Chapter 1890: 局论

Bazun An knew how many eyes in this world were watching him. Hua Changdeng also knew what kind of entity was behind him, constantly watching and urging him on. Both focused on what was before them, disregarding or unable to consider what was behind.

Spirit Elm Mountain was gone.

This cup of wine, placed on the Spirit Lake stone table that divided the world into black and white, was gifted by Bazun An, and his single question struck Hua Changdeng's heart.

"Leverage..."

Everyone murmured, beginning to speculate what kind of leverage the Three Ancestors held over Hua Changdeng that made him willing to be their pawn. After all, the Eighth Sword Immortal wouldn't speak without reason; what he said must have been carefully considered.

Hua Changdeng remained silent; his expression, after a slight shift, returned to normal. The golden goblet before him was filled with wine, but he remained indifferent, even though everyone else had given Bazun An the courtesy of drinking.

"What, Brother Hua, are you afraid I've poisoned it?" Bazun An chuckled after saying this. He wasn't named Dao; he wouldn't resort to such base methods.

The ancient sword cultivators around Spirit Lake, such as Gou Wuyue, Feng Tingchen, Lei Shuanghang, and Gu Qingduo, had all finished his wine, giving him ample respect. Even the unconscious Xiao Kongtong and Xiao Wanfeng twitched their noses, woke up, forcibly took a sip, and then fainted again. Mr. Siran, despite his severe injuries, drank it down, the wine passing through his body and flowing out of a gaping wound, causing him to cough up blood. Yet he waved his fan high, silently exclaiming: "Wonderful! Wonderful!"

So, only you, Hua Changdeng, dare not drink? Only you, Hua Changdeng, are a coward?

Everyone stared at Emperor Hua; the will formed by his worldwide reputation turned into an overwhelming force pressing down. Hua Changdeng almost wavered, his hand reaching for the wine cup. He then realized this cup of wine, offered to all present, was not given for free. The Spirit Lake's wondrous sight was an illusion, but Bazun An's borrowing of its name was real. His Myriad Sword Technique, in terms of its strategic application, was utterly different from anyone else's, truly unique.

However... what if he borrowed a name?

"I also have a question."

Since his fingertips had touched the golden goblet, Hua Changdeng wouldn't lose face by letting go. He picked up the cup but hesitated to drink. He could drink the wine, but not for free. Bazun An wanted to talk, and some questions were not only of interest to the Three Ancestors but also to Hua Changdeng himself.

"Brother Hua has questions, feel free to ask," Bazun An said, glancing over. "But before drinking this cup and asking your questions, it seems you haven't given me the answer I seek?"

"You, Bazun An, still need answers from others?" Hua Changdeng chuckled, holding the golden goblet. He didn't believe the person in front of him had come with genuine questions; it was clearly a rhetorical question.

"Then I'll venture a guess..." Bazun An picked up a jade pot and once again poured wine into the golden goblet before him.

The ancient sword cultivators of the Five Domains stirred again. The Spirit Refiners of the Five Domains were once again envious. Because as the golden goblet before Bazun An gradually filled, the golden goblets before the ancient sword cultivators in various locations also began to exude the aroma of wine again.

"Again?""The Eighth Sword Immortal is giving me a second cup of wine?""Mr. Siran knows my thoughts, wonderful, wonderful!"

This time, the pouring process was extremely slow. Even though the wine in Bazun An's jade pot was continuously pouring out, the wine in the cups of the various ancient sword cultivators was slow to fill. They watched him pour wine from the pot while making calm, unhurried guesses:

"Once the river is crossed, there's no turning back. One borrows metal and stone to hone the sword, polishing away thirty years of blemishes. Only success is permitted, not failure."

"Brother Hua, since you first embarked on the path of the sword, your Ghost Sword Technique has reached its pinnacle, and I am ashamed to say I cannot compare. Yet your success is because of Fengdu, and your failure also because of Fengdu."

"Since obtaining the Ghost Ancestor's Divine Court, the path to becoming a Sword God has become unattainable. You were forced to diverge into the path of reincarnation midway, but to ascend to godhood or become an ancestor under the Ghost Ancestor's gaze is as difficult as reaching the heavens."

"This 'God and Buddha within sight,' Brother Hua, you wish to seize it but are powerless, yet without seizing it, you cannot advance an inch."

"This time, you descended to the Five Domains simply to see me, and I am the metal and stone. Perhaps I can hone your sword, or perhaps I can break the Ghost Hunter..."

