Chapter 456: Fighting Their Way Through Adversity!

The Spherical Heaven Chessboard was profound, and countless powerful cultivators had failed to clear it.

Ever since its emergence, countless cultivators had tried clearing it, but no one could solve it to this day.

The chess game in the Spherical Heaven Chessboard was only halfway through, so there was still a chance to reverse the situation.

However, the white pieces would anyhow lose no matter what one did. It would be difficult for the white pieces to escape being surrounded by the black pieces.

The white pieces were like trapped beasts as the numerous black pieces completely surrounded them.

The white pieces would be attacked by numerous black pieces no matter which step they took, so it was difficult for the white pieces to escape.

No matter how proficient one was at chess, it was a stubborn resistance that would only let one lose the game slower.

It was impossible to completely win that chess game!

…

Even so, there were still many powerful cultivators that challenged the chess game.

Although they might not be able to win, they could train themselves through the battles on the chessboard.

That place contained a great Dao Intent and was filled with laws, increasing one’s speed of enlightenment.

Also, they could battle with the powerful beings from the black pieces.

Those were figures created with peerless Dharmic powers of mighty figures in the Celestial World and would change according to the trial takers’ strength.

This place could be said to be the best training ground.

Battling with opponents of equal strength could increase one’s capability for actual combat as much as possible.

Therefore, many of them had benefited greatly.

The powerful cultivators of the sacred grounds were also itching to try, so they decided to enter the Spherical Heaven Chessboard.

Those figures left behind trails of divine rainbows as they flew toward the Spherical Heaven Chessboard.

The surrounding people exclaimed, “Top cultivators are making their move. How far can they go?”

Those that entered were all the sacred leaders and grand elders of the various sacred grounds, and they were basically Great Sages and above.

There were even powerful cultivators like the Nine Sun Sacred Leader and Heaven Tripod Sacred Leader, who were Eight Tribulation Great Sages.

Would such a powerful lineup be able to clear the Spherical Heaven Chessboard?

…

“Junior Brother, how about we go up to try too?”

Azure Lotus looked at the Spherical Heaven Chessboard with passionate eyes.

There were numerous treasures within the Spherical Heaven Chessboard. Not only were there Sage artifacts but there were also Great Sage artifacts and pseudo-Immortal artifacts!

Even the Celestial World’s mystic arts and cultivation techniques were also present.

As long as they tried clearing it, they might be able to obtain those items!

That was a huge amount of wealth, so Azure Lotus was extremely tempted.

Even if he did not need to use those items, he could use them to exchange for cultivation resources.

Azure Lotus cultivated the Tinder Sutra and had spent all his wealth long ago, so he was short of money.

Therefore, he had to grasp this chance to earn a fortune!

The heavenly aura surrounding the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader swayed gently. “Since Senior Brother is interested, then naturally, I’ll keep you company!”

Azure Lotus smiled brightly. “Hehe, then Junior Brother, I’ll rely on you to lead the way.”

Why did he pull the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader along with him?

That was naturally because Azure Lotus knew nothing about chess. He would definitely be able to benefit more if he found someone who knew how to play chess rather than going by himself.

“I want to go too!”

Qi Delong, the Golden Eyed Fire Ape race’s leader, stepped forward with a passionate gaze.

His race was originally keen on battling, so although he did not know chess, he was already itching to fight once he saw others battling.

Azure Lotus nodded. “Alright, then the three of us will enter!”

Qi Delong was powerful, so with the three of them, their gains would be bountiful!

“Haha, alright! I want to see just what’s so special about this chess game!”

Qi Delong soared into the sky and dashed into the Spherical Heaven Chessboard while leaving a trail of divine rainbow.

The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader exchanged a look with Azure Lotus before entering the Spherical Heaven Chessboard in the same way.

…

In an instant, the laws within enveloped them and formed a world by itself.

The three of them stood on the chessboard while everything around them was hazy and full of chaos.

Those black pieces would not appear before they made a move.

Once cultivators enter the Spherical Heaven Chessboard, they would be completely immersed within, so they would not be able to see the whole chessboard.

As such, they could only try to clear it according to the positions of the chess pieces in their memory.

“Junior Brother, where do we go?”

After entering the Spherical Heaven Chessboard, Azure Lotus did not move.

One misstep and they would be surrounded and attacked by black pieces. If too many black pieces attacked them, even a Great Sage would be defeated and have to retreat.

The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader said coldly, “Senior Brother, I told you to read more books, good books, on a daily basis, but who told you not to listen to me?”

Azure Lotus scratched his head, smiled, and said, “Junior Brother is here, so it’s alright. I’m too lazy to read those boring things.”

The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader shook his head and ignored Azure Lotus. Instead, he started to study the chess game.

Afterward, the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader took a step out.

