Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 481 A Game of Life and Death, You Think You Can Be the Sparrow Who Stalks the Crocodile?

Chess King Cave and Desert Rooftop are very similar, essentially teleportation arrays connecting the secret realm to the outside world.

The Heart Sword and the Demon Sword are like the Sun and Moon Mirrors, serving as the keys to open the teleportation array. On a fixed date, inserting the two swords into the keyhole will activate the teleportation array.

However, the Chess King Cave is different from the Desert Roof. Once it is opened, the entrance will remain forever unless someone closes it from the inside.

With a series of cracking and crashing sounds, the outer stone wall of the Chess King Cave collapsed completely, revealing a rusty doorway. Guan Yutian took the initiative to walk in front.

Ren Qianxing followed closely behind, followed by Li Zhaoting and Cheng Huaixiu, with Jian Yin bringing up the rear.

Following the Chess King Cave, after walking for about three miles, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a lake as smooth as a mirror and crystal clear.

The lake water is icy blue, and the lake is shaped like a teardrop, like the compassionate tears shed by a Bodhisattva who could not bear to see the suffering of all living beings, or like countless wronged souls and vengeful ghosts who, after more than five hundred years of oppression and depravity, have turned from death to life.

Surrounded by red flowers and green trees, the Chess King Cave has been closed for more than 500 years. These plants have grown wildly, all of them tall and lush. Upon closer inspection, this place does not resemble an ancient secret realm, but rather a primeval forest park.

The game of life and death is hidden in the lake.

That's it for now, no need to say anything more.

Ren Qianxing, holding the demonic sword, roared to the sky.

"Life and death game, come out now!"

Sensing the aura of the Frost Sword, the hidden mechanisms in the lake activated, splashing countless water droplets. To everyone's astonishment, an enormous chessboard rose from the water, with chess pieces reaching over ten feet in height.

Compared to these chess pieces, Ultraman seems to be slightly shorter. The headdresses of the old general and veteran general are carved into the shape of thrones, which can be sat on at will.

In other words, a sofa that an adult of about 1.8 meters tall can sit on comfortably is only equivalent to the crown of a chess piece. Moreover, there is a heavy base underneath the chess piece that is the same height as the piece.

Even if Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu, were here, he might not be able to shake these enormous chess pieces with his own flesh and blood.

The mechanism beneath the chessboard can easily move these pieces together, and even perform leaping attacks such as knight jumps and cannon jumps, which is truly astonishing.

Even more shocking is that these mechanisms, comparable to giant gantry cranes, are all voice-controlled.

The player only needs to give a command, and the mechanism can recognize the move pattern; its intelligence is astonishing.

Just like the struggle for the Heavenly Sword, after all that fighting, the most valuable things were the door key and the door hinge. The most valuable treasure left by Ying Shuntian might be the transmission mechanism.

Ren Qianxing, like a monkey, nimbly climbed onto the red chess piece, sat leisurely on the throne, held the demon sword in his hand, and shot out three feet of red light from his eyes.

On the other side, Cheng Huaixiu, like a fairy walking on water, stepped onto the chess piece's base, as if climbing a ladder to heaven, and flew up to the chess piece step by step, sitting on the chess piece's crown.

Ren Qianxing roared to the sky: "Cheng Huaixiu, my swordsmanship is no match for Li Zhaoting, but my chess skills are unparalleled. I have received guidance from the Chess Saint, and my skills are incomparable. I will checkmate you in thirty moves!"

Li Zhaoting thought to himself, "What the hell is this Chess Saint?"
Where did Ren Qianxing find the "Chess Saint"?
Guan Yutian said in a deep voice, "Hero Li, a fierce battle will take place later. Why don't we make a bet? If Qianxing wins, Hero Li, you can help me take 30% of the Chess of Life and Death treasure. I only need 30% of the treasure!"

"What if Huaixiu wins?"

"I'll give you the Demon Sword!"

"A demonic sword? Are you sure?!"

"A real man never goes back on his word, and a promise is a promise. In the current situation, even if I had the greatest courage in the world, I wouldn't dare to break my promise!"

"The bet is set!"

Li Zhaoting and Guan Yutian swore an oath by striking each other's hands.

Ren Qianxing shouted loudly, "Cheng Huaixiu, today I'll show you what I'm made of! Cannon 2 to 5!"

