Chapter 1 Joe Yule

Joe Yule slowly opened his eyes.

The matter with Lu Xutong was naturally his doing.

Cut the weeds but not the roots, and they will grow again in the spring breeze. Joe Yule knew this principle well.

If he were still the simple and honest young man from Kaiji Star, he might have let Lu Xutong go.

But after experiencing so many things, Joe Yule had already grown up. He understood that people like Lu Xutong were incapable of gratitude.

For this kind of person, the best way is to kill!

"It's a pity... I didn't manage to screw that old man over as well..."

Joe Yule rubbed his chin and muttered with some regret.

To be able to watch his grandson burn to death before his eyes without batting an eye, that old man was a ruthless character.

"Joe Yule, what are you talking about?" Jia Nian, who was beside him, asked with some confusion.

Ever since the guard brought Joe Yule here, he had sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and didn't know what he was fiddling with.

And now he was starting to mutter about screwing over some old man, which left Jia Nian completely baffled.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about something happy." Joe Yule grinned.

Jia Nian frowned, feeling that something was not right, but he didn't continue to press the matter.

"Brother Jia Nian, I felt an instant connection with you. When we were on Tianhe Star, I knew you were someone worth associating with!"

"So I, Joe Yule, won't beat around the bush. The main reason I came to find you this time is to ask if you Huangquan Hirasaka have any ways to replenish life essence?"

Joe Yule blinked and asked with a sincere expression.

"So you really came for this."

Jia Nian revealed an expected smile.

"Follow me, the elders have been waiting for you for a long time."

Jia Nian led Joe Yule to the edge of the Yellow Springs.

Looking at the gloomy and calm Yellow Springs, Joe Yule was a little stunned.

Because the color of the Yellow Springs water looked almost the same as the water of the Acheron River that he had seen in the pseudo-Underworld dungeon before.

They both had an extremely disgusting, thick yellow color, and the surface even looked like it had a layer of oily substance.

"Be careful, if you fall in here, I estimate that no one in the entire Ninth Universe will be able to save you."

Jia Nian reminded him and continued to move forward along the edge of the Yellow Springs.

Joe Yule nodded and didn't speak.

He didn't know why, but the Yellow Springs gave him the same feeling as the Acheron River, chillingly frightening.

What Joe Yule didn't know was that at this moment, beneath the Yellow Springs, the countless chimaera and demons all had expressions of terror on their狰狞 faces.

They were trembling as they looked in the direction where he was...

Under Jia Nian's guidance, Joe Yule climbed the most majestic mountain peak on the edge of the Yellow Springs.

The top of that mountain peak soared straight into the clouds, disappearing into the cloud layer.

Fortunately, both of them were demigod-level experts, and they soared directly into the sky.

To Joe Yule's surprise, the top of the mountain peak was not some majestic and domineering palace, but only a simple-looking thatched cottage.

In front of the thatched cottage was also a seemingly ordinary vegetable garden, and from time to time, a few chickens poked their heads out, looking at Joe Yule, the uninvited guest.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, no one would have believed that in such a cold and eerie environment like Huangquan Hirasaka, there would actually be such a paradise.

After arriving here, Jia Nian's expression was obviously much more solemn. He cupped his fists and said in a loud voice.

"Jia Nian pays respects to the Great Elder. Reporting to the Great Elder, Joe Yule has been brought here!"

"Thank you for your hard work. Go and inform the other elders to come and gather."

Joe Yule had thought that the voice coming from the thatched cottage would be an old and senile one.

But when the person inside spoke, Joe Yule was taken aback.

Because the person speaking sounded like a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl.

To Joe Yule's astonishment, a woman who was only about one and a half meters tall, barely reaching Joe Yule's chest, pushed open the door and walked out of the thatched cottage.

This woman had her hair tied in pigtails and wore a light layer of rouge and powder on her face.

If she were seen outside, no one would believe that this woman was the Great Elder of Huangquan Hirasaka. They would only think of her as a village girl with excellent looks.

"Yes, Great Elder, Jia Nian obeys."

Jia Nian was obviously used to it. He respectfully lowered his head and turned to leave.

"Joe Yule, right? My name is Rui Wei, you can call me Old Rui."

The Great Elder of Huangquan, Rui Wei, smiled and turned her gaze to Joe Yule.

Before Joe Yule could speak, she continued.

"Bai Xinweng has already explained your situation to me. Huangquan Hirasaka does have a way to replenish life essence!"

