Chapter 550: Chess Player and Chess Piece

“Fellow Daoist Primordial,” Qingyuan True Monarch slowly began, “I know a thing or two about the great tide of time. But the foreign enemies… where do they come from?”

Qi Yun glanced at him but did not immediately answer.

His gaze swept over everyone in the hall, pausing for a fleeting moment on each face. Then, he raised his hand and gently tapped the scroll depicting the Profound Yellow Treasure Tree. Within the scroll, that incomparably massive golden fruit suddenly lit up. On its surface, countless dense Sanskrit talismans flowed, faintly emitting the vast and solemn sound of chanting scriptures.

“Please look, fellow Daoists,” Qi Yun said evenly. “This object has hung over the head of Profound Yellow for an eternity.”

The gazes of everyone in the hall collectively fell upon that golden fruit. They saw its immense size, its desperate posture of devouring the purple qi, and the branch bending under its sheer weight.

Yet, they had no idea what this meant. Qi Yun did not explain. He merely let them observe. Some things did not need to be spelled out so explicitly. Simply seeing it was enough.

“Does Fellow Daoist Primordial mean to say…” King Saint True Monarch frowned slightly, “that when the great tide of time arrives, this object will pose a threat to our Profound Yellow?”

“You only need to know that if the great tide of time arrives, Profound Yellow will be in grave danger,” he said plainly. “And I, Qi, already have a countermeasure.”

The hall fell into silence once more. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Qi Yun, waiting for him to continue.

But Qi Yun did not go on. He simply picked up the teacup beside him and took a light sip, allowing the silence in the hall to spread. Stopping at the right moment held far more power than talking endlessly. He wanted to let them think for themselves, make their own guesses, and arrive at their own conclusions. Only then would they truly believe and fully commit.

“Since Fellow Daoist Primordial already has a countermeasure, could you perhaps enlighten us?” a black-robed elder couldn’t help but ask.

Qi Yun set down his teacup and looked at him.

“When the great tide of time comes, I will need you all to guard your respective domains,” he said slowly. “When that time arrives, someone will naturally tell you what must be done.”

“Tell us?” The black-robed elder furrowed his brow. “Who will tell us?”

Qi Yun raised his gaze and looked toward the vast Celestial Vault outside the hall. Out there, clouds churned, and the sky was only faintly bright. Nothing could be seen clearly. But as the black-robed elder followed his gaze, he seemed to have caught sight of something. His pupils contracted slightly, and he asked no further questions.

The other True Monarchs in the hall also noticed Qi Yun’s gaze and looked outside. There was nothing there—only a stretch of the Celestial Vault shrouded in chaotic, multicolored hues.

However, Qi Yun’s attitude made everything clear. Some things could not be said right now. It wasn’t a matter of not wanting to speak, but of being unable to.

“If that is the case…” Qingyuan True Monarch said slowly, “then I shall quietly await Fellow Daoist Primordial’s good news.”

Qi Yun gave a slight nod. “Thank you, fellow Daoist.”

The Dao Discussion Assembly lasted for three full days.

During these three days, the True Monarchs from all factions expressed their respective views, discussing strategies to handle the arrival of the great tide of time. For the most part, Qi Yun just listened quietly. Occasionally, he interjected with a sentence or two to steer the direction of the discussion. He never spoke too much, but every word hit the mark perfectly. Not only did he avoid revealing his own trump cards, but he also managed to guide everyone into thinking along the lines he desired.

After three days, the assembly concluded. The True Monarchs departed one after another, and Taixu Hall returned to silence.

Qi Yun sat alone on the cloud throne. Multicolored light flowed within his eyes, his thoughts an absolute mystery.

“Qi the Kid,” Cai Shen’s voice echoed from within the Mountain and River Cauldron. “Why didn’t you explain things clearly just now? The matters regarding those Dao Kings, the World Honored One, and Your Majesty…”

“What if I did?” Qi Yun replied indifferently. “What could they do?”

Cai Shen was taken aback.

“If I tell them that the World Honored One is a Dao King, can they go and fight him? If I tell them the truth behind Your Majesty’s fall, can they go and seek revenge?” Qi Yun’s voice was calm, yet it carried an all-seeing aloofness. “No, they cannot. They would only panic, shrink back in fear, and splinter into self-serving factions.”

“Then why did you even call them here?”

