Chapter 85 The Void Chessboard (3)

The once clear boundaries of the chessboard began to spread into a thick, viscous darkness, like ink dripping into clear water.

Even more bizarrely, wisps of black energy were seeping from the bodies of the Probability Team members who had just been killed by Qiu Zangxue, as if drawn by some invisible force, and flowing into the surrounding shadows.

“It’s a curse…and a trap of shadow rules.” Zhuge Jin spoke faster. “Someone had already secretly set up a trap, using the dead as sacrifices to activate the insidious rules lurking here.”

Gu Yunqing's pupils contracted, and she instantly realized that they had been targeted by a predator.

And it wasn't just now, it was at the very beginning of their battle with the probability team, or even earlier.

"Bu Suanzi!" He immediately locked onto his target.

In this "Void Arena," the only one who can use shadows and curses so insidiously and patiently wait for the best opportunity is that veteran powerhouse renowned for assassination and curses.

"All personnel on alert! Form a tight formation!" Gu Yunqing ordered sharply, her S-level mental energy fully deployed, vigilant for any unusual movement in the darkness.

However, the other side's calculations were clearly more sophisticated.

The black mist emanating from the corpses and shadows did not attack directly, but rather, as if it were alive, silently wrapped around the ankles and arms of every member of the Wanxiang team, and even tried to crawl into their mouths and noses.

[System notification (All-Encompassing Team only): You are affected by an unknown curse... Determining...]

[WARNING: Stacking curses are in effect—'Breath of Twilight' (accelerated aging, continuous decline in physical strength), 'Bone-Corroding Curse' (significantly reduced defense, intensified pain), 'Shadow Binding' (reduced movement speed, sluggish energy flow), 'Instant Death Check' (an instant death check occurs every 30 seconds; failure results in immediate elimination)!]

A series of chilling prompts exploded in Gu Yunqing's mind.

"Hah..." Yan Kongshan was the first to groan. The healing speed of his wounds slowed down visibly, and his face turned an unnatural gray, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Wu Jueji could no longer maintain his lazy posture; his brows furrowed, and his body seemed unusually heavy.

Qiu Zangxue's body was filled with fighting spirit, and crimson flames rose as she forcefully resisted the erosion of the curse, but her movements were noticeably less fierce than before.

A faint Bagua light appeared on Zhuge Jin's body, purifying the approaching cursed black energy. However, he was not the type to be good at head-on combat, and his face turned slightly pale.

The most troublesome thing is the "instant death check" that occurs every 30 seconds, which is a rule-level deadly threat!

"Fifty-fifty, shrink the domain, prioritize offsetting the instant death judgment and aging effect." Gu Yunqing calmly gave the order, the more critical the situation, the more composed he became.

"Understood!" Wu Jueji shouted, and the invisible domain suddenly contracted, concentrating on the core area of ​​the team.

The terrifying fluctuations of the "instant death judgment" rule were forcibly distorted and flattened the moment they touched the area. The success rate of the judgment was forcibly dragged down from a theoretically very high level to 50%, and then continued to be diluted and interfered with.

The sense of aging brought about by "Breath of Twilight" is also greatly reduced within the realm.

However, other curse effects continue to erode the effect.

Spectator Channel:

Holy crap! That fortune teller's move was too underhanded.

This curse combo... it's too vicious! Aging, weakness, slowing, and instant death—even a god couldn't save you!

[The Vientiane team just finished a match and isn't at their best; they're in danger now.]

[That old man's domain seems to defy the rules? But it looks like he won't last long.]

"Zhuge, purification priority: Shadow Binding, Bone-Corroding Curse." Gu Yunqing gave the order again, while her own S-level mental power transformed into an invisible barrier to help resist the invasion of the curse.

"Yes!" Zhuge Jin formed hand seals, and the phantom of Fuxi's divine essence became more and more solid, with clear light washing away the black aura on his teammates like flowing water.

The effects of "Shadow Bind" and "Bone-Eating Curse" began to slowly fade.

However, the power of the curse was extremely tenacious, and the chilling killing intent within the shadows grew stronger and stronger.

"Found him!" Qiu Zangxue suddenly roared, his scarlet eyes snapping towards a seemingly empty shadow to his left. "There! The killing intent is strongest there!"

Before he finished speaking, his twin swords were already drawn, and Xing Tian's divine essence erupted. His violent battle intent transformed into a tangible crimson blade aura, tearing through layers of shadows and slashing fiercely towards that area.

boom--!

The shadows were split open like a tide, revealing a blurry, hunched figure behind them, seemingly pieced together from countless shadows—it was Bu Suanzi.

He held a twisted bone staff in his hand, the head of which was embedded with a skull that was constantly oozing black blood.

"Heh heh... Such a keen sense of killing intent." Bu Suanzi's voice was hoarse and dry, like two bones rubbing against each other.