He paused, then raised his eyelids, glancing at Hua Changdeng, his voice slightly heavier: "If you fail to seize the Dao, Brother Hua will perish. Let's set that aside for now."

"If you succeed in seizing the Dao and become an ancestor, then beside the Ghost Ancestor there is still the Medicine Ancestor, and after the Ghost Ancestor, there are still the Demon Ancestor and the Malevolent Yin. I dare to ask, Brother Hua, what are your considerations, and how will you respond?"

As these words fell, all observers in the Five Domains felt a chill. The Ghost Ancestor? Everyone was merely watching a play and hadn't thought so deeply at the time. Even so, at this moment, after various powerful figures interpreted the situation, everyone knew that the three monsters outside the Time Rift were the Three Ancestors. Hua Changdeng was in front, the Three Ancestors behind; their schemes were vast. But among these Three Ancestors, there was no Ghost Ancestor. Where did this come from?

And hearing the Eighth Sword Immortal's implication, Hua Changdeng coming to seek him out this time was not to resume the unfinished Hua-Ba battle from thirty years ago after so many years. On the contrary, he had to come; otherwise, he would be waiting for death. If he came and lost, it was death. If he won, successfully seizing the Dao and ascending to godhood or becoming an ancestor, he would still face the Three Ancestors, and the outcome would likely still be death.

All dead ends?

On various live streams, comments instantly erupted:

"No wonder Bazun An said he had leverage in the Ancestral Gods' hands. No wonder Hua Changdeng willingly served as a pawn. So that's how it is?"

"Is even the Holy Emperor's life so difficult? Then my life, with three thousand spiritual crystals a month and occasional 'secret indulgences,' is quite comfortable by comparison."

"Since death is the outcome either way, why can't Hua and Ba team up and defeat the Three Ancestors?"

"Brother, what a profound insight! Didn't you even consider that if Hua and Ba cannot serve as each other's sharpening stones, honing each other to the realm of godhood or ancestorship—teaming up? To the Ancestral Gods, wouldn't that just be two wastes combining?"

"Uh..."

This battle is inevitable!

Everyone understood this point, but what differed from before was that they had previously thought it was merely a continuation of the Sword Immortal battle. They hadn't expected that now it seemed if the two of them couldn't both ascend to godhood or ancestorship in this battle, it would be a pointless fight, and they couldn't escape the dead end.

"An Ancestral God War!"

Around Spirit Lake, and throughout the Five Domains, everyone's hearts were ablaze. Setting aside other things, today they would surely witness the true 'Sword Opening the Profound Gate,' perhaps even seeing two Sword Gods emerge. As for whether these two Sword Gods would perish or otherwise, and what their ultimate fate would be, that was another matter entirely.

"Considerations..." Hua Changdeng silently repeated the word, then drained the wine in his cup and looked at Bazun An: "An ancient sword cultivator advances without turning back. What considerations are needed?"

Suddenly, the Spirit Lake rippled. Everyone could vaguely see the faint, lingering aura condensed above Bazun An's head, which, as Hua Changdeng placed his cup on the stone table, shattered into nothingness.

No denial...

Everyone then understood that what the Eighth Sword Immortal had just said must have correctly guessed Emperor Hua's predicament! Bazun An paid no mind to the strange occurrences and was completely unconcerned that the borrowed momentum had been easily dispelled. He continued to pour from the jade pot, slowly refilling the wine. Hua Changdeng's cup had just emptied when, with a gurgling sound, it was refilled again—filling faster than the cups of the cultivators in the Five Domains.

"Brother Hua, that's not quite right..." This time, before he finished speaking, Hua Changdeng interrupted him with a wave of his sleeve: "My turn."

The observers from the Five Domains eagerly awaited. Seeing Hua Changdeng's predicament exposed, he was not discouraged, but instead rose to the challenge, overwhelming the Eighth Sword Immortal with his momentum. Everyone was thrilled. How uninteresting would a one-sided situation be? Head-to-head confrontation was the most delightful!

"If those two weren't fighting for the Dao, but because this princess was jealous and competing, how wonderful would that be..." Someone began actively immersing themselves in the second world of Illusory Sword Arts.

"Please." At the stone table, Bazun An smiled and gestured, stopping the words in his throat.

Hua Changdeng's expression was serene as he gently rotated the golden goblet in his fingertips, feeling the sword intent filling it, and calmly said: "I've long heard that the Holy Slaves are skilled in strategy, plotting within the Five Domains, with 'Burning Zither' previously, and 'Night Cat' later, first removing Gou Wuyue, then Rao Yaoyao, halting those who dared to advance in the path of the sword for thirty years, extended to this day, all just to protect the name 'Eighth Sword Immortal'."

