leonardwarren #298 - Creating chess out of thin air
#298 - Creating chess out of thin air
The grand hall was enveloped in a membrane of light, its interior littered with wreckage. Beside a stone pillar, a terrifying Blade Beast unfurled its delicate wings…
Wang Ji Xuan raised a hand and gripped Number Five's arm.
Number Five was bewildered.
Although this was merely her mental projection, the sensation was incredibly real.
To be suddenly touched by Wang Ji Xuan, she instinctively wanted to flinch, but restrained this primal reaction.
"What is it?"
Wang Ji Xuan didn't reply, his spiritual sense focused on the gray figure beside the pillar at the edge, not turning his head to look, but frantically gathering the soul force of this alien spirit.
Sensing Wang Ji Xuan's strangeness, Number Five slightly turned her head, looking to the left and right.
The space behind the pillar was empty.
She didn't see anything unusual.
Ahead, the Black Silk Priestess had already reached the entrance of the hall, raising a hand to gently touch the transparent light barrier, which softly pushed her back.
"The place where the God-King was killed is just ahead."
She said to herself, looking at the scattered bones, her eyes initially filled with fear, but this fear gradually morphed, muttering continuously:
"This is very cruel for us."
"Believing in gods is an idea we've had since childhood, serving gods is our duty. Witnessing a god being killed by a monster, that moment was a great sorrow for me."
"But I didn't dare stand up to protect the god, only watching the god die here."
The Black Silk Priestess's voice trembled slightly.
She seemed to be forcefully squeezing her chest, wanting to let out a cry of sorrow, but in the end, only coughed twice, her body seeming to become even weaker.
The Black Silk Priestess turned to look, the divine light in her eyes extremely complex, with a hint of emptiness.
She asked Number Five: "Where should we go next? If you are also a god, can you become our guide?"
Number Five curled her lips, looking at Wang Ji Xuan.
She originally wanted to ask what to do next, but unexpectedly saw Wang Ji Xuan, the alien soul, highly vigilant, as if ready to strike at any moment.
Is there really an enemy?
"I, to you…"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two invisible blades of air shot forth!
Wang Ji Xuan's alien soul grabbed Number Five's arm, his figure suddenly leaping backward!
During the jump, a strand of Number Five's beautiful hair floated forward, then dissolved into glimmering light.
The sound of air being torn reappeared, Number Five saw a gray figure pouncing extremely quickly, while the Wang Zheng beside her exploded with a bang, transforming into a pitch-black蛟 dragon over ten meters long, a layer of shockwaves erupting around it.
The gray figure was blown away by the shockwaves!
Number Five gently waved her fair hand, several spirit energy circuits simultaneously appearing, from which dozens of tiny arrows that could harm souls shot out.
Clang clang clang!
Several bladed limbs danced wildly, all the arrows being knocked away, leaving trails of afterimages in the air.
Wang Ji Xuan's dragon-python alien soul's left front claw slashed forward, powerful soul force erupting, the gray figure that tried to advance being knocked back again.
Its figure staggered several times, its back crashing into the light membrane enveloping the hall, revealing its full appearance.
A body the size of an average person, a slender torso and delicate wings that, when unfolded, resembled insect wings, a terrifying mouthpart with a thick membrane, on which was carved a face similar to a human's.
This Cari'nho, compared to the one Wang Ji Xuan had encountered before, was somewhat different in appearance.
The Black Silk Priestess beside them suddenly cried out in panic, trembling as she fell to the ground.
Cari'nho's right bladed limb slashed across, the Black Silk Priestess's head flying backward, without any bloodstains, her body then dissipating.
Wang Ji Xuan's alien soul transformed into a human form, slightly visualizing in his heart, soul force condensing into a long sword.
Number Five's short hair grew long, restoring her original appearance, which also meant she was going 'full power', the pretty face, while not changing much in features, now had a hint of holiness, her skin even more like frost and snow.
"Night Spirit cultivator… Black Storm…"
This Cari'nho emitted a piercing noise.
Wang Ji Xuan laughed freely: "Old friend?"
Cari'nho had a pensive look, then slowly shook its head, its voice piercing but its speech coherent:
"We share all memories, but I am not the companion who contacted you before. You are an enemy, at least that's how it seems to me."
Number Five coldly snorted: "Too much nonsense."
She raised her left hand, opening it, a beam of silver light shooting forward rapidly.
Cari'nho's bladed limb slashed forward vertically, the silver light seeming to become substance, being directly cut in half by it.
These moves seemed flashy, but in reality, were just collisions of 'soul force'.
Cari'nho was about to counterattack immediately, but Wang Ji Xuan suddenly raised his hand.
"Stop! We're here to negotiate!"
Sure enough, Cari'nho stopped.
Number Five also looked at Wang Ji Xuan somewhat puzzled, not understanding what he wanted to negotiate.
Wang Daochang breathed a sigh of relief.
Number Five hadn't noticed, but Wang Ji Xuan had sensed it… how to put it, this was a very complex thing.
