Venerable Supreme of Myriad Dragons

Take Shen Daoxing, for example. He hadn't actually done anything, yet according to the Celestial Profound Sacred Land, he was an Evil Demon everyone wanted to hunt down.

At this thought, Shen Daoxing couldn't help but clench his fists.

"Let's go!"

Shen Daoxing spoke nonchalantly, wasting no more time. The others hurried to keep up.

The rock cave was dim and empty, save for the bats hanging upside down from its ceiling.

The group continued onward. Suddenly, a pair of bright eyes lit up in the darkness, like a fiery red jewel.

WHOOSH!

The pair of fiery red eyes suddenly moved.

Then, a pair of vast wings unfolded before Shen Daoxing, revealing teeth as sharp as blades.

It was a Bloodthirsty Ghost Bat, a demonic beast at the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Transformation realm.

Everyone was startled.

But to Shen Daoxing, it was hardly a threat.

With a swift movement, Shen Daoxing's sword fell, unleashing an arc of black light.

SCREECH!

The Bloodthirsty Ghost Bat shrieked as its body split down the middle into two halves.

Then, it plummeted to the ground.

The moment the Bloodthirsty Ghost Bat hit the ground, unnoticed by the others, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat in Shen Daoxing's robes poked its head out. A gray blur flashed past.

The Bloodthirsty Ghost Bat was gone.

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat patted its belly, then contentedly burrowed back into Shen Daoxing's robes.

The group continued onward, and although they encountered a few more Bloodthirsty Ghost Bats, with Shen Daoxing there, they posed no problem.

Soon, the group reached the innermost part of the cave. The path ahead was blocked by a huge stone gate.

The gate was engraved with the same six-armed giant, but this time, the word "Trial" was carved above it.

As if sensing their arrival, the massive stone gate began to open on its own.

CREAK! CREAK!

The two heavy stone doors slowly swung open, as if inviting them to enter.

It was pitch-black inside; they couldn't see a thing.

Seeing this, Tao Ying quickly began flipping through an ancient-looking book.

It was an important journal left by her Tao Family ancestors, which chronicled their experiences in Celestial Demon City, including how to bypass its various traps.

Beside her, Luo An's eyes lit up when he saw the word "Trial." He got excited. "A trial! This must be the trial for the Celestial Demon's inheritance."

Without a second thought, he stepped inside.

"Wait!"

Tao Ying quickly reached out to stop him, but Luo An was already gone.

At this, Tao Ying could only shake her head in resignation.

Shen Daoxing smiled faintly. He wasn't in a hurry to enter. After waiting a moment and seeing that there were truly no issues, he waved his hand and led the others inside.

The space inside was vast and seemed completely empty.

Someone in the group lit a torch, and the surroundings slowly brightened.

Shen Daoxing looked around and saw they were in a huge stone chamber. It was empty, except for the walls. The four walls had been hollowed out into countless square niches, like altars. But instead of Buddhas, they were filled with statues of the six-armed giant, packed densely from floor to ceiling.

In the center of the far wall stood an imposing statue, dozens of feet tall and much larger than any of the others.

It had six thick arms, each holding a different weapon: a saber, a sword, a spear, a staff, and more. It had three heads on its neck, each with a ferocious and terrifying expression. Below its torso were six thick legs, making it look like an ancient Demon God.

'Could this be the so-called Celestial Demon?'

Someone wondered aloud, and the others couldn't help but step closer for a better look.

At that moment, the floor of the chamber lit up without any warning.

"Everyone, be careful!"

Someone cried out in alarm.

A hazy golden light emanated from the floor, revealing a grid of squares outlined by glowing golden lines. It looked like some kind of chessboard.

At the same time, the group's positions had somehow shifted. They found themselves standing on the lines of the grid.

Looking down, they saw that each of them stood within a circle of light. Inscribed in the circles were characters for "Pawn," "Chariot," "Horse," and so on, as if designating their roles.

On the other side of the board, near the Celestial Demon Stone Statue, an array of man-sized, six-armed stone giants had appeared. They stood in positions mirroring the group, and they too had circles of light at their feet inscribed with roles like "Pawn," "Chariot," and "Horse."

In the center of their formation stood Shen Daoxing. At his feet, the character for "King" glowed with a brilliant golden light.

Correspondingly, the King on the opposing side was the great Celestial Demon Stone Statue itself.

Clearly, this was to be a game between the two sides, a battle of wits using living people as chess pieces.

Shen Daoxing glanced around and realized that everyone else seemed to be restrained by some force, unable to move their feet. Only he was free to move.

Just then, two beams of light shot down from the ceiling. One landed on Shen Daoxing, the other on the Celestial Demon Stone Statue.

A holographic projection materialized in front of Shen Daoxing. It was a miniature version of the chessboard, showing the likenesses of everyone in the chamber. It seemed he could control their movements with a simple touch.

But before Shen Daoxing could make a move...

RUMBLE!

A six-armed stone statue on the opposing side—a "Pawn"—began to move, slowly taking a single step forward.

"This is the Celestial Demon's chessboard!"

Tao Ying, who was one of the pieces, suddenly spoke up. She turned her head toward Shen Daoxing. "Young Master Yang, we can only leave if you win this game."

Hearing this, Luo An, who was on the front line of the board, froze. Opposite him, a six-armed giant raised its six weapons high, their cold steel glinting as if ready to strike at any moment.

A shiver ran through Luo An. 'No way. Is this for real?'

"That's right!"

Tao Ying nodded. "This is a game of life and death. If a piece is captured, the person dies. If you want all of us to survive, you can't lose a single piece."

"Ah! You can't be serious!"

Luo An's face fell. "How can anyone play chess without losing a single piece?"

At that moment, Chu Guifeng spoke up. "I believe in Young Master Shen's skill!"

He then turned to Shen Daoxing, his eyes filled with trust.

Ma Wan chimed in, "I believe in Young Master Shen's skill, too!"

His gaze was resolute, showing his complete faith in Shen Daoxing.

Luo An quickly looked toward Shen Daoxing and asked tentatively, "Yang, how good are you at chess?"

Shen Daoxing stared blankly for a moment, looked at the others, and then said calmly, "I don't know how to play."

"..."

Chu Guifeng.

"..."

Ma Wan.

"..."

Luo An.

"..."

Tao Ying.

"..."

Everyone.

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