Chapter 137 Black Pieces of Chess Cover the World
It was a snowing atop Mount Cicada in Northern You and yet drizzling in a hidden valley in the southern region.

Inside the pitch-black darkness that enveloped the valley, a black-robed old man was playing a game of Chinese chess with a young child with pleated pigtails. In front of them was a chessboard covered partially in black pieces and partially in white pieces, with a blood-red line on it. It was a board that was a whopping ten feet in size.

The black-robed old man lowered his head to look at the stone pieces on the board that were scattered like stars in the sky. He looked like he had sunken into a long period of reflection. The young child that sat cross-legged across him didn’t disturb him. He held his chin, looking somewhat disinterested.

This game wasn’t your typical game of Chinese chess.

The stone pieces pre-arranged on the board were all the same color and translucent. Every time the old man touched the pieces, they would turn black. Every time the young child touched the pieces, they would turn white.

The black pieces were in the minority at first, but they gradually formed a black python that climbed out of a hole.

On the contrary, the white pieces continued to advance gradually and take things as they come.

During this process, the transparent stone pieces would change its location nonstop. On the chessboard, they were only faintly discernible.

It wouldn’t be easy to claim victory in this match. Be it the black-robed old man or the young child with pleated pigtails, both forged on. The old man stared fixedly at the massive chessboard and said solemnly, “In the hiding for a hundred years in which even the court has changed its master; indeed, we must act like that python that poked out its tongue.”

“Time can change a person’s nature as well as his beliefs. There’s no shortage of capable men in this world. To think that they wish to overturn a large tree with just some seeds; aren’t they being too optimistic?” The young child’s voice was tender but the words that left his mouth weren’t at all. Rather, they were full of profoundness.

“Beliefs aren’t so easily altered.” The black-robed old man chuckled. “Even if there’s a change, he’ll have to see if he can even make the change.”

“Seven main creeds, three sets of bloody curses. It’s only possible if they’re willing to throw away their lives.”

The young child didn’t reply. He raised his hand and a chess piece on the board turned white.

“No matter how many seeds they have planted, they’ll never outnumber farm corps,” the young child said in a childish tone.

“That’s impossible, of course, but how can we compare the devil’s seeds with regular seeds? When one is planted in the ground, it may have already affected countless others of the same kind. The devils are like a single spark. What do you think will happen if you toss the fire onto the grassland?”

The old man waved his hand. “Wildfire that sparks a prairie fire!”

Suddenly, the stone pieces on the chessboard began to rock. Thump, thump, thump. The transparent pieces changed one after another. Some turned pure black, some gray. Some even turned into strange pieces that were half-black and half-white. Looking at the chessboard, half of the pieces had turned black amid the blood-red thread.

Perhaps it had been silent and comfortable in the Nine Provinces for far too long; all sort of negative emotions were beginning to erupt.

In the world that Ye Que once lived in, the Demon Race had already begun invading Luoyang at this time. But the present?

Besides the domain that the Demon King ruled over, strange and bloody incidents began erupting in the five main tribes in succession. Some fighters from the Demon Race disappeared out of the blue, some went mad for no reason, and some broke into murderous slaughter. One general from the Wind Tribe inexplicably led his army to attack the Hill Tribe’s stronghold. Meanwhile, a shaman from the Thunder Tribe secretly began spreading rumors that the Demon King wasn’t the true ruler of the people and that the true ruler would show up in the near future…

The Demon Race grew weary of fearing for their lives after the successive strange incidents. Then, the fifteen disciples that the Demon King treasured the most went missing as well.

Ye Que wasn’t aware of the chess match in the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness or the strange happenings in the Demon Race. Right now, he had to worry about the matter at hand.

Late into the night on Mount Cicada, a guest actually knocked on the door of the shabby Guandi Temple.

Then, the “guests” charged in without waiting for a reply.

The moment they arrived at the small courtyard, the youngster who led the group extinguished the bonfire with a single sword strike.

Before Guan Shuheng could open his mouth to stop the invaders, the youngster took the opportunity to berate him. “Have you guys gone mad? Why would you start such a bonfire on such a dark night? Do you think death can’t come fast enough?”

“Call all of your friends and leave this place immediately! I’ve already warned you. If you’re even a step late, you might end up plunging into hell,” the youngster said in a downcast voice. He glanced at the interior of the temple as he spoke, taking in the sight of ten more female disciples sleeping on a floor full of beddings. Of the two remaining male disciples, one was warming himself at a fire and the other was dating.

The one warming himself at the fire was Guan Shuheng. The one “dating” was Ye Que.

The youngster took note of their appearances. Their clothes were disorderly and crumpled. More likely than not, these people were refugees who came here for shelter.

“Where did you come from? Judging from the bedding on the floor… could it be the Boiled Snow Temple? But that’s not right! The temple wouldn’t have so many female disciples!” The youngster looked confused.

“Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. We’re from the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder,” Guan Shuheng said, taking a step forward.

“Pavilion of Wind and Thunder?” The youngster sized up Guan Shuheng. Then, he said anxiously, “Did your pavilion suffer an ambush as well? What about the Boiled Snow Temple at the foot of the mountain? Did you notice something strange?”

Guan Shuheng was quite prudent and didn’t reveal the state of his sect. He spoke only of the circumstances in the Boiled Snow Temple. “If you’re planning to go there, I advise you to forget it. They have sealed off their sect and are turning away their guests.”

“Sealed off their sect?” The youngster looked stunned. “You must be joking. Did they think…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Ye Que and Red Bean, who were sitting inside the temple, suddenly standing up and leaping out of the temple in a single step.

In the snowstorm.

It was hard to notice the two figures with black robes draped over their shoulders.

Instantly, an intangible oppressive pressure enveloped the entire Guandi Temple.

The female disciples of Pavilion of Wind and Thunder who were deep asleep all jolted awake and then looked outside in astonishment. Meanwhile, the small group of saber-wielding youngsters acted like mice that spotted a cat. Their muscles, from head to toe, were all taut.

He yawned.

Ye Que stretched his body.

Red Bean narrowed her eyes, a smirk playing on her lips. She didn’t need anyone to tell her who the visitors were. It was the smell of hunters and one that they didn’t bother to hide at all. The two black-robed figures didn’t even bother finding corporeal bodies; they trod upon the snow, baring all of their Devil Qi.

“We’ll each take one?” Ye Que glanced at Red Bean.

“Up to you.” She caressed the large black umbrella in her hand.

“To think that little bandits in the Starburst Realm dare to act this brazenly; are all the members of the Orthodox Path sleeping?” Ye Que scowled.

“Don’t waste your time with that. Hunters all deserve death. Hurry up and kill them. Once we’re done, we’ll continue with our stories. Who does the chivalrous lady in the story like?” Red Bean stepped on the stone steps in front of the temple and soared into the sky.

Ye Que shook his head helplessly. “Don’t be so hasty. Devil cultivators in the Starburst Realm are still devil cultivators! I might not be willing to kill Ye Yunhai, but do you think I won’t kill these devils who have nothing to do with me? Leave one for me!”