Chapter 776: Just Charging Straight Forward

Lian Baiping and Xuanjizi exchanged another glance, then nodded to the three Daoist friends from Qianyuan Sect who were nearby. Together, they walked over to Ji Yuan's table.

Around the small chessboard table, there were several small, square wooden stools. Ji Yuan was sitting on a similar stool on the opposite side. Xuanjizi and the others naturally didn't fuss; they each sat down steadily on a stool.

However, after they sat down, Ji Yuan's gaze returned to the small table in front of him. This prompted Lian Baiping, Xuanjizi, and the three from Qianyuan Sect to also focus their attention on the chessboard.

This was clearly not some powerful artifact, at least not that they could discern. Nor was the chess game particularly intricate; the pieces were scattered haphazardly, not to mention a strange gray piece that looked completely out of place. Yet, Mr. Ji kept staring at it.

‘Could it be some wondrous immortal move or strategy?’

Lian Baiping looked at his senior brother. Xuanjizi stroked his beard and nodded, as if he knew what his junior brother was thinking without needing a telepathic message. The two brothers seemed to be in perfect sync.

However, the cultivators from Qianyuan Sect couldn't remain so calm. Although immortal cultivators typically valued tranquility and naturalness, the situation was urgent. After waiting for a while, the female cultivator in the middle hesitated, then spoke.

“Venerable Senior, we three are cultivators from Qianyuan Sect, located on Mount Yuyuan in the Sea of Tianyu Continent. We came to Tianji Pavilion for assistance, and with the recommendation of the two Senior Long-Bearded Immortals from Tianji Pavilion, we specifically came to pay our respects to you. We hope you will not hesitate to offer your guidance.”

Ji Yuan looked up and nodded slightly.

“My apologies, I was too absorbed,” Ji Yuan said. “Please, have some tea.”

With a flick of Ji Yuan's sleeve, the chessboard on the table vanished. At the same time, six cups flew to the empty edges of the table. Then, a teapot appeared in his hand, and he personally poured steaming tea for everyone, casually placing the teapot in the center of the low table.

Lian Baiping quickly added a remark.

“Friends, please don't be reserved,” Lian Baiping said. “Mr. Ji is a good friend of an esteemed elder from your sect.”

“Oh, may we ask which esteemed elder from our sect?”

Ji Yuan smiled.

“It is Elder Lu Niansheng,” Ji Yuan explained. “He is an immortal cultivator who enjoys traveling the mortal world. He and your sect master were originally sworn brothers, but perhaps due to some misunderstanding, he has been wandering on his own.”

“So it was Elder Lu!” the female cultivator exclaimed. “We had heard there was an esteemed elder from our sect outside, who was a sworn brother of our sect master. Can you contact him, Senior? Qianyuan Sect is currently facing many challenges; if he could return…”

Ji Yuan gave the three a strange look. In his mystic vision, he clearly sensed the aura of the old beggar on them.

“You have already met him, yet you don't recognize him?”

“Ah?”

The three Qianyuan Sect cultivators exchanged puzzled glances. Suddenly, the female cultivator seemed to recall something and took out a small, crystal-clear jade token from her sleeve.

Upon seeing the jade token, Ji Yuan nodded.

“Yes, that's right,” Ji Yuan confirmed. “This Grand Void Jade Talisman must have been given to you by Elder Lu, correct?”

“So that venerable senior was indeed Elder Lu! We were truly shortsighted then.”

With this connection established, the three Qianyuan Sect members felt closer to Ji Yuan, this mysterious and esteemed senior. Ji Yuan, in turn, got straight to the point.

“Daoist Lian has already spoken to me about Qianyuan Sect's situation,” Ji Yuan began. “Now that you are here, please tell me about Qianyuan Sect, or rather, the current state of Tianyu Continent. The heavenly mechanisms are quite chaotic, so it's better if you explain it yourselves.”

“Oh, and I am also aware of the message your sect master sent to the Daoist friends at Tianji Pavilion previously.”

