A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 444 Treasure
As Chess City appeared, everyone looked up. Guan Yutian's face darkened instantly when he saw Yan Cangfeng standing in mid-air. In just a moment, the two sides had turned around. Yan Cangfeng was safe and sound, but Qianxing was nowhere to be found.

"Let's go to Chess City."

Gu Xu's eyes flickered slightly as he noticed that Chess City was not affected by the blood rain. He immediately gave an order, and the people from Sword Forging City immediately gathered their true energy. They had just discovered that the blood rain fell in a regular pattern, with a three-breath gap between each wave of rain. This time was their opportunity.

Guan Yutian and Helian Ba ​​also discovered the mystery of this chess city. After giving each other some instructions, Guan Yutian shouted after the blood rain fell again. His innate qi suddenly surged, and in an instant, a burst of energy swept across, clearing away the blood rain that filled the sky.

"Come on!"

After Guan Yutian gave the order with a pale face, Mu Rongyi immediately supported him. Ignoring everyone else, he used his lightness skill to head straight for Chess City. The dozen or so black-clad swordsmen followed closely behind. Jian Yin and Liao Rushen exchanged a glance, and each of them opened their qi shields and quickly rushed towards Chess City.

At the same time, Helian Ba ​​and the others also accelerated their advance. However, due to their large numbers, their movements were slow. When they reached the halfway point, the blood rain fell again. The protective barrier flashed for a moment, and with a pop, a large hole was torn in the barrier. Several disciples were caught off guard and were covered in blood rain. Without uttering a sound, they disappeared in a flash of blood light. Those who saw it were horrified.

"The Blood Rain has become more powerful, let's go!"

Helian Ba's heart sank. He used his true energy to fill the gap, but the energy shield quickly became thinner under the erosion of the blood rain, and it was in danger of breaking at any time.

The three of them, including Master Changmo, had solemn expressions, but there was no time to think about it. They all worked together to channel their true energy into the protective barrier, which helped them continue their journey. After another half hour, Helian Ba ​​and his group finally arrived at Chess City.

Although the distance was only a few feet, the journey was extremely dangerous. Blood rained down from the sky, and the lakebed was filled with menacing energy, causing Helian Ba ​​and his group a great deal of suffering. They had come with a full sixty people, but after this ordeal, less than half remained.

"We've already lost so many people before even engaging the enemy. Our experts were already outnumbered, and we could only make up for it with numbers. Now we've lost even that one advantage. How are we supposed to compete with these two factions?"

Hearing what Master Changmo said, Helian Ba ​​remained silent. After a while, he said in a deep voice, "We've already come to this point, so we can only play it by ear. We didn't expect this turn of events. Besides, the Supreme Alliance also suffered considerable losses, didn't it?"

Helian Ba ​​glanced at the Supreme Alliance side. Four of the seventeen black-clad swordsmen were missing, and two others had lost an arm.

"Sword Casting City was indeed prescient this time. If I hadn't seen the Sword Master's terrified expression, I would have really thought that Daoist Gu Xu knew about the danger beforehand and deliberately didn't bring his disciples along."

Zheng Jing looked at the crimson clouds on the horizon with lingering fear. The blood rain was even more intense than before. If it weren't for the shield provided by Chess City, it would probably have turned into a pool of blood by now.

"It's no use saying anything now. The chess city has appeared, which means the outcome of this life-or-death game is already decided. The only question is how much treasure is hidden in this chess city."

Lu Wen looked towards the group from Sword Forging City, and Helian Ba ​​followed his gaze, seeing Sword Master and the others surrounding Yan Cangfeng, seemingly discussing something. He then looked towards Guan Yutian's group, but didn't see Ren Qianxing. A surge of joy welled up within him; without Ren Qianxing, they might have actually obtained some of the Eastern Sword's essence. "What exactly happened just now? This blood rain?"

"The appearance of the blood rain was also something I did not expect. Just now, when the towering waves rose, the Ling Shuang sword in my hand seemed to be summoned and pulled me directly into the bottom of the lake. Finally, we arrived at a place that resembled an altar. There was a sword hole on the altar. When the Ling Shuang sword approached the sword hole, it vibrated even more violently, so I inserted it into it. Then I felt dizzy. When I woke up, I was already in Chess City, and all the injuries I had suffered had been completely healed."

After hearing his story, Sword Master and the others were all surprised. They never expected that Cang Feng would have such a fortuitous encounter. Gu Xu then asked, "Cang Feng, which level did you enter?"

"The second floor."

After Yan Zangfeng finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to Gu Xu, who then explained, "If my guess is correct, the second level that Zangfeng entered should be a place where spiritual energy gathers. Moreover, I deduce that Zangfeng was pushed out of it after his energy was full."

"Master, how did you know?"

Yan Zangfeng was already extremely shocked, and everyone was waiting for Gu Xu's explanation.

