The entire drill ground was filled with the sounds of battle. The originally lifeless puppets walked to their corresponding positions on the small chessboard. In this game of chess, the red side was firmly suppressed by the black side since the beginning of the game.
After a few steps, everyone on the field also felt the pressure of the black puppets' attacks. However, in everyone's eyes, Yi Tian still had a leisurely look on his face. At this point, there was no other choice but to believe in him unconditionally.
Yi Tian, who was sitting in front of the chessboard, looked calm on the surface, but he felt a chill in his heart. The opponent opposite him was also a veteran. The two sides had walked about ten steps, and Yi Tian was only focused on defense, shifting the power of the left and right sides to the center and the front lines.
After weighing the pros and cons, Yi Tian came up with the best plan. Taking advantage of the red side's lack of power, he could shift more positions. The two main attacking heavy pieces, the chariot and horse, would move to the side of the commander to defend and wait for an opportunity to move. The front line would use the advantage of the vanguard and the cannon to rush across the river, and the Soldier Statue would firmly restrain the opponent's attacks in the center. They would do their best to receive the opponent's attacks.
Strategy was strategy, and actual combat was actual combat. This way, Tong Yan and Yan Zhaoxue suffered. Every time they were pushed forward, the halo around them would disappear, and then they would have to face the black puppets' storm-like attacks. After the opponent's attack, the protective halo around the puppet would also disappear. Only then could the red side counterattack.
Yan Zhaoxue, as the guard in the middle, was attacked the most. Fortunately, she was also very strong, and often had to exchange blows with the attacking puppets every three steps. Every time she could launch a counterattack, she would summon a ball of cyan flames wrapped around the feather fan. The opponent's puppets seemed to be greatly restrained by this flame. Even those mid Foundation Establishment stage puppets would be disposed of by her in less than an hour.
After fifteen rounds, Xing Yuan and Dugu Ao, as the chariot and horse, basically had no chance to make a move. Yang Ling, who was sitting on the commander's seat, also suffered a f * cking attack. However, his strength was also there, and after a series of attacks, he countered with a move.
In terms of chess skills, Yi Tian was far inferior to his opponents. But in terms of overall strength, the eight people here were basically all in the late stage of the Foundation Establishment Stage, so they could still be on par with each other.
After twenty rounds, Yi Tian saw that he had exhausted most of the opponent's baryons. Furthermore, his middle troops could enter the central palace under the protection of the chariots after crossing the river.
Xing Yuan was finally able to display his skills after using the Charge Chariot Crossing the River. Dugu Ao also killed his way into the enemy camp after taking two steps. The two of them charged left and right as if they were entering a no-man's land.
After Red Team Zhong Zi crossed the river, it was clear that the other side was in a hurry to move their troops back to defend. With this, the pressure on Red Team's central palace was greatly reduced. Yan Zhaoxue also took the chance to sit down and take out some medicinal pills to regulate her breathing. She kept on cursing, "Little Yi Zi, you're really messing with people. After this matter is over, I'm not done with you."
Completely ignoring Yan Zhaoxue's reaction, Yi Tian was now wholeheartedly focused on the chess game. He couldn't waste Red Team Zhong Zi's advantage. Now that Red Team Zhong Zi had crossed the river, the originally barely balanced situation had evolved into a one-sided situation.
After dealing with Black Team Zhong Zi's six pieces, Yi Tian was full of confidence. Now, the threat to his side had been reduced to the lowest. Even those soldiers who had crossed the river wouldn't be able to break through his central palace.
Just as he was full of confidence, Yi Tian proudly glanced at his opponent. He suddenly discovered that Black Team Zhong Zi's player had calmly started to raise his defense. Moreover, he was planning to wear out Yi Tian. Greatly alarmed, Yi Tian suddenly discovered that this chess game was definitely not as simple as he had imagined. His opponent should still have some moves that they hadn't used yet.
After thinking about it again and again, Yi Tian understood that there was no other way. With Shui Dong Cheng's strength, even if he really went up to fight with Black General, it would be difficult. Moreover, it seemed like a good move, but if Black General ran up to fight, Du Heiyi would probably not be able to last more than ten moves and be eliminated.
Thinking of this, Yi Tian immediately became cold. The black side couldn't attack, but what about the red side? Without absolute strength, it would only be like adding firewood to the fire, making a wedding dress for others.
