Dada da da
In the Tian Shifu, in the Tian Shifu Hall, Zhang Tianlin, wearing a white dress, sat at the center of the vast hall, holding a turtle bone and shaking it in the air for a few times.
Suddenly, several copper coins fell from the turtle bone, their shapes were bizarre, causing him to involuntarily furrow his brow.
"Master, this is the 81st hexagram, can you see anything?"
Standing beside Zhang Tianlin, the spider web gang leader quietly watched everything unfold. Only after the copper coins landed did he dare to ask a question.
As he spoke, Zhang Tianlin laughed lightly, casually tossing the turtle bone and copper coins aside, "The heavenly secret is all blocked. Old fox, you truly are cautious."
The spider web gang leader immediately felt embarrassed and wiped away the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve, "Then, then master, what should we do next?"
Zhang Tianlin lightly raised his eyes, "Act according to the plan. I don't believe that the double dragon layout will make my hidden dragon inferior to his submerged dragon."
"The messages that the Hidden Dragon has discovered recently have also been passed on to you. Has there been any movement from the Submerged Dragon's side?"
"There is."
The spider web gang leader nodded slightly, "Since the Cui Cheng from the Thousand Array Sect emerged, two first-class grandmasters have also surfaced, joining forces with Cui Cheng. However, their actions are very secretive, and their identities have not been traced yet."
"Besides the Submerged Dragon, I've also learned that Chen Mo has arrived in the Central States. He is said to have gone to the Xuanyin Academy. Moreover, he has used his status as a descendant of the Dao Ancestor to widely recruit high-level martial artists from all over the Central States. From his appearance, it seems he also has the idea of entering the other space to challenge us head-on."
"Master, Chen Mo has a good reputation outside, we must be cautious."
The spider web gang leader paused for a moment after thinking, and then reminded one sentence.
Zhang Tianlin shook his head and laughed lightly, saying, "You overestimate him. Don't think that by eliminating a small punishment from heaven, he is a threat. The real threat is the Heavenly Mechanism Elder standing behind him. He is the one I truly need to pay attention to as an opponent."
Zhang Tianlin inclined his head and fell to the ground, lazily straightening his body, "As for Chen Mo, he is just a pawn in the hands of the Heavenly Mechanism Elder. Why should I waste my time staring at this pawn?"
"In a game, the most important thing is to take care of the overall situation. Chen Mo wants to jump out and become a chess player from a pawn, but does he have the qualification?"
Zhang Tianlin sat up, yawned, "Have there been any unusual developments with the three candidates lately?"
The spider web gang leader paused for a moment and then spoke earnestly, "According to the intelligence gathered by our spies, the three candidates are very quiet and are all in closed-door cultivation. It seems they are all preparing for the opening of the other world."
"That's a good news. The three of them are the test stones for my exploration of the Heavenly Mechanism, I wonder what surprises they will bring me."
"I'll just be here, sitting and waiting for the show to begin."
……
The Central States, somewhere in the mountains.
Inside a pavilion, an old man with simple clothes sits on a stone bench, his old eyes staring at the rapidly rotating golden compass in front of him.
His eyes remained calm, like spring water. After a long time, the golden compass didn't stop spinning as intended, but rather, several figures appeared behind him.
"Master."
Dressed in a gray long robe, Cui Cheng bowed respectfully and slowly opened his mouth to speak.
Standing next to Cui Cheng were two more men, all wearing black robes with hoods covering their heads, making it difficult to discern their appearances.
The old man suddenly pressed down on the rapidly spinning golden compass, and its pointer stopped at a certain place, but it continued to tremble, as if it had no intention of stopping.
But because the old man had to stop it by pressing down forcefully with one hand.
"The Zhuo's skills have grown quite a bit, even I can't decipher this Heavenly Mechanism."
The old man smiled lightly, shook his head, and picked up the golden compass he had been pressing down, throwing it towards the mountainside shrouded in mist.
Cui Cheng stood behind the old man, silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "To counter you, Zhuo Tianlin has sent out all of his Hidden Dragons, and the three outstanding young talents in Tianshi Palace are preparing. Moreover, even the old ones from ten thousand years ago are all ready. Master, this move is somewhat risky."
"It's indeed risky."
The old man laughed lightly, but there was no sign of tension or confusion in his words. "If playing chess wasn't risky, how could one claim this immortality?"
"Now, Zhuo Tianlin is in the open, while I am hidden in the shadows. His cards are all out in the open, but I'm still hiding in the dark. I still have an advantage."
The old man chuckled.
Cui Cheng, however, furrowed his brow, "Master, although you say that, Zhuo Tianlin's full hand is out, clearly to test your own cards. If we go to the other world this time, it will be extremely dangerous."
"Fearful?"
The old man turned his gaze back, fixing his eyes on Cui Cheng behind him, whose expression was filled with concern.
"Serving Mr. Lord, death is nothing to fear."
Before Cui Cheng could speak, the two men in black robes beside him spoke in unison.
Cui Cheng raised an eyebrow, "I'm not afraid of life or death, but I fear that it might disrupt Mr. Lord's game."
The old man turned back, straightened his body, and spoke, "The chessboard has already been set, and there is a good piece to defeat Zhuo Tianlin."
"Are you referring to Chen Mo, Master?"
Cui Cheng's expression changed slightly, and his eyes suddenly turned cold, "I've heard that Chen Mo has arrived in the Central States today. He's using the name of that so-called Dao Ancestor to continuously gather martial artists from all over the Central States."
"This chess piece is quite restless. He doesn't seem to have the mentality of a chess piece and even wants to overturn the board, like you, to become a chess player."
"Ha ha."
The old man chuckled, "If Chen Mo can really overturn the chessboard, I would indeed be pleased. But unfortunately, he is too young and his skills are not yet fully seasoned. Even if he reaches the level of a first-class martial artist, it will be difficult for him to achieve great things."
"However, he is a handy chess piece. Perhaps, in the game Zhuo Tianlin is setting up, he can bring me many benefits. Even if there are losses, they will not be losses for our side..."
"What does Master mean by this?"
Cui Cheng raised an eyebrow, his face showing a hint of confusion. "Now that Zhuo Tianlin is powerful, he is setting up a game under the pretext of the other world, which must be targeted at you, Master. Chen Mo is just an outsider."
"I think he wants to sit and watch the tiger fight, occupy a stable position like a fisherman on the pier, and watch us fight. Then he will reap the benefits. If he succeeds, he will certainly accumulate a considerable amount of strength."
"The old man laughed and said, "You are right. Zhuo Tianlin's every move is directed at me, and Chen Mo can benefit from this conflict between the two dragons..."
"However, the chess game has already been set. If he wants to jump out of the game, it's not that easy. Ever since he decided to enter the other space, he has already become a pawn on the chessboard."
The old man's eyes slightly narrowed, and he gazed at the misty mountains in the distance. He gently spread his hand, and the mist dispersed immediately, revealing a clear mountain range.
"But Chen Mo is very clever, Master. Do you have a way to get him into the game?"
Cui Cheng's brows were furrowed, and there was a hint of concern in his expression.
The old man looked at the mountains becoming increasingly clear after the mist dispersed, which had turned from one to four.
"By changing the double dragon layout into a four dragon layout, we can achieve our goal."
