Starting with Hyuga, traversing countless heavens

"continue."

Ning Que wanted to stop, but his hand moved uncontrollably as he picked up a chess piece and began to place it.

"Conquer yourself, or you will not be able to leave the game."

Ning Que gritted his teeth and continued playing chess, his attention returning to the novel "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils." This chess game was somewhat similar to a certain version, so the method to break the deadlock was also in the TV series.

Jun Mo walked over and bowed to Hinata Hoshino. "Sir, the two of them haven't eaten or rested for a day and a night. Why don't we let them rest first?"

Chapter 311 Strange Movements in Human Power

"I don't care, as long as you can wake them up."

Jun Mo gathered his mental energy and slapped it onto Ning Que and Song Lian's shoulders, channeling his energy into their bodies, but the two of them did not react at all.

Jun Mo focused his mental energy in his throat and roared, "Wake up now!"

It was still no use. Song Lian was sweating profusely. "What should I do? What should I do next?"

"Water, water, water, where is the water? Where is the way out?"

In a desolate desert, Ning Que rode a large black horse; he was a defeated general.

Ning Que led his remaining troops step by step into an unknown and desperate situation. The sun was gradually setting in the west, and the afterglow dyed half the sky red like blood.

The desert's temperature is like a raging beast, devouring every bit of life.

The soldiers' steps were heavy, as if they were bearing the weight of a thousand-pound iron chain. Their clothes were tattered, their skin was cracked from sunburn, and their eyes were filled with exhaustion and confusion.

Ning Que's eyes shone with determination and resolve. He glanced deeply at the soldiers around him, his heart heavy. He knew he had reached a dead end, and the road ahead was fraught with unknowns and dangers.

However, he could not back down, he could not give up. He had to lead these soldiers out of this desert, and if he could not leave with them, how could he resolve his hatred, how could he quell his anger?

Ning Que had forgotten that he was playing chess. He only remembered that he led his troops to fight Xiahou to the death, but lost and could only flee into the desert, putting himself in a desperate situation to survive.

The wind howled, stirring up a cloud of dust. Ning Que gripped the reins tightly, silently chanting, "Revenge, revenge."

His voice was deep, but full of power.

Upon hearing this voice, the soldiers seemed to regain some courage. They gritted their teeth and continued forward.

As night falls, the stars in the sky, like cold, sharp blades, pierce through the veil of darkness.

Ning Que looked up at the starry sky, a strange sense of sorrow welling up inside him. In this desolate desert, they were like orphans abandoned by fate, the road ahead filled with unknowns and dangers.

However, even in dire straits, Ning Que did not give up.

He firmly believed that as long as there was a glimmer of hope, they must forge ahead. For revenge.

He glanced at the soldiers around him, a resolute glint in his eyes. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Forward! Revenge!"

The sound echoed through the desert, carrying an indescribable power. In this desolate desert, Ning Que and his soldiers faced a test of life and death.

Ning Que broke out in a cold sweat. Suddenly, he remembered that he was just playing chess and that everything in front of him was just an illusion.

He frantically pondered ways to break the deadlock in the game of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, and he came up with an idea: commit suicide a few of his men in order to save his own life.

In the illusion, he ordered the killing of several soldiers to be used as reserve food. With food and water, Ning Que successfully escaped the desert.

Hinata Hoshino smiled. Ning Que is ruthless. The illusion on the chessboard is not much different from reality, yet Ning Que can still be so vicious.

In Song Lian's eyes, he lived in an era when Go was flourishing, and there were five Go players in that era, collectively known as the Five Masters.

Fang Sheng, the invincible master of the opening moves, Guo Fengchun, the master strategist, Li Muqing, the Jiangnan chess player, Jin Weiyuan, the swift axe player, and Wu Shangyong, the Northern overturner.

Song Lian fought against them one by one, winning each time by a narrow margin, until finally, he encountered Lin Xincheng, the chess master who was known as the greatest of the five masters.

Song Lian felt a wave of despair. The "Great Harmony of Heaven and Earth" is also known as the "Tengen-based Strategy," a standard opening move pioneered by Lin Xincheng, where the first move is to place a stone at the Tengen point. In Go, there's a saying about gold edges, silver leaves, and grassy bellies, generally referring to connecting at the corner or occupying the side.

