The chess piece landed on the board with a soft sound, like a drop of water into a bucket.
Yet the next moment, a muffled rumble echoed from the board.
Like earth splitting, mountains crumbling.
Lu's eyes danced with threads; he focused on placing pieces, akin to Sima Qingshan's absorbed painting.
Beiluo City.
Lakeside: flower boats bobbed.
Tianxu Young Master with four Golden Core hags on one, fruits arrayed.
Pinched candied date, squinted at vortex-wreathed White Jade Capital pavilions.
Brow arched.
Empress with Ni Yu on another; pinched sugar-coated Qi Gathering Pill, glanced sky—smile deepened.
Du Longyang, Ye Shoudao sensed—soul senses sharp at their level.
Of course, beyond them...
...
Outside Beiluo.
Land expansion stretched distances.
Original Wolong Ridge secret realm.
Lu's first—once Great Zhou controlled.
Dynasty fall; Great Xuan, Xiliang took capital—Xiliang managed.
Now: Xiliang cultivators guarded.
But earliest; overlapped dragon gates.
Dragon gate terracotta pressure greater than ridge monsters.
Cultivators preferred gates for training armies.
Today.
Xiang Army commander in ridge opened eyes.
Qi Core peak.
Earth rumbled—heart quaked.
Next: ceased.
Rushed tent; panicked soldiers.
"Commander! Front pit."
"Sudden collapse, no sign."
Commander frowned—unprecedented.
Led, sped forward.
Arrived "pit."
Circular, three meters diameter.
Stones rolled; bottomless shadow.
Abyss-like.
Commander frowned.
Fetched fist-stone, threw.
No echo.
Graver; pit fear—hell link?
...
Beiluo, Lake Heart Island.
Sky-floating: more divine, immortal qi veiled.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Lu sleeved, placed.
Odd board; pieces mysteriously linked.
Preaching Platform realm materialized.
Clicks endless.
Final piece.
Momentum shifted—eerie.
"This game: Nine Prisons."
Lu smiled.
...
Boom!
Wolong Ridge.
Commander unsteady.
Palace sank; dust skyrocketed.
Swallowed by giant maw.
Smoke rolled.
Then...
Fanged ghost-head gate rose from palace site.
Replaced!
"Quick! Message capital!"
Commander roared to aide.
Sped to gate.
Ancient stone plaque: "First Prison."
Eerie, soul-shaking fear.
Rumble continued.
Commander stared around.
Spiral from pit: stone gates rose.
Snail-shell; last one li away.
Calmed; nine gates.
Ancient plaques: prisons sequential.
First: ten li from pit.
One li intervals.
Ninth: one li.
All open; pitch black—sunlight swallowed.
Deep, weird...
Hell gates.
"What...?"
Commander courage; Qi Core circulated, peak vigilance.
Sped to Ninth.
Face changed near.
Faint piece click.
Heard.
Then...
Pit whistle.
Bang!
Earth burst.
Black massive pillar erupted!
Instant: vast pressure wave, winds domain-like.
Commander recalled realm opening—immortal palace spirit pressure; Heaven Qi Token needed.
Similar!
Closer black pillar: pressure horrific.
Not just spirit.
Odd indefinable force.
Pfft!
Commander spat blood.
Nearest Ninth—worst rebound.
Blood arced.
Qi Core peak flung ten li, rolled meters, stabilized.
Terror, gasping.
Guards rushed, lifted.
"Quick... King... immortal secret realm opened!"
Fainted.
Holder trembled, tears.
Another slapped: "Cry? Fainted!"
"Notify King!"
...
Transformation distant Wolong from Beiluo.
But "Nine Prisons" emergence—Dao Stele odd intent wave.
Beiluo: Du etc. jolted.
"Felt?"
Du on boat, Wolong gaze.
Ye nodded: "Like my knife intent comprehension."
Empress excited, ruffled Ni Yu: "Brother Lu no lie..."
"Sequence Dao Intent?!"
Ni Yu muddled—sis, gentler?
Young Master not rough!
Du, Ye heard murmur: "Sequence... what?"
