CHAPTER 824: CHAPTER 818: DEATH CHESSBOARD

"Creak, creak."

The defense set up by Ye Xuan quickly collapsed, shattered to pieces, as the old man’s attack continued, landing between Ye Xuan’s eyebrows.

Buzz.

His consciousness became a blur, Ye Xuan felt his soul was tremendously shaken, and the next moment, his body was suddenly dragged into the abyss.

When Ye Xuan regained his senses, his surroundings had transformed into a different scene. It was an exceptionally exquisite and grand mansion, built entirely of stone blocks. It appeared simple, yet not lacking in grandeur.

The prohibition outside this mansion looked as if it had already been broken through, revealing a large hole with the aura of magic power emanating from it.

"It seems the Demon Clan has beaten me to it."

Ye Xuan’s gaze tightened slightly, evidently indicating that a master from the Demon Clan had entered the prohibition ahead of him.

Ye Xuan did not linger for long and also stepped through the breach in the prohibition.

...

Within an array as vast as a plain, dozens of figures were scattered, all of them powerful members of the Demon Clan.

The strongest among them had already reached the level of a Fourth Grade Martial Saint, and there were two such figures.

This array emanated a peculiar luster; it was more like a massive chessboard, where the dozens, nearly hundreds, of Demon Clan elites served as chess pieces on the board.

Aah!

Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed, and a Demon Clan elite’s body unexpectedly turned into a blood mist, without a warning.

"Damn Qi Ye Ancient Saint, leaving such a bizarre array here!"

A Demon Clan three-star commander’s face turned gloomy. Just as they discovered the whereabouts of the Night Key, this unusual chessboard appeared, completely disrupting their operations and trapping everyone within.

More troubling was that this chessboard was extremely strange, seemingly imbued with some peculiar strategy, which must not be haphazardly challenged, else a powerful backlash would ensue.

In the blink of an eye, it could annihilate a Saint.

Buzz.

The enclosed space abruptly twisted, and a figure was flung out; it was Ye Xuan.

Landing at a particular position, Ye Xuan looked into the distance. On either side of the chessboard array, two faint figures could be seen controlling the changes in the board.

"Death Chessboard."

Ye Xuan’s expression slightly changed. A chessboard was also a type of array, and the most perilous among them was the Death Chessboard. The Death Chessboard was constantly shifting, and with one wrong step, one could stumble into death with no burial place.

To break the Death Chessboard, one must continuously adapt, for the Death Chessboard was ceaselessly altering the positions of the chess pieces. To counter this, one must change with it, achieving victory through adaptability.

Ye Xuan had seen and studied hundreds of chessboards, his mind full of strategies sufficient to handle the ever-changing transformations.

"Plunge into death and emerge anew, first die then live, only to be reborn with Nirvana."

Step by step, Ye Xuan moved deeper into the dead zone. The chess pieces, extremely dangerous, had thoroughly trapped him.

Yet, in the most dangerous moment, a faint calm smile lingered on Ye Xuan’s lips. After silently reciting, he skillfully extended his palm, brushing aside the dense obstacles before him.

"Open!"

Ye Xuan shouted fiercely, and in front, a path automatically opened, layer by layer, seemingly leading to the deepest part of the chessboard.

With a swift move, Ye Xuan darted through.

The passageway subsequently collapsed.

Inside the passage.

When Ye Xuan halted, he could see the end of the passage in his view. There, a stone platform stood, and atop it, a milky white light cluster surrounded an odd black key.

"Night Key!"

Ye Xuan’s pupils slightly contracted; wasn’t this precisely his goal?

With an outreaching hand, a suction force enveloped the light cluster encasing the key.

Pop...

Unexpectedly, as soon as Ye Xuan made his move, the light cluster rebounded him.

"Quite tricky."

Ye Xuan drew the Rain Saint Sword, and then a piercing glint flashed in his eyes, as he slashed fiercely at the light cluster.

Crack!

The light cluster shattered upon the strike, splitting open and releasing the key, which Ye Xuan grasped in his hand.

Rumble!

As soon as the key came into his possession, the entire ground began to shake, fissuring like a spider web.

"Not good!"

Ye Xuan’s expression shifted, as the surrounding chessboard began to collapse rapidly.

The previously confined members of the Demon Clan all regained their mobility, and as the chessboard dissipated, Ye Xuan’s location was exposed instantly.

"Capture this human!"

At the instant Ye Xuan’s form appeared, the two Demon Clan three-star commanders also locked onto him, their eyes brimming with killing intent, and shouted fiercely.

"Yes!"

The Demon Clan elites mobilized en masse, swarming toward Ye Xuan like ants.

"This is troublesome."

Ye Xuan’s expression was somewhat grim. So many Demon Clan elites, along with two three-star commanders, and numerous war general level experts, made the situation difficult for him to handle.

Whew!

At that moment, a dazzling column of light burst from the original stone platform of the key, and from the column of light, another black key flew out, identical to the one in Ye Xuan’s hand!

"There’s actually another key?!"

Ye Xuan was momentarily stunned, his face then showing a look of disbelief; probably no one expected that there would be two Night Keys hidden here!

Surprise lasted but a moment, and with a flash of insight, Ye Xuan flicked his fingers toward the other key. Under Ye Xuan’s influence, the Night Key flew high and shot into a stone crevice.

"Quickly, get the key!"

Seeing the key fly toward the crevice, the two Demon Clan three-star commanders’ expressions changed. Compared to Ye Xuan, this Night Key was obviously the critical item; their success in the mission depended on it.

At the command of the Demon Clan three-star commanders, most of the Demon Clan elites shifted their focus, rushing toward the key’s location.

Rumble!

Above the space, from the stone platform emerged an ancient array, and under its impact, a space vortex also appeared.

Seeing this, Ye Xuan moved swiftly, like a cannonball, toward the space vortex. From the start, he hadn’t planned on taking both keys; the key was for Qi Ye Ancient Mansion, and clearly, one was sufficient. Having another wouldn’t complete two missions, so why fight the Demon Clan for more?

This key might as well be given to the Demon Clan, since he already had one in hand.

Whiz!

Plunging into the space vortex, Ye Xuan’s figure vanished without a trace.