NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 939 - 940: The Third Level of the Chess Game
Chapter 939: Chapter 940: The Third Level of the Chess Game
“The real tomb chamber?”
Li Xiaobai was a bit puzzled.
“This level is just the surface. The real tomb chamber is beneath the Heavenly Secrets Tower. Breaking the third level’s chess game will grant the key to open the tomb. However, as of now, no one has ever succeeded.”
Wu Chengjue spoke slowly. She was not in a hurry to enter but continued to gaze at the situation inside the second-floor loft. The Chess Saint had already taken his seat, still facing the empty chessboard. He bowed respectfully before beginning to place the chess pieces, showing no sign of tension, as relaxed and casual as if he were simply playing a game with a friend at home.
This kind of indifferent attitude is the best, allowing one to perform to their fullest potential.
“I see.”
Li Xiaobai nodded, realizing it was indeed a ‘tomb within a tomb.’
Xiao Lao Di’s map had finally proved reliable for once.
“Senior, you’re not going in to scavenge for treasures?”
Wu Chengjue: “Not interested.”
Li Xiaobai suddenly fell silent. Well, the lives of the powerful are just this unadorned and simple. Just as he was about to enter the first level with Liu Jinshui and Hu Meizi, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
“Helmsman Wu, are these two with you?”
A chilly voice suddenly came from behind, making Li Xiaobai’s heart skip a beat. When he turned around, he saw a group of Heavenly Immortal Realm cultivators who had gathered without notice, looking at them with ill intentions. The leader among them was Blood Soul.
“Amitabha, Helmsman Wu, the old monk wouldn’t rashly suspect the worst in people, but I never thought Helmsman Wu would actually set up a scheme to trap and kill cultivators. Aren’t you afraid of karmic retribution?”
Monk Pudu spoke calmly, his kind and benevolent face also shaded with a layer of gloom.
“Sooner or later, one must pay for their actions. Fortune and danger lie within such treasured places, life and death are predestined. If someone gets trapped and killed, there’s nothing to be said; it’s their own lack of insight. What does it have to do with my brothers and me?”
Liu Jinshui stepped forward to shield Li Xiaobai, speaking with righteousness.
“Bold and discerning, I assume that the one hiding in the center of the flames was you! Tolerating the treasure within the Hellfire is one thing, but if not, you’ll suffer!”
Blood Soul’s eyebrows raised fiercely, speaking to Li Xiaobai with a sinister tone.
“Several seniors are mistaken; those flames are merely flames, and there is no treasure at the center. Here, I’ve retained a strand of fire seed. If seniors would like it, please take it.”
Li Xiaobai flipped his wrist and presented a wisp of black flame while cursing Liu Jinshui inwardly for his unscrupulousness.
On the surface, he seemed to be protecting Li Xiaobai, but in reality, he was deflecting the conflict. Apart from Wu Chengjue, none of these people had seen Li Xiaobai before. Now, by deliberately standing in front of him, wasn’t he clearly signaling that they were together?
This group of Heavenly Immortal Realm cultivators were not fools; they instantly guessed he was the mastermind behind this orchestration.
“Still not being honest, it seems we can only take the treasure from your corpse.”
Blood Soul said grimly, his eyes faintly flashing with crimson, emitting an overwhelming sense of pressure.
“The Chess Saint above is engaging in a game. Acting this way is rather frivolous.”
Wu Chengjue’s lips parted slightly as she spoke indifferently.
Her brief remark immediately caused the group to freeze on the spot. Glancing up at the Chess Saint, they saw him apparently in a critical phase of the match, wiping sweat from his brow with his sleeve. Not daring to act rashly, they glared fiercely at Li Xiaobai and his companions and retreated to one side.
“Boy, I’ll let you live a little longer. Once the Chess Saint breaks the game, your time of death will come!”
The commotion wasn’t small, and the cultivators who had finished scavenging treasures from the first floor emerged, casting sideways glances toward Li Xiaobai and the others. Many of them revealed a glint of ferocity in their eyes, clearly recognizing them. As to where and when they met, that remained unknown.
Out of respect for the Chess Saint, everyone tacitly kept quiet, containing their murderous intents, and silently waited for the outcome above in the loft.
