Chapter 34 The mortal world becomes a game, and the body dissolves into reincarnation.

On Siguo Cliff, the sea breeze remained the same.

Revered Master Tongtian's words, "Disband the Physical Body and enter Reincarnation," struck like a bolt of Chaos divine lightning, exploding within Gu Ziyuan's Sea of Consciousness.

For the first time, a crack appeared in his composed expression. It was not fear, but astonishment, and a trace of indignation at being looked down upon.

"Revered Master, this Disciple is unconvinced." Gu Ziyuan bowed, but his spine remained straight. "Although this Disciple is arrogant, within the Chessboard, I have moved with caution and never made a mistake. Why has it come to this?"

Revered Master Tongtian looked at him, his eyes calm and ripple-free, as if looking at a piece of unpolished jade.

"You won against the Twelve Golden Immortals, but you cannot see the Yuanshi behind them."

"You plotted against Zhunti, but you cannot see the Western Sect behind him; you borrowed the momentum of Laozi and Nuwa, so you truly believe you can stand on equal footing with a Saint?"

Revered Master Tongtian's voice was very calm, yet every word pierced the heart.

"Ziyuan, your greatest Heart Demon is not arrogance, but that you only see the chessboard, yet forget the hand that holds the chess piece."

"You think you are the chess player, but you do not know that in this larger Chessboard of the Heavenly Dao, even a Saint is merely a slightly larger chess piece."

Gu Ziyuan fell silent.

The pride in his bones made him unable to refute, yet also unable to accept.

"Without cultivation, without the System, is my wisdom worth nothing?"

Revered Master Tongtian seemed to see through his thoughts and said slowly, "This Revered Master can give you a chance."

He extended a finger, pointing to the vast Primordial land below the mountain.

"Going to the Mortal World, this Revered Master will Seal all your cultivation, all your Divine Ability, and all your memories. You will be like a Mortal, experiencing birth, aging, sickness, death, love, hate, and enmity."

"If you can, in this situation, without relying on any transcendent power, and solely by your Way of Chess wisdom, win a Chessboard concerning 'all living beings' with integrity, this Revered Master will acknowledge that your Dao is correct."

"At that time, the Seal will be undone, and you will return to Jinao Island with a perfectly rounded Dao Heart. If you fail, or sink into the Mortal World, then... dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth."

These words were no different from a high-stakes gamble.

The stake was everything Gu Ziyuan had.

Gu Ziyuan suddenly raised his head, his eyes bursting with unprecedented brightness. It was the determination of an enraged lion, swearing to prove himself.

"Good!" One word, spoken with impact.

"This Disciple accepts the challenge!"

He could not accept his Revered Master's "looking down" on him. He wanted to prove that even if everything were stripped away, he, Gu Ziyuan, would still be the chess player who could use the heavens and earth as a board!

Revered Master Tongtian's eyes flashed with a trace of approval, as well as a trace of reluctance, but in the end, it turned into resolution.

"Go and say goodbye to them."

...

The news spread, and the atmosphere among the high-ranking members of Jinao Island instantly plummeted from jubilation to freezing cold.

Below Siguo Cliff, three streaks of light arrived in a rush.

"I don't allow it!"

The person had not arrived, but the voice came first. Bixiao rushed up first, her eyes red, gripping Gu Ziyuan's sleeve tightly, her voice filled with tears.

"Why! You just won great Face for the Jie Sect, why does Revered Master want to punish you? I don't accept it! I want to go find Revered Master and reason with him!"

"Bixiao, come back."

Yunxiao pulled back her impulsive sister. She looked at Gu Ziyuan, her gentle eyes filled with mist, containing heartache and reluctance, but more importantly, understanding. She knew that there was never a possibility of changing Revered Master's decision.

Qiong Xiao stood to the side, biting her lip, tears swirling in her eyes, unable to say a word.

Gu Ziyuan looked at them, the softest part of his heart deeply touched. He smiled and reached out to ruffle Bixiao's hair, his movements just as usual.

