Everlasting Immortal Firmament

Silver Moon City:

As the manor lord sat in a pavilion, he gently played that guqin starting to rot. When the guqin rang out, the grass and trees in the surrounding valley yellowed. Some clouds and fog seemed to form a vague, blurry figure.

Suddenly, the withering forest showed some lushness, as though new life was breaking through the fading environment to revitalize the place.

Buzz!

Before the lushness could expand, the surrounding moribund forest buried it.

“Haha…there is no opportunity to go further. This is the limit. Perhaps this is a kind of release.” The manor lord smiled faintly. 

The manor lord stopped playing the guqin. He did not feel frustrated at all. Then, he turned his head to look at Yun Mo behind him.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen in the city again?” the manor lord asked, smiling.

“Manor Lord told me to monitor Gu Hai’s situation. Today, no, even now, Gu Hai is in the middle of a wager!” Yun Mo smiled bitterly.

“A wager? In music?” the manor lord asked in bewilderment.

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“No, in Go!” Yun Mo said with a strange expression.

Yun Mo described everything he knew.

“Go? Hahahahaha! Go, indeed. This Gu Hai is really surprising!” the manor lord laughed.

“Manor Lord, this Gu Hai’s origins are rather queer. He’s quite strange.” Yun Mo frowned.

“Strange is good. Strange makes it interesting. I’m approaching my limit. I’m truly fortunate to meet this Gu Hai before my souls depart. I won’t feel lonely with this memory in the nether realm,” the manor lord said with a smile.

However, Yun Mo frowned and said, “Manor Lord, if…if you leave, what is my Silver Moon Mountain Manor to do?”

“The Silver Moon Mountain Manor? Didn’t I hand it all to you already? When I die, you will be the new manor lord. No one will dare to object,” the manor lord said gravely.

“However, the Silver Moon Mountain Manor cannot do without you, Manor Lord!” Yun Mo said worriedly.

“Silly, why can’t it do without me? Your ancestors were the ones who established the Silver Moon Mountain Manor. I am only managing it on behalf of my master, your grand-grandfather. Unfortunately, your clan’s numbers dwindled. In your generation, you are the only one left. However, you represent the orthodox; no one would dare reject you. Don’t worry. All the Silver Moon Mountain Manor disciples will listen to you,” the manor lord soothed. 

“But…”

“Do you begrudge me giving away the last heaven-grade zither, Ensnaring Performance? Hah…silly! I’m giving it away for your own good. You do not have the ability to protect and keep it. Once I’m gone, Ensnaring Performance will bring disaster to the Silver Moon Mountain Manor. However, by giving it away, it will become a shield for the Silver Moon Mountain Manor. The Qian Heavenly Emperor owes my Silver Moon Mountain Manor a favor for his heaven-grade zither. Duke Lu Yang also owes the Silver Moon Mountain Manor a favor for his heaven-grade zither. After this, one more person will owe us a favor. This is for your good; you are too weak. The favors are the most important things protecting you.” The manor lord sighed softly.

“I’m not,” Yun Mo said while shaking his head.

The manor lord smiled faintly and said, “Yun Mo, a heaven-grade zither is something unreachable to others. However, is it unreachable for the Silver Moon Mountain Manor? Your ancestors made those four heaven-grade zithers. Their blood flows in your body. If they can make one, why can’t you? Although you might not have a lot of talent in playing music, you are more meticulous than anyone else in forging zithers. Yun Mo, do not pay Ensnaring Performance too much mind. I hope you can constantly improve in the future. Do your best to make a new heaven-grade zither.”

Yun Mo shook his head and said, “Manor Lord, I do not care about Ensnaring Performance. I believe that one day, I can make one as well. However, Manor Lord, you clearly can continue living.”

“Continue living?” The manor lord’s expression turned cold.

Yun Mo said, “Indeed. You can do it. Of music, Go, calligraphy, and painting, the music Dao is different from the others. The music Dao can seize from the world and nature. You can use the music Dao to keep living—” 

“Shut up!” The manor lord interrupted, scowling.

Yun Mo’s expression turned stiff.

“That method is evil. The music Dao is the music Dao, a righteous Dao of the world—an extremely righteous Dao, in fact. Don’t learn from those lifespan cultivators. Lifespan, blessings, divine, cultural, and spiritual? Humph! Lifespan cultivators rank at the top, but do you know what they are? They practice an evil Dao, a Dao of demons and devils. How many of them have a good fate? In the entire world, how many lifespan cultivators remain? They practice a Dao that seeks death. In the end, their minds and souls get destroyed. Both heaven and men resent them. Do you want to learn from them?” the manor lord said while glowering.

Yun Mo bit his lips, and his eyes turned slightly bloodshot. “Manor Lord is like a parent to me. Yun Mo does not want Manor Lord to die!”

“Silly, death eventually comes. Hah…” the manor lord sighed softly.

