Heaven and earth were solemn, the sea of clouds frozen.
The two armies stood in confrontation across the void, invisible pressures clashing, stirring up ripples in space that emitted a teeth-grinding hum.
The upper realm's heavenly soldiers possessed immortal majesty like a prison, divine light dazzling, their formation strict as an iron wall!
The lower realm cultivators had battle spirits like rainbows, qi and blood surging, their formation slightly ragged yet condensed with a determination to burn jade and stone, to defend their homeland!
The great battle was ready to erupt at any moment!
Just at this critical juncture—
From the forefront of the upper realm's endless immortal palaces, the void rippled slightly as a figure slowly walked out.
The newcomer had white hair but a youthful face, with a gaunt countenance, wearing simple daoist robes and holding a fly-whisk.
His presence carried no sharp aura, but rather a peaceful, detached air of one who had seen through the vicissitudes of the world!
His appearance instantly drew everyone's gaze, and even the killing intent that filled heaven and earth momentarily paused.
He looked down at Chen Chang'an, who stood at the front of the lower realm's formation with hands behind his back, and made a daoist bow.
His voice was peaceful yet clearly transmitted to both sides:
"This poor daoist comes by my master's decree to pay respects to Immortal Venerable Chen."
Chen Chang'an looked at him calmly, slightly nodding, but did not speak.
The daoist continued, his tone carrying a trace of compassion:
"My master cannot bear to see living beings of both realms slaughtered, to see immortal blood dye the mountains and rivers of the lower realm."
"Therefore, he has specially sent this poor daoist to ask Immortal Venerable Chen one question: Would you be willing to play a game of chess with my master, using heaven and earth as the board and all living beings as pieces?"
"The outcome of this game shall determine the future destiny of both realms, thus avoiding the calamity of war?"
He paused, his fly-whisk lightly sweeping, and added:
"Of course, if the Immortal Venerable insists on committing the full strength of both realms for a decisive battle, this poor daoist will immediately withdraw without a single word of complaint."
At these words, a low murmur and discussion arose from the lower realm's formation.
A game of chess?
Using heaven and earth as the board?
What... what did this mean?
Chen Chang'an smiled coldly in his heart: 'Here it comes.'
The other side had deployed such a grand formation, with immortal majesty pressing down and heavenly soldiers like rain, seemingly intending to crush the lower realm with thunderous force!
But in truth... from the very beginning, their purpose had likely been to "pressure with force and force me to play chess."
Their true goal was not destruction, but rather to complete this "cleansing" and "harvest" through another, more "elegant" method that accorded with their rules!
How many schemes and calculations lay within this?
Chen Chang'an could not know!
But he deeply understood that his countless years of forbearance, planning, cultivating disciples, uniting the lower realm, and even suspending the Chaos Bell to stabilize destiny... had all been in preparation for this very moment!
His gaze swept across the determined battle spirits of Xiao Chen, Han Yu, Jiang Che, Ji Lingxiu, Lu Xiaoluo, Chen Xingcai, Li Hanzhou, and others standing ready behind him!
An indescribable pride and confidence suddenly rose in his heart!
Perhaps no one would believe it, but he, this chess player, held far greater confidence in these disciples beneath him—who were viewed as mere "chess pieces"—than in his own calculations!
"Good."
Chen Chang'an slowly spoke, his voice calm as still water.
"How shall we play?"
Seeing Chen Chang'an agree, a glint of imperceptible light flashed through the daoist's eyes as he raised his fly-whisk again:
"Since the Immortal Venerable has agreed, then let us use a region of heaven and earth as the chessboard, shall we?"
Chen Chang'an seemed to have expected this, nodding indifferently:
"Acceptable. The chessboard... I have already prepared."
As his words fell, his sleeve robe lightly swept outward.
"BOOM—!"
Below, the entire Immortal Spirit Sacred Land suddenly erupted with dazzling radiance!
Countless pre-arranged formation patterns lit up from the mountains and rivers, connecting with the earth veins and stirring the celestial phenomena!
At the center of the sacred land, the suspended Chaos Bell emitted a low, vast toll, cascading down hundreds of millions of strands of chaos energy, enveloping and solidifying the entire sacred land!
