Encountering one madman was already the limit of what Red Butterfly could imagine.

Who could have anticipated that she would encounter two simultaneously?

At this moment, Red Butterfly was speechless for a long time, looking at Jian Chou, not knowing what to say.

In Jian Chou’s heart was only a strange, surging killing intent.

What a marvelous transformation?

In the past, she regarded Xie Buchen as her lifelong beloved, but now with love no longer present, only a heart full of blood vengeance remained. Yet today, Red Butterfly Fairy actually told her that Xie Buchen still loved her?

Ha…

There was nothing more ironic under heaven.

Jian Chou’s gaze slowly swept across the plain scabbard of the Human Emperor Sword, only saying: “Though it’s not the sword of old, it’s still the person of old. Red Butterfly Fairy, thank you.”

…Thank?

Red Butterfly rarely smiled bitterly, only looking at the chess board before Jian Chou, saying: “Why make things so difficult? You lack four parts of your soul and three parts of your spirit—once you reach the Heart-Questioning stage, you’ll surely die. Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Departure—there’s only one realm remaining between them. With your talent, it’s merely a matter of a hundred years. Is revenge truly more important than your own life?”

She was someone Red Butterfly had grown to like, and she couldn’t bear to see such a person disappear from this world, so she couldn’t help but sigh a few more words.

Her words were completely correct.

With deficient soul and spirit, she was an incomplete person. After Soul Departure, cultivators would shift from cultivating the body to cultivating the heart. This “heart” didn’t refer to the organ of the five viscera and six bowels, but to the spiritual and soul realm.

How could someone with an incomplete soul and spirit cultivate the heart?

This was why it was said that once reaching the Heart-Questioning stage, death was inevitable.

Jian Chou’s current cultivation had already approached the mid-stage of Golden Core. From Qi Refining to Golden Core mid-stage had taken only a little over two years.

Even if future cultivation proved quite difficult, she would still reach the Soul Departure realm within a hundred years.

But what then, after Soul Departure?

Red Butterfly sighed, and Jian Chou didn’t know either.

Who didn’t value their own life?

No one was willing to face the terror of death.

Jian Chou’s eyelids moved slightly, lowering her gaze, yet she smiled: “I cherish my life, yet I must cultivate. In this world, all things are precious. Though life is good, it cannot stop the single obsession in my heart.”

“Obsession?” Red Butterfly questioned.

Jian Chou nodded, but her gaze still fell on the chess board.

“This obsession—it’s not the vengeance on my body, not the hatred in my heart, but simply not understanding: leaving aside whether heaven and earth have emotion or not, humans are inherently different from heaven and earth. Must one conform to the principles of heaven and earth to prove the Great Dao of this world?”

“…”

Red Butterfly suddenly fell silent.

Jian Chou didn’t mind her silence: “Perhaps in Fairy’s view, my cultivation is insignificant, and I still don’t know what I’m truly seeking. But why must I think so much now? I merely want to prove that his dao is not the righteous dao.”

What a “why must I think so much”…

Which cultivator under heaven didn’t contemplate what dao they wanted to walk?

Many people even had ideas and plans from the beginning, following the path they set for themselves.

This was the first time she had seen a “dao-less cultivator” speak of their “dao-lessness” with such righteous confidence, without the slightest shame.

But it was at this moment that Red Butterfly realized: This was Jian Chou.

Even though she had been in Shijiu Zhou for a long time, she had never contemplated how to achieve dao and become immortal. Everything was just like flowing water, following the natural course…

Acting according to circumstances, her heart like blank paper.

Dao?

Having no dao now, the dao would naturally manifest in the future.

A wave of bewilderment suddenly swept over Red Butterfly’s heart.

She was stunned, actually feeling a kind of ethereal sense of dao comprehension, yet couldn’t explain where this feeling came from.

“I’m suddenly a bit curious… what will you be like in several hundred years…”

A tone almost like a sigh.

Hearing this, Jian Chou suddenly remembered that “Jian Chou” who had appeared in the air at the gathering on Kunwu’s Solitary Platform.

Thus, everything suddenly became clear…

With deficient soul and spirit, why continue cultivating?

With certain death upon Soul Departure, why not stop advancing?

Life being short, why waste time?

…

So many whys, yet they ultimately couldn’t match those two words: scenery.

