A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 442 Chess and Sword Clash
Reflected in the lake, Ren Qianxing and Yan Cangfeng were enveloped by black and white light. After reaching the center of the lake, the black and white light suddenly flashed. The white light carried Yan Cangfeng to the stone pillar in the east, while the black light carried Ren Qianxing to the stone pillar in the west.

After an unknown amount of time, Yan Cangfeng felt a sudden relaxation. Looking around, he saw that the aura had disappeared, but the Ling Shuang sword in his hand was still humming, its tip pointing downwards, directly at the bottom of the mirror-like lake. Yan Cangfeng looked at the white stone pillar beneath his feet and followed the direction the sword tip was pointing. He focused his energy in his eyes, and all he could see was a clear lake, a few swimming fish, and some algae. There was nothing else.

"There's something strange about the bottom of this lake."

Looking at the Ling Shuang Sword that was constantly flashing blue light, and recalling the origin of the Chess City that Master Gu Xu had mentioned before, Yan Zangfeng felt a sinking feeling in his heart. It seemed that only by finishing the game of life and death could he see the true face of the bottom of the lake.

Thinking of this, Yan Zangfeng, with a blank expression, sat upright on a stone pillar, sword at his side, his gaze fixed on Ren Qianxing opposite him.

Ren Qianxing encountered the same situation as Yan Zangfeng. The crimson sword light condensed like a bloodline and shot straight to the bottom of the lake. However, no matter how Ren Qianxing checked, the bottom of the lake was calm and there was nothing unusual. But then he thought of the secrets about the City of Life and Death that his master had mentioned before. Could it be that the Ling Shuang Sword was in sync with the Soul Refining Array at the bottom of the lake?

"Let's see what's so special about this game of life and death."

Ren Qianxing flicked his sleeves, sat down, and looked coldly at Yan Cangfeng. Their eyes met, and a competitive atmosphere quickly brewed.

The people by the lake watched as the two men sat on the stone pillars, and their expressions turned solemn.

Gu Xu's eyes flashed with golden light. Just after Ren Qianxing and Yan Cangfeng sat down, the entire Mirror Lake seemed to come alive. An undercurrent at the bottom of the lake slowly grew stronger, followed by a deafening sound. To everyone's astonishment, a huge chessboard, covering an area of ​​about ten feet, was lifted up. The chessboard was crisscrossed with lines and shimmered with blue and golden light under the sunlight. Water cascaded down around the chessboard like a waterfall. The chessboard continued to rise until it was level with the two of them before stopping.

Shortly after the chessboard was placed on the platform, eight dragon pillars emerged from its eight directions. Each pillar was gleaming with gold, with coiled dragons circling around it. A beam of white light shot from the dragons' eyes, landing directly on the chessboard. The chessboard reflected the white light, creating a scene that drew gasps of admiration from the onlookers.

"Is this the game of life and death?!"

Sword Master looked at the ancient and heavy chessboard and was immediately shocked. Others might not be able to tell the material of the chessboard, but he could tell at a glance that the chessboard was forged from a mixture of black iron and refined steel. Ordinary black iron would be enough to drive a master swordsmith crazy. Ying Shuntian actually used such precious materials to forge the chessboard. He was really rich and powerful.

Guan Yutian's eyes lit up with fervor as he watched the chessboard appear. He had finally seen the Chess of Life and Death in his lifetime. If he could obtain the treasure of the Chess of Life and Death, the supreme position would be within his grasp.

At this moment, Helian Ba ​​and the others were even more frenzied. If they could make such a move just by playing chess, how rich must the treasure of the Chess of Life and Death be? They wished they could immediately go up and move those eight dragon pillars away. However, Helian Ba ​​and the others quickly calmed down, composed themselves, and stared intently at the chessboard reflected in the air.

At that moment, Ren Qianxing and Yan Zangfeng both heard a mysterious voice.

"A game of life and death, there is no turning back. The winner uses internal strength to condense the pieces and opens the chess city."

Upon hearing this, Ren Qianxing and Yan Zangfeng's eyes narrowed slightly. As soon as the voice disappeared, Ren Qianxing and Yan Zangfeng made their movements at the same time. The two pointed at each other, and the red and blue chess pieces gathered in front of them. With a flick of their wrists, they went to the corners of the board. With two soft snapping sounds, two more chess pieces appeared in the southeast and northwest corners of the board.

Looking at where his opponent placed the pieces, Ren Qianxing glanced at where Yan Cangfeng had placed them, snorted coldly, and then gathered his true energy, continuously condensing chess pieces and placing them in a certain spot. Yan Cangfeng was not to be outdone, and chess pieces quickly appeared in his hand. In an instant, red and blue lights flashed on the chessboard, each occupying half of the board, neither giving way to the other.

Just as both sides were making their moves, the white light from the dragon pillar perfectly reflected the chessboard's layout to the people by the lake.

