Chapter 64 The Flower of the Severed Head "Of course, I'm waiting for her."...

Lin Feiran was naturally unaware of what Wei Changzai was thinking. After she left in a few steps, Shen Qi was still asking her about the recommendation, and even took it seriously.

He touched the dried ink stains on his face and said worriedly, "Could there be something wrong with the flower-themed game? Does it damage your brain? Do you remember who I am?"

He asked seriously, and Lin Feiran naturally didn't want to give a perfunctory answer, so she said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, that was just an excuse. I... don't really want to talk to Fellow Daoist Wei."

Shen Qi was taken aback upon hearing this. Usually, anyone would give a perfunctory answer in such situations, but she would explain earnestly. She felt relieved and couldn't help but smile, "I see. If there is a next time, I will cooperate fully."

He didn't delve into it further, and Lin Feiran didn't say anything more. She simply moved her shoulder, subconsciously ignoring that heavy gaze, and turned forward, her eyes gradually becoming focused.

The important thing now is not Wei Changzai, but the upcoming Baoying Chess Game.

At this moment, the drawing of lots was completed, and everyone looked at the bamboo slips in their hands with different expressions. Murong Qiudi saw this and stood up on the high platform, holding a bamboo stick in her hand.

"The autumn sky is clear and the air is crisp, the leaves fall and turn golden. In such fine weather, rather than seeing the ground covered in red leaves, it is better to capture them in a painting."

She muttered incantations to herself, and after a short while, the yellow chrysanthemum petals in her hand withered and fluttered down. Each petal that landed was like a splash of thick ink, erasing the surrounding cliffs and the flying islet beneath her feet, leaving only black and white.

As the petals overlapped, a gray mist suddenly appeared all around, and clusters of ink bamboo rose from the ground, growing taller and taller. The bamboo branches reached out to catch the drizzle, and in every instant, they created a picture of ink bamboo.

Beneath their feet, thick ink lines crisscrossed, forming a chessboard. A wave swept across, dividing the two worlds. Clad in ink armor and holding ink implements, the group moved involuntarily to their designated positions.

Thus, the formation is complete.

The so-called Baoying Elephant Play consists of six classes: King, Elephant, Strategist, Chariot, Heavenly Horse, and Foot Soldier.

Like an army in battle, the king is in the center, with the strategist positioned on either side, followed by two elephants, two cavalry, and two supply wagons at the very back. The infantry fight in front. The side that kills the king wins.

Lin Feiran glanced sideways.

Shen Qi, wearing a black crown, resides in the center as the king, while Xun Fang and Qiu Tong stand on either side, clad in black armor, serving as his personal guards and military advisors.

Next, Wei Changzai is positioned to Qiu Tong's right, and Lin Feiran is positioned to Xun Fang's left. Both of them hold ink swords, symbolizing divination. Two Pei Yus ride ink horses beside them, which are celestial horses.

At the very back two sides stood Lin Feiran's two clones, each carrying a giant sword, their expressions exactly the same as hers.

As for the remaining three rogue cultivators, they stood at the forefront, holding spears, serving as foot soldiers who only advanced and never retreated.

Compared to them, the opposite side appeared much sparser.

A young man, not very old, sits in the center as king, flanked by a sneer-wearing bearded man, both of whom are diviners. A thin scholar wearing a turban rides a warhorse, while a cold-faced woman carrying a giant sword stands upright, and a burly man with a knife leads the way as a soldier.

In addition, Murong Qiudi raised her hand to form a seal, scattering beans to create soldiers, using stiff puppets to fill the ranks.

Lin Feiran didn't look at it for long. The moment she saw the two clones, she felt a sense of weightlessness and immediately took a half step back due to dizziness. Shen Qi immediately reached out and grabbed her, asking, "What's wrong?"

Xunfang, caught between the two, also looked over, her eyes scrutinizing him.

"It's nothing, just a little dizzy."

