Chapter 1, The Chaotic Chess Mountain on a Rainy Night

At the moment the man stepped in, the Daoist had already leaped up, drawing the sword with his left hand, the blade gleaming, radiating a cold light in all directions

These individuals claim to be attendants, but in fact, they are all hunters from Xiaohan Mountain City

She looked at the bonfire with a face full of panic, yet it seemed as if she was anticipating something

At this moment, the rain has lessened somewhat, yet the sound of patter, patter, patter, patter can be heard.

Outside, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, shaking the heavens. The world outside the dilapidated temple briefly brightened, only to be engulfed once more by deeper darkness.

Zhao Haisong shifted his gaze towards Shi Hao and Master Lu, his eyes filled with a chilling intent to kill. However, they soon fell upon the rather valuable fur coat worn by Shi Hao. Ultimately, he snorted and shouted, "The Six Doors are handling a case; idle bystanders, get out!"

Beside him, six other attendants had spontaneously begun to take action, using a broken broom by the door to sweep the dust-laden dilapidated temple, starting a fire within the temple, and preparing dinner

The person with a pointed face and rat-like teeth, who had squeezed half of his thin body through the broken window pane, said with a strange laugh: "We are not the dual evils of rats and bats; we are now the rat and bat catchers of the Six Doors, the heroes who uphold justice and the law, hehe hehe hehe."

Shi Hao and Master Lu exchanged a glance, wondering if he was speaking to us

The man laughed and said: "Wu Zheng, as a scholar, secretly colludes with the rebel party, writes seditious poetry, and composes treasonous texts, thus he deserves to have his entire family executed. Lan He, you are a member of the Daoist sect, yet you do not join the Daoists of the Chongxian Sect to rectify and eliminate evil, uphold the law, and be loyal to the court, but instead collaborate with the rebel party, hijack prison carts, and protect the traitors.

A young man dressed in a fur coat rode one of the only two horses in the group, swiftly charging to the front of the dilapidated temple, and leaped down. Shortly after, the martial artists beside him also jumped down, while the others who followed behind caught up, panting, and quickly tied up the horses.

Before long, the boiling water in the pot was bubbling vigorously, and the aroma of the meat wafted through the air. Dried shiitake mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, and other ingredients from the package were added, making one's mouth water

At this moment, they were drenched from head to toe, running wildly in such a downpour, making it no different from being soaked in water.

The Blue Crane Daoist smiled instead of getting angry: "Am I truly so treacherous and wicked? Am I truly so treacherous and wicked? Zhao Haisong, over the years, you have killed your masters and annihilated your ancestors, bringing disaster to the innocent. The Chen sisters from Wangsong Terrace were treacherously killed by you, the hundreds of villagers from Xinglan Village were slaughtered by you, and many children from the orphanage have died due to your practice of evil methods.

The weather in this area is truly unusual!" The young man brushed off the weeds and dust from his fur coat and looked out through the window covered in cobwebs, "It was just fine a moment ago, with not a cloud in the sky, and suddenly dark clouds rolled in, bringing this downpour.

Among these seven individuals, the one at the forefront is dressed in a tattered Daoist robe. The light blue cloud crane robe has at least three places where it is torn, exposing the white garment underneath. It can be imagined that these torn areas were originally stained with blood, but the recent downpour has diluted the stains.

On this side, everyone began to eat with great enthusiasm. On the other side, the one who was serving allowed the bowl of meat soup to cool for a while. Seeing that they had already started eating without any surprise, he then served it to the girl and the boy.

He had a sword inserted at his waist, with the scabbard positioned on his right side, yet his left hand was poised in a loose grip, maintaining a sense of urgency to draw the sword at any moment

You are stained with the blood of countless innocent civilians, and yet, upon joining the Six Doors, you have become a brutal enforcer, claiming to represent justice with every word you utter

Young master!" the warrior called from behind him, "It seems that we won't be able to leave tonight; the humidity at the entrance is quite high. It would be better to come and sit here.

Immediately after, a man parted the curtain of rain, stepped in, quickly scanned the surroundings, and then looked towards the group of Daoists, chuckling ominously: "I've found you!"

Shi Hao turned around and walked towards the corner they had barely managed to clean up.

Before long, the aroma of meat wafted from the iron pot. Shi Hao heard a "gurgling" sound coming from the other side, and saw the boy eagerly looking towards the iron pot.

