Transcending the Nine Heavens

Although both sides would suffer casualties, it was still not a good outcome for the Li family. However, Mo Tianji did not emphasize this point. To him, casualties on both sides would be the best outcome. But Li Wubo’s words, though not explicitly stated, would make the four groups of troops more cautious about concealing their movements. At this point, Mo Tianji added, “Everyone, pay attention. After exterminating the Shi family, leave guards behind and immediately retreat. At the same time, ensure communication is unimpeded.”

“Yes!” Watching the 204 soldiers shoot out like four white lightning bolts, both Mo Tianji and Li Wubo heaved a sigh of relief.

“Master Li is truly talented,” Mo Tianji said with a smile, offering a compliment.

Li Wubo dared not underestimate Mo Tianji at this point and laughed heartily, “Compared to Adviser Mo, I’m not even fit to hold your horse’s reins.”

Mo Tianji smiled faintly. Li Wubo was indeed ambitious and decisive. Mo Tianji only asked for sixty or seventy men to catch the Shi family off guard, but Li Wubo sensed the rarity of this opportunity. As Mo Tianji had said, this battle might be the one where Diwu Qingrou was unaware of Mo Tianji’s existence. Thus, it was an opportune moment with favorable conditions.

Since they were destined to take advantage, they would seize a major one. Whether there would be such opportunities in the future was yet to be determined. But for now, they must take full advantage of this opportunity!

Therefore, Li Wubo deployed half of the family’s strength in one go!

What Mo Tianji praised was this decisiveness.

——

“Adviser Mo, now that the soldiers have set off and the battle has begun, it has nothing to do with you and me. Since we have nothing to do, why don’t we play a game of chess?” Li Jue suggested with a smile.

It is a well-known fact that those who are good at strategy are also good at chess. Li Jue wanted to get closer to Mo Tianji, so he naturally catered to his interests.

“Play a game of chess?” Mo Tianji frowned, feeling somewhat reluctant in his heart. Damn it, so many people are fighting and dying for the Li family, and you’re saying it has nothing to do with you and me? And you’re even eager to play a game of chess?

Laughing in the face of bloodshed? Watching the bones pile up?

What kind of heartlessness is this? How cold-hearted?

Li Wubo chuckled, “Jue’er’s chess skills are quite outstanding in the Li family. However, compared to Adviser Mo, there is still much to learn. Let him learn from Adviser Mo. If Adviser Mo is interested, please give my son some guidance.”

Mo Tianji’s face held a faint smile, and he thought to himself, “Like father, like son. A heartless and despicable father will have a shameless and cold-hearted son…” But he said aloud, “Very well. I’ll have a friendly match with Young Master Li.”

The chessboard was set up.

Rui Butong pursed his lips and looked at the sky on the side.

Li Jue? Playing chess with Mo Tianji?

It was a real joke. Even Chu Yang had stopped playing chess with Mo Tianji. And you, Li Jue? You’re just asking for humiliation.

The supreme experts present gathered around to watch the fun. Li Jue’s chess skills were considered the best in the Li family. As for this Mo Tianji… well, even if you’re highly intelligent, there’s specialization in every field. How could you understand everything and be proficient in all?

The game began, with Mo Tianji holding the black pieces and making the first move. His expression was calm and his actions seemed casual.

Li Jue followed closely, his expression serious.

In just a short time, the chessboard was already a complex arrangement. Li Jue’s face grew increasingly ugly.

As the game reached the mid-phase, Li Jue found it difficult to make a move. Left and right, he couldn’t find any promising moves. However, there was still hope, and things could still be achieved. The entanglement at this moment was indeed extraordinary.

The two players’ pieces were completely entwined, complicated and intertwined. Such a chessboard would make any expert’s head spin at first glance.

Mo Tianji seemed to be playing randomly, not caring about his own situation. Wherever you were struggling, he would attack there. If you were about to have a promising move, he would immediately cause chaos. If you were about to form an empty space, he would immediately fill it.

If you were about to connect your pieces, he would immediately break the connection irrationally.

In short, he was the king of destruction.

Li Jue almost wanted to clutch his head in pain.

By the mid-phase of the game, neither side had even managed to secure a single corner! Such a game was truly awe-inspiring and utterly baffling.

Mo Tianji maintained a relaxed and casual expression, handling the game effortlessly.

Finally…

As the endgame approached, Mo Tianji placed a piece, and Li Jue’s expression relaxed as he responded with a move. But as Mo Tianji’s second piece fell, Li Jue’s face changed dramatically.

This piece had split his entire dragon formation in two!

Li Jue’s eyebrows twitched as he desperately tried to find a solution.

With the third move, Li Jue’s face turned ashen.

Half a teacup’s worth of time later, the sound of Mo Tianji picking up the pieces rang out. A large area on the chessboard was cleared, filled with black pieces.

Li Jue’s face was expressionless.

A while later, the sound of Mo Tianji picking up pieces rang out again.

