The immortal is beside me

Chapter 52: Prolonging Life and Repairing the Sky
Da da da.

The sound of chess pieces clashing against each other echoed against the walls, and it seemed as if this was the only sound left in the entire room.

Luo Mingxian stood by the wall, not daring to breathe, let alone ask the reason for all this. His legs were numb from standing there, but he was unable to move at all. He just stared at the chess game in the room.

For practitioners of Yishu, chess is not only a method of cultivation, but also an important means of exchanging each other's "intentions". It is a more precise and concise way of communication than simple language. As an outsider, watching others play chess is also an important learning experience.

He had watched other people play chess many times before, and he had gained some insights every time - but with the chess game in front of him, he found that he could not understand the content at all.

At first glance, it looked like two old men sparring on the street, without a trace of anger. However, considering that one of them was Yuan Tiangang, the master of Yishu, the inability to discern anything was the biggest anomaly.

Who is the other party who created this situation?

The sound of another chess piece falling interrupted his thoughts. He looked up at the chess table, and his mind was shaken again.

That move was a decisive killing move, and the one who was defeated was actually the Heavenly Master!
This scene was so shocking to Luo Mingxian that it was as if he had deduced that China would explode tomorrow.

What kind of existence is that Tianshi? He is the pinnacle of the Yishu realm, a renowned master throughout history. Playing chess should be as easy as breathing for him, with absolutely no chance of failure.

But now he is dead!
Luo Mingxian stood here in amazement, while in front of the chess table, Yuan Tiangang was also staring at the endgame on the table. There was no more surprise in his eyes, only deep thought.

Having known each other for 1,300 years, he had played chess with this person no less than a thousand times, involving all kinds of chess. With the advantage of the Yi Shu, he had almost never been defeated, but this game shattered all his memories of those 1,300 years.

As a cultivator of the Divine Transformation level, he was nearly as skilled in observation and deduction as the heavens. There was only one way to defeat someone like him.

"You've thrown yourself into the game, and found a way out of a desperate situation." He slowly raised his eyes and looked at his opponent. "Have you managed to defeat God even halfway?"

"It's only half a piece." Zhou Qing held his face with one hand and turned a chess piece with the other. "At least for now."

There was another moment of silence. Yuan Tiangang clasped his hands together, his sleepy eyes thoughtful, as if he was savoring these words with all his heart.

"Man can conquer nature. You've actually achieved this unprecedented state."

He slowly leaned back in his chair. "No wonder you were able to come back. No wonder I couldn't see your aura in the Heavenly Dao. I never expected, I really never expected, that there would be someone in this world that I couldn't see through."

Luo Mingxian, standing beside him, twitched his lips slightly. Although most Yishu practitioners spoke cryptically to avoid revealing secrets and incurring consequences, he couldn't help but sigh deeply inwardly after hearing these words.

Riddler, get out of Yizhou!
“I’ve seen through a lot of things.”

Zhou Qing pressed the chess piece spinning in his hand onto the chessboard, his eyes falling on his completely white temples.

"You violated the prohibition and deduced the secrets of heaven, shortening your lifespan once again," he said. "Now, you probably don't have much time left."

This sentence was like a flash of lightning, bringing Luo Mingxian back to his senses. Looking up, he saw Yuan Tiangang's expression had returned to normal, as if the matter was no longer a big deal.

"I have seen all of this Central Plains, and I have glimpsed the Way of Heaven. Heaven and earth are within my heart, and I have no regrets."

Yuan Tiangang shook his head, but smiled and said, "It's a good thing that you're back, Brother Zhou. It would be nice if you could help me erect the monument. I'm afraid others won't be able to record all my deeds."

"Is that so?" Zhou Qing said with a straight face, "I was planning to give you a chance to live. Since you said so, I'll do as you wish and find a piece of land to bury you."

The sound was not loud, but it sounded like thunder to the two people in the room.

Before Yuan Tiangang could speak, Luo Mingxian, who was standing next to him, was the first to exclaim in surprise: "Senior, can you heal the Heavenly Master?!"

If the Heavenly Master's passing was a catastrophe for the Tianji Academy, then Zhou Qing's words were like repairing it. His fingers trembled with excitement, but he couldn't help but speak. He had a guess in his mind about the person who could have caused the Heavenly Master to act like this, but as a junior, he couldn't ask, so he could only address him as "Senior."

"I'm not an expert in medicine." Zhou Qing raised his eyes and said, "But wasn't his life shortened because of the backlash of the Heavenly Qi? If that's the case, we should just replenish the Qi that was swallowed by the Heavenly Qi."

The room fell silent again. If the previous silence was due to shock, this time it was due to confusion.

Make up for the energy swallowed by the sky? I understand each word, why can't I understand it when you put it together?

"You" Yuan Tiangang had just said half a word when he saw Zhou Qing flip his palm and something appeared in his palm.

That's a walnut.

If there were any residents of the Jianguo Road community here, they would recognize that this was the walnut he often turned in his hands.

Zhou Qing flicked his fingertips, and the walnut drew an arc in the air and landed right in Yuan Tiangang's hand.

"Eat it."

Yuan Tiangang lowered his gaze to the walnut in his palm. It seemed to have been polished for a long time, and the surface was already somewhat patina-like.

At first glance, the walnut looked ordinary, no different from any other nut. But when Yuan Tiangang looked at it, his pupils shrank slightly.

Everything in the universe has Qi within it. The stronger the Qi, the greater the causal impact, and the greater the changes it can cause in the world.

As the pinnacle of Yi Shu, he has seen countless people in his life, from kings and generals who are blessed with good fortune to great monks who shake the world. It can be said that he has seen the pinnacles of the world.

But in front of this walnut kernel, the karma borne by those top geniuses becomes like a drop in the ocean.

The energy of heaven and earth is kneaded in this tiny kernel, which is almost equivalent to condensing the ocean into a drop of water. The deep and majestic cause and effect is like a bottomless black hole, and its edge cannot be seen at a glance.

How did he make something like this?
No, I should say, how can such a thing exist in this world?
Yuan Tiangang looked at Zhou Qing in front of him. He was playing with a chess piece casually with a nonchalant attitude, as if he had just been treated to an ordinary walnut.

Yuan Tiangang pondered for a moment, then pinched the walnut with two fingers, and the walnut broke into pieces, revealing the kernel inside. Then he threw the kernel into his mouth without hesitation and swallowed it.

All noises suddenly fell silent, and some drastic yet silent changes spread from the small room.

Luo Mingxian, watching from the sidelines, opened his eyes wide. His level of cultivation didn't allow him to discern the specific changes, but he could only sense that the Heavenly Master's Qi was rapidly expanding at that moment, like a vortex forming, with the Qi of heaven and earth surging towards that point.

It is not about bringing the dead back to life, nor is it about healing injuries, but about allowing the Qi that has been separated from the body to return to its original place, just like letting spilled water return to the cup.

Pulling the heaven and earth!

In just a few breaths, the aura of decay faded completely, and the white hair on his temples turned black strand by strand. When all the changes finally stopped, the person sitting at the chess table was a scholar with long black hair.

Under the almost dull gaze of his disciples beside him, Yuan Tiangang slowly raised his hand. The wrinkles on the back of his hand had disappeared completely, and his skin was as delicate as a baby's.

"It's a bit early to bury you now."

Opposite him, Zhou Qing put down his hands that were supporting his face and waved them casually.

"Live another thousand years."

(End of this chapter)