Chapter 2378 Caged Up for Too Long

In an earth-shaking noise, the cauldron that sat over the black grid world tumbled violently, splashing bursts of dao light.

Crack! Crack!

In a split second, two black grids crumbled under the other side’s attack.

Lin Xun’s eyes narrowed slightly as he operated his cultivation. The cauldron immediately glowed and produced a dominating force that finally managed to block the bombardment.

In the distance, the withered figure smiled faintly, “With such a defense, your world will fall completely in mere moments.”

Saying that, he waved his sleeve.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Chains of law power shot out, sweeping through the sky like a tornado.

Each of those divine chains was entwined with terrifying great dao mysteries of wind, cloud, lightning, electricity, metal, wood, water, fire... They diffused countless might.

This was different from a martial clash; it was rather a pure competition of daos. The world was a chessboard, and one’s daos would be the chess pieces that were responsible for the offense!

It was by no means dangerous, but once defeated, the player would be reduced to another chess piece on the board!

“Fall completely? You underestimate me, truly,” Lin Xun said as he urged his energy. The cauldron buzzed, deriving all sorts of grand dao to constantly fight back the opponent.

For a time, the region was in turmoil under the manifestation of various horrifying phenomena.

If any Emperor expert was present to witness this, they would be shaken out of their mind.

Because whether it was Lin Xun or the withered figure, the daos in their control were unique and powerful to the point they could overwhelm everything that had ever existed!

In the Ghost Spirit Monkey’s view, the black and white chess world constantly displayed new and incredible visions. The planets collided, mountains and rivers flew by, ancient gods fought valiantly, and divine beasts ravaged the wilderness...

Those were all derivations of the supreme grand dao. Each attack radiated a heaven-destroying might that was terrifying beyond imagination.

“Go! Go! Go!”

The withered figure was like an overlord as he waved his hands and sent out storms of attacks. Commanding thousands of daos, he conquered the nine heavens.

On the contrary, Lin Xun had been solely resisting with his cauldron. His black grid world had been almost shrouded by all kinds of powerful arts.

From time to time, there would be deafening cracks, with which one would see the outermost of the black grids crumble and fall.

Lin Xun appeared to be at a disadvantage.

For all that, his cauldron was impregnable, giving off the feeling that it was unshakeable while it guarded the black chess world. It certainly wouldn’t be broken through anytime soon.

A distance away, the withered figure was not anxious. He even revealed a look of interest as he kept scrutinizing Lin Xun's cauldron.

He could already tell that it was the embodiment of Lin Xun's dao and was extraordinary.

Despite this, his movements remained fluid. His offensive momentum only became increasingly ferocious, presenting a domineering attitude to push forward.

RUMBLE~

The sky rattled and the land swayed. The sun and the moon could no longer be seen.

Lin Xun had never experienced this kind of game and combat before, where he needed to both defend his own world while trying to destroy the other side’s.

Meanwhile, all he could rely on was the power of his own dao. It looked like a simple and brute confrontation, but was actually an intense race between their dao.

From what the withered figure had demonstrated so far, his control over dao power was indeed terrifying. It had reached an unimaginably appalling level.

Facing this, the black chess world under Lin Xun's command had fallen into a situation where it was being attacked from all directions and in complete turbulence.

It was like a reef that was being constantly battered by furious sea waves!

However, as Lin Xun gradually familiarized himself with the game, the cauldron that was the embodiment of his entire dao appeared more and more solid and unyielding.

As a result, the impacts on the black grid world were all effectively neutralized and dissolved.

Even though the withered figure’s attacks kept getting stronger, Lin Xun's defense was also continuously improving.

Just like that, one attacked and the other defended in an unprecedentedly heated match.

At this point, the withered old man’s face had taken on a serious look. His voice also transmitted a rare touch of excitement and delight.

He had met an equal match who he cherished!

Lin Xun's performance at this moment exceeded all his expectations, and it evoked the long-dormant fighting spirit in him.

“Next, I will perform the true way of chess, so be careful, Fellow Daoist!” The withered figure let out a loud laugh and stroked his fingers in the air.

Boom!

Countless stars appeared and circulated. Countless lotuses emerged and bloomed in green, red, white, gold... Some blossomed with lightning arcs, some were stirring with the power of wind, some absorbed yang and disgorged yin...

Thousands of dao lotuses opened their petals, floating in the sky.

In seconds, they covered Lin Xun’s black grid world.

From blooming to withering, each lotus enacted the growth and changes of a dao from its very beginning to its peak splendor.

They looked like thousands of dao paths demonstrating their full capability.

Such a terrifying scene could make any Emperor’s blood run cold.

Lin Xun, however, looked unperturbed. Only his eyes were flickering with an intimidating aura.

He put his strength into full operation. His mind, will, and energy all merged into the dao as he controlled the cauldron to fight back.

RUMBLE~

Thundering explosions reverberated without end. Great dao power clashed and splashed, ravaging the nine heavens and ten earths.

