Chapter 1226: Reappearance

This time, however, Xu Yang did not decline further. He clearly understood that it was unrealistic to send the Eight Gates team to confront an expert capable of imposing new rules. To prevent further casualties within the team, Xu Yang decisively chose to intervene personally, intending to at least meet the individual secretly altering the rules from the shadows.

Xu Yang then transformed into a streak of light, appearing on the deck of the three warships that were engulfed in towering flames. Enduring the intense heat, he stood in the heart of the raging inferno, completely unharmed, no matter how fiercely the surrounding flames burned.

He stood like an outsider, looking down with a detached yet powerful gaze upon a world that could not taint him. His unique demeanor was something no one on Yingzhou Continent could possibly emulate.

With a gentle wave of his right hand, Xu Yang effortlessly extinguished the rampant flames on the three warships using the Sea God's Domain. At the same time, he clearly perceived the source of the power that had just altered the rules: two chess pieces, one black and one white, that had descended from an unknown place.

When Xu Yang attempted to touch these two chess pieces, their corresponding lights instantly vanished, dissolving into nothingness and leaving him no opportunity to gather clues.

Had it been according to the Azure Dragon's true nature, he would never have acted this way. Instead, he would have deliberately left clues and weaknesses for Xu Yang to gradually unravel the mystery, while he observed Xu Yang's efforts from behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, the Cloud Dragon Heavenly Emperor had commanded that the Azure Dragon must not reveal his identity or whereabouts. Thus, he could only go so far.

"Impressive, he can actually influence the surrounding water elemental energy with his own power? It seems this young man is indeed blessed by fate and possesses great fortune. It would be a shame to abandon such a rare opponent! After all, once these individuals truly enter the vicinity of Xuanyuan Imperial City, their lives and deaths will no longer be something I can intervene with."

With these thoughts, the Azure Dragon couldn't resist conjuring several black and white chess pieces in the palm of his right hand once more. This time, instead of the distinct two-point outlines of one black and one white piece from before, he generated seven interspersed black and white pieces all at once.

Gently closing his eyes, the Azure Dragon's mind formulated the second sequence of moves and chess strategy. With a wave of his hands, the powerful sealing chess formation finally descended.

As seven black and white pieces successively descended, the Azure Dragon this time directly pinpointed the location of the three vanguard ship wrecks where Xu Yang was.

The special rule alteration, formed by the alignment of seven stars into the Big Dipper constellation, naturally centered on the essence of the Big Dipper formation. As expected, the seven chess pieces connected with each other, converging directly above Xu Yang's head to manifest an exceptionally brilliant Seven-Star Sword Glow.

The immensely powerful energy, formed by the convergence and linking of these seven stars, utterly astonished everyone around the Fifth Prince the moment it materialized.

This time, even Little White, Xu Yang's recently subdued mount, couldn't help but widen its eyes in profound astonishment. "Oh my goodness, I hope I'm not mistaken! Can this so-called rule-altering power actually condense such a complex Big Dipper formation?

"One must understand that the mysteries contained within such a formation are endless. Once it takes shape, everything perceived by the one sealed within it is a direct manifestation of the formation caster's purest thoughts."

In other words, the greater significance of this power lies in its ability to brainwash. This time, to maximally conceal his identity and location, the Azure Dragon opted for a purely suppressive aura effect.

The heaven-and-earth force condensed by the Big Dipper formation intensely compressed Xu Yang's position, aiming to give him no chance to breathe, and compel him to willingly submit after sensing the vast difference between their powers.

Unfortunately, as Xu Yang had stated, perhaps no one on the entire Yingzhou Continent capable of restraining him had even been born yet. To dare act so presumptuously with merely a Big Dipper formation before him, this individual was far too naive.

Subsequently, the seven black and white chess pieces intertwined and, out of thin air, transformed into two intersecting flood dragons. These dragons coiled around each other, merging into a single powerful force that pressed down towards Xu Yang's head.

"My heavens, can the boss truly withstand this power?" For the first time, Little White, the mount, couldn't help but feel worried for Xu Yang.

After all, despite becoming Xu Yang's mount with no specified time limit and potentially never regaining the glory of a true dragon,

Little White still held a great deal of admiration and respect for Xu Yang's various qualities. At the very least, he understood the principle of mutual dependence: if Xu Yang were genuinely caught off guard and suddenly severely injured by the opponent's power, it would mean the complete overthrow of the entire Fifth Prince's faction.

"Master, allow me to assist you?" Little White offered, preparing to transform into his colossal dragon form and ascend, but Xu Yang's voice instantly resonated within his mind.

"What are you doing? Focus on protecting the Eight Gates brothers. The reason I haven't used my full strength yet is because I want to understand this person's true power as much as possible. Otherwise, do you genuinely believe I can't defeat him?"

Little White was rendered speechless by Xu Yang's words, yet he could still sense that the dual dragon soul power, condensed from the Big Dipper formation, was indeed remarkably potent.

"Hehehe, if you lack even this much trust in me, then I'm truly somewhat disappointed." As Xu Yang finished speaking, the powerful light of his Limitless Sword Dao once again condensed behind him. In the shortest possible time, he summoned the incredibly familiar Heaven-Piercing Sword Glow, locking it precisely onto the outlines of the two intersecting dragon souls before him.

A tremendous roar then resounded. How immense was the power of Xu Yang's sword dao? He showed no quarter to his opponent. As expected, the very instant the sword glow descended, the two twin dragon souls before him began to shatter.

Moreover, the sword qi unleashed by Xu Yang did not completely dissipate immediately. Instead, under the wash of the subsequent surging power, it quickly shattered the formation laid out by the black and white chess piece before him.

"Oh? The chess formation I deployed contains the profound mysteries of the Chess Dao of Heaven and Earth. Even if an ordinary person possesses immense power, once sealed by my chess array, they will be suppressed by the Dao of Chess to varying degrees.

"They are unable to unleash their full power. Yet, the sword glow that fellow just released, while appearing to be a pure sword technique, was able to precisely pinpoint the weaknesses within my chess power!"