Chapter 382: Game Between the Best
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
On the cloud-shrouded first mountain of the College, a pavilion was standing on the steep summit. Here, one could get a striking view of the entire Book Mountain.
At the moment, there were two old men in the pavilion playing a game of chess. They were clearly the College Chief and Mr. Du from the Cottage. Bai Lishu, who was standing beside them, was somewhat puzzled—such a scene was indeed extremely rare. It was the first time he saw his master and uncle playing chess.
What wind was blowing today? Why does it feel abnormal?
“It has been so long since we last played. Senior, your skills have improved significantly. You are less direct than you were in the past. Now, every move of yours seems natural and yet hidden with more moves. You are a master at it,” Mr. Du remarked, smiling.
“Your moves may seem mild, but you have secretly gained control of the entire game. Over these years, you’re becoming better at planning and calculation.” The long beard of the College Chief swang in the air, and he was sage-like. Although he was old, his voice was firm and stable.
“This is not planning. This is momentum.” Mr. Du shook his head.
“You made your moves in the whole Eastern Barren Territory in an attempt to fulfill your wish. So now, how’s the momentum?” the College Chief sneered, staring at Mr. Du.
“Senior, why do you have to be so unhappy?” Mr. Du smiled.
“How many years have both of us been cultivating? How long more do I have? Sooner or later I’ll pass away. I want to leave here to find a way to break through. Is it so difficult to give you this position?” the College Chief snarled, looking at Mr. Du. “Even if you don’t want it, what about your first disciple? Why did you ask him to leave that time? To fulfill your wish?”
Hearing the conversation between the two, Bai Lishu was shocked. Rumors outside claimed that that time, Mr. Du asked his first disciple to establish his own clan instead of staying at the College. The College Chief was extremely dissatisfied with this, and a conflict broke out between the two. The real reason was actually that the College Chief was looking for a person to take over his position, but Mr. Du rejected. Therefore, he thought of the Sword Saint.
This was indeed surprising.
“Senior, do you think I’ll be a good chief?” Mr. Du smiled with a lazy expression. “Moreover, I think you’re well aware of some other reasons.”
College Chief Xiao stared at Mr. Du. Eventually, he heaved a long sigh in his heart. He knew why Mr. Du would not take over his position, but he did not even allow Sword Saint to take over. The College Chief was extremely unhappy—he did not have much time left.
Although cultivators could live much longer, they were not immortal. He was not yet a sage and would still die eventually. Only after he made the breakthrough, his lifespan could be extended. Hence, he wanted to leave the Eastern Barren Territory and look for opportunities outside. With his talents, he would not be able to feel the Sage Plane and take the last step by secluding in the Eastern Barren Territory.
“Senior, I know that you have high hopes for me. I have also thought about how you can leave without worries after all these are finished. But…” Mr. Du gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“If you wish to fulfill your ambition in the Eastern Barren Territory, you will go against the benefits of the others. It’s certainly not as easy as you have imagined,” College Chief Xiao said. He knew what his junior wanted to do.
“That’s true. It’s so difficult to change just the Eastern Barren Territory.” Mr. Du continued shaking his head. He gazed into the distance and added, “What’s coming will come.”
Hearing his words, College Chief Xiao similarly raised his head. In the sky, wind and clouds whizzed. Suddenly, the howl of dragon erupted, shocking the entire earth.
On Book Mountain, countless people looked up at the sky, where they saw a real dragon devouring clouds and descend from the height.
The enormous dragon was golden and majestic. Three people were standing on its back. The person who was in front had a crown on his head and was wearing the emperor’s robe; he looked all-powerful. He was the most powerful person in the Eastern Barren Territory, the king of Qin.
On each side of the king of Qin, there was also an elder. They looked unfathomable. Apart from them, many cultivators appeared in the sky around them as well. They were powerful nobles from the four major forces which had allied. Now, they had also come to Book Mountain.
Immediately, Book Mountain was shaken. Many people ascended into the air to face their common enemy.
Qin Dynasty finally sent their army to Book Mountain.
Standing on the back of the dragon, the king of Qin looked at the pavilion on the first mountain, as if his look had penetrated across space. He stared at the two elders playing chess and laughed. “Greetings, College Chief Xiao, Mr. Du.”
With a cold expression on his face, College Chief Xiao lifted his head and shouted, “Scram.” He wished that the king of Qin could scram as far as possible.
At the moment, he was somewhat anxious.
“Senior, since the guest is here, we don’t have a reason to chase him away.” Mr. Du, however, smiled casually. He looked at the king of Qin in the sky and said, “Please.”
“Alright,” the king of Qin nodded, smiling. He walked down from the sky, while the two elders followed him closely. On the other hand, the dragon remained hovering in the air.
The various mountain elders of Book Mountain, as well as the cultivators from Sword Saint Mountain and Moon Clan, ascended into the air one after another. They stared coldly at the people opposite them, creating a stalemate.
Goddess Wangyue came near the pavilion on the first mountain but kept her distance. Then, she looked at the two elders beside the king of Qin. Their eyes looked deep, and they were not releasing any aura, but everyone could feel that they were extremely dangerous. In addition, they looked ancient. If they still seemed old despite having cultivated to this level, they must have lived for many years.
The king of Qin landed on the ground, after which he saluted to Mr. Du by folding his hands and said, “I have heard your name for very long, but unfortunately have not met you in person. Today, I came here to visit you. Please do not blame me for disturbing.”