Rui Wei's words shocked Joe Yule, but he wasn't stupid either. He directly retorted.

"Then I wonder what Old Rui's conditions are?"

"Hehe... it's indeed a pleasure to talk to smart people. As for my conditions, you will naturally know when the other elders arrive."

Two shallow dimples appeared on Rui Wei's face, making her look very cute.

But Joe Yule didn't dare to be careless. He might look old, but he was actually very young.

And Rui Wei, who was in front of him, might look young, but she was probably already seventy or eighty years old.

A teenage girl becoming the Great Elder of Huangquan Hirasaka? He wouldn't believe it even if he was beaten to death.

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.

Then Rui Wei took the initiative to break the deadlock. She took out a Chinese chess set and placed it between her and Joe Yule.

"Little friend Joe Yule, instead of waiting here bored, why not play a game with me? It would also allow me to see what level the chess skills of young people are at these days."

Joe Yule raised his eyebrows. He was naturally familiar with Chinese chess. During Shen Jianshu's special training, he had to not only play Chinese chess himself, but also control the little skeleton to play Chinese chess.

Chinese chess was already something he knew like the back of his hand.

Joe Yule didn't refuse and sat down opposite Rui Wei to play.

In just the first round of exchanges, both Joe Yule and Rui Wei's eyes narrowed.

They both realized that the other's chess skills were clearly not to be trifled with.

Joe Yule couldn't help but become serious. The chess skills of Rui Wei in front of him were only higher than those of Professor Shen, not lower!

Soon, several streams of light converged towards the top of the mountain.

These streams of light landed and transformed into figures, and the gray-robed old man from before was also among them.

After they arrived, they didn't interrupt. Instead, they quietly stood aside and watched Joe Yule and Rui Wei play chess.

A thoughtful look appeared on the faces of several elders.

They felt that Joe Yule had made several wrong moves, but a true gentleman doesn't speak while watching chess, so they didn't dare to speak up.

As time passed, the exchanges on the chessboard became increasingly intense, like a real battlefield, and Joe Yule and Rui Wei were the commanders leading thousands of troops.

And gradually, the situation on the chessboard became clearer and clearer.

The elders of Huangquan Hirasaka shook their heads with some regret, because based on the current situation, Joe Yule was bound to lose.

Rui Wei's furrowed brows finally slowly relaxed. She raised her hand and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

She had originally wanted to use the chess game to give Joe Yule a hard time first, so as to facilitate the subsequent negotiations, but she didn't expect to almost capsize in the gutter.

If she did it again, she wouldn't be confident that she could defeat Joe Yule again, but winning this time was enough!

"Little friend Joe Yule, it seems that I've won." Rui Wei said with a playful smile.

"It's not over yet, how do you know you've won?" Joe Yule's words were filled with unparalleled confidence.

"Hmm?" Rui Wei frowned slightly. "The situation is already so clear, are you still trying to resist stubbornly? Since that's the case, don't blame me for not giving you face."

"Cannon to the center file, checkmate!"

"Guard to the fifth file." Joe Yule didn't panic and extended his fair and slender fingers, using the guard to block his general.

"Chariot to the center file! Checkmate!"

Rui Wei pushed the chariot in her hand to the right, completely sealing Joe Yule's defeat.

A smile appeared on Rui Wei's face, and she shook her head and said to Joe Yule.

"Young people should be brave enough to accept failure. Failure is nothing, take it easy."

The other elders of Huangquan Hirasaka nodded in agreement and cast admiring glances at Joe Yule.

They knew something about Rui Wei's chess skills. To be able to play against Rui Wei to this extent, this Joe Yule was considered promising at a young age.

However, Joe Yule's next sentence made all the goodwill they had just built up disappear.

"Who said I lost?" Joe Yule asked confidently.

Everyone's brows furrowed instantly.

Losing wasn't a big deal, but to shamelessly deny it after losing was a bit annoying.

"Little friend Joe Yule, losing is losing, it's nothing, we didn't make any bets, there's no need to be so petty, right?"

Rui Wei spoke to ease the atmosphere.

Unexpectedly, Joe Yule shook his head and said with a kind smile.

"I'm not kidding, I really didn't lose. My teacher, Shen Jianshu, told me that I have a trump card, a move of God!"

"Everyone, watch closely!"

Under everyone's doubtful gaze, Joe Yule reached out his finger, picked up his general, and directly pressed it onto Rui Wei's commander.

"General to the ninth file!"