Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 549: Reenactment of History

“They wish to visit the site where the founding ancestor comprehended the Dao?” Qiu Jin’an was momentarily stunned upon hearing the transmission elder’s words.

One hundred thousand years ago, when the founding ancestor first comprehended the Dao, the immortal domain had been a forbidden ground, off-limits to all except Transcendent Tribulation cultivators. As time passed over the next hundred thousand years, countless youth prodigies and unparalleled experts could venture into the immortal domain, seeking fortuitous opportunities and attaining enlightenment. They hoped to replicate the founding ancestor’s magnificent feat, but not a single one had succeeded.

As for the scene of immortals playing chess—a re-enactment of history—it never appeared again. To this day, there was still no consensus on the true identities of those three ancient immortals.

Qiu Jin’an raised his head and happened to catch sight of an old painting hanging on the wall. The artwork exuded an immortal aura, encompassing boundless, profound marvels—unfathomable and inscrutable. Although it was an “old painting,” an explicable power seemed to protect it, making it look nothing like a relic from a hundred thousand years ago.

In the painting, two immortals sat upon stone chairs, deep in thought. Though their features were indistinct, one could easily imagine them lowering their heads in contemplation, brows slightly furrowed. A third immortal carrying firewood had their gaze fixed intently on the chessboard, and this immortal’s appearance was similarly obscured.

On the chessboard, black and white pieces were locked in a stalemate and clashed in a fierce battle—encircling, chasing, blocking, and intercepting one another. However, neither side was able to form a proper row.

Teacher Tiankui was a Confucian cultivator with marvelous painting skills. After emerging from the immortal domain, he painted the scene he had witnessed with his brush and ink.

Beside the painting was another old painting, also Teacher Tiankui’s work. In the second painting, Teacher Tiankui was clad in white Confucian robes, spirited and full of vigor, displaying the bearing of a mighty expert.

Under his feet were two famous, unparalleled experts—the respective ancestors of the Meng Family and Jiang Family. These two mighty experts were covered in wounds, clearly having endured a life-and-death struggle, yet they still failed to be a match for Teacher Tiankui.

Teacher Tiankui was a Confucian cultivator with marvellous painting skills. This painting depicted a scene from his imagination.

Qiu Jin’an withdrew his gaze from the two paintings. After brief consideration, he nodded in agreement. “The children probably haven’t encountered an immortal’s relic before. It’s understandable that they’d want to broaden their horizons. Very well, I shall take them there myself.”

After all, this is the site where the founding ancestor had comprehended the Dao. Although it now only retains commemorative significance, it still warrants due reverence.

~~~

When Lu Yang’s group learned that they had been granted permission to enter the immortal domain and that Qiu Jin’an himself would escort them, their faces lit up with smiles.

This is the legendary immortal domain!

Among all publicly known secret domains, none had ever been confirmed as an immortal domain, a testament to the rarity of immortal domains.

Of course, for Lu Yang, whose body was an immortal realm, the immortal domain was hardly anything extraordinary.

Following Qiu Jin’an’s lead, the five soon arrived at their destination. The immortal domain lay at the convergence of the Fire Branch and Water Branch.

“Such a tall mountain,” Man Gu exclaimed. The upper half was shrouded in clouds, making the mountain’s true height discernible. One thing was certain: this mountain wasn’t shorter than Heaven’s Gate Peak.

Qiu Jin’an casually explained, “The immortal domain is inside a cave within this mountain. The founding ancestor was worried that merely moving the cave would ruin the immortals’ arrangement and the immortal domain’s integrity, so he decided to move the entire mountain.”

For a cultivator of Teacher Tiankui’s stature, relocating mountains and filling lakes was a trivial matter.

Lu Yang noticed a fence encircling the mountain, forming a faint barrier, likely a protective measure to prevent disciples from sneaking in and disrupting the immortals’ chessboard. Near the fence’s entrance, an unassuming, half-torn yellow talisman clung stubbornly to the fence, fluttering in the wind.

“That yellow talisman has an incredibly brilliant seal drawn on it,” the Everlasting Immortal Fairy commented. Merely glimpsing half of the talisman was enough for her to deduce its design and purpose.

Lu Yang’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the immortal domain holds not just a chess game of immortals but also an unparalleled great devil?

He conjured a scene in his mind:

Teacher Tiankui encountered an unparalleled great devil and clashed in a fierce battle, only to lose by the narrowest margin. With no other choice, he sealed the great devil within the immortal domain, suppressing it with the immortals’ chessboard.

As time passed, the Five-Elements Sect forgot this part of history, while the great devil broke through the seal and escaped from the immortal domain.

Or perhaps the great devil wielded something similar to the Karma Dao Fruit and made others forget his existence?

Judging by Sect Leader Qiu’s reaction, he doesn’t seem to have noticed this half-piece yellow talisman.

Lu Yang pointed at the inconspicuous scrap of talisman. “Sect Leader Qiu, what is that? Is it a seal?”

“It’s a seal strip.”

Lu Yang, “...”

“The founding ancestor was in a hurry when he moved the mountain and didn’t get the imperial court’s approval. The imperial court wasn’t happy and sealed off the immortal domain, pasting a seal strip on it.

“After paying a fine and bailing the founding ancestor out, the imperial court agreed to transfer ownership of the mountain range and immortal domain to our sect. The seal strip became useless afterward.

“They didn’t tear the seal strip off completely, and later generations thought it was a small historical relic, so they left it there.”

A seal strip capable of sealing off the immortal domain was naturally no ordinary item.

Seeing no further questions from the group, Qiu Jin’an led them past the fence and toward the mountain’s base. The closer they got, the more oppressive the mountain felt. Without pause, they entered a damp mountain cave.

The moment they stepped inside, their restless hearts stilled, as if the mental state of the immortals playing chess three hundred thousand years ago still lingered in the air.

The cave was silent, dark, and deep, their footsteps echoing hollowly through the passage. The deeper they went, the drier the environment became, as though the inside and outside of the cave belonged to separate worlds.

“We’re here,” Qiu Jin’an announced.

Before them stood a stone table, its chessboard filled with black and white pieces; not a single empty space remained. Upon closer inspection, neither side managed to connect five in a row.

The immortals’ chess game had ended in a draw.

The stone table, the stone chairs, and the Five in a Row game were all ordinary objects. It was only because immortals had used them for a century that they were tinged with immortal aura, allowing them to endure the erosion of time.

Qiu Jin’an shook his head regretfully. As I thought, no matter how many times one comes in, the scene from back then won’t reappear again. The founding ancestor’s fortuitous opportunity is a rare fate with immortals that can’t be replicated.

What he failed to notice, however, was Lu Yang’s vacant stare, as though his consciousness had vanished. Lu Yang’s head drooped as if he was nodding off, then suddenly jerked back up.

Before his eyes lay an empty chessboard. Two strangers sat across from each other, their hands hovering over the stone containers, preparing to make their moves.

Meng Jingzhou, Tao Yaoye, and the others had vanished, leaving only Lu Yang, an observer of the chess match.

His heart pounded. Why does this seem like Teacher Tiankui’s story?

Before he could react, he heard the two players speak. Their voices carried a peculiar power, soothing one’s mental state and steadying one’s spirit. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

“Heaven Mandate Immortal, you first?”

“Very well.”

Clack. A white stone landed in the middle of the chessboard.

The Heaven Mandate Immortal had made his move.