Shifting Blame!

"The place was attacked by an unknown force. It was a devastating attack; the area surrounding the Cui family manor for miles around was completely devastated."

"Black mist churned and surged like a tide, and the manor was in utter chaos. Everyone was afflicted with a terrible illness, and even the two Innate Realm experts were sick, coughing up blood and teetering on the brink of collapse!"

The upheaval at the Cui Family Manor spread like wildfire throughout Chongyang City.

Within the city, various religious leaders and Divine Envoy, hidden in plain sight, all gazed towards the Cui family manor.

All that could be seen was surging black mist, within which stood rows of immortal skeletons, from which figures in black robes emerged.

Wherever he went, the flowers, trees and shrubs withered, and the ground was covered with a layer of indelible dust.

The two Innate Great Realm from the Cui family fled from the sky, coughing up brilliant blood along the way, looking quite disheveled.

"Where did they come from?"

Xu Daoren of the East Cult was shocked, gazing intently at this scene:

"Plague, decay, decline. Could it be related to the Western Sect, or are they minions of the God of Plague?"

Xu Daoren's expression froze slightly, then relaxed again.

He whispered:

"By the World Honored One."

As they spoke, the black mist in the distance began to dissipate, revealing rows of Ghastly Skeleton and the mysterious man in black robes.

As the thick fog receded, it disappeared into the shadows and vanished from sight.

All that remained was a desolate land and a soaring Plague Qi.

No one dared to approach.

The underground Black Market.

They were completely unaware of the dramatic changes that had taken place at the Cui family manor.

Most people don't even know anything about the Cui family.

"We won!"

Li Yiyi was amazed, and the crowd was slightly murmured, completely unexpected that this young man had actually won a game!

What will the prize be this time?

A barrage of intense gazes fell upon him; the old man at the chess stall breathed rapidly, his face deathly pale.

Others couldn't see it, but with the help of the chessboard, he could clearly see that this terrifying young man had repeatedly crushed the cause and effect of his defeats!

The most important thing is

He heard the Divine Decree.

The great Ancestor of Land Immortals issued a decree, which resounded in his mind; it was only a short sentence.

[Those who defy the gods reside within your very heart.]

Is that the young man?

It must be this young man.

Zhang Fusheng stared silently at the bald old man, reaching out to stroke the familiar chessboard.

He had just taken some time to enter the divine realm and went to Five Villages Temple on Longevity Mountain.

As expected.

In one of the eighty-one rooms, Zhang Fusheng saw an identical dark red chessboard.

He went inside, used his Touch the Void stroke the chessboard, trying to lift it, but was astonished to find that the chessboard was incredibly heavy!

Zhang Fusheng raised an eyebrow, skeptical. Behind him, a magnificent Cave Heaven enshrining the Heavenly Venerate of Sin Removal appeared.

Suddenly, it transformed into Ten Thousand Zang Ox Demon.

The cramped room was strangely large enough to completely house the Ten Thousand Zang Ox Demon.

Despite his immense height, he never even touched a roof that was three or four meters high.

"Rise!!"

Zhang Fusheng let out a thunderous roar, causing the Flame God Mountain to tremble. He used all his strength to try to lift the chessboard—but he still failed.

"A small chessboard is heavier than a continuous mountain range."

Zhang Fusheng muttered to himself, his eyes shining brightly. The chessboard at the old man's chess stall outside should be a replica of the one in Five Villages Temple.

But here's the problem.

Since the chessboard, unlike other priceless Supreme Treasure, hasn't been lost to the real world, how could there be a replica?

Unless

It is a replica bestowed by the Ancestor of Land Immortals.

The will returns to its original form.

Zhang Fusheng glanced around and noticed several little fellows in the distance carrying compasses, but their expressions were terrified and they dared not approach.

The compass needle in his hand was pointing directly at the old man at the chess stall; he was aiming for the old fellow.

But Zhang Fusheng could sense that these people were actually terrified of him.

They know themselves.

'Knock knock knock'

Zhang Fusheng tapped the chessboard three times lightly.

"Boss, where's my prize?"

The three sharp sounds were unremarkable to others, but to the old man at the chess stall, they sounded like three thunderclaps!

His internal organs trembled violently, his hair was disheveled, and he spoke with difficulty:

"I can't afford a reward."

"Then come with me, okay?" Zhang Fusheng said softly, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

There's something wrong with this chessboard.

It is interwoven with various causes and effects, each and every one seemingly originating from the one who lost the game.