Li Jue’s eyes were blank.

Determined, he thought, “I can’t believe that not even a single piece can survive…” He continued to struggle.

The game concluded.

Everyone looked as if they had seen a ghost.

Li Jue’s face was ghastly pale, like a specter.

The entire chessboard was dominated by black pieces, with not even half a white piece to be found! All of Li Jue’s pieces had been completely annihilated! Mo Tianji had occupied the entire board, not even leaving a single corner for Li Jue.

Such a game was usually seen only between a beginner and an expert. It was unbelievable that Li Jue, a master well-versed in chess, had suffered such a crushing defeat!

This was beyond abnormal.

Too abnormal! If calculated based on this, Mo Tianji’s calculating ability would have to be at least a hundred times stronger than Li Jue’s…

“Again!” Li Jue roared, unwilling to accept such a humiliating defeat.

Mo Tianji’s smile was warm, and the game began anew.

After a while, the chessboard was once again completely dominated!

“Again! This time, I’ll play black first!” Li Jue’s face turned a waxy yellow, filled with a strong sense of humiliation. This was also his test, as well as his qualification.

...

On one hand, he wanted to show Mo Tianji his abilities, and on the other, he wanted to see if he was qualified to become a Nine Tribulations member!

But who was Mo Tianji? Qualification?

Although Mo Tianji appeared relaxed and casual, he had actually exhausted his mental energy calculating. If he didn’t utterly defeat Li Jue, he would feel as if he had let himself down…

The game resumed.

After a while, the chessboard was covered in white pieces, just like the snow-covered landscape of the northwest, with no trace of black left…

Li Jue stood up in a daze, feeling darkness envelop his vision. As soon as he stood up, he collapsed back into his seat.

He had lost so terribly!

The people around were also dumbfounded!

This strategist of the Nine Tribulations was truly against the heavens!

Rui Butong yawned on the side. Although his skill level wasn’t high, he knew some chess. The only one who could give the spectators the most enjoyment while playing against Mo Tianji was Chu Yang. Even though he also lost more than he won, he could at least put up a fight.

For someone like Li Jue, Rui Butong didn’t even have the interest to watch.

...

At this moment, news came from the front: their men had reached Pear Blossom Slope and were lying in ambush! The enemy was still three hundred miles away!

Mo Tianji’s eyes flashed as he stood up and said, “Proceed according to plan! No disorder!”

He then excused himself from Li Wubo and went to rest.

Since the plan had not changed unexpectedly, the outcome of this battle was, to Mo Tianji, already settled. Staying here would only serve to irritate Li Jue and serve no other purpose.

——

In the south.

After dispatching three teams, Diwu Qingrou had been reading in his tent. The recent string of victories had elevated Diwu Qingrou’s prestige to an all-time high.

His orders were carried out to the letter, and this operation was immediately approved in its entirety after Diwu Qingrou proposed it.

Diwu Qingrou was reading intelligence and pondering.

“If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to take Pear Blossom Slope… If any surprises were to occur, only Chu Yang and his team could bring them. However, according to the news from the Xiao family, Chu Yang and the others were still in the southeast just over ten days ago. To rush to the northwest, they would have to traverse the entire Nine Heavens Continent…”

“Even if they were to come and have already set off… They would still be on the road, even if they were doing their best!” Diwu Qingrou recalled the last time he saw Chu Yang, who had become a Third Rank Supreme.

He couldn’t help but sigh, “He’s advancing so quickly! However, even if you are the Nine Tribulations Sword Master, being able to increase one level in your cultivation in just a few months is already defying the heavens! This is the level of a Supreme.”

“A Fourth Rank Supreme’s speed definitely wouldn’t be able to make it here in such a short time… let alone a Third Rank Supreme! Even if one of them had a miraculous encounter and made a huge leap forward, it’s impossible for all of them to do the same!”

“So, this plan should succeed!” Diwu Qingrou furrowed his brows, “But now my concern is that after taking this place, the next step is to seal off the area, making the Li family trapped like fish in a barrel. How can we prolong the confrontation and increase the pressure…? Do we have to resort to using the power of our ancestors?…”

Diwu Qingrou pondered, calculating with a confident smile on his face.

From any perspective, Diwu Qingrou hadn’t made any mistakes in his calculations! There were absolutely no errors, and everything in the plan was seamless!

However… there was one point where he was wrong.

It was the speed at which Chu Yang and the others advanced in their cultivation! A Third or Fourth Rank Supreme indeed couldn’t make it from the southeast to the northwest in such a short time, but a Sixth Rank Supreme could!

And they could do so with ease!

He calculated that these people couldn’t possibly break through to the Sixth Rank Supreme, but they did just that.

He calculated that it was impossible for everyone to advance together, and under normal circumstances, it indeed would be. This kind of collective advancement had never occurred in any world or any history!

More fantastical than mythology!

But, as it turned out, a miracle had happened this time! The most unlikely event had become reality!