Looking at the pieces attacking and clashing on the chessboard, Liao Rushen frowned. Although he did not know the rules of this life-or-death game, judging from the methods of the two players, it must be very different from the usual game. He calculated in his mind and was surprised. The two had each made twelve moves.

"I understand. This chessboard does depend on strategy, but it depends more on the strength of each player's inner power. It's really interesting. It suits Ying Shuntian's arrogant and unruly nature. Only those with high cultivation are qualified to obtain the treasure of the life-and-death chess game. Heh, in this way, Ren Qianxing has a slight advantage."

Liao Rushen subtly glanced at the Sword Forging City side and noticed that Sword Master and the others all looked calm. Just as he was wondering about this, a cry of surprise rang out. Liao Rushen withdrew his gaze and looked at the chessboard that had appeared in mid-air. In just a short while, both sides had moved seven lines, but when they reached the twentieth line, a conflict arose between them. Both the red and blue pieces wanted to place their pieces in the middle, and neither was willing to give way. Under the control of their masters, the two pieces began to collide fiercely.

Light flashed across the chessboard, and the scattered energy affected the other pieces. Several red and blue pieces could not withstand the aftershocks and broke apart, creating a lot of space in the corners.

Seeing this, Ren Qianxing's eyes flashed with a sharp light. His right hand continued to control the chess piece to fight against Yan Cangfeng, while his left hand gathered strength and another red chess piece flew quickly toward Yan Cangfeng's weakness. However, just as the chess piece flew halfway, a blue chess piece was a step faster and instantly sealed the weakness. The red chess piece returned empty-handed.

However, at this moment, Yan Zangfeng's right hand trembled slightly. Looking at the shattered blue chess pieces in the air, Yan Zangfeng frowned slightly, but his reaction was also extremely fast. He flicked his hands in succession, and more than a dozen blue chess pieces flew out. In addition to flying towards Ren Qianxing's weak points, one of them went straight to the middle, trying to turn the tide. However, Ren Qianxing did not give him any chance. He shouted and grabbed with both hands, and more than a dozen chess pieces flew out like rain. With a few bangs, six red and blue chess pieces shattered each other, and the scattered energy rushed towards the empty space on the chessboard, whether intentionally or unintentionally by the two of them.

With a loud "boom," the chessboard was struck by the force of the energy and began to shake violently. One by one, the flickering chess pieces on it went out. This caused Ren Qianxing and Yan Cangfeng to change their expressions drastically. They both thought that the chessboard was very sturdy, which was why they had made this move.

"not good!"

Ren Qianxing was now more eager to maintain the chessboard than Yan Zangfeng. He stood up, flicked his sleeve, and sent a burst of soft energy into the chessboard to try and stabilize it. Yan Zangfeng, seeing Ren Qianxing's actions, thought for a moment and abandoned his plan to press his advantage. He also released a burst of soft energy to support the chessboard. The chessboard, which had been swaying, quickly returned to its original state with the help of the two. However, only a few pieces remained on it: twelve red pieces and eleven blue pieces.

"Yan Zangfeng, do you know what I hate most?" Ren Qianxing looked at Yan Zangfeng with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with a chilling coldness.

"It's your pretentious attitude that makes you give up when you clearly have a chance to turn the tide. This isn't benevolence, it's foolishness. Since you're willing to give up, then I'll make you lose miserably." Yan Zangfeng remained silent upon hearing this.

After speaking, Ren Qianxing raised his hands high, and his aura surged, filling the surroundings with a chilling intent. With a series of flicks of his fingers, chess pieces flew swiftly towards their pre-selected locations, like soldiers in battle formation. On the other side, Yan Cangfeng also mobilized all his true energy, his fingers forming chess pieces as if playing a musical instrument. In an instant, crimson pillars of energy shot into the sky from both ends of the chessboard, and dazzling blue light shone brightly. Neither side gave way, and their inner forces surged towards each other like raging waves, attempting to crush the other.

The chessboard itself was even more spectacular. The red and blue pieces moved back and forth like hidden weapons. The energy generated by their clashes was completely neutralized by the two internal forces before it even hit the board. Meanwhile, the twenty-three pieces on the board remained motionless, like an isolated space.

"What astonishing power!"

Helian Ba ​​was shocked to see the two fighting with all their might. Although there was a protective barrier between them, he could still feel a powerful force pressing down on him. He was certain that even if he rushed in, he would likely not fare well against them, and might even be killed if he made a mistake.

"Qianxing's Sword Separation from the World is already a masterpiece, but I didn't expect Yan Cangfeng's Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique to be just as impressive. If this stalemate continues, Qianxing may win, but he will have to pay a considerable price."

Guan Yutian understood that the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique was an integrated offensive and defensive technique that could be freely transformed. If Yan Cangfeng focused on defending it, Qianxing would have to expend more true energy to break through it. Even if he won, he would be unable to deal with the people of Sword Casting City later.

