Chapter 2636: Blood Guilt Enters the Game

The head inhabited by Xue Jiu’s wisp of separated soul was being hunted!

This thought, emerging in Yuan Xi’s mind, left her greatly surprised. Even a mere wisp of a separated soul belonged to one of the inner realm’s most powerful entities, not something easily challenged. Who possessed such audacity and power to pursue it?

Before the thought could fully form, a chill ran through Yuan Xi’s body, accompanied by a sharp pain in her mind, like a needle prick. An intensely pure killing intent, sensing her prying, had wounded her primordial spirit from a distance.

Yuan Xi’s eyes widened abruptly, her pupils constricting. A supreme treasure!

The entity pursuing Xue Jiu’s separated soul was, astonishingly, a supreme treasure!

‘Ugh…’ A muffled groan escaped Black Blood, who was across from her. Immediately, his complexion paled considerably, and blood oozed from his seven orifices. He, too, had evidently been harmed by the killing intent while attempting to probe the supreme treasure.

Yuan Xi, however, had no time to focus on Black Blood. She had a vague premonition that today’s chess match was about to see some unexpected turns. Xue Jiu’s separated soul had suddenly appeared, and was being hunted by a supreme treasure – the entire situation seemed utterly bizarre.

The upheaval outside the game board didn’t disturb the cultivators within. Lu Ye was currently leading numerous white-piece cultivators in a fierce pursuit and encirclement of the surviving black pieces. Initially, the entire board had been teeming with figures, but now, most squares were empty. Of the pieces still alive, ninety percent were enveloped in white light, with only ten percent remaining as black pieces. Victory was clearly within reach, naturally exhilarating the white pieces.

Yet, just as the white pieces were riding a wave of momentum, the surrounding void suddenly shook violently. Lu Ye had just decapitated a black-piece cultivator when he turned to see the space around him warping, showing clear signs of instability. Even the blood-red lines outlining the squares blurred, nearly collapsing. This tremor persisted for several breaths before gradually subsiding.

‘My Lord, what just happened?’ Lu Ye asked, looking up.

‘Xue Jiu’s separated soul is here!’ Yuan Xi replied, her brow furrowed and her gaze fixed on a particular spot on the board, her expression grave.

‘Xue Jiu’s separated soul?’

‘Yes,’ Yuan Xi nodded. ‘But that’s not the main point. The main point is that he drew in a supreme treasure. The recent upheaval on the board was due to the clash of its power.’

Within her sight, the head had already entered the board, with the supreme treasure following closely behind. From her distant vantage point earlier, Yuan Xi hadn’t discerned the true nature of the supreme treasure, only perceiving a mass of blood-red light. It was only now that she could clearly see a human figure within that crimson glow. What puzzled Yuan Xi, however, was that the figure showed no sign of life, appearing as if long dead. It held a sword, from whose hilt vein-like growths extended, firmly fused with the figure’s arm.

The supreme treasure was undoubtedly this sword, yet upon closer inspection, Yuan Xi realized she didn’t recognize it. In the inner realm, sword-type supreme treasures were rare, fewer than ten in total, and all were documented by the major powers. But this particular sword, she was certain she had never encountered before. Was this a newly emerged supreme treasure? Or had it drifted in from some shattered star realm?

The only thing she could discern was the unusual state of the sword-wielder: seemingly dead, yet somehow still alive. Then, a realization struck her: ‘A Sword Slave!’ This individual’s state clearly indicated a living body but extinguished consciousness; the entire being had been enslaved by the supreme treasure’s will, transformed into a Sword Slave. Such occurrences weren’t unprecedented in the inner realm’s history, but becoming enslaved by a supreme treasure was incredibly rare, requiring numerous coincidences. She didn’t know why this person had become a Sword Slave, but the individual was undeniably dead.

‘Great Commander, we have a problem,’ Yuan Xi said, a headache forming. Victory in the chess match had been within sight, but now it appeared this was all part of Xue Jiu’s elaborate scheme. No wonder he had previously exposed another one of his supreme treasures; he clearly harbored much grander intentions. As she spoke, she mentally transmitted the current situation to Lu Ye. Lu Ye’s brows furrowed as he listened.

Meanwhile, in one of the squares, the head inhabited by Xue Jiu’s separated soul was asking Black Blood, ‘Where is Jiao?’ The situation differed slightly from his expectations. He had anticipated that Jiao would be their chess player once the Starfield Chessboard was drawn out, but for some reason, it was Black Blood instead. Nonetheless, it wasn’t a major issue; both Black Blood and Jiao were of the Blood Race, which wouldn’t hinder his subsequent plans. He simply needed to find Jiao, rendezvous, and then proceed with the next step.

‘My Lord, Jiao died in battle!’ Black Blood sighed.

Xue Jiu could barely believe his ears, pausing in stunned disbelief. ‘What did you say?’

‘My Lord, Jiao died in battle!’ Black Blood repeated, his heart pounding, for it was the truth he couldn’t deny. He couldn’t quite understand why his ancestor seemed so exceptionally enraged. True, the ancestor had always held Jiao in high regard, but it was well known that he was cold-hearted, often personally eliminating even his direct descendants. While Jiao’s death in battle was regrettable, it shouldn’t have been enough to provoke such fury from the ancestor.

