Chapter 34 - The Terrifying Might of Evil Dragon
While Gu Hai was looking coldly at the sky, a change had already taken place on the weiqi board atop the stage; the former disorganized board had changed back into that endgame again. The only difference was that the black and white pieces had been swapped, that's all.
Nevertheless, Gu Hai was still holding the black piece.
SCREE-CHING!
Suddenly, a hundred zhang long sky saber emerged from the dark clouds as an oppressive aura charged straight at Gu Hai, giving a feeling that it would cut Gu Hai into two in the blink of an eye.
"The sky saber is urging Throne Master Gu, as the thirty breaths are almost up!"
"Gu Hai still hasn't place any pieces, the sky saber is about to cut him. Quickly place the piece as Throne Master Meng did before, quickly!"
"Quickly place the piece!"
Everyone offstage started shouting in worry.
"Benefactor, please place the piece quickly, quickly, ah!" Little Rou shouted anxiously.
Atop the stage, as a murderous intent came charging straight at him, an ice-cold look appeared on Gu Hai's face.
Clipping a black piece, Gu Hai stretched out his hand.
Tok
Gu Hai placed the piece.
BUZZ
As the murderous intent of the sky saber left, Gu Hai looked at the weiqi board slowly.
"Hey? Isn't that the place where Throne Master Meng had played before?"
"What is Throne Master Gu doing? Did he place it at the wrong place?"
"..."
A worried look appeared on many people’s faces.
Meng Tai, who was being guarded by Ascendant Hall disciples, narrowed his eyes, "Gu Hai has placed the piece at nine-five? Nine-five, the emperor position[1]?"
Tok
As the white piece appeared instantly, the duel of the Sky Saber Life and Death Game officially began.
Gu Hai gradually sat down, but there was not the slightest bit of hesitation when he placed another weiqi piece.
"Why has Throne Master placed the piece at a different location? Why is he not following Meng Tai's order of placing the pieces?" exclaimed Chen Tianshan anxiously.
Gao Xianzhi nearby shook his head and said, "That order is bound to fail, why should His Grace continue on a path of doom?"
"But, although Meng Tai lost, his previous achievements were amazing, maybe...!" stated Chen Tianshan, frowning.
"There is no maybe, a defeat is a defeat, Throne Master simply disdains to replay the game!" said Gao Xianzhi, shaking his head.
"Then, is he going to start the game anew? That is an endgame left by Elder Guanqi, can Throne Master even win?" asked Chen Tianshan in disbelief.
"I believe, he can!"
Chen Tianshan looked at Gao Xianzhi as if he was looking at a crazy person.
---
Outside the Carefree Valley...
Thousands of demon beasts were stationed in all directions. Billowing dark clouds had covered the entire Carefree Valley, turning it into a land of despair from which no one could escape.
Atop the peaks around the Carefree Valley stood many black-robed men who were looking at the center of the churning dark clouds, where water vapors had congealed into a huge mirror.
The mirror was projecting the scenes of the valley inside; from the fear in everyone's eyes to Gu Hai placing the piece on the platform, everything was projected in front of the black-robed men to the minutest detail.
On another peak, the red-robed man narrowed his eyes as he looked at the game projected in the water vapor mirror.
"Ninth Young Master, the elders didn't send any instructions whatsoever!" a black-robed man reported to red-robed man respectfully.
Ninth Young Master said, smiling coldly, "Finally, those old men are letting me take action? Humph, they should have done it a long time ago, or my Weiqi Empyrean Court would not have lost so many treasures!"
"Ninth Young Master, it was, after all, Grandmaster's instruction!" stated the black-robed man, worried.
"Humph, it was the wishes Grandmaster had left at that time, they were not orders at all. Furthermore, Grandmaster is already dead. They should have done like I told them; they should have already taught a lesson to these invaders!" replied Ninth Young Master coldly.
The black-robed man who was being respectful earlier, suddenly changed his manner, "Ninth Young Master, please conduct yourself with dignity. Grandmaster's directions are precisely the command, it is also so in the hearts of everyone in my Weiqi Empyrean Court. Even if Grandmaster has fallen, Ninth Young Master should not be impudent towards the Grandmaster!"
"En? Even those old men don't dare to discipline me, and you think you can?" Ninth Young Master glared with wide-open eyes.
"Subordinate don't dare to. Your subordinate thinks that the elders have allowed Ninth Young Master to take us to teach these outsiders a lesson, but they don't want to go against the wishes of Grandmaster. And since Ninth Young Master can rush through the 'Nine Palaces Weiqi Array', you have the qualifications to go outside, that's why all the elders allowed you to act wantonly," said the black-robed man solemnly.
"So you know that I can rush through the Nine Palaces Weiqi Array? And yet you dare to talk to me like this?" asked Ninth Young Master in a chilling tone.
"It's very difficult to rush through the Nine Palaces Weiqi Array, but I think, some among the elders can surely rush through as well, it's just that the elders wish to accompany Grandmaster's coffin, that's why no one among them wants to touch it, that's all! I beg Ninth Young Master to speak cautiously!" said the black-robed man with reverence.
"Humph!" Ninth Young Master harrumphed coldly.
