Chapter 281: Two Heart Demons, The Place of Legacy

Since childhood, she had been exceptionally intelligent; perhaps in the entire Tianxuan Continent, only a handful of people could play to a draw against her.

This seemingly ordinary man before her—what exactly was his background?

"Good game."

Zhou Chen stood up and cupped his hands in a salute.

As soon as he spoke, the starlight on the chessboard suddenly flared up, completely swallowing the two of them.

When the light dissipated, Zhou Chen found himself in another space.

This was a world of nothingness, with no sky above and no ground below; all around, endless mists of Chaos surged.

The woman in purple also appeared beside him, clearly having been teleported here as well.

"Welcome to the second trial."

The aged voice rang out once more.

"Those who pass the first trial with a draw must face the second trial together—Slaying the Heart Demon."

"You will each face the thing you fear most in the depths of your hearts. Only by defeating your Heart Demon can you continue forward."

"If one person fails, both fail."

As the voice faded, the mists of Chaos began to churn, gradually condensing into two figures.

The mist in front of Zhou Chen cleared, revealing a familiar figure—Lin Xueer.

However, this Lin Xueer had hollow eyes, a deathly pale face, and a trace of blood hanging from the corner of her mouth.

"Brother Zhou Chen… why did you abandon me…" she reached out, wailing shrilly, "You said you would protect me… you said…"

Zhou Chen's heart tightened.

He knew this was an illusion, a Heart Demon, but seeing Lin Xueer like this, he couldn't help but comment—the special effects were actually quite good.

"This isn't real."

Zhou Chen's expression remained unchanged, his mind as solid as a rock.

"Not real?" Lin Xueer suddenly burst into wild laughter, her voice filled with despair. "This is how you lie to me, isn't it? You kept saying you'd protect me, but what happened? To become stronger, you didn't hesitate to snatch the Opportunities of others, using any means necessary. Do you still remember your original intention?"

"You've changed; you've become a Devil Head who only knows how to plunder!"

"You're wrong."

Zhou Chen shook his head and said, "I have never forgotten my original intention. Everything I have done was to have enough power to protect those around me."

"Lies!"

Lin Xueer screamed, "You don't care about us at all! You only care about yourself!"

After saying this, her figure began to dissipate, turning into specks of bloody light.

"Brother Zhou Chen… I'm so cold…"

As the final words drifted over, the phantom completely vanished.

That's it???

Zhou Chen was somewhat speechless. He was single-mindedly pursuing the Dao; romantic entanglements weren't much of a shackle for him. He wondered if this Heart Demon had some sort of misunderstanding about him.

In truth, Zhou Chen had experienced many Heart Demon Tribulations and had long since become immune. A Heart Demon of this level was like child's play to him, offering no challenge whatsoever.

As for the subsequent images, Zhou Chen just watched them like a television show.

The only time he almost lost his composure was when the Heart Demon turned into his boss from his previous life; Zhou Chen almost couldn't resist stepping up to give him a piece of his mind.

If he hadn't been worried that a mishap would prevent him from passing, Zhou Chen would have long since used the third layer of the Pluto Seal to give him a 'slam dunk' package.

Seeing that Zhou Chen remained completely unmoved, the surrounding mists of Chaos suddenly dispersed.

First Heart Demon, passed.

On the other side, within the illusion before the woman in purple, a man dressed in blood-red robes appeared.

"Wang Liang, you ended up taking this path after all."

The blood-robed man sighed, "Your sister will not forgive you."

"Shut up."

The woman in purple—Wang Liang—spoke coldly.

"Do you think you can escape by hiding here?" the blood-robed man continued. "That incident was your fault. No matter where you run, you cannot change that."

"I said, shut up!"

Wang Liang's voice was icy. She raised her hand with a wave, and purple demonic power condensed into a longsword, slicing the blood-robed man directly into two halves.

The phantom shattered; the first Heart Demon was likewise passed.

The two opened their eyes almost simultaneously, their gazes meeting in the void.

"You are quite good."

Wang Liang spoke, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Zhou Chen did not answer.

He was still in the guise of Feng Biao, so naturally, he wouldn't speak much to avoid exposing his identity.

"The second Heart Demon—I hope you can remain this relaxed."

Wang Liang said with a half-smile.

Before Zhou Chen could respond, the mists of Chaos surged once more.

This time, the illusion that appeared was even more realistic and cruel.

Zhou Chen saw another version of himself.

That 'self' was covered in blood, kneeling amidst ruins. Beside him were the corpses of Lin Xueer, Miao Dandan, Bei Nianyu, Xi Linger, and others.

"You are too foolish."

The blood-stained Zhou Chen looked up, his face full of a manic smile. "To become stronger, you used any means necessary, but you provoked people you shouldn't have. In the end? You did indeed become stronger, but the people you care about died one after another."

"This is the price."

"The path of the strong is destined to be lonely."

Zhou Chen looked at the illusion before him in silence.

This Heart Demon struck directly at the deepest fear in his heart.

That was the fear of losing everyone and everything he valued in the process of pursuing the Great Dao.

"You're right."

Zhou Chen suddenly smiled. "The path of the strong is indeed lonely, and it does require paying a price."

"However—"

Zhou Chen's tone shifted, and he said coldly, "Then I will become so strong that no one can harm the people I care about, so strong that I can change the rules of this world. If a god blocks me, I shall kill the god; if a Buddha blocks me, I shall kill the Buddha."

As his words fell, a terrifying Aura erupted from his body.

The Primal Creation Scripture operated frantically, and the phantom of the Pluto Seal emerged behind him.

"Break for me!"

Boom!

The illusion shattered violently.

Second Heart Demon, passed.

At the same time, a violent energy fluctuation came from Wang Liang's side.

She had also broken through her own Heart Demon.

The mists of Chaos dissipated, revealing a stone door.

"Congratulations to you both for passing the second trial."

The aged voice spoke again.

"Please enter the third trial—the true Place of Legacy of the Chess Immortal."

The stone door slowly opened, revealing a world of brilliant starlight within.

Zhou Chen and Wang Liang exchanged a glance and stepped inside together.

Beyond the stone door was a vast and boundless starry sky.

Countless stars rotated slowly in the void, outlining the pattern of a massive chessboard. Each star was a chess piece.

Zhou Chen and Wang Liang stood in the starry sky, beneath their feet a transparent curtain of light, through which they could clearly see the bottomless Void Realm below.

"This is the Chess Immortal's Place of Legacy?"

Wang Liang said softly, shock flashing in her eyes.

Just then, a pillar of light suddenly lit up in the center of the starry sky, and a phantom slowly emerged within it.

It was a white-robed old man with hair and beard as white as snow. His eyes were as deep as the starry sky, and his entire body radiated an ancient and vast Aura.

"Young friends, I have been waiting for you for a long time," the white-robed old man spoke with a smile.

"Senior Chess Immortal?" Zhou Chen cupped his hands.

"It is indeed I."

The white-robed old man nodded. "To be able to pass the first two trials, your talent and Heart-Nature have both met the standard. Now, let us proceed to the final trial—Comprehending the Chess Dao."