In a pitch-black cave, only a flickering candlelight, no bigger than a green bean, illuminated a tiny portion of the space.
Beneath this radiant light, two elderly individuals were seated cross-legged, with a perfectly square chessboard placed between them.
One of the two elders was Divinus, while the other, draped in a black robe, shrouded himself in darkness.
Divinus gazed at the old man across from him and grumbled, “Hellion, it’s about time you made your move. We’ve been playing this game for over a hundred years. I’ve really had enough of you. Spending all day cooped up in this pitch black place and wearing that tattered black robe, you’re so pretentious.”
Hellion burst out laughing. “Haha! Divinus, are you perhaps worried about the disciple you just tricked into following you, hence the rush to return?”
Divinus impatiently said, “Enough. I’ve said countless times. Stop calling me that. We are no longer fellow apprentices. Master has already expelled you. You had the path of righteousness before you, yet you deliberately chose the demonic path. Our paths are different. We have different principles and cannot get along together. Hurry up and make your move. I don’t have time to hang around with you in this dark and chilly place.”
“Haha! You always say you won’t accompany me, yet for all these years, haven’t you always shown up as promised? Even though Master expelled me, I’ve always considered you my senior. If it weren’t for your plea back then, I would have been killed by Master long ago. I’ll always remember your kindness!” Hellion chuckled.
Divinus asked, “Since you believe you owe me a favor, do me a kindness by not targeting my disciple in the future. Ethereal Realm is a remarkable place filled with exceptional individuals. Finding an array prodigy is truly rare. Acquiring a disciple was no easy feat. Also, could you possibly admit defeat and acknowledge that your array crafts are inferior to mine? After all, I am your senior. There’s no shame in a junior losing to his senior, right?”
With a smirk of cold amusement, Hellion said, “That won’t do. We need to keep things separate. You’ve already mentioned that there are too few array prodigies in Ethereal Realm. Naturally, I need to find someone to inherit my cultivation legacy. I’m not in a position to gallivant about in my current state, but you are perfectly fine. If your disciple can’t resist my allure and choose to follow me, then we should consider it as fate. As for array crafts, I’m much stronger than you. Stop pretending in front of me. After all these years, do you have any idea how much your strength has declined?
However, if you willingly admit that your array crafts are inferior to mine, I might consider stopping my pursuit of your disciple.”
Divinus was angered. He stood up and pointed at Hellion as he said, “Bullsh*t! Even if my power was waning, my array crafts would still be stronger than yours. You’re a demon lord. If you’re not convinced, how about we have a little competition? Let’s see if I don’t leave you writhing and crying in pain.”
Suddenly, Hellion also rose to his feet. “Bring it on! I’m not afraid of you!”
After that, the two of them shot out of the cave and began to spar.
For a moment, amidst the unbearable sight, various divine markings were scattered in disarray as if it were the end of the world.
Inside the cave, the solitary chessboard was still sitting there.
The reason this game of chess could last for over a hundred years was precisely this.
Before a single chess piece had even been placed, the two of them had already started to compete.
The world was shrouded in darkness, with neither sun nor moon to cast their light.
After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, both individuals found themselves exhausted, breathing heavily in large gasps.
However, they were both glaring at each other, unable to determine who had won.
Panting heavily, Hellion said, “Great! After this expenditure, I have no clue when I’ll be able to replenish. The celestial energy in Ethereal Realm is so scarce. I fear it might take forever to recover.”
“It’s all your fault. If you hadn’t dragged your feet we wouldn’t have ended up in a fight, would we?” Divinus also regretted it. When will I be able to replenish this? If this was the celestial realm, where celestial energy was abundant everywhere, it wouldn’t matter! However, this is Ethereal Realm that’s filled with dense spiritual energy. This spiritual energy is what cultivators use for their cultivation. As for us, beings of the celestial realm, we absolutely need to use celestial energy!