The female cultivator from Qianyuan Sect took a small sip of tea. After savoring the endlessly sweet taste, she swallowed and composed herself before speaking.

“In that case, we will hold nothing back,” she began. “Currently, Tianyu Continent is plagued by rampant evil energy, leading to great chaos in its fate, which has also affected the human realm. The mortal world is in great turmoil, with continuous natural disasters and man-made calamities. Demons and evil entities frequently appear throughout Tianyu Continent, causing harm to humanity, and various nations in the mortal world have fallen into chaos. Countless people have died from various disasters in a short period, resentment is rampant, evil spirits are dancing wildly, and the human destiny fluctuates unpredictably…”

It turned out that while the mortal realm of Tianyu Continent was not entirely peaceful to begin with, most areas were relatively stable. However, in recent months, due to demonic entities and various coincidences, a multitude of disasters erupted in a short period. Natural and man-made calamities were incessant, causing panic in some nations, while others gave rise to greed and malice, and many even resorted to conflict and warfare.

Qianyuan Sect had initially instructed its traveling disciples to be vigilant and sent others down the mountain to investigate, but they were still unclear about the full extent of the danger. The sect master, an esteemed True Immortal, was originally in secluded cultivation, comprehending the Dao of Heaven. Suddenly, feeling a premonition, he emerged from seclusion. After leaving a single instruction, he personally went out for a trip. Upon his return, he consulted with the elders in the mountain for half a day, and then directly struck the Mountain-Suppressing Bell.

“On that day, the Mountain-Suppressing Bell rang nine times consecutively, shocking all disciples of Qianyuan Sect,” she continued. “We all knew then that something major had happened. Sect disciples and various factions were subsequently divided into teams to guard the crucial points of destiny indicated by the sect master, engaging in several major battles against demonic and crooked paths…”

As the Qianyuan Sect cultivators recounted their tale, Ji Yuan's brows frequently furrowed and relaxed, then relaxed and furrowed again.

Just from the Qianyuan Sect cultivators' description, it seemed their sect master had realized a serious problem. Perhaps during his cultivation, he achieved unity between man and heaven, sensing something, but evidently, due to the chaotic heavenly mechanisms, Qianyuan Sect couldn't discern the full picture, which led them to seek help from Tianji Pavilion.

“Now the Daoist friends from Tianji Pavilion have agreed to assist,” the female cultivator said. “But you have also brought us to see you, Senior. Do you have any insights?”

Ji Yuan nodded. This was not the time for humility. He glanced at Lian Baiping and Xuanjizi, then turned his gaze to the three Qianyuan Sect cultivators.

“Upon your return, please inform your sect master, the True Immortal,” Ji Yuan stated. “The demons' assault on the righteous path, with their ambition to dominate the Tianyu Continent, is merely a superficial appearance. There is another hidden purpose behind it.”

“What purpose?”

Ji Yuan looked at the questioning female cultivator, thought for a moment, and slowly began to speak.

“I believe that overall, the righteous path in Tianyu Continent is still strong, while the evil path is weak,” Ji Yuan said. “The demonic entities behind this are likely not aiming to undermine the foundation of the righteous path in Tianyu Continent. Rather, they are... to destroy the foundation of humanity, or even to directly annihilate humanity in Tianyu Continent.”

Ji Yuan paused, then shifted his concern to humanity. This made the five people opposite him furrow their brows slightly; some looked pensive, others slightly bewildered.

However, Ji Yuan was not speaking idly. His elevated perspective allowed him to see things differently. He had previously glimpsed a trace of an old scene when the unfamiliar chess piece was placed, realizing that it was the hidden player behind it who had moved this piece, instigating this upheaval.

What was the purpose of this upheaval? Was it to confront Qianyuan Sect? Probably not. For a major sect like Qianyuan Sect, with a True Immortal as its master and surely many other esteemed cultivators within, its mountain gate would undoubtedly be impregnable. What would be the significance of such a ‘test’?

Ji Yuan knew clearly that the hidden player sought to test the heavens and earth, not merely the ‘righteous path’ as broadly defined in the current cultivation world. As the saying goes, ‘better to break one finger than injure ten.’