“I didn’t call them here to tell them the truth.” Qi Yun stood up and walked to the entrance of Taixu Hall, gazing at the gradually darkening Celestial Vault in the distance. “I did it to let them know that someone is taking action. I wanted them to know that even though the great tide of time is coming, Profound Yellow is not a masterless land.”

He paused, the multicolored light in his eyes condensing slightly. “As for the rest… they will naturally know when it is time for them to know.”

Cai Shen fell silent. He suddenly understood that Qi Yun hadn’t convened this Dao Discussion Assembly to “discuss” anything at all. He had done it to make a declaration. A declaration of his sovereignty over Profound Yellow, and a declaration of his capability to face the great tide of time.

As for those True Monarchs, regardless of what they thought in their hearts, they had all become pawns on this chessboard the moment they stepped out of Taixu Hall. They were completely unaware of it, but Qi Yun had already chosen their positions for them.

Looking at the aloof, upright figure before him, Cai Shen’s eyes flickered. Was this… the difference between a chess player and a pawn?

After a moment of silence, Cai Shen continued, “What about next? What do you plan to do?”

“Wait,” he said evenly.

“Wait for what?”

“Wait for someone to come looking for me.”

Cai Shen froze. He wanted to ask more, but Qi Yun had already turned around and walked back under the withered tree.

The courtyard returned to silence. Only the profound yellow luster on the Mountain and River Cauldron and the dark blue silhouette beneath the withered tree remained, forming a silent picture. Meanwhile, outside of this picture, undercurrents were surging throughout the entire Profound Yellow Origin Realm because of this Dao Discussion Assembly. Some were joyous, some were worried, some were disdainful, and some were expectant. But everyone knew that from this moment on, the fate of Profound Yellow was tightly bound to that Primordial True Monarch.

Several days later, a streak of cyan sword light shot across the horizon and landed before the Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple.

It was Qingyuan Dao Seeking True Monarch.

Qi Yun had long been waiting in the courtyard. Beneath the withered tree sat a stone table and two cups of clear tea.

“Please, fellow Daoist,” Qi Yun said, raising his hand in invitation.

Qingyuan True Monarch did not decline. With a sweep of his sleeves, he took a seat.

“It seems Fellow Daoist Primordial held some things back in what you said that day.”

Qi Yun picked up his teacup and took a gentle sip. “What makes you say that, fellow Daoist?”

“Intuition,” Qingyuan True Monarch said plainly. “I have cultivated for thousands of years. I at least have this bit of discernment.”

Qi Yun set down his teacup and looked at him. “What is it you want to say, fellow Daoist?”

Qingyuan True Monarch fell silent for a moment. “My knowledge regarding the great tide of time is limited. However, since Fellow Daoist Primordial already has a countermeasure, I will not press the issue.” He paused, lowering his voice a fraction. “I merely wish to know one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“That day, what was it that Fellow Daoist Primordial pointed out to that black-robed Daoist?”

“You do not need to know, fellow Daoist.” He withdrew his gaze and looked at Qingyuan True Monarch. “You only need to know what the Sword Pavilion must do when the great tide of time arrives.”

Qingyuan True Monarch fell silent. He stared into Qi Yun’s deep eyes, trying to discern something from them. But all he saw was bottomless, unfathomable darkness.

“What must the Sword Pavilion do?” he asked.

Qi Yun smiled faintly. “Protect Profound Yellow.”

The words were spoken very lightly, yet they carried the weight of a thousand mountains.

Qingyuan True Monarch remained silent for a long time before finally nodding. “I understand.”

He stood up, cupped his hands in a formal bow to Qi Yun, and transformed into a streak of cyan sword light, vanishing over the horizon.

Qi Yun sat alone beneath the withered tree, gazing in the direction where Qingyuan True Monarch had disappeared, the multicolored light swirling in his eyes.

“Qi the Kid,” Cai Shen’s voice rang out from the Mountain and River Cauldron. “Are you really not going to tell him?”

“Tell him what?”

“Tell him to be careful of… that person.”

Qi Yun slowly closed his eyes, the aura around him gradually returning to dead silence. There were some things that did not need to be said. Speaking of them would only alert the enemy.

He whispered in his heart, “Soon. Soon.”

The courtyard returned to silence. Only the profound yellow luster on the Mountain and River Cauldron and the dark blue silhouette beneath the withered tree remained, forming a silent picture. And outside this picture, this eternal chess match was marching, step by step, toward its endgame.