Chess Game

' Profound Heaven Sword Intent, hehehe! Kid, you've got some nerve! Being granted the title of Marquis within the Pass right off the Guan Nei Hou! The Grand Tutor of the Three Palaces is arranging your marriage! You'll marry a princess from the Immortal Palace! Wow, the Immortal Palace is really being generous this time!'

Damn, I love cultivating immortality, I wouldn't even be an emperor, who wants this monkey-like bastard...?

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent, what a fool! This is Guan Nei Hou from the Central Plains! Why not take it if it's free!'

Li Fan ignored him and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Master, I am truly Qingyue, not Li You. I sincerely aspire to the Dao and have no desire for worldly wealth and honor. I have already saved Li You..."

The abbot nodded and then shook his head. "Qingyue, you misunderstand. The Nangong Family wants to marry is Qingyue, a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain who survived the calamity at Tiantai Mountain. The one the Grand Tutor intends to win over is also Qingyue, a core disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain who is valued by us."

Li You has never had anything to do with this; it was just an excuse made by the dukes and marquises of Li Country to associate themselves with you."

Li Fan couldn't help but feel a little confused.

The abbot then said, "Don't rush. This letter is the condition that the Immortal Palace is offering to win over Ink Bamboo Mountain. It involves the title bestowed upon you by the Immortal Palace and a marriage alliance guaranteed by the Grand Tutor. I need to ask you what you think."

Li Fan was taken aback. He glanced at the two other letters on the platform and realized, "These three letters are the conditions that the Three Great Sects have put forward to Ink Bamboo Mountain?"

The abbot nodded.

Li Fan hesitated for a moment, "This involves important matters of our sect. Abbot, do you really need to confirm my wishes?"

The abbot shook his head and smiled, "It's just a mutual test. I'll have to discuss it with everyone later. But the title and marriage bestowed by the Immortal Palace are for you. You don't need to worry about your sect's arrangements. Just nod if you want them."

Li Fan immediately shook his head, "I don't want it. Who cares?"

Are you kidding me? The Immortal Palace wanted to resolve the feud between Ink Bamboo Mountain and the Nangong Family, but he didn't want to! Oh, so you've plotted to kill me time and time again, and I've miraculously escaped, and then you just say, 'Kid, you're still alive, I admire you, let's arrange a marriage alliance,' and that's it? Get lost! I'll wipe out your entire Nangong family! We'll still have a 'marriage alliance,' okay?

'The Profound Heaven Sword Intent, what a pity. I wanted the title of Guan Nei Hou back then.'

What, you're not even being shown the respect of the Immortal Palace?

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent? That's not it. According to the rites and merits, the Immortal Palace should have bestowed upon me the title of Duke, but the title of Kan Country doesn't sound good, so I declined. The Grand Commandant even scolded me for being crazy."

You're definitely sick...

"Then I'll help you decline." The abbot was quite straightforward. "Don't worry about it. The Grand Tutor's intention is for me to return the title of General of the South to the Nangong Family. He will appoint me as General of the West, with the authority to hold the imperial seal, open my own office, and be granted the same rank as the Three Excellencies. I will also be appointed as the Li Prefecture Governor and the Kun. Ink Bamboo Mountain will lead his troops westward out of Kunlun."

To the west? Kun? Kun Country?

"As you know, each of the Twelve Countries has an Immortal Palace King guarding its palace. The title of General of the South was originally held by the previous Immortal King Nangong. However, he took advantage of the fact that the Three Realms were severely weakened by the Luo Sect Nangong Family and launched a campaign to seize the position of Chariot and Cavalry General, but was defeated. As a result, the Nangong family's title of General of the South was stripped. However, the Nangong Family's power still exists, and my Ink Bamboo Mountain was also under the Nangong Family's command at the time, so the Immortal Palace was unable to pursue the matter further."

Later, the current Immortal King of the Nangong Family reached the Transformation Stage, enabling him to oversee the entire situation. To prevent further rebellion in the south, the Grand Tutor, taking advantage of Ink Bamboo Mountain's merit in assisting in suppressing the Black Lotus Sect rebellion, bestowed upon me the title of General of the South and Li Prefecture Governor. This directly led to the rift between the Nangong Family and Ink Bamboo Mountain that has persisted to this day, with neither having the will to coexist and launch Northern Expedition."

Damn, this Grand Tutor is so cunning! You were the one who sowed discord back then, and now you're playing peacemaker. One imperial edict from the Three Palaces, and the underworld is in complete chaos... And aren't the Nangong Family a bit stupid? Turning against their allies just for a general's title?

