Through the Immortal Fairy's accounts, Lu Yang had long known about Immortal Ying Tian, familiar with all sorts of things about him from before he rose to fame to after he attained immortality.
Yet standing face-to-face with Immortal Ying Tian like this was a first.
Immortal Ying Tian wore a light-blue robe with broad sleeves adorned with wave patterns along the lapels. Handsome and imposing, his aura was extraordinary, and his molten-gold pupils lent him a majestic, imperial presence.
*According to the Immortal Fairy, Immortal Ying Tian and Immortal Kirin were playing chess. Does that mean the one sitting opposite him is Immortal Kirin?*
Lu Yang looked at the other player.
Immortal Kirin bore a pair of coral horns atop his head, and red scales covered his cheeks and the backs of his hands. His eyes, like a dragon's and tiger's alike, radiated a fierce, ominous aura. This was not a sign of incomplete shapeshifting, but rather where his dignity as a kirin lay.
He was the sole, peerless kirin in the world. Taking human form had merely been for convenience in conversing with the other four immortals. That being the case, there was no need to turn completely human; retaining his kirin traits was his pride.
Immortal Kirin was clad in a black robe. Looking closely, one could see patterns of myriad beasts embroidered upon it—garments that only he, Immortal Kirin, the Immortal of All Beasts, was entitled to wear.
*A historical reflection?*
Lu Yang was startled. This matched the story the Technique Transmission Elder had told almost to the letter—stumbling into an immortal realm and seeing two immortals playing a match.
Although immortals stood at the apex of the cultivation system, not every move they made would leave behind a historical reflection; otherwise, wouldn't the whole world be seeing immortals everywhere?
The reason a reflection could remain here was that this game had spanned a hundred years of three immortals' lives, their immense power warping the very fabric of space.
*Wait, no, that's not right either. The Technique Transmission Elder said Mister Tiankui could only see immortals whose faces were blurred. Why can I see them crystal clear?*
*Could it be that I have some kind of connection to these two immortals...*
"It's because this fairy is here, of course," the Immortal Fairy's boisterous voice chimed in. Lu Yang turned his head to see the Immortal Fairy in her yellow dress appearing beside him, floating slightly off the ground at the exact same height as him.
Since this was a historical reflection, her appearance wouldn't be noticed by Qiu Jin'an and the others.
"You're here too, Fairy?"
On second thought, Lu Yang realized it made sense. If he could see the historical reflection, there was no reason the Immortal Fairy couldn't.
"What kind of question is that? Without this fairy, how could you possibly see these two terrible chess players? It's because this fairy resonated with the historical reflection they left behind that you're seeing this right now." The Immortal Fairy pointed accusingly at Immortal Ying Tian and Immortal Kirin.
The moment the Immortal Fairy appeared, Lu Yang's budding reverence for the immortals instantly vanished into thin air.
"What happened with Mister Tiankui then? Did he just happen to catch the final scene when the historical reflection reenacted itself?"
"Probably something Immortal Ying Tian cooked up."
"Immortal Ying Tian?" Lu Yang's expression turned odd. Wasn't it a bit impolite to say that right in front of Immortal Ying Tian's face?
The Immortal Fairy couldn't care less. Never mind an illusion; even if the real Immortal Ying Tian were here, she would say it to his face.
"You've got it backward. It wasn't that Mister Tiankui comprehended the Five Elements Battle Method because he saw the historical reflection; he qualified to see the historical reflection precisely because he could comprehend the Five Elements Battle Method."
"The reason no one after him ever saw the historical reflection isn't that the reflection dissipated, but because later generations couldn't comprehend anything from the board. Spreading word of that wouldn't do anything for his prestige."
"..."
Once again, Lu Yang appreciated Immortal Ying Tian's painstaking efforts to maintain an air of profound majesty.
Immortal Ying Tian and Immortal Kirin continued their game. Each time a stone came down, a soft clack rang out.
Just listening to the sound gave Lu Yang a sensation of spiritual cleansing, as if his very soul were being elevated.