In an instant, the Immortal Spirit Sacred Land seemed to separate from the Xuan Ying Continent, transforming into an immensely vast chessboard of heaven and earth, flowing with runes, clearly bounded, radiating boundless law energy!
But only those with true discernment could see that this was merely an entrance, and behind the entrance lay a vast and magnificent world!
The Spirit Realm!
Seeing this, the daoist finally revealed a trace of genuine surprise in his eyes, but quickly composed himself, nodding in praise:
"The Immortal Venerable has remarkable methods. Since the chessboard has been determined by the Immortal Venerable, then the 'chess pieces' for this game... shall be designated by my side, to show fairness. What do you say?"
Chen Chang'an's expression remained unchanged:
"Acceptable."
The daoist bowed, turning to face the endless immortal palaces behind him, his voice suddenly becoming solemn and resonant:
"We respectfully invite—the Ten Directions Immortal Venerables!"
"BOOM—!"
An indescribable, terrifying majesty that seemed capable of crushing the blue sky of eternity erupted from the depths of the immortal palaces!
Before countless horrified gazes, ten figures took a single step forward from within the brilliant immortal light!
Ten people!
Ten completely different auras!
Yet each radiated the supreme majesty of one who stood above all living beings, mastering the laws of a realm!
There was one draped in imperial robes, with a crown of hanging jade, whose eyes turned like suns and moons—a sovereign emperor!
There was one in snow-white robes, carrying an ancient sword, sword qi soaring to pierce the clouds—a sword immortal!
There was one shrouded in shadow, seemingly incarnated from millions of inner demons—a lord of the sinister path!
There was one radiating compassion, surrounded by boundless light, faint chanting of Buddhist sutras in the air—a Buddhist master!
There was one with demonic qi filling the sky, eyes containing the sun and moon, domineering beyond compare—a demon emperor!
There was one holding a book scroll, surrounded by light of wisdom, seemingly possessing insight through eternity—a sage!
There was one with a calm expression, as if having seen through all worldly passions—an immortal fairy!
There was one wreathed in flames, seemingly constructed from pure fire—a fire god!
There was one elusive and traceless, seemingly merged with the wind—a master of wind!
There was one solid as mountains, controlling the pulse of the earth—a lord of the Kun Yuan!
Ten Immortal Venerables!
Each one was the absolute master of a realm within the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths!
Now, a full ten Immortal Venerables standing at the peak of the upper realm, overlooking the cycles of eternity, had simultaneously appeared!
This terrifying lineup brought pressure that even exceeded the endless heavenly soldiers and generals from before!
The lower realm's formation instantly fell into deathly silence!
All cultivators felt difficulty breathing, their souls trembling!
Even Xiao Chen, Han Yu, and the others had expressions of extreme gravity!
And beside Jiang Che, Xi Yan looked at one of the familiar figures, her face turning bitter.
"Ten... ten Immortal Venerables?!"
"My heavens! The upper realm... the upper realm actually deployed ten Immortal Venerables?!"
"How... how can we fight this? Using Immortal Venerables as chess pieces? We... what do we have to play against them?!"
"It's over... there's simply no chance of winning!"
Despair, like a plague, rapidly spread.
Chen Chang'an looked at the ten Immortal Venerables with their various auras, and his pupils slightly contracted!
He took a deep breath, thinking silently: 'What a grand gesture! Ten Immortal Venerables as chess pieces... on my side, though the disciples are numerous, those who can truly match against Immortal Venerable-level existences... are indeed few and far between.'
The arrow was on the string, it had to be released!
Just as he prepared to turn and select his champions—
"Master!"
A steady and determined voice was the first to ring out!
Xiao Chen took a single step forward, passing through the crowd to arrive at Chen Chang'an's side!
His gaze was like lightning, fearlessly meeting the eyes of the ten majestically imposing Immortal Venerables in the distance!
His battle spirit boiled, faintly showing signs of standing equally against the Immortal Venerables' pressure!
He bowed to Chen Chang'an, his voice resolute, echoing through the clouds:
"Disciple Xiao Chen requests to be a chess piece in Master's hand!"
"Willing to enter this game, and do battle with the various Immortal Venerables of the upper realm!"
In his eyes, there was no fear, no retreat, only boiling battle spirit!
...
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