After five rounds, Du Heiyi's middle troops should have been able to reach the middle palace, but Yi Tian managed to maneuver them to escape. Those who didn't know what was going on cried out in confusion, "What's going on? Can't we play properly?"
After being questioned, Yi Tian helplessly explained, "In the end, all of you will die. Furthermore, you will have to rely on your own strength to defeat the late Foundation Establishment stage puppet. Who has complete confidence?"
Hearing this, everyone woke up one after another. This wasn't just about winning on the chessboard. In the end, they had to rely on defeating Black General.
The first to react was Xing Yuan. He also knew that he was the strongest among the eight people, so this matter had to be done by him. Looking at the huge Black General in front of him, Xing Yuan shouted to everyone, "Let me try and see if I can succeed in one strike." The people around him also echoed.
But Yi Tian, who was sitting in front of the chessboard, began to feel troubled. Xing Yuan was the strongest person among the chess pieces. According to Yi Tian's original intention, before he could figure out the Black General's strength, it was better to test it. If he directly used his trump card, then he didn't know what to do next.
Not to mention, looking at the light figure sitting across from him, Yi Tian had doubts in his heart. Could it be that the Heavenly Fate Sect was so weak? If it was so easy to break through, then he was underestimating the person who set this up.
But now that they were all united, Yi Tian couldn't go against everyone's will. He said earnestly, "I don't want to make such a rash move. If something unexpected happens, which one of you will be able to handle it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the few people who were excited just now instantly quieted down. On the contrary, Xing Yuan said with a firm expression, "It's fine. I will do my best." After he finished speaking, he nodded at Yi Tian.
Seeing how firm he was, Yi Tian didn't want to pour cold water on him. He turned his head to look at the chessboard. He stretched out his right hand, took out the red chariot, and directly attacked the Black General. Bang! The halo wrapped around Xing Yuan and moved him straight to the bottom line. Then, the entire chessboard formation shook. Before anyone could react, they saw Black General, who was sitting on the throne in the middle of the palace, slowly stand up.
Ever since the game started, the Black General had been sitting there. Looking at it from afar, one would only know that it was bigger than a normal puppet. However, when it stood up, one would realize that it was at least three meters tall.
With a whoosh, the halo around the Black General puppet suddenly disappeared. It pulled out its sword and waved at the red chariot, indicating that it was ready to receive the attack.
Seeing this, Xing Yuan knew that he could only make the first attack without worry. He looked at the protective halo around him and relaxed. He turned his head to look at the Black General, who was half his height. Xing Yuan gritted his teeth, pulled out his long saber, and charged forward.
In this kind of situation, trying to test the waters was equivalent to wasting an opportunity. Xing Yuan was the head of the Divine Sword Sect's Seven Absolute Swords. Naturally, he was strong. Although the weapon he used was not the long sword he was proficient in, he had done some research on saber-type spirit weapons. He used a saber in place of a sword and used the Divine Sword Sect's ultimate move, One Sword Flying Immortal.
Dugu Ao, who was standing not far away, had an extremely solemn expression. He knew that although there was something wrong with the spirit artifact in Xing Yuan's hand, its might was only slightly weaker than normal. Even he would have a hard time taking it head-on.
Everyone saw Xing Yuan's body charge towards the Black General like a meteor. Then, they heard a loud bang, and the entire drill ground shook.
After the smoke dissipated, Xing Yuan's saber was blocked by the King's Sword in Black General's hand. After receiving the blow, Black General's feet sank deep into the ground of the Drill Ground until they reached his knees.
Yi Tian, who was sitting far away, used his divine sense to see everything clearly. It seemed that Xing Yuan had the upper hand, but this attack that he used with all his strength did not cause any substantial damage to the Black General.
After three breaths, the light on Xing Yuan's body began to fade. Yi Tian's expression changed and he hurriedly shouted, "Be careful, he's about to counterattack."
Just as he said that, he saw a red light flash in the Black General's eyes. He used both hands to push the steel saber away and then jumped out of the ground. With a whoosh, the Black General's feet landed on the ground. He held the sword in his right hand and slashed towards Xing Yuan.
