Chapter 877: The Corpse Discusses the Dao...

Within that point of white light, two identical people sat cross-legged.

Zhong Shi held the white pieces, while Chen Huai'an held the black pieces.

*Smack*

The white piece fell with a sound like jade shattering, causing the entire void to fall into silence.

This move doesn't occupy a corner or guard the edge; it's placed directly on the side of the Heavenly Palace.

Chen Huai'an narrowed his eyes, a chill running through him.

It's as if the fallen corpse isn't just a single move, but a declaration, a framework.

Rules and regulations.

놆Order.

놆'reason'.

In an instant, the ten crisscrossing roads seemed to transform into lines of latitude and longitude, and the three hundred and sixty-one intersections became neat stars.

White's strategy unfolds, with each move landing on a pivotal point in the movement of the stars, echoing each other and forming a vast net that covers the entire chessboard.

Chen Huai'an's forehead was covered in sweat.

Every move and strategy Black makes seems to have been calculated and caught in the net.

"The greatest truths are the simplest, and order brings prosperity." Zhong Shi's voice was devoid of joy or sorrow, cold and unresponsive. "Your defeat began with a chaotic mind."

When the mind is in turmoil, the energy dissipates; when the energy dissipates, the power declines; when the power declines, the child dies.

"If star orbits are disordered, or rivers overflow their banks, this is a path to disaster."

The white stones in the center continued to move, unhurriedly, yet each move struck a crucial point where the black stones' energy flowed.

Chen Huai'an felt that his haters weren't being besieged, but rather being deconstructed.

Gradually stripped of their vitality by this perfect order, they march towards a silent death.

On the chessboard, the white pieces gradually formed a cold and magnificent star map.

The black pieces resemble the embers about to be erased in the background of the star map.

"By conforming to this order, even in the end, one can still maintain a sense of dignity."

The corpse raised its eyes, its gaze as clear as the moon reflected in an ancient well. "Resistance will only make things worse."

Although the corpse didn't say it explicitly, Chen Huai'an could already hear that the other party was telling him to obediently submit and merge with it.

All subsequent problems could be solved; he wouldn't need to worry about Laozi or the Celestial Race.

All his responsibilities and pressures vanished in an instant.

At the same time, his existence will not disappear.

놙놆 shares with the middle corpse in a fusion manner.

Chen Huai'an's hand, which was holding Hei Zi, trembled slightly.

To the Chinese corpse, he seemed to be just a dish.

The feeling of suffocation was unprecedented.

The chessboard seemed to have transformed into a desperate situation outside the South Heavenly Gate.

The white chess piece represents the power of the Four Emperors to rule over all directions, and the inviolable fire of the alchemical furnace in the Tushita Palace of the Supreme Lord Laozi.

His large black group was trapped and on the verge of death.

Must we accept a predetermined defeat under these perfect rules?

"Order...decency..."

Chen Huai'an murmured the two words, his gaze sweeping over the white chess star chart, which was so perfect it was almost despairing.

It's too clean.

It was spotless, without a trace of dust.

Like a jade disc that has been meticulously polished for thousands of years, or like... a crystal-clear tomb prepared for all things.

Suddenly, the image of Chongli, the warrior who fought to the death on the battlefield despite his broken body, flashed through his mind. He thought of the swordsmith who threw himself and his wife into the fire and perished. He thought of the emperor who defied the will of heaven and fought against it to the death...

None of them are perfect; none of them have rules or order.

They all screamed, their cries stained with blood, sweat, and mud.

But that feeling of being alive.

Destruction precedes construction.

The character '破' (pò) itself is under the constraint of rules.

A scorching heat rose from his dantian, dispelling the icy chill in his soul.

The confusion in his eyes was ignited, turning into two wildfires.

"If it's a divinely ordained order, then let me die..."

Chen Huai'an grinned, his smile revealing a ruthless and unruly spirit.

"I don't accept this order!"

Snap!

The black piece fell with a dull thud, yet it sounded like a heart beating in a coffin.

This move did not save the noble but dying dragon, nor did it fill any gaps.

It was like a stubborn stone, or a drop of filthy ink, that slammed hard near the White pieces' thickest, most glorious, and core "central heaven"!

What kind of chess game should we play?

Why should I play chess with you here?

And why should we follow the so-called rules?

Why not just overturn this chessboard?

For the first time, cracks appeared in Zhong Shi's flawless calm and indifference.

A faint look of astonishment flashed across his eyes: "You... have cut off your own path to survival?"

“No,” Chen Huai’an licked his chapped lips, his eyes flashing with an eerie light, “Open a path for survival! Your path is too clear; no living person can walk on it!”

Snap!

Snap!

Snap!

The pieces are placed like a whirlwind and a sudden downpour!

Chen Huai'an completely abandoned all established patterns, principles, and winning strategies!

He would attack wherever the white stones were solid; he would poke wherever the pieces were orderly!

He was willing to lose a thousand of his own lives in order to inflict a hundred of damage on the enemy!

The black pieces became ugly and fragmented, like a group of bandits gathering in the mountains, attacking the white pieces' impenetrable defenses without any order.

chaos!

Unprecedented chaos!

But amidst this extreme chaos, a wild, grassroots vitality bursts forth.

The precise "great order" of the White stones encountered variables that could not be calculated using "reason".

—That human's ability to survive, the madness that makes this ability willing to pay any price!

The corpse's brows furrowed more and more tightly.

The white piece hovered at his fingertips.

His "optimal solution" calculated every possible variation that conformed to the rules, but it failed to calculate his opponent's will to "survive" even if it meant "losing the game".

A perfect star map was splattered with a blob of ink.

It was then torn apart and began to twist and deform.

"You shameless scoundrel!" Zhong Shi's voice remained calm, but it carried a hint of helplessness.

"Living—" Chen Huai'an used all his remaining strength to pin his last black stone to a seemingly unrelated intersection that perfectly sealed off the last breath of the white stones. "You've been cheating all along!"

The chessboard froze.

The black dragon that should have been slaughtered did not take flight; instead, it burrowed into the mud and transformed into a filthy dragon that relentlessly gnawed at its opponent's lifeline, managing to carve out a path to survival for the white pieces in their beautiful territory.

White still holds an absolute advantage, and it could even be said that White has won by points.

However, the black pieces survived.

They lived in the most undignified, imperfect, and unreasonable way.

Zhong Shi looked at the chess game, which had become "out of order," and remained silent.

That perfect star map was now shattered, black and white intertwined, chaotic and disordered, yet... it was filled with dazzling life.

Liang sighed softly, unsure whether it was regret or relief.

"Following the rules of heaven and earth is not as good as... wild grass burning like stars. In terms of state of mind, I am not as good as you, no wonder... I am not the one who was chosen."

With a flick of his sleeve, the chessboard vanished into thin air.

"The way of chess is ultimately a minor path of 'reason'. The great path in your heart is beyond the confines of my way."

The corpse rose and waved its sleeve.

Splash—

The chessboard shattered, and the black and white pieces turned into dust.

"Since I cannot persuade you on the matter of the Dao."

"Then... let's challenge the sword!"

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