Chapter 280: Mysterious Woman, Zhenlong Chess Match

Bang!

The Black Demon Dragon Snake slammed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a large cloud of dust.

Zhou Chen walked to the snake's corpse and extracted a fist-sized, brilliantly shining pearl from between the dragon horns on its head.

It was another ancient desolate spirit pearl king.

"Master is mighty!" Xiao Hong approached excitedly, circling the snake's corpse. "Such a large one will be enough for me to eat for a long time!"

"Don't even think about it." Zhou Chen grabbed its ear and stuffed it back into the spirit beast pouch. "Stay there quietly and don't cause any more trouble for me."

"Wuwuwu…"

Xiao Hong's aggrieved whimpering came from inside the spirit beast pouch.

Zhou Chen put away the Black Demon Dragon Snake's corpse and continued deeper into the Forbidden Demon Valley.

After the battle just now, the surrounding magical creatures had been scared off, making it much quieter.

After walking for about another half an hour, the scene before him suddenly opened up.

The black mist dissipated, revealing an open valley.

In the center of the valley stood a massive altar.

The altar was built entirely of giant black stones, its surface covered in dense ancient runes, radiating an Aura of the vicissitudes of time. Even more eerie was that the altar was surrounded by thick Devilish Qi, within which countless twisted vengeful spirits could be vaguely seen wailing.

"An Ancient Altar?" Zhou Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.

Altars of this level were typically used in the ancient desolate era for sacrificing to ancient demon gods or for sealing some kind of terrifying existence.

He stepped onto the altar.

In the center of the altar was a huge chessboard.

The chessboard was octagonal, with one hundred and eight lines horizontally and vertically, forming an extremely complex star pattern. Dozens of black and white chess pieces were already placed on the board, each radiating a faint starlight as if they were real stars.

"The Zhenlong Chess Match?"

Zhou Chen stared at the chessboard, his brow furrowing slightly.

This chess match gave him an extremely dangerous feeling, as if the slightest mistake would lead to eternal damnation.

Just as he was about to take a closer look at the match, a light footstep came from the other side of the altar.

Zhou Chen turned to look.

He saw a woman dressed in purple, wearing a light veil, slowly walking onto the altar, also looking at the chessboard.

The woman had a graceful figure, her purple clothes fluttering, and her black hair was pinned up with a purple jade hairpin, revealing a long, swan-like neck. Although her face was covered by a veil and her features couldn't be seen clearly, those eyes, like autumn water, held an indescribable charm.

What concerned Zhou Chen more was that the Aura emanating from this woman was unfathomable, even making him feel a hint of threat.

Emperor Realm Fifth Layer? Or Sixth Layer?

Zhou Chen habitually opened the System panel, wanting to check the other party's Opportunity information.

[Unable to view.]

Zhou Chen's heart skipped a beat.

Another person whose opportunity panel could not be viewed.

The last time he encountered this situation was outside King Mings Immortal Mansion, with that mysterious woman named Chi Mei.

Could it be…

"The Zhenlong Chess Match, how interesting," the purple-clothed woman spoke, her voice cold and pleasant.

She raised her eyes to look at Zhou Chen, a hint of doubt flashing in them.

This man's cultivation appeared to be only at the Emperor Realm Second Layer, but his ability to stand here without being eroded by the Devilish Qi was clearly not simple.

Moreover… he had a familiar Aura about him.

As the two confronted each other, an old voice suddenly rang out from the center of the altar.

"Heaven and earth as the board, all living beings as the pieces."

"To obtain the Chess Immortal's Legacy, one must break the Zhenlong Chess Match."

"Rules of the match: Two people must play against each other, one holding the black pieces and the other the white. The winner proceeds to the next level, while the loser is obliterated."

"In the event of a draw, both pass simultaneously, but the difficulty of the next level doubles."

"There are now two challengers; the match may begin."

As the voice fell, the starlight on the chessboard surged, enveloping Zhou Chen and the purple-clothed woman within.

The two wanted to leave but found that their feet seemed to have taken root, making them unable to move at all.

"Chess Immortal's Legacy?" the purple-clothed woman whispered to herself, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

The Chess Immortal, one of the ten great Supremes of the ancient era, entered the Dao through chess and could manipulate the Luck of heaven and earth, reversing the Karma of fate. The Legacy he left behind was enough to drive any power mad.

"Interesting." The corner of Zhou Chen's mouth curled up.

He had originally just been wandering around and hadn't expected to stumble upon the Chess Immortal's Legacy by chance.

"You take black, I'll take white."

The purple-clothed woman was the first to sit down by the chessboard, picking up a white piece.

Zhou Chen did not decline, sitting opposite her and picking up a black piece.

"Please."

The black piece fell, occupying the Tianyuan position.

The purple-clothed woman's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and her white piece followed.

The match had begun.

The pieces fell onto the star chessboard, making crisp sounds.

With every piece placed, a ripple would bloom on the chessboard, stirring up countless bits of starlight.

Zhou Chen held the black pieces, playing with a bold and open offensive style, each step pointing directly at the vital points, his Aura as grand as a rainbow.

The purple-clothed woman held the white pieces, her style equally overbearing and sharp, meeting him head-on without yielding an inch.

Neither spoke; only the sound of pieces falling echoed on the altar.

Laymen watch the commotion, while experts watch the skill.

This match seemed like just a game of chess, but in reality, it was a silent slaughter between the two.

Every move contained an understanding of the great Dao of heaven and earth and the application of the Laws of Luck.

Black and white intertwined on the board, forming exquisite formations.

Zhou Chen's black pieces were like thousands of troops and horses, charging recklessly.

The purple-clothed woman's white pieces were like a wall of iron and bronze, impregnable.

Time passed minute by minute.

More and more pieces were on the board, and the situation became increasingly complex.

Zhou Chen's brow furrowed slightly.

This woman's chess skill was even stronger than he had imagined.

Not only was her skill superb, but more importantly, her understanding of the Laws of the world seemed extremely deep; every move she made was in harmony with the principles of heaven and earth.

"A bit interesting."

A hint of Battle Intent flashed in Zhou Chen's eyes, and he began to go all out.

He mobilized the Primal Creation Scripture within his body, sensing the flow of Luck between heaven and earth, and integrated this perception into the chess match.

The speed at which the black pieces fell became faster and faster, and his moves became more elusive—sometimes overbearing, sometimes treacherous, making them impossible to predict.

The purple-clothed woman's eyes widened slightly.

This man's chess skill could actually still improve?

And it was during the match itself; could there really be someone with such terrifying Comprehension Ability in this world?

She couldn't understand it.

She didn't dare to be careless and also began to respond with all her strength.

The white pieces were like dancing snowflakes, weaving a large net on the board in an attempt to trap all of Zhou Chen's black pieces.

The two played faster and faster, until later, the sounds of the pieces falling almost merged into one.

The entire altar was enveloped in starlight, and the black and white lights intertwined and collided in the air, producing bursts of rumbling.

Suddenly, Zhou Chen stopped his movements.

He stared at the chessboard, lost in thought for a long time.

The purple-clothed woman also stopped, similarly falling into thought.

The situation had reached a stalemate.

The black and white pieces on the board were interlocked—you in me, and I in you—actually forming a perfect balance.

Neither could take the other, and neither could gain an advantage.

"A draw?" Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow.

"It seems so."

The purple-clothed woman said softly.

She looked up at Zhou Chen, a hint of complexity flashing in her eyes.