The Shangjun Go Board shattered.
The miniature world, destroyed.
Fan Li felt the world spin around him. When his feet finally touched solid ground, he found himself back on the barren mountain, standing before the desolate Tomb of King Jie.
"Duke Jin, are you alright?"
Huang Longshi rushed to Fan Li's side. He was now a Divine Transformation cultivator, which was two major realms above Fan Li's. It was only natural that he assumed the role of protector.
The Rotten Axe Go Board hovered above their heads, serving as a shield.
"Duke Jin, look!"
Huang Longshi pointed towards the foot of the mountain. A figure was crawling towards them.
Dressed in white, with long, flowing white hair and a slender, graceful figure, it was the Chess Sage, Bai Shijiu. Most of the Pure Land's Sage Rulers were renowned for their beauty.
But at this moment, neither Fan Li nor Huang Longshi was in the mood to appreciate her appearance.
They could both sense the eerie, sinister aura emanating from her!
"What happened to Sage Ruler Bai?" Huang Longshi asked with a puzzled expression.
Fan Li frowned. "It seems… your Sage Ruler is dead. Her body has been possessed by Danzhu."
"What?!"
Huang Longshi was shocked. Although he had defeated Bai Shijiu in their Go game, the Chess Sage's reputation, her status as a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator, still instilled fear and respect within him.
He had been too focused on refining and merging with the Rotten Axe Go Board. He had missed the moment Danzhu possessed Bai Shijiu.
"Duke Jin!"
"Danzhu possessing Sage Ruler Bai, it's surely a bad omen for you!"
Huang Longshi wasn't a fool. The two were already mortal enemies. Once the possession was complete, would Danzhu suddenly become friendly and offer to share a drink with Fan Li?
"Indeed," Fan Li said with a wry smile.
He glanced regretfully at Huang Longshi. With his Divine Transformation cultivation, there was no way he could stop the possession.
Staying in Nanchao would be suicide.
"We have to leave. Now!" Fan Li ordered.
"Yes!"
Huang Longshi didn't hesitate. The Rotten Axe Go Board, hovering above their heads, suddenly expanded into the size of a table. They leaped onto the board, using it to fly towards Nanchao's exit.
They had only traveled a few miles when they heard an eerie, howling sound coming from behind them.
The voice was androgynous, a blend of male and female, old and young, human and… something else.
"You… will all die!!!"
Fan Li turned and saw Bai Shijiu's figure, moving towards them with a grotesque, contorted gait.
Her once beautiful face was now twisted and ugly. She was spewing blood and saliva as if she wanted to devour them!
"Duke Jin, what should we do?!"
"With my meager cultivation, we'll be caught soon!"
Panic had overtaken Huang Longshi. He struggled to control the Rotten Axe Go Board, which swayed precariously in the air, threatening to crash.
Fan Li frowned.
Honestly, even he was at a loss.
Then, his gaze shifted towards the sky. He noticed "debris" floating above them – fragments of the shattered Shangjun Go Board?
He had an idea.
"Shangjun! Show yourself!" Fan Li shouted.
As if in response to his call, the debris ignited, transforming into shooting stars that rained down upon the earth!
And every single shooting star… was targeting Bai Shijiu!
"Aaaaah!"
"Shangjun! Your spirit lingers, daring to hinder me?!"
Bai Shijiu screamed. Her voice, still androgynous, belonged to Danzhu.
The possession was complete.
But rage was useless.
The meteor shower intensified. The falling fragments, initially resembling rubble, were now the size of water vats!
Over a dozen of them slammed into Danzhu's body, knocking her to the ground repeatedly. Yet, she still struggled to her feet and continued her pursuit of Fan Li!
Possessing Bai Shijiu had been a desperate act. The woman's cultivation was ruined, her foundation shattered. Her remaining strength, a mere fifth rank of the Unity Realm, wasn't enough to satisfy Danzhu.