Ren Qianxing originally wanted to follow his family's traditional opening strategy, which is to use a flying cannon to attack the horse in the opening. However, the "Chess Saint" persuaded him to stop, saying that using a flying cannon to attack the horse is too costly and is the worst opening strategy. He said that if he wanted to win, he should not try to be clever and should play a steady central cannon, which is better than any other opening strategy.

Cheng Huaixiu was already proficient in chess, and after receiving guidance from Li Zhaoting, his skills improved by leaps and bounds. The two quickly set up a central cannon and screen horse formation, with each advancing a pawn.

Cheng Huaixiu was unaware of Ren Qianxing's abilities. Li Zhaoting did not tell Cheng Huaixiu that the Demon Sword Clan was a five-hundred-year-old lousy chess player. He only instructed Cheng Huaixiu not to be careless. Cheng Huaixiu played very steadily and never attacked rashly.

A cold glint flashed in Ren Qianxing's eyes as he used the trump card move he had learned from the "Chess Saint" for three thousand taels of silver. When Ren Qianxing saw the chess manual, he was immediately amazed and thought it was worth one hundred thousand taels of silver.

The "Chess Saint" was a street vendor, and his so-called trump card was actually a "deceptive tactic," or to put it more nicely, a "sacrifice-for-attack."

"Abandoning pawns" is a very common behavior.

The key is whether you can take advantage of the opportunity to sacrifice a piece, gain some initiative, and recover from the disadvantage of losing a piece, or use a move to sacrifice first and then take back the lost piece.

This tactic, if used well, makes one a master of sacrificing pawns; if used poorly, it's like a hawk's move, causing a dramatic fall from grace.

Ren Qianxing boldly "abandoned the car".

No one can resist the temptation of a car.

Cheng Huaixiu couldn't resist and launched an attack without hesitation. Ren Qianxing saw that Cheng Huaixiu had fallen into the trap and tried to launch a flanking attack, but Cheng Huaixiu set up an impregnable defense from the start, without revealing any flaws.

Ren Qianxing charged left and right, but only managed to kill two soldiers before retreating in defeat. Cheng Huaixiu seized the opportunity to counterattack, his attack as steady as Mount Tai, surging towards Ren Qianxing like a tidal wave.

Guan Yutian's smugness quickly dissipated.

He never imagined that Ren Qianxing, who had mastered the "Chess Saint's Chess Manual" to its pinnacle, could be so utterly defeated by Cheng Huaixiu. In less than fifteen moves, Cheng Huaixiu had secured three pieces to the side and launched his final attack.

The term "three pieces returning to the side" refers to the fact that all three pieces (chariot, horse, and cannon) have crossed the river and are on the same side.

This is the most powerful attack method. Even if Ren Qianxing hadn't lost his vehicle, it would have been difficult for him to defend his base.

Ren Qianxing looked at Cheng Huaixiu in despair. He had memorized both the Qianling Chess Manual and the Chess Saint Chess Manual perfectly, and was familiar with every variation. He was confident that he was among the top three in the world and could easily defeat the national chess master of the Song Dynasty.

I never expected to lose so badly.

Ren Qianxing was powerless to fight back and could only watch helplessly as his pieces were captured one by one, and his general was surrounded and "kicked" by Cheng Huaixiu's chariots, knights and cannons.

Cheng Huaixiu's precise sacrifice of his horse to kill his advisor seemed like a huge loss, but in reality, it was a series of consecutive moves. By trading a horse for Ren Qianxing's two elephants and one advisor, Ren Qianxing's general was left defenseless and completely exposed to the chariot and cannon.

"Snapped!"

Cheng Huaixiu used her last move.

Iron bolt.

Lore!

No solution!

Everything returned to calm!

Ren Qianxing collapsed, utterly dejected. Li Zhaoting looked at Guan Yutian curiously: "Um... is the chess master you just mentioned only at Ren Qianxing's level?"

Guan Yutian asked dejectedly, "Master Li, what level would Qianxing's chess move be considered in the Central Plains? Could he become a master or national champion?"

Li Zhaoting almost burst out laughing, but could only try to be tactful and say, "Ren Qianxing's chess skills are good enough to make a living by setting up a chess stall in a small village."

What level of skill did the Song Dynasty's top players possess?

"About the same as Huai Xiu!"

Where is Master Li?

