Chapter 500: Playing Without Asking About Life or Death

Shi Lingyun was about to step forward and act as Xu Yang's vanguard, but Xu Yang stopped her with a wave of his hand.

"Look!"

He pointed to the center of the dust-covered wall behind a cobweb. There, faintly etched, was a grid pattern – clearly a chessboard that had been there for countless years.

What truly captivated Xu Yang was the scattered, incomplete game arranged on it.

It was well-known that Xu Yang had previously defeated many top chess players, remaining undefeated in battles such as the Saint Soul Academy and the Burial Mound.

Yet this time, the moment his eyes landed on the board, Xu Yang felt his spiritual energy involuntarily converge on that single point. Even with all his experience, a hint of surprise rose within him.

*Swoosh!*

With a raised hand, he made a move, and a black piece landed steadily one position to the left of the central point (Tengen).

Shi Lingyun was initially stunned by Xu Yang's action, confused as to why he wasn't going in to call someone, but instead had taken an interest in the chessboard.

However, the scene that unfolded next in the dilapidated temple taught the naive young woman a valuable lesson.

*Clack!*

Indeed, a figure crouching in the darkness quickly responded. A white piece was placed in the shadows, and a fierce game between them and Xu Yang began.

Just like that, in the blink of an eye, the two played over three hundred moves, spending six hours, from dusk until nightfall.

In the end, Shi Lingyun, utterly bewildered beside them, couldn't tell who had won. All she saw was the old madman in the darkness suddenly letting out a yell, then getting up and frantically rushing out of the dilapidated temple, darting past them towards the depths of the mountains.

"Follow him!"

Xu Yang's cold command came out, and in an instant, he grabbed Shi Lingyun's wrist and stepped out of the temple. Shi Lingyun quickly noticed that the madman was running faster and faster, his footwork no less powerful than that of a Tribulation Transcending Realm expert!

Of course, he didn't have the ability to shake off Xu Yang.

True to form, the madman stopped, turned abruptly, and with an excited expression, continuously pointed towards a cave deep within the dense forest, gesticulating wildly and mumbling incoherently at Xu Yang.

"Together?"

Xu Yang smiled and made an inviting gesture. The old madman immediately became silent and fled in a hurry, disappearing from sight.

In fact, the master had done this to give the madman an out.

The atmosphere inside the cave was entirely different from the outside.

There was no visible barrier or entrance, yet the moment they stepped inside, the surrounding atmosphere felt drastically different from the outside world.

For some reason, this instant feeling of being in a different world instinctively reminded Xu Yang of his previous experiences entering illusory realms.

"Boss, what's wrong?"

Xu Yang gently shook his head, composed himself, and continued leading Shi Lingyun forward.

With a flick of his palm, an eternal phosphorescent flame hovered above them, illuminating the cave's interior.

Weeds grew rampant, deadwood lay scattered, and the only sounds were the rustling of fallen leaves beneath their feet.

The only striking feature was a stone table and two stone chairs in the center of the cave.

"Could it be another unfinished game?"

Driven purely by habitual thinking, Shi Lingyun took a few steps forward, only to find the chessboard completely empty.

"Boss, why did that madman lead you here? Could it be that he's not the person we're looking for?"

"You're right."

Xu Yang appeared to be calmly observing his surroundings, but his body was instinctively moving towards the stone stools. He was wondering if there was some special hidden barrier in this strange place.

"Should we notify Daojun and the other two immediately?"

Xu Yang didn't speak, but at that very moment, he inexplicably stepped onto a formation point. In a flash, he found himself seated on the left stone stool.

Throughout the entire process, Xu Yang detected no fluctuations in aura or energy. It was as if sitting there was simply an instinctive action upon waking from a dream.

"Boss? Boss??"

Shi Lingyun quickly realized that, despite Xu Yang being so close after he sat down, she could no longer perceive any of their mutual movements.

"No... this place is truly eerie. Even though Boss's power is immense, comparable to that of gods, he might still fall prey to Yunmeng Ze's schemes. I should summon the others here first!"

Shi Lingyun had little experience with explorations. Although she wasn't part of the game at this moment, she was somewhat flustered. Calling for help was her only instinct.

As her soul power spread outwards, a complete soul body outline suddenly materialized out of thin air on the opposite side of the stone table.

The figure's face was pale, but his features were still delicate. More importantly, this soul was clearly intact, yet Xu Yang couldn't detect even a trace of his soul aura!

Such a situation had only ever occurred in illusions before.

For example, the illusory dreams woven by the Empress could achieve this level.

However, Xu Yang clearly and distinctly perceived that there were no illusionary barriers around him at this moment. With his Sky Eye Heart Realm, he was not easily deceived.

"It seems only this person before me can resolve the doubts in my mind."

Undoubtedly, this seated soul body was the Chess Master, one of the three survivors Xu Yang and his group were searching for.

"Life has birth and death; a game has victory and defeat. Since you have entered the game, my friend, have you considered the consequences?"

The Chess Soul's voice was calm. Just this single utterance showed he was far beyond the old madman outside. As for his chess skill, it was impossible to judge yet.

"It's just a game of chess. Talking about life and death is an overstatement. Even if I lose, you might not be able to do anything to me."

Xu Yang didn't even glance at his opponent, instead directly extended a finger and placed a piece first on the Tengen spot. Although he took the first move, he conceded the optimal strategic position to his opponent. A half-move difference was negligible.

"You cannot win this game. Even if you were to win, the cost would be unimaginable."

The Chess Soul then placed a white piece, and both sides began their respective opening moves.

Judging by the aggression of the game, the opponent's Chess Soul was clearly more ferocious. Xu Yang's chess style had always been internally sharp, maintaining a calm and unified stance, while the opponent was more like a rising dragon amidst clouds and wind, giving the impression of dark clouds pressing upon a city, a thousand-mile dike about to burst.

By the middle game, both sides had finally begun a full-scale, aggressive exchange. The opponent's "dragon" formation had taken shape, and Xu Yang seemingly had no retreat.

"Hahaha... you are surrounded. How can you possibly turn this around?"

Xu Yang sneered, "If a dragon could stop me, I wouldn't be here. Today, I shall effortlessly slay your black dragon!"

As Xu Yang placed his piece, golden light surged across the chessboard. In that instant, it was as if a dragon soul truly soared above their heads, and the background behind them transformed dramatically!

The stance of a dragon slayer had formed; with one strike, the black dragon fell!