Questioning Heaven, Desiring the Way - Chapter 208: A Game Of Go, Placing The First Stone

Tens of thousands of cultivators of varying levels of cultivation gathered at the fighting arena in the west of the city. Each of them had a number, so they followed the sequence and took turns entering the arena to compete.

The rules were very simple and also very cruel.

The first round was for Foundation Establishment cultivators, and there were more than a million of them. So, the three Origin Core cultivators watching over Fengyang raised their hands and created thousands of arenas that were three kilometers in diameter.

A hundred people were to enter each arena at one time. They were to fight for 15 minutes, and only one person could remain standing at the end of it. If there were more survivors than that, all of them would be deemed to have failed.

Once these cruel instructions were given, an uproar went through all the cultivators, and many quickly gave up. But many more were hoping to make it in the mess somehow and see if they might be able to get to the next round. There was always a chance, after all…

While it was true that in many aspects, cultivators weren’t quite human anymore. But the nature that coursed through their blood made them still feel hopeful about the future and encouraged them to take a gamble.

And so, on the several fighting arenas, sisters attacked one another, brothers tried to harm each other, and couples raised swords at each other. Friends and soulmates schemed against one another. All sorts of similar actions were carried out across the arenas, and it was like hell on Earth. The array of behavior that humans were capable of were on full display in these narrow arenas. The selfishness and survival instincts of humans were clear for everyone to see.

In less than a day, the first round was over.

And now, the second round was about to begin. It was just as cruel as the first round. This time, ten cultivators were to enter the arena at each time, and they were also given 15 minutes to kill each other until only one person was left standing.

When his number was called, Li Yu instinctively clenched his fists as he got into the arena and looked down at the huge crowd watching below. He couldn’t help but feel the excitement. This was only his first step in rising to the top.

“It’s been a while. I’ve even kinda missed you.”

While Li Yu was staring down at the crowd, the sky suddenly darkened as Wang Chunyang made the first move. The entire arena broke into a fierce fight immediately after that.

Everyone in this round was smart. Ten competitors meant that they could fight in pairs. Once they were done with their first opponent, they could go and stab someone else after that. And so, the entire arena was quickly split into a few standalone fights.

Nobody dared to be the slightest bit merciful to their opponent. Being merciful was equivalent to having a death wish.

Nobody tried to hide their true capabilities because that would only spell their end.

All of them were in this arena to make a name for themselves.

Nobody spoke to one another. They glared furiously at their opponents and went all out while guarding against any sneak attacks from other competitors.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

The sound of drums and shouting resounded like sea waves.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Compliments and curses could both be heard.

From time to time, someone would be thrown out of the arena, and they would struggle to get back in to continue fighting.

Sometimes, the competitors would spew blood from their mouths and stumble backward, but they would just wipe the blood away, give a loud shout and keep going.

The whole of Fengyang was in a frenzy. Regardless of whether you were a cultivator, an ordinary person, a goblin, or a barbarian, everyone was beside themselves, yelling and shouting away.

In Xianyang.

Inside the royal study, two people sat across from one another with a Go board in between. There were no stones on it yet.

“Your Majesty, what do you intend to do?” The older of the two cleared his throat as he slowly put the piece of paper in his hands down.

“I am very bored. Nobody is willing to play Go with me, so I’m willing to give this person a chance. A chance to become a player.”

With that, he raised his hand and put a black stone right in the middle of the board¹.

The whole of Fengyang was still in a frenzy.

The three Origin Core cultivators who watched over Fengyang sat respectfully in a lower seat within the Ouyang family residence. Further down the hall were people who used to be extremely famous in the city, including the head of the Dongfang family, the most senior elder of the Nangong family and more.

The strange part was that the entire hall was completely silent. Besides the faint sound of people breathing, it was so quiet that one could hear the sound of hearts beating very clearly.

“The Saintess has arrived!”

Immediately after the maid made that announcement, everyone, including the three guardians of the city, stood up and bowed respectfully. “Greetings to the Saintess.”

“You may rise. There’s no need to be so stiff. Please take a seat,” spoke a voice that was as icy as the moon in the night sky, carrying a chill that seemed to drench the heart, yet also exuded a charm that made one’s heart palpitate. Everyone exchanged glances and took their seats. They kept their eyes down and dared not speak.

The light breeze came with a fragrance as the woman who arrived walked past them. Her dress was as red as blood and one could see a little of her fair skin in between the slit of her skirt. As she walked, the ethereal tinkling of a bell came from her ankle.

Her gaze gave off a charm without her even doing anything. Her almond-shaped eyes, her pretty nose, her petal-like lips, and flawless complexion made her seem more like an art piece that had been delicately carved out. It was exquisite, perfect. Her eyes and smile couldn’t be more gorgeous. It was as though she were a fairy who had fallen from the heavens. She was pure and untainted, yet had pity for the people suffering injustice.

