Chapter 33 - The Evil We Bring on Ourselves is the Hardest to Bear
Carefree Valley...
Atop the weiqi platform, Song Qingshu stood in an aloof manner. He looked at Gu Hai as if he was looking a dead person; his eyes were sinister and ruthless.
"What should we do?" Little Rou, who was on the sideline, was incomparably anxious.
Chen Tianshan was also worried. In contrast, Gao Xianzhi"s eyes were overflowing with confidence.
Gu Hai walked to the weiqi stage slowly. All the way, everyone got out of his way as if they were escaping from a plague bearer.
"The Ascendant Hall Water Throne Master? He is finished!"
"Wouldn’t someone who has not played weiqi with anyone for three decades lose for sure?"
"This Song Qingshu is also a ruthless person!"
"..."
While the cultivators all around were making comments in low voice, Gu Hai had already stepped onto the weiqi stage.
The moment the light beam from the dark clouds enveloped Gu Hai, he felt an oppressive aura hanging over his head, as if it would strike him at any moment. Whereupon, a white light drilled into his skin as if it was connected to the True Qi in his dantian.
Gu Hai raised his head to look at the sky; he didn"t like the feeling of his fate being in control of others.
"Gu Hai, don"t blame me, you brought this upon yourself!" Song Qingshu shouted coldly.
Gu Hai just smiled icily and didn"t bother to explain before he sat down slowly.
In accordance with the rules of weiqi, the player who chose black would play first.
The weiqi board had already been emptied. The respective pieces had been placed inside two weiqi bowls already, awaiting the two players placing their pieces on the board.
Picking a black piece using the index finger and middle finger, Gu Hai slowly placed the piece on the weiqi board.
Although Song Qingshu thought that victory was within his grasp, he still did not dare to be careless. The moment Gu Hai took out the weiqi piece, a solemn look covered his face as he sat down with his legs crossed; after all, he had suffered no small losses at the hands of Gu Hai.
As Song Qingshu prepared himself to meet the challenge, the countless cultivators under the stage also stared at the weiqi board, watching the gradually placed black piece by Gu Hai.
Tok
Just as the black piece was placed on the board, eyes of almost all the cultivators went wide.
"Tianyuan? He placed the piece at Tianyuan?"
"The Tianyuan is the centermost location on the weiqi board, it"s rarely used in a game!"
"The very first move is a bad one!?"
"Is he crazy? He had actually wasted such an opportunity!?"
Countless cultivators cried out in surprise. Whoever went first had a big advantage; he could lay out the pieces in advance.
However, much to everyone"s astonishment, Gu Hai had wasted this big advantage!?
"Throne Master had really not played with anyone in three decades! Why did he go for Tianyuan?" said Chen Tianshan anxiously.
"Is he going to lose?" asked Little Rou anxiously.
"Sigh!" Chen Tianshan heaved a long sigh; apparently, he affirmed Little Rou"s worry.
"Ah?" A worried look appeared on Little Rou"s face.
"Not necessarily!" stated Gao Xianzhi, shaking his head.
While the crowd below the stage burst into a discussion, Song Qingshu atop the stage was the first one to be astounded before he beamed with ecstasy. Gu Hai really doesn"t know how to play, such a good opportunity has actually been wasted, thought Song Qingshu.
"Hahahaha, Gu Hai, I want to drag the time out a bit, you can"t lose so miserably!" Song Qingshu burst into a laughter as he said.
Only after having delayed for thirty breaths did Song Qingshu pick up the white and place it in on the board slowly.
Tok
After the white piece was placed, thirty breaths of time were also given to Gu Hai for thinking.
However, not even one breath of time had elapsed and Gu Hai had placed the black piece.
Tok
A black piece fell on the board.
"What?" Song Qingshu"s eyes went wide immediately.
The crowd below the stage also went into an uproar.
"Isn"t there thirty breaths of time? Why is he not playing for time? Why is he placing the piece so quickly?"
"Gu Hai, slow down a bit, slow down!"
"You can"t place the piece so quickly, take more time, we want to live for a bit longer!"
Everyone shouted anxiously.
However, Gu Hai didn"t pay any heed.
Only when the thirty breaths of time was almost up, did Song Qingshu place a white piece.
Tok
Tok
Just as quickly as before, Gu Hai placed another black piece.