Thinking of this, Guan Yutian's eyes flickered slightly, and his fingers behind his back twitched slightly. A streak of dark light instantly entered the air shield, its speed undiminished, heading straight for the bottom of the lake. Upon reaching the depths of the lake, the dark light shattered silently, turning into specks of dark light that scattered into the lake water. At that moment, the lake water, tainted by the dark light, instantly began to boil and churn, with bubbles appearing on the surface. In less than a quarter of an hour, the bubbles almost covered the entire lake surface. This sudden change drew the attention of the onlookers.

"This is!"

The Sword Master's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the appearing bubbles. This thing was strange; could it be…?

Turning to look at the Supreme Alliance, he saw Guan Yutian looking at the two sides fighting in the lake with a worried expression. His doubts had lessened considerably, but his suspicions had not disappeared.

"This is the work of Guan Yutian. City Lord, you need not worry. I have already made preparations."

Just as the Sword Master was worried, he heard Gu Xu's voice transmission and immediately felt relieved.

Meanwhile, the two sides fighting in the arena also noticed the movement on the lake. Ren Qianxing was overjoyed when he saw this, and immediately activated the secret technique that his master had taught him before he left. His true energy changed, and a warm current instantly flowed from the stone pillar under his feet, flowing into his dantian along his meridians. His depleted true energy was rapidly restored, and in less than half a quarter of an hour, his true energy was full.

"drink!"

Ren Qianxing shouted and pushed forward with both hands. His four red chess pieces forced the four blue chess pieces back and quickly covered more than half of the chessboard. They were about to reach Yan Zangfeng. Yan Zangfeng sensed the surging force and his true energy paused slightly, but he quickly mobilized his true energy to rush forward and barely blocked it. Then, Yan Zangfeng made up his mind and a jade pendant on his waist suddenly lit up, and a five-colored light shone on him.

Bathed in multicolored light, Yan Zangfeng felt as if he were being caressed by a gentle breeze. The spiritual light spread and nourished his dantian. Without further hesitation, Yan Zangfeng surged with his true energy and pushed forward with both palms. The four chess pieces that had been squeezed to the edge immediately shone with a surge of blue light, not only suppressing the crimson light but also pushing it back to its original position. This sight made Ren Qianxing's eyelids twitch. He immediately and unwilling to admit defeat, he unleashed his true energy again, determined to defeat Yan Zangfeng.

Yan Zangfeng was not to be outdone, and after this exchange, the two were evenly matched, with neither able to gain the upper hand.

Looking at the red and blue lights constantly colliding and compressing in mid-air, Guan Yutian's expression darkened slightly. He glanced at Gu Xu and said, "Daoist, you have truly remarkable skills. I admire you."

He could only use the Soul Refining Formation to its fullest extent, but he never expected that Daoist Gu Xu would turn the tide with just a jade pendant. What is the origin of this person, and why does he always have such miraculous methods?

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu replied, "Likewise, Alliance Leader Guan's methods have also broadened my horizons."

The two exchanged words, which Sword Master and the others found confusing, but they didn't really care. They just needed to know that Yan Cangfeng hadn't lost to Ren Qianxing. However, Guan Yutian's side was somewhat alarmed, especially Liao Rushen. He thought he had seen through the secret of this life-and-death game, but judging from the meaning of the two's words, there might be another hidden story. This feeling made Liao Rushen very unhappy.

Not only was Liao Rushen unhappy, but Helian Ba ​​and the other three were also completely confused. Anything outside their control was a variable, and there were already many variables. What if the most crucial life-or-death game was also a variable?
"Brother Helian, what should we do now?"

"Wait for Ren Qianxing and Yan Cangfeng to settle their score. Otherwise, we'll just have to keep waiting. But I think both sides have pushed their skills to the limit. The result should be in three quarters of an hour at most. Have our people ready to enter the Chess Treasure Vault as soon as it opens. Take whatever is closest to them, no matter what it is."

Just as Helian Ba ​​finished giving his orders, the battle on the lake took another turn. Seeing that he couldn't break through after a long attack, Ren Qianxing immediately drew his long sword, charged forward, and in a few leaps, stepped onto the chessboard. With a stomp of his foot, all the chess pieces on the board instantly turned into light and vanished.

"Yan Zangfeng, we are evenly matched in this game of life and death. Let's see how we wield our swords. Make your move and let me see if you are worthy of this Frostbite Sword."

Ren Qianxing let out a cold shout and swept his sword horizontally. The crimson lightning sword light shot towards him. Yan Cangfeng saw this, drew his sword, leaped into the air, and slashed downwards with all his might. The crimson light shattered in response. Yan Cangfeng's body turned with the sword, and a point of cold light shot straight towards Ren Qianxing. At the same time, he made a hand seal with his left palm, and a gust of wind swirled around his back.

"Well done!"

(End of this chapter)