Only by climbing high could one see far.

The world’s scenery was so magnificent—how could she dare to stop?

Thus, a smile suddenly bloomed on her face.

Jian Chou’s brows and eyes became somewhat gentler, and she bowed to Red Butterfly: “Fairy’s concern and guidance—Jian Chou will remember it.”

This was preparation to leave.

In her confusion, Red Butterfly only saw the complete clarity in Jian Chou’s eyes, as if she had suddenly thought of something, or suddenly understood something.

But she couldn’t ask.

Watching Jian Chou bow to her, she also slightly turned her body and nodded with a smile: “The Red Dust has three thousand realms, each realm is a thought. Your heart has no doubts, so I shouldn’t have invited you into this tribulation. Therefore, I’ll use heaven as the chess board and stars as pieces—one piece placed, one lamp lit. When the chess game ends, it’s time to exit these Red Dust Thousand Zhang Lamps. Jian Chou, fellow daoist, please proceed.”

She had no doubts in her heart, so Red Butterfly wouldn’t invite her into this tribulation, but prepared a chess board and pieces?

Using heaven as the chess board and stars as pieces—one piece placed, one lamp lit.

Hearing this, Jian Chou’s eyes suddenly sparkled with unusual light.

Stars as pieces?

The massive chess board, with intersecting lines glowing brilliantly, spread across the void, across the mountain path before her.

The moment her gaze fell on the chess board, there seemed to be a kind of attractive force from each intersection point, wanting to absorb her gaze, her thoughts, into that black and white indistinguishable chaos.

In just a blink, her entire spirit was completely absorbed into it.

It was a wonderful state.

How insignificant was a person before this great chess board of heaven and earth?

However, Jian Chou just stood there quietly.

Red Butterfly stood behind her, also watching, her seductive gaze clearly containing points of understanding and wisdom.

Without looking for long, Red Butterfly lowered her head, looking at the little mouse in her palm, gently touching it with her fingertip, chuckling softly.

“You’re like me, not very understanding, aren’t you?”

The little mouse squeaked twice, turning a circle in her palm.

Red Butterfly didn’t mind much, only sighing gently before disappearing, leaving only Jian Chou standing in place.

The mountain wind blew.

The long mountain path seemed endless, with azure lamps extending one after another from before Jian Chou, slowly stretching toward the distance, all the way into the clouds and mist at the end.

Jian Chou gazed at the chess board, staring at the Tianyuan position. In that moment, an indescribable emotion surged forth—

She raised her finger.

In that instant, countless brilliant starlight gathered from the horizon under this bright daylight, condensing at her fingertip!

In the blink of an eye, it became a glowing chess piece!

“Pa!”

Hand raised, piece placed!

Toward the very center of the entire chess board…

“Hmm?”

Before he could place his piece, under the wind and rain corridor, only Xie Buchen remained.

He stood tall, his azure robe soaked through, his brow carrying a hint of indifferent gentleness. On his originally unruffled face, surprise appeared for the first time.

Yes.

Surprise.

Between his fingers still condensed a bit of brilliant light, like water-light condensed from this wind and rain world. Each chess piece seemed like a pool of lake water.

The highest good is like water—it can contain all things and change according to circumstances.

Only this chess piece, before it could be placed, saw someone else place a piece first on the massive chess board before him.

“Tianyuan…”

His brow furrowed slightly. Xie Buchen didn’t need to turn around to know that Red Butterfly’s incarnation had already disappeared.

Tianyuan was the very center of the chess board, the only position on the entire board that couldn’t find a symmetrical point.

Generally speaking, the first player, to win, would occupy an “advantage” in the game, and placing on “Tianyuan” undoubtedly gave up the “advantage,” handing the initiative to the next player.

In Go, those who would place in this position were almost all naive beginners who didn’t understand much.

But could his opponent across this chess board be a beginner?

Xie Buchen narrowed his eyes slightly, a thoughtful gleam passing through them.

A beginner? Or someone unconcerned with victory or defeat, impartial?

Or perhaps…

The opponent thought giving him a handicap wouldn’t matter?

Unable to judge.

He didn’t even know who was playing chess with him.

Being in the Red Dust Thousand Zhang Lamps meant being in Red Butterfly Fairy’s game, where she could glimpse his thoughts and sense everything he perceived.

