122: Chapter 122 What you thought was a spark of attraction was all a calculated move on the chessboard!

Tianshu Dragon Garden, early morning.

The air in the courtyard was permeated with the scent of mundane domestic life, a stark contrast to the slaughter last night that had crushed star domains with bare hands; it was like two different worlds.

Jiang Jianguo squatted at the base of the courtyard wall, holding the Primordial Supreme Treasure "Ruyi Heaven-Breaking Staff" in his hand, busy hammering away at a piece of Chaos Mother Gold he had picked up from a high-dimensional battlefield.

The dignified Half-Step Celestial Sovereign was pondering how to forge a convenient garlic mortar for his wife, prioritizing luxury above all else.

Outside the courtyard gate, the space rippled slightly.

Four imposing figures appeared out of thin air.

Ying Zheng wore a mysterious black dragon robe with nine black dragon phantoms circling his shoulders; Liu Che was clad in crimson armor, with Huo Qubing following closely behind; Yue Fei held a long spear, his face cold and stern.

These four ruthless men who had carved their way through the river of history stopped in their tracks when they saw this ordinary wooden door.

Ying Zheng took a deep breath, stepped forward, and gently knocked on the wooden door.

"Come in, the door isn't locked." Jiang Jianguo didn't even raise his head, continuing his work.

The four pushed the door open and entered.

The moment they stepped into the courtyard, a terrifying pressure originating from the "Boundless Divine Monkey" bloodline rushed toward them.

Even just the faint aura leaking from Jiang Jianguo hammering the iron made the hearts of these four eternal heroes leap with fear.

What kind of level could this be? He was definitely a ruthless character at the Boundless level or higher!

Ying Zheng's dark golden pupils shrank, his imperial dignity instantly withdrawn, and he cupped his hands, performing a standard junior's bow: "Junior Ying Zheng greets Old Mister Jiang."

Liu Che, Huo Qubing, and Yue Fei also cupped their hands in unison, their movements extremely disciplined.

Jiang Jianguo finally stopped his work, stood up, and tapped his dry tobacco pipe.

He sized up the four real-life figures who had popped out of history books and hurriedly waved his hand.

"Oh, you mustn't do that." Jiang Jianguo laughed, "You are all the ancestors of Huaxia; when it comes to seniority, I should be the one kowtowing to you."

"Old Mister Jiang, you are too kind!" Huo Qubing's voice was loud and clear, "Jiang Feng reversed the river of time; his grace of recreation is greater than the heavens. Those who are more capable are teachers; in front of you two, we are merely juniors."

Liu Che, being quite tactful, handed over several high-dimensional storage bags shimmering with starlight.

"Just some small items I picked up from the high-dimensional battlefield. It's a small token of respect; please take them to play with."

As they were exchanging pleasantries, the kitchen curtain was lifted.

Liu Cuilan walked out carrying two large plates of freshly fried dough sticks and a basket of steamed white buns.

"You old coot, guests are here and you don't even let them sit down?"

Liu Cuilan glared at Jiang Jianguo, placed the plates on the stone table in the courtyard, and turned to greet the four with a beaming smile.

"Don't just stand there. The dough sticks and soy milk are fresh out of the pot; come and try them while they're hot. Treat this like your own home; we don't stand on ceremony here."

Looking at the steaming breakfast, Ying Zheng and the others exchanged glances, their tense nerves instantly relaxing.

Thus, the Eternal Emperor and the peerless generals sat around the stone table, each holding a dough stick, dipping it into freshly ground soy milk, and eating with great relish.

"Old Sister-in-law, your cooking is superb! It's ten thousand times better than those so-called high-dimensional source nectars!" Liu Che finished a steamed bun in three bites and gave a thumbs up.

"As long as you like it, there's plenty more in the pot." Liu Cuilan smiled until she couldn't close her mouth, "You work hard fighting on the front lines, eat more to nourish your bodies."

As they were chatting, the door of the main room opened.

Jiang Feng walked out, changed into clean black casual clothes, toying with a piece of parchment that exuded an ancient aura.

