Chapter 3596

He could only sense things vaguely; his strength and realm were firmly suppressed, leaving absolutely no chance to resist.

Formations were also restricted, but unlike his strength and realm, they were merely weakened.

This meant that using formations within the Chessboard of All Living Beings was permitted.

Since that was the case, as long as a formation was powerful enough, it could still be of great use even after being weakened.

But how could one set up a sufficiently powerful formation? With Lin Moyu's current understanding of formations, they could be divided into two types.

Those beneath the heavens and those above the heavens. Formations beneath the heavens…

…rely on the rules of the heavens. Once such a formation leaves those heavens, or enters an unfamiliar world…

…it will be restricted or lose effectiveness. The other kind is formations above the heavens, which no longer rely on the rules of the heavens.

They are rules unto themselves. A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Lin Moyu: the sentient chess also forms its own rules.

The chessboard itself is a rule; it, too, has detached from the heavens and stands as a self-contained entity.

He understood a little now. Lin Moyu saw it clearly: to make a formation exert sufficient power…

…it must be self-contained, free from reliance on rules—which is exactly the type of formation beyond the heavens he had imagined.

"Let's try it," he thought, casting aside distracting thoughts and drawing runes.

A massive number of runes were drawn, only to flicker and vanish. Lin Moyu was experimenting.

As long as a rune was suppressed, it did not meet the requirements. To set up a formation beyond the heavens…

…the runes used for the formation had to first detach from the heavens. Previously, when he set up formations in different worlds…

…it was because he could quickly perceive the rules of those different worlds. Furthermore, the runes he had created himself…

…could adapt to the different rules of various worlds, but his runes had not been able to transcend the heavens. Now, he intended to ignore the rules of the heavens.

He would make the formation its own heavens. As he continued to experiment, his soul power was consumed in large quantities.

Little Tree continuously replenished Lin Moyu's soul power. Consuming soul power was the last thing Lin Moyu feared.

As long as it wasn't instantly drained, Little Tree could replenish it.

He constantly fine-tuned the runes, making them adapt to the rules within the Chessboard of All Living Beings, while simultaneously allowing them to transcend the heavens.

The level grew higher and higher. In this process, Lin Moyu's understanding and insight into formations…

…climbed once again. His talent for formation runes seemed boundless.

As long as there was a goal, he could keep improving. The chessboard continued to evolve.

Emperor Pocang and True Monarch Xunzhi's forces grew rapidly, conquering cities and seizing land.

They seized resources and strengthened themselves. Lin Moyu's forces also passed the opening stage.

Lin Moyu didn't manipulate them much, mostly letting them develop on their own, so their growth speed was not fast.

It was far inferior to the two, Emperor Pocang and True Monarch Xunzhi. Soon, he encountered nearby forces.

Fierce battles erupted. Lin Moyu's forces retreated steadily, mostly defending and rarely attacking.

Unable to obtain resources, their development was hindered, but Lin Moyu didn't care at all.

He continued to modify the runes. After all, whether this chess game was won or lost…

…had no impact on actual benefits, but if he could grasp the mysteries of the runes from it, that would be the true great benefit.

His forces were suppressed, his territory was invaded, and resources were severely lacking.

Having fallen into a state of only defending and not attacking, Lin Moyu remained completely unaware, continuing to create runes.

After countless attempts, there was finally progress. He didn't know when it started…

…but a hint of purple light appeared within his runes. The purple light was like a rule; the runes carried their own rules.

The suppression from the Chessboard of All Living Beings significantly decreased. "It's done," Lin Moyu felt a surge of joy.

After countless fine-tunings, the runes finally found their direction and began to transcend the heavens.

Although this was just the beginning, as long as the path was found, what followed would not be difficult.

Regaining his focus, Lin Moyu finally noticed that his forces…

…were less than a third of their original size, and his territory was being besieged by several forces, also leaving only a third remaining.

Resources were about to be completely exhausted, and he was about to be eliminated. Although being eliminated didn't matter…

…Lin Moyu did not want that. With a thought, a large number of runes carrying purple light flew out.

They formed a formation. The runes used to set up the formation suffered less suppression.

The restrictions after the formation was set up were also significantly reduced; within the formation, rules formed on their own.

The purpose of the formation could be changed entirely according to Lin Moyu's will; whether to kill or trap was entirely up to him.

The suppression of the formation by the Chessboard of All Living Beings was also significantly weakened, allowing the formation's power…

…to exert more than half its potential. The formation took shape, blocking attacks for his forces.

This bought him a moment to breathe, but this alone was far from enough. From the moment he started, Lin Moyu had no intention of stopping.

One after another, formations took shape—killing formations…

…trapping formations, confusing formations; various types of formations were endless.

He used the formations to replace his forces, expanding his territory and conquering opponents.

In the Chessboard of All Living Beings, Lin Moyu was originally supposed to be the commander, directing his forces to develop.

But now, Lin Moyu had become a master, using formations as chess pieces.

Controlling the chessboard, under the bombardment of the formations, the opponent's forces were quickly routed.

Chapter 4784: The Dead Still Have to Fight

Lin Moyu's territory expanded continuously, and he obtained more and more resources, quickly making up for previous losses.

Soon, he surpassed his previous standing, then continued to expand to the surroundings, with Lin Moyu using formations to pave the way.

The formations turned into sharp blades, opening up territory for him. He didn't need resources, nor did he need to train soldiers.

As long as his soul power was not exhausted, these formations would never stop, and his territory grew larger and larger.

In the blink of an eye, he occupied a corner of the chessboard, then continued to expand outward, until finally…

…he encountered True Monarch Xunzhi's territory. There were no friends or family in the chess game, so Lin Moyu was not polite at all.