It could be said that this chess game was far from the simple ones he usually encountered.

Xie Buchen held that chess piece condensed from surrounding mist and rain, his lips curving slightly as he reached out and gently placed it.

“Pa.”

The sound of a drop of water falling into lake water.

Also the sound of a nearby lamp flame suddenly igniting.

When his fingertip piece fell, the entire chess board rippled outward from where he placed it.

Under the wind and rain corridor, an azure lamp’s flame flickered to life in the drifting mist and rain.

This move’s position was placed right next to Tianyuan.

Beside the white piece that seemed condensed from starlight on the chess board, there was now a black piece condensed from black water. For a moment, black and white pressed together, creating a sudden confrontational momentum!

The feeling in that instant was truly indescribable…

Xie Buchen’s just-lowered finger had a strange stiffness, hanging at his side as he gazed at the chess board, not knowing what he was thinking…

“Damn woman…”

Young Master Ruhua’s face was iron-blue as he draped his wrinkled clothes over himself, almost grinding his teeth as he looked at the flower sea before him.

Red Butterfly had already disappeared, leaving only this flower sea with what seemed to be her seductive and smug laughter still echoing.

While opposite sexes would naturally attract each other, from a certain perspective…

Young Master Ruhua encountering Red Butterfly was like meeting his own kind.

He walked out from the myriad flowers, step by step toward a plain azure lamp in the flower sea, walking while showing his white teeth in a sinister smile: “Don’t let me have another chance to find you, or I’ll strip you naked!”

“Pa!”

With a finger snap, a flame shot directly toward the azure lamp.

In the blink of an eye, the azure lamp was lit!

Puff.

Flickering flame light leaped from the lamp bowl, and a few sparks accompanied the dancing flames, actually scattering toward the surroundings.

Young Master Ruhua was startled, instinctively sensing something was wrong.

The next moment, he suddenly opened his folding fan, gritted his teeth, his face frost-cold: “Tricked again!”

As his words fell, those sparks had already quickly fallen onto the surrounding blooming flower sea.

Like a spark falling into a vast dry grassland, it immediately showed a prairie fire momentum!

Almost only hearing a “boom” by his ear, the entire flower sea instantly burst into flames!

Young Master Ruhua, standing beside the azure lamp in the flower sea, was immediately surrounded by these raging flames…

“Do you really understand me?”

It was a very young girl with two pigtails, a pale face, but blood-red pupils that, despite her innocence, made people feel somewhat fearful.

She placed one chubby little hand gently on the corner of Xia Houshe’s blood-red robe.

Xia Houshe stood at the village bridge head, beside the lit azure lamp, looking at this little girl with some surprise.

The more he looked, the more familiar she seemed…

When his dark red pupils shifted to meet the girl’s gaze, that strange familiarity suddenly reached its peak!

“You are…”

In that instant, Xia Houshe’s pupils slightly dilated!

Behind him, the village was peaceful and beautiful, connected to a large town.

On the village path, there were woodcutters carrying firewood, village women following the crowd, people sitting by the river weaving nets, and others leaning on boat heads drinking wine…

Only they were all, without exception, different from ordinary people.

Some had blood-red pupils, some had dark blue faces, some had only one leg, some had bright red tattoos on their bodies…

Too familiar!

This feeling was truly too familiar!

Xia Houshe stood before the village, on this bridge head, looking at the world that appeared after he lit this azure lamp, feeling only dreamlike:

They were weapons!

He had inherited the will of that existence in the back mountain, possessing myriad weapons, being the lord of ten thousand arms!

And everything before him…

Including this pigtailed girl, were all his “weapons.”

Famous weapons have spirits…

Perhaps seeing the red-robed youth wasn’t speaking, the little girl tugged at him again.

Xia Houshe looked down.

“I don’t want to live in the grave anymore. I want to go out.”

A soft, sweet voice with a fragrant taste.

The girl pouted, acting coquettish as she pulled at him.

Under the bridge, a small boat slowly passed by.

The man drinking wine leaning on the boat looked up at the scene on the bridge with a smile, squinting his eyes in intoxication, only throwing his wine jug gently into the river water, sighing deeply: “Lord of Ten Thousand Arms…”

“Splash!”