The man laughed and said: "Young master, you are a scholar, unlike us. We are all rough men who hunt in the mountains and fields, accustomed to sitting on the dirty ground." Still, lay it out properly.

If the young master truly wishes to learn the art of flying and disappearing, he will likely need to enter the Chongxian Sect

Unlike now, when the county lord casually sends someone to mention it, for the safety and well-being of the entire mountain city’s populace, this young master of the small Hanshan City has no choice but to obey and go to the county city. It is said to be a marriage alliance, but in reality, the bride is merely a "daughter" randomly designated from his own clan by the county lord's younger brother.

The warrior was dressed in a gray tunic, with a broad face and a low forehead, and a steel knife was inserted at his waist. He smiled and said: "Young master, you may not be aware, but this place is called Chaos Chess Ridge. It is said that three hundred years ago, it was actually called Stone Chess Ridge.

He shouted: "If people like you can represent justice, then what harm is there in me being extremely wicked and evil?"

The several attendants dressed as hunters took out an iron pot and began to simmer meat soup over the campfire. They were accustomed to living in the wild, so these tasks were naturally performed with ease.

The Taoist nodded slightly, not paying much attention to them. He turned to his companion and said in a low voice, "Let's wait here for a while."

Those who are as treacherous and wicked as you deserve to be punished

When it comes to the three characters "Chongxianmen", his expression is not one of reverence, but rather one of disdain.

Amidst the roaring sound, the world transformed into a vast expanse of white. At this moment, this group of people had timely taken refuge in a dilapidated temple, avoiding the heavy rain.

"You really are quite adept at escaping," the man drew his goose feather knife, the blade stained with blood. He sneered and said, "Along this path, I have killed quite a few of your kind. Each one of you is quite tough in your words. It wasn't easy to chase you all the way here. If it weren't for the arrival of two friends to assist me, I might not have caught up to you and you would have escaped."

The surrounding mountains and rivers appear chaotic and disorderly, as if the Creator, in a fit of inexplicable agitation while arranging this landscape, had pushed the mountains in this area askew.

The darkness outside is like a drum coated in black paint, struck by a mysterious stick

The young man said with a hint of envy: "I wonder if I will ever have the opportunity to learn such power that can change the landscape of mountains and rivers."

His complexion was somewhat pale, not the color of a normal person, but rather resembling the pallor caused by excessive blood loss and exhaustion.

Shi Hao thought to himself: "They seem so tense, as if they are being pursued by someone. Upon seeing the firelight here, although unaware of whether they are friend or foe, they still rushed in. What this person said might be a code for rendezvous, but unfortunately, we are not the ones meeting them."

It seemed that in the eyes of a rough man like him, who merely knew a bit of martial arts and had practiced some basic skills, the Chongxian Sect, with its boundless Dao and unparalleled supernatural powers, was truly the "despicable thing" that he looked down upon

Master Lu said in a low voice: "If the young master does not wish to enter the Chongxian Sect, yet desires to learn true skills, he may have no choice but to resort to 'unorthodox paths' or even the demonic sects."

The expression on the face of the Blue Crane Daoist changed slightly: "Rat and bat, a double evil?" He finally understood why Zhao Songhai was able to catch up so quickly.

A shadow was faintly hanging upside down on the right, emitting a gloomy and heavy voice: "Why say so much? Just kill them directly, hehe."

It is precisely for this reason that they hold a considerable respect in their hearts for their young master, who is merely seventeen years old

Shi Hao returned to his position, and a nearby attendant had already prepared a bowl of meat soup for him

The young girl, dressed in a narrow-sleeved peach-colored ru skirt, had her wet garment clinging tightly to her delicate curves, with disheveled strands of hair sticking to her face due to the moisture

When Shih Hao heard him mention the three words "Chongxianmen," he also frowned and shook his head

The girl and the boy hardly had a few bites to eat when sounds came from outside again

In recent years, life in Xiaohan Mountain City has been difficult. It was not until three years ago that their young master, Shi Hao, fell seriously ill. After his recovery, it was as if a light had been switched on, bringing many new technologies to the mountain city, allowing the citizens to endure through these challenging and unpredictable times.

Shi Hao smiled, asked a person beside him for a bowl, scooped a bowl of meat soup with a spoon, and added two wooden spoons. He stood up and walked to the other side

Outside the temple, there were hurried footsteps, accompanied by the sound of crackling, as water surged in and the flames flickered. A group of people, drenched to the skin, rushed in, and upon seeing them, everyone immediately became alert.

The warrior shook his head and smiled, saying: "Such extraordinary encounters are to be sought after but cannot be demanded. Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!"

Someone brought a clean cloth and helped to lay it on the ground. Shi Hao waved his hand and said, "No need."

The sword-wielding practitioner, seeing that they were silent, sighed and turned to gaze at the pouring rain outside, saying: "... ... It is truly dark!"

Shi Hao looked and saw that there were exactly seven people on the other side

On the right side of the dilapidated temple, there is a deep pit with a radius of half a mile, which is connected to a network of fissures, preventing the stone pit from accumulating water and thus failing to form a marsh.

However, in such a tumultuous era, only the powerful warriors and those with divine abilities can ensure their own safety

This is merely a land temple, and the statue of the Earth God against the wall is also covered in dust. That group sat down on the other side of the statue, huddled together in a damp mass, with the young girl and child being sheltered in a relatively safe corner

Unable to refuse that person's kindness, I sat properly on the gray yet clean cloth, looking at the martial artist beside me, and said: "Master Lu, you are also a practitioner of martial arts..."

Master Lu said: "Young master, there are many types of martial artists. Someone like me is merely a rough person who engages in street brawls, lacking the lightness of foot to scale rooftops or the supernatural ability to kill from a thousand miles away. In the eyes of true masters, people like me, even if we claim to practice martial arts, would be a disgrace to the character 'Wu' itself.

The young man let out a helpless sigh, wishing that at this moment, a system could suddenly appear before him, listing numerous divine skills, and he could just keep tapping... and then level up

Shi Hao saw that the man entering the temple was dressed in a black robe, with an iron plate tied around his waist and a goose-feather knife inserted at his side. Meanwhile, a hurried wind sound rose around the dilapidated temple, which even the rain could not obscure.

Shi Haoxin's thoughts stirred slightly, and he smiled, saying: "It is indeed dark outside. You all must be here to seek shelter from the rain, right? We are also just passing by before the rain started, hurrying over to avoid the rain."

Zhao Haisong disdainfully said: "I serve the court and uphold justice in the martial world. Scoundrels like you deserve to be punished by all."

That person gritted his teeth: "Zhao Haisong, you are a disgrace to the martial arts world!"

Shi Hao arrived at the temple gate and looked up towards the outside. The earth was vast and desolate, with the sound of a sudden rainstorm echoing. The moisture seemed to burst forth like a torrent, rushing into the temple, creating a sensation as if the very ground would collapse, and the rain would sweep in like a flood

As they entered, the wind stirred by the campfire caused the flames to flicker unpredictably, making their shadows dance upon the walls

Suddenly, there was another flash of lightning outside

The dark clouds are densely piled in the sky, casting a shadow over the earth, as a torrential downpour, overwhelming and relentless, is about to strike

At that time, the peaks here were arranged like pieces on a chessboard, neat and orderly. Later, a battle between the righteous and the demonic broke out in this area, resulting in rivers of blood and a ground strewn with corpses, even altering the surrounding landscape.

The mountains and rivers are shattered, and ten thousand horses are silent. A group of people hurriedly rushes towards the dilapidated temple ahead

With two loud bangs, the sound erupted from the side, shattering all the window panes. A head emerged from the left side, with a sharp face and rodent-like teeth, grinning eerily and saying: "Everyone must be executed, must be executed."

With a loud crash, the bowl in the girl's hand fell to the ground, splattering meat broth everywhere. The warriors all jumped up, shielding the girl and the boy behind them

The Taoist sat on the ground, raising his head and staring at him like a fierce tiger. Master Hao gently said: "Let the child have some to eat"

The practitioner hesitated for a moment, turned to look at the pitiful boy, remained silent for a while, and then finally stood up to take the soup, softly saying: "Thank you."

Shi Hao self-deprecatingly remarked: "In this day and age, what use is there for scholars? If given a choice, I would rather abandon literature and pursue martial arts, as this might allow me to accomplish more."

The two parties gazed at each other. The sword-bearing practitioner appeared somewhat puzzled; he steadied his mind and suddenly said, "It is indeed dark here"

Beside her, the boy clung tightly to her, his small hand gripping the corner of her garment with great intensity, reflecting his fear and unease

There were four more individuals, all dressed in tight-fitting martial attire. The other two were a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old and a boy who was possibly not even ten years old.

Having crossed over and attached to this body, it has now been three years without my realizing it. During these three years, I have done quite a bit for the people of Xiaohan Mountain City.