“To cross the river?” Ling Han asked in astonishment. “Isn’t that simple?”
This river was only 30 or so meters in width, so couldn’t it be crossed with a casual leap?
“It’s not that simple,” the burly man who looked around 30 years old replied. His eyes were clouded by a layer of black that radiated with an aura of bloodlust. This was a sign that he had been affected by the black energy of this place. However, he didn’t attack Ling Han, and this was because he had been intimidated by the invisible might of Ling Han. However, he didn’t realize this himself.
He continued, “If you’re a Seventh Heaven, Eighth Heaven, or Ninth Heaven Celestial King, you can naturally cross this river with ease. However, those beneath these levels will be obliterated into smithereens by the river water if they try to forcefully cross.”
“Huh? It’s that powerful?” Ling Han casually asked.
“I know, right? Otherwise, how could we have been stopped here?” the burly man said. He pointed his chin in the direction of the elder, and said, “He isn’t a real person, but he’s unbelievably powerful. He’s guarding that bridge, and those who try to force their way over will only be killed and tossed into the river by him.
“Of course, it’s still possible to cross the bridge if you want. You just have to beat him in a game of go first.
“However, this isn’t any ordinary game of go. You’ll know if you try.”
Pu!
As if providing further information for this remark, the person sitting before the elder suddenly spat a mouthful of blood in a violent manner. His face instantly became as white as a sheet.
Thud, thud, thud…
He stumbled back seven steps, after which he swayed for a short while, and almost collapsed headfirst into the ground.
“Defeated again!”
“Sigh… Moving the pieces requires one to use their divine sense. Once the pieces are eaten, their divine sense will also be wounded.”
“This person has already lost three times, so it’s very likely that his divine sense has already been wounded to the limit.”
“Sigh… I’ve already been here for 16 years, yet I’ve only seen seven people successfully crossing this bridge. This is far too difficult.”
Everyone shook their head in disappointment. They had all challenged the elder to a game of go before, yet which of them hadn’t suffered humiliating defeat? Which of them hadn’t had their divine sense wounded?
Ling Han’s interest was involuntarily piqued. He strode over and sat down before the old man.
“Hmm? Who is this brat?”
“He’s a new arrival, right? I haven’t seen him before.”
“Heh, the youth knows no fear. Does he think this will be easy?”
They all chattered among themselves.
“Shut up!” the Empress chided in a cold voice.
“Just who do you think you—”
Someone instinctively retorted, but upon seeing the Empress’ stunningly beautiful and aloof face, they couldn’t help but feel stifled. How could they still speak?
“How beautiful!”
“How can such a breathtaking beauty exist in the world?”
The Empress’ peerless beauty instantly elicited cries of astonishment from the crowd. Many people stared at her with greed and lust.
They were all affected by the black energy, so they had all become bloodthirsty and fearless, with their senses of respect and apprehension greatly reduced.
“She’s mine!” a person shouted as they immediately lunged over, grabbing at the Empress. She was only a measly Fourth Heaven, so capturing her would naturally be as easy as could be.
Whoosh!
There was a flash of ice-cold light as the Empress drew her sword, slashing down at that person.
How could that person have known that the Empress, a Fourth Heaven Celestial King, actually possessed a Celestial Tool? He simply thought that he could suppress the Empress with his Sixth Heaven cultivation. Moreover, because he had been afraid of others snatching her first, he had lunged over with all his might. He hadn’t just reached over, as that would have increased the risk of others snatching the Empress away first.
Anyhow, apart from Ninth Heaven Celestial Kings, who else could block the might of Celestial Tools?
With a single slash, that person had already been cut in two at the waist. Blood sprayed through the air, after which intestines and organs also started to spill out. Death soon followed.
Everyone was rendered speechless with shock. That was a Sixth Heaven Celestial King! Yet, a Fourth Heaven Celestial King had actually killed them with a single slash? Who could believe this?
After mulling over this carefully, they immediately discovered that it wasn’t the Empress who was powerful enough to kill the Sixth Heaven Celestial King in a single strike. Instead, it was because the Celestial King had been too rash, and it was because of the deadly weapon in the Empress’ hand.
That… was a Celestial Tool!
Their gazes became even more fervent. Not only was she a peerless beauty, but she even possessed a powerful Celestial Tool. Who could resist such temptation?
This was the Celestial King Graveyard, a realm with no rules and regulations. Moreover, these people had all been affected by the black energy, so they were more so reckless and unafraid.
However, Ling Han didn’t pay any attention to this. The Empress was almost at the Fifth Heaven, so combined with the might of the Celestial Tool, she was more than capable of dealing with these people. After all, they were only Sixth Heaven Celestial Kings at most. Indeed, those at the Seventh Heaven could directly cross the river and leave.
He calmly sat down, beginning a game of go with the elder.
In this game of go, he took on the black pieces, meaning that he had the first move. The elder naturally assumed the white pieces.
After placing a single piece, Ling Han immediately let out a soft exclamation. This was because the piece surprisingly absorbed a fraction of his divine sense, causing the piece to become a part of him.
The elder continued to smoke his water pipe as he contested territory with Ling Han.
Pa, pa, pa!
In the beginning, they were both lightning-quick as they placed their pieces. After 30 or so moves, however, they started to slow down. There were more and more things to consider and calculate.
Not only that, but much of Ling Han’s divine sense had also been absorbed after completing the 30 or so moves. This naturally affected his calculation and decision-making abilities.
He became slower and slower, with each move consuming much more time. However, there was a sandglass beside the go board, and the sand inside it would start to flow each time it was his turn to move. The sand inside would completely flow to the bottom after around 30 seconds.
If he failed to make his move before this, it would count as his defeat.
Ling Han made maximum use of this time, not making his move until the moment the time was about to expire.
Both he and the elder remained calm and composed. Meanwhile, the Empress was unleashing her deadly fury, with her divine sword dancing around, and causing her to appear like a celestial maiden gracefully dancing among the clouds. However, her dance was one that ended life after life.
