Two pure white chess pieces lay quietly on the board—small, insignificant, weak, and out of place.

"Interesting."

The peerlessly beautiful woman lowered her eyelids.

"Someone has interfered with the game. Where did they come from, and who are they?"

As she spoke, she turned her gaze to the Blind Daoist. He was the Cause of All Fruits; all Cause and Effect had to pass through him before being distributed to all living beings.

But the Blind Daoist shook his head gravely, his single eye clearly showing surprise and doubt.

"I cannot perceive it either. The one who placed the pieces is from the [Current World]. That body sits in the [Current World], interfering, and cannot be traced."

The expressions of the several Dao Fruits turned strange. This was their game. Logically speaking, not even the Ancient Ones who had obtained half a Dao Fruit were qualified to interfere!

"Is it Buddha Mother Maitreya? Or the Celestial Emperor, or Taiyi?"

The Lame Daoist asked in confusion,

"The pieces that were placed are far too weak. Both the player and the two pieces have their origins in the [Current World]..."

After a pause, as a universe of Chaos swirled in his eyes, he muttered to himself,

"Or could it be those four little ones? Or perhaps the Queen Mother, or Zhenyuan Zi?"

"I cannot see," the Blind Daoist said expressionlessly. "It could be a few of the Ancient Ones, or perhaps a few Daluo competing for a Dao Fruit Position."

As he spoke, he rose unhurriedly. His colossal figure pierced through the entire Great Void, his head touching the Boundary and his feet treading upon the Years. The mere calm sound of his voice was like a million worlds collapsing in the same instant, emitting a terrifying, overlapping drone!

"This makes no sense. It seems a certain Fellow Daoist is plotting, hiding in the Current World to interfere with our game."

The three magnificent figures sitting across the board also rose, each showing surprise and doubt. The Buddha, wreathed in an Infinite Pure Light, furrowed his brow.

"This game is getting more and more interesting..."

The three figures turned and left, stepping into the boundless Chaos. Each step made the Great Void and the Great Chaos rumble.

Supreme, who had been frowning all this time, now raised his eyelids, his expression full of anxiety.

"I do not care who is placing the pieces, be it an Ancient One seeking to become an [Enlightened One] or a Daluo trying to seize half a Dao Fruit. What I am worried about is that Xiaoxuan is in the [Current World]."

The Lame Daoist and the Blind Daoist’s expressions changed at the same time.

After a long moment, the former forced a smile.

"I gave the Qing Ping Sword to our martial nephew. He’ll be fine."

"No."

Supreme was deeply worried.

"I also gave the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda to Xiaoxuan. But the problem is, how could someone capable of interfering in our game be stopped by these two items?"

"You gave that pagoda to Xiaoxuan?!" the Blind Daoist and the Lame Daoist exclaimed in unison, their expressions changing again.

Supreme nodded.

"Rest assured. Even without the pagoda protecting me, those three Fellow Daoists cannot and dare not do anything. I am the foundation of all things."

The Blind Daoist and the Lame Daoist looked at each other in consternation, but then their faces also filled with worry, a grave look flashing in their eyes.

’Just which Fellow Daoist is it who placed the pieces?’ 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

’And will these two pieces affect Xiaoxuan?’

’After all, to meddle in the game of Dao Fruits—or rather, of the [Enlightened Ones]—even the smallest piece placed will have an immense and far-reaching impact on the Years and on history...’

Supreme rubbed the two chess pieces in his palm—formed from the Years of the [Journey to the West] and the [Old Master’s Preaching of the Dao]—and fell into thought with a frown.

The Blind Daoist and the Lame Daoist also fell silent.

...

「The Current World.」

A full month had passed since Saint Lu laid down the new rules, since the spring festival on Dragon Tiger Mountain ended, and since the Bronze Divine Mountain fell into the Human World.

During this month, more than seventy percent of the Ancestor Star was discussing Saint Lu and the new rules he had established. The rest were discussing the Bronze Divine Mountain that had suddenly fallen.

Even the great waves caused by the dissolution of Longque Technology, Aotao Organism, Celestial God Pharmaceutical, Ancient Gene, and the Giant Bear Group were overshadowed, rarely mentioned by anyone.

「Outside Wutong City, in the wilderness.」

A convoy of scavengers that had entered the wilderness was completely surrounded by hundreds of wild wolves. A ferocious beast paced forward, its terrifying aura enveloping the entire convoy.

It made it difficult for everyone to breathe, and the flow of their blood and qi began to stagnate...

But the convoy members were still chatting and laughing, sizing up the surrounding pack of wolves and the few ferocious beasts with great interest.

"ROAR!" The lead beast seemed displeased and let out a deafening roar. The sound waves tore through the air, kicking up a gale that sent the convoy members stumbling, but they were still chatting and laughing.

It wasn’t until the beast pounced, a foul wind rolling in with it, that one of the members finally cried out piously,

"Praise be to Profound Origin Fusheng!"

The moment the words were spoken, the pouncing beast, the wolves, and the others all froze in place. A profound Daoist Temple materialized, floating in the void. Inside the temple, a figure sat cross-legged. With a gentle wave of his hand, under the power of the Mediation of Creation, the air was restructured into a large amount of raw meat, which fell before the wolf pack and the beasts.

In the next instant, the Daoist Temple slowly faded away. The ferocious beasts and wolves tucked their tails, whimpered, and each snatched a piece of raw meat from the ground before fleeing as if on wings.