"Just as Huai Xiu can beat Ren Qianxing, I can beat Huai Xiu. There is a huge gap between us."

"This is impossible……"

Guan Yutian thought to himself, "The Demon Sword Clan has been studying chess for over 500 years. Are we just playing a game?"

Studying chess for five hundred years and still only managing to hit a horse with a flying cannon is a joke. You should focus on mastering martial arts and then chop down anyone who dares to beat you at chess!
Li Zhaoting comforted him, "Patriarch Murong, please accept my condolences. Back then, Ying Shuntian was invincible because he played a game of life and death. It wasn't the game itself that was superior, but his swordsmanship. Anyone who defeated him was killed!"

"Where is the Chess Saint and the Sword Ancestor?"

"The Chess Saint and Sword Ancestor are Go Saints, but only beginners in Chinese Chess. They only know the rules of placing pieces. I think that Thousand Spirits Chess Manual is very likely a sword manual!"

"Sword manual?"

"The outcome of the game is not within the game itself, but outside of it. As long as Ying Shuntian holds the Demon Sword and shows an expression that looks like he wants to kill someone, no one will dare to beat him even half a move."

"I see... I see..."

Before Guan Yutian could finish speaking, a mocking laugh, filled with utter hatred, came from afar: "Hahahaha! This is the legacy of the Demon Sword Clan? It's laughable!"

Qiang Wangsheng, holding the one-legged bronze figure, glared at Guan Yutian with a face full of venomous hatred, his hatred almost solidifying. "Guan Yutian, I will kill you! I will skin your entire family alive, eat your flesh, drink your blood, and ensure that your whole family will never be reincarnated!"

Qiang Wangsheng's eyes were bloodshot, and he could no longer contain his anger. He unleashed a powerful attack on Guan Yutian.

Guan Yutian sneered, crossed his hands, twisted his body to the side, and activated his innate qi.

It is not a full moon night now, so Guan Yutian's power will not be like a dragon soaring to its fullest extent, but rather like a dragon flying in the sky, his power becoming more and more refined and vast, with inexhaustible strength.

"clang!"

The one-legged bronze figure struck the innate qi, and the violent impact rebounded to Qiang Wangsheng's wrist. Qiang Wangsheng was shaken back seventeen or eighteen steps, his tiger's mouth cracked and blood flowed freely. Just then, Helian Ba ​​suddenly attacked from behind, fully activating his clone demon shadow, which transformed into dozens of illusory bodies.

"Guan Yutian, prepare to die!"

Helian Ba ​​glared angrily at Guan Yutian.

His injuries were suppressed by Pang Ban using a secret technique, allowing him to unleash his full power once every half hour.

Helian Ba's greatest resentment was naturally towards Fang Yeyu. Bai Yu'er could see through Fang Yeyu's conspiracy, and so could Helian Ba. However, he couldn't afford to offend Fang Yeyu, so he had to settle for second best and vent his anger on Guan Yutian.

Helian Ba ​​always thought that his martial arts skills were about the same as Guan Yutian's, and that he was even better than Guan Yutian because of his superior lightness skills. He never expected that Guan Yutian had been hiding his true strength all along, and that his actual strength far surpassed that of Helian Ba.

Helian Ba ​​could not bear such humiliation.

He felt that he had been fooled by Guan Yutian, that he was a complete clown, a buffoon jumping around and making a fool of himself on the stage, while Guan Yutian sat quietly watching him from below the stage, occasionally giving him a few copper coins as a reward.

Helian Ba ​​would rather die in battle than endure such a comprehensive humiliation, from martial arts to wisdom. He knew Fang Yeyu was using him, but he was willing to do so.

If we don't do this, how can we seek revenge on Guan Yutian?
As Qiang Wangsheng and Helian Ba ​​made their move, Mongol experts rushed into the Chess King Cave. Seven or eight figures swarmed towards Li Zhaoting, all of them lamas in their seventies or eighties.

Shaolin Temple has no shortage of old monks.

Similarly, Tantric Buddhism has no shortage of elderly lamas.

These people didn't have much practical experience, but they had lived a life of luxury for decades, and their skills were refined and profound. The seven of them formed a formation, with seven streams of internal energy connected in a straight line.

The leading lama shouted, "Hero Li, we don't want to keep the treasure for ourselves. If you leave, we're willing to share half with you. Please stay out of it!"