Lin Feiran rubbed her temples. At this moment, what the other two clones saw also came into her view. With the three perspectives overlapping, her feet felt unsteady, and for a moment she couldn't tell where she was.

After a moment of adjustment, she looked up and immediately saw Pei Yu lying unconscious on his horse beside her.

"..."

She was about to wake Pei Yu, but before she could even raise her hand, the man on horseback immediately stood up, bit his lip, looked at her with a slight sneer, his eyes filled with the words "I will never admit defeat," and even had the energy to squint at the person opposite him and start finding fault.

"Lord Murong, why did only that bearded man use a clone, while the others used puppets to fill in? This is not fair!"

Murong Qiudi stood atop the ink bamboo and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Now you know it's not easy to get clones? In terms of numbers, they can't compete, but in terms of strength, you can't use the 'Collection of Beauties,' so you're inferior to them. Using puppets to fill the balance is already fair. Although it's a game of chess, since you all enter with yourselves, no one is controlling the game, so you can stop and move on your own. Everything is for the purpose of cutting off the king's head."

Once the battle begins, it will not stop until a victor is determined.

After speaking, she casually tossed down a twelve-sided die, glanced at it, and said, "Your luck is a bit bad. The die is even. Mortals start on the human side."

In the ink-wash landscape, a fine drizzle falls continuously, like broken ink lines, pattering down.

As Murong Qiudi finished speaking, a sudden neighing arose from the opposite side. The scholar, who had been waiting impatiently, spurred his celestial horse and leaped three feet to the side, stomping forward and splashing countless water droplets. At the same time, the burly man standing in front with a knife also stepped forward, walked to the edge of the Mo River, stared intently at the opposite bank, wiped his knife, and prepared to drink.

Seeing this, Pei Yu naturally could not bear it. She pulled on the reins with her right hand, and the purple-gold bracelet on her wrist made a light sound. The heavenly horse raised its hooves and rose up, shifting left and right, stepping six feet diagonally, and landed straight on the shore, where it stood opposite the big man with the knife.

The burly man with the knife was the only one who could advance. Pei Yu rode his horse at the setting sun. The two were facing each other, but they were actually unable to fight. However, being able to look down at the person who had provoked him from such a high position made Pei Yu's anger subside by a little.

She glanced at the man with a cold smile, then looked at the pedantic scholar on the other side, but did not make any rash moves.

In this game of chess, everyone only needs to follow the rules of the pieces' movement, but how many moves to make and how to make them is entirely up to them. If she rashly crosses the river, then the others will surely surround and attack her, and she can only fly diagonally to dodge, wouldn't that put her in a predicament?

Given the unclear situation, Pei Yu would never do anything that would be a losing proposition!

The burly man with the knife looked impatient, stood up, flicked the ink from his hand, leaped across the river, and stared at the rogue cultivator who was also a foot soldier.

The rogue cultivator cried out in alarm, but he could not retreat. He could only draw his sword to fight. His sword flashed, but was blocked by the broadsword in the big man's hand. He laughed wildly, and the "Blooming Flowers" scroll opened in front of him. A gust of spring peach blossoms blew by, and a yellow talisman appeared between his fingers.

The talisman shone with spiritual light, leaving the rogue cultivator with no way to avoid it. He was frozen in place by the talisman, and the burly man raised his broadsword, reflecting the rogue cultivator's feigned composure.

"This is just a trial, do you really intend to kill someone?!"

The burly man burst into laughter upon hearing this, his dark face filled with sarcasm. He pointed his knife at Murong Qiudi, who stood tall among the bamboo groves: "Why don't you ask that official what I did before? A top-ranking prisoner with numerous murders on my record, am I afraid of killing?!"

"If we defeat you and win the Flower Order, we will still have the opportunity to meet the Sage. At that time, I will be reborn and become a true immortal!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Feiran looked at the list of beauties in front of him and was slightly moved. No wonder they also had a list of beauties. But what was the sage's intention?

