxing’s feet.

Startled, Zanxing took a step back, landing precisely in an empty square in the hall.

All the squares had been filled with cultivator figurines, except for the one Zanxing was standing on, which had been entirely empty.

In that instant, the clouds above darkened.

It had been as if all light had suddenly faded, like the colors on an ink wash painting being roughly wiped away. An endless blackness surged around, dark clouds rolled over the group, and within the azure sky, countless brilliant stars emerged.

The sky above suddenly transformed into a night sky.

Countless brilliant stars filled the darkened heavens, the long wind stirring the flames and illuminating the world.

The cosmos was extraordinary, with countless stars drifting and sinking.

The rivers and the starry sky melded into one.

“This is…” Fu Ronghua gasped.

Those beautiful golden lights burning in the night sky, upon closer inspection, were not stars but golden chess pieces.

Amidst the profound silence, the Nine Heavens turned into a vast, boundless chessboard hidden above the heads of the crowd.

The twinkling stars were all pieces on the chessboard, arranged in an intricate pattern. They floated in the darkness, sharply observing the people below.

“This place… is the Chessboard of the Imperial Platform,” Rong Shuang had murmured.

Was this the Chessboard of the Imperial Platform?

Was this the same celestial chess game from ancient times, where gods had made bets and cultivators had won the divine formula for water control?

The chessboard, or rather the starry sky, quietly enveloped the crowd, boundless and eternal. Since ancient times, it had remained unchanged. Regardless of the changing tides of the world, the stars in the long night remained constant, always brilliant and dazzling.

The Chessboard of the Imperial Platform had been found.

The crowd stared in awe at the sky above, the starlight from ancient times filling them with an overwhelming reverence. It was as if the brilliance of the chessboard was so dazzling that it was hard to look directly at.

Zanxing felt the lingering aura within her suddenly resonate infinitely at this moment. From the dark waves in the night sky, where no starlight reached, a golden stream of light delicately fell upon her, quickly penetrating her body. As soon as the golden light flowed into her, countless surges of vitality spread throughout her.

She saw everything.

She saw the rivers cascading down across Douzhou. She saw the Lixiu River beneath Gufeng Mountain, with its tides retreating. She saw the people desperately climbing higher to escape, and the once flourishing cities now shattered and sunken in the lake by the monstrous waves.

She saw a mother cradling her child, helplessly weeping as she gazed at the ruins of her home.

She saw farmers unwilling to abandon their fields, ultimately being swept away by the flood along with their old, immobile ox.

She also saw Gufeng Mountain and Heishi City, once thought to be indestructible, now reduced to insignificant specks in the monstrous waves.

In the sky, countless people’s spiritual energy transformed into invisible streams of water, flowing incessantly into the chessboard, like small streams merging into the ocean, unstoppable.

Zanxing closed her eyes.

The golden light within her seemed to finally locate the presence of the Xiao Yuan Pearl. Suddenly, a brilliant light burst from her body, enveloping her like dancing dust, making her appear as a star amidst the heavens.

Beneath her were the empty squares of the chessboard, above her was the grand celestial chessboard.

“Zanxing…” Gu Baiying’s brow twitched.

The woman stood at the center of the world, her long hair lifted by the gentle night wind, as if the ages had always been this way, or as if she had always been destined to stand here.

This position was made for her.

She had become the brightest star in this vast, boundless sky.

She had become a piece on the chessboard.