To explain it simply, it was:
This palace was the core of the entire illusion, the illusion was gradually constructed outward from here;
This Cari'nho was a part of this palace;
The entire illusion, or rather, this city, was the soul of the Pillar Blade Beast.
That is to say, this Cari'nho represented the soul of the Pillar Blade Beast.
This soul force was extremely vast, so vast that even if Wang Ji Xuan and Number Five combined, it would be difficult to push down a single pillar here. If they continued to fight this Cari'nho, they wouldn't be able to kill it at all, and would be exhausted to death by it.
Although they were just an alien soul and a mental projection, Daochang had no interest in this kind of guaranteed-loss battle.
"Black Storm."
Cari'nho had a pensive look, its lower bladed limbs, resembling 'stilts', slowly paced, saying unhurriedly:
"You are an envoy of a high-level civilization, originally not needing to participate in our war with the Spirit Cultivators."
"Now that you have become involved here, you have also become our enemy."
"Blade Beasts are not afraid of any enemies, Blade Beasts can evolve forever, even in high-level worlds, we will continue to fight."
"This is our destiny."
Number Five's pretty face was icy, not opening her mouth.
Wang Ji Xuan laughed freely: "First, you are sitting in a well, looking at the sky, being arrogant and ignorant; second, I am only standing on the position of the humans here, so I am opposed to you, and not standing on the position of the Spirit Cultivators. This is my partner."
"The Spirit Cultivator of the Dark Night," Cari'nho said indifferently, "Although I clearly know that you are not the main culprit who inflicted endless pain and enslavement on our race, but as a fellow Spirit Cultivator, because of the overlap of power systems, you must also be destroyed by us."
Number Five coldly snorted: "It's probably too early to say who will destroy whom."
Wang Daochang decisively took over the topic:
"I have a few things I want to ask you."
"I roughly already know the situation here."
"This city is the soul of the Pillar Blade Beast, this is different from the souls of ordinary creatures, the technology used here is called the Elysian Canopy, originating from the predecessor civilization of the Spirit Cultivators."
"And you, seemingly a Cari'nho, are actually… a part of the soul of the Pillar Blade Beast? The part with a logic and thinking pattern similar to humans?"
Cari'nho's expression was slightly surprised.
It slowly nodded: "I didn't expect that you already knew all our secrets."
"Actually, not all," Wang Ji Xuan said indifferently, "So, unless we have the ability to directly destroy this Elysian Canopy, otherwise, we won't be able to outlast you here."
This was telling Number Five.
Cari'nho asked: "You just said negotiate, then give your negotiation conditions, if you want us to let go of the humans and Spirit Cultivators on this planet, then there's no need to mention it."
"Indeed, you currently have the advantage."
Wang Ji Xuan's hands hidden behind his back began to brew demonic energy.
The dragon-python alien soul was now half-Buddha and half-demon, creating some demonic energy was naturally easy.
Negotiation, without chips, then create one out of thin air for yourself.
"I think you should know about the matter of the Spirit Cultivator Old Sophie going crazy."
"Yes, the Spirit Cultivator of the Flame Fire system, Sophie, whose personality is cowardly and full of lies. He fell into madness for some unknown reason, which gave us a very good opportunity," Cari'nho slowly nodded, "My companions awakened me in advance, just to destroy his core circuit."
"His core circuit is now in my hands."
"I had a sense of it before."
"Then I can tell you today the reason he went crazy."
Wang Ji Xuan smiled, extending his right hand from behind, on which was a ball of pitch-black flames.
Cari'nho carefully sensed it, then changed its expression.
It felt a huge threat.
It had felt this kind of threat before, it seemed to be able to erode the Pillar Blade Beast's vast soul and body, just like a constantly replicating virus, as long as it was contaminated, it would rapidly grow.
And the Pillar Blade Beast did not have the spirit energy circuits to restrain this thing.
"This is, your poison?"
"It's just a kind of aura cultivated, I can have as much as I want."
Wang Daochang's smile became more and more calm, closing his right hand, letting the flames dissipate.
"Our power system is different from yours, and coincidentally, this kind of small problem, which is easily solved on our side, is your nightmare."
"Our side can promise that as long as the negotiation goes smoothly, then I will not release this thing on the Pillar Blade Beast."
"An out-of-control behemoth is not a good thing for humans either."
"But if this behemoth fearlessly attacks forward, the destruction to the human world will definitely be higher than the indiscriminate killing of humans and Blade Beasts after the behemoth goes out of control."
This Cari'nho fell into silence.
It suddenly turned around, its body merging into the light membrane enveloping the hall, in front of Wang Ji Xuan and Number Five, going to the corner of the hall, finding a gorgeous cloak to put on itself.
Its bladed limbs were hidden behind the cloak.
Subsequently, it strolled out, gazing at Daoist Wang, and said very seriously:
"You possess the bargaining chip to negotiate with me, cultivator."
Wang Jixuan snapped his fingers.
