Chapter 2831: The Game Begins, Killing Intent Revealed

Wind Rises in the Nine Provinces

Wind Rises in the Nine Provinces

"Lu Ye?" someone cried out in surprise among the many terrified Unity cultivators.

He had never met Lu Ye, so he naturally didn't recognize him. However, Yin Luo's earlier shout had made the name sound vaguely familiar.

Upon a sudden recollection, he finally realized: "He's that human, Lu Ye!"

At his words, all the surrounding Unity cultivators were filled with a mix of shock and horror.

Recently, the name of Lu Ye, the human, had swept through the entire Star Abyss like a tempest.

After all, for many years, the Inner Realm hadn't seen a powerhouse capable of contending with the Ten City Lords. Lu Ye's previous battle with Xuan Wuzong had been witnessed by many cultivators.

Although his subsequent life-or-death struggle with Ba Qiu wasn't seen by outsiders, that didn't prevent his formidable reputation from spreading by word of mouth.

These cultivators all served under Zong Shenliang of Senluo City, and they were all well-informed. How could they not have heard of Lu Ye's name?

To be able to contend with the Ten City Lords meant that Lu Ye was a powerhouse of the same caliber.

No wonder he could kill a Grand-tier City Lord with a single strike.

The fierce momentum of the invading enemies suddenly dissipated. Those who reacted quickly had already fled in all directions, while the slower ones remained frozen, staring blankly, utterly bewildered as to why this newly ascended Ten City Lord-level powerhouse would appear here at such a crucial moment!

"Trying to run?" Lu Ye snorted coldly, and raised a hand, pointing before him.

Instantly, visible thin lines spread outwards from his center, radiating in all directions.

Before the fleeing Unity cultivators could react, the lines bypassed them, enveloping the space they occupied.

An inexplicable restraint descended from thin air. The space they were in seemed to transform into a cage, trapping them in a specific area, making it impossible to break out.

In just one breath of time, the outward-spreading lines interlaced, forming a vast chessboard.

The aura of a supreme treasure surged in all directions.

The game had begun!

Within the individual squares of the board, the many cultivators were scattered, their expressions all extremely grim. At the same time, new information appeared in their minds out of nowhere.

It was about the various rules of this chess game.

"Starry Sky Chessboard!" a Unity cultivator exclaimed. This supreme treasure had once appeared in the Snow Plains years ago, its power igniting a fierce clash between two major factions. That chess game had turned into an invisible meat grinder, claiming the lives of countless powerhouses.

However, after that incident, this supreme treasure had vanished without a trace. No one had expected to see it again today, and by the looks of it, it had been subdued by Lu Ye.

Some Unity cultivators, refusing to believe, tried to break free from the restraints around them and escape. Yet, no matter what they did, they couldn't even budge the boundaries of the chess squares.

"The game is set; no one can leave until a victor is decided!" a Unity cultivator roared, staring fiercely at Lu Ye. "Don't panic! Within this chessboard, he too must abide by the rules of the supreme treasure. He is only one person; with our combined strength, we might just be able to kill him!"

Facing a Ten City Lord-level powerhouse, though they greatly outnumbered him, they knew they might not have much of a chance if a real fight broke out.

However, within this chessboard, the situation was different. Under the rules of the game, everyone faced numerous restrictions.

This gave the speaking Unity cultivator some hope.

"Who said... he was alone!" As the voice resounded, a figure emerged from the gates of the Azure Palace.

The mature and alluring figure stood there, a golden exotic beast prostrate beside her. As she spoke, she smiled gently at Lu Ye, with the countless stars reflecting in her eyes, yet only he was truly visible.

Behind her, figures emerged one after another from within the Azure Palace. Unlike their previous dejection and uncertainty, they now seemed to have found their backbone, their expressions resolute.

Each of them was enveloped in the same faint white light that shimmered around Lu Ye.

Lu Ye turned his head to look at Hua Ci. Most of the killing intent that permeated him instantly dissipated under her gentle gaze, and the ferocity in his chest was soothed.

"Don't mind these guys; they're just newly advanced Unity cultivators. They're no match for us once they leave this palace. We just need to kill Lu Ye, and we win!" The Unity cultivator who had spoken earlier roared.

No sooner had his words fallen than his face suddenly froze. This was because Lu Ye, who had originally been more than a dozen squares away from him, had suddenly flickered and appeared directly in front of him.

"You talk too much." Lu Ye looked at him with icy eyes.

"You..." The Unity cultivator's face showed alarm. He instinctively tried to retreat, but a sudden pain shot through his chest. His life force drained away frantically, like air from a deflating ball, and his entire body went limp.

He looked down, only to see that a sharp blade had, at some unknown moment, pierced his chest.

The furious Dao power surging from the blade shredded the life force within him.

This shouldn't be, how could this happen? The information he had just received mentioned that in this army chess game, each piece could only move one square at a time.

How did Lu Ye suddenly jump across so many squares and appear before him?

He couldn't figure it out. His vision had already turned dark.

Lu Ye withdrew his blade, and blood spattered out.

"Kill!" In front of the Azure Palace, Hua Ci let out a soft cry. Many Starry Sky cultivators immediately charged out with her, their momentum fierce.

