Fan Li now understood. He was witnessing the memories of the Xia emperors.

  The scene shifted.

  Nanchao, the last territory of the Xia Dynasty.

  A peaceful landscape appeared before him, men tilling the fields and women weaving cloth, a harmonious society of farmers, fishermen, woodcutters, and scholars.

  The once grand capital was now a mere shadow of its former glory.

  But Fan Li realized that this small, isolated Nanchao kingdom might be the true utopia envisioned by countless generations of ordinary citizens.

  Peace, tranquility, harmony.

  Nanchao, for the remnants of the Xia Dynasty, was a haven, a world untouched by the chaos of the Central Plains.

  Fan Li even witnessed the citizens, those who had willingly followed Si Jie to Nanchao, their faces filled with genuine admiration for their king.

  Emperor Yu’s voice echoed in his mind.

  “Si Jie formally ascended the throne in Nanchao, becoming the seventeenth Xia Emperor. He was prepared to fulfill his duty and enter the Shangjun Go Board, to continue the battle against Danzhu. But then, the unexpected occurred. He couldn’t enter the game.”

  The scene shifted.

  The young Si Jie was dressed in imperial robes. The entire Yangcheng Palace, after the Xia Dynasty’s migration, had been relocated to Nanchao.

  Si Jie stood outside the palace walls, facing a massive, purple, hemispherical barrier that enveloped the entire structure. He tried countless times, but he couldn’t enter.

  Finally, he could only watch helplessly as the sixteenth Xia Emperor, Si Fa, died within the Go board.

  “Danzhu! Let me in!” Si Jie shouted. “I am the Xia Emperor, Si Jie! I will play against you!”

  Si Jie yearned to fight. If he won, he would avenge his predecessors and live a peaceful life with his subjects in Nanchao.

  If he lost, he would lose the Xia Dynasty. But even then, all Danzhu would gain was a desolate and isolated prison.

  Outside Nanchao, Cheng Tang had unified the nine provinces. His army was vast and powerful, ready to crush Danzhu at any moment.

  Moreover, with Emperor Yu’s example as a warning, Cheng Tang would never enter the Go board.

  “Once the game ends, regardless of victory or defeat, Danzhu is doomed.”

  Emperor Yu’s voice was laced with certainty.

  Fan Li nodded, then shook his head.

  It was a brilliant strategy, a trap in plain sight. The Xia emperors knew it, Cheng Tang knew it, and surely Danzhu knew it as well.

  How could a man as cunning as Danzhu possibly allow himself to be trapped?

  Fan Li wondered how Danzhu would respond.

  The scene shifted.

  Danzhu abandoned the game.

  As the master of the Shangjun Go Board, he had that privilege.

  Si Jie quickly realized this as well.

  “Coward!” he shouted. “Are you afraid to leave the Go board? Afraid of facing Cheng Tang? You’ve imprisoned yourself?”

  Seventeen generations of Xia Emperors had dedicated their lives to studying Go, their understanding of the Shangjun Go Board second only to Danzhu himself.

  Abandoning the game was an act of self-imprisonment.

  Danzhu would be trapped within the board until the next game began. Only by defeating his new opponent could he escape.

  But self-imprisonment was also a form of self-preservation.

  Emperor Yu’s carelessness had led to the downfall of the Xia Dynasty. Cheng Tang wouldn’t repeat his mistake.

  Therefore, he wouldn’t dare to enter Nanchao. And similarly, Danzhu wouldn't dare to return to the Central Plains.

  Within the palace, inside the Go board.

  Danzhu’s face was dark with fury. His gaze swept past the deceased Si Fa, towards the living Si Jie who stood outside the barrier.

  He looked at Si Jie for a moment, then turned away, as if the Xia Dynasty was no longer worthy of his attention.

  “I… I will return…”

  He left those words behind, then his body slowly sank into the blood-red board.

  The Yangcheng Palace became Nanchao's forbidden ground. No one was allowed to enter, not even Si Jie.

  “Alas! Si Jie was the only Xia Emperor who didn’t enter the game. He was also the only ruler, since me, who truly governed the Xia Dynasty. Although… only Nanchao remained.”

  Fan Li listened to Emperor Yu’s words in silence.

  Time flew by in the scene. Years passed. Winters gave way to spring.

  Si Jie ruled Nanchao wisely, and his subjects lived peacefully. But the power of destiny was undeniable.

  Nanchao was a small, isolated territory. The Xia Dynasty’s destiny was weak. The decline was inevitable.

  Cultivation became difficult. A hundred years passed, and Nanchao didn't produce a single Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. Another hundred years passed, and even Golden Core cultivators became rare.