As she pondered, the burly man's broadsword fell. Lin Feiran focused her mind and charged forward with her greatsword, first vertical and then horizontal, advancing unimpeded in her baggage wagon form, and instantly reaching the burly man's side.

As the greatsword was about to strike, it rang out and blocked the gleaming broadsword. Both were too fast and too heavy, and when their blades met, they sparked a shower of sparks.

For a time, the three stood in a stalemate.

The cold-faced woman on the opposite side also strode out, crossing the river and standing beside Lin Feiran. With a single kick, her slightly slender figure kicked up the giant sword, creating a gust of wind, and then slashed down.

Lin Feiran gripped the sword hilt with both hands and had no choice but to turn around to meet the swift sword strike. A loud boom resounded, and waves surged from the side.

As the two men were arguing, the burly man chuckled and sized up Lin Feiran: "I hate people like you the most in my life. Don't you know your place? How many people can you actually help?"

After saying that, he slashed at the rogue cultivator with his broadsword again, but the next moment, the long blade was blocked again, and sparks flew everywhere.

He turned his head and his pupils contracted slightly. It was another Lin Feiran carrying a giant sword!

"You're going to play two games by yourself? That's strange. Well, I'll play with you then!"

Splitting into two opposing sides, she faced off against a burly, heavy man with a knife, and against a woman with a lithe figure yet possessing a unique, heavy, and skillful strength. With different opponents, the methods of response naturally differed as well. This meant that she had to execute two completely different sword stances in an instant, and she managed to take on both!

For a moment, everyone's breath hitched, Shen Qi stared blankly, and even Murong Qiudi stared intently, her eyes fixed on him.

The light sword is skillful, while the heavy sword is heavy and sharp. In Lin Feiran's view, the only difference is the momentum. The giant sword, as tall as a person, dances in her hands like a sharp blade and an iron shield. The unyielding spirit within it is something that a broadsword cannot block.

With a clang, the blade in the burly man's hand shattered into two pieces, which fell into the Ink River and disappeared.

Lin Feiran turned around and sheathed his sword, but did not let his guard down, only pondering in his heart.

To capture the king, one must cross the river. Currently, only she, Pei Yu, and these three rogue cultivators can cross the river. Meanwhile, the people on the other side possess the "Compendium of Beauties." To win, one must find a way to wear down their flower-related skills.

However, unable to use any special techniques at this moment, how can he possibly win with only a mortal body?

The burly man threw down his broken sword, spat, and glared at Lin Feiran. Though hesitant, he still called out to open the book and drew a vibrant camellia from the Book of Flowers.

"No wonder you dared to take the supply wagon; you must have some skill. If we leave you in the back row, you'll be a menace. We should take this opportunity to capture you!"

He tossed the camellia high into the air, drawing the most exquisite stroke in the black and white ink painting. Suddenly, the camellia half-turned, transforming from one branch into five, and fell from the sky, encircling the burly man, Lin Feiran, and the rogue cultivator.

The camellia took root and sprouted, with rays of spiritual light flying out from its core, stretching into lines, extremely strong and resilient. It barely grazed the surface of the giant sword, leaving a deep engraving on the blade. Lin Feiran glanced at it, his eyelids twitching wildly. He immediately dodged and tore off the yellow talisman from the rogue cultivator's forehead in the process.

The two dodged left and right, only able to defend themselves with their swords, but the scratches on them were getting deeper and deeper, and they seemed to be about to break. When they were forced to the edge, the spiritual light in the formation gradually intertwined and slowly came, as if it was going to form a dense net to surround the two of them and cut them in half!

"You should just hide! If you retreat to the border, you'll only be cut in two by the spirit threads behind you!"

The big man sneered, but he was even more unwilling in his heart. He was afraid that he would never be able to experience such a feeling of life and death again after leaving Chuncheng. He was determined to win, ask the sage for a spiritual vein, and embark on the path of cultivation!

