Chapter 172: Chapter 145: A Tripartite Confrontation, the National Preceptor’s Grand Plan, the Heaven and Earth Chessboard

“I understand. So, Great Yan intends to do nothing about the Golden Crow Country,” ’Luo Qiufu’ said, disappointed.

The middle-aged General standing to the side was the only one whose expressionless face hid his inner astonishment.

’How could I have known Lord Ying could be so provocative? Stirring up everyone’s dissatisfaction with just a few words… she’s truly skilled.’

’This isn’t the real Luo Qiufu at all.’

’It’s Luo Ying, disguised as the Eldest Princess, just making enemies for her sister.’

’She’s trying to make the Eighth Prince and the Eldest Princess enemies.’

’All so Prince Jin’s Mansion can reap the rewards. This was the mission Lu Guangjing assigned!’

Lu Mingyuan, still in his guise as the middle-aged General, looked toward his younger brother.

Lu Yunqing’s face was grim. Corpses littered the floor, the body of Princess Consort Ning among them.

Lu Mingyuan sighed to himself.

’It’s obvious what happened here.’

’The Lu Yunqing of the past would never have killed anyone.’

’I can only say that my eighth brother, spurred on by the death of Princess Consort Ning, is becoming more and more radical.’

’I hope he can overcome this.’

“Relay the Cabinet’s writ! Arrest Prince Langya!”

“This matter is too serious! A great number of people died at the banquet. It must be thoroughly investigated!”

A Cabinet Minister quickly wrote up the arrest warrant on the spot, sending the Three Academy Cultivators to apprehend the man.

In Changle Palace, amidst the crowd.

The unnoticed Master Xun silently raised a cup of wine and took a sip. The taste was indeed the same as it had been before the Sun Crown’s restoration.

The great banquet came to an end. The four large ink words written on his palm—”He only wanted to die”—suddenly dispersed.

He stared at the various faces at the banquet and chuckled to himself.

’I don’t know who you are, but you have some skill. To think you could bring Lu Yunwan back from the dead and destabilize my disciple’s Cultivation… Now then, how will you solve this puzzle?’

This scheme was killing two birds with one stone.

It not only trapped the Seventh Prince in a fatal predicament but also damaged the Eighth Prince’s Daoxin, causing his Wen Dan to crack. The two were now bound in a feud to the death.

’How marvelous, simply marvelous.’

But, in a certain moment, he raised his head to the sky. His gaze pierced through the past and the unseen multitudes, and he saw a pair of eyes.

“Control the Celestial Mandate and use it,” Master Xun said with a smile. “Success depends on human effort. But gains and losses, short-term schemes… they can hardly be considered elegant. Have you not heard that Heaven never truly bars one’s path? Those caught in the game are often lost in their obsession, but are the players themselves not also troubled by their own pieces?”

…

「On the Haoran Continent, above the Celestial Mountains.」

Swirling clouds and mist gave way to auspicious, five-colored clouds. Intelligent white cranes cried out in unison, each carrying a scholar in a Confucian Shirt upon its back. This was a place even an Immortal Family would find difficult to reach, a place that hid many Grotto Heavens within.

The staircase at the mountain’s base had nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps.

Above a thousand towering peaks, parting the clouds, were five great mountains carved into the heads of Saints. They symbolized the five great Saint Ancestor Masters of the Haoran Continent, also known as the Five Confucian Saints.

These five Saint Ancestor Masters held the highest status in the Confucian Temple. Their doctrines were the most widespread, having been propagated for ten thousand years without decline.

Below the Saints were the Seventy-two Saints and Sages.

Every one of them had left an indelible mark on the pages of history, their names immortalized on stone monuments, and had held the highest positions in the great Dynasties.

The slowly ascending Confucian Temple stood firm in the void. It was like a pavilion in the sky, a vast floating island that brought to mind the Celestial White Jade Capital.

Within the Confucian Temple, there were various plaques.

Each of the Hundred Schools of Thought had its own designated section.

Incense burned eternally within the great hall, carrying the prayers of every scholar in the Central Plains World.

However, the Sect Leader of the Confucian Temple had been living a carefree, reclusive life for some time now. All affairs were managed by the Vice Sect Leader, Li Sheng.

Many Saint’s Stone Statues stood in the temple. A glance around revealed more than ten of them.

A serene-looking old man stood there. He wore purple robes, the large sleeves embroidered with a majestic pattern of purple mulberry trees. His hair was meticulously arranged, and a long white beard flowed from his chin, giving him the air of a Daoist immortal. His aura was unfathomable, as if he could perceive all worldly matters.

The old man’s face was identical to one of the many Saint’s Stone Statues behind him—one engraved with the three words, ’Li Sheng Zhu An’.

Before the serene-looking old man was an enormous Chessboard. Though merely an illusion, it projected an aura that could swallow mountains and rivers, as if an entire world was laid bare. Countless black and white pieces dotted its surface.

The black and white pieces were concentrated in the most important position on the board: the Great Yan Imperial Capital.

In the serene-looking old man’s eyes, the nine-foot-long, ancient Chessboard grew ever larger. It extended in all directions, evolving into a vast world of rolling mountain ranges, much like a Heaven and Earth Scroll unfurling before him.

The more powerful the Confucian Cultivator, the vaster and more detailed the world that manifested from the Chessboard became. Every mountain range, every river, every city, and every person was rendered in perfect clarity.

Currently, two pieces were particularly conspicuous. The other seven were either dim and lusterless or had shattered completely.

One piece manifested as a Black Dragon coiling around the sun, while the other was a Cyan Dragon lying dormant on a Mountain. Within each sphere of light, a human figure flickered.

An illusory black piece constantly bolstered the Black Dragon’s momentum, replenishing its destiny.

“’Control the Celestial Mandate and use it’? What utter nonsense.”

The serene-looking old man cursed, and three white pieces appeared at his fingertips, all radiating powerful energy.

“Xun Yu, you’re getting awfully cocky. Do you really think no one can put you in your place?”

A move played is a move made. The white pieces instantly sealed off the Black Dragon’s every route of escape.

…

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