Long Live Summons

Amongst the ghostly shadows, a tall, thin shadow stood out. It smiled at Old Chess Master while saying, ”King of Chess, we have all aged and become old fogeys. Now that this realm belongs to the younger generation, why be so obsessed? Come with me to Tong Tian Tower. It is far better to be a free chess master than to be a mere watchdog for the Central Palace Hall! As for our past feuds and grudges, as long as you are willing to forget about them, they can be overlooked… Come with us. You have already wasted six thousand of your best years here. You have done enough.

Old Chess Master shook his head heavily.

Then sighed, “Thank you. You should be familiar enough with me to know that I do not deal well with changes to my environment. Six thousand years ago, I admired the fact that all of you fought to the death for the Prison Emperor. If I went with you today, I would look down on myself for the rest of my life. I really envy you guys. Six thousand years have passed, yet someone is still thinking of you and has come to your rescue. Is that a military tradition in Tong Tian Tower?”

“There are no military traditions at all in Tong Tian Tower. If there must be one, it would be for the older generation to get out of the way and let the younger generation rise in prominence.” Another ghost-like shadow roared with laughter.

“Sadly, I wasn’t born in Tong Tian Tower.” Old Chess Master sat down slowly, then reached out his hand and—flipped the entire chessboard over!

The chess pieces scattered every which way, as they fell to the ground, mirroring his innermost feelings at the moment.

A shadow approached…

Reached out a hand and lightly touch the chessboard.

All of the pieces simultaneously returned to their original positions. It looked exactly the same as when Old Chess Master had previously set them out.

He earnestly replied, ”You are completely wrong. Our Legacy of Will in Tong Tian Tower does not go by; place of birth, race, or bloodline but is determined by one’s spirit! Our Legacy of Will is so strong that it is present everywhere, including our spirit, body, will, wisdom, and even our soul. It is extremely abstract and can not be described by words. Only those who can feel its existence are considered to be warriors of Tong Tian Tower. The difference between us and the beings of Heaven Realm is that our Legacy of Will, generation-by-generation, is not one of power but one of spirit. Only those who wholeheartedly want to improve and refine their spirit through cultivation can truly be considered strong. Only they will be recognized as being a true warrior of Tong Tian Tower.

You were not recognized by us back then, not because you were born in Heaven Realm, or because your race and bloodline were different from ours. You were not recognized by us because you never really possessed true strength. The reason a person becomes strong in life has always been about more than just power.

After saying this, the shadow strode away.

The other ghost-like shadows followed suit.

Old Chess Master closed his eyes as his body trembled.

His face was afflicted with shame.

He staggered to his feet and walked towards the end of the Radiant Light Secret Passage, towards the activated Forbidden Light Star device that was about to explode, muttering to himself as he walked. “So I was never really a real warrior? Now, it is too late. If I had known that was so, I would have turned my life over fully to chess which I love so much. I was wrong!”

Sun Island, in a blinding light storm, exploded.

The entirety of Rizhao City, the surrounding mountain range, as well as its many valleys, was instantaneously utterly annihilated.

In the minute after the massive explosion, when the dust and debris started to clear, Sun Island had ceased to exist. What was left was a big black hole that was gradually growing larger and larger, sucking in all of its surroundings. It sucked in everything without regard, debris, raging flames, shockwaves, all kinds of energy, and even space! Everything was absorbed by it, into a silent space where everything ceased to exist.

Roughly a hundred kilometers away, a group of ghostly shadows gathered in front of Yue Yang.

All of these men, the youngest included, were old guys. Every one of them sported a long flowing beard, was unkempt and dressed like a beggar.

In fact, none of them had bodies. They existed as disembodied souls. With their power, just a simple thought could transform their appearances into that of stately old gentlemen, Yue Yang was very confused about this. Even if they did not choose to become overly handsome guys, why did they deliberately choose such a beggarly look? Is it possible that people who have died once have a particularly dark psyche?

“So, this is what happened. It was Old Dragon Turtle who asked me to come up and find you guys. In fact, I didn’t expect to be able to get you guys out this fast.” Yue Yang glanced at Sky Prison King, Gao Peng, who had reverted his appearance back to that of the butler, Jiao Shi, then asked tentatively, “When do you intend to go back to see Old Dragon Turtle?”

“We are not going back.” replied Sky Prison King, Gao Peng as he shook his head, “Tong Tian Tower belongs to you. We old guys are completely redundant existences.”

“Just bring the Emperor’s Dragon up to spend some time with us in the future.” A shadow laughed.

“The truth of the matter is, we still have a lot of work to do and some of it is not done. We can not go back and report to His Majesty the Prison Emperor, then say, ‘We who have disgraced you, the remnants of the army, have returned.’ Son, leave us alone. You take care of your business. You don’t need to worry about us old fogeys.”

A shadow with a particularly loud voice, and a particularly explosive temper, grabbed Yue Yang by the collar as he shouted, “You boy. If you want to become the new generation’s Prison Emperor, your strength is still lacking, you need to work harder on yourself!”

“I am me, he is him!” said Yue Yang as he broke out in a sweat. Who would want to be the second Prison Emperor? He wanted to make a name for himself in Heaven Realm. However, he wouldn’t go about doing that like a Second Conquering Empress or a Second Prison Emperor. He would make a name for himself as Third Young Master of the Yue family, the new heir of Tong Tian Tower, and a new legend!

“Let’s meet here again in a year’s time, Third Young Master. You should also work hard to hone yourself even more. We will first work to restore our strength. Otherwise, Heaven Realm’s leaders will be able to exterminate us with one hand.” Sky Prison King, Gao Peng patted Yue Yang’s shoulder, ”Even though there are so many young juniors in Tong Tian Tower, and I’ve met all types of people, there is only one like you. Third Young Master, you really are a very perverted existence. If you weren’t the heir of Prison Emperor, I might not be able to resist killing you.”

“Hey, is that what my senior should say?” Yue Yang started to get angry. Are not you going to give me some treasure or a magic weapon as a reward? Are you kidding me?

“Wait until you have the approval of the Prison Emperor’s Divine Seal. Then you can give us orders.” All of the ghost-like shadows gave a slight bow to Yue Yang. Then, the most serious and conscientious of the ghost-like shadows said, “We shall take our leave first.”

Yue Yang was speechless for a while.

Currently, the Prison Emperor’s Divine Seal could only be used to smash walnuts for Shuang’er.[1] In the meantime, how in heaven’s name would he get its approval?

Forget it. Your own treasures are the most powerful. You should not count on other peoples’ magic weapons!

As if hearing the grumblings in Yue Yang’s heart, Star Gathering Heavenly Scorpion, Tao Tie Blade, and even Tong Tian Beast, that lazily formed a bracelet on Yue Yang’s wrist, squirmed slightly while radiating a joyful feeling.

[1] The Prison Emperor’s Divine Seal could only be used to smash walnuts for Shuang’er.

Possibly, a reference to the story “The Prince and the Pauper” by Mark Twain.

~~~

“Speak up, good lad, and fear nothing,” said the King. “How used you the Great Seal of England?”

Tom stammered a moment, in a pathetic confusion, then got it out—“To crack nuts with!”