The void collapsed and the sky was bleak, as if doomsday was coming.

However, just seconds into it, the withered figure let out a startled cry.

Opposite him in the distance, Lin Xun’s defense remained impregnable despite being subjected to this degree of attacks!

“If this is all you’ve got, then you will most certainly lose,” said Lin Xun indifferently.

“Oh? Then let’s try again,” the withered figure nonchalantly said, and grabbed at the air.

Clank!

Countless dao essence coalesced into a sword, which chopped out.

The attack was utterly simple.

Yet, it was clearly much more horrifying than the gale of attacks from before.

A loud, metallic chant resounded as the cauldron blocked the sword. In the collision, the latter shattered and burst.

Unfazed, the withered figure kept bombarding with all his might, utilizing various daos as he did.

Lin Xun, on the other hand, had taken on a steady stance where he remained immovable despite facing assault from all sides, impeccably defending the black grid world.

After a full fifteen minutes of such intense fighting, the withered figure's expression had become solemn. He began to slow down, but every strike he deployed doubled in power.

In spite of this, it was still unable to break Lin Xun's defense!

The withered figure could no longer maintain his composure, “If you just keep defending like this, then it’ll end up being a draw. Why aren’t you attacking?”

He reckoned that Lin Xun was using all of his power on defense, and as long as he attacked, there would finally be openings in his invulnerable shield.

“I didn't attack because I wanted to see the skills of your dao. Apparently... It's nothing special,” commented Lin Xun bluntly.

“Nothing special?” The withered figure was stunned, as if he couldn't believe that he would receive such an evaluation. In fact, it was the first time in these countless years that he had heard one like this.

He leisurely said, “Fellow Daoist, words alone are empty. Why don't you let me witness your true ability as well?”

“Very well,” uttered Lin Xun lightly.

He waved of his hand, and immediately, a great abyss emerged from the cauldron. Stretching across the sky, it swept out.

Its depth was unfathomable, its size immeasurable. It swallowed the sky and engulfed the earth in its wake!

RUMBLE!

In an earth-shattering collision, a big area of the white grid world was instantly crushed. The stars of daos distributed within it were worn away and devoured.

The withered figure's pupils shrank, and he wasted no time making a counterattack.

“Doh!”

Responding to his command, countless twinkling stars circulated in a harmonic echo. Building a boundless universe, they strived to suppress the great abyss.

However, the withered figure was caught completely off guard when he saw the great abyss keep on sliding forward. Its crushing momentum suggested how unbreakable and unstoppable it was.

In just a few breaths, a huge chunk was bitten off of the massive universe!

“Rise!” Undaunted in the face of danger, the withered old man carried on manipulating the thousands of daos with perfection, resisting with every drop of his strength.

Lin Xun sighed softly, “My dao, integrating all daos and deriving all laws, is unique of all time. Even if you try to deflect it with the power of all dao, it's ultimately futile...”

He recalled his fourth senior brother, Ling Xuanzi, who also identified and employed the various daos in existence. His cultivation path was similar to that of this skinny old man and so were their effects.

The only difference might be that this old man had been in an enlightenment seclusion here since the beginning of the primeval era, thus his cultivation to this day had been stagnant in the Emperor Stage.

If it were Fourth Senior Brother, he would have already transcended the Emperor Ancestor Stage!

KABOOM!

The great abyss glided horizontally in an overwhelming fashion, swallowing the starry sky and devouring all dao powers. It threw the white grid world into chaos, and one by one, the squares fractured and fell.

No matter how hard the withered figure resisted and countered, it was all in vain.

In the end, the white grid world completely collapsed in a shocking quake before it presented a state of ruins.

Seeing this, Lin Xun immediately stopped attacking.

In the distance, the withered figure stood dumbly in the void, his beard and hair in a mess. His expression kept shifting, as though it was too difficult for him to accept this blow.

Numerous years of research and deduction, pouring his blood, sweat, and soul into the game of chess, only to suffer a crushing defeat today!

There had been no twists and turns nor any variables during the match. From the moment the other side had gone from defense to taking the initiative to attack, his power was devastating and unbeatable!

It was simple, crude even.

However, the withered figure was well aware that this meant. In this competition between their daos, his mastery was far inferior...

A long time later.

The withered figure revealed a self-deprecating smile and looked up at the sky, “These countless years, I’ve been so obsessed with chess that I let my dao fall into the black and white grids without noticing. This defeat finally made me realize it. What I seek should be outside of the game....”

He seemed to have figured everything out and come to terms with it, but his expression was all despondent. How stupid he had been to have taken so many eons to understand this!

Suddenly, he looked at Lin Xun and respectfully cupped his fist, “Although I lost, I was also awakened. Thank you, Fellow Daoist, I owe you this favor!”

His words were sincere, and also permeated with a sense of relief like he had broken an invisible shackle.