But this cause and effect is unusual; for example, after Li Yiyi and Luo Cheng lost those two games,

The cause and effect are intertwined between the two, and something is constantly being drawn from them.

It seems to be about Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

It also seems to be fate.

The Ancestor of Land Immortals Divine Descent?

For Divine Descent, a large number of souls and blood must be sacrificed to briefly communicate with Different Dimension and establish a 'bridge' so that a portion of the god's will can be received.

If there were another pillar to stabilize the sea.

Then his True Body Descent.

The old man was trembling, and a smile that looked more like a grimace appeared on his face:

"The guest is joking."

He forced himself to remain calm, believing that this terrifying being, capable of manipulating cause and effect, might not even know who he was.

After all, I hadn't given myself away with anything, had I?

This comforting thought flashed through the bald old man's mind.

Then the young man tapped the chessboard again.

'Thud!!'

The soft sound startled the old man at the chess stall, leaving him dizzy and disoriented, his vision blurring.

When I opened my eyes again.

He found himself in a vast hall, surrounded by solemnity and grandeur.

Before me stood a solemn incense burner and a huge shrine, upon which were enshrined the tablets bearing the inscription "[Heaven and Earth]".

A vast and overwhelming force rushed towards him, and the old man unconsciously prostrated himself before the Heaven and Earth Tablet, yet he was filled with ecstatic joy:

"By the supreme deity!!"

He's been here before.

To be precise, I have seen this place before; every time I communicate with the great deity, I can glimpse a blurry scene.

This is the incense burner, this shrine, this Heaven and Earth Tablet!

Yes.

It must be that the divine being sensed something and summoned me to bestow upon me a wondrous way to extricate me from this predicament!

A faint, indistinct sound drifted over.

"How's the matter going?"

The old man lay prostrate, tears streaming down his face.

"Within the Heaven and Earth Chessboard, the karma of 2,700 people has already gathered, and the number of 10,000 is not far off!"

"After gathering the causal essence of ten thousand people, you can use their Essence, Qi, and Spirit as a foundation to carry your will!"

The old man suddenly changed the subject, and said in a horrified tone:

"Your Excellency, the person you seek is right before me, gazing at me intently. After four games of chess with me, he has managed to manipulate cause and effect!"

The old man lay prostrate, unable to see the revered deity.

All that could be heard was a soft sigh from the great god, his voice different from usual, muffled, dark, and hoarse.

"The spirits of ten thousand people, the karma of ten thousand people."

The old man responded:

"Yes, Your Majesty. At that time, you may descend in the form of ten thousand people, and you may also command these ten thousand people as your most loyal puppets!"

He then said bitterly:

"But, Your Majesty, that person is still in front of me. What should I do?"

He is indeed in front of you.

A soft sigh rang out, and the immense pressure from the Heaven and Earth Tablet dissipated abruptly, replaced by a voice saying, "Raise your head."

The old man at the chess stall subconsciously looked up and saw that sitting on the prayer mat in front of the shrine was not the great god, but that young man.

The wisps of smoke from the incense burner drifted around the young man.

The bald old man was stunned; a chill surged from his tailbone, instantly spreading throughout his entire body!

A smile that looked more like a grimace appeared on his face.

Zhang Fusheng sat upright on the prayer cushion, his appearance solemn and dignified, surrounded by auspicious symbols such as golden lotuses, Immortal Flower, and celebratory clouds.

When he spoke, his voice was dark and indistinct, yet it sounded like the morning bell and evening drum.

"How many people like you are there?"

He was certain that the Ancestor of Land Immortals had not only set up this one Divine Descent pawn, but that the chessboard contained more than two thousand threads of cause and effect.

At this old man's rate, how long would it take to accumulate two thousand karmic connections?

The old man at the chess stall gave a bitter laugh. He was clearly terrified, but at this moment he closed his eyes and remained silent.

"A devout believer?"

Zhang Fusheng shook his head:

"Fine."

A torrent of Mental Intent surged forth, crashing down upon the old man at the chessboard, aiming to directly search his soul memories!

"Um?"

Zhang Fusheng let out a soft exclamation, sensing a heavy barrier, protected by a Deity Level restriction.

The methods of the Ancestor of Land Immortals.

He didn't take it seriously. With a thought, he followed the Heaven and Earth Golden Bridge formed by the Contract Book and sat upright on the futon in the Eight Sceneries Palace.

Let's try again.

This time, Zhang Fusheng easily bypassed the so-called divine restriction—he descended with his divine thought from an infinite height.