Turning around, Ninth Young Master once again looked towards the projection. In the mirror, the array manipulated the white piece before Gu Hai placed the black piece.
Gu Hai strove to solve this huge array with a bowl of black pieces. Atop the stage, Gu Hai's mind had gradually been attracted by the weiqi board.
"Elder Guanqi is indeed worthy of his reputation!"
On one side, Gu Hai placed the piece, while on the other, he sighed with emotion! As a matter of fact, there wasn't any iota of tension visible in his eyes; on the contrary, his eyes were filled with excitement. He was someone who had not found an opponent in thirty years. And today, this Sky Saber Life and Death Board had let Gu Hai once again find the weiqi sense which he had not felt for a long time.
Even when he was playing against Song Qingshu, it was no different than a cat playing with a mouse; it was completely boring.
As the black pieces were placed one after another, the starlight enveloped Gu Hai; Gu Hai felt the True Qi in his body connected with the starlight as if he had fused with the array.
In a trance, Gu Hai found himself sitting among the waning clouds, playing weiqi with a white-haired old man who was gradually placing a piece.
Tok
Tok
Tok
...
Gu Hai placed the twentieth black piece, yet the black side and white side, both were completely helpless; either side could not do anything to each other.
"As expected, Throne Master Gu isn't as good as Throne Master Meng! Throne Master Meng had won a piece of Elder Guanqi at his eighteenth piece, but Throne Master Gu is at the twentieth piece already, and yet he has not won a single piece."
"Throne Master Gu should have placed the pieces in Throne Master Meng's order!"
"Sigh, Throne Master Gu is finished! Next, it will be our turn to be miserable, once again we will be forced to death!"
"I don't want to die!"
As Gu Hai placed more and more pieces, the cultivators under the stage became more agitated and afraid, a look of despair once again appearing on the faces of many people.
Gu Hai continued to place his pieces. Finally, when the twenty-sixth piece was placed...
Tok
"The white piece is surrounded! The white piece is surrounded!" someone shouted suddenly.
Suddenly, this shout lit up the eyes of the cultivators who had a look of despair a moment ago.
SCREE-CHING!
A sky saber came crashing down from the clouds as it charged at Gu Hai.
Gu Hai ignored it, nevertheless, the True Qi within his body was dragged out instantly.
ROAR!
The True Dragon Xiantian Exercise congealed True Qi in the form of a dragon, a one-zhang long purple dragon-form True Qi soared into the sky, toward the sky saber, opening its jaws.
BOOM!
In the blink of an eye, the hundred-zhang long sky saber had been swallowed by the one zhang long small dragon.
The small dragon immediately grew bigger, to two zhang in length; meanwhile, Saber Qis emerged from its entire body one after another, giving off the impression that it wasn't able to digest it. After all, Gu Hai's True Qi was somewhat worse than Meng Tai's.
Nonetheless, the sky saber was swallowed at the end.
The two-zhang long small dragon opened its jaws as it let out a roar.
ROAR!
Roaring at the sky, at the sky filled with dark clouds.
"This game?" Outside the valley, Ninth Young Master's eyes suddenly went wide.
Similarly, Meng Tai who was within the valley had a solemn look on his face, "Connected game? This game..."
Tok
Tok
As the white piece was placed, the black piece also followed suit. Suddenly, another white piece was surrounded.
"Taking another piece? This, taking pieces continuously?"
SCREE-CHING!
ROAR!
The true dragon swallowed another sky saber in succession.
Tok
Tok
"Another? Taking pieces continuously? Three times in a row, Throne Master Gu is taking a piece just as he is placing them?"
"Previously, Throne Master Meng could only take a piece after placing a few! Where can you see taking pieces in a row like Throne Master Gu?"
"Look, look, Throne Master Gu is about to take another piece?"
---
The continuous sound of placing the pieces had the sound of true dragon swallowing the sky sabers one after another intermixed. Under everyone's gaze filled with astonishment, the true dragon swallowed ten sky sabers in succession, only then did it slow down.
As the pieces were placed in succession, both the white side and black side lost a piece respectively this time.
With the placing of white and black piece, the true dragon over Gu Hai's head was already as big as a hundred zhang. The true dragon had swallowed too many sky sabers; as such the appearance of the true dragon had changed as well.
The scales on true dragon's body had transformed into sky saber-like scales which stood erect. It was not an ordinary true dragon now, but a strange evil dragon that had sky sabers grown on its entire body.
The hideous evil dragon circled over Gu Hai's head, inhaling and exhaling billowing Evil Qi. A whiff of this inauspicious and evil Qi rushed straight into everyone's hearts, giving them palpitations.
Meng Tai's true dragon had only grown to sixty zhang in length, but Gu Hai's evil dragon had grown to hundred zhang in length, a huge mutated evil dragon with sabers protruding over its entire body that was roaring towards the sky.
The game continued, and similarly, the evil dragon grew bigger.
Meanwhile, a hope of life lingered in everyone's heart as the cultivators clenched their fists one after another, watching Gu Hai placing the pieces in excitement.
ROAR!
"It grew again, the evil dragon grew bigger again, such a terrifying aura!"