Guan Yutian shouted, "We'll split it 30/70. I only need 30% of the treasure. Hero Li, I'm willing to accept my loss. The Demon Sword belongs to you; you can take it."

The biggest taboo in treasure hunting is being blinded by greed.

Ren Qianxing has little experience in this area and may not be able to figure it out, while Guan Yutian is cunning and shrewd and is most skilled in this matter; his goal is 30% of the treasure.

It's impossible to take it all for myself.

Li Zhaoting is here.

Whoever it is, must give more than half of the treasure to Li Zhaoting as a bribe; otherwise, no matter which side Li Zhaoting sides are on, the other side will surely die.

Logically, they should unite to defeat Li Zhaoting and then divide the treasure. However, the Demon Sword Clan and the Mongol Yuan Dynasty have too much hatred for each other, and it is impossible for them to unite. Even if they do form an alliance, it will be a backstabbing. Fang Yeyu has already tried Guan Yutian's methods!
Fang Yeyu didn't want to try it again!
Fang Yeyu had no desire to be enemies with Li Zhaoting.

These old monks had only one purpose: to delay Li Zhaoting and give other experts time to move the treasure. In Fang Yeyu's opinion, the treasure should be boxes of gold and silver jewelry, which shouldn't be too hard to find.

As for the "life-or-death game," that's pure nonsense.

Aside from the Demon Sword Remnant Clan going mad, it had no effect whatsoever. Regardless of the outcome of the game, the final victory or defeat was decided by the sword. Why bother with all that effort?
Li Zhaoting originally agreed with this idea.

However, just now, while Cheng Huaixiu and Ren Qianxing were playing chess, Li Zhaoting realized why a life-or-death game of chess was necessary. The chess pieces were treasures. Ying Shuntian had poured all the gold and silver he had collected in his life into the chess pieces. The game had to be played to determine the winner before the chess pieces locked by the mechanism could be moved. Otherwise, they could only watch helplessly.

In addition, the pieces are not solid.

Such large chess pieces, if solid, would instantly shatter even the entire Gu Long financial system, including Huo Xiu's assets worth 35 million taels of gold. Even in later generations, they would not be able to withstand such power.

Li Zhaoting recalled that a forum expert had calculated the treasure of the game of life and death. The king and general are gold pieces. If both gold pieces are solid, the quantity exceeds the global gold reserves in 2024. This is not gold mine, but refined gold, and its influence is immeasurable.

The only treasure comparable to it is the legendary Heart of Bodhidharma—a sea of ​​gold spanning thousands of acres!
All other treasures pale in comparison.

When the game ended, the clay sculptures on the chess pieces peeled off, revealing glittering gold. Upon seeing this, Fang Yeyu almost jumped up, thinking to himself, "This is a total rip-off!"
This treasure is huge, enormous, far beyond Fang Yeyu's imagination, but how can it be moved?
Even if Li Zhaoting stood by and watched, letting the Mongol experts move the treasures until they were exhausted, they still couldn't lift this golden chess piece. They wanted to cut it into pieces and move it out in batches, but who knows how much time that would take.

By the time the gold was all moved, the Mongol Khan would have already been replaced, possibly two or three generations later.

Li Zhaoting whistled leisurely: "As expected of the treasure of the Chess of Life and Death, it is indeed amazing. Gentlemen, do you know how to transport such a large treasure?"

Wang Shenglan frowned: "Husband, so much gold is right in front of me, but I can only move a little bit. It's such a pity. Ying Shuntian really knows how to cheat people."

"Gentlemen, let each of you make your move!"

Everyone rushed toward the golden chess pieces. Both pieces were hollow and could be cut with divine weapons and then moved separately. This process was relatively slow and was very disadvantageous to Guan Yutian and his son, as well as Helian Ba.

Fang Yeyu waved his hand, and the disciples of the Vajra Sect went to move the gold; each of them could carry several hundred kilograms.

Even if Guan Yutian and Ren Qianxing fight with all their might, how much gold can they take? Fang Yeyu doesn't stop them at all. Whoever has the ability to take the gold, you can take it directly.

Helian Ba ​​is the most miserable. He's a lone wolf, and now he's down to being a commander without any troops. Even if he puts all his strength into moving gold, how much can he move? At most, he can move a few hundred kilograms and become a rich man. Don't expect to make a comeback. No matter how down on his luck Helian Ba ​​is, he wouldn't stoop to robbing such a small amount of money like a money-grubber.