Azure Lotus and Qi Delong hurriedly followed behind him.

Boom!

A loud explosion could be heard!

A black piece landed beside them with compelling pressure.

Three figures enveloped by divine light walked out from within and charged toward the three of them.

The number of figures formed would depend on the number of cultivators present.

If they were surrounded and attacked by two black pieces, then six figures would appear.

Hence, although the saying went, “Many hands make light work”, it did not apply in this place.

If they were surrounded and attacked by numerous black pieces, the number of figures that they would have to face would increase even more and become more frightening!

…

Although the aura of those three figures was powerful, they were too rigid and only knew to attack. They had no intelligence at all.

Shortly after, those three figures were defeated and disappeared.

“Junior Brother, you’ll be responsible for analyzing while Old Ape King and I will be responsible for clearing the path!”

Azure Lotus emitted an imposing aura as he held his golden staff in his hands.

At the side, Qi Delong also took out a huge stone staff and stood beside Azure Lotus, shining with golden light throughout.

The two of them were like invincible Gods of War that wished to overwhelm all enemies.

The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader nodded and continued moving forward.

They advanced smoothly. Even if a few black pieces attacked them, they could not be stopped.

They continued proceeding as they tried to reverse the chess game situation to save the white pieces.

…

Not only them, but the other sacred leaders were also doing the same thing.

They had been analyzing the Spherical Heaven Chessboard for 1,000 years and had found some solutions long ago, so they were not easily defeated.

However, the further they advanced, the greater the difficulty.

The black pieces would follow behind them closely with each step they took.

The black pieces would keep on shrinking the area surrounding the white pieces.

The various sacred leaders were all surrounded by seven or eight black pieces after walking about 100 steps.

Figures enveloped by divine light walked out from the black pieces and attacked ferociously.

Even an Eight Tribulation Great Sage would not be able to block attacks by so many powerful beings.

Shortly after, the Nine Sun Sacred Leader, Heaven Tripod Sacred Leader, and others were sent flying out of the Spherical Heaven Chessboard.

“This Spherical Heaven Chessboard is indeed extraordinary!”

Some shook their heads with a bitter laugh. They had been analyzing it for 1,000 years but could not even complete half of the chess game.

Meanwhile, a few rays of heavenly light flew out of the Spherical Heaven Chessboard and landed in their hands.

Various people were envious as they looked at the items in the sacred leaders’ hands. “It’s actually Great Sage artifacts!”

“There are also Great Sage artifacts?”

“The Nine Sun Sacred Leader is just too powerful! He actually received such a reward!”

“Even in the past, there were few that could obtain such a reward. He is indeed extraordinary.”

Normal Great Sages would be defeated after walking at most 10+ steps.

Therefore, their rewards were but normal Sage artifacts.

On the other hand, top Great Sages could walk dozens to even around 100 steps, so their rewards were naturally better.

As an Eight Tribulation Great Sage and someone that had specially analyzed the Spherical Heaven Chessboard before, the Nine Sun Sacred Leader had successfully walked 100 steps.

Although he had failed, he still obtained a Great Sage artifact as a reward.

The Nine Sun Sacred Leader was delighted as he could gain the spotlight. After all, only a small portion of people had obtained Great Sage artifacts despite so many trying to clear the game.

…

Meanwhile, a change occurred within the Spherical Heaven Chessboard.

A rumbling sound reverberated throughout the whole place. The sound was so deafening that it caused one’s ear to buzz.

Countless laws swirled down and emitted a fearsome aura, which spread over the whole chess game.

Everyone looked toward the Spherical Heaven Chessboard and saw that the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader and his party’s situation had a drastic change.

They advanced smoothly and quickly walked hundreds of steps.

Even though they had encountered a few small crises, they overcame them easily with their powerful battle prowess.

However, the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader felt that something was wrong the further back they advanced.

The number of black pieces increased more and more while their location could only shrink more and more. They were about to be completely surrounded by the black pieces.

The heavenly aura around him surged vigorously. “There’s no solution. This is the Heavenly Cycle Lost Game!”

The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader had analyzed how to play the chess game, but he realized that it had all been in vain.

They had returned to the same starting point after walking for a whole round.

Meanwhile, the black pieces had already formed a circle, trapping them there.

The black pieces sparkled, and their fearsome aura filled the whole area, sending chills down others’ backs.

Those black pieces were surrounded by divine light as laws flowed down upon them, and figures walked out from those black pieces one after the other.

Many powerful figures emitted a strong spiritual aura, like the Evil Spirit army pressing upon the border and about to attack anytime.

Currently, the three of them were in dire straits.

No matter which step they took, they would be completely surrounded by the black pieces. They were unable to escape!

“Just what kind of place is this?”

Azure Lotus was stunned. He had never expected that things would turn out this way.