After thinking about it, the puppet's advantage was its strong defense, and its weakness was its slow movement and lack of coordination. Xing Yuan fought a few rounds with the Black General and found that he could not compare in terms of strength. It was also very difficult for ordinary techniques to break through the opponent's defense. Fortunately, he had a great advantage in terms of mobility. He could often use escape techniques to increase the distance between them and wait for an opportunity to attack.
Slowly, the exchange of attacks became a battle of attrition. Within two hours, Xing Yuan continuously slashed out with his saber, leaving inch-deep marks on the Black General's armor. Everyone watching from afar cheered from time to time. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the Black General puppet was broken apart.
However, Yi Tian, who was sitting on the side of the drill ground, had a suspicious expression. Although Xing Yuan had the absolute advantage, it was useless if he couldn't break through the opponent's defense. Moreover, this exchange had already been going on for a while. He didn't know how long Xing Yuan could maintain such a high level of spirit force output.
The opponent was a puppet, so as long as there was a constant supply of crystal core energy, it could maintain this state of battle. However, Xing Yuan's movements were a bit slower than before. Perhaps it was because he had consumed a lot of spirit force.
Suddenly, Xing Yuan's saber slashes were a bit slower than before, and the Black General began to counterattack. The Black General's right hand held the sword to block the saber slashes. Taking advantage of the gap, the Black General didn't retreat. Instead, he took a step forward and closed the distance between him and Xing Yuan. This stunned everyone. Xing Yuan also discovered the problem and hastily used an escape technique to increase the distance between them.
What happened next was a tie, or rather, a slight disadvantage. Black General fought steadily and slowly closed the distance between them. He even began to counterattack. Xing Yuan now needed to draw out a considerable amount of spiritual energy to maintain the protective shield on his body. Every time Black General waved the King's Sword in his hand, he could leave a three inch deep mark on the ground, causing everyone to suck in a breath of cold air.
The more Xing Yuan fought, the more anxious he became. The situation had become very passive. He really regretted not listening to Yi Tian's advice and probing the Black General's strength first. Seeing that he couldn't do anything, Xing Yuan hurriedly pulled away. Then, he took out a few pills from his storage bracelet, crushed them, and put them in his mouth. After three breaths, his face had clearly regained a bit of color.
The long period of intense spirit force output had indeed left Xing Yuan with lingering fear. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have been so careless.
The Black General returned to its throne. Yi Tian found that it seemed to be restricted by the chessboard's rules and couldn't leave the central palace. Moreover, all the battles had to be carried out in the central palace.
At this moment, a few words appeared on the chessboard. "Kill the Black General. Leave the central palace and you lose."
Yi Tian immediately reminded Xing Yuan, "Fellow Cultivator Xing, when killing the Black General, you can't leave the central palace. Otherwise, it will be considered a failure."
Xing Yuan, who was standing at the edge of the central palace, quickly looked at his feet. Fortunately, he hadn't left the central palace. He couldn't help but wipe the sweat off his forehead. He quickly turned to look at the Black General. He felt that he still had a chance and quickly said, "I'll try again. If it doesn't work, then I'll retreat." After he finished speaking, he jumped high into the air with his blade in both hands. He poured spirit force into the blade and slashed at the Black General.
After a bang, the Black General raised its sword to defend. After a while, another wound appeared on its body. It looked more serious than before, but its movements weren't affected at all.
On the other hand, Xing Yuan's attack had consumed a lot of his spirit force. After he landed, he began to absorb spirit force from spirit stones. Before the crowd could cheer, the black general walked out from the main seat and rushed over with Xing Yuan in his hand.
Seeing that the situation wasn't right, Yi Tian quickly reminded, "Hurry up and fight. If you don't have enough spirit force, then give up. I'll think of another method."
With a swoosh, Xing Yuan Quan performed an escape art and doubled his speed. The center of the chessboard was not large, only about sixty to seventy feet in radius. In this limited space, Xing Yuan still wanted to counterattack, so he didn't leave the central palace.
Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished. Black General kept hacking and thrusting, not giving Xing Yuan a second chance to perform a more powerful attack. Often, after Xing Yuan dodged the first attack, before he had the time to gather his Qi, the second wave of sword rain would arrive.
The two sides fought in the central palace for nearly an hour without a victor being decided. However, Xing Yuan knew that if this continued, he would definitely be eliminated. After thinking for a bit, he took out a few Origin Replenishing Pills from his storage bag and consumed them. Then, the spirit force around his body suddenly became stronger. Yi Tian knew that Xing Yuan was preparing for a final battle.
