“Brother, as expected, you saw through it at first glance.”
Luo Yexian nodded, confirming Li Mo’s statement.
Tan Zhuyin and the other Huanmo Sect members watched intently below, as if they wanted to know if there were any changes after the Dream God sensed the power of the multitude.
Unfortunately, there were none.
Well, in truth, they couldn’t see much on their own either.
The Huanmo Sect was not a sect that studied the principles of yin-yang, the five elements, and geomancy.
The information they had was researched by the Yin Yang Hall before.
However, the Yin Yang Hall had a young prodigy whose rising star threatened Tan Zhuyin’s position as the holy son.
Of course, Tan Zhuyin and his group wouldn’t wait for someone else to explore together.
They could only turn their gaze back to Li Mo.
Li Mo smiled wryly, “You’ve discovered this place for quite some time; haven’t you figured out any of its mysteries?”
“That’s why we want to seek your advice, Immortal.”
Tan Zhuyin’s eyes stopped Luo Yexian from speaking.
Li Mo pretended to be pondering over the chess game.
In fact, he was listening to the voice transmitted from Taiyin’s divine will via Bing Tuizi:
“This place has been arranged with great skill, using the aura of the mountain peaks as pieces, gathering the essence of thousands of years of spiritual energy from this feng shui treasure land.”
“If we don’t break this setup, venturing deeper would result in being devoured by the spiritual energy.”
“But at the same time, the spiritual energy also nourishes celestial treasures or perhaps great dangers.”
As he listened, Black Earth Immortal recounted.
The hint of a smile in his eyes grew more pronounced.
From Bing Tuizi’s tone, it was clear this setup was difficult to break.
No wonder these sect members looked at Luokē Mountain Range with not just anticipation but also a heavy sense of trepidation.
The Huanmo Sect had clearly investigated this place multiple times.
But evidently, each attempt ended fruitlessly, likely encountering numerous obstacles.
“Black Earth Brother, let me tell you the truth,” Luo Yexian said after receiving a signal from Tan Zhuyin.
“A long time ago, our sect attempted to send people into Luokē Mountain Range, but no matter which direction they went, they always ended up in front of a massive chessboard.”
“If they didn’t play and tried to force their way through, they would be devoured by the spiritual energy.”
“If they played… the outcome wasn’t much better.”
Luo Yexian explained patiently.
According to the records of the sect, the Yin Yang Hall once had a powerful practitioner who excelled in the yin-yang and five elements techniques, and was unparalleled in chess. He once played against the prime minister of Da Yu for three days and nights, ultimately winning by two stones and earning the title ‘Chess Sage.’
This predecessor, carrying the title of Chess Sage, confidently challenged Luokē Mountain.
He was gone for seven years.
When this Chess Sage returned, his body was drained, nearly mad, muttering incessantly about ‘breaking the setup.’
Moreover, from his words, it could be inferred that he wasn’t the first to come to Luokē Mountain as a chess master.
The higher the chess skill, the deeper one was trapped. Among them, even the bones of an unknown person who had died many years ago were still there, eternally playing like a ‘chess slave.’
“Bing Tuizi, do you have confidence in breaking this setup?”
Li Mo wanted to go home for the New Year; he didn’t want to be stuck here for ten days, let alone ten years.
“This setup is indeed unpredictable.”
“Is it difficult?”
Bing Tuizi paused, then continued with a clear voice,
“Well, I might not win by too much.”
“…”
So, Bing Tuizi wasn’t thinking about whether they could win but how much they could win?
This damned sense of security!
Fortunately, Bing Tuizi was reliable.
Otherwise, if he said ‘slightly intervene’ and then arrived to say ‘sorry for the disturbance, I’m helpless,’ his image as a Heavenly Venerable’s disciple and Black Earth Immortal would plummet.
“Haha, have you never heard that heaven never seals off all paths! How much more so for a chess game.”