They had walked into a dead-end?

“Since there’s no escape, then we can only fight! We might be able to fight our way out!”

The heavenly aura around the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader vibrated vigorously and emitted endless lightning. He utilized the Lightning Dao laws and soared into the sky!

His whole body was enveloped in Divine Lightning, which emitted a fearsome aura.

Endless lightning gathered here and prepared to start their battle.

This place was just too strange and could not be cleared at all. They had reached a dead end. If they did not fight their way out, they would definitely be injured heavily!

Those figures were just too many, at least a few hundred of them.

Each of them emitted a fearsome aura, and their cultivation levels were nearly the same as the trio’s.

Although the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader far surpassed those of the same level, it was only to a certain extent.

Who could beat hundreds of opponents with equal strength?

“Just in time!”

“I’ve waited for this battle!”

Qi Delong roared toward the sky and beat his chest with his hands. Then, brilliant golden light enveloped him. and his high-spirited battle intent burst out from his body. It overwhelmed the place with imposing momentum.

A mighty Ape avatar appeared behind him, releasing a powerful aura.

“Here I come! I’m fearless when it comes to fighting!”

Azure Lotus did not waste his breath speaking once he saw such a scene.

The golden staff in his hands vibrated vigorously, and an immense aura that could topple the mountains and overturn the seas was formed.

At the same time, an azure green Exceptional Fire surged into Azure Lotus.

Azure Lotus cultivated the Tinder Sutra and had also refined an extraordinary item before—Azure Green Sky Flame!

Under the enhancement of both, his physical body was extremely tough and did not pale in comparison to Qi Delong’s Sage Ape Body.

The three of them stood there proudly as they emitted endless laws that surged throughout the sky.

The void was shattered, and countless laws were annihilated.

They could only see hundreds of pitch-black figures walking out of there.

It was obvious that an astonishing large battle was about to erupt.

…

On the outside, someone exclaimed, “They’re in trouble! They’ve run into a dead-end!”

“Even a Mighty Sage would not be able to escape safely from being surrounded by so many powerful beings!”

“Will the three of them be able to leave safely?”

The Spherical Heaven Chessboard was not without dangers. It was just that few people would trigger it.

Those people that had entered previously had not advanced too far, so a few black pieces had only surrounded them. There had still been room for retreat.

However, the three of them had no route of escape as they were completely surrounded.

It would not be that simple for them to escape!

…

Meanwhile, those figures had already begun attacking.

Those figures split into three groups that charged toward the three of them.

There were about 100 figures in each group—it was like 100 Great Sages simultaneously dashing toward each of them.

Their auras were so terrifying that those with weaker cultivation levels were trembling.

Such a large-scale battle was unprecedented!

Azure Lotus and the Old Ape King had a solemn expression as they stayed on guard against those formidable figures.

Fortunately, the black pieces were scattered, so not all of them attacked at once. Otherwise, even a Mighty Sage might not be able to block so many enemies, and there would be bloodshed.

Even so, the situation was still unfavorable toward the three of them.

Each of them had to face at least 10 figures at the same time, and one batch after another would arrive.

If they could not end the battle fast, then it would be troublesome once all the black pieces surrounded them.

“Fight!”

The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader took the lead and stepped forward. He controlled Mixed Divine Lightning with one hand and held the Lightning Celestial Sword in the other.

Countless lightning bolts behind him formed a lightning tribulation that soared into the sky!

In that instant, the area he was in was covered by endless lightning.

The fearsome lightning contained the aura of destruction, which shattered the void into powder.

Lightning snakes flew in all directions, emitting radiant light.

The lightning was like the Way pouring down from the sky as it struck toward those 10 figures instantly.

Boom!

A deafening thunder echoed.

That huge lightning that was as thick as a bucket wantonly pierced through the air toward its target!

The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader flew toward those figures while holding the Lightning Celestial Sword, which had unparalleled sharpness.

Each slash could shatter one of the black pieces’ figures.

He was like the Lightning Emperor that had descended and was invincible!

On the other side, Azure Lotus also did not lag behind.

He swung his Supreme Ocean Staff and unleashed his techniques with unfathomable strength.

That golden staff shone brilliantly, and the golden light could be seen throughout the whole area. It was as if it could crush mountains and rivers.

That huge staff descended from the sky like a towering mountain, wanting to crush the whole ground into pieces!

Bang!

As Azure Lotus attacked with his staff, a few figures directly exploded and turned into endless laws before dispersing into the air.

Qi Delong’s battle method was even simpler and savage.

His body suddenly grew larger as he transformed into a golden-furred ape that shook the ground.

At the same time, a powerful battle intent erupted, making his aura even more frightening.

Qi Delong stood in midair and unleashed violent strength as if he wanted to battle with heaven and earth.

