With an explosion of effects that could put any over-the-top action scene to shame, Li Mo pondered a crucial question. He thought about that so-called “Dream God,” who had just helped the Huanmo Sect break the chessboard’s stalemate, suspected to have attacked Ying Bing.
But helping the Sect recover its ancestral god? Now that was a whole other dilemma.
You see, the laws of Da Yu explicitly forbid involvement with the demonic sect.
Of course, laws are one thing.
Li Mo didn’t want to become an accomplice to tyranny.
“Seven Rows and Twelve Columns, are you up to no good again?” Ying Bing whispered as she pointed out the moves, noticing that Little Li may just have a bold idea brewing.
“What do you mean ‘again’?”
Li Mo coughed lightly and explained in his head:
“With such ties to the Huanmo Sect, that Dream God can’t possibly be a good entity. If we let it return to the Sect, wouldn’t that just puff up the Sect’s arrogance? Plus, upon his return, he might leverage the Sect’s powers against you!”
“What do you propose?”
“To solve any problem, usually, there are two effective methods,” Li Mo said while holding the Shenzhu, looking all mysterious and “Ying Bing-ish.”
“And those two are?”
“First, eliminate the one posing the problem. But this Dream God seems formidable. If we clash directly, we might be the ones getting eliminated….”
Li Mo shook his head and placed a piece on the board as Ying Bing guided him.
Ying Bing glanced down for a moment, slightly nodding.
She understood that the one online now wasn’t the naive Little Li but a reliable version instead.
“What’s the second method?”
“The second is to make a big fuss about it!”
“?”
“All we have to do is let more people know there’s a legendary inheritance from the Cloud Grasping Mountain, and it’ll surely attract the attention of powerful beings from Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Even if we venture into the Mountain, it’ll be much safer!”
“If that’s the case, the stuff in the inheritance…”
“I don’t care!”
Li Mo replied with such certainty it was as if he’d just issued a royal decree.
As long as Ying Bing was okay, why worry about those trifling matters?
“……”
Ying Bing’s cold eyes flickered like ripples on the surface of still water.
She did indeed want to explore Cloud Grasping Mountain.
But for her, what mattered wasn’t those external things, but the roots of the Ying family’s past.
“Guess I’ll fool around with you one more time….”
She delicately picked up a white piece.
Meanwhile, across the thousands of miles, Li Mo placed his piece at the same moment.
Both their pieces landed on their respective boards at once.
Slap—
The sound echoed clean and pleasant.
In the vast sky, a white aura dragon bit down on a black, murky dragon’s neck; countless divine intentions surged forth. In the hollow eyes of the bone remnants, spiritual lights flared, feelings of release and liberation flooding through.
“What a brilliant configuration, impeccable calculation, such great moves!”
“Thinking I wouldn’t see this game resolved after d*ath—what a relief!”
“To set up a dead end and then play—when I was younger, I was just lacking the resolve!”
One after another, the bone remnants bowed deeply to Li Mo, their spiritual essence dissipating entirely.
Li Mo returned the gesture, then stood with his hands behind his back.
The powerful beings lowered their heads in submission. He stood atop the chessboard, his azure robes billowing like a celestial being descending from the heavens!
His aloof demeanor remained unchanged, as though what just happened was merely a casual act.
“Really need to practice the art of arrangement more.”
Speedy moves!
Stylish poses!
Even managed to give himself visual effects.
Who wouldn’t be dazzled by this?
—
Luo Yexian’s scalp prickled. Who else could be the mastermind behind the arrangements but their ancestral god?! What did his brother Black Earth mean by this?
“Dream God, you’ve still got some practicing to do!”
This was talking back at him in a peer-to-peer tone!
“Years of traps, really broken…”
Tan Zhuyin, the Holy Son of the Huanmo Sect, trembled, his hands shaking from excitement, as flashes of possibility ran through his mind.
He visualized himself obtaining the inheritance, then defeating Jiang Yu, becoming the top tier among the Huanmo Sect, and entering Wanxiang Xianzong as a being on par with the Black Earth Immortal…
“Immortal, here’s a small token of my gratitude, meant as courtesy!”
Without hesitation, Tan Zhuyin brought out an eight-armed Bodhisattva statue.
The mystical power swirling around it was nearly tangible. Although it was a hodgepodge, it would definitely yield enough after using the Tower of Thousand Colors to refine it.
The Holy Son of the Huanmo Sect felt a pinch in his heart but thought that compared to the inheritance left behind by the Dream God, this cosmic power was nothing.
Besides, he didn’t feel he could blackmail Li Mo for this.
“This nephew of mine is quite understanding.”
Li Mo waved his sleeve and pocketed the statue, then spoke slowly:
“If that’s the case, let me give you a piece of advice: steer clear of that inheritance location for now.”
“?”
Tan Zhuyin was stunned.
As soon as he finished speaking—
Boom!—
The earth trembled, and the ground shook violently, as if the world was flipping upside down and bringing with it a cataclysm!
“What is…?”
“This chessboard is connected to Cloud Grasping Mountain; it has accumulated thousands of years’ worth of spiritual energy, preventing outsiders from entering. Now that the chess game is broken, that spiritual energy will naturally return to the world. Even if I wanted to sneak a peek, I wouldn’t choose this moment.”
“How long will this spiritual energy be dispersed?”
The Holy Son’s expression changed.
“At least until after New Year’s.”
Because Little Li wanted to enjoy the holiday in peace.
Truth be told, the spiritual energy could finish dissipating today.
But Li Mo planned to keep the effects going, adding a bit of spice to it…
Having heard Li Mo, Tan Zhuyin no longer doubted his words, frowning as he remarked, “When others gather here later, it could create even more variables.”
“This place is left by your sect’s ancestral god; didn’t he just awaken? Afraid of it being snatched by outsiders?”
“Hmm… you’re right,” Li Mo nodded, seeing dawn was approaching, casually finding an excuse to take his leave.
Luo Yexian hurriedly offered to send him off, and by the time Tan Zhuyin came back to his senses, Li Mo had already used his cloud-somersault technique, zooming away without a trace.
“Truly a celestial being.”
Luo Yexian exclaimed in awe, “Oh, next time you might even meet your great aunt! She’s even more stunning than Ying Bing, making the Hundred Rankings lose their luster.”
“Oh? How does she compare to Ying Bing?”
“Each has their merits.”
“Seems like none of them are ordinary…”
…
Li Mo returned to Qinghe County that very day, tossing the eight-armed Bodhisattva statue into the Tower of Thousand Colors. Then, every morning thereafter, he added a new task to his list.
A special effects explosion at Cloud Grasping Mountain.
Ying Bing served as his effects consultant.
On the first day, the sky rained chaos.
On the second day, earth sprouted golden lotuses.
On the third day, purple energy arose from the east.
Strange omens kept popping up like fireworks, and not a single one was repeated.
If the Dream God really woke up, they’d probably doubt whether they’d actually been asleep.
What’s this? Am I this powerful all along?