"This chess city is divided into three levels. The bottom level floats on the lake surface and is closest to the lake bottom. The Soul Refining Array will continuously draw fierce energy into the bottom level hall, converting part of it into Qi that controls the movement of the entire chess city. The other part rushes into the second level hall, where it is transformed again into Qi that protects the spirit, keeping the treasures hidden in the chess city indestructible. Otherwise, after five hundred years of erosion and being hidden at the bottom of the lake, it would have long since decayed and become unbearable. It would not have the magnificent appearance it has now."

As he spoke, Gu Xu pointed to the gleaming golden palace gate, the white jade dragon pillars, and the spotless black and white cloud path in front of him.

"Let's go and see the treasures of this Chess City first."

Gu Xu looked at Guan Yutian, who had already set off, called out to the crowd, and walked towards the golden palace gate. Helian Ba ​​and his group hurriedly followed, and the three forces each occupied one side and stopped in front of the palace gate.

Guan Yutian stopped the crowd, took a few steps forward, clasped his hands in a salute to Gu Xu, and said, "Daoist, although our side has lost, I still want to see this treasure with my own eyes. This is not a breach of the agreement between our two sides, is it?"

"Of course, Alliance Leader Guan is willing to accept defeat. I admire you. This Chess City was built by our ancestors. I wonder if your side has the means to open it?"

Gu Xu had just sensed that the golden palace gate was a single, seamless piece, with no other notable features except for a clear gap in the middle. Moreover, his divine sense could not proceed any further after entering three inches. This was quite interesting to Gu Xu, since he had already condensed his primordial spirit and opened up his own grotto-heaven. This world should no longer hold any secrets for him, but he did not expect that this chess city would be so difficult for him to see through.

Of course, if he were to force his way in, he could certainly break it, but he was afraid it would cause unforeseen consequences. Now that they had finally arrived here, they couldn't afford to fail at the last minute. Then he thought of Guan Yutian; perhaps he had a solution.

"As expected of the Daoist, you are a wise man. I will not waste any more words. This golden palace door is made of extraterrestrial solid stone and has extremely strong magnetism. Now that the door is closed, it is a combination of yin and yang. To open it, one of the two sides must be changed to make them have the same magnetism."

"That's probably easy."

Helian Ba ​​asked, "This golden palace gate must be at least several zhang tall. The magnetic force must be incredibly strong. It would be almost impossible for human beings to do it alone."

"Ah."

Guan Yutian scoffed and remained silent. Helian Ba ​​was not angry at the sight, but he added another mark against Guan Yutian in his heart.

"Our ancestors established Chess City. To outsiders, opening its doors was extremely difficult, but to our own people, it was a piece of cake. Daoist, you are knowledgeable and experienced, so you must be able to tell what this is."

Guan Yutian beckoned to Mu Rongyi, who hurriedly ran over carrying a package. Guan Yutian took out a wooden box about a foot long from the package. Upon opening it, he saw two iron rods, one black and one white, about the size of chopsticks. "Yin Yang Nether Iron!"

After the iron rod appeared, Gu Xu felt a strong yin energy rush towards him. His eyes flashed, and he instantly recognized the origin of the thing.

"Master, you have a good eye. It is indeed Yin-Yang Nether Iron. I'm afraid there won't be any more of it in the martial arts world today."

Ignoring the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Guan Yutian slowly walked to the golden palace gate. He first placed the black Nether Iron in the crack of the door, and after it was firmly in place, he placed the white Nether Iron on top of it. He pressed down hard with both hands, and the two pieces of Nether Iron slowly melted into the crack of the door like mercury.

All that could be seen was that molten black and white iron filled the gaps in the golden palace gate. With a series of cracking sounds, the golden palace gate slowly separated and retreated to both sides. Thousands of golden rays shot out from inside the gate, and a chilling aura immediately enveloped everyone present.

"not good!"

Sword Master was greatly alarmed. A flash of crimson light appeared, and the Bloodthirsty Sword flew into his hand. He immediately unleashed the Dragon Riding Slash, and a dense cloud of sword energy instantly surrounded everyone in Sword Forging City. All that could be heard outside was the continuous clanging sound, and in addition, screams of agony vanished in an instant.

Gu Xu looked out through the Dragon Riding Sword Qi and saw that the people of the Supreme Alliance had indeed disappeared. He then looked at Helian Ba's side and saw that the situation was extremely tragic. Twenty-five people were caught off guard, and ten were killed by the golden light. The other four became shields for Helian Ba ​​and the others. Under the attack of thousands of golden rays, not even their bones were preserved.

"Walk."

Gu Xu withdrew his gaze and looked at the gradually thinning Dragon Riding Sword Qi. With a thought, the "Purifying Soul and Clear Mind Mirror" in his sea of ​​consciousness, which had not been used for a long time, shone brightly, instantly forcing back the golden light. Sword Venerable and the others felt the pressure lessen, and then the light shone brightly again. The people from Sword Casting City disappeared from their original spot in an instant.

