Chapter 349
“However... Master needs some power from the sentient beings lately...”
The voice of the immortal shifted its tone.
Luo Yexian immediately understood; this was a request for human resources. He exchanged a glance with Tan Zhuyin, seeking confirmation.
Tan Zhuyin quickly calculated in his mind and nodded, saying, “If you truly break this deadlock, our sect will owe you a tremendous favor, and naturally, we should return the kindness.”
The power from sentient beings could always be collected again.
It was clear which was more important; even a fool would know how to choose.
“Please, go ahead.”
Tan Zhuyin stepped down from the soft sedan and personally invited him.
“Oh, look who’s being considerate.”
Li Mo wore a look of satisfaction, as if he were an elder pleased with a younger’s progress.
To be honest, being an elder felt quite nice.
Tan Zhuyin: “...”
He felt like he was being taken advantage of, but he had no evidence to prove it.
Moreover, why was Luo Yexian looking at him with such envy?
Thus, the group entered the Lankao Mountain Range.
Suddenly, a thick white mist surged up, obscuring everything. The mist seemed impenetrable, even to the soul, leaving them utterly unaware of their location.
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With the mist so dense, even the best sense of direction would be useless in distinguishing north from south.
Fortunately, the moonlight still managed to filter through.
The group felt somewhat reassured and didn’t panic.
After all, no matter which way they went, they would end up in the same place.
And none of them knew how to play chess, so they weren’t worried about getting trapped inside.
In the eyes of the people from the Demon Sect, the only one who might get stuck in there was Li Mo.
But they didn’t know that Li Mo wasn’t even a bad chess player; he might understand a bit about Gomoku (five-in-a-row).
Little Li, the immortal, was responsible for the face-saving work.
The Ice Fairy was in charge of the chess skills.
One handled the external matters, while the other took care of the internal, a perfect male-female pairing that made the work less tiring.
The Ice Fairy only needed to think about how to win the game, while Little Li had to consider much more.
“Make sure to win in style.”
Li Mo touched the Shenshen Lingzhu (Spirit Pearl) in his arms.
Half an hour later.
As they passed through layers of mist, the scene before them suddenly became clear. Besides the moonlight, it seemed the stars in the sky had also brightened significantly, illuminating the surroundings.
A large, ancient chessboard lay flat on the ground, with black and white pieces clearly defined yet entangled.
The chessboard was enormous, resembling a plaza.
Li Mo recognized that the arrangement of the pieces mirrored the distribution of the mountains outside in the Lankao Mountain Range.
Not only was there the chessboard, but there were also many corpses sitting cross-legged around it.
“That must be a senior from the Yin Yang Hall…”
One of the Demon Sect members recognized the clothing of a corpse!
Clearly, this person had been extraordinary in life; they had died many years ago, yet their garments had not decayed.
Li Mo used his Tianming Shenyang (Heavenly Fate Divine Eye) to take a glance.
What he could confirm was that these chess masters who had passed away were undoubtedly long gone, and they had died at different times, as evidenced by the characteristics of their clothing.
“This place must have existed since the early days of the Shang Dynasty,” Li Mo deduced.
“Those strong ones won’t revive, will they…”
Luo Yexian felt uneasy after spending too much time with Tan Zhuyin, fearing that these long-dead individuals might suddenly stand up...
Just as the thought crossed his mind.
Suddenly—
From the hollow eye sockets of those corpses, a flicker of green flame erupted, and one by one, they stood up.
In unison, they turned their gazes toward the group.
It was as if they were waiting for an exciting game of chess.
“Yikes…” Luo Yexian felt a chill run down his spine.
Tan Zhuyin’s face turned pale, thin scales covering his neck, a hint of dragon might seeping through.
“What’s going on?”
Li Mo didn’t act rashly.
After the person in the moonlight informed him, he felt relieved and said calmly, “No need to worry; these corpses are harmless.”
“They’ve just been dead for many years, nourished by the spiritual energy, and a single obsession remains in their hearts.”
“They simply... want to see this game resolved before they can rest.”
...
PS: Tomorrow school and work start again, so everyone should get some rest. Mwah!
When the audience remembers this book and comes back to check, Little Pujie will still be waiting for everyone, hehe.
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Chapter 382: Who Says They Haven’t Watched “Gomoku Youth”
As the moon reached its zenith, the stars illuminated the chessboard and the pieces, each as large as a grinding stone.
