Thunder rumbled in the sky above Yangcheng. Massive, ominous thunderclouds covered the entire city.
"You're mad! You're insane!" Danzhu shrieked in horror. "How could you, an Emperor, so readily speak of death? How could you sever the destiny of your own empire? What kind of ruler are you? You are not worthy of the title!"
But Emperor Yu, seated across from him at the Go board, no longer heard his words.
After thirty years of the game, his destiny and lifespan stolen by the Shangjun Go Board, Emperor Yu finally perished.
Even in death, a serene smile remained on his face, a man who had atoned for his mistakes and found peace in his final moments.
"Lost three provinces?" Danzhu sneered.
"It doesn't matter! Nine provinces under Heaven. Six remain. I will seize them all! Every single one!"
He gritted his teeth, enraged by Emperor Yu's final act of defiance. The game should have ended. Emperor Yu had passed away peacefully.
A gentle breeze swept across the board, and his body, as if transformed into sand, dissipated into nothingness.
But then, a sudden change!
A young man, dressed in the five-clawed golden dragon robe, leaped onto the Go board.
"You… Who are you?!" Danzhu yelled in fury.
The young man's arrival had filled the vacancy left by Emperor Yu, allowing the game to continue.
"I am the Xia Emperor, Si Qi," he declared.
Danzhu's face paled. "You are Emperor Yu's son?"
"Indeed."
Danzhu gritted his teeth. He suddenly realized that the Xia Dynasty hadn't perished with Emperor Yu's death. His son had inherited the throne.
"Boy!" Danzhu's voice was laced with disdain.
"Your father spent years diligently studying Go. Even then, he only managed to achieve a draw against me in his final moments! Do you truly believe you are worthy of being my opponent?"
Danzhu didn't even bother to conceal his contempt for Si Qi.
Although Si Qi appeared youthful, he possessed the dignified aura of a born king. He spoke calmly, "I studied Go under my father since childhood. And for the past thirty years, I have observed your game with him."
Danzhu's expression changed. Observed for thirty years? If that were the case, Si Qi's skill might even surpass Emperor Yu's before he had entered the game.
Finally, Danzhu realized that he shouldn't underestimate his new opponent.
Time flew by as the game continued.
Even Fan Li was astonished by Si Qi's talent in Go. A born king, his natural aptitude was exceptional!
The first decade ended. Si Qi had lost only one province: Qing Province. It was a loss, but his opening moves were far more impressive than his father's.
And during the second decade, Si Qi managed to achieve a draw against Danzhu.
"Excellent!" Fan Li couldn't help but praise Si Qi's skill.
"Damn it!!!"
Despite winning a province, Danzhu was anything but pleased. He could sense his own strength waning. He was losing!
Danzhu had always been arrogant, viewing even Emperor Yu with disdain.
Successfully manipulating Emperor Yu with his scheme had inflated his ego to unimaginable heights. But now, he was about to lose to Emperor Yu's son?
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Si Qi suddenly began coughing blood. He was no longer youthful. His appearance had transformed into that of a middle-aged man. He should have looked more mature and experienced. But all that remained was frailty.
"Hah?"
"Hahaha!!!"
Danzhu seemed to understand, and he burst into laughter.
"Cultivation! Your cultivation is far inferior to Emperor Yu's. You're not even qualified to enter this game! With his exceptional strength, Emperor Yu barely managed to endure for thirty years. Twenty years is your limit, boy! You are about to die!"
Si Qi did not retort, but calmly replied, "Continue. I can still endure for two or three years."
"You're courting death!"
Danzhu shouted, but inwardly, he felt delight. Si Qi hadn't learned his father's sacrifice. He hadn't severed the destiny connecting Qing Province to the Xia Dynasty.
Was he, unlike his father, afraid of death?
Fan Li pondered this.
Was Si Qi afraid?
No.
If he were, he wouldn't have entered the game.
Having observed for thirty years, how could he not know the danger?
"I understand!"
A spark of realization lit up Fan Li's eyes. He looked at Si Qi with admiration.
'The student surpasses the master.' Si Qi's skill in Go not only surpassed Emperor Yu's but also Danzhu's!
Si Qi was confident he could defeat Danzhu within three years.
What an extraordinary talent!
Indeed, every generation produced its own heroes.
The scene shifted. Three years passed in an instant.
"Impossible! This is impossible!"
Danzhu stared in disbelief as Qing Province, a territory he had held for thirteen years, was reclaimed by Si Qi.
Three years!
Within a small corner of the Shangjun Go Board, Si Qi had defeated Danzhu, returning Qing Province to the Xia Dynasty.
"Father, I have fulfilled my duty…"
Si Qi had reached the end of his life. He was still handsome, but his face now bore the mark of death.
Fan Li, as an observer, couldn't help but sigh. Si Qi's lifespan had been depleted.
