Chapter 903: Ten Passes (2)

All this time, their master had never fought for anything. He neither expressed joy nor anger, and always seemed like an emotionless machine. But now, for the first time, they witnessed a side of him filled with thunderous wrath.

The one he had slain was none other than the infamous Blood Demon Du Hengjiu, a truly despicable monster. The act had been swift, brutal, and incredibly satisfying. Someone in the crowd even broke into a cheer.

The old long-haired horse, as if fully assimilated with Li Xiaofei’s calm demeanor, remained utterly unshaken. It carried him forward with unwavering steadiness, heading toward the rear of the rocky cultivation field.

Beyond lay another cliff that plunged into a bottomless void. A familiar iron-chain immortal bridge stretched outward from the stone ledge, vanishing into the misty mountains in the distance.

Clink. Clink.

The sound of chains colliding echoed crisply and coldly through the mountain air. The old long-haired horse advanced at a leisurely pace, carrying Li Xiaofei forward. The others followed one by one. Thick fog blanketed their surroundings. It was difficult to see anything beyond ten meters at all.

“This fog... something’s not right,” the old monster muttered. “It must be another of those immortal sect tricks. Despicable, truly... Everyone, be careful—”

Before he could finish his warning, a gentle breeze stirred. It was as soft as the spring wind melting snow. In an instant, the heavy fog in the mountain ravine vanished completely, leaving not even a wisp. Everyone turned to look at the figure seated atop the long-haired old horse.

Who else could it be? It had to be their master, displaying yet another divine feat. Li Yiyun suddenly felt that all his earlier worries had been unnecessary. From the beginning of this journey until now, it seemed that nothing in this world could stop their master’s advance.

But then again, Li Yiyun reminded himself that this was merely the trial before reaching Heaven Drum Mountain. Each checkpoint had only a single guardian.

Once they arrived at Heaven Drum Mountain itself, the Myriad Immortals Conference would be underway. There, countless cultivators would gather, especially the sect masters, protectors, and elders of the Sixteen Great Immortal Sects. Every one of them stood at the pinnacle of this world's immortal path.

Even ants, in great enough numbers, could kill an elephant. At that point, not even their master might be able to withstand everything alone. That thought stirred something in Li Yiyun’s heart. He and the others needed to do something.

He wasn’t the only one thinking this. Zhao Kuangren shared the same resolve. As the eldest disciple, he believed it was his duty to help shoulder the burdens of their master.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Just the day before, he had returned to camp, where their master had personally guarded him during his cultivation breakthrough. Li Xiaofei had used a secret technique to refine his body, shedding the old and strengthening the new. His strength had surged dramatically, and he had stepped into the Dao Union Realm.

With the foundation of royal resources and the month-long immersion in Dao teachings, Zhao Kuangren now found himself, aside from the old monster, the most powerful among the ten thousand followers.

Strongest in cultivation, and senior in status, Zhao Kuangren knew, if he didn’t do something for their master, he would be unworthy of his title. He was deep in thought, planning what he could do.

Before long, they reached the third peak. This mountain was just as steep and imposing as the previous ones, a solitary peak that jutted into the heavens like a sword thrust into the earth. The summit had been sliced flat by a great divine power from the Myriad Saints Immortal Sect, revealing a massive, level platform.

Carved into its surface was a giant chessboard. A lone figure stood at the center, precisely where the Chu and Han borders would be, hands clasped behind his back, waiting for Li Xiaofei and his party to arrive.

“Zhuo Jing of the Linglong Immortal Sect, greetings to Master Li.”

He, too, wore a white robe. With delicate features and a handsome face, he looked no older than someone in their mid-twenties. His aura radiated refinement and elegance, like a noble scholar on his way to take the imperial examination after ten years of study.

The Linglong Immortal Sect, one of the Sixteen Great Immortal Sects, was the ruling sect of a nation called Nanli. The sect’s founder was said to have entered the Dao through scholarly pursuits like chess and literature. Their immortal techniques were renowned for being unique and sophisticated.

Li Xiaofei nodded and said, “To pass this trial... I must defeat you in a game of chess, is that right?”

Zhuo Jing nodded and said, “Precisely so.”

Li Xiaofei shook his head and replied, “I’m not skilled in chess.”

Zhuo Jing replied, “Master Li has ten thousand followers. You may appoint one skilled in the game to play against me. You need only make the final move.”

Li Xiaofei’s gaze swept across the massive chessboard laid out before him.

“Very well,” he said.

Then he turned to look back. There were indeed a few among his followers who were exceptionally good at chess. But for a moment, none dared to step forward. They feared that they would end up dragging their master down if they lost the match.

As hesitation filled the air, Zhao Kuangren, ever the eldest disciple, was about to step forward when suddenly the old monster let out a strange chuckle.

“Master, why not leave this trial to me?”

“Alright,” Li Xiaofei agreed without a second thought.