"Gu Hai! Don"t you want to live?" Song Qingshu suddenly shouted angrily.
Gu Hai smiled coldly and said, "Whether I live or die, it"s not your right to tell me."
"Why are you not waiting till thirty breaths are almost up, why are you not waiting to place the pieces?" roared Song Qingshu anxiously.
"I don"t need you to teach me how to play! Thirty breaths of time is up, place the piece!" Gu Hai rebuked coldly.
"You!" Song Qingshu glared at him, but he still placed a white piece immediately.
Tok
Tok
Gu Hai followed up quickly. He simply didn"t ponder where to place the piece and quickly placed the black piece.
"You, humph, if you want to die, then don"t blame me!" said Song Qingshu as his eyes became red.
Song Qingshu continued holding until the end of thirty breaths and then only did he place the piece. In contrast, Gu Hai was still placing pieces swiftly and violently as usual. He simply didn"t think.
Gu Hai"s fast speed of placing the pieces made everyone around extremely anxious.
In a flash, a hundred pieces had been placed.
At the beginning, everyone believed Gu Hai was h.e.l.l-bent on seeking death and was laying the pieces arbitrarily. They believed he would soon lose to Song Qingshu, but even after a hundred pieces had been placed, Gu Hai still hadn"t lost a single piece.
"Impossible, how can this be? Have you not played weiqi with anyone for three decades?" Song Qingshu grew more and more irritated and impatient.
As the one hundred and fiftieth piece fell on the board...
A sliver of confusion appeared in Song Qingshu"s eyes. Although Gu Hai had not taken a single one of his white pieces, he also had not managed to take a single piece of Gu Hai’s. Furthermore, Song Qingshu also discovered that the more he looked, the more he didn"t understand this game.
At the beginning, the black pieces which seemed to be placed arbitrarily now seemed to be leading the game.
How is that possible? Impossible, how can I be under Gu Hai?
In the wink of an eye, the two hundredth weiqi piece fell on the board.
It was now Gu Hai"s turn. But this time he was not as swift and violent as before and took a sudden glance at Song Qingshu.
Song Qingshu kept on staring at the weiqi board; his mind seemed to have been taken by the weiqi board. He was simply unable to pay attention to whether Gu Hai was placing the piece or not. Song Qingshu"s forehead was drenched in cold sweat and his fists were clenched ever so tightly.
A faint chuckle escaped Gu Hai"s mouth as he slowly placed the black piece.
Tok
As the black piece fell on the board, it suddenly connected with the first piece placed on Tianyuan. In the blink of an eye, the scattered black pieces of Gu Hai suddenly formed a tight encirclement because of the first piece at Tianyuan and the last piece, catching a large number of white pieces in a net.
A lot of white pieces had been surrounded...
Thump
Sixty-four white pieces were taken out immediately and subsequently disappeared.
"What? What happened? How is this possible?" Song Qingshu jumped up in a sudden fright.
Just a moment ago, the outcome was still not decided and yet, in the blink of an eye, my white pieces have been taken out, and sixty-four pieces at that? This isn"t just the matter of dragon slaying, but slaying three dragons in a moment!?
"Black has won!" a clear voice reverberated suddenly from among the dark clouds.
The black piece won? The black piece won? The white piece is going to die? I am going to die?
Song Qingshu felt gooseb.u.mps exploding all over his body.
"Impossible, how can you defeat me? You haven"t played weiqi with anyone for three decades, how could you defeat me? You cheated, you cheated!?" Song Qingshu screamed at Gu hai.
Gu Hai coldly smiled, "I didn"t play weiqi with anyone for three decades doesn"t mean I haven"t played weiqi!"
"What do you mean?" Song Qingshu asked, frightened.
Gu Hai slightly smiled and didn"t explain.
This sudden reversal in the game shocked everyone under the stage.
"How is this possible? This is a Qiyan[1]? A piece has slaughtered three dragons?"
"The first piece at Tianyuan was actually not a bad move? So ingenious!?"
"It may be by chance!?"
"It"s not by chance, he slew three dragons, where do you see someone slaying three dragons in weiqi?"
The crowd was sent into an uproar. A move ago, everyone was just as Song Qingshu, their mind was completely immersed in the weiqi board, they simply didn"t notice this dangerous move.
One piece was like earth and the other was like heaven! It was simply a heaven-shaking reversal!
