Claiming the Throne of Gods, Starting from the Rebirth of Nezha
Chapter 81: The Game of Go (Black and White Chess)

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: The Game of Go (Black and White Chess)

"Understood?"

Deng Chanyu nodded, although whether she truly understood or not, Nezha couldn’t tell. He pressed against the iron wall before them, but it remained immovable.

The girl beside him spoke again, "My father said similar things. He always scolded his generals, calling them fools. Talking reason to them with words never worked as well as a clear explanation with a whip."

Speaking of fools, Nezha thought of ’Little Piggy’ back at home. Lu Zhu’er wasn’t actually a pig; she was beautiful, smart, and her talent in cultivation was perhaps multitudes better than Deng Chanyu’s before him.

Seeing Nezha silent, Deng Chanyu thought he was worried and patted his shoulder, feigning a mature and steady demeanor to comfort him, "Don’t worry, although I’m not a cultivator, I’m fiercer than anyone when it comes to fighting. If there’s any danger, I’ve got your back."

As soon as she finished speaking, Nezha sighed upon hearing faint voices nearby, grabbed Deng Chanyu’s hand, and said, "You’d better not be jinxing us," then started walking along a lit path by the iron wall.

It was crucial to strike first rather than foolishly clash directly with the opponent.

Continuing to the right, they saw an iron door with a round table in front of it. Carved on the table was a square chessboard with black and white pieces interspersed.

Below the chessboard were three words, identical to those on the iron wall, utterly incomprehensible. Deng Chanyu sighed, "It’s Demon Clan Divine Text; who learns such things anyway."

Nezha picked up a black chess piece lying idle by the table. It was warm to the touch, made from the same material as the black sand on the ground outside, saying, "There are only two pieces left, one black and one white. Perhaps if placed correctly, this door will open."

Deng Chanyu glanced once and immediately said, "There are two hundred and six empty spots; how do you know where to place them?"

"Chess is ultimately about winning, though I’m not sure if it’s the white or black pieces that should win."

Deng Chanyu picked up the white piece, leaned over the table, raised her eyebrows looking at the chess setup, and said, "You pick the black piece, and I pick the white, doesn’t that make us opponents?"

"Not necessarily, the balance of yin and yang achieves nature’s order."

"What are you talking about?"

"I’m talking nonsense."

Nezha stared at the chessboard for a long time, then asked a serious question, "So, do you know how to play chess?"

"You don’t?"

"I do know how to play connect-five."

"What’s connect-five?"

"It’s much more sophisticated than Go. I’ll teach you sometime."

Nezha intended to throw the chess piece back onto the table and look for another path, but found the piece stuck to his hand as if glued.

Seeing this, Deng Chanyu was not flustered and said, "It seems we must play these two pieces today no matter what."

Nezha leaned back over the board, noticing the three characters beautifully inscribed, similar to those on the wall, and asked, "Earlier, when looking at the text on the iron wall, did you see these three characters?"

Deng Chanyu answered, "They started from the eighth character of the seventh line."

"Good memory."

Nezha counted to the seventh row and the eighth space on the chessboard, placed the black piece inside, and it finally let go of his hand.

Deng Chanyu, her eyes wide, asked, "You placed your piece there, so where should I place mine?"

Nezha replied, "Why not count the same, the seventh row and the eighth space from your side? Isn’t it empty as well?"

Deng Chanyu looked at where Nezha pointed, shook her head reluctantly, and said, "Although there’s space there, it lacks vitality. Let me look again."

She barely glanced twice before her eyes lit up, and she said with a smile, "Your move with the black piece is really a blunder. By placing my white piece here, I’ve clinched a complete victory."

She set down her white piece on the board, and immediately a flicker of spiritual light flashed, and another black piece appeared on the side.

At that moment, the iron door nearby trembled slightly and began to open slowly on both sides, revealing a dark passage leading into the distance, where a faint light seemed to emanate from the end.

Deng Chanyu looked proudly at Nezha, her expression clearly conveying that although she was not proficient in cultivation, her intelligence and wit were unparalleled by him.

Nezha smiled and said, "The door is open, shall we not proceed? That group won’t stay in front of that iron wall for long."

Deng Chanyu, normally so graceful and composed, now awkwardly insisted, "You go ahead."

"Are you afraid of the dark?"

"How could I, Miss, possibly be afraid of the dark!"

Nezha didn’t want to waste time here, he let Deng Chanyu grasp the edge of the Chaos Sky Silk tied around his waist, and led the way into the pitch-black passage.

As soon as they entered, the iron door closed behind them, cutting off any retreat.

It was pitch dark; one couldn’t see their own hand in front of them, and the ground was uneven. Stepping on something that felt like brittle branches and decayed leaves, one had to be cautious to avoid tripping.

Nezha spoke, "Just hold onto the Chaos Sky Silk, don’t randomly touch anything else."

Deng Chanyu huffed and replied, "You focus on leading the way, I am holding onto it tightly with both hands."

Nezha thought to himself, since both your hands are holding onto the Chaos Sky Silk, then whose hand is the one on my butt?

Feeling uneasy but afraid to scare the young lady behind him, he continued forward while sternly saying, "Just follow me. Don’t look around or touch anything recklessly."

Deng Chanyu slapped him on the back, angrily retorting, "Just lead the way; why are you touching my leg?"

Being slapped for no apparent reason, Nezha also felt annoyed but continued forward, dragging her along. Behind them in the passage,

A group of Purple Dragon Island disciples led by Gu Jianqing, who was at the Golden Core Realm, had now arrived near the chessboard.

Since encountering Nezha, they had gained a new addition—a young monk.

This monk wore a gray robe and had short black hair, resembling fresh sprouts on the ground in spring, full of vitality and vigor.

Seeing this member of the Western Sect with a face full of compassion and moderation, and a presence that seemed to blend into nature—imperceptible yet omnipresent—Gu Jianqing treated him with even greater respect.

However, reverence aside, he and his master were not particularly petty.

He thought to himself, Master, you’re only one person; you can only enter here just like us at the Golden Core Realm.

If you are willing to cooperate, we can negotiate amicably, and he would be willing to make a friend from the Western Sect.

If not, he and his brothers could simply eliminate the monk here, then later claim that the Demon Lord’s Temple was dangerous and the unfortunate monk perished, who would know?

Gu Jianqing asked, "Master Wu Xiang, can you solve this chessboard?"

The Wu Xiang Monk looked at the chessboard with an empty gaze. After a long observation, he said, "Previously, the white side won a move, there’s still a black piece left on the side of the board, the next move should let the black piece take the initiative."

Hearing this, although the cultivators from Purple Dragon Island were all young, they had been practicing cultivation for years and many were knowledgeable in chess. They gathered around to look for a long while, yet no one spoke.

Eventually, they all arrived at the same conclusion: this challenge, set by the Ancient Demon Lord, was exceedingly difficult.

To be able to turn a game around and win from a seemingly definite loss with just one move was something even those rare cultivators who practiced cultivation through chess would find daunting.

The crowd buzzed with discussion, but the Wu Xiang Monk who had arrived later was now looking at the chessboard, his expression thoughtful.

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