With a loud crash, the giant sword in Lin Feiran's hand finally broke, unable to cut through the spiritual threads any longer. The rogue cultivator beside him was already drenched in sweat and couldn't help but say, "I came here to participate in the Flying Flower Festival, thinking that I could stop after a few matches. Who knew that I would have to risk my life and death? If you had told me earlier, I definitely wouldn't have come to this Flying Flower Festival!"

Lin Feiran suppressed his emotions, picked up the broken sword, and quickly said, "There's no point in saying more. This spiritual thread is not unbreakable. I will cut a path for you when the time comes. You go first."

The rogue cultivator was taken aback, then glared and said, "What about you? We'll leave together!"

"Why do you make it sound like a life-or-death separation..." Lin Feiran looked at him strangely, "This is just a clone of mine, it's gone if it's gone, but you only have one life, once you die, it's really gone."

"Oh, oh!" The rogue cultivator nodded, expressing his gratitude, "I am a servant of the Lu family in Dongyu Prefecture. I will never forget the great kindness you have shown me today, Fellow Daoist Wen!"

The two men didn't speak loudly, but the burly man still noticed something amiss. He immediately drew his dagger, struck forward, and forcefully separated the two: "Trying to escape? No way! Just wait to die in this Immortal Killing Formation!"

As the spiritual line drew near, a life-or-death moment loomed. The others, bound by the rules, were unable to move. Just as Lin Feiran, the "diviner," was about to make a move, a figure rushed forward even faster.

Bu Xiang could only fly diagonally six feet, moving in a zigzag pattern. The figure was like a broken ink line, taking two diagonal steps to reach the outside of the Immortal Killing Formation. He slashed out with his ink sword, severing most of the spiritual lines, and stepped halfway in, grabbing Lin Feiran's wrist and bringing her out of the formation.

The moment he stepped into the formation, the spiritual threads overflowed, leaving him nowhere to escape. Two beams of spiritual light crossed like scissors, severing the head of the rogue cultivator. Like a camellia, it always falls off its head when it withers.

Lin Feiran's pupils contracted sharply as he watched the head roll into the river and disappear. The remaining body, as if still unaware, fell to the riverbank. What gushed from its neck was not blood, but thick ink, gushing out and merging into the ink river, becoming one with it.

The surroundings fell silent, with only the rustling of the ink bamboo. Murong Qiudi, perched on the bamboo, gazed at it silently. This was her reason for choosing to be included in the painting; red was always too glaring.

In her moment of blankness, she felt a sudden, cool warmth brush against her wrist. She turned to look and saw that Wei Changzai's robes were torn, with cracks on his arms and back, from which a faint ink color seeped, slid down, and finally dripped onto her wrist.

That was his blood.

Wei Changzai seemed oblivious, his dark eyes gazing at her calmly without any emotion. But no one knew what lay hidden beneath the calm surface. He simply watched, then raised his hand to wipe the cut on his chin. As soon as his thin lips parted, she withdrew her hand.

He paused, his eyelashes lowered, and the warmth in his palm vanished, leaving only the icy chill of his once-hot blood congealing.

Lin Feiran turned around and looked at the bamboo grove. Murong Qiudi was standing on the bamboo, her body swaying up and down with the bamboo branches, her expression as usual.

...

At this moment, not only were those inside the ink painting shocked, but those outside were also in an uproar.

The elders and disciples of each sect sat on the viewing platform, their eyes filled with shock, but because of the presence of the sage, they dared not speak loudly and could only whisper among themselves.

In the past, whether it was the Flying Flower Festival or the Pilgrimage Ceremony, they were all just exchanges and competitions, stopping short of a point. There had never been anything so explicit and bloody.

