043 Tongtian Comes for Trouble
“Bind him!”
Golden light shimmered as the rope swirled down towards Kong Xuan.
“You dare!”
Kong Xuan was stunned. He hadn't expected Zhao Gongming to dare to make a move. He laughed in anger.
“Retrieve!”
Five-colored light flashed. Zhao Gongming was unaware of what was happening. The next moment, he discovered that he had lost contact with his treasure, the Binding Dragon Rope.
What kind of divine power was this five-colored light?
“Return my treasure.”
Zhao Gongming brandished his whip and attacked.
“Zhao Gongming, don't think this lord is afraid of you.”
Seeing Zhao Gongming relentlessly pursue, Kong Xuan snorted coldly. He unsheathed his precious sword, and the two began a second round of combat in the air.
Zhao Gongming soon discovered that Kong Xuan was also extremely skilled in offensive arts. They exchanged blows for dozens of moves. Even though his cultivation was far superior, he couldn't overcome Kong Xuan in a short time.
To prove himself, and to prove Shi Hao wrong.
Zhao Gongming summoned his treasured Twenty-Four Dinghai Pearls, intending to take the opponent by surprise.
The Dinghai Pearls emitted a dazzling brilliance, making it impossible to open one's eyes, even their spiritual senses were disoriented.
It was impossible to investigate within the light. They could only vaguely feel the powerful energy contained within.
Kong Xuan’s heart skipped a beat. He also sensed the extraordinary nature of Zhao Gongming's treasure. Then, the five-colored light once again drew in, sweeping through the twenty-four pearls.
When the twenty-four Dinghai Pearls fell into the five-colored light, they vanished just as the Binding Dragon Rope had, losing contact with their owner.
Deprived of his treasures, Zhao Gongming exploded in frustration.
He didn’t even understand how the opponent did it, what this five-colored light truly was.
“Retrieve!”
Before Zhao Gongming could react, the five-colored light shot out again, striking Zhao Gongming directly.
Zhao Gongming felt an irresistible suction force, and his entire body was instantly drawn into the five-colored light. Then came a dizzying sensation, and he quickly lost contact with the outside world.
“I... I was defeated.” His final thought was that he had lost to Kong Xuan. All his arrogance turned to bubbles. What Shi Hao said was true.
In the face of that five-colored divine power, he had no strength to resist whatsoever. Perhaps his three younger sisters, ranked second by Shi Hao, would meet the same fate against him.
…………
Shi Hao didn’t know that Zhao Gongming, seeking to prove his strength, had gone to Sanshan Pass to pick a fight with Kong Xuan.
Meanwhile, as he was about to put away the chessboard, he was startled almost to death by a voice coming from behind him.
“Heh, what do you mean by urging him to leave Mount Emei and join our sect?”
He didn’t know when, but someone had appeared behind him.
Moreover, they had overheard their conversation.
Shi Hao turned his head and saw a man around thirty to forty years old, sitting on a stone bench behind him, casually sipping the Hua Fan Tea on the table. He didn’t treat Shi Hao as a guest at all. His ethereal and intangible aura made him seem like a celestial being!
??
“Could it be… you… you are my sister’s Master?” Shi Hao immediately recognized him and was quite surprised. He hadn’t expected to meet his sister’s Master in person.
“Yes. My Dao name is Shang Xuan.”
Tongtian nodded slightly. His eyes were strangely fixed on Shi Hao.
He didn’t expect that even a Saint would be suppressed in this space. He couldn’t sense the Dao, nor could he use his spiritual sense or divine power, as if he were an ordinary person.
“Tell me, why would you urge him to leave Mount Emei? Don’t tell me it’s because Zhao Gongming from Mount Emei is weak. There are few among the second generation disciples of the Intercepting Sect who can surpass him.” Tongtian continued.
“I just said, there are many Da Luo Jinxians who are stronger than Zhao Gongming. If he continues to follow Zhao Gongming to support the Shang Dynasty, he will face certain death. So I advised him to leave Mount Emei. Perhaps this will give him a chance of survival.” Shi Hao spoke truthfully.
“Heh, it’s as if Zhao Gongming is destined to die. His cultivation is extremely high, he possesses countless treasures, and he has the protection of a Saint. Even among the many powerful figures of the primordial world, who could so easily kill him?”
Upon hearing this, Tongtian finally understood why Shi Hao had inexplicably said those things.
He remembered Shi Ji informing him that Shi Hao had predicted that the Intercepting Sect would almost be destroyed after the Conflagration of the Gods. But what basis did he have for judging that Zhao Gongming would die, and why did he believe the Intercepting Sect would be destroyed?
“Though it wasn’t only him who died in the Intercepting Sect, he was among the first to perish. Believe it or not, I told you all this because you are my sister’s Master.”
After that, Shi Hao didn’t say another word. Otherwise, spreading this knowledge could drastically alter the Conflagration of the Gods.
He only wanted to protect his sister and Caiyun. He had no concern for the other disciples of the Intercepting Sect, and his ability wouldn’t allow him to help them anyway.
“If that’s the case, why don’t you and I make a bet? If everything plays out as you predict, I’ll grant you a request. If not, then you’ll have to give it to me.”
Tongtian pointed to the 3D chessboard in the void, his eyes sparkling.
Tongtian couldn’t discern the chessboard’s true nature, but he vaguely felt it could greatly assist his understanding of the Dao of Formations.
He would spare some time to help take care of this. Whether or not Gongming died wasn’t up to him anyway.
Shi Hao was also very interested, because for him, it was a guaranteed win. And he did have one thing he wanted the other party’s help with.
His sister only came back once in a while, and Shi Hao was very worried about her safety. Perhaps he could ask Shang Xuan Zhenren to persuade his sister to stay, so that she wouldn’t turn to ashes in the Conflagration of the Gods.
“Haha! I didn’t expect Master Shang Xuan to be a chess enthusiast. Fine, let’s bet as you say. But before that, why don’t we play a game first?”
His game with AI had been interrupted. Now, learning that Shang Xuan also knew how to play chess, his desire to play chess suddenly ignited.
Moreover, playing with AI couldn’t compare to the thrill of playing with a real person.
“Alright.”
Tongtian was also quite interested. After Shi Hao explained the rules, he quickly grasped the principles of the 3D chessboard.
The rule was that you had to place two pieces at a time, but otherwise, it was largely the same as ordinary Go.
Once they began, Tongtian felt like he was in the void. As the opponent’s black pieces fell one by one, forming various formations, it felt as if they were trying to devour him.
Moreover, by changing just one or two pieces, he discovered that the black pieces could transform in countless ways.
They played for a day and a night before Tongtian finally lost. Tongtian, who was proficient in the Dao of Formations, was truly shocked.
He knew he would lose, but he hadn’t expected to lose so quickly.
But as expected, the chessboard could help him understand the Dao of Formations. During the game, Tongtian had even used his pieces to deduce tens of thousands of different formations.
Some were based on the Ten Desolation Array, some on the Ten Thousand Immortals Array, but all of them were broken by Shi Hao.
The opponent’s understanding of the Dao of Formations was truly terrifying. *