Surrounding the chessboard were the skeletal remains of chess masters, which didn’t seem eerie but rather exuded a sense of solemnity.
These remains had been powerful in life, at least at the outer realm level; otherwise, they would have long since vanished.
Under their watchful gaze, an invisible gravity filled the air.
The scene was silent; the members of the Demon Sect held their breath, looking toward Li Mo, who stood with his hands behind his back.
Li Mo stood before the chessboard, seemingly waiting for something. In reality, he was pondering what kind of special effects to create during the game to make it look more like a battle of great powers.
At the same time, he was waiting for the Ice Fairy to comprehend the chess situation.
“Can Brother Heitu break this deadlock?”
Luo Yexian wiped the sweat from his brow. He had glanced at the chess situation below and felt a dizzying sensation, as if his soul were shaking, so he quickly averted his gaze.
“Let’s hope so,” Tan Zhuyin replied, not looking at the chessboard.
As long as they didn’t play chess, they would be sent out after a while. The trouble lay with those who were skilled yet not capable enough to break the deadlock.
He had promised to use the power from sentient beings to thank the other party, but that was after the fact, so there was no loss either way.
“The Gomoku youth is determined to move forward, discussing the Dao on the board, the energy flows with the heavens~~”
“Practice~ practice~”
“Who’s singing? We’re playing chess here; can’t you be a bit more serious??”
Luo Yexian frowned, scanning the group of Demon Sect priests.
The members of the Demon Sect exchanged glances, but they all wore hoods, hiding their faces, making it impossible to tell who was singing.
“Sorry, in this situation, I couldn’t help myself…”
Li Mo cleared his throat.
He hadn’t meant to sing out loud; it just slipped out.
“Good, well sung! As expected of Brother Heitu, a single verse captures the peril and mystery of the game!”
Luo Yexian led the applause.
As he clapped, the other Demon Sect members followed suit, as if they had already won before the game even began.
They had already overwhelmed their opponent with sheer momentum!
Though they had no idea who that opponent was...
Tan Zhuyin: “...”
Li Mo: “...”
Old Luo was just too eager to improve; why join the Demon Sect when he could take the imperial examination and become an official?
“Ice Fairy, are you ready?”
“Mm, let’s go.”
Receiving the Ice Fairy’s affirmative response, Li Mo stepped onto the stone platform before the massive chessboard, looking down.
He wore a calm expression, as he didn’t understand the intricacies of Go.
The powerful skeletal remains gazed at him, and Li Mo exuded a strong confidence.
After all!
Standing behind him now was the Phoenix Empress, the Ice Fairy!
He grasped the Shenshen Lingzhu tightly!
Thud—
A sound of footsteps echoed as an old man ascended the stone platform opposite him, exuding an ethereal aura.
“Hmm? Could this be... the Chess Spirit?”
Luo Yexian murmured.
Tan Zhuyin frowned seriously: “The sect’s records never mentioned the existence of a Chess Spirit here…”
Looking at the unfamiliar ‘Chess Spirit Elder,’ the two exchanged glances, both thinking.
Could it be that the Chess Spirit had existed all along, but no one’s chess skills had been able to attract its attention? Now that Brother Heitu had arrived, the Chess Spirit had no choice but to reveal itself?
Well, it was normal for them to be unfamiliar.
After all, they hadn’t watched “Gomoku Youth”...
If the Chess Spirit truly existed, it would be just as confused; it hadn’t even made its entrance yet, so who was that old man?
“Please.”
The elder clasped his hands in greeting, taking the black pieces.
“Please.”
Li Mo nodded lightly, taking the white pieces.
With the white and black pieces, he now faced a ten-point disadvantage.
In Qinghe County.
Ying Bing observed the chessboard through the Taiyin Divine Intent, taking in the entire situation.
Before her lay a chessboard, identical to the one thousands of miles away.
“Li Mo, just play the moves I tell you; whatever you do, don’t make a mistake.”
This game was fraught with traps; a decent player would usually think they needed to save the white pieces in the lower left corner to turn the tide.
But the more they tried to save them, the deeper they would sink into the quagmire, leading to total defeat.
This ten-point gap had to be reclaimed through fierce battles in the heartland...
“Nine rows, thirteen columns, jump.”
Li Mo spoke simultaneously.
Snap—
A point of starlight suddenly illuminated the chessboard, causing that square to glow white, a pillar of light shooting up into the sky!
It nearly blinded the members of the Demon Sect.
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