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  A third century passed, and those who had followed Si Jie to Nanchao, even those with high cultivation, had reached the end of their lifespans.

  Ordinary citizens, four generations had been born and raised in Nanchao. But that wasn’t the worst of it.

  The Xia Dynasty’s population was dwindling. Initially, Nanchao had been a bustling city-state. But three hundred years after Si Jie ascended the throne, only a hundred people remained. They couldn’t even maintain a nation. They were barely a village.

  Si Jie knew this, and yet, he did nothing.

  Fan Li understood. The Xia Dynasty was doomed. Si Jie had simply accepted fate.

  Decades passed, and the Xia Dynasty’s population dwindled further.

  Si Jie himself had grown old.

  One winter day…

  The elderly Si Jie, ignoring the snow and wind, climbed a mountain, stopping halfway up.

  Fan Li recognized the mountain.

  It was Tongshan, the location of King Jie’s tomb.

  Although Si Jie was old, he still possessed a King’s imposing presence. He picked up a hoe and began digging.

  Eight people of similar age accompanied him.

  “Your Majesty, we… we must depart now…”

  They knelt before him, performing the grand kowtow.

  “Mmm.”

  Si Jie acknowledged them with a single sound, continuing his work.

  Fan Li realized that Si Jie wasn’t being indifferent. He was conserving his energy. Even uttering a single word seemed to drain him.

  How weak had he become?

  After paying their respects, those who accompanied him also began working. They found a large stone and began carving it.

  Simply shaping the stone into a tombstone exhausted three of them. They collapsed onto the ground, lifeless.

  Si Jie had finished excavating the tomb.

  He dropped the hoe and walked towards the tombstone, ignoring the remaining five who were now carving the inscription.

  He carried the three corpses and gently placed them within the tomb, arranging them carefully in their designated burial positions.

  The so-called tomb was a large pit.

  Having completed his work, Si Jie descended the mountain. A short while later, he returned, carrying a coffin.

  It was a crude coffin, hastily constructed from ordinary wood.

  But Fan Li noticed that the coffin was a perfect fit for Si Jie’s tall frame.

  As expected, Si Jie carried the coffin into the tomb and placed it in the center.

  The inscription on the tombstone was complete: “Tomb of King Jie.”

  King, not Emperor.

  Fan Li suspected that since the nine provinces now belonged to Cheng Tang, Si Jie had relinquished the title of Emperor, humbling himself.

  Four more of his companions had died. Only a single elderly man remained. He knelt before Si Jie and spoke with a trembling voice.

  “We, the subjects of Xia, have served you faithfully. In life, we pledged our loyalty. In death… we also… wish to follow you to the underworld…”

  Si Jie’s forehead was slick with sweat.

  For an Emperor to excavate his own tomb was a tragic and arduous task. It seemed Si Jie was burning his remaining lifespan to accomplish it.

  “My friends…”

  He looked at the elderly man and the four corpses lying beside the tombstone.

  “Danzhu should have perished by his own hand. But he still lingers within the Go board. I have failed in my duty. I have failed my ancestors. I have failed my subjects.

  I wish… I wish I could be reborn, to face Danzhu once more in the future!”

  The elderly official shook his head. “After death, souls enter the six realms of reincarnation. They drink from the River of Forgetfulness, their past lives washed away. Thus, they can be reborn as new beings. This is the natural order of Heaven and Earth. Please, Your Majesty, do not dwell on the past.”

  Si Jie listened in silence. A look of determination gradually appeared on his face.

  “Guan Long Pang!” he called out.

  “Y-Your servant is here,” the elderly official replied.

  “You are the wisest among us. Tell me, if I were to separate my soul into seven parts, sending six parts into the six realms of reincarnation, while retaining one part in Nanchao… Could I achieve true reincarnation?”

  “If I succeed, my new self can return to Nanchao and reclaim the remaining part of my soul. Could I then inherit everything from my past life? My cultivation, my memories… and my karma?!”

  Guan Long Pang’s face paled. He was on the verge of death, but Si Jie’s words filled him with horror. His body trembled uncontrollably.

  “No! Your Majesty! Such an act defies the laws of Heaven! It is forbidden! To sever one’s soul… The chances of true reincarnation are slim! And even if you succeed, there will be consequences!

  Your new self might be twisted, cruel, and violent. Moreover, what is broken can never be truly mended! A soul, once severed, can never be fully rejoined! There will always be… something missing!

  Your Majesty… Please reconsider!”

  Guan Long Pang’s pleas were interrupted. His lifespan had reached its end. He stared at Si Jie with terror in his eyes and died.