“How’s the plan going?” The woman sat on the seat reserved for the person with the highest position in the room. She picked up a cup of tea with her fair and slim fingers. As she spoke, a warmth arose in everyone’s hearts like a spring breeze after winter.

“Two more days before the Equal Spirit Order finishes setting up the formation,” replied one of the guardians as he stroked his gray beard.

“I’ve been having a bad premonition lately.” She frowned slightly and the atmosphere in the hall grew heavy.

BOOM! All of a sudden, the skies turned cloudy. Countless layers of clouds appeared as thunder resounded loudly.

Before the woman in red could say anything, the three guardians suddenly sprayed a mouthful of blood out and their physical bodies instantly turned into nothing but a bloodied mist. Their spirit were still alive and were about to make a run for it, but a flash of lightning appeared from the sky, striking their souls and turning them into mere dust. The only trace left of them was the echo of their terrified howls.

“Something’s happened.” Meanwhile, Gu Suihan, who was watching Li Yu beat the crap out of the scions and other valiant competitors, felt an agitation in his heart. The spirit he had kept deep inside his consciousness emerged as the feeling of the world collapsing and pushing him into a dead end rose inside his heart.

“AHHH!” He then heard those cries that could be heard for thousands of miles.

Before he could do anything, the wind and clouds started swirling rapidly and a deep crack appeared in the sky.

A majestic and authoritative voice suddenly boomed, “His Majesty has found rebels in Fengyang – the Equal Spirit Order. The leader of this organization has already been executed, but there are still other key members of the order who are still alive.”

The voice suddenly became even more domineering, “I, the emperor, will give you a chance. Within the next three years, only five of you can remain alive. I will not do anything to you after that. But if more than five of you are still alive by then, the city of Fengyang will cease to exist.”

The voice continued echo in the skies even after it had stopped speaking. Before anyone could wrap their heads around what just happened, a brilliant light burst forth from the city walls. Complex and mysterious runes floated into the air, gathering and solidifying into a cover that made sure nobody could leave or see the outside world.

“So…it’s you!” In a corner of the city, Gu Suihan had a nasty look on his face as he stared unblinkingly at the seemingly ordinary black Go stone in his hand.

“Since you’ve already placed a stone, then…I have nothing to fear.”

Gu Suihan slowly kept the stone and shut his eyes tightly. He then suddenly rose into the air and raised his arm. A red beam of light shot out and fiendish qi powerful enough to kill all life exploded suddenly.

The bookshop instantly crumbled. The saber that had been hanging on the wall and gathering dust gave off an ear piercing hum as it turned into a black beam that flew into the sky.

“I’m…looking forward to a game of Go with you,” murmured Gu Suihan. He turned his attention away from Li Yu and the rest in the arena and unleashed his spiritual sense in its entirety. His powers over the laws of nature became obvious and solidified, turning every living thing within a 300-meter radius into a bloodied mist.

As his clothing transformed, the souls amidst the bloodied mist that had barely wrapped their heads around what happened suddenly turned into physical entities that embedded themselves onto his large, long cloak, which formed the strange and eerie pattern on the fabric.

His black hair flew wildly and his flawless face was icy. His narrow eyes exuded nothing but indifference.

Every living thing that he laid his eyes on turned into nourishment for him. Regardless of whether one was a cultivator or not, as long as they within his line of sight, they turned into corpses.

“Mankind? When Nuwa created humans, besides using the bodies and blood of demons, what else did she use?”

As he murmured, he stepped on the dry bones that were strewn all over the ground and disappeared into the distance.

“This…is what you’re truly capable of?”

Li Yu stood alone in the arena and couldn’t help but utter these words as he stared in a daze at the figure that slowly faded out of sight.

The judges, along with all the cultivators watching and hundreds of Origin Core cultivators, had died in an instant. Thousands of living creatures had turned into corpses in a snap.

Was this…what he was truly capable of?

**The Clacker’s Pop-Up Store**

Today’s snack recommendation: Shredded SquidThere are a lot of versions of this, I personally like the simple ones that are just lightly roasted with a bit of sugar and salt, and maybe a tiny bit of chili. Also I bought these in bulk when we went into lockdown because I really, really wanted to chew on something Umami —**_*

1. TL/N: Significance of this move: Black always goes first in Go, and placing the first stone smack in the middle of the board, a point called Tengen, is an opening move that has apparently been controversial in history. Apparently a sign of an aggressive game and some people think it’s a big no no, some think it works out well…Clacker has no idea Clacker doesn’t play Go. ️