Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 1074 Heavenly Palace Guardian Venerable, "Burning Sun Sword" Chu Kuanglan!

Zhang Yuan didn't move, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings of the stone chamber.

There were no ambushes, no restrictive fluctuations, only the chessboard in front of him and this person.

"Senior, you don't intend to make a move?" Zhang Yuan asked slowly.

"Fight?" Shen Yiqiu chuckled. "Why would I, a chess player, fight? Besides—"

He looked Zhang Yuan up and down.

"You're no fool to have made it to the sixth floor. This game of chess is the only key for you to get through here."

Zhang Yuan remained silent for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward and sat down on the stone bench.

"How should it be done?"

"Simple." Shen Yiqiu pushed a black piece in front of him. "Each of you makes your move, one game to determine the winner. If you win, the door to the seventh floor opens. If you lose—"

He paused.

"Since you managed to reach this level, I'll guarantee you a complete corpse. The Heavenly Palace's research on corpses has never been dignified."

Zhang Yuan stared intently at the chessboard.

The game has reached the middle stage.

The white pieces are powerful, like a towering mountain, layer upon layer, trapping the black pieces in a small space.

At first glance, Black seems to be in dire straits, surrounded on all sides, with no hope of survival.

"This is... a game in the endgame?" Zhang Yuan looked up.

“Indeed. This is the restriction reflection of the seventh level entrance.” Shen Yiqiu took a sip of tea. “The Heavenly Palace sealed Venerable Xuanjue with the Dragon-Trapping Formation. To break the formation, one must use the Way of Chess to enter the Way of Formation.”

"You have three incense sticks' worth of time. If you do not make a move after three incense sticks' worth of time, it will be considered a forfeit."

Zhang Yuan closed his eyes.

He is not a master of chess.

But he cultivates the art of array formations.

The essence of array formations is the deduction of rules and the interplay between nodes and networks.

He opened his eyes and regarded all the black and white pieces on the chessboard as nodes of the formation.

The white pieces occupy a cage of restrictions.

What Kuroko is trapped in is a power that has been imprisoned.

And this chessboard...

His gaze fell on the seemingly insignificant empty space in the very center of the chessboard.

That was the only chance of survival for Bai Zi, who was surrounded by enemies.

It is also the only flaw in the "trapped dragon" formation.

If Xuanqing's swordsmanship were used, he would have cleaved through it with a single strike.

If we consider Xuanjue's array formations, the counter-array should be used.

But this is a game of chess; you can only make moves.

Zhang Yuan took a deep breath and picked up a black piece.

A wisp of chaotic gray light silently entered the chess piece from his fingertips.

Then--

fall.

"Snapped."

The piece landed in the only empty space in the center.

The sound was crisp and clear, like ice beads falling onto a jade plate.

Shen Yiqiu's hand, which was holding the teacup, suddenly paused.

On the chessboard, as this black piece was placed, a slight crack suddenly appeared in the seemingly impenetrable position of the trapped dragon.

Like a thousand-mile dike, it can be breached by an ant hole.

The white dragon's throat was sealed!

What shocked him even more was that the chaotic aura attached to the black piece was slowly but irreversibly eroding the surrounding white piece formation!

He suddenly looked up at Zhang Yuan: "You...you didn't make a move at all!"

Zhang Yuan stood up and said calmly, "This junior doesn't understand the way of chess. But this junior understands one principle: even the most solid predicament in this world can be broken through from within." "The piece I placed was not a chess piece."

"It's a knife."

On the chessboard, the white pieces began to crumble piece by piece.

It wasn't eaten, but rather it was destroyed from its very source by the power of chaos!

Shen Yiqiu remained silent for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Excellent! What a brilliant piece of chess that isn't chess!"

"I, Shen Yiqiu, have played chess for three million years, and this is the first time I've ever seen a way of playing chess by infusing the power of chaos into the pieces!"

"You didn't just beat me, you overturned my chessboard!"

His laughter stopped, and he gave Zhang Yuan a deep look: "You're quite adept at causing trouble."

Having said that, he flicked his sleeve.

The stone wall behind them suddenly burst open, revealing a staircase leading upwards.

"Please." Shen Yiqiu stepped aside to make way, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation. "But let me warn you, the one on the seventh floor isn't as easy to talk to as I am."

Zhang Yuan clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your mercy, senior."

“I didn’t hold back.” Shen Yiqiu shook his head, looking at the completely shattered chessboard with a complicated expression. “I just couldn’t stop a guy who could eat all the rules.”

Zhang Yuan said no more and turned to step onto the stairs leading to the seventh floor.

Behind him, Shen Yiqiu's voice drifted back: "Boy, if you survive, come and play a real game of chess with me."

At the end of the stairs, on the seventh floor.

As soon as Zhang Yuan stepped onto the stone bricks of this level, he felt a completely different atmosphere.

It wasn't the ferocity of the fifth level, nor the serenity of the sixth, but rather a magnificent and awe-inspiring majesty!

Like the blazing sun, reigning supreme over the world!

The seventh floor is extremely spacious, like a small palace.

In the center of the main hall, a figure stood with his hands behind his back.

The man was dressed in crimson-gold armor, with a square and dignified face, sword-like eyebrows, and a vermilion mark between his brows that resembled a burning flame.

He stood there casually, and an invisible field enveloped him, causing the void to distort slightly, as if it could not withstand the aura he emitted.

Even more terrifying was the fluctuation of his cultivation level.

Mid-stage Venerable!

But that wasn't an ordinary mid-stage Venerable, but a martial arts fanatic who had experienced countless battles, whose killing intent was restrained, and whose true strength was only revealed the moment he drew his sword!

Moreover, he was a mid-stage Venerable under the endless pressure of the seventh level of the Demon Suppression Tower!

Beneath his feet, countless sword and knife marks crisscrossed, almost shaving off a layer of the bluestone ground.

It's not hard to imagine how many people who tried to pass through this place have failed and perished here.

Heavenly Palace Guardian Venerable, "Burning Sun Sword" Chu Kuanglan!

"After waiting seven years, finally someone decent has arrived." Chu Kuanglan slowly turned around, his gaze on Zhang Yuan indifferent yet scrutinizing. "So, you're the one who wants to challenge the seventh level?"

Zhang Yuan held his breath, his muscles tense: "Senior, this junior only wishes to pass through."

Chu Kuanglan seemed not to hear him.

"You want to see Xuan Jue? Interesting." Chu Kuanglan paced back and forth. "Xuan Jue has been imprisoned by my Heavenly Palace for seven years, and has become increasingly resilient under the daily tempering of the Demon Suppression Seal. However, I don't approve of his array formation."

"Too soft. Too circuitous. Not satisfying enough."

He stopped, his gaze piercing Zhang Yuan like a sword: "I find your approach quite interesting. You have a foundation in formations, a hint of swordsmanship, and something else mixed in..."

He saw the marks left by the broken chessboard, his expression became more serious, and he slowly raised his hand.

In the void, a giant sword burning with dark red flames materialized out of thin air and fell into his palm.

The sword was entirely crimson, its surface covered in cracks yet burning hot, as if it might explode at any moment.

But they were forcibly brought together by a domineering force, like a sun that had been crushed and then pieced back together.

Burning Sun Sword!

"Take my three sword strikes."

Chu Kuanglan said calmly, but his tone was like a royal decree, brooking no refusal.

"After the three sword strikes, you are still standing. Now, you can pass the seventh level."

The moment the words left his mouth, Chu Kuanglan drew his sword.

The first sword!

There were no fancy opening moves; he simply raised the burning greatsword high, and then—

Slash down! (End of Chapter)