I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

Under Zhong Jiu's relentless attacks, the Penglai black and white chessboard trembled more and more violently, with more and more cracks appearing on its surface. The sealing power was also weakening and could no longer restrain Zhong Jiu's figure, and it was in danger of shattering at any moment.

Meanwhile, the officials of the City God's Palace had already killed the Earth Immortal in front of them, completely resolving the crisis.

Seeing that Zhong Jiu was trapped, several figures flashed and rushed towards him, wanting to help him break the seal on the chessboard.

Seeing this, the old immortal of Penglai's eyes erupted with utter madness. He staggered forward, his hair white and his face aged, muttering to himself with obsession and madness in his voice: "The arrow is on the string, and it must be released! If I cannot seal you today, my lifelong wish will never be fulfilled!"

"I know that what Feng Xuanzi said is nothing but a pipe dream, impossible to achieve. But even so, I am willing to give it a try!"

"A hundred years of cultivation, a thousand years of lifespan, and these chess pieces and chessboard—in my eyes, they are all like dirt, not as valuable as seeing my wife and children!"

His obsession ran too deep, and he had now completely fallen into demonic possession, his aura becoming increasingly strange and insane.

His once black hair turned snow-white at a visible speed, then quickly turned pale, and finally fell out inch by inch until he was bald.

His face instantly aged to the extreme, crisscrossed with wrinkles, his eyes were cloudy, and his entire body condensed several times, turning into a hunched, withered old man with a weak breath, as if he would die at any moment.

"I will give up my entire lifespan!"

"I sacrificed all my cultivation!"

"I ignite the fire of my soul!"

The Old Immortal of Penglai roared to the sky, his voice mournful and mad. He was willing to pay any price, burning his soul and sacrificing his lifespan and cultivation. A terrifying power far exceeding his previous strength erupted from his body, even though this power would only lead to his complete demise.

"I refuse to believe that with this power, I can't seal you away!"

With his roar, that terrifying power instantly surged into the Penglai black and white chessboard. The chess pieces in the sky suddenly increased in size countless times, like a sky full of stars, floating in the sky and blotting out the sun.

Black and white pieces intertwine, slowly forming an even more bizarre and terrifying game of chess in the sky.

This game is called "Heaven and Earth Slaying the Dragon"!

Zhong Jiu was the only large dragon in that game, and the target they were willing to kill and seal at all costs!

A terrifying force exploded, and the chessboard was cracked like a spider web. The power that could suppress the heavens and the earth finally locked Zhong Jiu in place temporarily.

Zhong Jiu frowned slightly, his eyes showing no panic, only a hint of impatience.

He never expected that this old immortal from Penglai would be so insane as to burn his own life force in order to use this incomplete treasure to trap him.

boom!

An irresistible suction force transformed into a whirlwind that swept up Zhong Jiu and dragged him forcefully into the independent space inside the chessboard.

But as soon as he entered, the entire chessboard trembled violently, and the cracks expanded again, densely covering the chess surface, as if this man-made little world could not withstand the terrifying divine power hidden within him!

"master!"

The officials of the City God's Palace roared in unison, their eyes blazing with fury. They were not worried about the safety of the City God; in this world, no one could harm a hair on Zhong Jiu's head!

What angered them was that these arrogant and ignorant villains dared to trap the City God on a chessboard right in front of them!

He was even angrier at himself for not reacting in time and failing to stop it. This was a great disgrace and an unforgivable crime!

"We will go and apologize when the master returns!"

The officials unanimously agreed that no one knew Zhong Jiu's strength better than them; this broken chessboard couldn't hold him back for even a moment!

"Give me your life!"

Unable to vent his anger, he unleashed it all on the earth immortals present.

Feng Xuanzi and the others turned ashen-faced instantly. They never expected that even without Zhong Jiu in charge, these underworld officials would still be so terrifying!

In the blink of an eye, screams rang out one after another, and half of the Earth Immortals perished on the spot, their souls and spirits destroyed, without even a chance to be reincarnated.

"The City God of Xingsha has already been captured! Why are you still fighting to the death?!"

Feng Xuanzi was so frightened that he screamed in disbelief.

No! Absolutely not!

To catch the thief, you must first catch the king. Logically speaking, once Zhong Jiu is captured, everyone in the City God's Mansion should be thrown into chaos and surrender without resistance!

But the underworld officials and soul soldiers in front of them were still performing their duties, and their killing intent was even greater than before, as if Zhong Jiu's imprisonment was just the fuse that ignited their anger!

So what's the point of them paying such a heavy price to trap Chung Kau?!

"Utterly ridiculous!"

Black Impermanence let out a cold laugh, his figure flashing out like a ghost. His mourning staff, imbued with the malevolent energy of the underworld, slammed down fiercely towards Feng Xuanzi. "You are like frogs in a well, ignorant of the vastness of the world! I was merely momentarily distracted, and will break free of the formation in a short while. Today, you will all surely die!"

boom!