A wave of soul force diffused outwards, condensing into a long table and three chairs.
This inadvertent display of ability had no impact on Kali Nuo, but Number Five was visibly surprised.
The Daoist raised his hand, gesturing an invitation: "Then let's sit down and talk."
Kali Nuo slowly nodded, adjusting the shape of its body, cloaked in a robe, and sat opposite the two.
At this moment, Kali Nuo's facial features on the conjunctiva were so lifelike that it closely resembled a human.
To be precise, it resembled a spiritual cultivator.
Those figures surrounded the outside of the plaza in front of the palace, not daring to approach at all.
They were just decorations, ornaments that this city should have, serving the same purpose as streetlights or greenery.
"Why do you know about the Blissful Celestial Canopy?"
Kali Nuo asked with doubt:
"The spiritual cultivators who knew this secret should have already been killed by us."
Daoist Wang smiled and said, "How about the same pattern as last time? You and I ask and answer, communicating with spiritual thoughts, so we can determine whether it's a lie."
"Okay, we like this kind of information exchange."
"However, I won't tell you anything about the Heavenly Dao."
"I'm not interested in the Heavenly Dao. Slight differences exist between our individuals, it is a way to protect self-awareness."
Number Five simply reverted to her yellow-haired loli state.
She frowned, watching Wang Jixuan and Kali Nuo, who had already started talking;
How did she feel…
'When Wang Zheng talks to the Blade Beast, he seems happier than when he negotiates with me?'
… …
Fu Jian looked at the countdown timer in front of him.
Wang Jixuan's side had been working for more than two hours, and the various indicators of the Pillar Blade Beast had begun to rise steadily. In about an hour and a half, they would need to carry out a second strong strike.
Fu Jian turned to look at Wang Jixuan's main body.
He still had a smile on his lips, as if everything was proceeding calmly.
However, there were also a few bad news items, all related to the City of Spiritual Energy. Fu Jian was hesitating whether to find a way to share them with Wang Jixuan.
These bad news items were not major problems in themselves.
The black shell stopped those spiritual energy users who were trying to get close to the battlefield, ascertained the identities of these spiritual energy users, and also discovered the true strength of this group of spiritual energy users.
There were more than two thousand of them, most of whom were C-level spiritual energy users. There were only more than one hundred B-level and above spiritual energy users. The leader was the Destruction Corps Commander of the Spiritual Control Council named 'Hei Ming', an SS-level spiritual energy user who had previously appeared in public, and also one of the known dozen or so SS-level spiritual energy users.
Hei Ming was a student of the Six Elders, and was considered a loyal follower of the Six Elders. At the same time, he was also one of the main combat forces within the City of Spiritual Energy that the ruling faction used to deter the natural faction.
— There were also several SS-level spiritual energy users on the natural faction's side.
The point was that, although Hei Ming was the Destruction Corps Commander of the Spiritual Control Council, he had never publicly taken action himself, and had no criminal record.
Hei Ming brought more than a dozen S-level spiritual energy users, and they were all clean combat forces who lived in seclusion in the City of Spiritual Energy.
They had no way to take them down politically.
This time, the City of Spiritual Energy had lowered its stance even further.
The Six Elders publicly issued a statement, emphasizing that the City of Spiritual Energy was a part of human society, and that everyone was responsible for fighting against the Pillar Blade Beast… They said a lot of things.
Fu Jian's feeling was that the Six Elders had suddenly changed their attitude one hundred and eighty degrees.
Behind this, it was likely that the Number One, Two, and Three spiritual cultivators had changed their attitude.
After the Six Elders issued a public statement, the three commanders of the space fortress also issued a proposal, stating that the top priority was to control the Sixth Pillar, and so on.
Fu Jian also had a way to deal with it.
He arranged for this group of spiritual energy users to go to the front-line battlefield, and did not let them get close to the Pillar Blade Beast.
But now, Destruction Corps Commander Hei Ming, along with those dozen or so S-level spiritual energy users, were already trying to approach this side.
They were even shamelessly engaging in video recording and even live broadcasting on the spot. This was to show the world the heroic posture of spiritual energy users fighting the Pillar Blade Beast.
Fu Jian really wanted to blast them away with a cannon;
Unfortunately, he was the commander and had to consider the overall situation and occupy the moral high ground, so that he could continue to unite the human race internally.
'The commander is indeed not at ease.'
Fu Jian didn't know why he thought of this, and smiled wryly.
He stopped looking at Wang Jixuan and turned to continue paying attention to the battlefield. At this time, a wisp of sound transmission entered Fu Jian's mind, naturally Wang Jixuan was inquiring.
"Old Fu, that, cough…"
"First of all, I am definitely standing on the side of humanity, fighting the Blade Beast to the end."
"Secondly, I am definitely not afraid of the Pillar Blade Beast, nor am I going to cooperate with the Blade Beast."
"I just want to ask… I have a way to fool this Pillar Blade Beast into attacking the City of Spiritual Energy. What do you think, should I operate like this?"