His true goal was Fan Li's body, a vessel brimming with the destiny of an Emperor, a future filled with limitless potential!
"It's useless! I'm willing to sacrifice this body! Even if it's injured, crippled, destroyed, I don't care!"
Danzhu clawed his way out of another crater. His right arm and left leg were broken and dangling uselessly. The bones shattered by the falling meteors.
But he didn't care.
Thankfully, the meteor shower continued, which was buying them precious time.
"Duke Jin, look!"
"The fog! We're approaching the fog! We're almost out of here!"
Huang Longshi was overjoyed.
Fan Li nodded and shouted one last time, "Shangjun, thank you!"
His gratitude echoed through Nanchao, reaching the heavens. Fan Li didn't know whether Shangjun's spirit still lingered, but his thanks were sincere.
"Farewell… Your Majesty…"
A faint whisper, barely audible, reached Fan Li's ears. The voice was weak, but it conveyed relief, joy, and gratitude.
"Stay! Stay here! Don't leave me!" Danzhu let out a monstrous shriek. A final meteor landed, blocking his path.
Danzhu ignored his injuries and charged forward. He used his body to shatter the meteor to pieces and continued to fly forward.
At this time, Bai Shijiu's body was no longer human being. It was a bloody mass of flesh, moving with astonishing speed.
The two sides, one in front and one behind, entered the sea of fog.
"Duke Jin, what should we do? I don't remember the way!"
Huang Longshi, lacking experience, panicked. He couldn't even discern their path.
Fan Li pointed towards a specific direction. "This way! Quickly!"
"Yes!"
Huang Longshi didn't hesitate. He urged the Rotten Axe Go Board forward. Unlike their careful entry, their escape was reckless, a desperate flight through the fog.
Sure enough, Fan Li's instructions were correct, and the two of them successfully escaped from the entrance of Nanchao Valley!
"Duke Jin, we're out!" Huang Longshi shouted.
"Don't stop! Northeast! We need to travel at least a hundred miles!" Fan Li said quickly.
Huang Longshi was puzzled.
Why northeast?
Why a hundred miles?
But he had no time to question. From within the fog, he could hear Danzhu's shrieks, coming closer.
"He's gaining on us?!"
Huang Longshi's face paled. He urged the Rotten Axe Go Board northeast.
Fan Li glanced back. He had expected to see Danzhu's monstrous figure emerge from the fog. But he was looking for someone else.
"Oh?"
What Fan Li wanted to see was not Danzhu, but another possible existence.
And he saw it.
There was a little red light, which was also following Danzhu closely and caught up with him easily.
The glow was fainter than a candle flame. It gently touched Danzhu then vanished inside his body.
It had to be Shangjun's final remnant of a spirit. But Fan Li didn't know what it could do. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good for Danzhu.
They continued their flight. The distance between them and Danzhu was shrinking. But they were also nearing their destination – a hundred miles northeast of Nanchao.
"Duke Jin, what should we do?!"
Huang Longshi felt Danzhu's presence closing in on them.
A hundred miles?
They had traveled a hundred miles, hadn't they?
He looked ahead anxiously. A vast mountain range came into view. Nothing else.
How could they possibly stop Danzhu's pursuit?
Use the mountains? The trees? The rocks?
"Die!"
Just as Huang Longshi was thinking wildly, Danzhu's scream came from behind him, surprisingly close to him!
"Let's fight!"
Huang Longshi gritted his teeth and was about to turn around and fight to the death.
Suddenly, a divine warrior descended from the sky!
Huang Longshi really saw a general wearing military armor and holding a long sword, standing between Fan Li and Danzhu like a towering iron tower.
A single swing of the sword sent Danzhu flying backward!
"Who?! How dare you hinder me?!" Danzhu screamed, but she didn't dare approach.
The newcomer glanced at Danzhu calmly and immediately saw through his method of possessing another's body. Disgust flickered in his eyes.
"Hu Zongxian, Grand Marshal of Great Jin, has arrived under the Emperor's command."