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent, this is not some miscellaneous general title. It is something that can be used by generals of the four kingdoms or generals of the eight vassal kingdoms.'

Only with the title of General of the South can one rightfully guard the Immortal Palace. Only with the seal of the Governor of Li Prefecture Governor Immortal Palace one command the land gods and mountain spirits, and bestow titles upon the people of the vassal states. Only then will the tributes from the Li Country be sent to your mountain gate. Only then will the heads of powerful clans, the reclusive hermits of the countryside, and the local hermits obey your orders, come to your headquarters to seek a position, and strive for fame and fortune.

This truly means one-twelfth of the world's territory. Fighting for this title is a death sentence. Only the northern vassal states, already devastated and emptied, wouldn't care about this within the territories of the Nine Great Xuan Sects. In the south, the cultivation clans and aristocratic families still hold the most power; to seize local resources for their own use, they'll definitely fight for a legitimate claim.

Oh... hmm? What does it mean to return the general's title to the Nangong Family now? And why are they so generous as to bestow the title of General of the West? What happened to the original General of the West?

Seeing that Li Fan had reacted, the abbot nodded and pointed to the red envelope on the right, "This is a letter of invitation from the Divine Sect. The Divine Sect's army has already passed through Kunlun, stormed into the Central Plains, destroyed the Kun Country, and will be our neighbor from now on."

The abbot spoke Qingyun, but Li Fan, who suddenly realized what was happening, was overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of oppression.

Without a word, the cult destroyed a country.

This is one of the Twelve Countries! The legitimate dynasty of the Central Plains!

A simple visiting card seemed far more terrifying than the scene he had witnessed firsthand during his internship at the Xuanmen South Sea, where an entire family was wiped out with a flick of the wrist, or the sea of fire and bloodshed he had just experienced in Changsi City last night.

In that instant, Li Fan gained a clear understanding of the so-called Three Great Sects.

The Three Great Sects are not devoid of desires and ambitions, at least not entirely. At least for the Divine Sect, cultivation realms, Cultivation Method, and Daoist arts are merely means to achieve their goals. Even with the False Moon in the sky and abundant resources, it still cannot satisfy the Divine Sect's appetite.

They want it all.

This world,

We must hold them all in our hands!

Thus, after the chaos caused by the Luo Sect, the world enjoyed a rare period of peace lasting several hundred years.

The cult has finally made its move again.

Moreover, with a single, successful strike, they drove away the old demon of the Qingyang Sect, removed a thorn in the side of North Kunlun, and then, taking advantage of the chaos in Li Country and the Immortal Palace's busy plotting to seize the sword in the South Sea, they swept in with lightning speed, annihilating the guardian immortal family of Kun Country with ease!

Before the Xuanmen and Immortal Palace could even react, they had already firmly established themselves in the Central Plains of the Twelve Countries.

This overwhelming superiority was entirely unsurprising; Ink Bamboo Mountain could at least dominate a country. If they didn't even have the power to unify the world, could they truly be called Three Great Sects?

Previously, the Divine Cult was simply kept outside the Three Feudatories in the Northwest by the Nine Great Xuan Sects Gates.

Dui Country and Gan Kingdom are formidable natural barriers with their mountains and passes, and are the strongholds of the Nine Great Xuan Sects. Kan Country, since the fall of the Luo Sect, has been in chaos, with demons running rampant. However, it was once guarded by a group of mad dogs from the Beichen Sword Sect. Kunlun Mountain is a mixed bag of people, with demons running rampant. Therefore, the power of the Divine Sect is indeed beyond its reach.

However, after the Beichen Sword Sect and Dao Ancestor Youquan fought to the death, a huge gap appeared in the defense of the Kan Country in the north, tying down a lot of Xuanmen's manpower. Moreover, Yellow Heaven Dao in the Gen Country was also causing trouble, and the situation was getting more and more serious, even interfering with the heart of the Central Plains and spreading throughout the north, to the point where it had to be eliminated like the Luo Sect.

Adding to this the rebellion launched by the Li Country, and the internal strife caused by the Black Lotus Sect's rebellion against the Immortal Palace, the balance of power shifted, and before anyone could react, the Divine Sect, taking advantage of the Kunlun and overcoming natural barriers, conquered the Kun Country.

At this moment, Li Fan understood.

Lu Chai's willingness to expose his hidden resources accumulated over many years and make a big splash in Changsi City was merely a card used by the Divine Cult to temporarily restrain the immortals of Li Country.