Empress curved lazy: "Our future path... Infant break!"
Thunderous.
Bottleneck; breakthrough?
"Sequence? Unheard..."
"Ku Tu devoured origin, not sequence."
Tianxu squinted.
Glanced Empress: "Fabricated?"
"Woman's mouth... deceiving ghost."
Empress stiffened, eyed: "Tianxu old fart, repeat?"
"Yo."
Tianxu raised lake-retrieved palm sword, pointed.
Recalled Lu mention.
Smiled: "Not stoop to woman."
Empress sneered.
Four hags side-eyed.
"Dao intent... my knife intent?"
Ye said.
Empress shook: "Brother Lu: not sequence yet."
Ye stunned.
Du rose, to check—but auction near.
Itched.
Weighed: sat, awaited.
Venue: Beiluo Lake.
Guests: flower boats.
Lake: boats swayed, ripples.
Suddenly.
Lake depths, mists.
Splash.
Youth wheeled from depths.
Appearance.
All boats rose.
"Young Master Lu!"
"Greetings."
Every boat—including Tantai Xuan, Overlord—bowed.
Empress, Du etc. stunned, rose, bowed.
Lu white-robed, hair velvet-tied back.
Hands Phoenix armrest, warm smile.
Suddenly.
Behind: Ning Zhao white-skirted, basket-armed appeared.
Lu scanned, smiled: "White Jade Capital's first auction... future? Unknown."
"Purpose: develop cultivation, path for all, prosper realm."
"This auction: same."
Words echoed.
Boats: breathless listen.
Even Du, Empress respected.
Tianxu to retort...
Recalled pettiness; swallowed.
Fine—quiet Tianxu today, for Brother Lu.
"Items: pills, methods, artifacts... opportunities."
"Auction: 'spirit stones'."
Lu said.
"100,000 silver: one low-grade spirit stone."
"Exchange silver first."
"Or disqualify. Future: stones only."
Fingers tapped, half-smile.
Words fell.
Boats: glances, buzz.
One: Tantai squinted.
Mo Beike absent; Mo Ju accompanied.
Mo Ju fanned grave: "King... profound."
Tantai no fool: "Lu Ping'an unifying currency?"
"Future no gold/silver... huge impact. No stones now—all start equal."
Mo Ju nodded, fan urgent: "Currency shift massive."
"If just like silver..."
Unsaid.
Distant: Ning Zhao basket to boat.
Tantai remembered—Beiluo walls, maid sword repelled army.
"North Xuan King, exchange?"
"Five first."
Smiled.
Ning took five; Tantai, Mo Ju unmoved.
Watched crystalline pile.
Nearby boats cursed—old fox, not all.
Five: 500,000 tickets at least.
Unknown total.
Rules stones—must.
Exchanged: sensed absorbable qi...
Uncalm.
Treasure!
Lu saw exchanges, smiled: "World has veins—mine if interested."
Randomly dotted Five Phoenixes.
Mo Ju sensed: complex.
"King... post-return, seek veins."
"Mines: future initiative."
Tantai grave.
Not just him—Overlord, Tang Xiansheng, clans shrewd.
Lu perfecting system.
Gold/silver valuable, but meaningless to cultivators.
Resources cumbersome.
Stones: direct cultivation—resource!
Vein: Qi Core/Body Storage army—unstoppable!
Empress, Du arched.
Stones common; Tianyuan long currency—or inevitable trend.
No exchange—plenty, mid/high-grade too.
Grades: qi density/purity.
Lu wheeled, scanned astonishment, smiled.
Raised hand.
Rumble...
Waters parted.
Little Yinglong claws tray cloth-covered, dumb-cute floated, wings flapped hover.
Lu gazed.
Little smiled apt.
Unknown purpose—but obey.
Disobey: ring bind—beating.
Smart dragon.
Lu satisfied, smiled.
Little bright, pursed—spit water.
But...
Lu smile vanished.
Panic; gulped, elegant burp.
Lu chin-propped, calm scan, fingers flicked.
Tray cloth: white flames burned, revealed contents.
