“Master… has moved?”

The Stopper and others were stunned.

“It seems… that person has truly walked a path we cannot comprehend, or else Master wouldn’t be disturbed.”

The Dark One murmured.

“Master moving—will there be a great war? No matter what path that person walks, it must be severed!”

The Stopper whispered excitedly.

“When can we strike against the Forbidden World? We used to fear that person and dared not act, but now that Master has arrived, this realm can be wiped out!”

They looked toward the Divine Jumper and asked.

… Their Master was their greatest assurance!

The Divine Jumper spoke coldly: “Wait.”

“Wait for your Master’s command.”

Upon hearing this, the Dark One and others nodded.

“You are the Silent One?”

The Dark Shaman suddenly looked toward the Silent One.

“Indeed, it’s merely me.”

The Silent One nodded.

The Dark Shaman frowned slightly and said, “Your Silent Way… seems to have some problems.”

He was about to make a move to examine, but suddenly, from the Dark Throne, a voice rang out:

“Divine Witch, it has been many years. Stop bullying these youngsters.”

A dark aura descended. In front of the Divine Jumper, dense black chess lines suddenly appeared.

“Shall we play another game?”

The presence on the Dark Throne spoke.

The Dark Jumper gazed at the Dark Throne, made a bow, and said:

“Knowing I won’t win, I don’t want to play.”

“But you must play.”

The voice from the Dark Throne carried a hint of coldness.

“Defeating me—does it satisfy you?”

The Dark Jumper raised an eyebrow.

The voice from the Dark Throne said casually, “I want to see you perform the Divine Jumper’s dance. What’s wrong with that? Lose one game, and you shall dance once, until I tire of watching.”

The Dark Jumper felt somewhat indignant and replied:

“Why…?”

“Because I am second under heaven, stronger than you. Dissatisfied?”

Upon hearing this, the Dark Jumper’s eyes seemed to carry some peculiar fluctuation. He suddenly laughed, his black pupils reflecting a trace of desolation as he said:

“Second under heaven… This is the first time I’ve heard those words from your mouth…”

“The darkness gave you and me a destination… It also brought clarity… Even you have conceded, are content to be beneath another…”

“Heh, in that case, let’s play—let’s play another game!”

He sat down and began a chess duel with the presence on the Dark Throne, paying no further attention to the Silent One, the Stopper, and others.

The Stopper and others exchanged glances.

“Senior Brother, what… should we do?” the Stopper asked.

The Dark One pondered briefly and said:

“Follow his advice. Wait.”

“But, Silent Junior Brother, your two disciples can be sent to the Forbidden World first, to the Continent of Grey Mists.”

“The Grey Emperor wishes to walk the Dark Path… Those in the Ten Thousand Dao Gate will undoubtedly be swayed. Send Mo Zhi to acquire knowledge of the Myriad Dao, and as war erupts, Mo Sha can pursue the ultimate of the Killing Dao within bloodshed.”

The Silent One nodded slightly and said, “Mo Zhi, Mo Sha, you go.”

Immediately, his last two disciples, Mo Zhi and Mo Sha, departed.

Mo Zhi and Mo Sha respectively represented the Silent One’s yearning for knowledge and lust for slaughter.

“I have an idea…”

At this time, the Silent One spoke again, “Senior Brothers, I will prove the Supreme Path. When the time comes, blessings can be bestowed upon future generations. My thought is to invite the young geniuses from the Dark Firmament over for my baptism. What do you think?”

His eyes carried a trace of anxiety!

Lately, he had been plagued with many strange thoughts…

He desired to eradicate the young talents of the Dark Firmament!

He wished to devour the blood and flesh of the dark creatures!

Even when he looked at the necks of his two Senior Brothers, he often felt an itching in his teeth, yearning to take a bite…

Fortunately, his two Senior Brothers were Supreme Ones, whose presence always kept him grounded in clarity.

But unable to bite his Senior Brothers, that suppressed urge gnawed at him…

Now, he felt a strange compulsion to gather some edible, bitable targets from the Dark Firmament…

“Naturally.”

The Stopper said, “It’s perfect; since Master has already moved, it won’t be long before this world is fully eradicated. It would be good to let the young ones in the Dark Firmament sharpen their skills…”

He flicked his fingers!

A message traversed the pitch-black gate and entered the darkness of the Firmament.

Immediately,

In the silent, lightless Dark Firmament, voices began to resound atop each dark great star.

“Strike the Forbidden World!”

“Train the youth, summon the strongest descendants of this star immediately. Depart to that realm and follow Lord Moze to hone your skills!”

“The Forbidden World is the final disruption to the cosmic laws. It must be culled.”

“Lord Moze is the only one of his era to prove the Supreme Path. Follow him, and immense benefits shall be yours. Go forth!”

In the vast and dark cosmic domain, black bridges suddenly appeared. Upon these bridges, numerous dark creatures began to converge, forming an army of one million!

This army’s weakest members were all of Heavenly King Level, including several Dark Emperors.

They hailed from the many Dark Great Stars, embodying hope and potential, now entrusted to the Silent One.

They moved slowly through the pitch-black gate.

…

Meanwhile.

In Kaiyuan Continent, the Kongshou Mountain Forest—

The Black White Great Emperor, Fire Spirit, Mu Wanqing, and others had already arrived, preparing to journey to the small mountain village. Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Something’s wrong…”

At this moment, Black White frowned, saying:

“The land ahead… you and I can no longer tread upon.”