“Junior brother, how do we slip away later?”
Liu Jinshui asked in a hushed voice,
“With Senior Wu here, who would dare to mess with us? To do so would be to disrespect Senior Wu, to slap Senior Wu in the face, to not take Senior Wu seriously at all. If it were me, I couldn’t tolerate it.”
Li Xiaobai spoke thus.
“I can’t protect you. You’re on your own,”
Wu Chengjue glanced at him, speaking indifferently.
“No way, Senior has a broad chest. I think it’s capable of protecting!”
Hu Meizi, with an innocent look on her face, said this and suddenly the temperature in the air dropped a notch. Wu Chengjue’s forehead vein throbbed as his face filled with frost.
Li Xiaobai and Liu Jinshui gave this mascot a discreet thumbs-up. Good fellow, that was quite the remark.
“Let’s focus on the chess game first.”
On the second floor, one could see the Chess Saint’s aged silhouette moving faster and faster, playing each move almost without any time to contemplate, creating a blur of phantoms.
This fast-paced sequence continued for several minutes before it ended, and as the Chess Saint placed his final piece, he didn’t even look at the board before he stood up, bowed, and then turned to head towards the third floor without looking back.
“Wow, that was ridiculously fast!”
“The old master is aiming for a quick battle!”
The crowd below was astonished. Usually, in chess, every move was so carefully considered that you could hear about someone taking several months just to complete a game. They had never seen anything like this before—a full game completed in less time than it takes to finish a cup of tea, with moves so swift it seemed as though no thought was needed. It truly was an eye-opener.
“Let’s go up. The third floor is an open terrace with plenty of space for us to watch up close!”
The cultivators quickly ascended, following the Chess Saint to the third floor. Of course, as they passed the second floor, they didn’t miss the chance to scavenge as much as they could.
Seeing all the valuable items, Li Xiaobai and Liu Jinshui’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. They were dying to pounce on them and claim everything for themselves, but unfortunately, they were currently being watched by Blood Soul and others and dared not make a move.
Li Xiaobai took a long look at the cultivators scrambling for the treasures, memorizing their faces silently. If fate should have them meet again, he would catch them all and throw them into the Sword Sect for re-education through labor.
Heavenly Secrets Tower, the third floor.
This level had no roof, only a large stone platform in the center with a chessboard and two stone stools set up. Unlike before, the Chess Saint did not start the game immediately but was sitting on one of the stools, taking elixirs to restore his energy.
The last two games had taken a lot out of him.
It was only when they got closer that the crowd had the chance to truly appreciate the Chess Saint’s demeanor. He was an old man with white hair, a kindly face, and a celestial aura, wearing flowing white robes. His eyes were bright with intelligence as if they could see through people’s hearts.
“Old Xiang, I have a Heavenly Fragrance Life-Extending Pill here that can restore you to your peak condition. Take it quickly,”
An old woman approached and handed him an elixir, making everyone else envious – but no one dared to make a move, as the individuals in front were Semi-Saint masters, way beyond what they dared covet. They were already quite satisfied just to follow behind and get a share of the spoils.
“Thank you, Junior Sister Qu,”
The Chess Saint said, swallowing the elixir. He seemed much more energetic.
“How about it, Old Xiang? Can you win?”
Another elder asked.
The Chess Saint shook his head, a bitter smile on his aged face: “It’s difficult. The first floor was just a test of basic chess skills; the second floor required rapid chess, where you have to keep up with the opponent’s pace or lose. If I’m not mistaken, the third game will be blind chess. The tomb’s owner is learned and talented, his mastery is truly admirable, and the likes of which I haven’t encountered in all my life. I’m not confident about the third game.”
“If you’re not confident, then let’s not play. It’s not worth risking our lives for just a tomb!”
The old woman was decisive, grabbing the Chess Saint as if to leave immediately.
“Junior Sister Qu, this chess game is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. The tomb owner has profound knowledge of chess; such a high level of mastery is something I’ve dreamed of witnessing. If we miss it, we might regret it forever. I want to complete this match to witness the true essence of chess and to fulfill a dream.”