It was the "Pangu Source Core Profound Meaning Scroll" purified from Venerable Ming's light orb last night, the stepping stone for the Nine-Turn mission.

"Feng'er, have you had breakfast?" Liu Cuilan hurriedly called out.

"Not eating, Mom. I'm going out to take care of something." Jiang Feng casually put away the scroll and nodded at the four, Ying Zheng and the others, as a greeting.

Ying Zheng and the others were so startled that they immediately put down their bowls and chopsticks, about to stand up and stand at attention.

Jiang Feng casually said, "Sit and eat your food," stopping their actions.

Just then, a golden light flashed.

The Dragon Girl leaped down directly from the old locust tree in the courtyard, transforming into a charming young girl with small dragon horns on her head, grabbing Jiang Feng's arm tightly.

She wrinkled her nose, pressed against Jiang Feng's jacket, and sniffed hard like a little puppy.

"You're acting strange." The Dragon Girl let go, put her hands on her hips, her big eyes full of vigilance.

Jiang Feng looked down at her: "What did I do now?"

"You're going out alone?" The Dragon Girl narrowed her eyes, full of jealousy, "You always took me with you when leveling up by fighting monsters! This time you didn't even ask; are you sneaking off to see another woman behind my back?"

The air in the courtyard suddenly went quiet.

Jiang Jianguo continued to focus on hammering his garlic mortar; Liu Cuilan pretended to go back to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks; Ying Zheng and the others lowered their heads and silently drank their soy milk, pretending they hadn't heard anything.

Jiang Feng raised his hand and flicked the Dragon Girl on the forehead, not too hard, not too soft.

"What kind of nonsense do you have in your head all day? I'm going to run the Nine-Turn coordinates."

The Dragon Girl covered her forehead, refusing to believe it: "Lying to a dragon! That coordinate must have a problem! Is it that little hussy in white from the sky yesterday? The one named Xuanji?"

Jiang Feng paused. This girl's intuition was quite accurate.

Seeing that Jiang Feng didn't reply immediately, the Dragon Girl got anxious: "I knew it! That green tea is cold and icy; she looks like she's up to no good. Brother Feng, have your tastes changed? Where am I not as good as her? I can fight, and I can warm the bed!"

"You just said yesterday you wanted to be my wife, and today you're checking up on me?" Jiang Feng reached out and pinched the Dragon Girl's little dragon horn, pulling it to the side.

"That pot of stew in the kitchen is yours. After you eat, go to the Starry Sky Great Wall and grind monsters with Li Hu; stop adding drama to your life all day."

After saying this, Jiang Feng couldn't be bothered to argue further, raised his hand, and tore open space.

With one step into the void, Jiang Feng's figure instantly vanished into the rift.

The Dragon Girl rubbed her head, looking at the closed space and pouting.

But the next second, her nose twitched, smelling the heavenly scent of meat wafting from the kitchen, and she decisively gave up on pursuing the matter, turning into a blur and darting into the kitchen.

Eating was more important.

Meanwhile, in high-dimensional space.

In the deepest part of the Boundless Void, above the clouds.

Old Man Xuan, in white robes, sat upright before a black and white chessboard.

The seat opposite him, where Venerable Ming should be, was empty.

Directly above the chessboard, a water-moon light screen floated.

In the image, every word of Jiang Feng's bickering with the Dragon Girl in the courtyard before he left was played with perfect clarity.

Xuanji stood three steps away from Old Man Xuan, dressed in cyan-gold dharma robes.

When she heard that Ancient Ancestral Dragon in the light screen call her a "little hussy" and a "green tea," the fingers Xuanji held in her sleeves tightened slightly.

"These lower-realm creatures are vulgar and unbearable." Xuanji collected her thoughts, her voice still cold, and bowed her head to report to Old Man Xuan.

"Venerable Xuan, Jiang Feng has completely refined the remains of Pangu's true body. He not only obliterated the Eighth Army's Supreme, but even the Half-Ancestor realm source that Venerable Ming cast down last night was chewed up by him like candy."