"Silly girl, it's not a punishment, it's cultivation."

He turned to Yunxiao and said softly, "Eldest Sister, in the days I am away, look after them."

Yunxiao nodded through tears, stepped forward, and silently straightened his slightly messy collar. A thousand words were transformed into this silent action.

"Junior Brother Gu."

Daoist Duobao also arrived. He looked at Gu Ziyuan with a solemn expression and bowed respectfully to him.

"The Jie Sect waits for your return."

"Senior Brother, take care." Gu Ziyuan returned the bow.

All that needed to be said goodbye to had been said.

He took a deep breath, turned to Face Revered Master Tongtian, and his eyes returned to calmness and resolution.

"Revered Master, let us begin."

Revered Master Tongtian said no more, formed a Seal with one hand, and the Saint's Dao rhymes flowed.

"Seal!"

As the word fell, his words became Law.

In Gu Ziyuan's Sea of Consciousness, that incomparably noble "Mountains and Rivers Society Chessboard (Pseudo)" let out a hum of unwillingness, its light instantly dimming, and it was completely locked by a cyan rune.

Following that, the "Great Dao Merit Golden Wheel (Prototype)" that protected his Dao foundation was also bound by layers of Law chains and fell silent.

The Divine Ability of One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones was wiped away, and the operation of the Shangqing Immortal Arts was cut off... All the power belonging to the Immortal "Gu Ziyuan" was mercilessly stripped away before the Saint's great power and sealed in the deepest part of his true spirit.

An unprecedented feeling of weakness swept over him, as if falling from the clouds into an abyss.

Gu Ziyuan groaned, his Face turning pale. But he still stood straight, calmly enduring it all.

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and circulated the last trace of Immortal power.

"Disband the Physical Body!"

His Physical Body dissolved inch by inch, turning into the purest Spiritual Qi, dissipating on Siguo Cliff.

In its place, only a pure, flawless, yet incomparably fragile ball of true spirit light remained.

The ball of light swayed slightly, turned towards Revered Master Tongtian, and bowed deeply.

It then turned towards the tearful Three Xiao Sisters and the solemn-faced Duobao, and bowed again. This was the final goodbye.

After doing all this, the true spirit ball of light looked one last time at Jinao Island, at the mist-shrouded Biyou Palace, and at the tearful three sisters.

At that moment, a trace of unprecedented confusion quietly flashed in the depths of his true spirit.

"Is my Dao... really correct?"

This thought flashed and vanished, then was swallowed by boundless darkness.

Revered Master Tongtian sighed softly, waved his large sleeve, and protected this true spirit in his palm.

"Going to the Mortal World, this Revered Master will not interfere in the slightest." His voice echoed on the cliff, as if speaking to the others, and as if speaking to himself, "But I will send an Incarnation to protect him in secret. I will only ensure his true spirit does not perish; as for the rest of his life, death, misfortune, and fortune, it all depends on his own destiny."

After saying this, he took a step, and his figure arrived above the Nine Heavens.

The Saint personally took action, tearing the Void Realm, revealing the dark and deep Nether Blood Sea behind it, which was filled with endless wronged souls and Karma.

Deep in the Blood Sea, six huge vortexes rotated slowly, emitting the profound aura of Reincarnation; this was exactly where the Six Paths of Reincarnation were located.

Revered Master Tongtian did not hesitate in the slightest, and gently sent the true spirit ball of light in his palm into the vortex representing the "Human Path."

"Go. Ziyuan, do not blame this Revered Master. This game is the... final path of survival that this Revered Master has laid out for you."

The true spirit entered Reincarnation, and the past was completely severed.

Almost at the same moment, on the Primordial land, where the Luck of the Human Race gathered.

The Great Shang Dynasty, the capital city Zhaoge.

Inside a general's mansion in the city, a woman was experiencing a painful childbirth.

With a loud and clear cry of an infant piercing the long night.

A new life was born.

On the mansion's plaque, two magnificent characters glimmered in the moonlight—Chen Mansion.