Chapter 172

The cloaked figure twirled a chess piece, his pale fingertips tracing its cold, smooth surface. From within came the desperate wails of vengeful spirits, like sharp needles piercing the ears repeatedly.

Her eyelashes drooped, revealing an indescribable indifference.

A piercing roar echoed from the void.

What are you doing?!

I told you to find a way to kill the evil god, not to drive him insane!

[His consciousness is now recklessly attacking the system core and infiltrating the game's underlying logic!! *Sizzle...!*]

An intense battle had broken out over there, disrupting the signal. The furious question was muffled by a chaotic, noisy electrical hum.

It sounded exactly like the scream of pain someone was being brutally beaten on the head.

The cloaked figure, who had been bored out of his mind, finally reacted, lifting his eyelids and a slight smile curving his lips.

The system detected that barely perceptible, yet slightly pleased smile, and the furious roar abruptly ceased.

Immediately afterwards, an invisible force gripped the cloaked man's throat, slamming him hard onto the jade tabletop with a thud, cracking a hole in it!

The voice from outside the void was eerie and chilling, pressing for answers with suspicion.

[...Could it be that He came knocking on your door because you were behind it?]

The throat bones were being squeezed so hard they cracked, and the cloaked man's pale face turned red from lack of oxygen, his teeth chattering.

The cloak that partially covered her body slipped off during the collision, revealing her slender waist. She leaned precariously against the cold, hard edge of the table, like a fragile, easily broken white swan.

But his expression remained indifferent.

It's as if the soul has detached from the body, observing coldly from a high place, filled with an indescribable sense of separation.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the crack in the chessboard. His whitish eyes darted around, and he said slowly in a cold voice, "Do you know how long I spent choosing this table..."

To put it another way: Do you know how much I'm looking forward to this game of chess with him?

Behind the cloaked figure were floating chess pieces.

The chessboard surface glowed with a scarlet blood-red light, and within it, strange monsters roared, and wronged souls wept blood. The resentment and evil energy that could not be dispelled all condensed into a chilling aura.

The cloaked figure let out a calm sigh, but the suppressed danger in his voice instantly suppressed the murderous aura of the countless chess pieces.

The grip on them suddenly stiffened, as if recalling some unpleasant memory, and released them as if electrocuted.

With the danger averted, the cloaked figure coughed twice rationally and then lay down on the chessboard.

After a short while, she seemed to regain her usual composure and said calmly, "I could never betray you; you know that better than anyone else."

[...]

The cloaked man said, "Instead of wasting energy doubting me, we should think of a way to deal with that angry giant octopus."

A voice from beyond the void roared angrily: "You make it sound so easy!"

In fact, the evil god's attack never stopped; if you listen carefully, you can hear His disheveled and angry curses as He was forced back step by step.

The cloaked figure curled the corners of his lips into a smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

He said with great interest, "I have a suggestion. If you really can't resist, why not go with the flow and put it into the game, then transform it into a bloodthirsty and brutal dungeon boss, making them oppose each other and kill each other? Isn't that your usual trick?"

The other person thought it was utterly delusional and became extremely agitated: "That's an evil god who has devoured all desires and is driven by temptation; trying to seduce Him into corruption is utterly delusional!"

"A pipe dream? You're clearly not using the right method." The cloaked figure coaxed, "Think carefully, why would He go so far as to detach His consciousness to confront you head-on?"

The voice paused for a moment, as if realizing something, and then slowly uttered a name.

[Xie Xubai?]

The cloaked man laughed and said, "Believe me, as long as we use Xie Xubai's safety as bait, that giant octopus will take the bait no matter how many times it happens. It works every time."

The voice remained silent for a short while, then an invisible gaze descended from above, scrutinizing the cloaked figure from head to toe.

The gaze held an indescribable strangeness, and the continuous scrutiny gradually transformed into a thick, sinister malice, as the cloaked figure tried to determine whether the advice was genuine or if there were other ulterior motives.

You're right, is there anything else?

The cloaked man seemed to ignore His ill intentions and offered a few more suggestions on details.

The existence in the void inputs its strategy into the system, and according to the calculation based on computing power, the feasibility is surprisingly high.

However, using Xie Xubai as bait presents an extremely dangerous problem.

A tormented and murdered dog-like monster, a Jiang family young master whose faith has collapsed, a proud dean who has suffered greatly, and a wicked bloodline on the verge of turning evil.

Haven't the system deployed enough bosses already?

In those countless simulations, each boss was supposed to bring players devastating despair, but they all suffered a crushing defeat against Xie Xubai.

He underestimated the bond between them and Xie Xubai's influence.