Is there anyone more miserable than Helian Ba?

Of course there are.

That was Liao Rushen, who was eager to play the role of the oriole but found that the situation was completely out of his control. Liao Rushen thought that everyone would fight over the treasure, but he did not expect that the treasure was two mountains of gold, which they could not move even if they worked themselves to death.

Liao Rushen is a master of using his brain, but he has no skill in physical cultivation. His martial arts were average in his early years, and he only recently caught up with the "Dreamlike Limitless". Even if he were given ten years, he would not be able to move all this gold.

Profit from chaos!

Chaos is the key to seizing profits.

The two sides have stopped fighting and are each moving their gold. How can one profit from this chaos? How can one reap the benefits? It's impossible for Liao Rushen to intervene, nor is it possible for him not to.

Why must we take action?

Because Li Zhaoting will soon leave the Western Regions.

Cheng Huaixiu will leave with Li Zhaoting.

Without the Heart Sword and Demon Sword as the key, how can one freely enter and exit the Chess King's Cave? What if someone tries to sabotage the cave and close it down? Wouldn't that be like walking into a trap?
It's not right to leave, nor is it right to stay!
What should we do?

Yi Shuihan, hiding in the shadows, was equally bewildered.

Originally intending to take advantage of the chaos, Yi Shuihan saw the golden chess piece and thought to himself, "What's the use of this?"

No one could have imagined that the anticipated fierce battle would be defeated by "mountains of gold and silver," and no one could have imagined that one day, when going out to search for treasure, they would complain that the treasure was too abundant and the gold and silver too much.

Only one person could remain steadfast in their original aspirations and will.

Qiang Wangsheng!
His goal was to kill Guan Yutian!
Everything he did was for revenge!
Even if the elixir of immortality were placed right in front of him, Qiang Wangsheng would ignore it. All he could see was Guan Yutian's head, and he only wanted to blast Guan Yutian to pieces.

Liao Rushen and Yi Shuihan saw an opportunity.

Qiang Wangsheng was one of the eight great guards of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. Even though Chi Di died and Qiang Wangsheng's strength was greatly reduced, his status remained unchanged. Fang Yeyu could not stand by and watch Qiang Wangsheng be killed by Guan Yutian. As long as a special accident occurred on the battlefield, it could trigger a chain reaction.

What was the unexpected part?
The unexpected thing was—a demon was planted in one's heart!
Yi Shuihan used the Dao Heart Demon Seed Technique to disrupt Qiang Wangsheng's mind, causing the already furious Qiang Wangsheng to lose his composure and only know how to launch a desperate attack.

Guan Yutian didn't want to get entangled with Qiang Wangsheng, but his lightness skill was not good enough to get rid of Qiang Wangsheng, who was fighting to the death and willing to exchange his life for another. In anger, he shouted: "Since you insist on seeking death, I will send you to find You Chidi!"

The innate qi condensed into a long dragon, and the mighty dragon palm roared out. Qiang Wangsheng countered with it, swinging the one-legged bronze figure and smashing it towards Guan Yutian's head. There was a series of crackling sounds, and Qiang Wangsheng retreated more than ten steps.

Guan Yutian was protected by innate qi, so he was least afraid of direct confrontation. Qiang Wangsheng only attacked and did not defend. He took a blow to the chest with the Mighty Dragon Palm, which left a soft, dented area.

Just then, Helian Ba ​​launched a sudden attack, pushing his clone's demonic shadow to its limit. His hands moved in rapid succession, like a giant centipede with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, striking Guan Yutian's back with an extremely yin and gentle splitting palm. Guan Yutian had no time to guide his qi back to its origin, so he could only muster his remaining strength and, despite the rupture of his meridians, activate his true essence to unleash his innate qi.

"boom!"

Helian Ba ​​retreated several steps.

The force of the Distracted Palm was shaken back into the body by the innate Qi, severely damaging the meridians and causing the user to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Guan Yutian staggered forward a few steps, his eyes gradually regaining their clarity, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Ren Qianxing descended from the sky, holding the Demon Sword, and without hesitation assumed a charging stance, ready to cleave the world apart with a single strike.

(End of this chapter)