I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon-Chapter 947 - 353: The Empress Personally Acts as a Bodyguard?! Fortune-Telling Master Chen Mo! (Part 2)
Standing before the Observatory gates, the vermilion doors were tightly shut, adorned with crisscrossing gold nails, and two fearsome beast heads clamped around copper rings.
Just as he was about to knock, the doors opened by themselves, and an aged voice echoed in his ear:
"Come in, to the thirty-third floor."
"Yes."
Chen Mo responded, lifting his leg to step inside.
Once within, he could truly sense the enormity of the building.
The entire structure was built from white Xuangang Rock, tiered and staggered, reaching into the clouds, its polished surface reflecting light, subtly showing cloud patterns that rippled like floating shadows, quite mystical indeed.
However, as he glanced around, he saw no stairs, only a flat stone platform.
Standing on the platform, with a slight tremor, a round column rose in front of him. On it, there was a groove that seemed to match the size of a Token.
Chen Mo placed the Token into the groove. A sound of "ka-cha" indicated it was securely fitted, and then, densely packed small characters surfaced, forming a circle around the Token, numbering from "one" to "forty," presumably representing the floors.
"This strange sense of deja vu..."
He tentatively twisted the Token, the numbers lighting up in sequence, finally stopping at "thirty-three."
As soon as he released his hand, a strong sense of weightlessness struck him suddenly, the platform rising rapidly, with the surroundings stretching into blurred lines, reaching above the clouds almost in an instant!
"Goodness, is this really an otherworldly version of an elevator?"
Chen Mo’s expression was full of amazement.
One couldn’t help but admire the Artifact Master’s creativity, achieving such astonishing effects using only Arrays and Mechanical Techniques.
Stepping off the stone platform, he found himself in a narrow corridor, which led to its end and suddenly opened up before him—
A vast open-air plaza lay there, as flat as a whetstone, like a high-altitude terrace, equipped with an array of stargazing instruments: star charts, sundials, and armillary spheres...
Several Spirit Platform Lang in official robes stood at the instruments, observing intently and occasionally jotting down notes.
Even as Chen Mo passed by, they remained completely unaware.
At the end of the plaza stood an octagonal pavilion, made of black ebony, with copper bells hanging from the eaves, ringing crisply as the breeze blew through.
Within the pavilion, two figures sat across from each other, the sound of placing chess pieces continuous.
One was an old man with the demeanor of an immortal—none other than Lord Supervisor Qi Chengze of the Astronomical Observatory.
Sitting across from him was a woman in red, her skirt embroidered with a phoenix greeting the morning sun in gold thread; her features were sharp and her gaze piercing, as dazzling as the blazing sun.
"Chu Yanli?!"
Chen Mo was taken aback, not expecting to encounter her here.
"Not playing anymore, it’s no fun." Chu Yanli tossed the pieces into the chess box angrily, saying, "You even figured out my next move in advance; isn’t that cheating?"
"This old minister did not use any Divine Skills, it’s just that Your Highness’s mind isn’t calm. Once your thoughts are unsettled, it’s easy to make mistakes."
Qi Chengze stroked his beard, shaking his head and saying, "I remember when you, Your Highness, were still young and would come to challenge me to chess, claiming you would someday become a chess master. It seems you still have a long way to go."
"Do old people always like to lecture?" Chu Yanli snorted coldly, saying, "In terms of chess skills, I’m indeed not as good as you. But when it comes to killing, I’m an expert. As long as I kill all the chess players under heaven, won’t I be the number one in Great Yuan?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
"..."
Qi Chengze’s eyelid twitched.
Listen to yourself; are these even human words?
It’s just like that boy who drilled through the chessboard, not playing by the rules, except Chen Mo scorns the rules, while the Princess’s killing intent is clearly much heavier.
At this moment, Chu Yanli noticed something, turned her head, and froze.
"Chen Mo? What brings you here?"
"This official greets the Princess, and greets Lord Supervisor."
Chen Mo approached and bowed in respect.
Chu Yanli gazed at him, her eyes flickering.
Having not seen him for several days, his presence seemed more imposing, and even the Heavenly Decree Seal within her pulsed with waves, as if sensing that overwhelming pressure.
Could it be that this man had another mystical experience recently?
Qi Chengze spoke up, "Does Commander Chen have business with this old man?"
"I’ve just encountered some issues in my practice lately and wish to consult with Lord Supervisor." Chen Mo glanced at Chu Yanli and said, "I didn’t expect the Princess to be here too. I dare not disturb your enjoyment and will come to visit another day."
With that, he prepared to take his leave.
Unexpectedly, Chu Yanli reached out, pulling him to her side with a smile, "You’re not disturbing us. I was just bored and wanted to take a stroll. You two talk, and pretend I’m not here."
Seeing the two of them arm in arm, looking so close, a hint of surprise crossed Qi Chengze’s eyes, which he quickly retracted, pretending he saw nothing.
Chu Yanli was unconcerned with others’ opinions and asked, "But since you’re not practicing divination, why seek his advice?"
Finding it rather complicated, Chen Mo did not answer immediately.
"Ahem, ahem." Qi Chengze cleared his throat, voluntarily explaining, "Mr. Chen has achieved Heavenly Merit and is a hero of Great Yuan. Out of respect, I gifted him the ’True Exegesis of the World’ as a token of goodwill."
"So that’s how it is."
Chu Yanli was suddenly enlightened.
After all, it’s the Qi Family’s secret method; he’s free to give it to whomever he chooses.
However, she keenly noticed that Qi Chengze used the word "gift" instead of "teach," and the two didn’t refer to each other in a mentor-student manner. It seemed he had merely provided the written work without actually instructing him.
Divination is inherently obscure and difficult to comprehend, not to mention Chen Mo is an outsider with no foundational knowledge at all. Jumping into such an esoteric practice might be no different from trying to read celestial texts.