What no one expected was that this ordinary human would get mixed up with the arrogant evil god, becoming a glitch in the game, a bug that they hadn't anticipated!

The obstacles set up by the system actually helped Xie Xubai, a mortal, to embark on the path to godhood.

He nearly coughed up blood in anger.

Now, witnessing Xie Xubai create one impossible event after another seems to be gradually confirming that ominous premonition.

The sense of things spiraling out of control and deviating from the plan made Him increasingly uneasy, even giving rise to a sense of unspeakable fear.

He stared at the cloaked man, the oppressive aura like a thousand-pound boulder crashing down on him, a chilling threat.

No matter what method you use, you must kill Xie Xubai in this game to break all players' winning streaks.

This is your only chance; otherwise, you'll never see your loved one again!

.

I don't know how much time will pass.

The cloaked figure sensed a subtle fluctuation emanating from the entrance to the space.

An outsider entered.

Only one person received an invitation, so it's easy to guess who would be the one to enter.

The overwhelming number of chess pieces vanished at that moment.

After entering, the person took a moment to look around.

The space where the cloaked figure was located appeared very empty and sparse at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it revealed a hidden world within.

She was alone in a pavilion suspended in mid-air, with a lake below that had no land.

The lake water resembles a splashed ink painting, its depths and shades indistinct, with black and white hues blending together to create a shimmering, gentle ripple.

A dark shadow, about the size of a palm, rippled underwater. Sensing the arrival of outsiders, it curiously poked its head out of the water, revealing itself to be an ordinary koi.

The visitor brought a gust of wind, and the koi seemed startled, flicking their tails and darting back underwater, which was quite adorable.

Seemingly feeling that this style of painting was seriously incompatible with the cloaked person, the person stood for a while before looking at the steps leading to the sky pavilion and climbing up them.

The entire space was so simple that apart from the ink-wash lake and the pavilion, there was nothing else. The colors were monotonous, either black or white, so visitors would assume that there would be no decorations on the pavilion.

But surprisingly, there are several clusters of lush green plants on it, with bamboo leaves swaying gently, which complement the ink painting landscape and create a unique elegance.

The most eye-catching item is the chess table in the very center. It is carved from some precious jade, its entire surface a bluish-gray, translucent and crystalline, and it feels cool to the touch.

However, a crack appeared in the middle, running across the tabletop like a hideous scar, completely ruining the chessboard.

The cloaked figure remained lying motionless on the table.

Only when the person approached, their tall, slender shadow looming over them, did they open their eyes and meet Xie Xubai's gaze.

The latter should be invisible.

But Xie Xubai noticed that the moment their eyes met, those murky, lifeless eyes seemed to light up little by little, and his smile was incredibly vivid.

The smile he revealed was pale and eerie, filled with an aura of death, which inexplicably reminded Xie Xubai of the two welcoming pines he had failed to save back then.

Finding no one else or strange presence around Xie Xubai, the cloaked figure slowly spoke: "I originally thought that, given your cautious nature, even if you couldn't bring yourself to create pawns, you wouldn't be so arrogant as to go alone."

His tone was as indifferent as a breeze, yet it stirred up violent ripples on the ink-wash lake below: "Or do you really think that I pose no threat to you?"

Before he could finish speaking, a violent tremor came from beside Xie Xubai.

The cloaked man's brow twitched violently, and he abruptly looked towards the empty space.

A huge rift appeared in mid-air, from which several slippery, thick tentacles crisscrossed and surged. Cold, scarlet beast eyes peered through the crack at it, and a vast divine might, carrying a surging tide of killing intent, poured into the entire space.

Clang—

Cracking sounds, strained under the weight, echoed from all directions.

"..." The cloaked figure finally sat up from the chessboard, expressionless.

In truth, the soulless body of the evil god couldn't quite understand what was being said. However, it sensed a hostility towards Xie Xubai emanating from the cloaked figure, and instantly, like an enraged lion, it instinctively launched an attack.

If the evil god's true form were to fully enter this space, without a doubt, the entire space would instantly collapse into a series of rapid-fire attacks.

The cloaked figure looked at Xie Xubai and said, enunciating each word clearly, "If I die now, all those players will have to die with me. Do you believe me?"

Its body neither listens nor understands; its tentacles are raised high, like a colossal giant, and the ferocious killing intent in its blood-red eyes is almost uncontrollable.

Just then, Xie Xubai reached into the crack and gently patted it: "Good boy, stop."

The force was negligible to the evil god's body, but the body miraculously calmed down, its anger controlled at will, and its tentacles swayed, affectionately rubbing against Xie Xubai's palm.

