Song of Adolescence

Chapter 405 Battlefield of Carnage

"This is all under Heaven."

"If all under Heaven was a chessboard, you and I are all chess pieces."

The man in black appeared again and pulled Xiao Se aside. He raised a hand to point at the vast battlefield. "Look at this battlefield. This game of chess has nearly reached its end. The battle was fierce and although there’s a winner, there are very few survivors."

"Why did you bring me here? How do I get out?" Xiao Se asked through gritted teeth.

"At that time, the Great Qin was already an arrow at the end of its flight. If they had the patience to endure another year or two at most, Heavenly Revelations City would eventually have belonged to Beili. But why did Xiao Yi have to send his troops to attack and conquer the city by force?" The black-robed man did not answer Xiao Se but asked his own question instead.

"History books recorded that the Great Qin’s ruler was a cruel and brutal man. Even though he was left only with Heavenly Revelations City, he did not stop his atrocities. Hundreds of thousands of citizens in Heavenly Revelations City lived in violence. Xiao Yi couldn't bear it, nor did he want to see all under Heaven unified bar one city, so he sent his troops to attack," Xiao Se replied.

"Tianwu Emperor Xiao Yi was insignificant when he started, but he rose up through turbulent times and conquered the world. He brought with him the group of companions that had followed him since childhood. Do you know why Xiao Yi went to war?" The black-robed man asked.

"My ancestor, Xiao Yi, originally wanted to be a commander of soldiers in Liuxia City, but later, Liuxia City was invaded by bandits. Xiao Yi took his spear and single-handedly took the head of the bandit leader in the midst of hundreds of invaders. At the same time, the city’s officials had fled the city overnight. Xiao Yi thought about this for a long time, before he took over the city and made a vow to save all under Heaven," Xiao Se replied.

"Hahahaha. That's right. That's right. This paragraph was written by me." The black-robed man laughed. "I didn't expect our descendants would be able to memorise it so well."

"You wrote it? Who are you?" Xiao Se was shocked.

The history books of the first reign of Beili could only have been written by one person.

One of the Five Pillars of State, the Grand Mentor who together with the Grand Preceptor Dong Li, were appointed the Three Preceptors, Xie Zhize. He was a consummate noble son born from turbulent times. In stories told by storytellers on the streets, he was a character who could summon thunder and bring rain with a wave of his hand, and was familiar with the Daoist Canon. With his eyes closed, his spirit could wander tens of thousands of miles and in his dreams, he could ascend to the Ninth Heaven to play chess with immortals.

Xie Zhize disappeared after the death of Tianwu Emperor. Legends said that he went wandering around the world, that he was adept at cultivating Daoism and eventually ascended by riding a crane. But, all of these were legends. If he were still alive, he would be hundreds of years old.

"Ridiculous!" Xiao Se said angrily.

"Indeed, it’s ridiculous. Within the First Tower Under Heaven, everything is ridiculous." The black-robed man took off his hat, but before Xiao Se could see his face, he instantly turned into smoke.

"What's going on?" Xiao Se was puzzled.

"I’m here, young master." The figure of the black-robed man appeared again. Xiao Se whirled around and saw that among the seventeen cavalrymen who rode behind Xiao Yi, one was a young man who turned to look at him. The young man’s hair was loose behind his back while his armour had been shattered to pieces.

"Xie… Xie Zhize." Xiao Se was shocked. History recorded that Xie Zhize was arrogant and uninhibited by nature. He did not like to tie his hair and indeed, appeared similar to the person before him.

"Come. Take a look at the true battlefield." Xie Zhized drew his long sabre at his waist. "Take a look at the most terrifying battlefield of carnage in a hundred years! Kill!"

Xiao Yi raised his sword and charged towards the gates of Heavenly Revelations City.

Seventeen heavy-armoured cavalrymen, who would later be known as the Five Pillars of State and Twelve Generals, followed him on their horses. They showed no hesitation whatsoever and only Xie Zhize looked back and glanced at Xiao Se. "Look up at the sky."

Xiao Se raised his head, stunned by what he saw. The sun, the moon and the stars were revolving at an incredible speed, as if the ages had passed in an instant. He lowered his head again and the battlefield had vanished. All the corpses had also disappeared and the plains that had been razed to the ground had been reborn. A young man with loose hair stood in the field of grass as high as his knees and raised a hand to tease a butterfly fluttering in front of him. He spoke with a faint voice, "The world changes with the passing of time, but the one constant is war. The one constant is also this moment of perfection. What did you see on this battlefield?"

Xiao Se only felt as if he had entered a dream. In this dream, everything seemed ridiculous yet real, chaotic and insane. Only the man with the loose hair seemed to be in charge of this dream. He knew everything and everything was under his control.

Kill him. This idea instantly appeared in Xiao Se’s mind. He leaned back slightly and pressed down his Wuji staff. He was not interested in looking into what just happened. The person in front of him was too bizarre and he felt he had to put an end to this immediately.

"As expected of someone with Xiao Yi's blood. Your decisiveness to kill is the same as his." The man with loose hair waved his hand, and the scene disappeared again. They finally returned to the First Tower Under Heaven and the man was once again dressed in a black robe with his face hidden.

Xiao Se scoffed coldly. "Are you really Xie Zhize?"

"I used to be Xie Zhize." The black-robed man chuckled. "Don't you want to go to the fourth floor? You must pass my test to be qualified to go to the fourth floor. Once you pass the fourth floor, you will become an ultimate expert and none of your enemies will be a match for you."

"If I kill you, I can go to the fourth floor," Xiao Se remarked seriously.

"Hahaha." The black-robed man laughed wildly. "Kill me, then. That’s something I really look forward to. Unfortunately, no one can kill me. Even I can’t kill myself!"

Xiao Se sighed, lowered his staff and shook his head. "Then tell me, what do I have to do?"

A moment ago, he was a fierce and vicious ghost, but now, he suddenly assumed the appearance of a rogue.

The black-robed man smiled again. "Okay, very good. It feels as if I’m seeing His Majesty the Emperor again. Your domineering aura resembles his. Your roguishness is also no less than his."

"Just what on earth do you want from me? Have you been alone here for so long without anyone to talk to? Why are you talking so much?" Xiao Se asked helplessly.

The black-robed man smiled and said, "If you want to challenge this tower, all you need to do is answer my question."

"What's the question?" Xiao Se asked.

"Why… are you fighting?" The black-robed man said solemnly.

Xiao Se was taken aback for a moment. "Obviously… I'm fighting for myself."

The black-robed man stopped short, then he scowled angrily. "Your ancestor, Xiao Yi, was insignificant when he started out, but he fought on behalf of all under Heaven. Finally, he saved the world from turbulent times and achieved an unprecedented feat. As his descendant, you can only say, 'I’m fighting for myself'? To think I approved of you who shared the same bloodline as Tianwu Emperor. How preposterous."

"So what we’re doing now is debating? If I win, you’ll let me go to the next floor?" Xiao Se frowned.

The black-robed man’s words choked in his throat and he did not answer.

"Once I defeat you in this debate, I can go up. I just don’t understand what purpose this serves. How will this help me enter the Spirit Wandering Profound Realm. Therefore, I don't want to tell you," Xiao Se said coldly .