With Gu Xu and the others gone, the power of the golden light weakened, giving Helian Ba ​​and his group a chance to catch their breath. Taking advantage of the weakening of the golden light, Helian Ba's body surged with energy, forming a tornado that grabbed the remaining people, broke through the golden light barrier, and rushed into the hall.

At this moment, a clear light flashed in the main hall, revealing the figures of Gu Xu and others. Sword Master staggered and almost fell, but Yan Cangfeng helped him up.

"Lord of the City, are you alright?"

Looking at the Sword Master's slightly pale face, Yan Zangfeng couldn't help but ask with concern.

"It's nothing, just that my true energy was a bit depleted. Daoist, what about that golden light just now?"

"It must have been Guan Yutian's scheme, but fortunately I was prepared. Everyone, please take the Qi-replenishing pills first, and then we can proceed with the rest."

Gu Xu didn't explain further, but handed a porcelain bottle to the Sword Master, who took it and poured out three pills, handing them to Huangfu Changhen, Master Sixin, and Yan Cangfeng.

While the four Sword Masters were taking medicine to heal their injuries, Gu Xu scanned the hall. Looking around, he saw sixteen black and white stone pillars neatly arranged in the hall, extending outwards. Each pillar was adorned with a bronze lamp with a beast's head, which was currently burning with a faint emerald green flame.

Along the road paved with black and white cloud-patterned stones, every seven steps there is a stone cabinet about ten feet tall with carved patterns, sealed with a seal. At the end of the road is a black and white altar, about two feet high, on which something is placed, flashing and very conspicuous.

Gu Xu withdrew his gaze and walked toward the nearest stone cabinet, where twelve ancient and upright characters were written in vermilion ink on the seal.

"On the nineteenth day of the third month of the tenth year of Kaiyun, Ying Shuntian was appointed." The seal was stamped with a tiger head seal, the inscription of which depicted Ying Shuntian.

Gu Xu pondered for a moment, then with a flick of his finger, he peeled off the seal. At that moment, the seal turned into a cloud of black ash that rushed towards him. Gu Xu swept it away with a flick of his sleeve, and the black ash vanished without a trace. The force of the wind did not diminish and struck the stone cabinet directly. With a crack, the stone cabinet opened, and a dazzling light shot out, illuminating half a zhang of ground.

When the light faded, Gu Xu looked at the contents of the stone cabinet and his eyes narrowed. The stone cabinet had two layers. The upper layer contained a pile of gold and silver jewelry, while the lower layer contained a lifelike corpse holding a dagger. Although five hundred years had passed, the dagger was still gleaming and sharp as ever.

"This is the art of puppetry."

Gu Xu pointed at the corpse's throat and lifted it up. A red dot appeared to be stimulated and crawled out from the corpse's nose. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a red centipede about the size of a thumb. The centipede smelled blood and immediately sprang forward. Gu Xu reached out and caught it, and a ball of clear light trapped it. After careful observation, Gu Xu confirmed his guess.

With a forceful squeeze, the centipede was instantly crushed into dust. As the centipede was destroyed, its corpse rapidly dried up, turning into a pile of black slag in just a few breaths.

"Ying Shuntian is truly cruel and vicious, actually using the puppet insect technique to make living people act as his guardians of treasure."

Sword Master and the others witnessed Gu Xu destroying the crimson centipede, and their faces were extremely ugly. It was only because Gu Xu took action that they were caught off guard; otherwise, out of curiosity, they might have opened the door and been caught off guard, potentially falling victim to the attack.

"This is only the first level. The treasure in the stone cabinet is just some gold and silver, nothing too valuable. Guan Yutian and the others wouldn't even look at these. They should have gone straight to the second level."

Sword Master nodded in agreement, saying, "Brother Huangfu is right, Daoist. We should go to the second level as soon as possible. It would be unwise if Guan Yutian and the others obtained something powerful."

"Yes, the path to the second level should be on that altar. Let's go."

Gu Xu closed the stone cabinet, called out to everyone, and ran towards the altar. Just after they left, Helian Ba ​​and his group of seventeen finally arrived at the altar, but they were in a very disheveled state, with more or less some injuries on their bodies.

"Look!"

Zheng Jing's eyes lit up when he saw the stone cabinet, and he quickly walked up to it. The fear in his heart dissipated. Helian Ba ​​and the others hurriedly followed. When they arrived at a stone cabinet with a seal, Zheng Jing wanted to take action himself, but then he thought about it and his heart tightened. He said to the crowd, "Everyone, please step back for now."

Upon hearing this, Helian Ba ​​and the others all took several steps back. Zheng Jing threw a dart, which broke the seal. With a clang, the dart stuck into the stone cabinet. With a click, the cabinet door slowly opened, revealing the gold and silver treasures inside.

(End of this chapter)