Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
While the people on Chess Peak did not play chess at a very high level, they were still capable of understanding the chess battle taking place on the chessboard.
Two opposing forces continued clashing with one another, looking like an actual battle as opposed to when Liu Zong broke the game.
“How is he able to do all that?” Zhou Ziyi looked at what was taking place on the chessboard, feeling rather irked.
“Princess Ziyi, Ye Futian’s chess skills aren’t too bad. That much had been proven when he was battling you and Mo Jun. This game here will become a classic.” Liu Zong said to Zhou Ziyi, who was standing beside him, “There is no need to be prejudiced towards him, Princess Ziyi.”
Zhou Ziyi’s dark eyes looked at Liu Zong, on that warm smile, on his plain-looking face. She smiled and nodded slightly, feeling impressed by Liu Zong’s bearing.
“Just call me by my name,” Zhou Ziyi said gently.
Liu Zong looked at her and she turned her eyes away. Her shy demeanor brought a smile to Liu Zong’s face.
“Ziyi, just appreciate the game,” Liu Zong said. Zhou Ziyi shuddered and her smile grew increasingly bright.
Things on the chessboard turned increasingly intense. At that moment, Ye Futian had been running the simulations on the chessboard in his Life Palace at full force. Possible later moves based on the actual game were being simulated at breakneck speeds. It was as if the board intended to calculate all possible changes.
A rumble sounded as the fourth student of the Chess Saint placed his piece. An intensely heavy pressure bore on the chessboard in an instant. The body of the dragon leaned heavily on the matrixes that Ye Futian and his party had laid out. Ye Futian and the other eight all felt incredibly powerful pressure on their shoulders. It was as if a true dragon was circling right above their heads.
“Yu Sheng,” Ye Futian called. Yu Sheng placed a piece on the central region of the chessboard. A tremendously ferocious storm whipped across the board at the very moment that piece was placed, resisting the pressure from the dragon. A devil-like figure was seen standing tall.
A piece was placed on the other side. At a remote corner, the dragon swept its tail, intending to crush all the pieces around it.
“Eldest Brother,” Ye Futian continued. He had the Sword Saint, his Eldest Brother, place a piece. The pieces at the rear swept like a matrix of blades when his piece was placed, intending to cut off the dragon’s tail.
“The formations laid by the pieces of rules truly brought their truest powers to bear,” Everyone trembled within. What they were seeing in their minds was no longer a game of chess, but a true, ferocious battle.
Both sides continued placing their pieces, and every piece brought with it incredibly terrifying changes. The might on the chessboard became extremely violent. Every piece had to be placed with meticulous thought.
Yang Xiao’s expression was solemn. He had never expected to be dealing with two such formidable challenges within a single day. Ye Futian stepped onto the Celestial Dragon Chess Game right after Liu Zong and he was able to stand his ground, clashing head-on.
“Allow me.” A voice was heard. It was the voice of Li Kaishan. He stepped out and used his own body as a piece, landing in a corner. One piece after another crumbled in an instant. Li Kaishan’s silhouette was seen at a spot right between Yu Sheng and Gu Dongliu, facing Ye Futian. Many pieces were devoured right there and then.
“Third Brother,” Ye Futian called. Gu Dongliu made a move. He took a small step forward and stood at a spot. Tremendously powerful sword aura swirled and shot forth like a river of swords, crashing down on many pieces on the other side, returning fire with fire.
Yang Xiao’s wife stepped out and landed on a spot. When her piece was placed, Ye Futian and the others vaguely felt a powerful chill. It was as if a bone-chilling force intended to freeze the game as it was.
Zhuge Mingyue took one step forward, leaving Ye Futian’s side. She stood beside Gu Dongliu. Her move merged the pieces of a huge region into a single entity, breaking the freezing seal right there and then.
One silhouette after another was seen walking out. All nine of them were no longer placing pieces on the game; they were making themselves into pieces and clashed with the other side personally.
Both sides continued to trade blows and yet, none were able to break the formation of the other.
The Celestial Dragon Chess Game was at its completed form right there and then. A true dragon seemed to have taken its place on the chessboard, and it was a force materialized by the formation of the pieces on the board. Li Kaishan placed a piece that went straight for the core of Ye Futian’s formations. That dragon seemed to have lashed out with a slash with an ax, cutting up a path forcefully.
Ye Futian had Yu Sheng placed yet another piece, resulting in the entire force at his side to concentrate on Yu Sheng’s location. Yu Sheng seemed to have turned into an immutable ancient god. The Celestial Dragon Chess Game did not have weaknesses, but there was no way Ye Futian would simply let the game exploit his openings without a fight.
The other side continued placing their pieces, and Ye Futian dealt with them seriously. He seemed to be able to see nine boundless figures of ancient gods on the chessboard, which were manifestations of the players on Ye Futian’s side. Not only did the formation they had weaved not have any weaknesses, but they had also gone to lean on their opponents, forcing their hands.
“A game of chess with weaknesses to exploit,” Yang Xiao said. The game that Ye Futian played was unexpectedly similar to that of the Celestial Dragon Chess Game. Nine matrixes interconnected with each other, enabling the power of the entire game to be focused on one single player.