‘Who could have killed him? Thin Bamboo?’ Xue Jiu was furious. In his plan, the presence of either Jiao or Black Blood was vital. He had just drawn the Sword Slave onto the board, ready to initiate the second phase, but without a suitable piece, how could he proceed? His anger stemmed from his plan being stillborn before it even began, not merely from Jiao’s death.

‘Not Thin Bamboo, My Lord. It was a human soldier cultivator, someone I’ve never seen before,’ Black Blood replied honestly.

‘A human soldier cultivator no one has ever seen killed Jiao? In this inner realm, unless one of the Ten City Lords intervenes, who could possibly kill him?’ Xue Jiu raged. With Jiao gone, the enormous risks he had taken would become meaningless. His escape had been fraught with peril; a single misstep would have annihilated this wisp of his soul. Fortunately, he possessed numerous stratagems, ultimately preserving a head to which his separated soul could cling, sustaining him until now.

Black Blood was drenched in cold sweat. He had never witnessed Xue Jiu so enraged and knew that if he couldn’t provide a satisfactory explanation, he might not perish at Yuan Xi’s hands today, but Xue Jiu would surely kill him later.

‘That human soldier cultivator is very peculiar; he seems to gain numerous advantages from the chess game. My Lord, I suspect he’s merely at the Fusion Dao stage...’ Black Blood reported Lu Ye’s situation in exhaustive detail, growing increasingly anxious as Xue Jiu’s expression turned darker. ‘Oh, and Jiao mentioned that he possesses our clan’s bloodline, with an incredibly powerful sacred essence. Jiao’s defeat, he believed, was related to that.’

Upon hearing this, Xue Jiu froze. ‘He is a member of our clan? Then why did you say he’s human?’

Black Blood explained, ‘He exhibits none of our clan’s typical features; outwardly, he appears entirely human...’

‘Jiao said his sacred essence is incredibly powerful?’

‘Yes, he did. Jiao claimed that human’s sacred essence was even stronger than his own, capable of suppressing him through their bloodlines!’

Xue Jiu’s eyes suddenly lit up. ‘Where is this individual? Lead me to them immediately!’ What had seemed like a dead end had unexpectedly presented such a pleasant surprise. Regardless of whether the individual was Blood Race or human, as long as they possessed sacred essence, they would meet his requirements. Furthermore, having defeated Jiao in the chess match indicated this human soldier cultivator’s immense strength. Perhaps, they were even more suitable than Jiao to execute the original plan.

Black Blood dared not delay, immediately beginning to fully direct Xue Jiu toward Lu Ye’s location.

‘Great Commander, I suspect Xue Jiu intends to use the Sword Slave’s power to refine the Starfield Chessboard!’

On the other side, Yuan Xi continued her communication with Lu Ye. Her suspicion stemmed from combining various previous observations, and it seemed the most logical conclusion. Otherwise, Xue Jiu would have no reason to expend such immense effort to orchestrate this confrontation. One must consider that after this match, setting aside the casualties among the black-piece cultivators, merely the numerous cities that had merged with the Dao would likely become spoils of war for the white pieces. Such terrifying losses would be immense for any faction. Unless there was a far greater scheme at play, why would Xue Jiu act this way? The immense value of a supreme treasure, however, would be enough for Xue Jiu to sacrifice these pieces.

If this were true, Xue Jiu had indeed devised a cunning plan. Under normal circumstances, even if he could draw out the Starfield Chessboard, he would have few opportunities to refine it, as the board possessed its own will. Should it detect anything amiss, it would undoubtedly retreat back into the unseen, making it incredibly difficult for Xue Jiu to lure it out again. However, with another supreme treasure now intruding into the game, the Starfield Chessboard would never simply acquiesce. Once these two supreme treasures clashed, Xue Jiu’s opportunity would arise.

Having realized Xue Jiu’s intentions, how could Yuan Xi simply stand by?

‘My Lord, could you move me closer to the Sword Slave?’ Lu Ye inquired. Hearing Yuan Xi’s description, a particular individual suddenly came to his mind; the resemblance was uncanny. However, until he saw it with his own eyes, he couldn’t be certain if the Sword Slave was indeed the person he suspected. He absolutely had to see it for himself.

‘No!’ Yuan Xi immediately refused. ‘It’s too dangerous!’ While it was true that Lu Ye’s strength on the board was formidable, making him unmatched by any black piece, this time he would be confronting a supreme treasure. And not just any supreme treasure! After being introduced to the board by Xue Jiu, the Sword Slave disregarded the game’s rules, rampaging through the squares and indiscriminately killing anyone in its path. In this short span, not only did black pieces suffer unfortunate casualties, but the white pieces incurred even greater losses due to their sheer numbers. The rules of the Starfield Chessboard proved utterly ineffective in restraining the Sword Slave, for it wielded another supreme treasure. Conversely, the numerous white and black pieces, confined within the squares and unable to freely escape, faced certain death if encountered by the Sword Slave.

The board suddenly shook violently again. The next moment, the Legion Banner that had hovered behind Lu Ye vanished without a trace. Simultaneously, the entire chess game seemed to undergo subtle, imperceptible changes. Lu Ye’s heart stirred. He quickly darted forward, saying, ‘My Lord, forgive me, but I have a compelling reason to see this for myself. I will explain everything thoroughly later!’ As he spoke, under Yuan Xi’s astonished gaze, Lu Ye’s figure streaked across square after square, rapidly advancing.