Red rain drizzled down from the sky.
The rain struck the ruins and broken walls, making a rustling sound.
The mountain gate of Wuxiang Mountain was already beyond recognition; the once beautiful peak had been mostly destroyed by that single strike.
Only a bare base remained, looking exceptionally desolate in the red rain.
The ground was covered with kneeling figures.
Whether it was those Elders who were usually high and mighty or the self-important Inner Sect Disciples, all of them now lowered their heads, trembling toward the Azure Sea Palace in the sky.
The Azure Sea Palace hung among the clouds, yet it remained unmoved by the tragic scene below.
The old Daoist sat cross-legged in the center.
He turned a deaf ear to the kowtowing of the Disciples below.
It was as if he did not care about the life or death of Wuxiang Mountain.
After a long time.
The old Daoist slowly opened his eyes and turned his head slightly, his gaze falling upon the girl below.
Their gazes met.
Jiang Yuechu felt her heart tighten.
This kind of feeling.
It wasn't the fear of being targeted by a powerhouse, but a sense of nakedness from being completely seen through.
It was as if under those aged eyes, everything inside her body, including the secrets of the hundred demons compendium, had nowhere to hide.
The old Daoist examined her closely.
He looked her over inch by inch, from head to toe.
A hint of regret actually surfaced in his eyes.
"How many years has it been?"
"Since I first sat here in meditation, watching the clouds drift and the tides turn, I can no longer remember how many sixty-year cycles have passed."
"The stagnant water of this Eastern Region hasn't seen such large ripples in a long time."
He lightly raised his hand and pointed at the statue beside him, which had half of its body shattered.
"This move was quite good."
"Borrowing the momentum of heaven and earth to perform a domineering act. Although the technique was a bit crude—all brute force and lacking order—its momentum does carry a shadow of my younger self."
Below, True Person Han Xian heard these words.
He couldn't help but show a strange expression.
Wait...
She's about to wipe out Wuxiang Mountain.
Why are you still praising her?
Are you going to give her a thumbs up too?!
But despite his internal complaints.
He didn't dare show a hint of it on his face.
He could only maintain his bowed posture and steal a glance at the girl.
Jiang Yuechu did not feel the slightest bit of pride from this praise.
She just stared quietly at the old Daoist, her fists clenched beneath her sleeves.
Clearly, she was prepared to strike at any moment.
"You don't need to be so guarded against me."
The old Daoist seemed to see through her thoughts; the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, revealing a very faint smile.
"If I truly wanted to kill you, I would have done so just now when I blocked that red moon."
"Why wait until now?"
Jiang Yuechu narrowed her eyes slightly, about to speak.
But the old Daoist didn't wait for her response; he shook his head and let out a long sigh.
"Actually... I don't want to make a move against you."
His gaze was deep as he looked at the world shrouded in red rain, his tone tinged with a bit of bleakness: "The Twenty-Five Lineages stand high above, controlling the path to heaven, viewing all living beings as grass and the mortal world as ants."
"The pieces on this chessboard are all too law-abiding, too well-versed in judging the situation and protecting themselves."
"The one playing the game fears not a strong opponent, but a game that is too dull."
"So dull it makes one panic, so dull it leads to despair."
The old Daoist withdrew his gaze and looked back at Jiang Yuechu: "This world needs someone like you too much."
"Lawless, rule-breaking... plunging fiercely into this decayed chessboard and stabbing awake those old fogies who are pretending to sleep."
At this point, the old Daoist paused.
He looked at Jiang Yuechu like an Elder looking at his most promising junior, his tone full of sincerity.
"Little girl."
"You are a good sprout."
"Whether it's your strength that can shake heaven and earth, or your unyielding spirit, you are a top-tier talent in this world."
Jiang Yuechu finally spoke, her expression calm: "And so? You want a reconciliation?"
The old Daoist laughed in spite of himself.
He waved his hand, his wide sleeves rustling in the wind: "I just feel it's a pity."
"A pity for what?"
"A pity that you were born at the wrong time, a pity that you chose the wrong path, and even more of a pity..."
The old Daoist leaned forward slightly, his gaze suddenly becoming sharp: "A pity that of all the things you shouldn't have done, you shouldn't have attacked the gate of my Wuxiang Mountain."
"Though I love talent and wish to see the world in chaos, I am ultimately the The Main Seat of Wuxiang Mountain, a player on this chessboard."
"You can cause chaos, you can kill, but you cannot step on my face and try to flip my chessboard."
As his voice fell.
Boom—!!!
The sky, which had calmed down, changed color instantly.
The wind and clouds surged backward.
The old Daoist slowly stood up.
It was just a simple movement.
Yet it was as if the Dominator of this world had awakened from a deep sleep.
He looked down at Jiang Yuechu, his eyes returning to indifference: "Since you've entered the game, you should have the awareness of being a pawn. There are some rules I don't need to state, but you... cannot fail to follow them."
Hearing this.
Jiang Yuechu sneered.
"I thought that upon reaching the Chess Player Realm, you'd have something fresh to say, but I didn't expect..."