Old Man Xuan held a white piece between his fingertips, his gaze deeply fixed on the intricate causal lines on the chessboard.

"Not only that, he forcibly reversed the river of time and fished back all the ancient spirits that had died on Blue Star." Xuanji continued to add, not even noticing herself that there was a hint of fluctuation in her tone.

"This person's stats have long broken the high-dimensional rules! Venerable Ming is desperately trying to win him over, but Jiang Feng will never obediently let himself be manipulated as a chess piece!"

Old Man Xuan didn't speak.

"Clack." He gently placed the white piece in his hand onto the corner of the chessboard.

As the white piece landed, the entire void chessboard rippled with a suffocating wave.

"You lost your Dao heart while watching that light screen just now, didn't you?" Old Man Xuan spoke slowly. His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly froze the surrounding dimensional laws into stagnant water.

Xuanji's whole body stiffened, and she knelt directly on the clouds, her forehead pressed firmly against the cold jade stone.

"This subordinate dares not."

"Dares not?" Old Man Xuan picked up the teacup on the stone table, his tone exuding absolute control, "From the moment you were suppressed by him at the center of Blue Star, to witnessing him reverse time and space to save people, and then just now hearing that dragon mention your name."

He looked down at the trembling Xuanji.

"In your heart, you developed a hint of curiosity, perhaps even a sliver of inclination, toward that lower-realm ant. You think he values relationships and loyalty, and you think he has a vitality that this high-dimensional world lacks, right?"

Cold sweat instantly soaked Xuanji's back.

"This subordinate knows her sin! This subordinate has absolutely no heart to betray the High Dimension. Jiang Feng dares to despise your decree; this subordinate wishes she could grind his bones and scatter his ashes!" Her voice was tight, her defense extremely pale.

"Enough, get up." Old Man Xuan sipped his tea, without the slightest sign of anger.

Xuanji gritted her teeth and slowly stood up, her eyes full of confusion.

"The change in your state of mind was never your fault." Old Man Xuan stared at the direction where Jiang Feng disappeared in the light screen, smiling faintly, "You were created by me and Old Man Ming using source energy. Without my nod, how could the conduct of a mere mortal disturb your Dao heart?"

Xuanji was struck by lightning.

"This subordinate does not understand."

"Old Man Ming thinks that by throwing some Half-Ancestor source energy, he can bribe Jiang Feng into helping him win against me. Too low-level." Old Man Xuan put down the teacup, his fingertips gently tapping the tabletop.

"To deal with such a tough nut, relying on charity won't work. The only way is to make him crawl obediently into the net I've set along the causal lines himself."

Old Man Xuan looked at Xuanji, revealing this extremely cruel truth.

"You think you developed mortal feelings for him? Wrong, that was merely a mark I planted deep within your source in the early years."

Old Man Xuan's smile was extremely cold.

"The more you pay attention to him, the more you feel he is unique, the more perfectly you can integrate into his fated line."

Xuanji froze in place.

She had always thought that she was instinctively touched by Jiang Feng's arrogance and protectiveness.

She never expected that even this "heartbeat" was a bait used by Venerable Xuan to tether Jiang Feng!

"Go." Old Man Xuan waved his sleeve, issuing the final command, "Follow your current thoughts. Go approach him, observe him, and even help him in critical moments."

"Venerable Ming plays with benefits, so I will use you, this living piece, to completely lock down this stat monster."

Xuanji took a deep breath, suppressing the chill deep within her source, and bowed her head to accept the order: "This subordinate obeys."

She turned into a stream of light and plummeted into the void, tracking in the direction where Jiang Feng had left.

Old Man Xuan watched the water-moon light screen return to calm, his finger gently wiping across the chessboard.

The vast black formation that Venerable Ming had laid out was, under this wipe, silently shattered into powder.

"Taixu Dao Lord, Pangu's inheritance?" Old Man Xuan leaned back in his jade chair, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold, calculating sneer.

"The higher the stats pile up, the sweeter the harvest will be. This game of chess is almost time for the beheading."