At the rear of the crowd, the feeble Meng Tai stared at that breathtaking piece.
"Slaying three dragons with one blade? Gu Hai, who is from a mortal kingdom? I understand, cough cough! I understand, he didn"t play weiqi with anyone in three decades because there wasn"t anyone who had the qualifications to play with him!? Cough cough!" Meng Tai"s countenance became ugly as he studied Gu Hai atop the weiqi stage.
"So formidable, Benefactor won! He won!" Little Rou shouted in excitement.
"So formidable, how is he still so good after not playing with anyone for three decades?" exclaimed Chen Tianshan in shock as he stared at Gu Hai.
Gao Xianzhi knit his brows as he said, "I suppose, Throne Master"s weiqi skills are so good that no one in the few kingdoms entered Throne Master"s eyes!?"
"No one entered his eyes?" Chen Tianshan was mouth agape in astonishment.
Atop the stage, Song Qingshu also came to realize what Gu Hai meant. Gu Hai hadn"t played with anyone in three decades was not because his weiqi skills were poor; on the contrary, they were too strong.
"You lied to me!? You lied to me!?" Song Qingshu shouted at Gu Hai.
BANG BANG BANG
The dark clouds churned, revealing a hundred-zhang long sky saber which was gradually coming down, right at Song Qingshu, about to cut him into two.
"I don"t want to die, you lied to me, Gu Hai, you lied to me, I want you to die!" Song Qingshu shouted in despair.
He seemed to have gone crazy as he suddenly smacked a palm at Gu Hai. Whereupon, a lot of True Qi surged out from his palm, carrying an absolute might; it gave the impression that Gu Hai would be smashed to death under this palm in the blink of an eye.
"Watch out!" Chen Tianshan and Little Rou warned immediately.
Gu Hai stood up instantly as his eyes flickered with a cold light. "You still haven"t recovered from the injuries you took during the explosion!?"
While speaking, Gu Hai fiercely took a step forward with his left foot, setting off a breeze along with a loud rumbling. As his left foot was halfway along the step, all the muscles of his body tightened up together, while a large amount of True Qi surfaced on his body. The True Qi gathered in the shape of a dragon head on his body’s surface.
"AHHH!" Gu Hai let out a shout as he gathered all the power in his tightened muscles into his right fist.
ROAR!
A dragon roar seemingly came from Gu Hai"s right fist as the dragon head True Qi traveled down his arm and slammed into Song Qingshu"s oncoming palm.
BOOM!
A thunderous sound of an explosion rang as the ground fiercely shook, raising a cloud of dust.
Puh!
Song Qingshu suddenly spat a mouthful of blood while taking four to five steps back, and fell off the weiqi stage.
"What?" the congregation of Ascendant Hall disciples cried out in surprise.
Atop the stage, Gu Hai stood safe and sound. He hadn"t retreated a step back. Gu Hai, with a grim look on his face, looked at Song Qingshu who had been pushed back with just a punch.
"Song Qingshu is seriously injured from that day"s explosion, but he has been recovering for few days. Even so, his palm strike was as strong as someone in the fourth level of the Xiantian Stage. But he still could not withstand even a single move from Gu Hai? That"s not right, Gu Hai is a bit stronger than before!?" Meng Tai said as his eyes went wide with surprise.
Song Qingshu had fallen off the stage. The moment he hit the ground, he didn"t even have time to cry out in pain before the sky saber in the sky came down with unstoppable momentum.
"No, no!" Song Qingshu screamed in despair.
BOOM!
Song Qingshu was cut into two with a loud bang, as his last shriek echoed throughout the entire mountain valley. Only the G.o.ds knew whether it was a cry because he was unwilling to lose to Gu Hai, or it was a cry of despair for being cut by the sky saber. But whoever heard it knew that this scream was heavy with endless remorse.
The evil we bring on ourselves is the hardest to bear!
But everything could not be done over again; Song Qingshu lay dead in a pool of blood.
The entire mountain valley quieted down as they all looked at Gu Hai atop the stage together. Because they knew, the winner would be then up against the Sky Saber Life and Death Board.
Gu Hai didn"t regret sending Song Qingshu to death. He raised his head to look at the sky as an aggressive look appeared on his face.
[1] Qiyan 棋眼 - When all the empty places are surrounded by the pieces of one player so that his opponent cannot place any piece anywhere.