Sure enough, when faced with the Black General's attack, Xing Yuan turned around and poured spirit force into his blade. Then, he met the sword head on.
A wave of spirit power surged out from the clash of the sword and saber, and a shockwave spread out in all directions with them as the origin, shaking the nearby puppets a few times. The surrounding people all felt the terror of this move. It was basically the power of an early stage Jin Dan cultivator.
Xing Yuan was only waiting for this move to succeed. Then, he quickly jumped back and used his blade to face the Black General again. This time, a five foot long blade appeared in his hand. Then, it slowly condensed into a three inch long blade and attacked the Black General's head.
Dugu Ao, who was standing at the side, cried out involuntarily, "Condensing Void into Reality! I didn't expect you to have cultivated to such a level. If you use your Natal Spiritual Weapon, its power can definitely reach the early Gold Core realm."
"Not yet. I only reached the peak of the first level. Dugu Ao, don't you want to show off your Sky Devil Slash?" After saying that, Xing Yuan flew out of the Central Palace. When he landed on the ground, he was wrapped in a halo and flew out of the chessboard of the Drill Ground.
Yi Tian, who was sitting on the edge of the chessboard, saw Xing Yuan land behind him. The blade in his hand automatically flew back to the stone pillar and the chessboard was missing a red rook.
Before anyone could react, they saw the Black General's head being hit. His entire helmet was sent flying, revealing a wooden head. Black General dragged his heavy body and slowly walked to the throne in the middle of the palace. Then, he sat down and sheathed his King's Sword. What happened next left everyone speechless. Black General grabbed one of the soldiers beside him and tore open his chest. Then, he took out something that looked like a spirit core and placed it inside his chest.
After ten breaths of time, the Black General's body emitted a pressure comparable to the peak of the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Then his eyes dimmed and a white light wrapped around him.
Those with discerning eyes could see that this killing mission had failed. However, Xing Yuan had also cleared the path for everyone. It wouldn't be easy to break out of this situation. At the very least, the strongest person couldn't defeat the Black General. This caused everyone to become restless. They all looked at Yi Tian, hoping that he could give a clear explanation.
After being stared at by the crowd for a while, Yi Tian also felt goosebumps rising on his head. This result was also unexpected. He didn't expect the Black General to have a recovery function. It seemed that if he didn't get rid of the remaining three guards, he wouldn't be able to kill the general again.
After reorganizing his thoughts, Yi Tian looked at the chessboard. There were only four black pieces left. As for the red pieces, other than the most powerful rook, most of their strength was still there.
After a pause, Yi Tian quickly adjusted his thoughts and placed a piece. The opponent's shadow also repeatedly defended. The scene looked like it was about to deploy troops.
Xing Yuan's previous experience reminded everyone that as long as their weapon fell to the ground, they would be eliminated. Thus, when dealing with the guards, even Du Heiyi and Shui Dongcheng were especially careful. This was because the guards were all puppets at the mid stage of Foundation Establishment, but their strength was comparable to rogue cultivators at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. As for Dugu Ao, as the remaining heavy child who could kill generals, he couldn't waste his spiritual energy on other things for no reason.
Shui Dongcheng was the weakest of the eight. In a one on one exchange, both sides suffered. In the end, he had no choice but to throw away his weapon after killing the Black Elephant. On the other hand, Du Heiyi, as the vanguard, killed the Black Elephant and dragged the Soldier to death.
On the chessboard, the red and black sides went back and forth for a few rounds. In the end, Yi Tian forcefully exchanged for a single soldier and a double elephant at the cost of a cannon and a soldier. Now, on the entire small chessboard, the black side only had a single 'black general' sitting in the middle of the palace. Although the red side had four pieces, Yi Tian's face was still filled with worry. If Dugu Ao also lost, this game would be a draw.
After thinking about it a hundred times, Yi Tian really couldn't understand why the Heavenly Fate Sect's capable people had laid down such a complicated formation. He raised his head and looked at the flag bearer. Although there was only one piece left, they still had a chance to draw.
The three people who had been eliminated walked up and everyone discussed the situation on the small chessboard. It was clearly a one-sided situation. As long as the commander walked to the center, the second line would be able to force the Black General and Dugu Ao to fight. However, no one thought that this was a sure-win situation. Even the strongest person, Xing Yuan, couldn't deal with it. At the very least, everyone still lacked confidence in Dugu Ao.