The move of the center point is prone to failure, so Lin Xincheng's move was astonishing. No matter how the game evolves in the future, the center point can play a supporting role, just as all land under heaven belongs to the king, hence the great harmony of heaven and earth.

Song Lian was increasingly alarmed. How could there be such an astonishing yet unbeatable formula?

Song Lian didn't know how he could move the mountain in front of him; he only knew that he had done his best.

Song Lian threw down his chess piece, indicating that he had lost. "I have lost, and I admit defeat wholeheartedly."

When Song Lian woke up, there were no Five Masters or Lin Xincheng; everything before was just an illusion.

"woke up?"

"Thank you sir for your advice."

Jun Mo was speechless. "I'm right here, can't you see me?"

"Greetings, Second Senior Brother."

"It's alright, but Junior Brother is currently so engrossed in the game of chess that he can't be awakened. Does Junior Brother have the ability to awaken him?"

"This? Second Senior Brother, I'm afraid I can't help you."

Hinata Hoshino pressed down on Song Lian's shoulder, "Interested in taking a look at a set pattern on par with the Great Heaven and Earth?"

Thinking back to the illusion he had almost fallen into, and looking at the chessboard again, Song Lian realized that curiosity was killing him, yet he couldn't help but be drawn in.

"Please teach me, sir."

The Great Transformation of the Demon is a fixed opening in Go, also known as the Great Diagonal, created by Honinbo Jowa, Lin Xincheng's arch-rival. It is said to have a thousand variations, containing countless deceptive moves and traps, and a slight misstep can lead to losses or even a complete collapse. It is said that those who study this opening can become obsessed with it, as if their inner demons have been awakened. As the saying goes, "demons arise from the heart," and their variations are endless, hence the name Great Transformation of the Demon.

Song Lian looked at the chessboard. This time, he didn't feel powerless, but rather obsessed. The ever-changing patterns in front of him made his eyes light up. He was so obsessed that he would stop eating and drinking to completely master the variations.

"Suck!"

Hinata Hoshino looked up and saw Yu Lian. "Oh, did you come here following the scent?"

“That’s right, I can smell the aura of the Heavenly Demon.”

"Watching the game."

"A brilliant move. The demonic energy is rampant. If you're not careful, you'll fall into demonic possession and be unable to extricate yourself."

Ning Que slowly woke up, having successfully solved the Precious Chess Puzzle. "I did it! I did it!"

His joy was not from solving the chess game, but from the fact that he had beheaded Xiahou in the illusion.

That's really awesome.

Ning Que looked at the sarcastic Hyuga Hoshino and sincerely said, "Thank you."

Hyuga Hoshino shook his head. Each got what they wanted. A wisp of luck on Ning Que was stripped away by Hyuga Hoshino, who flicked his finger and let it float into Acha's hand.

Ning Que's later understanding of how to use human power was undoubtedly aided by the luck he possessed.

Having gained some control over the human realm's fortune, Acha could feel that she had begun to grasp some of the power of the entire human world.

The Master sensed a change in the power of humanity. He became one with humanity, and the entire human world became his sacred ground. Therefore, no matter how Haotian searched for the Master, he found nothing.

Because the Master's aura had essentially permeated the entire human world, she looked around and saw the Master everywhere, yet she could not find him.

Hinata Hoshino stroked his chin. "This method is good. It's a good way to survive."

Although Haotian could not control Sangsang's body, he regained much of his ability to perceive the outside world.

The unusual movements of human power couldn't be hidden from her. Who was it? Who had begun to control a portion of human power? Where was that Master? Why didn't he stop it?

From day to night, under the pitch-black night sky, Acha in the wilderness tent constantly sensed the power of the entire human world, a necessary process for walking the path to immortality.

Suddenly, a phantom of the Underworld Palace appeared beside Acha, surrounded by a black aura of death, as if the underworld had descended to earth. Inside the Underworld Palace, Acha attempted to control more human power. A throne rose beneath her feet, and she sat high on the magnificent yet deathly throne.

Acha's eyes were deep and bright, sparkling like stars. Her face was solemn, exuding an aura of awe. She emanated an aura of death, as if she could kill even the air itself, yet she still commanded the worship of the Wildlings. The Wildling elders' only thought was that the Underworld King was indeed their savior.

