The area surrounding the Ailao Mountain is a place of rugged mountains and treacherous waters.
The towering peaks rise like jagged teeth, and the miasma swirls like turbulent waves. As far as the eye can see, there are only jagged rocks, and not a single blade of grass grows.
Streaks of light streaked across the sky and landed on a small hillside.
The light dissipated, revealing more than twenty figures of varying heights, builds, and builds, all with their auras concealed.
A stern-faced young man was already waiting there.
He was tall and slender, dressed in a flying fish robe; standing there, he was like a pillar of strength.
"Greetings, Governor Wei."
The group of cultivators from You Province immediately bowed in greeting upon seeing the young man.
As Lu Guan looked up, information about the governor immediately flooded his mind.
Before the Prince of Yan broke through to the next level, this man was the only pillar of You Province, protecting the entire You Province with his own strength.
They can be described as having worked hard and made great contributions.
Moreover, the Martial Dao master who had existed for over five hundred years in Lu Guan's mind when he first transmigrated was none other than the Governor of You Province standing before him.
Wei Xianwu.
Governor Wei was a household name in You Province, and the people even built a shrine for him and offered incense to commemorate his protection of You Province.
During festivals and holidays, every household would paste a portrait of Governor Wei on their door, supposedly to ward off evil spirits and protect the home.
Even his predecessor regarded him as the goal to follow throughout his life, practicing martial arts until the middle of the night, and constantly chanting the governor's name.
But now it seems that this is not Martial Dao at all, but clearly cultivation of immortality.
The young man before them was none other than a great cultivator who had lived for over five hundred years.
What does five hundred years mean? The Great Li Dynasty has only existed for a little over three thousand years.
Even in the eyes of Grandpa Zuo, he was probably just a cute little boy.
No need for such formalities.
Wei Xianwu scanned the crowd, his gaze lingering on each person's face for a moment, as if he were taking stock of their assets.
Immediately, he made a move that surprised everyone.
He bowed deeply and said, "At this critical juncture of life and death, we all rely on you young friends. The fate of You Province the next century rests on our shoulders. I await your good news."
Upon hearing this bow, everyone present paled.
Zuo Ai quickly stepped aside, repeatedly saying he dared not, while Sun Ying muttered, "Your Excellency, how can this be?"
Only Chen Jingchou reacted the fastest, kneeling down and kowtowing with a thud before Wei Xianwu grabbed him by the back of his collar and lifted him up.
Looking at the group of cultivators before him, a trace of sadness flashed in Wei Xianwu's eyes.
Throughout history, few have returned from battles, and the same is true of the Dharma Duel Arena.
Since the agreement was made between the two parties, he has seen countless cultivators depart over the centuries.
Every farewell could be the last time we see each other.
But when it comes to slaying demons, there's no such thing as sacrificing someone.
He himself had long been prepared to sacrifice his life.
Just then, a terrifying Yao Qi surged from afar, casting a gloomy shadow over the sky.
"Roar--"
Before he arrived, his voice preceded his arrival.
A tiger's roar resounded, unleashing waves of visible air. Rocks tumbled down, the earth cracked, and everyone's expressions changed drastically.
Several people with lower cultivation levels turned pale on the spot, and a metallic taste rose in their throats.
It's a tiger demon from the Divine Treasury Realm of Ailao Mountain.
Even without stirring up the energy of heaven and earth, that single tiger roar would be enough to kill an Inner Landscape Realm cultivator if it were heard face-to-face.
Lu Guan's pupils suddenly contracted.
The demons and monsters of the Divine Treasury Realm are truly terrifying!
Wei Xianwu remained expressionless, took a small step forward, and gently pushed his palm forward.
Without any apparent activation of the natural energy, these layers of energy waves instantly vanished into nothingness.
"It is impolite not to reciprocate."
As soon as he finished speaking, the governor flicked his hand, as if a gentle breeze were blowing on his face, and waved it forward lightly.
The next second, a mournful scream suddenly came from afar.
The people behind him exchanged glances, even Zuo Ai, who had the highest cultivation level, frowned deeply.
The Divine Treasury Realm was too high a level; even with Wei Xianwu's casual probing, the crowd couldn't detect the slightest trace of it.
However, the screams that rang out in the distance were definitely not fake.
It must have been the demons who suffered a setback first.
A moment later, led by the Demon Yin Jing, and followed by more than thirty powerful demons at the Inner Landscape Realm, they surged down from the horizon.
Among them were tiger demons born in the Ailao Mountain, each one plump and strong with menacing fangs, and ape demons from the Fruitless Cave, hunched over but with sinister eyes.
However, there are many more demons and monsters that are dependent on these two forces, including snakes, wolves, centipedes, and all sorts of strange and unusual creatures.
Wei Xianwu saw the old ape in the Fruitless Cave and sighed inwardly.
'As expected, the Fruitless Cave has finally emerged.'
After all, the Fruitless Cave did not participate in the battle of the last hundred years.
Even so, You Province suffered a crushing defeat, and with the addition of Fruitless Cave to the battle, their already bleak prospects have only worsened.
Because it is difficult for practitioners to achieve spiritual enlightenment.
An Inner Landscape Realm cultivator is selected from millions of people through a rigorous process, and then nurtured with rare and heavenly materials and earthly treasures. It would take at least fifty or sixty years to cultivate just one.
Even Elder Jiang, who guarded the Heaven-Character Secret Vault, was brought in to join the battle, bringing the total to just over twenty people.
The demons on the other side outnumbered ours by more than ten.
The game was already at a disadvantage before it even started.
Yin Jing's mouth was a bloody mess, as if he were swallowing something. His cheeks bulged as he mumbled:
"Now that everyone's here, let's begin."
Seeing this, Wei Xianwu sneered, "Why are you already attacking your own people before the fight has even started?"
"My palm strike at most severely injured him; it wouldn't kill a demon at the Inner Landscape Realm."
Yin Jing shook his head, finally swallowing the flesh and blood in his mouth, letting out a burp that made several powerful demons nearby shrink back in fear.
"What do you mean by 'our own people'? That's something only you humans care about."
"Survival of the fittest, even offspring are enemies; there are no true allies."
As it spoke, it picked its teeth with its paw, its expression matter-of-fact. "Besides, what use is a cripple in the Dharma Duel Arena? It's already a blessing that it can fill my stomach."
Having said that, he patted the White Tiger's head beside him:
"Second brother, don't you think so?"
Second Master Yin lowered his head, a hint of resentment flashing in his tiger-like eyes, but his face remained impassive as he said in a deep voice:
"Father is absolutely right."
"..."
Looking at this scene before him, Lu Guan felt a mixture of paternal love and filial piety, a sight that made him laugh.
However, at that moment, Yin Jing gave him a sinister look.
The next second--
"As expected, a beast is just a beast."
Wei Xianwu spoke Lu Guan's mind on his behalf.
"In that case, let's begin."
After saying that, he took something out of his pocket, which turned out to be a chessboard with crisscrossing lines.
Before the pieces were even placed, a sense of energy flowed across the chessboard, with faint, illusory shadows flickering within the nineteen vertical and horizontal lines.
At the same time, Yin Jing also took out a chessboard.
The two chessboards merged into one in an instant, radiating a five-colored mystical light.
Lu Guan's eyes widened immediately.
The Divine Treasury the chess pieces, Inner Landscape places the pieces; it really is a game of chess!