「Meanwhile, in a small alley in Wutong City.」

A young girl with a backpack, who would never have dared to walk into a dark alley before, was now strolling nonchalantly through one. She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when a drunkard, who had been sprawled on the ground, wobbled to his feet with a strange smile on his face.

"Little sister, all alone...? Want uncle to play with you...?"

As he spoke, the drunkard pulled a folding knife from his coat. Laughing eerily, he advanced on the girl with the backpack. His laughter echoed through the dim alley, sounding exceptionally creepy.

But the girl with the backpack wasn’t afraid. She just rolled her eyes and said calmly,

"Praise be to Profound Origin Fusheng!"

As her voice fell, the void rippled, and what looked like a profound Daoist Temple flashed past. At the same time, Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi twisted into ropes, bound the drunkard, and lifted him into the air, swinging him away in the direction of the Inspectorate...

Similar scenes played out one after another across the entire Ancestor Star.

The girl with the backpack continued to walk safely through the dark alley. In a coffee shop just a wall away, a handsome young man sat by the window, taking a sip of rich coffee as he quietly watched the bustling crowd outside.

After a long moment, he placed his coffee cup on the table and turned his gaze forward.

"For now, it seems the new rules are effective."

The middle-aged man sitting across from him, who looked like a farmer, gave a wry smile.

"It’s actually hard to tell anything for certain in such a short time..."

The two sitting opposite each other were none other than Lu Xuan and Yang Jian.

A month ago, after numerous failed attempts to get close to the Bronze Divine Mountain, Lu Xuan had left Zhu Wuneng and the others on Dragon Tiger Mountain to watch over Xiaoyan.

He himself had come to walk the Red Dust with Yang Jian to see the effects of the new rules.

Lu Xuan speared a piece of bread from the table, stuffed it into his mouth, and after swallowing, sprinkled some crumbs into the Fish Basket beside him.

The fat Catfish in the basket glanced at them listlessly, showing no reaction.

At this moment, Yang Erlang spoke in a low voice.

"From what I can see, Martial Uncle, while there’s nothing wrong with the new rules you’ve set, many problems are actually foreseeable."

"Please, enlighten me." Lu Xuan was not dismissive just because the middle-aged man before him was his martial nephew.

Truth be told, his martial nephew had likely experienced tens of thousands of times more years, people, and events than he had.

Yang Erlang considered for a moment before speaking softly,

"There are many issues. A single Sanqing Temple looms over everyone’s heads. It seems to bring peace and prosperity, but over time... people’s hearts will change. Some might come to see you as a dictator."

"Also, with the Sanqing Temple resolving all dangers and hardships, after a while, the populace will lose their fighting spirit. They’ll lose their will to strive, and might even have their backbones broken..."

Yang Erlang continued his methodical explanation,

"Then there’s the matter of not violating the law. Although you’ve limited the definition of ’law’ to criminal law, laws made by man are never perfect. There will be loopholes, which means your new rules will have loopholes too."

Lu Xuan listened very seriously and sighed softly.

"I’m actually aware of all this, but I can’t think of any better countermeasures in the short term. I can only let things run like this for a while."

After a pause, he frowned.

"What worries me most is, as you said, that the world will become too peaceful. With the Sanqing Temple blocking every danger and hardship, people will lose their self-reliance over time..."

"It would be fine if I were invincible and could crush any foe, but I’m not. The Immortals and Buddhas will return. I worry that a populace that has lost its fighting spirit will involuntarily submit when they face them..."

Yang Erlang nodded.

"That is the heart of the problem. How do you plan to handle it, to resolve it?"

"I’m still thinking about it. I have a few half-baked ideas, but I don’t know if they’re feasible."

Lu Xuan said softly,

"For example, I could establish a divine arena. Those with grudges could enter the ring and fight to the death. After a victor is decided, I could use the Mediation of Creation to resurrect the dead and heal the injured... This might help people maintain a certain ferocity and release some of their pent-up hostility, but I’m not sure what the downsides would be..."

He paused, then continued,

"Besides, I can’t even do it yet. Not unless my Mediation of Creation improves greatly, and not unless I can use the method of [One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones] to sever another original self to carry it out. Otherwise, these are all just pipe dreams."

Yang Jian nodded gravely.

"And then there’s that Bronze Divine Mountain. We don’t know where it came from, and even Immortals can’t get near it. I fear it’s the work of some Immortal or Buddha who has returned in secret..."

"I have a handle on that." Lu Xuan raised his hand to call over a waiter. After paying the bill, he picked up the Fish Basket and started to walk out.

As he walked, he spoke to Yang Erlang, who was following beside him.

"Let’s put the matter of the Bronze Divine Mountain aside for now. It’s been a month. I need to visit the one beneath the Stone Stele, and then take a trip to the Guangcheng Daoist Palace..."

After a pause, Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes.

"I estimate that in about another month, there will be some movement from the Bronze Divine Mountain. In the meantime, you can accompany me on a trip to the Celestial Shu Province to check the effects of the new rules and pay a visit to that Immortal from the Zhuge Family."

"Yes, Martial Uncle." Yang Erlang smiled, then his expression froze. "Wait, did you say you’re going to visit the place beneath the Stone Stele again?"

"Can’t I?" Lu Xuan gave him a surprised look. "Let’s go. Gouxian Town isn’t far from here..."