Huge waves rose from nowhere, instantly transforming into a dragon heading straight for Xia Houshe standing on the bridge!

White mist everywhere.

Underfoot was a smooth path with no obstructions.

After Lu Xiangleng bid farewell to Red Butterfly and walked all the way here, apart from this white mist, there was nothing else to see.

It was like walking into a maze—if one wasn’t careful, even front, back, left, and right would become indistinguishable.

Fortunately.

The azure lamps before her extending forward showed her the direction.

Lu Xiangleng frowned, recalling her conversation with Red Butterfly, walking forward step by step.

Her walking speed wasn’t slow, only stopping to light lamps when she encountered them.

One lamp, one lamp, then another lamp.

…

Soon, the path behind her was already brightly lit.

Azure lamps connected in a line, extending toward her origin.

Only…

It was no longer clearly visible.

Lu Xiangleng looked back once, sensing something wrong here.

She didn’t think deeply for now, only continued forward, continuing to light lamps.

Before long, the mist ahead seemed to have an end.

More precisely, the row of azure lamps ahead seemed to have an end.

A bowl-sized lotus lamp stood before Lu Xiangleng. She wore flowing white robes, her skin even more jade-white than frost or snow.

Standing before the lamp, a small cluster of purple-gold light appeared at her fingertip, creating an even more transcendent feeling of otherworldliness.

This lamp before her was the last one she could see.

Once she lit this lamp, she would seemingly be able to exit, having the chance to obtain Master Buyu’s “Qingfeng Hermitage Forty-Eight Records”—the most complete record on the Shijiu Zhou continent regarding the “Nine Curves River Chart.”

Lu Xiangleng felt she should light this final lamp without hesitation, regardless of what would happen after.

But…

At this moment, the journey had been so smooth it was unbelievable.

Lu Xiangleng instead began to have doubts, the light at her fingertip becoming unstable.

Light it, or not?

“I’m going to die, really going to die!!!”

Zuoliu panted heavily, standing in the Eighteen Bronze Men Alley, finally remembering a term people often used: fool.

He now felt like a complete fool!

“I’m warning you all—I’m a Yashan disciple now! If you dare hit me again, I’ll… I’ll damn well turn on you!”

Zuoliu pointed at the “person” before him with trembling hands, threatening viciously.

But before he could finish threatening, the bronze-colored Bronze Man swung a fist at him!

“Ah!”

Poor Zuoliu never expected the opponent would actually attack proactively. Caught off guard, he was hit square on, the fist landing on his reasonably straight nose, immediately causing blood to flow!

Blood poured from both of Zuoliu’s nostrils, looking extremely miserable.

He trembled with anger, wiping the blood without caring if it was clean, then bent down. The moment the Bronze Man attacked him again, he suddenly jumped!

Wow!

This leap was more than three feet high?

Zuoliu nearly shot up to the sky!

He barely avoided the third Bronze Man’s swinging arm, his teeth itching with rage.

“I knew that woman in red had no good intentions! Beautiful women are all liars! Especially the seductive ones! Ah ah ah ah, I’m so angry!”

“When the tiger doesn’t show its might, you think this rogue is a sick cat?!”

Furious Zuoliu suddenly became aggressive.

Anyone who didn’t want to enter but was forcibly thrown in to endure the Eighteen Bronze Men formation’s tempering would lose a layer of skin if not die!

Though Zuoliu was born a rogue, he couldn’t bear that rogue’s suffering.

In mid-air, he looked at the emotionless Bronze Men below, calculating when he would fall—in this Bronze Men formation, all lightness skills were useless.

“Crack.”

With a finger flip, the jade booklet Zuoliu had been holding was opened just as he was about to fall!

“Swift!”

He shouted the word!

Zuoliu pointed through the air, sending a strange circular seal from his hand, imprinting it on the gold-red seal in the jade booklet!

“Pa!”

The circular seal disappeared, but the gold-red seal blazed with golden light.

Zuoliu felt his mouth dry as he stared intently.

Swoosh…

An astonishing scene appeared—

From the gold-red seal, a gilt paper fan emerged, painted with several gorgeous flowers and carrying a heavy scent of powder that both men and women could smell.

Then came soft laughter…

In that instant, even Zuoliu himself was terrified!

From the seal, that fan became increasingly clear, actually extending from the seal. In the blink of an eye, a complete Young Master Ruhua condensed from the seal!