He continued to set up formations. Massive formations pressed down like mountains, and True Monarch Xunzhi's forces…

…were trapped and killed by the formations before they even knew who the opponent was. In True Monarch Xunzhi's perception…

…formations appeared out of thin air, directly shrouding his forces and occupying his territory.

Yet he was helpless against this. He could only watch helplessly as his territory was taken and his forces were crushed and killed by the formations.

From beginning to end, he didn't even see the shadow of his opponent.

He was inexplicably eliminated just like that. After being eliminated, True Monarch Xunzhi stood outside the chessboard, still unable to understand why.

He had played the sentient chess many times, and such a thing had never happened. A moment later…

…Emperor Pocang left the chessboard. His expression was strange, clearly showing confusion.

His mood didn't seem very good either. True Monarch Xunzhi's eyes narrowed. "You were eliminated too?"

Emperor Pocang nodded silently. "I don't know what happened. Suddenly, countless formations appeared."

"My territory was occupied in an instant, and my forces were wiped out," he said. True Monarch Xunzhi said…

"The same happened to me. Does your chessboard have some kind of problem?"

Emperor Pocang was thoughtful. "I don't know. This chessboard is the ancestor version of the sentient chess, and I haven't played it much."

"Perhaps there are some peculiarities in it, but it's also possible that it was Young Friend Lin's doing. As far as I know…"

"…Young Friend Lin is extremely skilled in formations." True Monarch Xunzhi said, "Although formations can be used in the chess game…"

"…their power is less than one-tenth of its potential. It's impossible for them to be this strong, and yet both you and I were eliminated."

"At this rate, the game will end soon. We'll know once we ask Fellow Daoist Lin." Emperor Pocang nodded slightly.

"Indeed, we'll know once we ask." Before long…

…the constantly evolving Chessboard of All Living Beings stopped. Then, a ray of rosy light shot out from the chessboard, and Lin Moyu appeared within the light.

It indicated that he had won. There was no reward; the only purpose of the rosy light was to announce the winner.

"It really was Fellow Daoist Lin's doing." The two looked at each other, both with shock in their eyes.

Emperor Pocang was blunt. "Fellow Daoist Lin, how did you do it?"

Lin Moyu landed in front of the two and bowed slightly. "Greetings, two seniors."

"I saw that this chessboard had its own rules, so I grasped those rules and set up formations in accordance with them."

Emperor Pocang shook his head. "That's not right. The rules in the Chessboard of All Living Beings are completely different from the rules of the heavens."

"Moreover, its rules are difficult to use for setting up formations." Lin Moyu said, "Senior Pocang, what you say is correct."

"The main function of the rules in the chess game is suppression. What I meant by adapting to its rules is breaking through the restrictions of those rules."

"I have studied formations and divided them into two levels: beneath the heavens and above the heavens."

"Previously, my formations were always beneath the heavens. Through this experience, my understanding of the Dao of formations…"

"…has gained new insights, and my formations can now transcend the heavens." True Monarch Xunzhi interjected.

"So you're saying the rules in the Chessboard of All Living Beings can no longer suppress your formations?"

Lin Moyu said, "There is still suppression, but it is not as strong as before."

Emperor Pocang said, "Fellow Daoist Lin is truly a prodigy. I have possessed the Chessboard of All Living Beings for countless years…"

"…and have never been able to research anything from it. I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Lin to gain something on your first time entering the game."

Lin Moyu said, "I feel that this Chessboard of All Living Beings is not simple. The chess game seems to be evolving thousands of worlds."

"It contains some kind of ultimate truth." Emperor Pocang said, "Fellow Daoist Lin, you see it correctly."

"What this Chessboard of All Living Beings evolves is indeed thousands of worlds." True Monarch Xunzhi asked curiously.

"How come I didn't know that?" Emperor Pocang chuckled. "The ones you use are all Dungeons."

"How would you know? When I accidentally obtained this Chessboard of All Living Beings back then, I saw the mystery of this game."

"If one could fully comprehend it, perhaps one could realize the method to step into the Life Forbidden Zone. I have studied it intensely for countless years…"

"…and have gained a little, but not much. So, I used this chessboard as the original…"

"…and refined a large number of Dungeons to distribute, letting others play this game. All the games that everyone plays…"

"…I have observed. It's just a pity that there are always differences between the original and the Dungeons."

"What I envisioned did not succeed." True Monarch Xunzhi said, "The wisdom of one person is limited."

"Two heads are better than one. Why don't you find someone to research it with you?" Emperor Pocang snorted coldly.

"How do you know I haven't? I naturally have, but those pieces of trash were useless."

"As long as I raise the difficulty of the game to the maximum, those guys can't hold on for even a moment. Before the game is finished…"

"…they have already died." True Monarch Xunzhi's eyes flickered. "Then just now…"

Emperor Pocang said, "I lowered the difficulty to the minimum. You guys are like this right now."

"The lowest difficulty is just for pastime. Don't think too much." After hearing the whole process…

…Lin Moyu had already realized that this Chessboard of All Living Beings was indeed not simple. It was definitely not a product within the heavens.

It wasn't even a product of this era. Perhaps it came from the Hongmeng World of some era. The Nine-Wheel World…

…could not have given birth to such a thing. Lin Moyu said, "I would like to try it."

Emperor Pocang waved his hand, and the Chessboard of All Living Beings floating in the void quickly shrank, turning into a palm-sized chessboard.

"Don't talk about trying. Just take it and play with it. This thing, for me now…"

"…is useless. Keeping it is just for memory. If you want to pass the time…"