On the viewing platform to the east, an old man rose with a cane in his hand, his eyes filled with pity. He bowed to the holy figures to the north and said, “I am Lu An of the Lu family of Dongyu Prefecture. The young man who just passed away was my disciple. He should not have died like this. May I ask you holy figures, why is the Flying Flower Festival being held in this way?”

The hall remained silent for a long while. Before the sage could answer, someone spoke first: "Within the secret realm, life and death are determined by fate. It's just that your disciples are unlucky."

These words immediately caused a great uproar in the hall.

"Oh no! If that's really the case, my junior brother is in big trouble! I told him not to be greedy!"

"How can you expect people to kill each other? What kind of saint is that?"

“Spiritual treasures are rare, and we should have had a competition like this long ago. If we could win them by simply comparing swords, what would be the point of cultivating the Dao? We might as well just play house.”

During the argument, one of the Holy Spirits raised his hand, and everyone immediately fell silent, not uttering another word.

The next moment, an ancient and distant voice rang out: "In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken. The Flying Flower Gathering has already begun, and there is no point in arguing any further. However, this was not our original intention; otherwise, we would not have prohibited cultivators from killing each other."

The Holy Spirit lowered his gaze, carefully scanning the expression of everyone present, seemingly lost in thought.

On the west side, a person suddenly spoke up and asked, "May I ask the sage, is what the person in the mirror said true? He is a mortal who will ask you all to help him cultivate the Tao. Is there really a way to open his spiritual meridians?"

Everyone turned to look, and the person who spoke was none other than Ding Yi, the Star Lord of the Canxing Domain.

After asking this question, he simply looked at the Holy Spirits, his eyes clear, seemingly lost in thought.

One of the Holy Spirits looked at him and said, “Are you Ding Yi? Why do you ask this?”

Ding Yi stood up and bowed: "I was just curious. If such a method really existed, all the mortals in the world would have a tremendous opportunity to cultivate the Dao, just like the demon race."

Xun Feifei and the other demons who were called out sat on the south side. They remained silent upon hearing this, but glanced at them and then turned their gaze to Lin Feiran in the mirror.

The Holy Spirit neither confirmed nor denied it, only saying, "The Tao is mysterious and profound; how can there be anything absolute in the world? We dare not speak presumptuously, but we certainly cannot do it at present."

Ding Yi remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Why did you all personally participate in this Flying Flower Gathering? What is meant by 'extraordinary event'?"

The Holy Spirit remained silent, and those in the temple were not concerned with the matter; they were only concerned with the lives and deaths of the disciples within the Flying Flower Society.

"May I ask Your Majesty, the purpose of this Flying Flower Gathering is to collect all twelve Flower Orders. But what if there are any disputes or killings along the way? Is the prohibition against killing truly effective?"

The Holy Spirit did not answer, but a disciple in yellow robes stood up and explained: "Of course, there is more than just an empty commandment. The Holy Spirits have previously selected four priests who are on the Heavenly Pillar. You have seen them before and should recognize them. If anyone tries to intercept or kill them, they will notice and punish them."

...

"Punishment?" Without even turning his head, Ru Xian asked, "Punishment for what?"

Xie Kanhua, holding his pipa, remained silent. Hanshan Jun, standing beside him, took out a booklet, made a few marks, and said, "Before leaving Tianzhu, you killed several cultivators. Is that true? Wenran's contracted demon."

The two of them looked up together.

In the sky, the ever-shining moon hangs high, its clear light spilling down and gently covering the man's shoulders. He sits on the broken wall beside the Heavenly Pillar, gazing only at the moon, like a mermaid waiting for the sunrise in the sea, exuding a unique tranquility.

"I was the one who did it." After a moment, he glanced at the two of them, his expression calm. "I didn't originally plan to come out, but the smell there was so strange that I couldn't stand it, so I came here anyway."

Xie Kanhua looked around but didn't see Lin Feiran. Suddenly, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Of course, we'll wait for her."