A sect leader, a Blood Lord, and a Saintess —this alone stirs up a storm, drawing the attention of the Immortal Palace and Ink Bamboo Mountain to Changsi City. This leaves the Li Country with no time to attend to the Kun Country's national crisis, let alone offer any assistance. Even if this card is wasted, it's still worthwhile.

If Lu Chai really succeeds, causing bloodshed in Changsi City, and then awakens a Blood Lord or Saintess, then this letter of invitation on the platform will naturally disappear, and the Divine Cult's army will simply take advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack and swallow up the Li Country in one gulp.

However, the fire in Changsi City has now been extinguished. Overnight, apart from the Taiji Palace being slashed by someone, almost nothing happened. The abbot and the Nangong Immortal Family gathered together to drink tea and discuss marriage alliances.

The cult, of course, pretended nothing had happened, respectfully presented their visiting card, and talked about developing in Kun Country from now on, and how everyone should live together peacefully. The atmosphere seemed to suddenly become harmonious again.

But beneath this desk, the murderous intent hidden in the words is already palpable.

The abbot took the account book brought by Li Fan, casually crumpled it into a small booklet, and said while flipping through it, "The Grand Tutor wants to mobilize the military forces of Li Country and drive them out of Kun Country while the Divine Sect is still unstable. The Divine Sect is willing to establish a border with my Ink Bamboo Mountain and rule accordingly, as long as they do not participate in the struggle between the Three Great Sects, they will tacitly approve of our development."

Li Fan was speechless.

It's truly speechless. The Immortal Palace schemed against you behind your back for ages, then tried to trick you into risking your life with a blank check. The Divine Cult almost stabbed you in the back, and now they're all smiles, wanting to shake hands and make peace. Is this how the Three Great Sects operate...?

"What about the Xuanmen?" Li Fan couldn't help but ask.

The abbot didn't hide anything from him, "Emei sent a letter inviting me to the Peach Banquet in Gan Kingdom, seemingly intending to bring Lou Guan back into the ranks of the Xuanmen (Daoist sect)."

Well, this is even more ruthless. They're directly poaching people and undermining your core leadership, since only Lou Guan is a true ancient disciple. As for the others, sorry, they're just trashy rogue cultivators...

"If the Profound Heaven Sword Intent was sent by Emei, and they held such a formal Peach Banquet, then it shouldn't be a trick, but rather a genuine intention to bring Lou Guan into the power of the Nine Great Xuan Sects and discuss the matter of attacking the Divine Sect from the north and south."

It's not that I look down on them; I think the Mountain Lord's lineage is alright. But that Wangshu is no good; aside from his incredibly fast cultivation, his skills in all five arts are rubbish.

... But what deep-seated grudge does your Xuanmen have against the Divine Sect? Why are you constantly clashing with them? Of course, you'd retaliate if your Immortal Palace were occupied. Doesn't the Xuanmen not care much about matters of the Human Dao?

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent is all old grudges. Before the Profound Maiden ascended to immortality, she left behind nine volumes of heavenly books. Profound Maiden followers studied them on their own, thus creating the Oldest One Nine Great Xuan Sects. The Xuan Sect lineage has always held regular competitions to test their skills and compete for Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land and heavenly books. Later, these heavenly books were all taken by the God Lord, who soon ascended to immortality, and the heavenly books fell into the hands of the Divine Sect."

Therefore, legend has it that comprehending all nine volumes of the Heavenly Book allows one to break through realms and ascend to immortality, or at least gain some understanding of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, resulting in rapid advancement in one's cultivation. As a result, the struggle and fighting have never ceased.

Later, when the False Moon high in the sky, the Luo Sect and other heretical sects rose up and began to spread many new heavenly books and heavenly doctrines. The Divine Sect was more difficult to deal with, so they all went to snatch the heavenly books of the heretical sects, wanting to find another way.

It's likely that the Tai Su Dao Ancestor passed down so many heavenly books that the Xuanmen (mysterious sects) haven't been able to form a group to attack the Divine Sect for so long, which allowed their new generation of followers to grow up.

Hmph, if you want to follow my lead, then forget about all the scheming and just attack! Focus your attacks on the Divine Sect! Back when I was in charge of the Xuanmen, we had small battles every year and major battles every ten years. We raided the Divine Sect's headquarters three times, retrieved six Heavenly Books, and killed countless Dharma Kings and Venerables. They were too busy escaping to have time for such treacherous schemes.

Now look what's happened! Emei has taken over, and after all the calculations, they've actually managed to let the Divine Sect recover, and they've even attacked Kunlun! Hmph, being neighbors with the Divine Sect, you're in for a world of trouble. I advise your abbot not to get involved in this mess; Ink Bamboo Mountain doesn't have the resources to play this game."