After saying that.
The girl brushed her sleeves, her expression contemptuous: "Still the same old clichés, still talking about rules... You old fogies, is there nothing new you can do besides these intimidating tricks?"
So boring.
She shook her head, and the last shred of curiosity she had about Chess Player Realm powerhouses vanished.
These so-called Chess Player Realm powerhouses—once you strip away that glamorous outer layer, how are they any different from the enemies I faced before?
Faced with such merciless ridicule, the old Daoist atop the Azure Sea Palace did not get angry: "Everyone has rules they must follow. Even I have rules I must uphold... As the Wuxiang The Main Seat, supported by the Dao Lineage, I naturally cannot ignore your destruction of our mountain and sect. This is only normal."
"As for the clichés you mentioned..."
The corner of the old Daoist's mouth curled up slightly: "The world says being an immortal is good, that cultivation is about supreme detachment—that one must abandon all emotions and desires to attain the Great Dao."
"But if one truly severs all ties to this world and loses even joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness..."
"Then why obsess over eternal life? Better to just follow heaven's will and drift along."
Jiang Yuechu frowned slightly but didn't argue.
Seeing the girl's silence, the old Daoist seemed to have lost interest in talking.
He slowly stood up, his wide blue Daoist robe fluttering without wind.
His aura was like an abyss or an ocean, unfathomable.
"Words are useless."
The old Daoist looked down and held up three fingers: "Since you've entered the game, we'll play by my rules."
"Three strikes."
"If you can survive three strikes from me, I will no longer pursue the matter of today's mountain destruction."
At this, the old Daoist paused, his tone becoming exceptionally generous: "I can even satisfy any grievances you had before, whether you want the life of that Primal Chaos Demon Emperor or some Heaven And Earth Treasures as compensation."
As soon as he said this.
In the ruins below, True Person Han Xian's expression changed drastically. He was about to speak, but a casual glance from the old Daoist forced him back.
Jiang Yuechu slowly rose into the air until she was level with the Azure Sea Palace.
She wasn't in a hurry to agree.
She just looked at the old Daoist with eyes as black as ink.
As expected.
In the next moment, the old Daoist's voice rang out again.
But this time, it was no longer generous: "But if you cannot withstand these three strikes..."
"You shall fall here."
"Of course, I have always been kind-hearted. Considering the difficulty of your cultivation, I won't let you go on your way alone."
"The mortal Dynasty you carry on your back, along with its millions of common people, I will send them down to accompany you."
"That way, you'll have company on the road to the Yellow Springs."
"What do you think?"
The wind gradually died down.
Even the drizzling red rain seemed to freeze at this moment.
The old Daoist's expression was indifferent as he waited for the response from the one in black robes.
Three strikes.
It sounds quite magnanimous...
Jiang Yuechu lowered her head slightly, staring indifferently at her feet.
She didn't have any particular emotion.
She slowly extended her right hand.
The girl's hand was fair and slender, with distinct knuckles.
The lines in her palm were clear, yet it didn't look as weak as an ordinary woman's.
A few drops of crimson rain fell into her palm.
After a long time.
She spoke softly: "Spring... is coming."
This sentence came out of nowhere.
The old Daoist, who had been as still as a monk in meditation, was slightly stunned upon hearing this.
Although he had been in seclusion for many years and didn't concern himself with worldly affairs.
He was naturally well aware of the rotation of the seasons and the changes in Qi.
Right now, it was clearly the end of late autumn, with winter approaching.
Where was this spring coming from?
The old Daoist frowned slightly, assuming the girl had been intimidated by his aura, lost her mind, and was hallucinating.
He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed and shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of preaching.
"Girl, your heart is in turmoil."
"It is currently the desolate time of late autumn when all things wither. Where is the sense of spring?"
"If you can take these three strikes and survive, once you've endured this winter, you will naturally see the flowers bloom and the birds fly next year."
Jiang Yuechu ignored him.
It seemed that the old Daoist was truly pressuring her because she had attacked the mountain gate today.
But one must not forget.
As early as when his Disciple, Immortal Master Cang Xuan, invaded the Great Tang... the seeds had already been sown.
Even if she hadn't attacked Wuxiang Mountain today.
Would Wuxiang Mountain really have done nothing about Cang Xuan's matter?
Jiang Yuechu would never gamble on whether the other party would let bygones be bygones.
Only by holding all possibilities in her own hands.
Only by...
By holding the future in her hands.
She slowly closed her fingers, clutching the few drops of crimson rain in her palm.
Then.
She raised her head.
On her cold and stunning face, a hint of madness surged.
"It doesn't matter..."
"Hmm?"
A sudden chill flashed through the old Daoist's heart.
Just as he was about to ponder the meaning.
The girl's voice rang in his ears again.
"I have already held spring in my hands."
The scroll slowly unfolded before her eyes.
[Current Dao Cultivation: 2,359,432 years]
What three strikes or five strikes?
All she knew now was...
"All in, please. Thank you!"