Chapter 2603: The Game

For Yuan Xi, this was undoubtedly a test.

Lu Ye couldn't help but recall something Ni Chi Lian had said earlier: the Snow Plains were indeed undergoing a significant change! This was precisely why Ni Chi Lian had wanted to take Yuan Xi back initially, not wishing her to remain in the Snow Plains. However, Yuan Xi had somehow negotiated with her, ultimately staying behind.

Now, not long after, she was facing such a crisis.

Yuan Xi could not be allowed to come to harm, no matter what. But in a confrontation like this, how much could one person accomplish?

“Re-shuffle the board!”

When the ancient, hollow voice resonated again, Lu Ye suddenly felt a sensation of weightlessness, as if he had plunged into a bottomless abyss, falling continuously. Not only that, but he was also endlessly tumbling as he fell, truly feeling as though he was being ‘washed’ by some force.

Gasps of surprise echoed from all directions; clearly, he wasn't the only one experiencing this.

Fortunately, after only three breaths, the sensation of weightlessness abruptly vanished.

Lu Ye felt dizzy. Once he steadied himself and looked around, he found he was no longer in his original position but in a different grid square, and both Lian and Huan Qing were gone from his side.

Simultaneously, a vast will descended, imprinting a piece of information into his mind out of thin air.

Lu Ye quickly investigated and realized that the information contained all the rules for this particular game. This was undoubtedly the work of the Starry Chessboard's will.

The Starry Chessboard had many types of games, suitable for various confrontations. However, just as Lian had predicted, due to the immense number of cultivators participating this time, the game initiated was “Legion Chess”!

At this moment, he was enveloped in a layer of white light, signifying his identity as a white piece.

Looking around, there was no one else in his grid square, and most of the adjacent squares were also empty. Only to his left were three figures.

Although the number of cultivators from both sides participating in this confrontation was vast, the Starry Chessboard had generated an even greater number of grid squares, so not every square was occupied.

Among the three figures near Lu Ye, two were glowing with white light, while the third emitted black light, clearly indicating they were not allied.

They were positioned on opposite sides of the grid square, each wary of the other. They weren't rushing to attack but wore contemplative expressions, evidently, like Lu Ye, processing the information in their minds.

Lu Ye mused that his luck was quite good; he wasn't disturbed when the game began, allowing him to concentrate on examining the rules.

However, these rules were extensive and detailed, so Lu Ye couldn't fully examine them all at once and simply immersed himself in understanding them.

“Begin play!”

Yet, in the very next moment, the ancient, hollow voice sounded for the fourth time, signifying the official start of the game.

Lu Ye felt a premonition and immediately looked towards Black Blood. He saw Black Blood's lips curl slightly into a smug smile, then he raised a hand and unleashed an attack towards Yuan Xi, who was on the opposite side of the chessboard.

Lu Ye's eyes narrowed.

The attack Black Blood launched was far more powerful than he had imagined, but what worried him more was Yuan Xi. As a player, she had no way to evade this attack; according to the game rules, she couldn't dodge it, nor could she even counter-attack.

Because it was just the beginning, and Black's side held an advantage in numbers and overall strength, Black Blood, who controlled the black pieces, was allowed to make the first move.

The only thing Yuan Xi could do was withstand the blow. Only when it was her turn could she choose to attack Black Blood or reinforce her own defenses.

The mere fact that Black had the first move was bad news for their side, but the enemy had indeed held the advantage on the field previously.

A streak of black light, like a colossal black dragon, struck Yuan Xi. Her enveloping white light violently shuddered, and her massive figure even recoiled slightly.

Lu Ye clearly saw a trace of blood escape Yuan Xi's lips.

With just one strike, she had already sustained a minor injury!

There was nothing she could do about it. After separating from Lu Ye, she couldn't continuously maintain her Dao Soldier's second form. Taking this hit directly, even with the protection of the chessboard, she wouldn't fare well.

Fortunately, her defenses weren't breached; only their luster dimmed slightly.

As Black Blood's attack landed, the pieces on the chessboard also stirred into action.

As a player, there were two actions one could take each turn: first, attack the opposing player or strengthen one's own defenses; second, deploy the pieces on the board to begin moving.

While Black Blood was attacking Yuan Xi, he had already mobilized many black pieces to move.

However, this mobilization was limited in number. At the start of the game, both Black Blood and Yuan Xi could only move pieces within fifty squares.

In other words, they could command pieces within fifty grid squares to make moves that conformed to the rules.

Currently, the number of grid squares on the entire Starry Chessboard was immense; a mere fifty squares were negligible.

But this was only temporary. As the game progressed and the pieces performed, the number of squares the two players could mobilize in a single turn would gradually increase.

Then Lu Ye saw three cultivators, all glowing with black light, suddenly pour into the grid square to his left.