A cold wind swept across the board, and Si Qi swayed unsteadily. He was like a flickering candle flame about to be extinguished.
"Die! Die now! Do you think your dynasty has an heir?!"
Danzhu's mocking words made Si Qi smile.
Why was he smiling?
Both Fan Li and Danzhu pondered the same question.
Whoosh!
A sturdy figure leaped onto the board, supporting the collapsing Si Qi.
Si Qi's smile grew even wider as he recognized the newcomer.
"I leave it to you now."
"Yes."
Their exchange was brief, but it seemed to encompass everything.
Si Qi, with a smile on his face, passed away.
Danzhu glared at the muscular young man who now stood across from him at the Go board.
"Who are you?"
"I am the Xia Emperor, Tai Kang."
Those words, "Xia Emperor," enraged Danzhu.
"Excellent! Come then! Let's see how many more heirs the Xia Dynasty can produce!"
Tai Kang burst into laughter.
"I won't disappoint you!"
He was a bold and boisterous man, a stark contrast to the elegant and refined Si Qi. His style of play reflected his personality. He attacked aggressively, like a general leading his troops into battle. From the moment he placed his first stone upon the board, the atmosphere crackled with tension!
Danzhu, despite his superior skill and his status as the revered Chess Sage, found himself on the defensive.
Could it be that Tai Kang, surpassing even Si Qi, could defeat Danzhu from the very beginning?
Fan Li observed the game for five years. But then he shook his head, dismissing that possibility.
"Aggression cannot be sustained."
As Fan Li had predicted, in the sixth year of the game, Tai Kang's strength waned. Danzhu seized the opportunity and launched a counterattack.
The Xia Dynasty lost its fourth province: Yan Province.
"Alas! What a pity…"
Tai Kang shook his head in regret. His physique was no longer as strong and imposing. He was aging rapidly, even faster than Si Qi.
Both Fan Li and Danzhu could tell that Tai Kang was on the verge of death.
"It's time for you to die," Danzhu said coldly.
"Hah… Cough, cough, cough!"
Tai Kang wanted to laugh, but blood escaped his lips as he coughed.
"I relinquish the throne to Zhong Kang."
"Oh, Heaven, I, Tai Kang, offer myself as a sacrifice to sever the destiny connecting Yan Province to the Xia Dynasty."
Having spoken his final words, he closed his eyes with a smile and collapsed onto the board.
Danzhu was enraged.
He hadn't expected Tai Kang to perform this sacrifice. Even Si Qi hadn't resorted to such a drastic measure.
The Xia Dynasty had lost Yong, Liang, Yu, and Yan provinces. Out of the nine provinces under Heaven, only five remained: Ji, Qing, Xu, Yang, and Jing.
But Danzhu still hadn't gained any territory.
A new figure appeared with a similar appearance to Tai Kang's, but his personality seemed introverted and calm.
"I am the Xia Emperor, Zhong Kang. It is my turn to play against you."
Zhong Kang's style of play mirrored his first impression. He was steady, methodical, meticulous. Every move was carefully considered.
Fifteen years passed.
Zhong Kang died.
The game was a draw. The Xia Dynasty still controlled five provinces.
The new Xia Emperor was named Si Xiang.
Si Xiang's skill in Go was inferior to his predecessors. He lost Xu Province after ten years. He sacrificed himself, severing the province's destiny.
"Humph! Even if all of Emperor Yu's descendants sacrifice themselves, it won't matter! Once the game ends, I can simply conquer the land and establish my own dynasty! Each generation weaker than the last… I wonder how much longer the Xia Dynasty can endure?"
Danzhu muttered to himself darkly.
The new Xia Emperor arrived. Danzhu looked at him and was startled.
"Emperor Yu?! How is this possible?! You sacrificed yourself!"
The man shook his head. "I am Shao Kang, the current Xia Emperor."
"Humph! Shao Kang?"
Danzhu glared at him. So, he simply resembled Emperor Yu. Another short-lived ruler, destined to perish within ten years.
But his thoughts were immediately proven wrong.
The first decade: a draw.
The second decade: another draw.
"How… How is this possible?!" Danzhu roared in frustration.
"In twenty years of playing against the Xia emperors, my skill has grown! It far surpasses what it was during Emperor Yu's reign! And yet, you, a mere youth, have managed to hold me off for twenty years?!"
Shao Kang didn't respond. He simply muttered, "Is a draw… our limit? Or have we, and Danzhu, already reached the pinnacle of Go?"
The scene shifted. Fan Li finally saw the world outside the Yangcheng Palace.
Citizens were migrating. Merchants were fleeing.
The city was filled with silence, the surrounding fields lay barren. The Xia Dynasty's capital was deserted, a ghost town?
No.
Fan Li quickly noticed a small group of people huddled in a corner of the city, far from the palace.
