Chapter 539: History Reappears

"Want to visit the Ancestral Master's enlightenment site?" Qiu Jin'an was momentarily stunned after hearing the words of the Elder of Transmission.

When the Ancestral Master first achieved enlightenment 100,000 years ago, the Immortal Realm was a forbidden area, accessible only to those in the Tribulation Crossing stage. Over the past 100,000 years, countless young prodigies and mighty cultivators from the Five Elements Sect have entered the Immortal Realm seeking opportunities for enlightenment, hoping to replicate the Ancestral Master's feat, but none have succeeded.

As for the scene of immortals playing chess, a historical recurrence, it has never appeared again. To this day, there is no definitive conclusion on the identities of those three ancient immortals.

Qiu Jin'an looked up and saw an ancient painting hanging on the wall. The painting exuded an ethereal aura, containing infinite mysteries that were incomprehensible and unfathomable.

Although it was an ancient painting, a mysterious force seemed to protect it, making it impossible to tell that it was drawn 100,000 years ago.

In the ancient painting, two immortals sat on stone chairs, deep in thought. Though their features were unclear, one could imagine them pondering, brows slightly furrowed. A third immortal, carrying firewood on their back, watched the chessboard intently, their appearance also indistinct.

On the chessboard, black and white pieces were locked in a stalemate, encircling and blocking each other, unable to form a continuous line. The struggle was fierce and inextricable.

Sir Tiankui was a Confucian cultivator, masterful at painting. This was a scene he depicted in ink after emerging from the Immortal Realm, illustrating what he had witnessed.

Next to this ancient painting was another, also a work by Sir Tiankui.

In the other ancient painting, Sir Tiankui, dressed in a white Confucian robe, appeared vibrant and powerful, displaying the demeanor of a great cultivator. He stood triumphant over two renowned mighty cultivators: the ancestors of the Meng and Jiang families.

These two mighty cultivators were covered in wounds, indicating they had endured a fierce life-or-death battle, yet they still could not defeat Sir Tiankui.

Sir Tiankui was a Confucian cultivator, masterful at painting. This was a scene he had imagined.

Qiu Jin'an withdrew his gaze from the two paintings and, after a moment's thought, agreed.

"Perhaps the children haven't encountered immortal relics before and want to broaden their horizons. That's understandable."

"Very well, I'll take them to see it."

After all, it was the Ancestral Master's enlightenment site. Although it now held only commemorative significance, it still deserved due respect.

When Lu Yang and the other four learned that they were permitted to enter the Immortal Realm, and that Qiu Jin'an himself would lead them, smiles spread across their faces.

This was the legendary Immortal Realm.

Among all publicly known secret realms, none had been definitively identified as an Immortal Realm, which attested to its rarity.

Of course, for Lu Yang, whose own body contained an immortal world, the Immortal Realm was not particularly remarkable.

Led by Qiu Jin'an, the five quickly reached their destination.

The Immortal Realm was located at the junction of the fire and water spiritual veins.

"What a tall mountain," Mang Gu exclaimed. The peaks soared into the clouds, with white clouds obscuring the mid-slopes, making it impossible to gauge the mountain's true height.

One thing was certain: the mountain's height was undoubtedly comparable to that of Tianmen Peak.

Qiu Jin'an casually explained, "The Immortal Realm is inside a cave within the mountain. The Ancestral Master was concerned that merely moving the cave would disrupt the immortals' formation and the integrity of the Immortal Realm, so he moved the entire mountain here."

For a cultivator like Sir Tiankui, moving mountains and filling lakes were trivial matters.

Lu Yang noticed a fence surrounding the mountain, forming a faintly visible barrier. It was likely intended to protect the Immortal Realm, preventing disciples from sneaking in and disturbing the immortal chess game.

Near the fence entrance, Lu Yang noticed a very inconspicuous half-yellow talisman stubbornly stuck to the fence, fluttering in the wind.

"This yellow talisman depicts a very sophisticated seal," the Immortal Fairy casually remarked after a quick glance, deducing the appearance of the entire talisman and its contents from the half-sheet.

Lu Yang was startled by her words. Could it be that the Immortal Realm contained not only an immortal chess game but also a world-shaking great demon?

Lu Yang conjured a scenario: Sir Tiankui encountering a world-shaking great demon, battling fiercely, but ultimately losing by a single move. In desperation, he could only seal the great demon within the Immortal Realm, suppressing it with the immortal chess game.

As time passed, everyone in the Five Elements Sect forgot this history, and the great demon had broken free from the seal and escaped from the Immortal Realm!

Or perhaps the great demon also possessed something akin to a Karma Dao Fruit, causing people to forget its existence?

Observing Sect Master Qiu's reaction, it seemed he hadn't noticed the half-yellow talisman.

Lu Yang raised his hand, pointing to the inconspicuous half-yellow talisman nearby, and asked, "Sect Master Qiu, what is that?"

"Is it a seal?"

"It's a sealing strip."

Lu Yang was speechless.

"The Ancestral Master was in a hurry when he moved the mountain back then, doing so without the court's permission. Naturally, the court wouldn't stand for it, so they sealed off the Immortal Realm and put up a sealing strip."

"After paying the fine and bailing the Ancestral Master out, the court agreed to allocate the mountain and the Immortal Realm to our Five Elements Sect, rendering the sealing strip useless."

"The sealing strip wasn't fully torn off back then. Later generations considered it a minor artifact, so they kept it."

A sealing strip capable of sealing off an Immortal Realm was naturally no ordinary item.

Seeing that the others had no further questions, Qiu Jin'an led them across the barrier and to the foot of the mountain.

The closer they got to the mountain, the more they felt its oppressive presence. The group didn't stop, instead entering a damp mountain cave.

As soon as they entered the cave, everyone's restless hearts suddenly quieted, as if the state of mind from the immortals' game of chess 300,000 years ago was still influencing the present.

The cave was silent, dark, and deep, with only the hollow echo of their footsteps reverberating within.

The deeper they went, the drier the environment became, as if the inside and outside of the cave were two different worlds.

"This is it," Qiu Jin'an said.

What appeared before them was a stone table. Black and white pieces completely covered the chessboard with no empty spaces. Upon closer inspection, neither side had managed to form a line of five pieces.

The result of the immortals' chess game was surprisingly a draw.

The stone table, stone chairs, and Gomoku pieces were all ordinary objects. It was only because the immortals had used them for a hundred years, imbued with a trace of immortal energy, that these mundane items had endured through the long ages without being eroded by the river of time.

Qiu Jin'an regretfully shook his head. Indeed, no matter how many times one entered, it was impossible to recreate the scene from back then.

The Ancestral Master's fortuitous encounter was a rare immortal destiny, impossible to replicate.

What Qiu Jin'an didn't notice was that Lu Yang's eyes were unfocused, as if he had lost his will.

Lu Yang lowered his head, as if dozing off, then suddenly looked up. His vision was met by an empty chessboard and two strangers reaching into the chess box, picking up pieces, ready to play.

Meng Jingzhou, Tao Yaoye, and the others were all gone; only Lu Yang remained as a spectator.

Lu Yang's heart skipped a beat. This scene seemed like a recreation of Sir Tiankui's story.

Before he could react, he heard the two players conversing.

The voices of the two players contained a peculiar power, capable of calming the mind and steadying one's focus.

"Immortal Ying Tian, your move first?"

"Alright."

*Clack*, a white piece landed squarely in the center of the chessboard.

Immortal Ying Tian made their move.