"The one who knows you best is your enemy," even Profound Heaven Sword Intent said. Moreover, Li Fan thought about it and realized that there were indeed few people in the world who could be as 'calm' as him in confronting the Divine Sect's Cultivation Method. He also supported the idea, saying, "Master, I am but a humble person with little influence, but it seems that the Three Great Sects are deeply entrenched. It is best not to get involved in their conflicts."

However, Li Fan also knew that he could only offer suggestions. Looking at the outsiders, they were all prominent figures. Which side to befriend among the Three Great Sects was a major matter concerning the future of Ink Bamboo Mountain. They couldn't possibly listen to an ordinary disciple like him, who was just acting on his whims and personal grudges to give advice.

The abbot nodded. "Although the Central Plains is vast, it cannot support all Three Great Sects. The tacit understanding between the Xuanmen Immortal Palace and the Xuanmen Immortal Palace is to prevent the Divine Sect from setting foot in the Central Plains and to prevent the rise of forces of the Luo Sect's caliber." Naturally, they will also be wary of our Ink Bamboo Mountain.

However, now that they are fighting amongst themselves, the pressure can be eased. The Grand Tutor will not expect to be able to reclaim Kun by relying solely on the troops and efforts of Ink Bamboo Mountain. The Three Realms will definitely send troops directly, and the Xuanmen will certainly lend a hand as well. It's just that they are mobilizing too slowly, and by then, the Divine Sect will probably have gained a foothold in Kun Country. A great battle is inevitable.

What I'm worried about isn't the things that are out in the open. What I'm wary of is the person hiding behind them.

Which person?

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent, the new schemer of the Divine Cult, this brat has some skill. There aren't many in the world who can evade Mount Emei's Five Finger Mountain; he's worth my personal attention to kill.'

You're hopeless! You're only three inches long now...

As if talking to Li Fan would help him think, the abbot pointed to the accounts in his hand and said to Li Fan, "This matter originally had nothing to do with ordinary disciples, but since you have become involved by chance, I will explain things to you again."

Actually, starting a year ago, someone secretly began procuring military supplies through the Li Country, including a considerable amount of elixirs and talismans. The mechanical devices were purchased from Ink Bamboo Mountain. I initially thought someone in the Border Prefecture was plotting a mutiny, but after sending people to investigate, I discovered that these military supplies were going to Kunlun and Kun Country. It seems my guess was correct; it must be the Divine Cult preparing for a surprise attack."

The Divine Cult is mobilizing military supplies from Li Country to launch a surprise attack on Kun Country? Li Fan scratched his head a bit. But honestly, you're all immortals, do you really need to prepare military supplies? Can't you just send one person, one town at a time, to overwhelm them?

' Profound Heaven Sword Intent, damn it! Doing everything yourself, what kind of immortal are you! And you want to work yourself to death, taking on an entire city all by yourself?! How many Golden Core cultivators these days are out there killing people all night long like you?! Even if you kill people all night, your sword will be worn out, how many can you possibly kill?'

Uh... I didn't kill many... maybe only thirty or so...

The abbot explained, "Kun Country isn't uninhabited yet. Mobilizing military supplies locally would inevitably arouse suspicion. The Divine Sect is sneaking through the Qingyang Sect's territory, crossing mountains and valleys, and then launching a surprise attack. They certainly can't carry much supplies or armor. Moreover, crossing Kunlun is absolutely impossible without Golden Core level Dao Body or Divine Hardness Qi protecting them..."

It's not enough to simply wipe out the guardians of the Immortal Palace in Kun Country; we also need enough manpower to quickly suppress the powerful clans and local sects throughout Kun Country in a short period of time. In addition to sending troops to suppress them in various places, we also need to block the encirclement from three sides. I estimate that the Divine Sect has mobilized at least 20,000 to 30,000 powerful soldiers who have reached the Great Perfection of the Divine Essence Body this time, and at least 5,000 elite soldiers are stationed in Li Country.

With just these five thousand powerful soldiers protected by Divine Hardness energy, they were enough to sweep away the 120,000 troops guarding Kunlun in the Five States of Li Country and force their way to Changsi City.

And that's not all. Hidden within this military fund are some rarely used medicinal ingredients. If my estimation is correct, the Divine Cult has probably already deduced the formula for the Dragon Fetus Feathering Pill."

"Dragon Fetus Feathering Pill!"

