All The Female Disciples Want To Kill Me-Chapter 633 - 362: The Confucian Sage, the Vault of Heaven as the Chessboard, the Stars as the Pieces_2
"The flow of Spiritual Energy in South City has become abnormal, and I can no longer detect any Spiritual Energy within it. It seems that place might undergo some changes."
As the two exchanged glances, a Sacred Land Disciple suddenly hurried towards the Shuixie Courtyard. Head bowed, hands presenting an Elder's Token, the disciple reported with a respectful expression, "Saintess, Star Moon Sect Master Yu Hongxiu, holding the Nineteenth Elder's Token, requests an audience."
"She says there is an extremely urgent matter to report to you, Saintess!"
Key Smoke's eyes were as calm as still water. She reached out, took the Token, and replied, "Let her in immediately. At the same time, prepare to open the Sacred Land and make an announcement to the world."
Key Smoke straightened her robes, caught a falling autumn leaf, and announced, "I have emerged from seclusion!"
「South City, Thousand Emperor's Tomb.」
This was a gloomy underground palace where the emperors of South City's past generations were deeply buried. Although named the Thousand Emperor's Tomb, in reality, counting from the most ancient, barely eight emperors were interred within.
A robust middle-aged man stood gazing at the light screen before him, feeling the traces of Spiritual Energy flowing across it. He sighed softly, "South Emperor, those are my disciples, after all. This time, you've gone too far!"
He lowered his gaze to the little girl lying on his back and then gently patted her dragon horn. "This world is very real. Those lofty Cultivators claim they don't desire the glory and riches of the mortal world, but that's quite laughable. They are already above such worldly glory and wealth. If their cultivation were destroyed, if they were cast from the clouds down to the dirt to become dust, let's see if they would still claim not to desire it. No one in this world can be so detached as to have no pursuits at all. The principle is common, yet true. Emperors enjoy all the glory and riches of the world, yet they seek eternal life—an act that defies the Heavenly Dao."
Ao Yue's golden pupils widened. She looked at him in confusion, not understanding why he was touching her horn and rambling on. She intensely disliked others touching her dragon horn, but this middle-aged man had been entrusted to her by her grandfather. Besides, she couldn't defeat him, so she merely looked at him obediently.
"Old man, what are you trying to say?"
The Confucian Sage chuckled casually, his hands clasped behind his back. "The South Emperor summoned me here intending to bind me with the dragon qi of South Country's successive generations. He gambled that I wouldn't dare act rashly against South Country's destiny. If I were to destroy this Thousand Emperor's Tomb, I would bear that sin, forging an irreparable and heavy karmic bond with South Country, and all hope of Ascension in this life would be lost. This light screen is very fragile; so fragile that a mere touch would cause the entire Thousand Emperor's Tomb to collapse. But the price is heavy. Just as I told you before, no one in this world is free from worldly desires. Everyone has something they pursue. Even I still cling to the desire for eternal life in my heart."
This time Ao Yue understood. She pulled her head back to avoid his hand and asked, "Old man, are you going to leave or not? Or will you wait until the fighting outside is over for the South Emperor to let you out?"
The Confucian Sage reached out and touched the light screen. It began to shatter, bit by bit. The entire Thousand Emperor's Tomb quaked violently in that instant. Soil and dust poured down like a waterfall; the earth trembled.
"We're going out," he said. "My misguided disciples are still out there."
Ao Yue inquired, "So you don't wish for eternal life anymore?"
Hearing this, a light gradually kindled in the Confucian Sage's eyes. He gazed deeply at the firmament and said, "There are things more important than Ascension. At least at this moment, I truly deserve the title of Confucian Sage. Once you follow me out, don't look back. Leave South City and return to the Dragon Pond in the Northern Sea."
BOOM—
The Thousand Emperor's Tomb catastrophically collapsed.
