# 1751
Chapter 1751
Chapter 1744: The Price of Victory
"Jialan is not the first sacrifice on this chessboard. Michael, Zuo Qing—they both are! Though Michael's combat prowess could bring great benefit to the current board, after you become a Seraph, your future potential far exceeds His… so Michael must die, and the complete Seraphic Law must fall into your hands.
As for Zuo Qing, his role in this game of chess is negligible. As a gardener, his mission is complete. The sacrifice of this piece can bring us more resources, and give his life the most perfect ending!
It is precisely because of their two sacrifices that we have been able to advance this chess game to this point, isn't it?"
As the Fate Monk's words fell, Lin Qiye's mind was immediately filled with the image of that Six-Winged Seraph who had watched over Earth from the Moon for hundreds of years, and the man who had ignited the Moon… their deaths were actually part of the Fate Monk's plan?
Lin Qiye's chest heaved violently, and a nameless rage burned fiercely within him.
He stared at that face, identical to his own yet devoid of any emotion, and an unprecedented disgust rose in his heart. He clenched his right fist and struck the Fate Monk's face!
The Fate Monk did not dodge. Even as this punch shattered the flesh on his cheek, his eyes remained as calm as still water.
He looked at the furious Lin Qiye before him and spoke indifferently,
"Do you know? Your separation of the [Fruit of Predetermination], which gave rise to my existence, was the most correct decision you made in these two thousand years… You, burdened by emotions, couldn't bear to sacrifice any piece. There was no way you could defeat the Three Pillars of God.
Without me, mankind would have perished at this very moment… Do you believe me or not?"
"So, you made all the plans long ago, just didn't tell me?"
"Our division of labor was determined two thousand years ago. You were responsible for creating the pieces, while I was responsible for moving them… You only asked me to win this game, but never asked what price would need to be paid."
The Fate Monk gazed into Lin Qiye's eyes and slowly said, "If even humanity no longer existed, what would be the point of continuing this chess game… This is what you told me."
Lin Qiye stared at the Fate Monk, opening his mouth to argue, but nothing came out…
"Seven Nights, he's right." Jialan's voice came from the side.
Lin Qiye's body trembled as he turned to look at her. Her eyes were filled with utmost seriousness. "Winning this game is the lifelong wish of us all… Michael, Commander Zuo, even the Marquis, Gongyang Wan—they all gave their lives for this.
I cannot let this chess game,好不容易走到这一步, be completely ruined here because of me."
"No, no… Jialan, you…"
Lin Qiye felt his mind going blank. He was desperately trying to dissuade her when a pair of warm, tender lips pressed against his once more.
Looking at Jialan who had thrown herself into his arms, Lin Qiye's body went rigid as if struck by lightning. A thought surged madly through his mind. He reached out his hands to embrace Jialan, but she lightly stepped back several paces.
"Jialan! Don't do anything foolish, there might still be another way…"
Seeing the resolute gaze in Jialan's eyes, an excruciating pain appeared in Lin Qiye's heart. He knew what Jialan was about to do and immediately tried to stop her.
Two thousand years of waiting… He had finally盼来了 the day when he and Jialan could be together, yet now he had to watch the woman he loved be refined into an elixir. Even if he wore the hardest body in the world, the one closest to eternity, his heart was shattered into pieces.
But before he could make a move, a streak of black light flew from the Fate Monk's sleeve, transforming into a cage that trapped Lin Qiye's body within.
At the same time, countless threads of karma extended from the void, wrapping around the cage's surface, completely severing his connection to the Seraphic fragment.
Lin Qiye's pupils trembled slightly as he猛地 turned to glare at the Fate Monk:
"Fate Monk! What do you think you're doing?!"
"This question should be directed at me." The Fate Monk pressed his palms together. "I cannot let your emotional impulsiveness destroy the future of this game…"
Since the Fate Monk had prepared Jialan as this backup plan, he had naturally calculated for Lin Qiye's reactions. He had been separated from within Lin Qiye's body, possessing all of Lin Qiye's memories. Without needing any calculation at all, he was certain that Lin Qiye would never stand by and let Jialan go to her death.
This cage was precisely what he had prepared for Lin Qiye.
"Do you really think this cage can stop me?!" Lin Qiye pressed both hands against the black cage's surface, and majestic power surged from within him!
"This cage alone, of course, cannot stop you… But what about her?"
Before the Fate Monk finished speaking, a jade-like hand gently pressed against the outer side of the cage. A faint glow adhered to the cage's surface, and no matter how Lin Qiye struggled, he couldn't shake it in the slightest!
[Immortality].
Looking at Jialan, who was right outside the cage, Lin Qiye stood frozen in place.
An iron cage couldn't possibly stop Lin Qiye from saving the woman he loved. But his beloved… could.
Two streams of clear tears slid down from the corners of Jialan's eyes. She looked at the bewildered Lin Qiye and softly said, "Seven Nights, do you know? The past few minutes have already fulfilled all my hopes and wishes from these two thousand years.
Meeting, embracing, kissing, a proposal, and this ring… I was truly so happy. Though we didn't have a wedding ceremony, I should be considered your bride now, right?
胖胖 once told me that after marriage, the groom must obey the bride's words—I say go east, you cannot go west. I disapprove of you going out to fool around, so you must not go.
About going out to fool around and such, I won't stop you from now on,
But this time, just this once… will you please stay here?"
Under Jialan's almost pleading tone, tears uncontrollably gushed from Lin Qiye's eyes. He thrust his palm through the gaps in the cage, trying to grab Jialan's hand, but caught only air.
Jialan wiped away the tear stains with her sleeve, forcing a smile onto her lips. Stepping back, she said:
"My life should have ended over two thousand years ago. It was you who fed me the [Immortal Elixir], allowing me to experience this happiness and love that shouldn't have belonged to me.
Now, it's time for everything to return to its proper course…"
As a streak of light turned and streaked across the sky, Lin Qiye's eyes suddenly widened. He let out a roar and frantically hammered at the cage. The terrifying recoil force quickly turned his fists bloody, yet it couldn't shake the [Immortal] power on the cage in the slightest!
At the same time, above Lin Qiye and the others, Si Xiaonan's figure appeared.
She exchanged a glance with the Fate Monk, then gazed blankly at the anguished, frantic Lin Qiye within the cage. Her lips pressed together, her expression incomprehensibly complex…
"So this is my move on the board…"
Si Xiaonan looked at the white chess piece in her palm, took a deep breath, and then transformed into a streak of light, following closely behind Jialan as they charged toward the Heavenly Court.