Black Earth Immortal crossed his arms and gazed at the star-studded mountain range below, his tone filled with strong confidence.
After hearing the story, he was not afraid but seemed finally to spark some interest.
“You can break this setup?!”
The Huanmo Sect’s holy son’s eyes flashed with intense light.
“Try to win as many points as possible.”
“!!!”
The sect members exchanged glances.
A chess setup that had baffled the Huanmo Sect for thousands of years, and the opponent hadn’t even considered losing?
“However… my master needs some of the multitude’s power recently…”
Immortal’s voice changed.
Luo Yexian immediately understood this was about personal favors. He glanced at Tan Zhuyin for confirmation.
Tan Zhuyin quickly calculated and nodded.
“If you truly break this setup, our Divine Sect will owe you a huge favor and naturally repay it.”
Power of the multitude could be collected again.
Which choice was more important, even a fool would know.
“Please proceed.”
Tan Zhuyin stepped down from his sedan chair and personally invited him.
“Oh, you understand.”
Li Mo looked relieved, a look of approval from elders.
To be a senior was truly satisfying.
Tan Zhuyin: “…”
He felt he was being taken advantage of but had no evidence.
And what did Luo Yexian mean by those envious looks?
Thus, the group entered Luokē Mountain Range.
Instantly, mist rose, obscuring everything. The mist seemed to block even consciousness. They couldn’t tell where they were.
Moreover, the dense fog made it impossible to determine directions, regardless of how good one’s sense of direction was.
Fortunately, moonlight still penetrated.
The group remained calm, knowing it didn’t matter which way they went, they’d end up in the same place.
Besides, none of them knew how to play chess, so they weren’t worried about getting trapped.
In the eyes of the sect members, the only one who might get trapped was Li Mo.
But they didn’t know that Li Mo wasn’t even a novice at chess; he might understand five-stone chess a little.
Little Li Immortal was responsible for appearances.
Cold Fairy handled the chess skills.
One managed externally, the other internally; working together made the job easier.
Bing Tuizi just needed to think about how to win, while Little Li had more to consider.
“Win beautifully.”
Li Mo touched the Spiritual Pearl of the Mirage God in his pocket.
Half an hour later.
After passing through layers of fog, the scene suddenly opened up. Besides the moonlight, the stars above seemed to shine brighter, illuminating the scene in front of them.
A large, ancient chessboard lay flat on the ground, with black and white pieces intertwined yet chaotic.
The chessboard was vast, like a square.
Li Mo recognized the layout of the pieces as the distribution of mountains outside Luokē Mountain Range.
Not just the chessboard, but many skeletons sitting in place.
“Those should be the predecessors of the Yin Yang Hall…”
A Huanmo member recognized the clothes on one of the skeletons!
Clearly, they were once extraordinary, having died unknown years ago, yet their clothes remained uncorrupted.
Li Mo swept his divine eye over the scene.
It was certain that these chess masters were long dead, and their deaths spanned different periods, evident from the era-specific features of their clothes.
“This place must have existed since the late Shang Dynasty and early Yu Dynasty,” Li Mo judged.
“These strong ones won’t revive…”
Luo Yexian and Han Zhen, after spending time together, always felt these long-dead people might suddenly stand up…
Just as he spoke.
Clatter—
Green flames flickered in the empty eye sockets of the skeletons, and they all stood up.
In unison, they turned their gaze toward the crowd.
As if waiting for a grand chess match.
“Sss…” Luo Yexian’s scalp tingled.
Tan Zhuyin’s face twitched slightly, bl**d color appearing, his neck covered with thin scales, faint dragon aura emanating.
“What happened?”
Li Mo did not act rashly.
After being told by the person in the moon, he felt relieved and said lightly,
“Don’t worry, these skeletons are harmless.”
“They are merely long dead, sustained by the spiritual energy, with a lingering obsession that hasn’t dissipated.”
“They simply… died hoping to see this setup broken.”
…