"Awesome, grow again, grow again!"
"Grow again, grow, grow, grow!"
Everyone muttered in excitement.
The excited Little Rou's body became taut as she raised her upper body, praying for Gu Hai.
Chen Tianshan and Gao Xianzhi's eyes also flickered with excitement.
As Gu Hai continued taking white pieces out, the saber-scaled evil dragon had already grown to two hundred zhang in length!
ROAR!
BOOM!
As the evil dragon roared, the Evil Qi soared towards the sky, seemingly piercing through the water vapor mirror outside the valley and straight into the hearts of everyone watching there.
Wu Wu Wu Wu Wu...
Outside the valley, thousands of demon beasts crawled on the ground suddenly, not daring to challenge the evil dragon's might; they were inexplicably afraid and incessantly anxious. While the demon beasts crawled on the ground, some of them even jumped back in fright.
"Ninth Young Master, it's bad; what do we do now?" a black-robed man cried to Ninth Young Master, frightened.
"Ninth Young Master, it seems that person is about to solve the Sky Saber Life and Death Game, what to do? Are we really going to let them go?"
"Ninth Young Master, it's about to be solved soon, that person is going to solve the array, are we going to let them go?"
The expression on Ninth Young Master's face varied before a sliver of cruelty appeared on his face, "Solve? Humph, that's was just an excuse for me to torture them, that's all. Since I am unable to enjoy, then they can die together! Sky Saber Absolute Offensive Array!"
While speaking, Ninth Young Master stretched his hand out, controlling the array.
RUMBLE!
Suddenly, the dark clouds churned to the extreme. Immediately after, flashes of white light shimmered within the array as dense Saber Qis, like the tips of blades, emerged from the dark clouds.
---
Within the valley...
"What the hell? Not good! Look at the sky!"
"So many new sky sabers have formed? What to do?"
"Since Throne Master Gu is about to win, they are going back on their word!?"
"Bastard, you are going back on your promise!"
"I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"
Everyone within the valley looked at the sky in fear. Goosebumps exploded all over their bodies as the feeling of an imminent death rushed into their hearts.
A horrified look blanketed Chen Tianshan's face, while Little Rou looked at the sky, terrified.
In contrast, Gao Xianzhi and Meng Tai kept on staring at Gu Hai; the two clenched their fists ever so tightly.
As Gu Hai placed his pieces faster and faster, as the pieces kept on falling on the board, the evil dragon swallowed more and more sky sabers, while its eyes also turned red as blood, and the Evil Qi lingering around its body grew denser and denser as well.
"Go to Hell!" suddenly, a cold voice reverberated inside the dark clouds.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a sky saber appeared and rushed straight at Gu Hai. However, this time it was not for the evil dragon to eat, but to behead Gu Hai.
SCREE-CHING
A saber tip, seemingly tearing through space, fiercely charged at Gu Hai with a monstrous Slaughter Qi. It seemed that it was about to cut Gu Hai into two.
ROOOOAAAARRRRRRRRR!
Suddenly, the evil dragon roared as it smashed into the sky saber.
BANG!
Thereafter, the sky saber broken into pieces with a thunderous bang before dissipating into the air.
"Hmm?" Ninth Young Master's countenance distorted.
"He blocked it so easily?" a black-robed man exclaimed in surprise.
"That evil dragon has already eaten two hundred sky sabers, now it has reached three hundred zhang in length, it has already become stronger!"
Ninth Young Master's expression turned gloomy, "Humph, so what if you can block a sky saber? I have ten, hundred, thousands, let me see how you are going to block them!"
While he spoke coldly, the dark clouds over Gu Hai's head churned once again.
SCREE-CHING
SCREE-CHING
SCREE-CHING
...
Suddenly, a hundred sabers emerged from the dark clouds as an overwhelming killing aura enveloped the entire mountain valley in the blink of an eye. Many cultivators felt their scalps tingle as the premonition of imminent death froze the blood in their body; a terrified look crossed their faces.
One hundred sky sabers were pointing right at Gu Hai.
As the evil dragon fended off the Slaughter Qi, Gu Hai felt a bit better, but he still had been disturbed and the weiqi piece in his hand stopped momentarily. Whereupon, Gu Hai raised his head to look at the sky before the evil dragon let out a brutal roar at the sky, at those one hundred oncoming sky sabers.
Gu Hai squinted his eyes as a sliver of a cold smile appeared on his lips, "You want to kill me now? But aren't you a bit late?"
While speaking, he immediately placed the black piece at the 'Tianyuan' location on the weiqi board.
Tok
As the weiqi piece was placed, the evil dragon seemed to have been infused with an endless power.
ROOOOAAAARRRRRRRRR
The evil dragon let out a sky shaking roar before the Evil Qi lingering around its body soared up, blowing a gust of wind, throwing the cultivators all around to the ground.
As the evil dragon let out this roar, it no longer protected Gu Hai overhead, but flew up with a hideous look on its face, towards those one hundred sky sabers to smash into them, towards those billowing dark clouds to tear them apart, towards the entire Sky Saber Life and Death Game array to break it apart!
ROOOOAAAARRRRRRRRR!