*They're playing so fast?*
At the rate these two were playing, could this game really last a hundred years?
Twenty minutes would be stretching it.
"What's the fun in watching these two terrible players play? This fairy sped up the process," the Immortal Fairy said lazily.
Who would be as foolish as Tiankui and sit watching a game of chess for a hundred years?
"So this is where you two were playing chess! Finally found you." A third ancient immortal's voice rang out. It was none other than the creator of gomoku, Immortal Jiuchong.
Immortal Jiuchong was dressed plainly in coarse hemp garments and a coir raincoat, walking in dripping wet as if it were raining outside at the time. Carrying an axe in hand with freshly chopped firewood slung across his back, he was the spitting image of an old woodcutter peasant.
The only difference was that the firewood on his back was completely dry.
"Oho, isn't that parasol wood? Did Immortal Suiyue tell you to chop that?" Immortal Ying Tian chuckled.
"You two have the nerve to talk! Immortal Suiyue sent me to call you for dinner, yet you hid here playing chess. A few years have already passed, and you're still not finished!"
"What's the rush? It's rare for the two of us to have a chance to settle this once and for all. Shouldn't we play a proper match? Every single move requires deliberation, you know!"
"Go eat first. We'll be there shortly."
Immortal Jiuchong curled his lip. *Shortly? At the speed you two play, you won't even finish in fifty years.*
*And you're asking if I know? I'm the one who invented gomoku! You think you know better than me?*
"Forget it, I'll just stay here and watch, lest you finish one game and start another," Immortal Jiuchong said, finding himself an excuse to stay and watching the game with an easy conscience.
"Immortal Suiyue?" Lu Yang furrowed his brow, muttering under his breath. Why would it be Immortal Suiyue who told Immortal Jiuchong to chop wood and call Immortal Ying Tian and Immortal Kirin for dinner?
Shouldn't it be the Immortal Fairy?
Lu Yang was suddenly jolted with realization.
*Of course.* The ancient mastermind had used unknowable means to erase all traces of the Immortal Fairy. Even historical reflections were no exception—they had to be erased and replaced.
For example, Mister Tiankui might otherwise have learned of the Immortal Fairy's existence from this historical reflection.
Directly erasing the Immortal Fairy was too difficult and would easily create logical inconsistencies, allowing people to notice flaws. The best solution was to substitute her with an existence of the same caliber.
That was why, in this conversation, the Immortal Fairy had been replaced with Immortal Suiyue.
However, judging by how Mister Tiankui had not known who the immortals playing chess and chopping wood were, he probably hadn't understood the ancient language.
Lu Yang had learned the ancient tongue under the Immortal Fairy's personal tutelage. The cultivation world had experienced a historical rupture; merely translating the ancient language was hard enough, let alone speaking or understanding it spoken.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Yang stole a glance at the Immortal Fairy's reaction. Her teeth were clenched tight in fury. "Just which bastard went and covered up this fairy's existence?!"
As she spoke, she even stretched her limbs, looking ready to throw down with the mastermind behind the scenes at a moment's notice.
"Who's there?!" Immortal Jiuchong suddenly barked, whipping his head around to stare directly at the spot where Lu Yang and the Immortal Fairy stood.
For a fleeting instant, Lu Yang even felt as though his eyes met Immortal Jiuchong's.
At Immortal Jiuchong's shout, Immortal Ying Tian and Immortal Kirin snapped to attention as well, staring sharply toward Lu Yang and the Immortal Fairy's position.
Although they couldn't see any figures, they could vaguely sense that someone was there!
The three of them had been hiding to avoid the Immortal Fairy, so their consciences were already guilty; having someone lurking in the dark naturally provoked an intense reaction.
"Wait, with the strength of the three of us, how could someone hide without us seeing them? Even Immortal Suiyue couldn't pull that off. Could it be... Immortal Suiyue using the Suiyue Dao fruit to watch us from the future?"
Chapter 550