Li Fan was startled. He himself had taken those strengthening pills that could temporarily boost one's cultivation level. They were usable at the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Stage, and for those at an even higher level, they were indeed precious secret medicines for combat. Although they were specially made by the Abbot, they were divine medicines that required a large amount of contribution to obtain in Ink Bamboo Mountain.

Wait a minute! The one he took during the sword duel seemed to have come from Lu Xing... so where did she, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, get it from... Lu Yu...?

"The Dragon Fetus Feathering Pill is an improved formula of mine, and the most important ingredient is the bile of Coiled Dragon," the abbot said, glancing at Li Fan. He then pulled out a palm-sized dark gourd from his sleeve, waved his hand, and handed the gourd to Li Fan. "Now this medicine can no longer be refined, and only these twelve pills remain."

"Qingyue, with your temperament, you're someone who's always willing to venture into dangerous places, and I'm afraid it won't be easy to change that. I'll give you all these medicines as a reward for delivering this message."

Lu Yu... Lu Chai, he's always been in charge of Mu Long... So that's how it is. Coiled Dragon was the one who planned this all along, and he was just a side job. It's all for the Dragon Fetus Feathering Ascension Pill... So it's not five thousand Divine Essence Body, but five thousand Divine Essence Body Dragon Fetus Feathering Pill. That's just outrageous...

Li Fan's mouth went dry, and he couldn't help but say, "This letter... I only ruined that senior brother's plans. If it weren't for me, the rice shop owner might not have died..."

The abbot waved his hand, "It has nothing to do with you. This is another game I played with that person. I deliberately asked him to keep track of the existence of this ledger at the end, just to see the temperament of this new player in the Divine Cult."

If he were to play it safe, he should have surrounded the West Market and wiped out all the merchants at once. At that time, all the merchants caught in the trap would have been in mortal danger. Even if they died, it would be the arrangement of us, the ones in charge, and what would it have to do with you who are working for the sect?

However, he did indeed take my advice, figuring out where the accounts were and sending people to seize them. In reality, he was confident that he was more skilled and was not afraid to compete with me.

Man proposes, God disposes. It is inevitable that some casualties will occur when using the Five Strategists in the game. I will handle the aftermath.

On the contrary, it was you who intervened halfway and obtained the accounts, which was unexpected by both of us. You had interfered with his plans several times before, causing him to miscalculate repeatedly. That's why the Divine Cult was wary of the strength of my Ink Bamboo Mountain. Today, we sent this letter of invitation, which saved the Li Country war. It was a precautionary measure, so what's wrong with that?"

The abbot stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked outside. "There are things one should do and things one should not do in everything. This newly chosen strategist of the Divine Sect is too extreme and shady in his actions, and he loves to take risks and show off his skills. He probably wants to make a great contribution so that he can rise to a higher position in the Divine Sect."

Even if he wanted to seize the Kun Country and restrain the immortals of the Li Country, he had plenty of means at his disposal and there was no need for him to harm the people of my Li Country. But he still targeted the mortals in Changsi City because he knew that he could use this to keep me in check. So he acted without restraint and directly used the Blood Lord.

This man is also very arrogant. He has made so many calculations and taken risks at every turn, leaving no room for maneuver. Even if he has taken Kun Country for the time being, it will be extremely dangerous. It is hard to say whether he can hold it. Many of the elites of the Divine Cult have been left in this dangerous place surrounded by enemies on three sides. But he still took such a risky move. It is indeed not a common approach in the Central Plains strategists. He was probably raised by barbarians.

To be able to mobilize such an action and arrange such a grand scheme, the altar master's qualifications are not yet sufficient. He should have served as a Venerable Enforcement Venerable for several years and have at least the support of most of the Ten Great Aces. He is exceptionally intelligent, and at this level, he should be focusing on studying the Heavenly Book, but instead, he suddenly launched a major campaign.

I fear that he has already achieved some mastery of his divine skills and has gained some confidence. He is just waiting to make commensurate contributions before vying for the position of Sect Leader.

If we don't teach him a lesson beforehand, so he understands the dangers of war, the consequences could be dire..."

The abbot withdrew from his deep thought and looked at Li Fan, saying, "Qingyue, now that you have personally experienced this matter, do not be like those foreigners, misled by the temporary gains from a clever scheme or surprise attack."

Always remember, those who conquer and seize territory but fail to consolidate their gains will perish. Do not act without benefit, do not use force without gain, and do not fight without danger. Act only when it is advantageous, and stop when it is not. A lost nation cannot be restored, and the dead cannot be brought back to life. Deep and careful consideration is the right path to securing peace and security for the nation and its people."

The abbot seemed to have made up his mind.

Li Fan bowed and said, "This disciple will remember."