Fire Spirit and the others were slightly surprised.

“Nothing seems particularly unusual here…”

They were puzzled.

“Each inch of earth feels like a Star River; each leaf seems to form a universe. Yet, it’s peaceful, as if everything has ceased, as if everything has fallen into a unique state… To step within it would be unimaginable.”

The black and white lights in Black White’s eyes flickered sharply, reflecting deep gravity.

At this moment, beneath an ancient locust tree ahead, a stone table suddenly appeared bearing a chess game.

Across the stone table, a white-clad man materialized, sitting on one side of the stone table. His snow-white long hair flowed flawlessly like cascades, and his visage seemed to be around forty or fifty years old. His serene expression bore the calmness of a soul that had weathered time, with eyes holding the profound depths of life cycles and cosmic mysteries.

The man glanced at Black White, smiled faintly, and said:

“How about I offer you an opportunity? A chess match: withstand thirty moves, and you shall instantly prove Supreme, while I become untouched by Samsara for three thousand years.”

“If we draw, you ascend beyond Supreme, and Samsara becomes your forbidden realm—my disciples shall never step within.”

“If you win… let’s not discuss that.”

His smile was as gentle as the breeze, transcendent and ethereal. Though sitting there, he seemed detached from the world, apart from this fleeting epoch, speaking across endless time and boundless space.

Fire Spirit and the others were astonished beyond measure. Fire Spirit instinctively prepared to take out the Li Tian Xuan Palace gifted by Li Fan, while Mu Qianning prepared to remove the hairpin gifted by Li Fan.

A formidable foe, an unparalleled foe!

This was the sole thought that arose in their hearts. Because before this person, they felt as if facing Senior Li himself—perceiving no fluctuation from the man whatsoever, as ordinary as a mortal, as if nonexistent!

But Black White stopped them, calmly saying:

“No need; it holds no significance.”

“Return and continue leading the assault on the Continent of Grey Mists.”

“Do as much as you can.”

Then, step by step, he approached the other side of the stone table.

And began to play.

…

In the small mountain village.

At dawn, Li Fan woke up, with Zi Ling and Su Baiqian bringing him hot water. Li Fan once again returned to the luxurious life of having someone attend to his washing needs.

The weather was fine. After breakfast, Li Fan said:

“Zi Ling, Baiqian, let’s go—your Master will take you out for some fresh air.”

Since entering this realm, Li Fan had often worried about his disciples and hadn’t ventured out to admire the scenery. Now that everyone was gradually returning, his mood had improved, and his desire to go sketching arose naturally.

“All right, Master.”

Zi Ling and Su Baiqian immediately began to pack.

Li Fan brought the little kitten along as well. The three of them and the cat left the courtyard.

Outside the courtyard, Li Fan did not directly depart but led the two disciples for a casual stroll around the village.

The tea gardens remained, with fresh sprouts emerging, vibrant and green.

Fields lay verdant, tender crops blanketing the ground, teeming with vitality.

Chicken calls and barking dogs reverberated, while children chased one another, brimming with joy.

Villagers worked in peaceful simplicity, singing as they labored, with every eye shedding a warm familiarity.

…

“Master, you’ve walked the entire village. What are you looking for?”

Beyond the village, Zi Ling blinked her big eyes and asked.

Li Fan replied:

“The smoke and fire of ordinary life.”

“The common smoke and fire of the world—most comforting to a mortal’s heart…”

He sighed softly and spoke:

“Morning mushrooms do not know twilight and dawn; cicadas do not know spring and autumn… A lifetime in this vast river of time is like mushrooms and cicadas—finite in life, pursuing the infinite, yet ultimately gaining nothing.”

“Abandoning the dazzling leads to seeing simplicity; rejecting the illusory unveils truth. Ultimately, everything returns to ordinariness.”

Upon hearing this, Zi Ling and Su Baiqian were somewhat baffled, unable to grasp the deeper meaning of their Master’s words.

“Let’s go. Follow me to the hills.”

Li Fan didn’t elaborate further and stepped toward the outskirts of the mountain village.

As they walked, Zi Ling and Su Baiqian began to sense a strange feeling—they seemed no longer to be walking in the world, but as if stepping into a cosmic expanse surpassing the boundaries of time.

“Master… why do I feel that the road we’re taking is entirely different now?”

Su Baiqian couldn’t help but ask.

Li Fan chuckled faintly upon hearing this, replying:

“To seek new paths is to witness new vistas.”

Zi Ling asked, “Master, where are we heading?”

Li Fan pointed to the towering peaks and said:

“To the highest place here, to paint the Ordinary Diagram.”

Leading Zi Ling and Su Baiqian, Li Fan meandered through this seemingly ordinary yet utterly inscrutable forest and finally reached the tallest peak.

Every step along the stone paths, every climb of the hill—the disciples suddenly felt as though they had transcended the space and time of this Forbidden World, ascending to another realm of unparalleled magnificence.

Turning to look back, they were shocked to see the Sea of Karma swirling like a mist, stopping at the mountain’s base; the River of Time flowing like a creek, halting mid-hill.

This peak seemed to rise thousands of fathoms beyond the Sea of Karma, as though stretching before the birth of times itself.

On the mountain, there was nothing but a flat expanse of land and a single dead, ancient pine tree, appearing so mundane yet serene.

When Li Fan finally led them to the summit, there, beneath the dead pine tree atop the mountain, sat a white-clad, white-haired man, as if he had been waiting for ages.

…

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