The elder in the green robe glanced toward Bai Tian in the distance and smiled. “We originally heard that the Bai family was arranging a marriage and came to offer a gift. On the way, however, we received a message from the Venerable Hongjun, saying you were in some peril here on White Spirit Mountain, and he specially commanded us to come and offer assistance. Now, it seems this peril might just stem from the hand of Patriarch Bai himself.”
Fuxi nodded slowly. “That is correct.”
The ethereal young woman in white beside him smiled charmingly. “Brother Fuxi, what is this all about? Your two families have been on friendly terms for generations; why draw swords against each other now?”
Fuxi inclined his head toward her slightly. “Fairy Gushe, you are unaware. This Bai family has been pushing us too far; we were left with no other choice.” Saying this, he recounted the matter concerning Ye Chen.
The elder in the green robe and his companions frowned slightly upon hearing the story, casting a look toward Bai Tian. The old man seated upon the back of the cyan bull looked on placidly. “Patriarch Bai, by clinging obstinately to your course, you will only sow the seeds of disaster. We have been specially dispatched under the command of the Ancestor of Civilization of the Immortal Realm, the Venerable Hongjun, to assist the people of Spiritual Civilization. Let this matter conclude here; we shall take our leave.” As he spoke, he subtly signaled Fuxi and the others.
Fuxi and the others naturally understood the meaning. Although they now had three powerful reinforcements, securing any advantage from the Bai family with their current strength seemed unlikely; retreating for the moment was the wiser course.
Bai Tian’s expression turned icy as he looked down upon the group, sneering. “Now that you’ve arrived, do you think you can just walk away?” With that, his aura swelled slightly, enveloping the surrounding heaven and earth.
Two cold glints flashed in the eyes of Fuxi and his group; they were just about to hack a bloody path forward.
At that very instant—
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Several more sounds of objects piercing the air rushed in rapidly from afar. A single resonant Buddhist chant echoed between heaven and earth. Though the speaker was miles away, the chant seemed to murmur close to everyone’s ears, purifying the violent urges in their hearts, which immediately receded like a tide. As this single chant faded, three figures materialized out of thin air above White Spirit Mountain.
The foremost figure was seated upon a golden lotus platform, which was composed of twenty-four brilliant, shimmering lotus leaves emitting pure, potent energy. This person wore a golden kasaya, possessed large, prominent ears, and a benevolent countenance. A single glance at him brought a sense of oceanic tranquility to one’s heart, extinguishing any impulse toward slaughter, feeling as if one had arrived in the Pure Land, wishing for time to stop forever.
“Brother Tathagata!” Fuxi’s eyes lit up, and he smiled. “I never expected you to travel thousands of miles to arrive here. Coming all the way from the Buddhist Realm, the journey must have been immense. Did you also receive notice from Ancestor Hongjun, coming specifically to lend aid?”
“Indeed!” The middle-aged man clad in the golden kasaya, stout in build, smiled with a gesture of holding a flower. “My master, Ancestor Hunkun, and Ancestor Hongjun have recently been debating the Dao at the Funeral Cliff on Yellow Heaven Mountain and divined that you would encounter brigands here. They specially sent me to assist.”
“Excellent!” Fairy Shegu smiled softly. “Among the three thousand civilizations of this ancient world, our several civilizations are closely connected, sharing one root. Together, we can break out!”
“I didn’t expect you to fall out with the Bai family,” remarked a young man in a crimson-gold kasaya beside Tathagata. He was handsome as fine jade, with skin fair and delicate, resembling a great beauty, and his voice was gentle and pleasing to hear.
“Golden Cicada!” Emperor Shaohao called out from beside him, his expression tinged with delight. “It’s been millions of years since we parted ways. How have you been?”
“Your aura is even more profound now,” the young man in the crimson-gold kasaya replied with a faint smile.
“Let’s focus on breaking out together first,” said the white-robed woman to Tathagata’s right. She was exquisitely beautiful, wearing a white, bottle-shaped necklace, and possessed a red dot between her brows. Her smile was as refreshing as a spring breeze. She spoke unhurriedly. “The Bai family’s power is immense. If we don’t leave soon, we might not be able to depart at all.”
Everyone felt a jolt of seriousness and quickly turned to rush out of the battle platform.
“Do you think you can simply come and go as you please when you deal with my Bai family?” Bai Tian sneered, shouting loudly, “Activate the Mountain Array!” As his voice faded, the entire periphery of White Spirit Mountain rumbled thunderously.
The continuous mountain range of White Spirit Mountain, encircled by peaks, began to shift violently at Bai Tian’s sharp command, interlocking in chaos and completely sealing off their escape route.
Fuxi and the others were startled, but before they could speak, a heaven-shattering roar surged in from the distance.
“ROAR!!!”
This roar was as brilliant as a dragon’s cry, shaking the very firmament.
Two dark shadows approached one after the other. To the left was a golden figure, stretching for a thousand zhang, clearly a Golden-Scaled Divine Dragon, possessing eight claws beneath its belly and two pairs of heaven-shrouding wings upon its back, radiating majestic authority.
To the right was a Phoenix, every feather displaying a dazzling array of colors. At the crown of its head sat a plume of nine-colored phoenix feathers, upon which were inscribed nine small characters. Its entire body was wreathed in a dense aura. With a slight tremor of its wings, it cut through the air, leaving behind traces so graceful and captivating that observers were almost entranced.
“Sky-Propping Dragon Clan!”
“Great Phoenix Divine Bird!”
Tathagata, Zhunti, and the others all felt their gazes sharpen. They never expected to see members of the royal families from the Dragon Realm Civilization and the Phoenix Realm Civilization.