Could it be understood this way? Everyone instantly looked at Sword Immortal Wuyue, who was present, and various live streams also focused their cameras on the only living person Hua Changdeng had mentioned. Gou Wuyue remained composed and unmoving, as if he hadn't been mentioned at all.

Hua Changdeng didn't pause, continuing: "In the game on Void Island, Yu Mo even inverted filial piety by having the father inherit the son's role, all just to turn the tide at the very end when the masks were removed."

"The Black and White Veins have lain dormant until now, with Holy Emperors appearing together, solely to sever the Heavenly Ladder and extend the Holy Divine Continent's destiny by half a year."

"With the situation as it is, you have succeeded in all your previous endeavors."

"Dao Qiongcang's chess skills are already outstanding, but if the Dao is a foot high, the Holy Slaves are ten feet higher; the Holy Slave Chief's layout is truly exquisite."

At this point of praise, everyone seemed to have already heard the "but." As expected, when he reached this point, Hua Changdeng paused slightly, his tone shifting, carrying a hint of amusement: "For thirty years, turning the tables, making waves, Holy Slave Chief Bazun An, you never entered the game."

"But now, this Hua truly doesn't understand the situation. Knowing there's a tiger in the mountains, and the Eighth Sword Immortal's chess skills are so high, you must know that whoever charges in first, whoever dares to enter this game, will face certain death."

"Yet you still came."

"Why is this? What's the point?" He stared at Bazun An, who smiled but remained silent, and softly asked: "Have you found a better chess player, willingly becoming their pawn?"

With a roar, the Five Domains erupted. It's impolite not to return a favor; Hua Changdeng returned the words exactly as they were given. Hearing this, Bazun An was also cannon fodder, and at the end of this game, he too would die?

"Who?" The Five Domains all began to guess who the new chess player was.

Hua Changdeng was not one to dither and calmly stated a name: "Xu Xiaoshou?"

Master Shou? Master Shou became the chess player, and the Eighth Sword Immortal became his piece? All observers in the Five Domains found it absurd. One was the Holy Slave Chief, the other a recently promoted Holy Slave second-in-command. Although Master Shou had recently become renowned, compared to the Eighth Sword Immortal... wasn't this putting the cart before the horse?

"Wait, where's Master Shou? It seems Master Shou really didn't come!" Everyone looked left and right, realizing they had indeed forgotten about someone like Master Shou if Hua Changdeng hadn't mentioned him.

Bazun An didn't evade the question but retorted: "Knowing there's a tiger in the mountains, yet heading straight for it... Brother Hua, do you think you are the tiger, and I am the bait?"

The Spirit Lake rippled slightly, and ripples also stirred lightly in everyone's hearts. The scent of gunpowder subtly permeated the air, and everyone seemed to envision the two ancient sword cultivators coming to blows at the slightest disagreement.

Hua Changdeng, however, was not easily provoked. He shook his head and chuckled: "There has never been only one tiger on Tiger Mountain."

"Ascending to the heavens in one step is too difficult. The Eighth Sword Immortal hasn't even given me a direct answer, yet he's already thinking about the next question?"

Bazun An could only nod with a smile. He raised the golden goblet high, undaunted, and directly replied: "There is more than one tiger on Tiger Mountain, and I am not alone."

"When the Demon Ancestor's decree descends upon Crossroads, I have Shen Yi to help."

"When Malevolent Yin casts its gaze upon the Time Rift, I have Cao Yihan to help."

"The Medicine Ghost is not yet complete, Bei Huai is a great threat, and Brother Hua is about to seize the Dao. These four entities constrain each other, making it difficult to separate them."

He drained the wine in his cup, with utter boldness and nonchalance, and raising his voice, laughed: "It is inevitable. I, Bazun An, am merely taking the natural step forward. Why the suffering?"

This is... showing his hand?

After hearing this, the Five Domains were indeed chilled.

"The Demon Ancestor is at Crossroads, and Malevolent Yin is at the Time Rift. Heavens, are they trying to conquer our Holy Divine Continent!"

"Shen Yi? Kui Leihan? They are merely Ten Venerables. How can they resist the Ten Ancestors? Where does the Eighth Sword Immortal get such confidence? Oh, he believes?"

"Are they that strong?"

"Brothers, listen to my profound analysis: If the Ten Ancestors were in their prime, they would be like a raging flood or fierce beasts, and the Ten Venerables certainly couldn't resist them. But like Malevolent Yin, having awakened from the Divine Ruins, the Ten Ancestors are actually all weakened. In my opinion, the Ten Venerables might just have the power to fight for the Dao!"