They naturally knew they were not as strong as their opponents, so they didn't spread out to meet the enemy. Instead, they formed several small teams of three to five, crossing one square after another to find isolated enemies.

Lu Ye had already arrived before several other Unity cultivators. These few were not far apart, and were now all confined within a single chess square.

Seeing Lu Ye's brutal charge, they immediately turned to flee. However, to their despair, once they escaped into the next square, they couldn't leave it again.

They simply couldn't ignore the restraints of the squares like Hua Ci and the others.

In their panic, they offered no proper resistance. Lu Ye's blade rose and fell, cutting them down almost one by one.

His figure soared, darting and weaving through one chess square after another. Wherever he went, a bloody storm ensued.

There were over a dozen Unity Orbs besieging the Azure Palace this time, and seventy to eighty Unity cultivators had been deployed. If these Unity cultivators were gathered together, even Lu Ye would need some time to exterminate them all.

However, with the Starry Sky Chessboard dividing the battlefield, killing them became much simpler.

By the time Lu Ye finished dealing with the scattered enemies across the chessboard, the battles of the Starry Sky cultivators were still ongoing.

Over a dozen Starry Sky Unity cultivators had emerged from the Azure Palace. They were now divided into four teams, engaging four Unity cultivators. Lu Ye cast a glance and looked towards one of the battlefields.

This particular team consisted of only two people and one beast: Hua Ci with her Pixiu, and Fei Mu, wielding a blade.

Hua Ci was entirely enveloped in a dazzling light. Lu Ye could clearly sense that the dazzling light contained extremely complex toxins.

Streaks of poisonous light separated from her body, striking towards the enemy. Meanwhile, the Pixiu prostrate on the ground occasionally exhaled a tri-colored exotic light.

The Unity cultivator under attack was enveloped in this tri-colored exotic light, his movements visibly sluggish. He fought Fei Mu in close combat, his expression grim.

Lu Ye recognized at a glance that the tri-colored exotic light was the power of the supreme treasure, the Three Treasures Coin. He had accidentally acquired this treasure in the starry sky years ago, and later given it to Hua Ci for self-defense.

Unexpectedly, it had been swallowed by that Pixiu, and had since merged with the creature.

With Lu Ye's current discernment, he could naturally tell that the Pixiu struggled to fully unleash the power of this supreme treasure. After all, both the beast and its master, Hua Ci, had only recently advanced to the Unity realm.

Otherwise, with the power of a supreme treasure, an ordinary Unity cultivator would be completely unable to resist. Under the tri-colored exotic light, they would instantly be sealed on the spot.

Even so, the power of the supreme treasure made him feel as if he was burdened by immense pressure, slowing his movements.

Fei Mu's long blade continuously carved wounds onto his body.

Indeed worthy of being his bloodline avatar. Even though Lu Ye had never explicitly taught him anything, this ferocious combat style was still clearly inherited.

With the power of the Three Treasures Coin, and Hua Ci and Fei Mu working together, this Unity cultivator was destined to fall sooner or later.

Looking at the other battlefields, though the situation wasn't as clear-cut, their side invariably held the advantage.

If strength wasn't enough, numbers would make up for it.

Lu Ye pondered briefly, and decided not to interfere with the remaining battles.

This was a rare opportunity. Now that the Outer and Inner Realms had merged, Starry Sky cultivators would face more and stronger enemies in the future. Taking advantage of this chance, it was a good time to hone their combat experience against Unity cultivators.

He turned his head to look at the dozen or so Unity Cities nearby, and flickered towards the largest one.

This was precisely the only Grand-tier Unity City on the field, and its City Lord had been the first to fall to Lu Ye's blade.

When the chessboard had first unfurled, it had not only trapped the invading Unity cultivators, but also prevented any of their Unity Cities from escaping.

Witnessing Lu Ye's merciless killing, these Unity Cities were all desperately trying to flee outwards. However, restricted by the rules of the chess game, they could only move one square at a time, making it impossible to escape quickly.

Currently, within the Grand-tier City, two Unity cultivators remained to guard it. Seeing Lu Ye approaching with fierce momentum, they immediately pushed the defensive formation's power to its limit.

At the same time, numerous formations within the city hummed, and under the combined activation of many Integration cultivators, they launched attacks towards Lu Ye, attempting to hinder his advance.

"Seeking death!" Lu Ye's expression turned cold. He soared through the air, effortlessly dodging the incoming attacks, and landed before the Unity City.

With the Mountain-Shattering Blade in hand, he raised it high. Dao power surged wildly from within him, yet his own aura showed little change.

In the central hall of the city, the two Unity cultivators on guard watched this scene. To say they weren't nervous would be a lie. After all, a Ten City Lord-level powerhouse stood outside the city, and they had never clashed with such a formidable individual before.

However, they still had some reliance. The Grand-tier City was of considerable quality, and with its defensive formation fully activated, even a Ten City Lord trying to break through it alone might not find it easy.

At this very moment, their Unity City was only a dozen or so squares away from the edge of the chessboard.

As long as they held on for a little longer, once they were out of the chess game, they could escape.

"What is he doing?" A Unity cultivator suddenly looked puzzled. This was because although Lu Ye, standing before the city, had adopted an attacking stance, his long blade had not fallen. Instead, it remained in that position, as if frozen in time.