But Xie Xubai didn't let the tentacles retract completely, and looked at the cloaked man without any emotion: "If your death can eliminate all the players, why has the system allowed you to live until now?"

The cloaked figure grinned, a hint of cold sarcasm in his eyes, and surprisingly agreed, "Because the game must be fair and just. If the organizers themselves get involved and make it impossible for all the players to play, what's the point of the game?"

Xie Xubai glanced at him: "Who defines fairness and justice? If the system breaks the rules, who will handle it?"

"Who knows?" the cloaked man said with a mysterious smile. "In fact, the system is just a tool at best. Destroy one or two, and there will be countless others. If you don't pull the switch, the assembly line will just keep producing them. There's no point in keeping an eye on it."

What you need to deal with is the entity that created the system.

Xie Xubai read this implication from the cloaked man's forced smile, remaining noncommittal, making it impossible to tell whether he believed the cloaked man's words.

Based on Yan Shuo's advice not to delve too deeply before he became a god, Xie Xubai did not continue to ask questions, and calmly looked at the chessboard in front of him: "How do you want to play this game of chess?"

The cloaked figure chuckled and took a seat first.

Seeing that he had no reservations, Xie Xubai sat down as well.

For three days, Xie Xubai collected clues about "Game House".

Roads to other cities are blocked by fog. No matter what method or mode of transportation you use to break in, you will be randomly teleported to any corner of H City.

Those outside cannot enter, and those inside cannot leave; it is like an isolated island locked and forbidden to pass through. The citizens are oblivious, only the eerie awakening can glimpse this bizarre scene.

It is constantly emphasized that the bizarre world we live in today is a constructed copy.

However, Xie Xubai had already known about this twenty years ago and remained completely calm.

At midnight on the third day, just like when he received theater tickets, he received an invitation from the cloaked man. He simply poured his power into it, and the space in front of him opened up.

Before seeing the chessboard, Xie Xubai hadn't expected that the cloaked man's talk of playing chess was actually about playing chess.

There may be a way that is invisible to the naked eye.

After all, this chessboard has the power of rules.

The moment he sat down, Xie Xubai's senses, guided by the power of the rules, fell lightly onto the chessboard like a drop of water falling into a pond, merging with the rules.

His consciousness suddenly became infinitely vast, and his soul rose in the cool, upward airflow.

It seemed to transform into a spiraling hurricane, surging into the unknown space of consciousness, soaring straight into the sky, and towering above the world.

Xie Xubai lowered his head.

He saw it.

He saw an amusement park, and in the middle of the amusement park, a towering black tower that seemed to reach into the clouds.

I saw crimson, ominous energy forms, like wispy threads, flowing through every corner of the amusement park. I saw players who had just entered the game, their faces filled with confusion.

The strange and wonderful feeling is simply indescribable.

His gaze descended from above, and he saw all things in the world become small, observed, gathered, and encompassed within this... chessboard?

"Xie Xubai, I gave you advice."

Xie Xubai suddenly looked up, his consciousness seemingly split in two, one half remaining in the world of the chessboard, the other half looking up in the pavilion, meeting the gaze of the cloaked figure.

To the right of the cloaked figure, a spatial rift the size of a bowl appeared. He reached in and picked up a chess piece.

“I asked you to search for available pieces, but you don’t seem to care at all.”

With a crisp, light sound, the chess piece from the cloaked figure's fingertip landed on the jade chessboard.

The next second, it transformed into surging black mist, roaring as it merged into the world on the chessboard, and coalesced at the crossroads of the amusement park into a slender black figure dressed in a gentleman's suit.

The amusement park resounded with cheerful songs, and a black tower, even larger than a Ferris wheel, stood tall in the clouds. The carousel turned gently, and staff members dressed as mascots hopped and skipped along, leading colorful hot air balloons.

A tall, thin, dark figure, as tall as a story, appeared before all the players. He took off his top hat, waved his hand slightly, and revealed a strange smile. The players were then captivated by the illusion and walked over in a daze.

The chess piece in the cloaked man's hand transformed into a monster that attacked the player the instant it landed on the chessboard!

The cloaked figure stared intently at Xie Xubai, the corners of his mouth curving upwards involuntarily.

That complex and contradictory quality reappeared in them, making their smile particularly distorted. Their eyes were flushed with a decadent red with excitement, yet they also seemed extremely sad: "Tell me, Xie Xubai, what do you have to fight me with now that you can't even produce a single chess piece?"

Author's Note:

Sorry for the long wait, my darlings QAQ The update is finished, I'll continue tomorrow.