Autumn and the Chess Game

After Chen Xia killed the Heavenly Emperor, East Jia State entered a period of unprecedented stability, and the other five Great Emperors didn't dare to attack.

Chen Xia didn't provoke them either, so now the Immortal Realm had an unusual situation.

The five Great Emperors from the other states were fighting fiercely, with life-and-death battles, but East Jia State was a safe haven, seemingly indifferent to worldly affairs. This attracted many cultivators to migrate to East Jia State, making it on the verge of becoming the largest state in the Immortal Realm.

The other five Great Emperors didn't want to intervene and couldn't even if they wanted to because East Jia State had already merged with Chen Xia, representing a territory already claimed. This meant Chen Xia had taken the lead and occupied an original land before anyone else.

The other five Great Emperors weren't willing to fall behind. On one hand, they were sensing the heavens and earth, while on the other, they were doing their best to interfere with others, focusing solely on making sure no one else had it easy.

In this context, Chen Xia, who had already merged with East Jia State, seemed even more terrifying because if he wanted, he could conquer at least three states at any time.

Who would dare to contend with Chen Xia in this situation?

Did they not value their lives?

Why didn't Chen Xia take action? Because he was recovering from injuries. Once his wounds healed, he planned to slowly begin his move, aiming to surpass everyone and ascend to the highest realm.

The other five Great Emperors likely knew Chen Xia's intentions, so they were madly sensing the heavens and earth. In this tense atmosphere, someone arrived at Heaven Pill Gate.

A woman with emerald eyes, hesitating at the foot of the mountain, afraid to step onto the stairs.

"What's the matter? Peering around at the foot of my Heaven Pill Gate?" Emperor Capital's puzzled voice rang out, and then his figure appeared at the foot of the mountain, looking at the woman in surprise before asking again.

"Who are you?"

The woman became nervous and quickly waved her hands, replying, "I'm here to find... Chen Xia."

"Chen Xia? We don't have anyone like that here." Emperor Capital shook his head.

"Not... Not that... I mean Chen X... Xia." The woman's voice rose as she tried to correct herself, but she still stumbled over her words.

"Chen X... Xia!"

"Why did you add another 'Chen'? I already said we don't have anyone like that here. Go play somewhere else. If you continue causing trouble, I'll have to ask you to leave." Emperor Capital pointed at the woman, his tone unkind.

The woman's face turned red with frustration, but she didn't know what to say. Just as she was about to reply using telepathy, someone else arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Wang Yangzi stood next to Emperor Capital, seeing the woman and exclaiming in surprise.

"Qiu Yi?!"

"Yes, yes." The woman quickly nodded.

"You know her, old Wang?" Emperor Capital asked curiously.

Wang Yangzi nodded. "She's an old friend of Chen Xia's. Why are you blocking her?"

"Oh, so she knows Chen Xia?" Emperor Capital suddenly understood and quickly welcomed Qiu Yi in, eager to see the drama unfold.

Two women could already cause quite a stir; he didn’t even want to imagine what three might do.

The steps weren't long, and the three of them quickly arrived at the gate of Heaven Pill Gate. Qiu Yi paused at the gate, immediately drawing everyone's attention as they examined her.

Among them, Huang Qingyue and Xu Zhen's gazes were the sharpest. They first looked at her face, then her figure, and finally asked, "What are you here for?"

"She's here to find Chen Xia." Emperor Capital replied on Qiu Yi's behalf.

With that, Huang Qingyue and Xu Zhen's gazes turned even sharper.

Qiu Yi felt the tension immediately and quickly lowered her head, not daring to speak. After all, her cultivation was the weakest, and she didn't even know how she ended up in the Immortal Realm, stumbling upon Chen Xia.

The atmosphere was quiet, perhaps sensing the tension, so no one spoke first.

"It's fine. We're all old friends of Chen Xia, so we're all friends with each other. Let's get along well." Knowing it was time to ease the tension, Wang Yangzi stepped forward to mediate.

Qiu Yi stood there, unsure of what to say, her eyes darting around. Then, her gaze suddenly froze as she saw Chen Xia.

The figure in green robes also noticed Qiu Yi but wasn't surprised, as he had known she was there since she stood at the foot of the mountain. He curiously asked, "Why did you travel so far from Qing Province to come here?"

"I don't know. Initially, it was for a karmic opportunity, but I was transported to an unknown realm and heard about you. I walked and stopped along the way, and slowly, I arrived in the Immortal Realm." Qiu Yi honestly replied, surprisingly not stuttering much.

"Hmm, maybe it's fate." Chen Xia casually remarked.

Then he felt something was off because two sharp gazes were fixed on him, as if trying to pierce through him.

"We're just old friends." Chen Xia quickly explained to Huang Qingyue and Xu Zhen.

"I can vouch that they are indeed just old friends who have known each other for tens of thousands of years." Wang Yangzi stepped in to help.

This only made Huang Qingyue and Xu Zhen's gazes even sharper, as if emitting sword energy, making Chen Xia feel extremely uneasy.

"I'm going to rest." Chen Xia quickly announced and retreated into the mountain gate.

Qiu Yi's arrival didn't cause much of a stir since who would dislike a woman who couldn't even speak clearly?

It was unreasonable, and no one could even argue with her.

Gradually, Heaven Pill Gate adopted a new activity—playing chess.

Everyone knew how to play chess since, at some point, they had all played with Chen Xia. Whether Chen Xia was a terrible player or not, they weren't sure, but they had learned from him.

Two chessboards were set up outside the mountain gate, with four people playing, and others observing and offering advice.

This might have been a tradition Chen Xia instilled, as he always offered his insights, with the closer the relationship, the more intense the guidance.

"What the hell? Why did you move your knight? Just drive your chariot and smash that cannon, then swoop in for checkmate!" Emperor Capital reprimanded Qiu Li.

Qiu Li's forehead veins bulged as he retorted, "What the hell? Tell me how to make a chariot fly?"

"Use your head! Do you not have any insight? To think you even learned to play chess from Chen Xia, what a blockhead. A life of mediocrity." Emperor Capital sighed.

On the other side of the board, Li Yue couldn't help but laugh. Then, she used a supernatural ability to hide Qiu Li's knight under her sleeve and whistled innocently.

"Huh, where's my knight?" Qiu Li asked in confusion.

"I don't know. Maybe it disappeared?" Li Yue replied innocently.

In short, it was all about deception.

Chen Xia would often stroll around the two chessboards, casually offering advice with a carefree attitude, sharing various strategies—though none of them were conventional, all a bit unconventional.

Qiu Yi also enthusiastically joined in, standing beside him. Although she was the weakest in cultivation, she was the strongest in chess, so she offered her guidance, which was significantly more normal.

A puppet stood on top of the mountain, its empty eyes flickering as they focused on Qiu Yi.

A tiny red thread connected Qiu Yi's left hand to Chen Xia, faintly visible.

"The Martial Emperor truly has remarkable abilities."