Chapter 983: Summoning Generals

Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu turned their heads to look at the light gate.

Inside the light gate was a deep black, swirling like an endless vortex, with no discernible destination.

After a moment of hesitation, Qi Xia took the first step and walked towards the light gate.

Without pausing, he stepped directly into it. The light gate seemed to be a living entity with a soft body, expanding slightly as Qi Xia entered, as if actively swallowing him.

Chu Tianqiu followed closely behind, disappearing into the darkness at the same moment.

Di Long watched the two enter one after the other, then stepped into the gate himself.

Before Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiujin could ask any questions, the human-sized light gate suddenly vanished without a trace.

"Damn..." Chen Junnan cursed under his breath, glancing at Qiao Jiujin and Yan Zhichun. The three of them were left completely at a loss for what to do next.

Di Long had told everyone except the two commanders to wait here... but how long were they supposed to wait?

This was supposed to be a "team" confrontation, yet the entire team couldn't enter together.

...

Qi Xia opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. It was an incredibly strange, vast space.

All around was utter darkness, empty and boundless.

Above Qi Xia, Chu Tianqiu, and Di Long, beams of light shone down like spotlights, making them the focal points in this void.

The three stood in a triangular formation, and behind Di Long was a peculiar door.

This door stood alone, with no building or wall behind it, just isolated in the space.

"Gentlemen," Di Long began, "welcome to 'Cangjie Qi'. I am the referee for this game, Di Long."

The two turned their heads to scan the area, saying nothing.

"Now, for the first stage of the game: 'Dian Jiang'."

With that, she waved her hand lightly, and rough, black electronic screens rose from the ground in front of each of them, like blackboards.

Qi Xia reached out and touched the screen, and where his fingertip brushed, a bright red glow appeared, as if he could write on it.

"Next, I'll explain the rules of 'Dian Jiang'," Di Long said. "The two of you will take turns writing names to select your 'Dian Jiang'. The chosen person will become your teammate for this game. Each side, including the 'main general', needs a total of seven people."

"Writing names...?" Chu Tianqiu asked, reaching out to lightly trace the screen, causing a cluster of tiny red lights to spark.

"That's right," Di Long nodded. "The screens in front of you are specially designed. The imaging tubes light up when heated, allowing you to write names."

"Using red text for teammates' names doesn't seem very auspicious, does it?" Chu Tianqiu said with a laugh.

"Ha..." Di Long chuckled at Chu Tianqiu's remark. "Auspicious...? How many people on this land get to participate in a 'Di Long' game? For them, the 'Dian Jiang' you select is no different from a death warrant, so feel free to go all out."

Neither Chu Tianqiu nor Qi Xia made a move to write a name. They were already well aware of how things worked in the "Di Level" realm.

This could be a trap, so they couldn't act rashly.

"What's the matter...?" Di Long asked. "It's a 'team confrontation', but you don't have suitable teammates?"

Qi Xia paused for a few seconds and asked, "What do you mean by 'taking turns to choose'?"

"You can discuss it yourselves," Di Long replied. "Each time, one person chooses, then the other."

"Are there any requirements for the person being chosen?" Qi Xia asked.

"None at all," Di Long answered.

At that moment, Chu Tianqiu thought of something and asked, "So... does that mean we can choose someone from the 'opponent's' side?"

"Theoretically, yes," Di Long nodded. "But I have to clarify the situation... After each of you selects a teammate, I'll open the door behind me and directly locate that person. I'll explain the situation to them, and if they choose to refuse, it'll be considered 'desertion', and I'll eliminate them on the spot."

"'Desertion'..." Chu Tianqiu pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "What a dirty game... You call it 'Dian Jiang', but really, it's just using it to kill off people the other side trusts, isn't it?"

Qi Xia realized the game had already started with these rules.

Once he or Chu Tianqiu chose someone from the other's camp, that person would have only two options:

Join the other side, or be killed by Di Long on the spot.

"It's come to this..." Qi Xia touched his forehead and thought to himself, "I need to hold onto the 'Sheng Sheng Bu Xi' belief as much as possible... After all, there are tough battles ahead in this game."

"Who goes first?" Di Long asked.

Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia exchanged a glance, and Qi Xia said, "You first."

"Alright."

Without hesitation, Chu Tianqiu reached out and wrote two bright red characters in his elegant, slender handwriting on the screen:

"Zhang Shan".

The screen flickered for a moment, then absorbed the characters. At the same time, the wooden door behind Di Long began to glow.

Di Long smiled and turned to open the door, letting a blinding light shine into the endless darkness.

Beyond the door was one of the classrooms in "Tian Tang Kou", where Zhang Shan was standing with his back to the door, talking to Lao Lv.

Lao Lv noticed something first and pointed shakily at Zhang Shan's back, unable to speak.

Sensing something was wrong, Zhang Shan frowned and turned around, only to see a dark portal glowing behind him. In the center of the portal were the blood-red words "Zhang Shan, receive your orders".

"What the..." Zhang Shan had never seen anything like this before. It looked like some kind of military order, but the black background and red text made it seem more like a death summons.

Before he could say anything, an ethereal voice echoed from near the portal:

"The main general 'Chu Tianqiu' has selected 'Zhang Shan' to join 'Cangjie Qi'. Accept the order and step through the door; refuse and step back five paces."

"Chu Tianqiu..." Zhang Shan furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

From the perspective of Chu Tianqiu and the others inside the door, Zhang Shan was like he was facing a giant mirror. He stared into it, brow furrowed, seemingly unsure what to do.

After about a minute, Zhang Shan decided to trust the portal's words and stepped through the door. Di Long closed the door once Zhang Shan's figure disappeared from view.

Unlike Qi Xia and the others, Zhang Shan didn't appear directly beside them. Instead, after entering the portal, he vanished completely.

"What happened?" Chu Tianqiu asked. "Where's my person?"

"This is the 'Dian Jiang Platform'," Di Long explained. "Ordinary generals can't come up here. They'll wait in the 'Preparation Area'. Please continue with the 'Dian Jiang'."