...
Unaware of the strangeness of this space, or what the test entailed.
Yao Huo, a half-step Human King from the Demon Extermination Division, ranked thirty-sixth on the Realm Rankings, found himself, like many other extraordinary individuals, inexplicably seated before a chessboard.
And he never got up again.
Yao Huo's battle robe was stained with blood, his expression grim. Behind him stood two skeletal Ghost Immortals, existing in a spectral form.
Just a short while ago, he had discovered he couldn't solve the chess puzzle and decided to stand up and leave.
It was then that he was attacked.
After a struggle, the two skeletal Ghost Immortals dispersed his Dharma Aspect and forcibly pressed him back onto the stone chair.
He had to play chess. He couldn't not play.
So Yao Huo continued to play.
But he was truly exhausted.
"How long... has it been?"
The man held a chess piece, his expression weary. He had lost all sense of time, feeling as though he hadn't been there long, yet his powers were giving out.
There was no night in this world; the sun was perpetually high in the sky, and it was always clear. The water in the waterfall flowed at a constant rate, never diminishing, never increasing, inexhaustible. The small tree remained eternally small, the tender grass always young.
"To be this tired, don't tell me a month has passed!" Yao Huo suddenly roared, gritting his teeth. "A false world, false chess, what's the point of playing!"
The man raged, but dared not make another move.
His internal injuries, it seemed, had not yet healed.
An endless sense of humiliation welled up within him.
"I stepped into this space with the unwavering conviction of certainty, only to be blocked by a game of chess. Despite racking my brains, I couldn't decipher it."
Yao Huo sighed, truly humiliated.
He made another move, capturing seven white pieces.
The space rippled, the pieces on the board vanished, and seven white stones appeared in the bowl beside him.
"How does one win or lose? This game is endless!"
Yao Huo observed this, on the verge of madness.
No matter how he played or calculated, the situation remained balanced. Captured pieces would always return to the bowl.
He always had pieces to play, so he could never lose, nor could he win, and the game would never end.
"They won't let me leave, and I can't even flip the table! What am I supposed to do!"
Yao Huo's anger surged, and unconsciously, he crushed the chess piece in his hand.
"Damn it!"
The man's pupils contracted sharply. Based on his experience, such an action should have led to a severe beating from the two mysterious entities behind him.
But after some time passed, the two Ghost Immortals showed no reaction, as if they hadn't seen a thing.
"Hm?"
Yao Huo was puzzled. He took out another chess piece, placed it before the two Ghost Immortals, and attempted to crush it.
But as soon as he exerted pressure, one of the skeletons extended a hand, as if to do something to him.
Yao Huo flinched and quickly withdrew his hand.
"If this doesn't work..."
He secretly brought the piece to his chest and crushed it.
*Crack!*
The chess piece turned to dust and ash.
The Ghost Immortals remained unresponsive.
"This works too?"
Yao Huo's eyes lit up. He seemed to have found a way to break the stalemate!
He proceeded to crush the third chess piece.
The Ghost Immortals still showed no reaction.
Yao Huo grinned and began to play chess with renewed focus. Under the guise of strategic encirclement, black and white pieces were continuously captured, their numbers dwindling. When it came time to place pieces and form formations, he would retrieve them from the bowl and crush them in his palm.
An unknown amount of time passed during this process.
The grass swayed, a gentle breeze arose, and time flowed.
After an indeterminate period, with five black pieces and three white pieces remaining on the board, and the bowl completely empty, Yao Huo clapped his hands and stood up.
The Ghost Immortals remained inert.
Because the black pieces had won.
"I knew black would win!"
One of the Ghost Immortals leaned forward, saw the outcome, and burst into laughter, then punched the shoulder of the skeleton beside him, like two children playing.
Yet, with that single punch, the latter's body immediately disintegrated, becoming a pile of dead bones scattered on the ground.
His companion had been punched to death.
Yao Huo witnessed this and retreated further.
Earlier, he had clashed with these two bone structures, but he couldn't touch them, only endure their attacks.
The surviving Ghost Immortal's face was blank, as if he couldn't comprehend what had happened to his companion.
Then, in his bewilderment and frantic searching, he looked at his own hands.
They were two pairs of white bones.
"What... what is this... Lord Fuxi, what is happening!"
The skeletal white figure, with a look of terror, rushed to Yao Huo, calling him "Lord Fuxi" with every breath.
Hadn't he just gone up the mountain to chop wood, stumbled upon Lord Fuxi, and watched him play a game of chess? How had it come to this!
Yao Huo felt a twinge of nervousness as the space before him flickered erratically.
The white skeleton was shifting between the appearance of a sturdy rural farmer and a skeleton, flickering back and forth, presumably his living form.
"Think for yourself."
Yao Huo didn't know how to explain and could only respond with resolve.
The skeleton took two steps back and began to pat its body blankly.
It seemed to be confirming the existence of flesh.
Of course, it didn't exist.
"A mirror, yes, I need to see a mirror."
The farmer muttered something and then stumbled towards the waterfall.
Using the shimmering water droplets, he saw his reflection clearly: a pile of white bones. He froze on the spot.
Yao Huo's expression grew grave. Enduring his injuries, a blazing fire began to shimmer above his head.
It was the prelude to his Dharma Aspect manifesting.
The man took a deep breath. He didn't know what monstrous actions this Ghost Immortal might take upon realizing he was "dead," but he had to prepare. After all, he had been defeated by their combined efforts in less than twenty moves before...
"So, all this time has passed."
The Ghost Immortal fell silent for a long while. He remembered what had happened.
Then, he turned to look at Yao Huo, his expression complex.
He had forgotten. Forgotten that he was no longer human, but a Ghost Immortal.
"Farewell."
A gentle breeze blew, scattering its body like the chess pieces Yao Huo had crushed, turning into dust.
Subsequently, a door radiating auspicious light appeared beneath the waterfall.
Yao Huo scratched his head with a peculiar expression and walked towards the gateway of light.
He glanced back at the flowing waterfall, the massive platform, and the detestable chessboard, then stepped through.
*Thump.*
It was the sound of stepping onto stairs.
Yao Huo’s expression was one of bewilderment. As if a room’s lights had been extinguished, his surroundings were plunged into darkness in an instant.
He was once again standing on the steps leading to the path of relics.
Yao Huo was silent, gazing at the screen of light behind him, and kicked the void in frustration.
"Damn it, it was this simple!"
He cursed angrily. If he had known, why would he have wasted so much time? The relics were probably already being snatched away!
Yao Huo strode furiously towards the third floor. The second trial was clearly a matter of luck, and his luck had been terrible. He had wasted too much time here. If he still needed to heal, he'd be left far behind.
"He's in such a hurry, he doesn't seem to have noticed the changes in himself."
From the railing of the seventh floor, Vritan watched Yao Huo ascend. This fellow was the first to pass the second level, taking less than two days.
Two days outside equated to two years inside.
At this moment, Yao Huo was indeed at his limit. Two years of energy expenditure, plus his injuries. Currently, his entire being was sustained only by his powers.
If his powers ran out on the third floor, he would die immediately!
"His Dao heart is in turmoil."
The Demon God's voice was cold. He could sense Yao Huo's urgency, his fear of others snatching the relics.
But the more anxious he became, the less likely he was to pass this third trial.
"If nothing unexpected happens, he will die here."
The Demon God uttered this statement and ceased observing Yao Huo.
Vritan, looking at the man in the water curtain, smiled strangely.
Perhaps, even Yao Huo himself hadn't noticed, but a few wrinkles had appeared on his face.
Those were the marks of time.
...