As the leader of the Golden Eyed Fire Ape race and an Eight Tribulation Great Sage, his strength was outstanding.

He was from a race whose ancestor was the Sacred Battle Ape, so his strength was originally fearsome.

A supreme Sacred Battle Ape would be able to tear apart the sun, moon, and stars with only one hand and even dare to battle with the paragons!

Qi Delong had the bloodline of the Sacred Battle Ape, so even if he had not awakened his ancestral bloodline, there was much of the Sacred Battle Ape’s blood running in his veins.

Therefore, he cultivated the purest battle intent.

Even when facing so many powerful figures, Qi Delong was fearless.

He had a fearsome battle intent as he was going to fight his way out!

Qi Delong swung his fists, and the strength they carried gave off an oppressing feeling as if they were unblockable.

In that instant, those figures were knocked backward by their attacks.

The three of them looked valiant and heroic as they forcibly blocked the black pieces’ attacks and persevered.

…

Everyone was astonished. Some widened their eyes, and their jaws dropped from astonishment.

“The three of them are just too powerful!”

“As expected of the previous top two Divine Firmament prodigies. They are still as talented as before!”

“The Old Ape King is also extremely powerful!”

“Could they actually clear this chess game?”

Some people could not help but exclaim as they were extremely astounded.

They were outside so they could see the whole situation and knew just what kind of danger those three were in.

If it were other sacred leaders, they would have been defeated already.

There was simply no match for such a force.

However, not only did the three of them endure the pressure, but they still continued battling as they advanced to fight their way out.

They were just too terrifying.

…

The trio in the Spherical Heaven Chessboard felt immense pressure. After all, hundreds of figures attacking them—the advantage in numbers was absolute.

Even if the three of them joined hands, they would not be able to defeat all those figures in a short period.

On the other hand, those figures’ attacks were formidable and not something ordinary cultivators could block.

As for Qi Delong, the attacks he endured were the fiercest as he was in the front.

Shortly after, his whole body was dyed in blood from grave injuries.

“Old Ape King, retreat first and let me!”

Azure Lotus hurriedly stepped forward and signaled Old Ape King to retreat and heal his wounds.

“No need, I can still fight!”

Qi Delong’s golden blood splashed out, but his battle intent did not decrease at all. He still wanted to continue battling.

“Enough!

“If you continue bleeding like this, you’ll die!

“Don’t worry and leave it to me. These figures are nothing to me!”

Azure Lotus stood in front of Qi Delong, and divine light shone behind him. Two similar figures walked out and blocked the enemies too.

He had activated Three Pure Ones in One Breath, and all three of them started fighting too.

Each Azure Lotus’ aura was frightening as they used their peerless arts.

Currently, Azure Lotus looked majestic. It was as if he could block the army of black pieces by himself!

…

Qi Delong retreated to the back and treated his wounds upon seeing that.

Shortly after, his mouth could not help but twitch.

Under the attack of hundreds of powerful figures, even three Azure Lotuses were unable to last long.

He was retreating backward continuously!

Azure Lotus instantly showed his true colors and started crying out.

“F*ck, why are they attacking so ferociously?

“Hey, hey, hey! Wait a minute, wait a minute!

“OMG, did you have to use so much strength?

“Old Ape King, are you done yet?

“Hurry and come switch with me!

“Save me! I can’t hold on anymore!

“Ah! Junior Brother, save me!”

Azure Lotus’ tragic howls resounded.

Attacks bombarded him until his face was burnt black, and he ran away in all directions while hugging his head. There were also almost 100 figures chasing him.

The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader took a large step forward, and his lightning and heavenly aura emitted radiant lightning.

In that instant, countless tribulation lightning bolts struck like turbulent waves, one after another.

The whole area had turned into a sea of lightning!

The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader seemed to be like the god who controlled tribulation lightning and attacked using endless lightning!

That was the forbidden chapter of the Divine Firmament Imperial Sutra—Decalamity.

The Divine Firmament Sacred Leader was like a god that was indifferent to all living beings and wanted to completely destroy the whole world!

Rumble!

That fearsome lightning enveloped the whole place with overwhelming force.

With each tribulation lightning bolt, a figure would turn into dust.

“Junior Brother is so amazing!

“Just a few mere figures dare to bully me?

“Take that!”

Since the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader was aiding them, Azure Lotus became energized again and hurriedly retaliated.

The outburst by the two of them joining hands temporarily stopped the black chess pieces’ attack.

However, it was still difficult for them to fight their way out!

In the outside world…

Everyone’s expression was solemn.

The Spherical Heaven Chessboard was actually this formidable.

Even the Divine Firmament Sacred Leader, Azure Lotus, and the Old Ape King could not beat the chess game.

Who else in the whole five regions could play the chess game till the last step?

It was simply unbelievable!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep