The Final Move

The illusion hovering over the board quickly faded once the human cultivator's shadow appeared.

"Junior Sister! Let's keep going. Perhaps only by breaking this formation can we see the full illusion," Jiang Daoyu said softly.

"What's the next move?"

"Wait for the white side to move. Then we follow."

Chen Jinshu had just lifted her zither to manifest a black stone when Jiang Daoyu suddenly stopped her, sensing something. To their astonishment, a white stone appeared on the board at position 3-5, all on its own.

"Senior Brother! Could it be that the serpent demon isn't truly dead?" she transmitted to her two senior brothers.

"There's likely a remnant soul still lingering in the corpse," one responded.

Jiang Daoyu's expression turned serious. He had studied the board earlier—it showed black with a slight advantage, but white wasn't weak either. The game had reached a deadlock where neither side could gain an upper hand.

He composed himself and began calculating the next moves.

It seemed the two ancient figures—the human cultivator and the serpent demon—had tried to resolve their conflict through this very game. But who knew how many years had passed, and still no winner had emerged. Both players had perished, leaving only bones behind.

"Junior Sister, make the next move as you see fit. I'm unsure myself," Jiang Daoyu admitted after studying the board for a moment. Every move seemed viable, and he couldn't decide.

Chen Jinshu studied the board silently. Memories of family clan matches and training flashed through her mind.

"This has become a battle of titans. If we want to progress, we must break the opponent's claws first."

After a moment's thought, she asked, "How about position 5-6?"

"That could work," Jiang nodded.

At her senior brother's agreement, Chen Jinshu plucked the zither string, manifesting a black stone at 5-6.

As soon as the piece landed, the illusory scene returned.

The serpent demon and human cultivator were locked in a fierce battle. Despite the earth-shaking fight, neither could best the other. Eventually, the human suggested settling the conflict through a game of Go—though this was actually a stalling tactic.

The serpent demon saw through it, but didn't refuse—it, too, enjoyed Go.

They relocated to a mountaintop pavilion—the human's cave residence—and began their match. Years passed without a conclusion. During that time, a great calamity befell the nearby ancient village. All its people vanished.

In the illusion, the two players noticed changes outside but could not determine the cause. Since their match wasn't finished, they remained—until both died, turning to bone.

Chen Jinshu began to suspect that the human cultivator had tampered with the board—perhaps only a finished match could release them. Otherwise, how could a powerful serpent demon have been trapped for so long?

As for what had happened to the ancient village, the human had no chance to find out.

"The senior must have intended to save the villagers at the cost of his own life… But in the end, he couldn't protect them," Du Yi said with emotion.

"This domain is a world of its own. With monsters all around and only mortals in the village, how could they defend themselves?"

"If one serpent demon appeared, a second was sure to follow—it was only a matter of time."

In the blink of an eye, the illusion on the board vanished once more. Chen Jinshu thought she saw two faint green lights flashing from the serpent demon's skull. She focused herself and turned back to the board.

"Junior Sister, now go 4-6!" Jiang Daoyu instructed.

A white stone had just been placed, and Chen Jinshu quickly plucked her zither string again, dropping a black stone at 4-6. This time, however, no illusion emerged. The three of them were briefly disappointed—but it soon passed. An hour later, the board was filled with black and white stones. Still, there was no clear winner.

At that moment, the green glow in the serpent demon's skull grew stronger. Du Yi and the others noticed but kept silent, communicating silently with their eyes.

"Senior Brother, this can't go on. Do you have any clever tricks that might fool the serpent demon? It seems to have some Go skills," Chen Jinshu asked.

"There is one strategy, but we'll need to stage a convincing act."

"I'm in."

…

Half an hour later, Chen Jinshu deliberately complained, "Senior Brother, your skills are terrible. We've been at this forever with no win!"

"Hmph! That's only because you keep interfering. If I were playing alone, we would've won long ago."

Du Yi blinked in confusion. "You two…?"

They hadn't told him their plan beforehand—wanting a more natural performance.

"Then by all means, Senior Brother, go ahead!"

"I'll drop one at 1-6!"

"Are you crazy? That's suicide!"

"Just trust me."

With a scowl, Chen Jinshu plucked the string and placed a black stone at 1-6.

Immediately, the white side responded with a stone right beside it.

"Tengen!" (central point)

…

"Komoku!" (corner enclosure)

Jiang Daoyu practically shouted as he dropped his black stone. As soon as it landed, the board lit up in golden light, the lines coming to life. The black side surrounded the whites completely.

In a flash, all the white stones vanished—only black remained.

Before their eyes, the serpent demon's skeletal form crumbled into ash, leaving behind two faintly golden pearls.

"These are its eyes—where it stored its cultivation," Du Yi said at once.

"Jiang's move was brilliant. He tricked the serpent demon completely."

Their ploy had been a bold gamble—one misstep and they might have lost the entire game. But after some hesitation, the demon had taken the bait, allowing the black side to take over and push the white into total defeat.

As the serpent demon's remains dissolved, the human cultivator's bones began to glow faintly. A spectral image of an old man gradually formed.

"Friends, fear not. I perished alongside the serpent demon ten thousand years ago. Only a sliver of my soul remained to maintain the board's restriction and keep the demon's remnant soul imprisoned. Now that it has been defeated, I am free."

"Your righteousness is worthy of great respect," all three bowed deeply to the old man's image.

"Beneath this board lie three items I hid long ago—your reward for finishing this game."

With that, the old man faded completely. The chessboard cracked open at the center, revealing three wooden boxes.

"Let's inspect them together and then decide how to divide them," Du Yi suggested.

"Agreed," the other two nodded.

They opened the boxes. One contained a technique: Soldier Puppet Shaping Art.

It described how to forge puppet warriors for combat—especially effective in group battles. The puppet's strength could grow in tandem with its master's cultivation.

"We should each copy this technique. It might be handy for managing spiritual fields," one of them said.