While conjuring dazzling, over-the-top special effects, Li Mo was also pondering a question. Though he had helped the Demon Summoning Cult solve the chess puzzle primarily because of that so-called "Dream God" who seemed to have targeted the "ice block" (Ying Bing), aiding a demonic cult in retrieving their ancestral deity might be... legally questionable.
The Great Yu's laws strictly prohibited involvement in demonic cult activities.
Of course, laws were one thing.
Li Mo had no intention of abetting evil.
"Seventh column, twelfth row—what mischief are you scheming now?" Ying Bing guided him softly in their chess game while sensing that Young Li seemed to be brewing a bold idea.
"'Mischief' again?" Li Mo coughed lightly, explaining inwardly:
"Given the Dream God's deep ties to the Demon Summoning Cult, it's unlikely to be a benevolent entity. If it returns to the cult, wouldn’t that embolden their influence? Worse, once revived, it might use the cult’s power to target you."
"What do you propose?"
"There are usually two best ways to solve any problem."
"The first—eliminate the one who raised the problem. But this Dream God’s origins are profound. In a direct confrontation, we’d likely be the ones getting eliminated..."
Li Mo shook his head and placed his piece where the "ice block" had directed.
Ying Bing lowered her gaze, pondering briefly before nodding slightly.
She knew this wasn’t the childish version of Li Mo but the reliable one.
"The second is to make a scene!"
"If we spread the word that an extraordinary legacy has emerged in Rotten Ke Mountain, it’ll inevitably draw the attention of powerhouses across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Even if we enter the mountain ourselves, we’ll be much safer."
"But if we do that, the legacy’s contents..."
Li Mo’s reply was resolute, without a hint of hesitation.
As long as the "ice block" was safe, why fuss over trivial gains?
A ripple passed through Ying Bing’s cool gaze, like moonlight trembling on well water.
She did want to investigate Rotten Ke Mountain.
But for her, what mattered wasn’t external treasures—it was uncovering the truth behind the Ying Family’s destruction.
"Fine. I’ll indulge your recklessness one more time..."
Her slender fingers lifted a white piece.
At the same moment, a thousand miles away, Li Mo mirrored her move.
Their pieces landed on their respective boards in unison.
The crisp sound of stone on stone rang out.
In the sky above, a pure white qi-dragon clamped its jaws around the neck of a black turbid qi-dragon. Countless divine energies surged as the skeletal figures surrounding them blazed with spiritual light, their eyes radiating a sense of liberation.
"Magnificent strategy! Masterful calculation! What a game!"
"To witness this puzzle solved even after death—I can rest in peace."
"'To perish and then be reborn'—what I lacked back then was resolve!"
Row upon row of skeletal figures bowed deeply toward Li Mo before their lingering spirituality dissipated entirely.
Li Mo returned the gesture, then stood with his hands behind his back.
As the assembled experts lowered their heads in deference, he stood atop the chessboard, his robes fluttering like an immortal descended to the mortal realm!
His aloof demeanor remained unchanged, as if he’d merely done something trivial.
"The chessmaster behind this setup still needs more practice."
And manually adding his own special effects—who wouldn’t be dazzled?
Luo Yexian’s scalp prickled. Who else could the "chessmaster" be but their ancestral deity? What did his "Black Earth Elder Brother" mean by this?
Dream God, you’ve got room to improve!
This was practically speaking to the deity as an equal!
"The puzzle spanning millennia... truly broken..."
Tan Zhuyin, the Demon Summoning Cult’s Holy Son, trembled, his heart surging with euphoria. Visions flashed before him—obtaining the legacy, reclaiming his spot as the top-ranked genius, trampling Jiang Yu underfoot, even entering the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Sect and ascending to the same heights as the legendary Black Earth Immortal...
"Immortal, a humble token of gratitude!"
Without hesitation, Tan Zhuyin produced an eight-armed Bodhisattva statue.
The dense aura of mortal devotion swirling around it was nearly tangible. Though impure, after purification in the Tower of Ten Thousand Clear Hues, a substantial amount would remain.
The Holy Son’s heart ached at the loss, but compared to the Dream God’s legacy, what were mere fragments of mortal devotion?
Besides, he doubted he could weasel out of this debt.
"This nephew of mine knows how to behave."
With a flick of his sleeve, Li Mo stowed the statue away before delivering a parting warning:
"Since you’re so courteous, I’ll offer another piece of advice—it’s best not to enter the legacy site for now."
The moment the words left Li Mo’s mouth—
The earth quaked as if heaven and earth had flipped, the world turned upside down, heralding cataclysmic disaster!
"This chessboard is linked to Rotten Ke Mountain’s ley lines. The spiritual miasma accumulated over millennia was meant to bar intruders. Now that the puzzle’s solved, that energy will disperse back into the world. Even if I wanted to explore the site, now wouldn’t be the time."
"How... long until the miasma clears?"
The Holy Son’s face paled.
"At least until after the New Year."
Because Young Li wanted to enjoy the holidays.
Truthfully, the miasma could vanish by tomorrow.
But Li Mo planned to sustain it with special effects—and spice it up further...
By now, Tan Zhuyin trusted Li Mo’s words implicitly. Frowning, he muttered:
"By then, outsiders may intervene, complicating matters."
"This place was left by your cult’s ancestral deity. Isn’t it awakening? Why fear outsiders stealing it?"
"That... makes sense."
Li Mo nodded. Dawn approached, so he fabricated an excuse to leave.
Luo Yexian hurriedly urged Tan Zhuyin to escort his "uncle." Before the Holy Son could react, Li Mo had already summoned his Somersault Cloud and—whoosh!—vanished.
"A true transcendent being."
Luo Yexian marveled. "Oh, next time you might even meet your aunt—an immortal beauty who outshines even the most famed flowers on the Celestial Rankings."
"How does she compare to Ying Bing?"
"Each excels in their own way."
"Then she must indeed be otherworldly..."
That same day, Li Mo returned to Qinghe County and tossed the eight-armed statue into the Tower of Ten Thousand Clear Hues for refinement. From then on, his mornings included a new routine:
Flying to Rotten Ke Mountain for daily special-effects bombardments.
The "ice block" served as his special-effects consultant.
Day one: Flowers rained from the heavens.
Day two: Golden lotuses bloomed from the earth.
Day three: Violet mist billowed from the east.
The phenomena were like fireworks—each day brought a fresh spectacle.
If the Dream God were truly awake, it might’ve questioned its own sanity.
Damn, baby, was I always this awesome?