Empathizing with the opponent's mindset, Ji Yuan considered that to test a significant portion of the heavens and earth, the most obvious approach would be to strike at the "human destiny" recognized as mainstream by all cultivation circles today. For example, by crippling or even utterly destroying humanity in Tianyu Continent, and then observing the heavens' and earth's reactions.

In Ji Yuan's mind, Qianyuan Sect, its subordinate factions, or other righteous paths in Tianyu Continent, were likely symbols of the heavens' and earth's instinctive reactions, and their responses were extremely sensitive and intense.

The Qianyuan Sect master might not have known precisely what was happening, but the crisis for humanity, sensed through his connection with heaven and man, was undoubtedly real. Otherwise, he would not have decisively ordered the Mountain-Suppressing Bell to ring nine times.

“Destroy humanity? Sir, do you mean they will directly attack humanity?”

Ji Yuan thought for a moment, then spoke concisely and directly.

“They will stop at nothing.”

“But, but this would be intolerable to heaven and earth,” the female cultivator countered. “Those who instigate such matters are not mere minor demons or evil spirits who are ignorant of heavenly fate. Are they not afraid of divine retribution?”

Ji Yuan smiled, though his smile held no joy. His voice, when he spoke, was low and indifferent.

“Divine retribution? I imagine they are not afraid.”

By the way, Ji Yuan added in his mind: *They are directly targeting heaven and earth; how could they be afraid? At most, they might have some reservations, but even if things go badly, a chess piece merely becomes a discarded one, because the true mastermind is not even part of this particular game.*

“By the way,” Ji Yuan continued, “if you encounter Elder Lu Niansheng when you go to Tianyu Continent, please take something from me to him, and also deliver a message.”

As he spoke, Ji Yuan reached out and untied a golden silk thread coiled around his right wrist. This golden thread appeared extremely delicate; at its tip, before the fine tassel, was a small white jade inscribed with special spiritual script, different from conventional characters.

“This is…”

Lian Baiping nearly cried out in surprise, but seeing Ji Yuan's expression, he quickly suppressed his voice. After glancing at Xuanjizi and the three Qianyuan Sect Daoist friends, he proactively reached out and picked up the Immortal-Binding Rope.

“I shall hold onto it for now, and personally deliver it to Daoist Lu when the time comes.”

“And what message would you like to convey, Senior?”

The female cultivator asked, and Ji Yuan smiled, saying,

“I'll tell the two Daoist friends from Tianji Pavilion. It's not that I intend to conceal anything; it's simply that heavenly secrets must not be revealed.”

With that, Ji Yuan transmitted a message to Xuanjizi and Lian Baiping. The two nodded repeatedly, then showed a slight surprise, exchanged glances, and finally nodded in understanding.

“Very well, you should head to Tianyu Continent quickly. Depart today.”

“Understood!”

Hearing Ji Yuan's implied dismissal, Xuanjizi and Lian Baiping acknowledged him. They drained their teacups, then stood up with the three Qianyuan Sect members, bowed to Ji Yuan, and hastily departed.

After the three had left, Ji Yuan brought out the chessboard again and began to observe it closely.

Outside the temple, Xuanjizi's solemn expression began to falter, and he looked directly at Lian Baiping.

“Junior brother, let this senior brother have a look too.”

“Uh, alright, let's look together.”

Lian Baiping and Xuanjizi huddled together as they walked. Lian Baiping opened his palm, revealing the golden silk rope. He hadn't understood the spiritual script on the white jade earlier, but now, using the power of divination, he suddenly realized it meant "Immortal-Binding Rope.”

“Indeed!”

“Two Senior Long-Bearded Immortals, what kind of treasure is this?”

“Ahem, well, it's nothing much,” Lian Baiping said. “Just a protective item to be given to Daoist Lu.”

The two kept them in suspense, not revealing the full truth, and then ascended into the sky with the Qianyuan Sect cultivators, departing on clouds.