What!

How could this happen!

This... what kind of Demon Beast is this elder!

...

Upon hearing the elder’s words, Fang Yan and the three were instantly stunned. No one expected the elder to say such a thing. In an instant, the three were filled with fear toward the elder, thinking about the degree of terror his strength would be to command Demon Venerable Realm Demon Beasts to attack them. Even Fang Yan, at this moment, couldn’t speak. The few Demon Venerable Realm Demon Beasts almost took their lives. If they were to fight this elder, they would have no chance of winning....

And the elder watched Fang Yan and the others, standing there smiling serenely, his eyes were constantly scrutinizing them, becoming more satisfied the more he looked, even nodding from time to time, making Fang Yan and the others feel somewhat uneasy.

Finally, Fang Yan couldn’t hold it any longer and asked the elder, "Senior, what brings you to find us this time?"

"Nothing in particular, I was just bored and saw you humans venture into the Endless Sea, thought you were interesting and came to take a look, that’s all." As soon as he finished speaking, the elder looked at Fang Yan with a smile and said, "But if you want to spar with me, I would be more than happy."

Upon hearing this, cold sweat immediately broke out on Fang Yan’s forehead. The ocean beasts are much stronger than those on land. He realized only upon coming here that the black seawater was rich in Spiritual Energy. It’s not that these beasts can’t leave the Endless Sea, they simply don’t want to. If he were to spar with this elder, he truly had no confidence.

"Senior, it’s not that I don’t want to accompany you, but I honestly don’t have that ability." Looking at the elder and feeling the pressure emanating from him, Fang Yan spoke frankly, really not wanting to fight him.

"Young man, you shouldn’t underestimate yourself, nor need to worry. I see you as a dragon among men, so I came to meet you. To achieve such a realm at your age, you’ve already accomplished what others can’t even imagine." The elder looked at Fang Yan, shook his head, and continued, "And when I mentioned sparring with you, it was just to verify some things. Being a human, you’re the only one who can help me with this."

After hearing the elder’s words, Fang Yan knew he couldn’t refuse anymore, so he nodded and bowed in respect to the elder, saying, "Given that, I’ll graciously accept your offer."

"Great! That’s more like it!"

The elder looked at Fang Yan, nodded with a smile, and happily said. After speaking, the elder waved his hand, and suddenly a huge bubble appeared that enveloped them. Following this, under the stunned gaze of Fang Yan and the others, the bubble began to float upwards from the sea, and before long, the four of them surfaced, and incredibly, they discovered an island!

This island was exceptionally unique, resembling two merged mountains. One side was a smoking volcano, while the other side was strangely covered in ice, like a never-melting glacier. Such dramatically different parts forming an island in the Endless Sea indicated its bizarre nature.

The four of them promptly stepped onto the island. Once they were ashore, Fang Yan and the others were baffled by the scene before them, as they stood before a cluster of bamboo huts, surrounded by a bamboo fence enclosing a field with some Spiritual Medicine growing within. A light medicinal fragrance drifted in the air. More astonishingly, outside the bamboo huts were two iron pots clearly intended for cooking!

It’s known that those at the Human Immortal Realm and above seldom eat, yet here this elder arranged such things. A Demon Beast living like a human elder, how could they not be amazed?

"Are you surprised, thinking that since I am a Demon Beast, I ought to live a life of blood and flesh?" the elder asked the three, smiling.

"No... it’s just, you’re too unexpected for us, the change is somewhat hard to process." Fang Yan answered quickly, looking at the elder. He now felt very curious about this elder, wanting to know who he truly was and how he came to have such human-like thoughts.

"Come on." the elder nodded and then led Fang Yan and the others into the small courtyard, sitting down at a stone table. Suddenly, the elder waved his hand, and two dark figures rushed from afar, standing beside him.

"You two young ones, take them to play. Be careful not to play them to death." Without even looking at the two, the elder indicated to Qin Kun and Wu Shan.

Seeing this, those two dark figures immediately acted. Before Qin Kun and Wu Shan could react, they were taken away, as swiftly as the wind, leaving no time for Qin Kun and Wu Shan to respond.

"Senior, they... those two..." Witnessing this, Fang Yan became anxious, not understanding why the elder did this, worrying for Qin Kun and Wu Shan. He wanted to speak immediately, but before he could, the elder’s voice echoed.