The spectators watching the game felt their minds tremble. They were, of course, able to see that the game that Ye Futian and his party was playing was no weaker than the Celestial Dragon Chess Game itself, with both sides resisting each other with equal force.
The pieces on the chessboard grew in numbers. Yang Xiao looked at the game at hand with an unusually serious expression, hesitating to place a piece. Despite his formidable capabilities at chess, it became incredibly difficult for him to place a piece right there and then. Any missteps would have easily cost him the entire game.
“Brother, I’ll leave this move to you,” Yang Xiao said to Li Kaishan.
Li Kaishan’s expression was an alarmed one. He gazed at the game and stayed silent for quite a while.
A tremendously powerful pressure washed throughout the entire game. Chess Peak was unusually quiet at the moment. Everybody stared at the terrifying illusions on the chessboard.
Li Kaishan made a move after a while, placing his piece at one spot. With that piece placed, the Celestial Dragon Chess Game brought its most lethal move. The dragon, which was coiled up on the chessboard, opened its mouth wide, chomping down on everything below. Its claws tore at the air before it. The sword aura below its abdomen swirled and its tail swept about.
A piece was placed, triggering the entire Celestial Dragon matrix. It brought the most powerful attack to bear, intending to thoroughly crush Ye Futian’s game.
The spectators held their breath. It was as if they were able to feel all that pressure on the board.
Will Ye Futian be able to withstand the most powerful attack the Celestial Dragon Chess Game is able to muster?
Li Kaishan was adept at offensive powers given that he trained in martial arts and was thought to be peerless. At that moment, his capabilities manifested on his way at chess.
Ye Futian looked at Li Kaishan calmly and called out, ordering Yu Sheng to place a piece somewhere, blocking the trickiest attack from the other side.
“Eldest Brother, allow me to continue,” Li Kaishan said again.
“Very well.” Yang Xiao nodded in agreement. Li Kaishan placed another piece. The resulting attack did not weaken; it had gotten even more ferocious.
Ye Futian continued defending. All nine figures seemed to have taken their places, controlling the dragon on the board, resisting its attacks.
“We shall end this,” Li Kaishan said calmly. His eyes looked incredibly sharp and he brought an extremely overbearing might to bear, unbefitting of his usual peaceful demeanor.
The Celestial Dragon Chess Game seemed to have been revitalized with that piece placed. One piece after another was destroyed, and the defense that Ye Futian and his party had held up began to crack.
“You lost.” Li Kaishan looked at Ye Futian and said, “But being able to come this far speaks volume of your proficiency at chess nonetheless.”
“Have you really taken a good look?” Ye Futian looked at Li Kaishan and asked.
“What?” Li Kaishan frowned and went to cover the entire game with his will. He realized that Ye Futian’s pieces had seemed unshackled and relieved when those pieces before were destroyed. With the redundant pieces all taken apart, the places that all nine of Ye Futian’s party had taken seemed to have locked the dragon down instead.
Li Kaishan began to look worried at that moment.
Ye Futian lifted his hand and a piece appeared. He looked at Li Kaishan and said, “Mr. Er seems to have been a little too anxious in securing a victory. This piece is actually a move I have developed by understanding how the Celestial Dragon Chess Game works, and this move is precisely the one I was urged to take when I was challenging the game with Liu Zong back then.”
He dropped the piece in his hand as he finished. All of Ye Futian’s pieces came to life when that piece was dropped. The nine interconnected matrixes formed a single entity. The sword matrix, blade flashes, and all attacks were all brought to bear on that enormous dragon at the same time, locking the dragon down thoroughly.
The space seemed to have been halted. One white piece after another disappeared without a trace right there and then.
Countless eyes were fixed on the chessboard at that very instant. The spectators felt their minds raging as they witnessed the white pieces disappear.
Had this been Ye Futian’s plan all along?
He actually planned one such sure-kill game right from the start?
This is all just too frightening.
In actuality, Ye Futian had been running simulations of that chessboard in his Life Palace in a frenzy, simulating a myriad of possible changes, and that happened to be one of them, which was also the quickest way to end the chess battle. Li Kaishan had given him a chance, due to being too anxious, in securing a victory.
Ye Futian had played with nine different play styles in a game all on his own to resist the attacks of the Celestial Dragon Chess Game. Eventually, all nine styles melded as one, locking down the dragon and breaking the game.
Liu Zong and Ye Futian broke the Celestial Dragon Chess Game within a day.
“Marvelous.” Yang Xiao said, “Your proficiency at chess has indeed reached the level of a grandmaster, Palace Lord Ye. The way of chess that you have used against the Celestial Dragon Chess was actually derived from the game itself. You’re indeed the number one genius in all of the Barren State.”
“I was just lucky,” Ye Futian replied humbly.
Yang Xiao shook his head. “If the game was continued and even if Second Brother did not play as he had, I still wouldn’t have had any certainty of being able to beat you, Palace Lord Ye. In the end, you probably have other tricks up your sleeve.”
Yang Xiao had actually acknowledged that Ye Futian’s proficiency had reached such heights?
“That was marvelous. That game was indeed incredibly well-played. It could have even been the most splendid chess battle I’ve ever seen in my life,” Liu Zong said with a smile. Everyone looked at Liu Zong, seeing how he did not seem to mind Ye Futian having broken the Celestial Dragon Chess Game.