His tone was sincere, and he was not hypocritical. Instead, he meant what he said.
Mr. Du was indeed a respected figure in the Eastern Barren Territory.
There were eight disciples in the Cottage. The first three were already famous in the Eastern Barren Territory, and any one of them could establish their own clans and stand at the peak of the Eastern Barren Territory. The other disciples were still growing, but they had already displayed their remarkable talents. In the future, it seemed unlikely that they would be much weaker than the Sword Saint and the other two.
Even if Mr. Du did not know how to cultivate, he would still be considered as a legend by picking these disciples and teaching them to such a level.
Furthermore, the king of Qin did not believe that Mr. Du really could not cultivate.
The two people beside the king of Qin also stared at Mr. Du, as if they were trying to feel something from him.
“You’re too polite.” Mr. Du smiled casually. He had noticed that while the king of Qin had brought many cultivators here, the leader of Donghua Clan and his wife, as well as several other important figures, were not here.
Mr. Du smiled mildly; he knew what had happened.
“College Chief Xiao and Mr. Du, you have been enjoying yourselves. I am mediocre at playing chess. Mr. Du, are you interested in playing a game with me?” the king of Qin said, looking at Mr. Du.
“Please.” Mr. Du extended his arm. College Chief Xiao stared at him and his beard swang in the air.
“Senior,” Mr. Du shouted at College Chief Xiao.
College Chief Xiao was, however, still staring at him.
“Senior, our visitors are our guests,” Mr. Du added. Only then, College Chief stood up unwillingly. Then, he walked to the side the glanced coldly at the king of Qin.
“College Chief Xiao, I apologize for the trouble.” The king of Qin nodded at the College Chief. Then, he sat down opposite Mr. Du. The pieces returned from the board as they started a new game.
In the sky above Book Mountain, the people from both the College and Qin Dynasty and its allies all gazed at the situation in the pavilion, feeling somewhat emotional.
The most powerful person in the Eastern Barren Territory and the mysterious and low-key legend from the Cottage were playing a game of chess on Book Mountain.
They all knew clearly that in this game, the pieces would still fall onto the chessboard, but they would affect the whole Eastern Barren Territory.
“Mr. Du, I heard that you are College Chief Xiao’s junior, so you’re more senior than me. You should go first,” the king of Qin said politely.
Mr. Du nodded gently and landed his first move casually, as if it only depended on his mood.
The king of Qin smiled and similarly made his move.
Book Mountain seemed to be very quiet, but the atmosphere was somewhat tense. The sound of chess pieces landing on the chessboard was exceptionally clear.
“Mr. Du, you seem to be making your moves randomly, but without me realizing it you are already taking control of the whole game. Terrific.” The king of Qin smiled. Then, he made his next move. Seeing the scene, College Chief Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
Mr. Du wanted to take control of the game, while the king of Qin followed him closely. All his moves were direct and aggressive.
Mr. Du smiled and continued the game.
As the two played, slowly, an invisible aura actually spread out from the king of Qin and enveloped the space.
“Mr. Du, you’re a legendary figure, why are you confining yourself to such a small place?”
The king of Qin made his move. On the chessboard, there seemed to be a dragon charging out and devouring everything.
“I make my moves after careful consideration.” Mr. Du smiled and continued to make his move casually. Immediately, the region where his piece landed seemed to be rescued from the siege. Once they were rescued, they could respond to the whole game and form an unstoppable force.
The king of Qin held a piece in his hand, but his hand hovered in mid-air. The aura around him turned into the shape of a dragon. It was as if he was temporarily trapped.
Finally, his finger landed onto the board. The dragon charged out and wanted to kill its enemy at all costs.
“At all consequence?” Mr. Du shook his head, after which he made his next move. He never once spent time thinking before making his move, as if he had already known everything.
However, his move was still defensive.
“You take control of the whole game. If your plans work out, you will be unstoppable. We do not have much time left. We’ll either make or break it,” the king of Qin said emotionlessly. He looked at the chessboard, where he felt an invisible pressure. Then, he made his move, which charged into the enemy’s territory in an attempt to break the balance.
“You leave yourself with no paths of return. If you lose, you lose everything. Why?” Mr. Du said again and continued the game.
The people on Book Mountain listened to the conversation between the two. There were many hidden meanings which they could not understand fully.
The pieces of the king of Qin and Mr. Du landed on the chessboard, but the chessboard itself could be the entire Eastern Barren Territory.
The king of Qin froze as he stared at the chessboard. When Mr. Du made his last move, the situation changed drastically. He had always been in a defensive position, but after that move, it felt like he could clear all his enemies with one strike. The pieces which the king of Qin sent on the siege all seemed to be in a dangerous position now as if they would be killed immediately.
“Do you still want to continue?” Mr. Du asked.
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The king of Qin was shocked in his heart. His fingers trembled gently as he stared at the chessboard, after which he made his move. The two ends of his pieces on the board worked together to form a siege as if they were two dragons. If any of them won, they would engulf their enemies together. “I have already made my move and cannot return. Qin Yu and the rest have gone to Sky Mountain. After the battle there ends, they’ll come here.”
“Unrepentant. Why?”
Mr. Du shook his head and put down his next move with his hand. Immediately, a region that was under the siege also changed drastically and cut the connection between the two dragons. It was as if this move could decide the game.
“It’ll be difficult for them to leave Sky Mountain in one piece,” Mr. Du remarked casually.