Acha held the Dragon Whip in her hand. With a flick of the whip, the resulting sparks resembled black stars.

Before Acha, a giant mirror appeared, its dragon and phoenix symbols flowing, and a mysterious and powerful force emanated from it. This was the Mirror of Karma. As the saying goes, there are no good people before the Mirror of Karma. Acha, who wanted to control the power of the human world, ultimately needed some help.

As the Mirror of Karma came into contact with this world, it began to merge with the world's laws of death. All the grievances flowed on the Mirror of Karma, and under the light of the Mirror of Karma, the Wildlings seemed to recall all the evil deeds they had committed in their lives.

As the light of the Mirror of Karma faded, Acha sensed that another part of the Hades' authority belonging to Haotian had been plundered by her.

At that moment, she felt the fear of death and the longing for happiness in the afterlife that all people in the world have.

Acha began to connect with the faith behind these emotions, including not only the Wildlings but also some ordinary people who longed for the afterlife. In the original world, Acha had very few faiths, because only the souls who died the most tragically could see her.

Other living people's beliefs are more focused on Yama, Ksitigarbha, or even the City God. The King of the Underworld? Who is he? They don't know, nor do they need to know.

Behind Acha, a wheel appeared, slowly rotating. It represented the six realms of reincarnation, and also the cyclical aura that should have existed in this world.

The gambler and the butcher suddenly realized the limits of their lifespans. Originally, once they broke through to the sixth realm and were not killed, their lifespans were almost endless. The drunkard and the butcher were examples of this.

Now, Acha has established a rule: all beings who have not broken through to the seventh realm will have a lifespan limit of one thousand years.

After Acha set the rules, her perspective broadened, and everything in the human world became clearly visible. The prosperity of the city, the tranquility of the countryside, people's joys and sorrows, and the dreams and hopes hidden in everyone's heart were all revealed.

Acha experienced the beauty and pain, joy and sorrow of humanity, and felt all of people's emotions. She gained a deeper understanding of what it means to be human, and her cultivation level began to increase unconsciously.

Under Haotian's silent roar, Acha absorbed a large amount of heaven and earth energy, and her cultivation showed a faint tendency to advance to the level of a third-class immortal.

Acha breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was over, and her cultivation had even improved. Now she should be able to catch up with Hyuga Hoshino's cultivation. Well... hehehe.

Acha didn't expect that if Hyuga Hoshino successfully transformed Haotian into a human, he could break through to the Earth Immortal realm, and the gap would only widen, not narrow.

Hinata Hoshino smiled, and Haotian's power was further weakened. The human power belonging to Acha was mobilized by Hinata Hoshino, giving Haotian the aura of death and rebirth.

Haotian felt a wave of discomfort. She could sense that something was beginning to change within her, like a drop of ink falling into the ocean—a subtle yet real change.

Haotian suddenly felt a sense of panic. This change seemed to be gradually catalyzing her towards becoming human. She regretted why she had caught Ning Que and found the Master.

Why insist on personally taking charge? With more and more variables and the situation increasingly exceeding her expectations, this is not a good thing.

She is currently on an out-of-control train, and even if she presses the brakes, she still cannot stop it. However, Haotian does not know whether this outcome is good or bad.

If she successfully devours the Master, she might be able to advance further; if she fails, she might become a real human. In that case, through long periods of cultivation, she could still break through her current realm.

However, she was very unwilling to accept that she should be the one making the choice, instead of someone else giving her a pre-determined document to sign.

Hinata Hoshino's voice rang out, "You have no choice."

Haotian: You old man!

Hinata Hoshino's entertainment activities have expanded to include vocal music. The eighth brother, Beigong Weiyang, and the tenth brother, Ximen Buhuo, play the qin and xiao in harmony, which is much better than the musicians Hinata Hoshino has seen so far.

Hinata Hoshino raised his hand and flicked his finger, shattering Ning Que's wooden flying sword. The two most well-known cultivation methods in this world are sword masters and mind masters. Ning Que took Sang Sang as his natal object, so he should be a mind master. However, in order to seek revenge and greater power, he wanted to try the paths of sword masters and talisman masters.

However, swordsmen need their natal flying sword, while talisman masters need to draw a talisman first.

Ning Que is currently unable to control his sword or draw talismans. So he bravely tried, and his flying sword soared through the sky behind the academy.