"Unfortunately, once you enter my 'Nine Yin Shadowless Formation,' no matter how strong your senses are, you're still a turtle in a jar!"

With a wave of his bone staff, more viscous shadows surged in from all directions, mixed with mournful ghostly wails and vicious curse runes, pressing down on the Myriad Elephant Team like a tidal wave.

At the same time, his figure once again blended into the shadows, seemingly omnipresent yet nowhere to be found.

“His true form is connected to the core of the formation, hidden within the nine layers of shadow cycles, making it difficult to reach with conventional attacks.” Zhuge Jin quickly analyzed, cold sweat beading on his forehead, as maintaining the purification of his divine essence and resisting the rules of shadow consumed a great deal of energy.

"Then break his formation's core." Gu Yunqing's eyes flashed with a cold light.

Without further hesitation, the card representing Zhuge Jin shone brightly in his mind.

"Guild Ability" - Activated.

Beneath the disguise lies the system's seamless utilization of the alternate identity's abilities.

In an instant, a faint, illusory white light veiled Gu Yunqing's eyes, and the world in her vision changed instantly.

Endless streams of data, energy trajectories, and regular lines emerged, while the layered, cyclical maze of shadows gradually revealed fragile nodes and discordant breaks in his eyes.

Zhuge Jin's prophecy and insight, combined with his own S-level mental power and microscopic perception, produced a wonderful chemical reaction.

He "saw" it!

Within that seemingly perfect, cyclical network of shadows, there are nine extremely obscure, constantly shifting anchor points. These are the links connecting the array to the true form of the Diviner, and also the energy hubs of the entire Cursed Shadow Array.

However, the nine anchor points are ambiguous, making it difficult to distinguish between real and fake, and their movement is completely erratic.

"Chou Zangxue!" Gu Yunqing suddenly shouted in the consciousness link, "Burn the divine spark, strike with all your might, coordinates (third peak of shadow deflection rate, reverse node of death energy convergence)!"

Without explanation, he directly transmitted the most accurate divination results and the spatial coordinates locked by his own spiritual power.

Qiu Zangxue did not hesitate at all, and did not even try to understand the meaning of the coordinates.

He had absolute trust in Gu Yunqing and an instinct to carry out her orders.

His crimson Xing Tian battle intent erupted like a volcanic eruption, and the blood-red baleful aura swirling around his twin blades instantly solidified, transforming into two ferocious, roaring blood dragons.

Xingtian's divine power was pushed to its limit, and there was even a faint sound of cracking under the strain, but he didn't care at all.

All power, all fighting spirit, all killing instinct converged at the tip of the blade at this moment.

Then, heading towards the coordinate point that Gu Yunqing pointed out—a point that seemed empty and where the shadows flowed without any apparent abnormality—

cut!

This strike had no dazzling light, no earth-shattering momentum, only a pure and ultimate will to "cut" through everything.

Where the blade passed, space was silently sliced ​​open like thin paper, and layers of shadows melted and evaporated instantly, like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun.

"What?!" A horrified scream came from the depths of the shadows. "How could you possibly find the core anchor point of 'Ninefold Shadow Escape'?!"

Before the words were even finished, the blade was already at hand.

"Pfft—!"

It sounded like a balloon being popped.

The seemingly ordinary shadow suddenly exploded, and a hunched and disheveled figure tumbled out—it was Bu Suanzi.

The bone staff in his hand was broken in half, and a deep, bone-revealing knife wound on his chest was gushing out black blood with a cursed aura. His face was filled with disbelief, horror, and resentment.

With the core of the formation broken, the "Nine Yin Shadowless Formation" that enveloped the Myriad Manifestations Team collapsed instantly.

The viscous shadows receded rapidly, and the entangled black aura of curses, like a tree without roots, quickly thinned and dissipated.

[System notification: The source of the unknown curse has been interrupted; the curse's effect is beginning to fade...]

[Warning lifted. 】

The members of the Wanxiang team immediately felt a lightness in their bodies, and the cold, heavy feeling of restraint quickly faded away.

"You... how did you see through my 'Ninefold Shadow Escape'?!" Bu Suanzi clutched his chest, staring intently at Gu Yunqing, his voice hoarse. "This formation combines the three rules of shadow, curse, and illusion, with nine layers of endless cycles. No one has ever been able to find the core directly."

Gu Yunqing slowly lowered her slightly raised finger, which seemed to be pointing in the air. The white light in her eyes quietly faded, restoring their usual clarity.

He looked at the exhausted and resentful Bu Suanzi, and a faint, yet chilling, smile appeared on his lips.

“Your shadow,” he said softly, his tone calm and even, “betrayed you.”

Upon hearing this, Bu Suanzi was first taken aback, then, as if realizing something, his face suddenly turned ashen. He muttered, "So that's how it is... killing intent... Yes, the formation can deceive the senses, but it cannot completely conceal the killing intent I have when I lock onto my prey... Combined with that prophetic insight... I deserve to fall... I deserve to fall..."

