Chapter 13 The Sage's Mission

The voice of Sect Leader Tongtian was calm, yet it seemed to carry the endless weight of the waters of the four seas.

"The Dragon Clan of the East Sea is but a minor irritation."

He turned around, and those eyes of a Saint, which seemed capable of severing eternity, showed a solemn expression for the first time as he looked directly at Gu Ziyuan.

"I am sending you to the East Sea, but not to call them to account."

"That old dragon Ao Guang does not have that kind of weight."

Gu Ziyuan's heart stirred, and he bowed, saying, "Please provide your instructions, Revered Master."

Sect Leader Tongtian stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze seemingly piercing through the halls of Biyou Palace, looking toward that boundless, deep blue sea.

"The Great Calamity is approaching, and the heavenly secrets are in chaos. Even a Saint finds it difficult to see the full picture. However, I recently felt a sudden intuition and sensed that a strange treasure is about to emerge from the bottom of the East Sea."

He paused, his voice lowering a few notches, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

"This treasure concerns a corner of our Jie Sect's future Luck and is of extraordinary importance. Saints are restricted by the Heavenly Dao and cannot directly intervene. Since you have obtained my Dao, you shall be the one to play the game for me."

"Your mission is to go to the East Sea Dragon Palace, investigate the cause of the strange treasure, and bring it back to Jinao Island when it emerges."

Sect Leader Tongtian looked at Gu Ziyuan, the admiration in his eyes growing even stronger:

"If Duobao and the others were to do this, the target would be too large, which would be unfavorable. You have just begun to show your talent, and your cultivation is at the Heavenly Immortal level, making you the most suitable candidate."

So that was it.

Pressuring the Dragon Clan was the surface, while seizing the strange treasure was the true goal.

Gu Ziyuan understood instantly; this was both a test and an Opportunity bestowed upon him by his Revered Master.

"This Disciple receives your decree!" He bowed solemnly without the slightest hesitation.

"Go." Sect Leader Tongtian waved his sleeve. "Remember, you are my, Tongtian's, Personal Disciple. There is no need to be restrained in your actions. If those of the East Sea Dragon Clan do not know what's good for them..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but that piercing Sword Intent had already explained everything.

"This Disciple understands."

Gu Ziyuan bowed again, then turned and calmly withdrew from Biyou Palace.

Only after he left did Sect Leader Tongtian's figure slowly dissipate, leaving behind only a soft sigh echoing in the empty hall.

"To establish order through slaughter... Ziyuan, do not let me down..."

...

Meanwhile, the news of Gu Ziyuan being accepted as the fourth Personal Disciple by the Saint was like a level-twelve immortal storm, instantly sweeping across the entire Jinao Island!

"What?! That Gu Ziyuan from Siguo Cliff has become Revered Master's Personal Disciple?"

"What a joke! Isn't he just a useless person who only knows how to play chess? On what grounds!"

"A Personal Disciple! That status is second only to Senior Brother Duobao and the others! I have cultivated bitterly for a hundred thousand years and am still only an Inner Sect elite, yet he, an Outer Sect Disciple, has ascended to the heavens in a single step?!"

"It is said... that with a single game of chess, he crippled Senior Brother Long-eared Dingguang Immortal and even forced back Senior Brother Duobao's giant palm of magic power!"

"Hiss—Is that true? This news is too explosive!"

Jealousy, doubt, shock, resentment... countless complex emotions fermented in the hearts of tens of thousands of Jie Sect Disciples.

Especially those Inner Sect Disciples with deep seniority and high cultivation, and even some of the powerhouses among the Named Disciples.

The looks they directed toward Siguo Cliff all carried an indescribable scrutiny and... hostility.

Although the Jie Sect claimed to teach without discrimination, the internal competition was equally fierce.

An Outer Sect Disciple with no Foundation had suddenly become a "Junior Martial Uncle" or "Senior Brother" they had to look up to.

How could many of those proud individuals accept this?

Gu Ziyuan seemed oblivious to the surging winds and clouds of the outside world.

He returned to Siguo Cliff, where he had sat for ten thousand years. The stone table and stone bench remained as they had always been.

He calmly put away the chessboard and chess box, preparing to set off.

Just then, three streaks of radiant immortal light descended from the sky and landed before him.

As the light faded, three fairies of graceful bearing and stunning beauty appeared.