After three moves, Dugu Ao became very active. After waiting for so long, he finally got the chance to show his face. Under everyone's gazes, he charged at the Black General with his halberd in his hand.
With Xing Yuan's previous scouting, Dugu Ao placed all his hopes on himself. Dugu Ao's entire body emitted a baleful aura that dyed the white halo black and red. After three breaths of time, a black arc of light accompanied by the halberd lit up. With a 'zi zi' sound, the black arc of light left a deep black mark on the ground.
Xing Yuan, who was watching from the side, also frowned and said, "This level of attack is actually comparable to mine. However, the leakage of spirit energy is very strong. He only paid attention to the form and neglected the purpose. I reckon that the damage done to the Black General is limited. Dugu Ao is still too inexperienced."
Yi Tian, who was sitting at the side, also looked at Xing Yuan with praise. He praised in his heart, "As expected of the Immortal Sword Sect's key disciple. His eyesight is very sharp. He really hit the nail on the head and pointed out all of Dugu Ao's shortcomings."
Without waiting for Xing Yuan to continue his commentary, the battle had already ended. The Black General clearly retreated two steps after brandishing his sword to block the attack. Then, he used both of his hands to move the attack to the side. Only then did he manage to neutralize the attack.
Yi Tian saw this and his face revealed a look of regret. Dugu Ao, on the other hand, was a little arrogant because of the other names. He used the technique to its peak, but in reality, only eighty percent of its power hit the Black General's body. Furthermore, it was currently being attacked by Xing Yuan for a while, which was why it was at a disadvantage. If it was in the previous situation, this technique would not have been able to move it at all.
As the halo around Dugu Ao's body dissipated, the Black General also began to counterattack. His moves were similar to before. The puppet's attack also went back and forth a few times. There was not much change.
Everyone present cheered loudly and cheered for Dugu Ao. On the contrary, Yi Tian and Xing Yuan's faces were like water. They did not make a sound. Then, the two of them turned their heads and looked at each other. They helplessly shook their heads.
Techniques flew across the chessboard. Although Dugu Ao was using a weapon that was not suitable for him, his strength was there. Every time he attacked, the Black General would be anxious to defend. There were even a few attacks that pushed it back a few steps.
This continued for less than three quarters of an hour. Then, the situation suddenly changed. Dugu Ao's attacks gradually weakened, and his opponent's counterattacks became abnormally fierce. Seeing that the situation was not right, Dugu Ao's heart panicked. Could it be that he would repeat his mistakes?
After clenching his teeth, he used his halberd to parry the sword. Then, he moved to the side and quickly formed a few seals with his hands. Xing Yuan, who was at the side, exclaimed, "Being able to learn the Heavenly Devil Sect's secret technique at the late Foundation Establishment stage, even if it's only the first level, it's still extraordinary. This Dugu Ao truly has the qualifications to be arrogant."
His words attracted everyone's attention. They saw that Dugu Ao's body was wrapped in black fiendish Qi. Then, it gradually covered his skin, forming a pattern like that of a python's skin.
Yi Tian looked at Xing Yuan in confusion, hoping to learn something from him. The latter smiled and said, "This is the Heavenly Demon Sect's Heavenly Demon True Body. Although he has only scratched the surface, to be able to use the first layer at Foundation Establishment, he can be considered an outstanding figure among his peers. It seems that the sect's Large Competition will be interesting."
Dugu Ao's aura suddenly increased by two levels. His current spiritual pressure was not much different from that of an early Jin Dan cultivator. However, Yi Tian knew that this was his final trump card. He would not be able to maintain this state for long. At most, he would be able to use two or three techniques before retreating.
As expected, after transforming, Dugu Ao revealed an anxious expression. He held his halberd with both hands and directly used the Demonic Blood Saber. For a moment, demonic Qi filled the air. The powerful spiritual pressure caused the surrounding people to have no choice but to open their barriers.
He shouted, "Zhong!" Several streaks of black lightning spread out from the tip of his halberd. Under the control of Dugu Ao's divine sense, they attacked Black General from different angles.
Xing Yuan shook his head and said, "He's prepared to either succeed or die trying. He's prepared to decide the battle in one move. I only hope that Black General is unable to withstand this move."
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