"Don’t worry about them. Haven’t you been enhancing your strength through continuous battles along the way? The two of them are only a step away from the Earth Immortal Realm. My two subordinates know what to do; they will be cautious," the elder said to Fang Yan, gesturing as he spoke.

Hearing the elder’s words, Fang Yan finally understood what he meant and stopped worrying about Qin Kun and Wu Shan. He hesitated for a moment before directly asking, "Senior, I still don’t understand what you are looking for from me. Could you please tell me?"

Fang Yan was indeed confused. The elder had brought him here, and he couldn’t figure out the situation, let alone what kind of encounter the elder mentioned, leaving his heart anxious.

Seeing Fang Yan’s tense demeanor, the elder burst into laughter but did not answer Fang Yan’s question. Instead, he pulled out a chessboard, almost causing Fang Yan’s eyes to pop out. After all, Go is something only found on Earth; it doesn’t exist in the Eternal Joy Immortal Realm. Encountering it here, especially from a Demon Beast of unknown realm, felt like being struck by five thunderbolts!

"Are you curious about why I brought out a chessboard?" the elder asked Fang Yan with a smile. "To tell the truth, I know who you are. You are Lin Feng’s doppelganger, right? You have Lin Feng’s aura; this might fool others but not me."

"How... how did you know..." Fang Yan looked at the elder in disbelief, his mind blank. He never expected that the elder recognized not just that he wasn’t a human from the Eternal Joy Immortal Realm, but also that he was Lin Feng’s doppelganger. This revelation left him unable to process the situation.

"I met Lin Feng’s master once and remembered Lin Feng’s scent. It’s incredibly easy for us Demon Beasts to remember the scent of a human. Do you understand now?" the elder explained to Fang Yan with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan finally understood. It turned out the elder knew Lin Feng’s master; no wonder he was recognized and brought out the chessboard upon meeting him. Knowing this, Fang Yan felt less nervous, realizing the elder bore him no malice.

"Senior, do you want me to play chess with you?" Fang Yan asked with a smile, his lips curling up slightly as he looked at the elder.

"Of course, or did you think the old man was genuinely looking to spar with you?" the elder replied with a laugh, genuinely delighted to finally have a human to play chess with, instead of always playing alone against himself.

Hearing the elder’s response, Fang Yan shook his head with a smile, realizing his misunderstanding. He said nothing more but picked up the black pieces on the board, ready to play since the elder wanted a game.

Seeing Fang Yan pick up the chess pieces, the elder immediately took the white pieces, and they began playing chess together, a smile never leaving his face...

As they exchanged moves, time flew by, and an hour passed in the blink of an eye. Fang Yan and the elder finished their first game, with the elder inevitably losing. Fang Yan’s chess skills, inherited from Lin Feng, were on a completely different level compared to the elder’s self-taught skills, resulting in a crushing defeat for the elder.

"Let’s go again!"

The elder, sparked by Fang Yan’s skill, said enthusiastically and immediately started a second game...

During the second game, the elder improved significantly, yet his chess prowess still paled compared to Fang Yan’s. This time it lasted for an hour and a half, and the elder lost once more, again quite severely.

"Let’s go again!"

Despite losing, the elder’s fighting spirit was unshaken, eager to challenge Fang Yan once more, hoping he could eventually win just one game!

...

In the blink of an eye, several days passed by, and even Fang Yan was exhausted from playing so much chess. Yet, the elder continued undeterred, still keen on playing with Fang Yan, leaving Fang Yan almost speechless. Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore; if he continued playing, he feared he’d go insane.

"Senior, can you spare me? I’m truly exhausted from playing this much chess," Fang Yan said to the elder, utterly helpless. Not only had he not enhanced his abilities in these few days, but he was also concerned about the status of Qin Kun and Wu Shan, adding to his anxiety.

"Are you getting anxious?" the elder replied with a grin while continuing to play. However, after speaking, seeing that there was no hope in winning this game either, he abandoned the pieces, stood up, and said to Fang Yan with a smile, "Time flies, and it’s already been several days. You must be eager to return to cultivation, yes? Very well, let me take you to see those two youngsters first."

After speaking, without waiting for Fang Yan’s agreement, he turned and led Fang Yan out of the small yard, heading toward the back. After walking for more than a dozen miles, they arrived at a valley, where they could hear the rumbling sounds and the shouts of humans fighting coming from within the valley, even before entering.