"Wow! What a profound insight!" some praised.

"A dying camel is still bigger than a horse. Why don't you consider, if they could truly resist, why would the Holy Slaves need to sever the Heavenly Ladder to buy time?" some were skeptical.

As Bazun An finished speaking, the Five Domains erupted like boiling water. Everyone was passionately discussing the situation, arguing fiercely, getting into heated debates.

Hua Changdeng was not fooled. Others might forget about Xu Xiaoshou under such evasions, but he hadn't forgotten the turmoil that boy had caused among the five Great Holy Emperor families earlier.

"Where is Xu Xiaoshou?"

"That's another question," Bazun An said, looking at the cup of wine before Hua Changdeng, indicating it was his turn.

"No," Hua Changdeng shook his head. He picked up the golden goblet but didn't drink it all. "This is the same question."

Bazun An shook his head helplessly and didn't bother to argue. His expression turned solemn as he looked towards the void and said with a slight sigh: "Master Shou has never been part of my chess game."

"Ever since we became allies in White Cave, Master Shou has enjoyed freedom and the power to act as he pleases within the Holy Slaves, conversing with me as an equal."

"The position of Holy Slave's second-in-command is merely inherited from his master's command, to be temporarily managed. Heavenly First Tower is Master Shou's true home."

He referred to him as "Master Shou" every time, sparing no praise in his words. And at this point, Bazun An's voice grew heavier, his face showed admiration, and he praised: "It has always been I, Bazun An, who relies on Master Shou; there has never been a time when he humbled himself to reside within the Holy Slaves."

"Like a divine dragon, he is seen but not seen in full. I cannot command Master Shou. Perhaps even as you and I are conversing, he has already entered the starry sky and beaten the Three Ancestors senseless."

After speaking, Bazun An poured himself a full cup of wine and raised it high to the void: "A toast to Master Shou!"

The Five Domains simultaneously fell silent. Question marks appeared above everyone's heads.

"What's going on!"

"Eighth Sword Immortal, are you trying to praise Master Shou to death?"

"Or does Master Shou truly hold such significant weight in his heart?"

"Regardless, if I were Master Shou, my mouth would definitely be wide enough to hang two slabs of pork by now..."

Everyone looked at Hua Changdeng's slightly bewildered expression on the screen, indicating that they too couldn't understand. Yet, before the ancient sword cultivators across the Five Domains, Bazun An's half-bust reappeared, raising a golden goblet in his mouth, saying: "A toast to Master Shou!"

The wine was already poured; who would dare not give face to the Eighth Sword Immortal? Whether true or false, everyone drained this second cup of wine, their blood boiling, yet they were completely bewildered.

"How was it?" Bazun An looked ahead.

Hua Changdeng remained silent, finally draining the wine in his cup, which seemed to acknowledge this half-direct, half-evasive answer.

"They're talking about the boss!"

"Look! Report quickly! These two strange ancient sword cultivators didn't even offer us half a cup of wine, yet they're talking about Boss Shen Yi and claiming Boss Shen Yi can block the Demon Ancestor, ha ha ha..."

"What's so funny? I think this guy surnamed Ba has good judgment!"

"I also think Bazun An can win, just based on that one line of his... But can they stop drinking and start fighting? I still haven't seen 'one poem, one sword; one sword, one song' with my own eyes!"

"Exactly, they're dawdling like two women! Be men! Fight!"

At Crossroads, many death disciples gathered together, clustering around Spirit Refiners who had live streams, watching the great battle at Spirit Elm Mountain together. Despite their grumbling, the two bickering was quite interesting, and everyone watched with relish. The battle hadn't officially begun, yet they even mentioned Crossroads. The death disciples cared not one bit about the Demon Ancestor mentioned by Bazun An or Crossroads' impending fate; they completely disregarded their lives, only seeking excitement.

Amidst this bustling street, a dark figure was stealthily moving through, from north to east, and before long, entered the East Street Coliseum.

"Reporting, Aunt Xiang!" A loud shout came from outside the door.

Xiang Yaoyao was holding a large, burly hand, caressing it while speaking to a man and a woman, dressed in black and orange respectively, in front of her. Hearing the sound, she turned her gaze towards the door: "Enter!"

The large door creaked open, and a slender man bowed, cupped his fists, and entered, respectfully saying: "Emperor Guifen, Lord of North Street, has sent a congratulatory gift and requests an audience with Aunt Xiang!"