With its destruction, an unknowable weight of karmic fortune and consequence pressed down upon the Confucian Sage. It was as if a piece had been placed on the chessboard of heaven and earth.
Above South City, the nascent form of a "chessboard" slowly materialized. A vast, righteous spirit surged into the sky, a force against which the raging storms could not prevail.
Around him, dense dark clouds rapidly converged.
A silver dragon burst through the clouds, soaring amidst the roaring wind and thunder before quickly vanishing over the horizon. Meanwhile, the middle-aged man's chessboard grew ever larger, almost dominating the entire sky.
One by one, chess pieces shot forth, their light dazzling, their righteous Qi immense. In an instant, the vast expanse of dark fog scattered, as if an Immortal had parted the sea of clouds, sending half rolling to the left and half to the right, leaving a gaping rift a hundred zhang wide in their wake.
The Confucian Sage stood upon the chessboard, hands clasped behind his back. His gaze fixed on Mount Wanxian, towards the distant South Emperor who had long awaited him.
"Old friend," the Confucian Sage's voice carried, "you've waited a long time."
At this moment, his pupils were nearly invisible, his eyes filled only with boundless righteousness, within which flickered the aura of countless scrolls. A faint smile touched his lips. He raised his left hand to sweep back the wide sleeve of his right, then extended his right hand forward and declared softly, "A piece is played."
Points of light, like stars on a chessboard, appeared. Scattered like constellations, these star-like pieces materialized between heaven and earth. Seemingly random, yet wherever they appeared, even sound itself began to fade into silence. Three thousand six hundred pieces in all!
At this moment, everyone in South City raised their heads, gazing incredulously at the scene unfolding in the heavens above.
Ji Nanjue, who was battling Ji Ruqinglong, and Ji Ruqinglong himself, both sensed this aura and simultaneously halted their movements. They snapped their heads up, looking into the distance.
Ji Nanjue muttered to himself, "It's the Confucian Sage."
Elders and disciples from the Dao Sect, Origin Sect, Sword Sect, and all other Sects looked up at the firmament, watching that surging righteous Qi, their eyes sparkling with excitement. "He has come..."
The heavens themselves became a chessboard, the stars its pieces, encompassing the entire celestial canopy.
At that moment, the world knew no wind or rain; looking up, one could only see the myriad stars.
During the twilight of sunset, a distinguished-looking young nobleman, his hair a brilliant white, lay with his head pillowed on a pair of long, slender thighs. Beside him lay a large Sword Scabbard.
Next to the man was a pine tree, and beneath it sat an expressionless woman. She wore a long robe, and a veil concealed her stunning face. Yet, her eyes were filled with confusion as she gazed at the man lying across her knees. She didn't understand why she had moved at that crucial moment, nor did she understand why her chest felt empty, as if a burning heart was missing.
COUGH, COUGH—
Su Bei slowly opened his eyes. His lips felt parched, and a searing pain, as if his throat were being flayed by a knife, shot through him.
"Heavenly Master..."
Wilderness looked at him indifferently, her legs unconsciously pressing together slightly. Then, she spoke faintly, "My name is Wilderness."
Soon, Su Bei felt his head sinking into something soft and warm, a familiar fragrance lingering in his nostrils. His mind was muddled. He looked at Wilderness's familiar face, then tilted his head up to the fiery sunset clouds in the sky above. His vision filled with splendid reds and yellows, and the mountain range partially obscuring the burning clouds.
Su Bei tapped his throbbing head, exhaled a turbid breath, and said, "I know. I mean, where is the Heavenly Master?"
Wilderness glanced at Su Bei. "You're about to die yourself, and you're still worried about others?"
Supporting himself on the ground with one hand, Su Bei struggled to sit up. Several ribs in his chest were fractured. His Spiritual Energy seemed completely drained, and he couldn't feel his legs.
After gasping for breath from the effort, Su Bei looked up, meeting Wilderness's gaze, and finally asked, "What I mean is, did you deliver the finishing blow?"