They looked like beggars, their clothes ragged and their faces filthy.
But they weren't begging. They were studying. Day and night, they diligently studied Go.
"They are my descendants," Emperor Yu's voice echoed in Fan Li's mind.
"After I was tricked into the game, my son, Qi, began to devise a countermeasure. After countless calculations and simulations, my descendants realized that Danzhu's scheme was too perfect, almost impossible to defeat.
Once he emerged victorious from the game, he would be invincible! The Xia Dynasty would surely perish, and our lineage would be wiped out!
Fortunately, through their combined efforts, they found a way to break his trap."
"What was it?" Fan Li blurted out.
"A draw."
Emperor Yu's answer was concise.
"Danzhu controls the Shangjun Go Board. He possesses the advantage of time, location, and people. For my descendants to defeat him, even with occasional geniuses among them, each generation would be weaker than the last. Therefore, instead of seeking victory, they decided to aim for a draw."
Fan Li understood. The Xia Dynasty hoped to use the draw to trap Danzhu within his own game, a clever delaying tactic.
But…
He looked at the beggar-like descendants of Emperor Yu huddled in the city's corner.
The Xia Dynasty was clearly declining.
The entire imperial clan, their energy and wisdom dedicated to combating a single opponent, how could they possibly maintain the nation's prosperity?
What was the state of the Xia Dynasty outside the capital?
Soon, Shao Kang died.
He hadn't lost any territory. Out of the nine provinces under Heaven, five still belonged to the Xia Dynasty.
His son, Si Zhu, inherited the throne.
After Si Zhu, there was Si Huai, then Si Mang, Si Xie, Si Bujiang, Si Jiong, Si Jin, Si Kongjia, Si Gao, and Si Fa.
Each Xia Emperor entered the game without hesitation. They sacrificed their lifespans, all achieving draws against Danzhu!
These Xia Emperors weren't all geniuses. But with the support of the entire imperial clan, they had reached the pinnacle of Go.
Go, after all, was a minor art, not the true Dao.
Although its techniques were cunning, they couldn't last forever.
"Sixteen generations of Xia emperors had their lives consumed by a single opponent. This… This is not a solution."
Fan Li watched, feeling regret. And it seemed the seventeenth Emperor of Xia, Si Jie, agreed with him.
The scene shifted.
Si Jie, having been formally appointed as Crown Prince, made a surprising declaration after the sixteenth Xia Emperor, Si Fa, was about to enter the Go board world.
"Father, I will wage war while you play against Danzhu. First, I will reclaim Yong, Liang, Yu, and Yan provinces! Once the nine provinces are united, the Xia Dynasty's destiny will surge! When I inherit the throne and challenge Danzhu, perhaps… I can finally defeat him."
Si Jie was intelligent. His words persuaded the Xia imperial clan. They had seen sixteen generations of emperors fail to defeat Danzhu. Continuing this stalemate wasn't a viable solution.
What was too soft couldn't be defended for long. Long-term defense was a guaranteed defeat.
Si Jie led his army into battle. But the outcome was unfavorable.
During the decades of stalemate between the Xia emperors and Danzhu, the four lost provinces – Yong, Liang, Yu, and Yan – had acquired new masters.
The Shang clan.
The current Shang clan leader was named Cheng Tang.
Si Jie's campaign to reclaim the four provinces was a declaration of war against Cheng Tang.
The two armies clashed at the Battle of Mingtiao.
Si Jie was defeated.
Cheng Tang, victorious, didn't kill Si Jie. After all, the sixteen Xia emperors had sacrificed themselves, trapping Danzhu within the Go board.
Their sacrifice had benefited the Shang clan as well.
"The Xia Dynasty's destiny is trapped within the game. It cannot be saved. Please, Crown Prince, reconsider your actions."
The contents of their conversation were unknown to the world. Only Cheng Tang and Si Jie knew what they had discussed.
But Si Jie remained with the Shang clan for several years. Then, news arrived from Yangcheng. The sixteenth Xia Emperor, Si Fa, was on the verge of death. Si Jie had to return to the capital and prepare to enter the Go board.
As Si Jie departed for Yangcheng, a momentous event occurred.
The nine provinces under Heaven.
Ji, Yan, Qing, Xu, Yang, Jing, Yu, Liang, and Yong.
All belonged to the Shang!
Cheng Tang had established the Shang Dynasty, unifying the land.
But the Xia Dynasty still existed. Those Xia citizens who refused to submit to the Shang, accompanied Crown Prince Si Jie, migrating south. Finally, they arrived at a place called Nanchao.
Nanchao resembled a nest, but it was also a prison.
"Cheng Tang and Si Jie searched for years. Finally, they found Nanchao."
"Nanchao was the last vestige of the Xia Dynasty."
"It was also the eternal prison Si Jie had created for Danzhu."