Chapter 1217: Chapter 262: Ascending to the Summit in One Step!

Seeing Li Hao struggle, the Spirit Clan elder smiled, following closely to confine Li Hao’s chess path.

Li Hao knit his brows in deep thought, each move becoming incredibly difficult.

Beside him, the middle-aged Spirit Clansman remained expressionless, having already discerned that Li Hao’s struggle was akin to that of a trapped beast, doomed to fail.

After all, this young man’s chess ability was already a step behind the elder’s; initially trapped, any attempt at escape now seemed impossible.

As each piece was placed, cold sweat began to appear on Li Hao’s forehead; he extended his reach with the sword’s hilt, only to lose more, as he could no longer protect other territories. If he abandoned them, the opponent’s strategy would soon swallow him whole.

Boom!

Two blood-red claws crushed down with immense force, overwhelming immortal power combined with some sort of primordial Daoist Charm, enveloping the sword light and striking the young man down to the mountain below.

Rocks burst, and the young man crashed in like a meteor, only to shoot out again.

Nearby, two other demons revealed their massive forms, ready to pursue.

But suddenly, a figure appeared in the void, blocking the two demons, and then looked at the dying young man.

The young man revealed the power of the Ancient Immortal Lineage, but still fell in defeat. However, for someone with a True Immortal Realm Third Level cultivation, conquering Emperor Sword Mountain’s Third Level and fighting in this Fourth Layer for so long was terrifying enough.

“Child, you should return.”

The elder in the void lifted the young man from the rubble, infused him with power to awaken him, and softly spoke.

Though Gu Yan was gravely injured, he understood what had just occurred. His eyes showed a trace of struggle, but eventually, he fell silent, his gaze becoming sharper.

Having fought through the twelve demons from the Third Level, this Fourth Layer was his limit.

He did not push any further, slightly cupped his hands to the elder, and turned to leave Emperor Sword Mountain.

“You lost.”

With the next move, the Spirit Clan elder said to Li Hao.

Li Hao looked at the clear pattern of black and white pieces on the board, fell silent, and then nodded:

“Thank you for your guidance, elder.”

“Not guidance, just see if you can figure out your loss by watching two more games between us.”

The Spirit Clan elder chuckled lightly.

He held some fondness for this young man, not willing to guide him in cultivation, but happy to provide pointers in Chess Tao.

Li Hao nodded and stood up to make way.

Beside him, Ah Ling looked at Li Hao. Though he had previously ignored her, she couldn’t bring herself to dislike him.

Perhaps because of his delicate features and clear, sincere eyes, or perhaps his focused expression on the chessboard, pure like a child’s heart. She transmitted her voice:

“Don’t be discouraged; being able to play so long with Grandpa already makes you quite formidable.”

Li Hao glanced at her, as if noticing the girl for the first time, his eyes lighting up slightly from her beauty, he smiled and nodded.

Meanwhile, in the Fourth Layer of Emperor Sword Mountain.

The elegantly dressed Yue Xi was unable to withstand the combined assault of three True Immortal Realm Eighth Layer demons and had to call for help.

As the elder teleported over to extract her from Emperor Sword Mountain, her heart was filled with discontent.

In this battle, she had almost exhausted all her resources, employing various hidden cards and secret techniques, yet still, she was defeated.

Just three True Immortal Realm Eighth Layer demons were beyond what she could handle.

Upon leaving Emperor Sword Mountain, Yue Xi saw Fourth Senior Brother Xu Jianming already waiting atop a hill.

Suddenly feeling a sense of solace, she descended upon him and asked, “Senior Brother, you didn’t climb up?”

Having just finished his recuperation, Xu Jianming smiled helplessly at his competitive junior sister, saying, “I can’t match those guys; indeed, that Ancient Demon Clan are rarely bested in the same realm.”

“You fought against the Ancient Demons?”

Knowing her Fourth Senior Brother was at True Immortal Realm Seventh Level, Yue Xi couldn’t help but ask, “Were you on the Fifth Layer or the Sixth Layer?”

“The Sixth Layer.”

Xu Jianming sighed.

Yue Xi revealed a trace of envy in her eyes, as the Seventh Layer wasn’t far off. She said, “There are still two years left; don’t give up, Senior Brother.”

“Alright.”

Xu Jianming nodded, then noticed a figure flying through the void ahead and smiled, “Junior Brother is here too.”

Yue Xi paused, then turned her head to see Gu Yan flying over in black attire.

However, at this moment, Gu Yan’s clothes were stained with blood and slightly tattered, clearly showing he’d been through a fierce battle.

Yue Xi fixed her gaze but didn’t speak easily.

With a bit of bluntness, Xu Jianming asked, “Junior Brother, which layer did you reach?”

Gu Yan glanced at him, and perhaps having just experienced defeat, his usually cold demeanor softened, “The Fourth Layer.”

“Oh, you both made it to the Fourth Layer?”

Xu Jianming laughed, “Not bad, but what a pity the time was too short this time. Otherwise, the two of you might have had a real chance to reach the peak.”

Gu Yan asked, “What about you, Senior Brother, which layer?”

“The Sixth.”

Gu Yan’s eyes flickered slightly, saying nothing.

Suddenly, Yue Xi asked, “How many demons did you encounter on the Fourth Layer?”

“Six.”

Gu Yan answered.

Yue Xi’s expression shifted slightly; she had been defeated by just three.

The fingers inside her sleeves tightened slightly, but she said no more.

Gu Yan did not inquire further; if he faced six, then this senior sister had at most four.

Nonetheless, he did not set his sights on chasing after her achievements.

“Third Senior Sister and Fifth Junior Sister, haven’t come out yet, oh, and Lao Qi.”

Xu Jianming looked towards Emperor Sword Mountain, saying, “First Senior Brother surely reached the peak long ago. If I made it to the Sixth Layer, then Second Senior Brother must have surpassed it as well. It’s only our senior sisters left to see if they can make it.”

Search the NovelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.