Chapter 282: Emperor Realm Third Layer, Outer Domain Evil Demons

Zhou Chen did not respond immediately; instead, he quietly observed his surroundings.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but Zhou Chen felt an indescribable sense of strangeness, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was for a moment.

The white-robed old man waved his hand, and countless stars in the starry sky began to shift, forming a complex chess game.

“This is the realization of my life's path in chess, a game titled [All Living Beings Suffer, Only the Dao is Eternal],” the white-robed old man said slowly.

“Now, within three days, you both need to comprehend your own path of chess within this game. Whoever can first grasp their own path within these three days shall receive my Legacy.”

With that, the white-robed old man's figure turned into specks of starlight and vanished.

Zhou Chen and Wang Liang exchanged a glance but said nothing. They both sat down cross-legged and began to contemplate the chess game.

As time passed minute by minute…

By now, Zhou Chen's Divine Sense had completely immersed itself into the chess game.

Countless stars swirled in his mind, each representing a living being, a fragment of fate.

Some stars were dazzlingly bright; those were people with flourishing Luck.

Some stars were dim and lusterless; those were people with ill-fated lives.

The stars were connected by invisible threads, forming a massive web of destiny.

“So that's how it is.”

Zhou Chen had an Epiphany: “The essence of this chess path is the manipulation of Luck and the control of destiny.”

He thought of his Opportunity System and suddenly understood something.

The System allowed him to see the Luck and Opportunities of others, which was essentially showing him the trajectories of fate. By snatching those Opportunities and changing the destinies of others, he was actually playing an invisible game of chess with the world.

“I am the player, and all living beings are the pieces.”

“However, to some extent, I am also a piece within a higher-level game.”

“Only by stepping outside the game can one truly control destiny.”

Boom!

A flash of inspiration struck Zhou Chen's mind as countless insights flooded in like a tide.

The aura on his body began to climb steadily.

“Chess pieces… the board…”

Zhou Chen closed his eyes and began to deduce within his mind.

The so-called 'Heaven and Earth as the board, all beings as the pieces'…

But if Heaven and Earth itself is the game, then aren't all living beings trapped within it?

Trapped in the game, they would forever be pieces, at the mercy of others, manipulated by others.

“Only by jumping off the board can one become a true player!”

In that instant, all the fog in Zhou Chen's mind cleared away.

He finally understood.

The so-called comprehension of the Dao was not about finding an answer within the game, but about stepping out of the game to see its true nature!

“Heaven and Earth as the board? Then I shall not enter the board! I will seize the creation of Heaven and Earth, existing outside of the Three Realms and the Five Elements.”

Zhou Chen let out a low growl as the Primal Creation Scripture within him began to circulate frantically.

Infinite spiritual energy surged and roared through his Meridians, continuously battering against the Bottleneck of the Emperor Realm Second Layer.

Boom!

The Bottleneck shattered with a bang, and a terrifying aura exploded from within Zhou Chen.

Emperor Realm Third Layer!

The surrounding Void Realm began to tremble. The floating chess pieces exploded one after another, turning into countless points of light that merged into Zhou Chen's body.

Zhou Chen snapped his eyes open, a powerful aura erupting from him.

He had achieved a Breakthrough!

From entering the state of contemplation until now, less than an hour had passed.

Zhou Chen stretched his body, feeling the surging power within him, feeling extremely satisfied.

Emperor Realm Third Layer—his strength had grown significantly once again.

But just as he prepared to check on Wang Liang's situation, the sight before him made his pupils contract sharply.

The white-robed old man, who had looked like a transcendent immortal just a moment ago, had now completely changed his appearance.

The old man's body was swelling and distorting. His skin turned grayish-black and cracked, his eyes became blood-red, and his mouth split all the way to his ears, revealing sharp fangs.

Even more horrifyingly, countless black tentacles were sprouting from his body, coiling around Wang Liang and frantically draining her essence.

However, Wang Liang's eyes remained closed. She was clearly still in the state of contemplation, completely unaware of the danger or anything being amiss.

An Outer Domain Evil Demon!

Elder Xuan had told Zhou Chen about them. They were an extremely wicked type of special creature that could invisibly drain a Cultivator's essence to strengthen themselves.

What was even more terrifying was that Cultivators would have no awareness during the process of being consumed; instead, they would find it quite pleasurable.

The vision of the Ancient Chess Immortal was likely something it had obtained by absorbing the memories of some Cultivator. It hadn't expected Zhou Chen to accidentally have an Epiphany, allowing him to wake up early.

Zhou Chen's expression changed drastically, and a chill rose in his heart.

This was no Chess Immortal Legacy; it was clearly a trap set by an evil demon.

The so-called trial of comprehension was merely to get them to lower their guard so it could take the Opportunity to drain their essence.

“Jie jie jie…”

The demon let out a bizarre laugh, its ugly face full of greed. “Kid, you woke up fast. But it's already too late. Once I drain this woman dry, you're next.”

Zhou Chen didn't waste words; his Divine Sense condensed instantly.

“Nine Revolutions Spirit Refining Art — Spirit Cone Pierce!”

The invisible Divine Soul attack transformed into a sharp cone, stabbing directly into the demon's illusory body.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The demon was immersed in the pleasure of consuming essence and never expected Zhou Chen to strike suddenly, much less use a Divine Soul attack.

“Aaaargh!”

It let out a miserable scream, its head in excruciating pain. The tentacles wrapped around Wang Liang instantly let go.

The demon's figure retreated repeatedly, clutching its head with eyes full of terror.

“Damn it! You brat actually Cultivated such a powerful Divine Soul technique!”

Wang Liang also woke up at that moment. She opened her eyes and saw the demon before her, her pretty face instantly turning pale.

But immediately after, she looked at Zhou Chen, a flash of gratitude in her eyes.

If Zhou Chen hadn't acted in time, she probably would have perished here.

“Thank you…”

“Don't talk about that yet.”

Zhou Chen interrupted her, his gaze locked onto the demon. “Don't let this fellow escape.”

Sure enough, the demon had already turned around, wanting to flee this place.

“Thinking of leaving?”

Zhou Chen snorted coldly and summoned the chaos bell.

“Space-Time Cage!”

The damaged small bell instantly expanded, transforming into a giant bell tens of thousands of feet high, enveloping the demon within it.

Space was completely locked down. The demon was trapped inside the chaos bell, frantically slamming against the bell walls.

“Let me out! You damned brat, let me out!”

It roared while attacking the bell walls with all its might, but it couldn't budge them in the slightest.

“You can't kill me!”

The demon suddenly stopped its attack and laughed hideously. “I am immortal! So what if you trap me? Once your Qi is exhausted, I'll come out all the same!”

“Is that so?”

Zhou Chen did not respond to the demon's provocation; he simply raised his right hand.

“Azure Lotus Sword Song — First Bloom of the Azure Lotus!”

A dazzling sword light descended from the sky, slashing toward the demon.

Terrifying Slaughter Sword Intent erupted suddenly. The sword light contained power capable of destroying heaven and earth, causing cracks to appear in the Void Realm.

Bang!

The sword light struck the demon, instantly slicing it in two with a perfectly clean cut.

However, the demon's body strangely healed instantly, returning to its original state.