The blood-red Shangjun Go Board covered the earth, while Bai Shijiu's Rotten Axe Go Board floated above. Fan Li, facing enemies on both fronts, was surrounded!
But Fan Li simply glanced at Bai Shijiu. Her betrayal didn't surprise him.
"Excellent!"
Danzhu, however, was delighted. The ancient Chess Sage, his pride wounded by Fan Li's superior skill, found himself facing an unexpected turn of events.
His opponent was trapped, betrayed by his own "ally."
Although the victory would be undeserved, Danzhu preferred a dishonorable triumph to a fair defeat.
"Excellent work, woman! Once I've taken Fan Li's body, I will reward you handsomely!"
Empty words, but better than silence.
Bai Shijiu nodded curtly, acknowledging their partnership. But inwardly, she was scheming.
'Once my heart demon is dispelled, once I've killed Fan Li, you will be next.'
Danzhu had revealed his true strength. The Chess Sage of ten thousand years ago was outdated. And yet, he possessed the Shangjun Go Board, a treasure that Bai Shijiu coveted.
This journey to Nanchao… her true goal had always been the ancient Go board. The Chess Sage was weak. If she could erase his spirit, the board would be hers!
'With the Shangjun Go Board, I will achieve immortality!'
Bai Shijiu could barely contain her excitement. She looked at Fan Li coldly. "From the moment you became my heart demon, one of us was destined to die!"
"Indeed, a very honest confession."
Fan Li nodded, then shook his head. "Unfortunately, Sage Ruler Bai, I will not be your opponent."
"Oh?"
Bai Shijiu frowned, then she understood. She glanced at Huang Longshi, who stood beside them.
"Fan Li, you can't possibly expect a mere Nascent Soul cultivator to defeat me?" She laughed.
Huang Longshi blushed. He felt humiliated.
"This junior… is willing to play against the Sage Ruler on behalf of Duke Jin!"
"Ah, I see." Bai Shijiu feigned realization. "You're not a Confucian scholar, but a Go cultivator?"
"Indeed!"
Emboldened, Huang Longshi's voice grew stronger.
"Heh?"
"Hehehehehe!"
Bai Shijiu burst into laughter. She found their desperation amusing.
"Fan Li, even if you surpass me in skill, do you truly believe a random Go cultivator can defeat the Chess Sage of the Great Ci Dynasty?"
She was confident. Lightning wouldn't strike twice!
One Go master who surpassed her was enough. Surely there wasn't a second one in this world.
Huang Longshi was merely a delaying tactic. Fan Li intended to defeat Danzhu first, then face her alone?
It was the only logical explanation.
She worried about Danzhu. How long could he endure?
'Please don't lose too quickly,' she thought. 'Don't leave me alone against him.'
Facing Fan Li alone… She had no confidence.
"Danzhu!" she shouted. "Hold on! Don't lose too quickly! I'm coming to help you!"
The Rotten Axe Go Board had been activated. She couldn't refuse Huang Longshi's challenge. That was the rule. Once a challenge was issued, the board would accept it.
Unless there were no other options, it wouldn't force a game with Fan Li.
"Of course! I am the Chess Sage! Who can possibly defeat me?!"
Danzhu's face flushed. He wasn't sure if it was from shame or if he was about to transform into his blood-red form.
But his words lacked conviction. As he continued playing, his aggressive attacks were replaced by careful defenses. He was clearly trying to prolong the game.
"Huang Longshi," Fan Li said.
"Ah, this junior… is here!"
Huang Longshi was clearly nervous. This was his first time facing such a powerful opponent.
Fan Li, on the other hand, having experienced events like the Three Emperors' Summit, the ambush of Xue Feng, and Dong Zhuo's rebellion, was unfazed by the situation.
"Relax. It's just a game. Play as you usually do."
He paused, then added, "You are, in my eyes, the true Chess Sage of our time."
Bai Shijiu and Danzhu were stunned. They both felt jealous.
The true Chess Sage?
"I am the Chess Sage!" Bai Shijiu thought.
"I am the Chess Sage!" Danzhu thought as well.
"Excellent! Then allow me to witness the skills of this so-called Chess Sage!"
She was eager to defeat Huang Longshi, to humiliate Fan Li.
But Fan Li simply said, "In truth, Huang Longshi has already defeated me at Go."
"What?!"
Bai Shijiu's confidence wavered. She looked at Huang Longshi with suspicion.
"Did… Did he truly defeat you?"
Huang Longshi, a humble scholar, couldn't possibly boast about his achievements.
"This junior was fortunate. I barely managed to defeat Duke Jin."
"Impossible! I lost to Fan Li. No one else could possibly defeat him! He's lying! That treacherous scoundrel is trying to intimidate me!"
Bai Shijiu reassured herself. But inwardly, she felt fear.
It was a primal instinct. All creatures, regardless of species or gender, resorted to boasting and self-promotion to mask their insecurity. She gritted her teeth.
"Pay attention, Huang Longshi! You are facing the Chess Sage of the Great Ci Dynasty, a fifth-rank Great Vehicle Realm expert!"
Although her heart demon prevented her from maintaining her true cultivation for long, she could at least summon a brief burst of power. Her aura intensified. The Go board world trembled, the earth shook, and the sky rumbled.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"This is my true pow… Ah! What's happening?!"
Bai Shijiu suddenly screamed.
Her spiritual energy waned, her soul suffered a blow. It was a heart demon backlash!
The pressure she had summoned vanished instantly. She felt as if she had fallen from the heavens into the mud.
She coughed up blood.
Her cultivation had dropped to the fifth rank of the Unity Realm.
"How is this possible?!" she cried out. "I'm not even facing Fan Li! He's just a Nascent Soul cultivator! How could I possibly suffer a backlash from him?! I almost lost control!"
Fan Li watched silently.
Huang Longshi, seeing Bai Shijiu's distress, asked cautiously, "Sage Ruler, perhaps we could postpone the game until you've recovered?"
"Silence! Postpone? Fan Li must die today!"
Bai Shijiu was enraged. She had no choice but to continue. But she still couldn't understand. What had triggered the backlash?
Clack!
She placed a stone upon the board. "Let the game begin, Huang Longshi! Once I've dealt with you, I will face Fan Li!"