------

Lord Mo quickly led his group over to This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion.

Along the way, that Go pavilion staff described everything he knew about Gu Hai.

“Oh? Elite Hall’s Water Division Master? He casually took out seven hundred thousand superior-grade spirit stones just to save a group of Acquired Realm subordinates? Then, he established This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion, causing the World’s Best Zither Pavilion to collapse in less than two months? A strangely shaped musical instrument brought in lots of money every day?” Lord Mo frowned as he pondered this.

“Yes. Young Master An and General Manager Jiang Tianqi did their best to compete, but they just could not,” that Go pavilion staff said respectfully.

“A commission model. That is marvelous and outstanding. In the survival of the fittest, the World’s Best Zither Pavilion naturally cannot compete. This Gu Hai is indeed a talent—no, he is a genius!” Lord Mo’s eyes lit up as he spoke.

“Ah?”

Lord Mo did not care about the reactions of others. Instead, he got off the immortal crane carriage calmly. With his subordinates opening up a path, parting the sea of people around, he headed slowly into its depths.

Clack!

“Thank you for going easy.” Gu Hai’s voice came from the center.

“Excellent! Master Gu, crush him to death! Hahahaha!”

“Young Master An, move faster. Hurry. Hand the seventh business over to Master Gu! You still have one chance left!”

“Hahaha! There is only one game left. I wonder how many more businesses Young Master An can wager?”

The surrounding crowd cheered.

Humiliating words directed at Lu An came from the crowd, while Jiang Tianqi sounded sorrowful and angry.

Lord Mo’s figure paused as he looked at the boisterous crowd. He frowned slightly as he said, “Popular support? Young Master An, you have no way of winning when you meet such an opponent.”

“Huh? Milord, I heard that there is still one more game,” a subordinate whispered.

“There is still one more game? He has already lost. What is the point of another game? Humph! He has squandered all of the duke’s businesses,” Lord Mo said coldly.

Lord Mo slowly made his way to where the many soldiers blocked the crowd.

Then, Lord Mo took out an authority token, which an officer quickly brought over to City Lord He Shikang.

When He Shikang saw the authority token, his expression changed as he immediately turned his head. Just when he was about to say something, Lord Mo shook his head.

“Go invite that person over. Be polite,” He Shikang instructed that officer in a whisper.

“Yes.”

Thus, that officer quietly brought Lord Mo to He Shikang. However, Lord Mo left his subordinates in the crowd.

As the scene was too chaotic, most of the onlookers did not notice that an additional person appeared by He Shikang.

However, Sima Changkong, who was in a nearby pavilion, narrowed his eyes slightly. “Mo Yike?”

Mo Yike just watched quietly.

In the final game, Gu Hai solved the Go puzzle in only three moves.

Three moves? Just three moves?

Gu Hai stood up and said with a smile, “Many thanks, Young Master An!” 

“That’s impossible! Absolutely impossible! These are the derived puzzles that I prepared with all my effort, comprehended from the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Go Puzzle. How did they get solved? No! No!” Jiang Tianqi was already out of his mind.

“Just die!” Lu An threw a palm strike in fury.

Blargh! The palm strike sent Jiang Tianqi flying while he vomited a mouthful of blood.

“Young Master An!” Jiang Tianyi and the others protested worriedly.

“Lu An, are you that much of a sore loser? The loser should acknowledge defeat. All these businesses now belong to This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion!” Long Wanqing shouted at Lu An while glaring as she shielded Gu Hai.

Gu Hai pulled Long Wanqing aside. He did not want to hide behind a woman at this moment.

“Young Master An, if you want to teach your ignorant subordinate a lesson, please return to do it. This is my This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion, not your home,” Gu Hai said coldly.

At this moment, Lu An went mad with rage. Not my home?

“What stupid This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion? Men, smash it! Fang Minghou, smash This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion! Completely level it!” Lu An roared with bloodshot eyes.

Not far away, Lord Mo narrowed his eyes, preparing to stop this.

However, that subordinate carrying a golden saber and standing behind Lu An moved too quickly.

“Ha!”

Fang Minghou let out a loud shout as he stepped forward and sent a large golden manifested saber at This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion.

The vast force immediately kicked up a storm.

“Oh no! They want to destroy This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion!”

“Quickly stop them! No! Quickly help Master Gu!”

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“It’s too late! It’s too late! This person is a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator! Furthermore, he is at the peak Nascent Soul Realm!”

The surrounding cultivators clamored. However, it was too late for anyone to help.

Was This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion going to get destroyed like that?

With bloodshot eyes, Lu An watched the surrounding cultivators turn restless. Since the soldiers were holding back the cultivators, it looked like This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion would be destroyed.

Long Wanqing and Mu Chenfeng appeared anxious. However, Gu Hai smiled coldly.