In truth, it wouldn’t have mattered who stepped forward, he would have agreed anyway. He didn’t fear losing. Even if he lost today, he would still cross this mountain. He would still meet the myriad immortals.

The old monster slowly stepped onto the giant chessboard.

“So it’s Senior Gou of the Breaking Realm Immortal Gate,” Zhuo Jing said with a slight cupped-fist gesture.

The old monster chuckled again and replied, “Since you’re calling me senior, why not let me start with three pieces, chariot, horse, and cannon?”

A black tic-tac-toe grid of veins popped up on Zhuo Jing’s forehead,

%$*@

Is this guy even being serious?

Starting off by asking to be given the chariot, horse, and cannon?

He had heard the tales. This old oddity from the Breaking Realm Immortal Gate was infamous in the immortal world for being the ultimate coward. His surname was Gou, and he certainly lived up to it.

It was said that ever since joining the Breaking Realm Immortal Gate, he had completely withdrawn from worldly affairs, allowing anyone and everyone to step all over him. His personal motto was, ‘Safety is first when roaming the immortal sects.’

No matter the opponent’s strength, whenever conflict arose, he would apologize first. If the apology didn’t work, he’d run. If he couldn’t escape, he’d apologize again... He was known far and wide as the shame of the Breaking Realm Immortal Gate. Even the elder who once recruited him had long regretted it.

Once, during a drunken stupor, the elder who had accepted him into the sect made a shocking confession, “If I could turn back time, I’d rather eat a kilogram and a half of shit than ever recruit that guy into the sect.”

And yet, just when everyone believed that this old coward was destined to waste away in idleness, something unexpected happened. During a great war between immortal sects, the Breaking Realm Immortal Gate was breached. Their ancestral mountain was nearly destroyed, and the entire sect faced annihilation.

It was then, against all expectations, that the old coward stepped forward. It was only at that moment that everyone in the Breaking Realm Immortal Gate realized that this so-called disgrace of the sect had been hiding his true strength all along.

When Old Gou made his move, he revealed a profound cultivation at the Dao Union Realm. He had single-handedly reversed the tides of battle, and the Breaking Realm Immortal Gate turned from decline to resurgence. The old coward’s reputation had soared across the immortal world.

Everyone had then thought, after remaining silent for a hundred years, he would surely dedicate himself to reform now that he had made his stunning debut, and lead the Breaking Realm Immortal Gate in a quest to dominate the realm.

But to their utter disbelief, he went right back to being a coward. He resumed his old habits, aimless loafing, lying low, and avoiding conflict. The same old rules applied, never fight, always apologize, and if apologizing didn’t work, run. If running fails, apologize again.

It was only at this point that people began to piece things together. No wonder he had always escaped unscathed over the past hundred years. It wasn’t luck. It was because he truly had the strength.

Time passed and the story faded into history. Gradually, only the older generation remembered him. Among the younger disciples of the immortal sects, few still recognized the name Old Gou.

After all, the man had spent half his life hiding inside the Breaking Realm Immortal Gate. Yet, this time, he had traveled thousands of kilometers to follow Li Xiaofei. To many within the immortal sects, this was incomprehensible.

Wasn’t he the one most afraid of danger?

Why, then, had he thrown caution to the wind and chosen to follow the man now considered a common enemy of all immortal sects?

How could a man who had hidden from the world his entire life suddenly choose to defy every sect across the continent?

What logic was there in this?

“Senior must be joking,” Zhuo Jing said with a polite bow. “I’ve heard that during your years in seclusion, you delved deeply into zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting to pass the time, even referring to yourself as the Elder of Ten Perfections. If I were to offer you a handicap, wouldn’t that be an insult to your artistry?”

“Damn it!” The old monster cursed aloud. “Aren’t you people from the Linglong Immortal Sect supposed to be a bunch of bookworms? Why are you, you little brat, so damn slippery and refusing to fall for it!”

Zhuo Jing was speechless. First of all, he was not a little brat. He was already two hundred and thirty-one years old. Second, did Old Gou really have the gall to call someone else slippery?

The match began. As Zhuo Jing activated the formation, the entire chessboard responded with shifting winds and clouds. Dao-infused mist gathered and twisted, gradually condensing into solid chess pieces.

The two of them stood across the central divide, the Chu-Han boundary, and began their duel. Zhuo Jing was extremely skilled, moving his pieces as fluidly as his thoughts flowed.

Meanwhile, the old monster countered every move with sharp adaptability. He called out each move, and then, from outside the chessboard, Li Xiaofei channeled his immortal force to move the pieces through the air, playing against Zhuo Jing by proxy.

The match dragged on for a full half hour. At last, with a mischievous chuckle and a final declaration by the old monster, “Heh heh, I check you again!”

He secured victory. With a booming sound, the illusion shattered, and the scene transformed.