Among all the grid squares surrounding him, only this one was occupied, originally by three figures: one enemy and two allies.

They were each vigilant and hadn't immediately attacked.

Now, with three more enemies suddenly rushing in, the advantage instantly shifted.

A fierce battle immediately erupted. The two allies, both in their Fusion Dao forms, faced four enemies and quickly found themselves at a disadvantage.

Lu Ye watched helplessly, unable to intervene. He couldn't cross over. Unless mobilized, he could only move within his own grid square and could not pass the blood-red lines that defined the squares; this was a rule imposed by the chessboard.

The outcome of the skirmish was quick: their two allies were slain, while the four enemies paid only a negligible price. They swiftly gathered their spoils, then fixed their sinister gaze on Lu Ye, looking as if he would be their next victim.

Lu Ye merely cast an indifferent glance at them and then ignored them. A mere four Fusion Dao cultivators were not enough to concern him.

At this moment, he was sensing the situation of his clone.

His clone was also currently within the game. In fact, when the game began, the clone had been in a Harmony Dao city, assisting allies in its defense.

However, as soon as the Starry Chessboard 're-shuffled,' the clone was 'washed out' of the city.

From this perspective, all cultivators on the Starry Chessboard were currently in different grid squares, and every Harmony Dao city was empty.

No wonder Lian had said earlier that Little Die wouldn't be in the city after the game began and that Yuan Xi needed to send Little Die back to the city immediately.

Little Die had clearly also been washed out of the city, and Yuan Xi's city was likely completely empty.

If Little Die didn't return to hold the fort, Yuan Xi's city, being empty, would lose its Harmony Dao Orb the moment any enemy entered that grid square. Yuan Xi's city defenses weren't particularly strong.

Not just Yuan Xi's city, but all Harmony Dao cities across the entire chessboard were facing this crisis. The city lords must have been incredibly anxious, but their actions were controlled by the two players, making it impossible for them to return themselves.

Upon sensing this, Lu Ye's brow subtly lifted.

He discovered something very interesting: the Void Dao Patterns, it seemed, could be used.

This meant that while he couldn't use ordinary means to leave his current grid square, he could use the Void Dao Patterns to escape this confinement.

He could even return directly to Yuan Xi's city!

A long time ago, he had left a teleportation array in the central hall of Yuan Xi's city. Every time he shattered someone else's Harmony Dao Orb, he used this method to send the fragments back to Yuan Xi's city.

After a moment's thought, Lu Ye roughly understood why.

The Starry Chessboard indeed had rules, and the pieces acted according to the players' deployments, but the Starry Chessboard did not restrict the pieces' individual abilities.

The Void Dao Patterns were his own ability, so naturally, he could use them.

“Grand Marshal, Little Die is a bit far from our city. I need you to return and hold the fort first!” Yuan Xi's voice suddenly rang in Lu Ye's ears.

Lu Ye opened his mouth, intending to say that she needn't worry, that he could return to Yuan Xi's city anytime once he gained the right to move. However, before he could speak, he felt an invisible force brush past him.

In the ethereal realm, he felt a subtle guidance—undoubtedly Yuan Xi deploying him as a chess piece.

Under this deployment, he had gained the qualification to leave his current grid square.

Lu Ye was about to use the Void Dao Patterns to return directly to Yuan Xi's city, but then he looked up and met the four pairs of malevolent eyes from the adjacent grid square.

After a brief pause for thought, he sent a quick message to Yuan Xi, informing her that the Void Dao Patterns could be used. Then he stepped forward, entering the grid square where the four Fusion Dao cultivators were, under their stunned gazes.

His composure made the four cultivators suspicious and even more uneasy. What disturbed them further was that Lu Ye even had time to glance back at Yuan Xi.

Yuan Xi's colossal figure extended a finger towards Black Blood, poking him on the forehead amidst his grave expression.

Black Blood's giant figure swayed, a muffled groan escaped him, and a trace of blood also trickled from the corner of his mouth.

His face darkened. He hadn't expected the woman opposite him to be so audacious; despite knowing her forces were at a disadvantage, she didn't defend but counter-attacked.

What made him even more wary was Yuan Xi's strength!

As players, the power they could exert at this moment was closely linked to the pieces on the board, but their fundamental strength remained their own.

The destructive power unleashed by Yuan Xi's single jab was only slightly less than his earlier attack. Didn't this imply that Yuan Xi's strength was comparable to his own?

Where did this woman come from?

No wonder Jiao had suffered a loss before.

He had initially thought his opponent this time would be Thin Bamboo, but the Starry Chessboard had chosen this woman instead. Now, it seemed there was indeed a reason.

“Kill!” In the grid square where Lu Ye stood, one of the four Fusion Dao cultivators roared, clearly intending to take him down while he was distracted.

The other three spread out, attacking from left and right.