Upon emerging, he acted as if he didn’t see Zuoliu, only waving the gold-sprinkled fan, lightly fanning toward the ground below.

“Boom!”

A terrifying momentum spread out mightily.

Zuoliu excitedly clenched his fists, waiting for Young Master Ruhua’s incarnation seal to display its power, sweeping away all the Bronze Men below with one fan…

Unexpectedly…

An embroidered pillow stuffed with grass!

The seemingly terrifying gust of wind, just as it was about to reach the ground below, suddenly dissipated!

Zuoliu felt like he’d been punched in the chest, almost vomiting blood: “Damn you!”

Sure enough, untested seals were all nonsense!

Whether it was the copied Young Master Ruhua’s dao seal that was unreliable, or his own level was insufficient, no one knew.

The only thing Zuoliu knew was…

He was in trouble!

A terrifying suction force came from the ground below, like pressing on his shoulders and forcing him down.

The flight ability available at Golden Core stage was useless here!

“Ah!”

Zuoliu completely lost control, falling toward the ground again!

“Your grandma!”

He cursed loudly while frantically trying anything, refusing to believe he was so unlucky.

If the first seal didn’t work, surely the second one couldn’t also fail?!

“Pa!”

At the critical moment, he pressed his finger on the jade booklet again!

Zuoliu’s heart jumped with joy, his face just beginning to smile, but before it could fully form, it froze in the next moment…

It was a gold-red seal, also flickering with flowing light.

He only had two such quality seals—one from Jian Chou, one from Xie Buchen…

“Oh no!”

He pressed the wrong one!

He meant to press reliable Senior Sister Jian Chou’s, not Xie Buchen’s seal!

It’s over!

Zuoliu fell from high altitude, his heart growing half cold!

Just as he was about to crash head-first into a Bronze Man’s extended bronze arm, shattering to pieces—

“Go!”

An indifferent voice suddenly exploded in Zuoliu’s ear!

In his vision, the eighteen Bronze Men in the alley that were getting closer all crumbled and collapsed the moment this word was spoken!

“Crash…”

Like being swept by a hurricane, devastating everything.

Every Bronze Man’s arms broke like tree branches!

“…”

Dumbfounded.

Zuoliu hit the ground with a “bang,” grimacing in pain, yet couldn’t suppress the shock close to terror in his heart.

Lying in the ruins of the Eighteen Bronze Men, he struggled to turn his head, only seeing that figure that had faded almost to invisibility.

Xie Buchen’s phantom…

In the blink of an eye, as wind blew, this figure dispersed like smoke and sand.

“Crack.”

The blazing gold-red seal instantly dimmed.

The green jade booklet flew back from the air as if alive, landing straight on Zuoliu, but he had no reaction.

Only the fear and shock in his eyes continued to grow.

The incarnation seal randomly replicated some dao seal power of the blood’s owner…

And Xie Buchen’s single-word power had never been displayed in his previous battles with Senior Sister Jian Chou.

“Words followed by… law?”

Zuoliu was somewhat dazed, uncertain if his perception was correct.

But the next moment, he immediately rolled up from the ground, not even caring about the pain on his body—

Xie Buchen still had hidden killing moves!

That bastard!

If Senior Sister Jian Chou encountered him beforehand, she’d be in trouble!

“Must get there before they meet…”

Immediately, Zuoliu broke out in cold sweat, unhesitatingly grabbing the jade booklet and rushing forward!

“Pa.”

Another piece fell.

Every time a piece struck the board, there was a sound of star-streams exploding, as if something in the heart also burst.

Then, the azure lamps on the long path lit up one after another.

Jian Chou’s fingertip condensed starlight, like drawing the light of billions of stars together, gathering on the chess board to form a round piece.

The first move to Tianyuan actually had no effect whatsoever.

It wasn’t that Jian Chou didn’t know how to play chess, but when starlight condensed at her fingertip, she truly couldn’t control herself.

Using heaven as the board and stars as pieces.

Placing a piece, naturally it should be at the center position.

A slight smile appeared on her lips. Jian Chou’s delicate eyebrows were unadorned yet carried a light slate color, like layered emerald distant mountains, giving her entire face a distant, profound charm.