  Perhaps, if he had spoken a few more words, he might have persuaded Si Jie.

  But fate was cruel.

  “My friend…”

  Si Jie sighed. He laughed bitterly. “I have failed in my mission. I cannot die peacefully. But what choice do I have? I will gamble. If I succeed, I can finally kill Danzhu.”

  He carried Guan Long Pang’s corpse into the tomb.

  Eight skeletons now lay beside the coffin.

  “This life… my time has come.”

  He spoke softly.

  Fan Li also noticed that Si Jie’s movements were becoming slower, more labored. He pushed open the coffin lid, climbed inside, and lay down.

  Slowly, he pulled the lid shut.

  Fan Li assumed that the memories of the Xia Emperors had ended. But then, Si Jie’s faint voice echoed from within the coffin.

  “One last gamble… I will gamble one last time…”

  The scene ended.

  Fan Li was surrounded by a vast, white expanse.

  Crack!

  A sound like an eggshell shattering.

  Cracks appeared along the edges of the white world.

  Boom!!!

  The world collapsed.

  Fan Li’s surroundings transformed.

  The world was now blood-red. He looked down and saw a vast, boundless Go board. Nineteen lines crisscrossed the board, each line a flowing river.

  In the distance, countless black and white mountains awaited their turn. They were the Go stones.

  “Fan Li? You’re still alive?!”

  He recognized the voice. It was Bai Shijiu. He turned and saw her standing beside him.

  Huang Longshi stood nearby, looking confused.

  They looked at each other and asked in unison, "Did you see that?"

  “The seventeen Xia Emperors?”

  “The Shangjun Go Board?”

  “Danzhu?”

  They asked those questions together as well.

  Fan Li suddenly understood. They had all shared the same experience.

  "This is the Shangjun Go Board's world, isn't it?" Bai Shijiu frowned.

  "So, this is the ancient Emperor’s Go game? How disappointing."

  She was incredibly annoyed. She had expected an Emperor’s legacy, but instead, she found herself trapped within a treacherous scheme.

  Bai Shijiu regretted coming to Nanchao. No matter how greedy she was, she didn't believe she could possibly steal the Shangjun Go Board from Danzhu.

  Huang Longshi, however, looked worried. "We're trapped inside. Does this mean we have to play against Danzhu?”

  "Impossible!" Bai Shijiu exclaimed. "I am not an Emperor! Why should I risk my life in this game?!"

  Her face paled. She had always been arrogant, but the fate of the seventeen Xia emperors was a stark reminder of her own limitations.

  Even Emperor Yu had been reduced to ashes. Could her skill in Go possibly surpass that of Emperor Yu, Si Qi, Tai Kang, or Shao Kang?

  Fan Li, observing his surroundings, suddenly asked, "Wasn’t the Shangjun Go Board located within the Xia Dynasty’s palace? Why is it now in the sky?”

  His question was answered immediately.

  “Because the Xia Dynasty has fallen! I have devoured its destiny! The Shangjun Go Board is growing stronger! And so am I!”

  A figure appeared.

  “Danzhu?!” Bai Shijiu exclaimed.

  He now resembled a youth in his late teens. He was handsome and refined, his aura undeniably regal. But his features were cold and harsh and his gaze unsettling.

  Fan Li studied him carefully. Although Danzhu possessed immense power, he seemed unable to directly harm them.

  Perhaps it was the rule of the Go board’s world. Within the game, they could only battle through Go, not through brute force.

  “You are the Emperor?” Danzhu suddenly asked, looking at Fan Li intently.

  Fan Li wouldn’t admit it.

  “I am the Chancellor of the Great Chu Dynasty.”

  “Impossible,” Danzhu frowned. “You clearly possess the destiny of an Emperor. You even carry the fortune of an empire.”

  Bai Shijiu, unable to hold back, chimed in, “He’s the most infamous traitor in the land. He even forced the Chu Emperor to address him as ‘Father Chancellor!’ Perhaps he has stolen the Great Chu Dynasty’s destiny?”

  Fan Li looked at her in surprise.

  Was she actually helping him maintain his deception?

  Danzhu was puzzled. He came from an era where Emperor Yu had just established the system of hereditary rule. Traitorous officials, although they existed, were far from achieving such power.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Danzhu grinned. “Boy, are you willing to play a game with me?”

  Witnessing the memories of the Xia emperors, he knew he couldn’t deceive Fan Li with lies.

  So, he decided to be straightforward.

  “We will play a new game. If you win, you can leave the Shangjun Go Board’s world. If you lose… you will stay here, as my eternal companion. You carry the fortune of an empire, boy. Consider your decision carefully.”