Leading them was Bixiao. She wore a fiery red dress and was currently staring at Gu Ziyuan with an extremely complex gaze—one-third shock, one-third curiosity, and four-tenths inexplicable annoyance.

Beside her was the eldest sister, Yunxiao, wearing a water-blue palace dress. Her temperament was as gentle as water, and her eyes held a hint of tranquility.

The other one, wearing a primrose-yellow short skirt, had eyes that darted around mischievously. She appeared quirky and full of curiosity; she was the third sister, Qiong Xiao.

The Three Xiao Fairies had arrived together!

"Hey! Gu Ziyuan!" Bixiao spoke first, her voice crisp but carrying an undeniable dominance. "I heard Revered Master is sending you to the East Sea?"

Gu Ziyuan nodded slightly: "That is indeed the case."

"Perfect!" Bixiao put her hands on her hips and said righteously, "We sisters also happen to want to visit the East Sea, so we'll go with you! Those old loaches are very slippery. Without us sisters to back you up, I'm afraid you'll be swallowed whole by them!"

"Third Sister is right." Yunxiao, standing beside her, opened her vermilion lips and said softly, "Junior Brother Gu has just become a Personal Disciple, and this trip represents Revered Master's face. With us sisters accompanying you, the East Sea Dragon Palace will have to weigh your importance and won't dare to be neglectful."

The youngest, Qiong Xiao, giggled and stepped forward, her lively large eyes curiously scanning Gu Ziyuan as if trying to see through all his secrets.

"Fourth Senior Brother, you've just taken Revered Master as your teacher. As your Senior Sisters, we should naturally look after you. Just say it—will you take us with you?"

That "Fourth Senior Brother" made Gu Ziyuan's eyebrow twitch.

His thoughts raced, and the heaven and earth chessboard in his Sea of Consciousness brightened slightly, instantly beginning a deduction.

The divination showed that if the Three Xiao Fairies accompanied him, although there would be variables, the result pointed toward "auspicious." They even had a faint karmic connection to the matters of the East Sea.

It seemed some things were destined.

"Since my three Senior Sisters have such an interest, I shall naturally comply," Gu Ziyuan replied with a calm smile.

"That's more like it!" Bixiao nodded with satisfaction.

The four of them delayed no longer, turning into four streaks of immortal light. They soared into the sky, leaving Jinao Island and heading straight for the depths of the boundless East Sea.

Above the vast sea of clouds, Qiong Xiao rode a cloud and leaned toward Gu Ziyuan, blinking her big eyes and asking curiously.

"Fourth Senior Brother, I heard your chessboard can trap a Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Is that true? Can you show it to me?"

Her tone was innocent and romantic, but the question she asked went straight to the core.

Bixiao, beside her, also pricked up her ears.

Hearing this, Gu Ziyuan only smiled slightly, his gaze fixed on the churning sea of clouds ahead, his tone as calm as a light breeze.

"A chessboard cannot trap a Grand Unity Golden Immortal."

Qiong Xiao was stunned: "Ah? So the rumors are false?"

"But a chess game can." Gu Ziyuan's tone shifted. "As long as he dares to enter the game and become my chess piece, then there is no difference."

His words were cryptic and vague, yet they seemed even more profound and mysterious.

Qiong Xiao wanted to ask more, but she was stopped by a look from her eldest sister, Yunxiao.

Yunxiao took a deep look at Gu Ziyuan's profile and thought to herself: This person is definitely not an ordinary man. His Dao and his heart are unfathomable.

Just then, Gu Ziyuan, who was leading the way, paused slightly and stopped.

The Three Xiao Fairies also stopped and looked down following his gaze.

Below them, across ten thousand miles of sea, the waves were surging. On the surface of the sea, dozens of teams of heavenly soldiers and water generals, clad in shrimp shells and crab armor and holding steel forks and sharp blades, were patrolling back and forth. Their formation was strict, and they exuded a menacing Evil Qi.

And at the distant horizon where the sea met the sky, several powerful auras flashed and vanished. Those auras belonged neither to the Dragon Clan nor to the Jie Sect.

Bixiao frowned: "What is the East Sea Dragon Palace up to? With this kind of formation, are they about to go to war with someone?"

In Gu Ziyuan's eyes, it seemed as if countless stars were revolving and deducing, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled into a meaningful arc.

"No."

He said softly.

"It seems we are not the only guests."