usatvline Chapter 808: Chessboard Puzzle
Chapter 808: Chessboard Puzzle
The blood-red setting sun, like a tearful stream of blood, stained the Wuyin Mountains a dark crimson. Yun Yao's fingertips gently caressed the fragment of the "Heavenly Secret Chessboard" she had retrieved from the Blood River Patriarch's storage ring. A chill spread across her fingertips, as if countless tiny needles were pricking her nerves. On the fragments, the two chess pieces representing her and Chu Mochen shimmered with an eerie, dim light, as if silently mocking their struggles.
"The entire cultivation world is the chessboard of the Tianji Pavilion. Our every move is calculated." The System Lord's voice, with a rare hint of solemnity, echoed in Yun Yao's sea of consciousness. "Only by gathering all nine fragments can we escape from this situation."
Yun Yao looked up and saw, beyond the mountains, a thousand sword beams, like an inverted Milky Way, bearing down on them with overwhelming force. The elder in the lead stood with his hands behind his back, his sleeves rustling in the wind, emanating a suffocating aura of power. It was none other than the leader of the Ten Thousand Swords Immortal Sect of the Tianji Pavilion!
"Yunhua is reincarnated. Hand over the remaining fragments and I can save your Taoist partner's life." The sect leader's voice was low and cold, as if it came from the abyss of the underworld. Every word he said carried an unquestionable sense of oppression.
Chu Mochen's hand, veins throbbing as he gripped the Hanyuan Sword, pointed the tip of the sword toward the heavens. His sword energy surged like a bull, forcing back the vanguard of the Wanjian Immortal Sect. Seeing this, Yun Yao merged the fragments of the chapter into the Jinghong Sword, unleashing the Yunhua Fairy's unique technique, "Jinghong Reflection." Instantly, a dazzling display of sword flowers filled the sky, only to shatter upon contact with the Tianji Pavilion's "Heavenly Barrier," dissipating into tiny specks of light that vanished into the air.
Just when Yun Yao was feeling desperate, the system suddenly prompted: "Detected that the host has broken through the Void Realm to the Return Realm! Unlocked ability - Peeping into the Heaven's Secret (can briefly see the opponent's weaknesses in the horoscope)."
A golden light flashed in Yun Yao's eyes. She stared intently at the sect leader's brow, where the same patterns as the chessboard shone. This might be the key to a breakthrough! She took a deep breath and prepared to launch a fatal attack.
However, just as the Jinghong Sword was about to penetrate the Sect Master's Qi Hai acupoint, Yun Yao discovered that his body suddenly became illusory. The next moment, the Sect Master's body exploded, turning into countless pieces of paper that fell to the ground. It turned out to be a puppet!
"Do you think you can break the game by killing the chess piece?" The laughter of the Pavilion Master of Tianji Pavilion came from the depths of the chessboard, sinister and full of mockery. "Reincarnation of the Great Lord of the Beginning, do you still remember who personally pushed Fairy Yunhua into reincarnation a thousand years ago?"
Chu Mochen's pupils suddenly contracted, and fragmented images suddenly flashed through his mind: he was holding a blood-stained sword, and the soul of Fairy Yunhua was dissipating from the blade... These images were like sharp knives, piercing into his heart.
"No! Impossible!" Chu Mochen covered his head in pain and knelt on one knee. Veins bulged on his forehead and cold sweat fell like raindrops. His eyes were filled with confusion and pain, as if he was caught in a never-ending nightmare.
Seeing this, Yun Yao, despite the backlash of her Return to Void Realm breakthrough, reached out to touch Chu Mochen, but was repelled by an invisible force. Her eyes were filled with worry and anxiety: "Mochen! Wake up! This must be the Pavilion Master's conspiracy!"
At this moment, the Tianji Pavilion's attack intensified, with countless sword energies pouring down on them like a rainstorm. Yun Yao gritted her teeth and made a crazy decision—to merge her own fragments into Chu Mochen's body, initiating a "Dual Chapter Symbiosis" state!
A brilliant light shone between them, and Yun Yao and Chu Mochen's realms simultaneously soared to the Void Realm and the Combined Void Realm. However, the price they paid was a complete bond between their natal charts; if one was injured, the other would suffer a backlash. But Yun Yao couldn't care less at this moment; as long as she could bring Chu Mochen back to consciousness, everything would be worth it.
Yun Yao manipulated the Jinghong Sword into a thousand streams of light, charging through the Tianji Pavilion's encirclement and forcibly tearing a hole. However, just as they were about to break free, a golden "Heavenly Chain" suddenly wrapped around Yun Yao's ankle, and the hideous "Prisoner" rune emerged beneath her skin.
Chu Mochen felt intense pain almost instantly. He slashed the chains with his sword, only to have the same wound appear on his chest. Blood trickled down his mouth, but he paid no heed. He simply held Yun Yao's hand tightly, "Don't be afraid. I'm here for you."
After finally escaping the encirclement, the two found themselves in unfamiliar waters. A thick mist covered the surface, faintly revealing the outline of a fishing village. Yun Yao used her divine sense to investigate, discovering that the villagers were all amnesiac cultivators, their seas of consciousness instilled with the "Heavenly Soul-Locking Curse."
"This is where the fragment of the 'Return to Ruins' chapter is located. Fairy Yunhua once converted a fallen demon monk here." The system suddenly warned, "Host, be careful. There may be a greater danger hidden here."
The old village chief saw Yun Yao and Chu Mochen and suddenly knelt down, tears streaming down his face. "Fairy lady, please save us... Tianji Pavilion wants to use our souls to feed the chessboard!"
Yun Yao helped the old village chief up, her eyes firm: "Don't worry, we will definitely save you." She already had a bold plan in her mind. Perhaps this was the key to reversing the situation.
Just then, the pursuers from the Tianji Pavilion reappeared. Yun Yao took a closer look and saw that the one leading them was none other than Xiao Cui, the maid she had rescued that year! Xiao Cui was no longer the frail young woman she once was. She was now dressed in gorgeous attire, exuding a powerful aura, as if she had become the master of the "Cause and Effect Hall" of the Tianji Pavilion!
"Master, do you still remember the bowl of medicine that saved me in the palace?" Xiao Cui (now known as the "Fairy of Karma") sneered, her eyes filled with sarcasm and disdain. "So from that time on, the 'seed of karma' was planted in me. Every act of kindness you show is a pawn of the Tianji Pavilion."
Yun Yao's heart was in turmoil. She finally understood why every breakthrough she made fell into the calculations of Tianji Pavilion - even the system's tasks were "bait" designed by the other party!
At this moment, Chu Mochen suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at Yun Yao, with a trace of struggle in his eyes: "I'm sorry... I can't let you be in danger for me again." His voice was low and hoarse, full of pain and helplessness.
Yun Yao was not afraid at all. She slowly walked towards Chu Mochen, her eyes firm and gentle: "If I lose my emotions as a human being, what does it matter if I become the way of heaven? What I want is to live with you." She grasped the tip of the sword, and blood flowed down the blade, staining her clothes red, but also staining Chu Mochen's heart red.
At this moment, time seems to stand still. In this perilous fishing village, Yun Yao and Chu Mochen's fates are once again intertwined. Can they break the Tianji Pavilion's conspiracy and find their own way out? And what kind of fatal blow will Xiao Cui's betrayal bring to them? Everything is still unknown...