As if laughing at herself for playing a useless move, or recalling the feeling of that moment when she placed the piece.

Raising her hand to place pieces, composed and unhurried.

Jian Chou’s gaze had gradually swept over the complete chess game, her eyes bursting with extraordinary light.

The person playing chess with her was definitely an excellent opponent.

The Red Dust Thousand Zhang Lamps—casually lighting a lamp was just one of Red Butterfly’s Three Thousand Red Dust Realms.

Though she didn’t know where this chess board came from, Jian Chou thought the opponent facing her shouldn’t be Red Butterfly.

Such decisiveness, such meticulousness, such killing intent.

From her first move to Tianyuan, this person had unhesitatingly seized the advantage she had yielded, pressing close with one move, then step by step closing in.

The opponent was like an eagle circling high in the sky, surveying the entire situation, waiting for the right moment.

He was unhurried, even carrying a kind of composed elegance…

This style of play…

Jian Chou’s brow suddenly furrowed slightly.

The next moment, a black piece appeared from nowhere, as if someone sat across from Jian Chou, raised their hand, and gently pressed down a piece.

The black piece, like condensed lake water, carried a kind of natural roundness and transparency, slowly, slowly falling.

On the long mountain path, bright lamp light was already behind Jian Chou.

The chess board was illuminated by the lamp light, showing a lustrous gleam, with scattered flowing light sprinkling on the pieces.

In the entire world, only the sound of mountain wind blowing past her ears remained.

“Pa.”

The sound of that piece falling, in the mountain wind, was like a drop of water falling into a lake, creating ripples.

What a clear sound?

Yet what a shocking sound?!

In that instant, Jian Chou looked at that piece, at the layout around the chess board, suddenly feeling that the vague familiarity from before had become almost impossible to face directly!

This was a lone army penetrating deep—an extremely risky move!

Very few people would dare to take such risks…

But Jian Chou had seen it before.

Her chess skills mostly came from Xie Buchen and weren’t sophisticated, even quite crude.

When playing chess with Xie Buchen, he usually dominated the game, playing one win and one loss, never playing a third game.

Jian Chou naturally knew that the one win and one loss didn’t mean she truly had the strength to beat Xie Buchen—he was deliberately going easy on her.

In fact, in matches with Xie Buchen, she had never won.

Red Dust Three Thousand Zhang…

Again, such a familiar move that, under certain circumstances, was virtually invincible.

If she remembered correctly, their party of six had all been cast into those azure lamps and probably each had their own experiences.

Across the chess board, not a single person was visible, only a void. Through that void, she could only see a mountain path stretching out, seeming to reach the mountaintop soon.

Among the layered peaks, everything at the end was also becoming clear.

But Jian Chou’s heart was becoming increasingly confused.

She looked across the chess board, as if through this game seeing the void opponent beyond the board.

Since entering cultivation, the soul and spirit would correspondingly grow with increasing cultivation.

Thoughts became more sensitive, thinking clearer, ideas more transparent…

All cultivators possessed calculating abilities far beyond ordinary people, so things popular on isolated human islands rarely touched Shijiu Zhou.

Chess was the same.

Powerful cultivators could calculate all possible moves with a glance at the board—what suspense would such a game have?

But for the current Jian Chou…

Not yet.

Her cultivation wasn’t sufficient, and her “heart” cultivation wasn’t enough either.

She looked at this chess game—half with transparent thinking, half like looking at flowers through fog.

It wasn’t that she was too weak, but that her opponent was too strong.

What was Red Butterfly Fairy’s intention?

Jian Chou stared at the piece her opponent had placed, motionless for a long time.

The entire mountain path seemed shrouded in twilight.

The starlight at Jian Chou’s fingertip gathered and scattered bit by bit, like countless grains of sand flowing together then apart, winding around her finger as if sensing her thoughts.

After a long while, she finally concentrated and frowned, gently placing a piece beside that black piece.

“Pa.”

A very light, fine sound.

Jian Chou’s eyes also seemed to be wound with that billion starlight, constantly flickering and sparkling.

An azure lamp beside her lit up, and the floating massive chess board also moved along the mountain path. Jian Chou stood with hands behind her back, stepped forward, and continued climbing.

The chess game was half over, and the mountain path was half over.

Each lamp glowed quietly like this, becoming bright in the gradually descending twilight.