He gave a bitter laugh, knowing that all was lost.

With his formation broken and himself severely injured, he had no chance of winning against a fully-fledged team that was recovering and whose coordination was strangely perfect.

Without any hesitation, Bu Suanzi crushed a jet-black jade pendant in his arms, and his figure turned into a wisp of smoke.

[System Notification (Group C Area): Team Wanxiang successfully defeated the leader of the 'Assassin Team,' Bu Suanzi (determined a tactical victory), gaining 200 Glory Points and 10 Action Points. They also acquired the special item 'Shadow Protection Amulet' (can block one fatal curse or shadow attack). Current Score: 380, Action Points: 38.]

The remaining members of the assassin team have lost their leader and are in chaos, significantly increasing their risk of elimination.

As the notification sound faded, the area where the All-Encompassing Team was located returned to complete calm, with only a few lingering shadows and traces of battle remaining, telling the story of the danger that had just occurred.

"Phew..." Wu Jueji plopped down on the ground, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "That old bastard almost fell for it. My domain was almost burst by that instant-death judgment."

Yan Kongshan's wounds began to heal slowly again. He shook his head. Although he was still a little weak, the madness in his eyes did not diminish: "Tsk, he ran really fast. Otherwise, I would have torn his old bones apart."

Qiu Zangxue sheathed his sword and stood there, the boiling battle intent around him slowly subsiding, but his scarlet eyes still sharply scanned his surroundings to ensure there were no other lurking dangers.

Zhuge Jin closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, his face somewhat pale. He had just fought against the curse and the rules of shadow, and assisted Gu Yunqing in conducting high-intensity insight, which had greatly depleted his energy.

Gu Yunqing also felt a wave of mental exhaustion.

Simultaneously utilizing Zhuge Jin's advanced abilities for precise insight and maintaining overall command also places a considerable burden on S-level mental strength.

But he felt mostly relieved and calmly analyzed the situation.

This battle was a Pyrrhic victory.

The team suffered a huge loss of energy, their performance declined, and some of their coordination and teamwork abilities were exposed.

Spectator Channel:

【！！！！】

[A counterattack?! The All-Encompassing Team drove the Diviner away?!]

What did that handsome young man do in the end? He seemed to point something, and Qiu Zangxue struck him?!

"Your shadow betrayed you"... That's so cool! Even though I didn't understand it!

[He can use that silver-haired prophet's abilities? His eyes seemed to change just now!]

[What kind of insane ability is this? Command, perception, and even the ability to utilize teammates' skills? This commander of the All-Encompassing Team is the real core!]

[There are now only six teams left in Group C. Wanxiang team is leading in points and has also dealt a heavy blow to Busuanzi team, putting them in a very advantageous position.]

Gu Yunqing had no time to read the exclamations and speculations in the comments; he quickly assessed the team's current situation.

"Everyone, take the mental energy recovery potion and rest for five minutes." He ordered in a deep voice, while simultaneously taking out a high-grade potion and drinking it himself. "Zhuge, monitor the overall situation, especially the movements of Sylvie's team and the other teams in the melee. How long until the chessboard refreshes?"

Zhuge Jin opened his eyes, his fatigue lessening slightly: "In the northwest, the Sylvie team made contact with the remnants of the Assassins team, resulting in a brief conflict. The Sylvie team has the upper hand and is currently clearing them out."

"The melee in the southeast direction has basically ended. A team called 'Iron Wall' won a Pyrrhic victory, but suffered heavy losses. The countdown to the chessboard refresh is 9 minutes and 47 seconds."

“Iron Wall Team…” Gu Yunqing’s eyes flickered.

A victorious but weakened army might... be the next target.

He needs more points and a more secure qualification for the next round.

The five-minute break passed in the blink of an eye.

Thanks to the medicine and their individual abilities, the members of the Wanxiang Team have largely recovered their condition.

Gu Yunqing stood up and looked southeast, where the "Iron Wall" team was located.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I can die a few more times at any time," Yan Kongshan grinned.

“The domain is stable.” Wu Jueji nodded.

"Our fighting spirit is high." Qiu Zangxue said succinctly.

“We can conduct routine simulations and early warnings,” Zhuge Jin said.

"Very good." Gu Yunqing's eyes flashed again. "Target: Southeast direction, the 'Iron Wall' team. Tactics: Quick and decisive, take them down with minimal losses. Move out!"

Team Vientiane once again transforms into a sharp blade, slicing off the next prey on the ever-changing void chessboard.

Meanwhile, in the spectator channel, the discussion about the "All Things Team," centered around a mysterious young man and whose members have strangely complementary abilities, has completely overshadowed the other teams.

Everyone realized that a dark horse with extremely dangerous and ever-changing tactics had emerged in Group C.

The real bloody competition is becoming increasingly fierce as the chessboard refreshes and the number of remaining teams decreases.