With a single blow, Feng Xuanzi screamed and flew backward, his soul instantly injured, the excruciating pain piercing his heart. He couldn't even maintain his posture and could only roll on the ground, howling in agony, feeling worse than death.

Not far away, the Old Immortal of Penglai watched this scene, his last glimmer of hope completely extinguished, leaving only a deep-seated despair.

He forced a smirk and said with a bitter laugh, "Could it be... could it really be a hopeless situation...?"

He once thought that as long as he trapped Chung Kau, he could control the underworld and gain a chance to survive. But now he realizes that he was just indulging in wishful thinking from beginning to end.

The imprisonment of the City God did not disrupt the City God's Palace; instead, it spurred his subordinates to unleash their full power. This group of people was utterly defeated and had no chance of recovery!

He was dressed in rags, his hair had all fallen out, his face was old and tired, and he slumped on the ground, looking extremely miserable.

"The only thing to be thankful for is that I... actually managed to defeat the City God of Xingsha."

He gave a bitter smile; this was the only thing he could boast about in this huge gamble.

But the next second, his smile froze on his face, his expression changed drastically, and his pupils shrank to pinpoints.

The black and white chess pieces of Penglai were trembling violently at an unprecedented rate, and a power far more terrifying and powerful than before was erupting wildly from inside the chessboard space!

This time, not only did the cracks on the board widen, but every piece was trembling violently. Spiderweb-like cracks spread at a visible speed, and the entire board was groaning under the strain, as if it would collapse completely at any moment!

"No...impossible!"

The Old Immortal of Penglai screamed in disbelief, "This chessboard is an ancient treasure, how could... how could he have torn it apart?!"

Inside the chessboard space, Zhong Jiu had just steadied himself when he looked up and surveyed his surroundings.

This is a very basic little world, with only sky and earth. The rest of the place is desolate. In the distance, birds and beasts can be vaguely seen. It is likely that the old immortal of Penglai felt that this place was too lonely and specially captured and raised ordinary creatures here.

"Um?"

Zhong Jiu suddenly raised an eyebrow, sensing a familiar aura. Looking up, he saw a graceful woman slowly flying towards him on a gentle breeze.

"Is it you?"

Zhong Jiu recognized the person at a glance: Black Mountain Demon Mother!

When he forcefully resisted just now, the chessboard cracked, and this small world trembled as well, which must have alerted her who was trapped here.

Black Mountain Demon Mother landed in front of Zhong Jiu, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, then she understood: "No wonder the Black and White Chess pieces of Penglai were acting strangely and almost collapsed. It turns out that the City God is trapped here."

Outsiders who saw her only felt that she had a graceful figure and was surrounded by a mysterious aura, like a peerless beauty, but no one could see her face clearly.

However, Zhong Jiu's strength far surpassed hers by more than one level, and he saw through her disguise at a glance, seeing through her true nature.

She was indeed a beauty of unparalleled grace, with skin as smooth as jade, eyes as clear as autumn water, and a captivating charm that could bewitch all living beings with a slight curve of her lips.

Zhong Jiu's expression remained unchanged, his gaze calm and unwavering. He merely glanced at her before looking away and asked indifferently, "Why are you also imprisoned here?"

Black Mountain Ghost Mother shook her head, her tone tinged with helplessness, and slowly recounted the cause and effect.

The Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom rebelled, and the Crimson Prison Ghost Emperor seized the opportunity to take power. She was powerless to reverse the situation and was eventually captured by the Old Immortal of Penglai, trapped in this chessboard space.

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Zhong Jiu's eyes, and the doubts in his heart were resolved.

He had been wondering why the Black Mountain Demon Mother, who always kept to herself in a secluded corner and controlled her subordinates, never easily stepping out of Black Mountain, would suddenly take action this time, contrary to her usual behavior.

Only now do we realize that she has long since lost power and is trapped, and the strange events in the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom have nothing to do with her.

"Although Chi Yu has ascended to the throne of the Ghost Emperor, he is a dull and ignorant fool who thinks he is powerful but is actually narrow-minded."

The Black Mountain Demon Mother abruptly changed the subject, her tone tinged with a hint of probing, "If he really dares to lead his army to attack the Underworld, I suppose... he won't have a good ending, will he?"

While she appeared to be discussing the Crimson Prison, she was actually trying to find out about the current situation in the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom.

Zhong Jiu spoke calmly, his tone even yet carrying an undeniable certainty: "From the moment the Crimson Prison Ghost Emperor ordered the troops to be dispatched, everything was already beyond redemption. At this moment, the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom is likely already destroyed."

These words are too cruel. The Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom was established by her own hands, and it consumed her entire life's effort.

What Zhong Jiu said was true. Regardless of the internal changes in the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom, and regardless of whether she was innocent or not, since those ghosts dared to brazenly invade the Underworld, they had to pay the corresponding price.

If they win, the people of the underworld will have no chance of survival.