Under everyone’s watch, this Dragon and Phoenix swept forward. The golden, sky-propping Divine Dragon reared back and roared toward the heavens, its imposing presence shaking the world. Its voice, deep and resonant, commanded, “Everyone, hurry and flee! I shall cover your retreat!”
“Come onto my back,” the Great Phoenix Divine Bird beside it chirped, its voice melodious and pleasant. It hovered above White Spirit Mountain and spoke quickly.
Fuxi’s eyes flickered, and he stepped forward first, calling out loudly, “Everyone, the progenitors of the Dragon Realm and Phoenix Realm Civilizations share a connection with our Pangu Progenitor. Please feel safe to board.”
Hearing his words, the others, including Tathagata and Zhunti, felt their anxieties ease. With a flash, their figures appeared upon the back of the Great Phoenix Divine Bird.
A sinister look briefly flashed in Bai Tian’s eyes. “Seeking death!” Saying this, he clenched his hand, and the outer mountains suddenly accelerated their movement, crashing together in a deafening impact, completely blocking the way forward.
“Starry River Chart of the Myriad Heavens, activate!” Bai Tian roared.
The peaks of all the surrounding mountains suddenly erupted with dazzling pillars of light that shot skyward, connecting to the heavens. From afar, countless streams of power converged in the sky, each stream terminating in a point. These points subtly connected, rapidly sketching out a grand picture.
It was a Go board! A vast and boundless Go board!
Those seated upon the Great Phoenix Divine Bird felt the world spin. Suddenly, the scenery before them shifted, and they found themselves in a world seemingly composed of endless white mist, surrounded by mountains, unable to discern any direction.
“What is this!”
“Our power has been weakened a hundredfold!”
Tathagata, Zhunti, and the others frowned, yet they remained unpanicked, slowly examining their surroundings with unhurried composure. Tathagata split open a golden eye on his forehead and scanned the surroundings. He suddenly let out a slight gasp. “We have entered the very Go board we saw earlier.”
“What?” Fairy Shegu beside him exclaimed. “Can you detect our bearings then?”
“Time and space here are completely muddled; I cannot sense anything,” Tathagata shook his head and sighed softly. “The golden lotus beneath me is equipped with a cosmic sensor that can scan a radius equal to the diameter of one universe, but in here, it can only detect a range of one hundred meters.”
“What kind of formation is this? It is so uncanny!” Emperor Shaohao looked toward his father. Seeing that the Yellow Emperor and Fuxi were both deeply furrowed in thought, he couldn't help but be shocked. This mysterious formation was apparently beyond the comprehension of both his father and Uncle Fuxi.
Ye Chen stood with the King of Heavenly Witches, enveloped within Emperor Shaohao’s cosmic domain. Ye Chen’s brow was tightly knit as he gazed at the surrounding peaks, the Go board he had seen in the sky flashing through his mind. He suddenly realized: on that board, the scattered mountains were the pieces, laid out around the perimeter—it was a game setup!
A game setup…
Ye Chen felt a sudden spark of realization, yet he couldn’t quite grasp it, causing him to frown and ponder deeply.
Game setup, game setup…
Right!
Ye Chen’s eyes suddenly lit up. He recalled that every time he had sought out Master Bai Ya, he had seen him sitting before a Go board, gazing at that very setup, silent for a long time. And the setup he had seen just now was exactly identical to the one Master Bai Ya had been observing!
“No wonder the sensing felt odd, there was a familiar feeling I couldn’t place—so that’s it!” Ye Chen’s mind cleared, and he couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter.
While everyone was scrutinizing their surroundings, pondering an exit strategy, they were suddenly interrupted by Ye Chen’s loud laughter. They all turned their heads, fixing their gazes upon him.
When Tathagata Buddha, Daoist Zhunti, and the others focused on Ye Chen, their eyes sharpened. They then turned their heads to look at Fuxi and the Yellow Emperor.
“This junior is not simple! His personal destiny is so rich that he has drawn powerful beings like us here. This is all orchestrated by the unseen workings of fate.”
“Little fellow, your future is limitless.”
These two had not paid much attention to Ye Chen before, but now, scrutinizing him closely, they immediately perceived numerous intricacies. With minds as sharp as theirs, they saw everything clearly and could not help but sigh in admiration.
The elder riding the cyan bull nodded slightly and said with a gentle smile, “Young man, you possess great fortitude. Facing such a perilous situation, yet remaining calm and composed—truly admirable!”
Ye Chen cupped his hands toward him. “Thank you for your praise, senior.” While speaking, he was thinking that among the many civilizations on Earth, there was a cultivation civilization that treasured the complete text of the Tao Te Ching for sharpening the mind, spanning tens of millions of characters—it was likely created by the elder before him.
Emperor Shaohao looked at Ye Chen in surprise. “Younger Brother, what are you laughing about?”
Ye Chen glanced at the seniors present and cupped his hands slightly. “This junior knows the path to leaving. If the seniors are willing to trust me, I can lead the way for everyone.”
This statement caused a slight stir among everyone present. Daoist Zhunti stared intently at Ye Chen for a moment before slowly saying, “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely true!” Ye Chen affirmed.
“Very well!” Fuxi smiled slightly. “Then lead the way, Ye Chen. I trust you.”
Seeing that Fuxi had spoken, the others, though harboring some apprehension, had no choice but to nod in agreement.
... The author, Lao Gu, feels that these last few chapters flowed well and were quite satisfying, with the plot points being tightly woven and foreshadowing following close behind. As for why some readers found it slow and padded, Lao Gu is not entirely sure, but he still appreciates everyone’s support and requests a recommendation ticket.