It cannot be blocked by any restriction.

The old man at the chess stall let out muffled groans and sobs, trying to resist, but he was only a Great Grandmaster, and hadn't even ignited his Spiritual Furnace Fire yet, so how could he possibly resist?

In just a short while.

From the day I was born a hundred years ago to this day.

Zhang Fusheng had already seen through all of the old man's memories.

"One hundred replica chessboards?"

Zhang Fusheng suddenly understood.

According to the old man's memory at the chess stall,

Although this old fellow was the only truly faithful disciple who could directly communicate with the Ancestor of Land Immortals,

However, there were a full one hundred replicas of the chessboard; the remaining ninety-nine chessboards were in the hands of some less devout believers.

They were scattered in various places, all silently carrying out their Divine Descent in the manner of playing chess.

These replica chessboards possess immense power, and the winners truly benefit, directly 'given' by the chessboard itself.

Of course, it is ultimately just a replica; there is an upper limit to the quality of things bestowed upon them.

What if the player loses the game?

They will then be bound by a special cause and effect, becoming a 'puppet' on the chessboard, or, in other words, a chess demon.

The puppet takes effect immediately once the chessboard owner activates it.

"It's indeed very difficult to detect Divine Descent performed in this way."

Zhang Fusheng was amazed and continued to peruse the old man's soul memories, eventually finding a way for the old man to communicate with the Ancestor of Land Immortals.

"It turns out that a devout believer is himself an altar, a shallow bridge that can cross the chasm between reality and Different Dimension, and directly communicate with the gods on the other side."

Zhang Fusheng understood, and the murderous intent that had arisen within him vanished.

Therefore, we cannot easily kill this old man.

It works.

It is very useful.

For example

A glint of starlight flashed in Zhang Fusheng's eyes as he stared at himself.

Even after Cui Qingyi's death, the other party's schemes and calculations seemed to have succeeded.

I am still shrouded in a profound sense of crisis.

He wanted to see what it was.

Silently circulating the Taiyi Chapter, and drawing upon the infinitely high position of the futon, brilliant starlight appeared in Zhang Fusheng's eyes.

The star lines intertwine, resembling a vast galaxy.

In a blur,

He could see that he, Li Yiyi, and Luo Cheng were all connected by the same cause and effect.

The cause and effect point in two directions: one is the deceased Cui Qingyi, and the other is unclear, possibly involving a certain Innate Great Realm.

"But why would a pre-existing condition trigger a warning from my spiritual senses?"

"And why are Li Yiyi and Luo Cheng, those two little guys, involved?"

Zhang Fusheng couldn't understand it, but he dared not be careless. He pushed the Taiyi Chapter to its limit and vaguely saw some scenes.

Following the cause-and-effect relationship,

He saw a white-robed monk, a senior monk sitting upright on a lotus platform, and heard some intermittent conversation.

The Living Bodhisattva of Lingshan, Mahakala, is watching.

"I see."

Zhang Fusheng suddenly realized the truth and fully understood the cause and effect.

Cui Qingyi's casual move hadn't anticipated that the two Innate Realm experts from the Mandala System would directly invoke the power of the Mahakala.

That's why my intuition is constantly giving me warnings.

Now, as long as we stay away from Li Yiyi and Luo Cheng, the crisis will naturally disappear, but

The Great Tomb of Li Shimin.

The Ziwei Emperor Robe.

"Do you want me to face the Mahakala?"

Zhang Fusheng shook his head; he couldn't do it.

I really can't do it.

But there is one person who can.

Zhang Fusheng's gaze fell from the Dao Palace to the bald old man inside the Five Villages Temple, and a smile bloomed on his face.

He immediately found a solution.

"Palm Touching Karma."

Zhang Fusheng's attempt to shake this line involving two innate beings of the Mandala System might incur the karmic consequences of Mahakala —it would be very difficult.

The two monks were at the same level of cultivation as him.

Manipulating the causal relationships with beings of the same level is extremely difficult, let alone when facing someone stronger than oneself?

That was virtually unshakeable.

"The Path of Karma is very useful for crushing weaker opponents, but what about when facing beings of the same realm or even stronger ones?"

Zhang Fusheng sat upright on the futon, panting heavily, barely managing to extricate himself, Li Yiyi, and Luo Cheng from the karmic entanglement.

They forcibly pulled it out!

The hand gently descended, stroking across the bald old man's body, thus linking this cause and effect to him.

This is to frame someone.

"Let Mahakala and the Ancestor of Land Immortals fight!"