188: Chapter 188: The Shogi Platform Collapse

Above the Earth's Core Starry Sky.

The black and red Chess Gate slowly opened.

Behind the gate was not a path.

Instead, it was an Inverted Chessboard suspended in the Void Realm.

Countless chess pieces bobbed up and down.

Mystic black was on the left.

Dark red was on the right.

In the deepest part, that Wordless White Chess Piece hung quietly.

It emitted no light.

Yet its weight made the heartbeat of the entire Blue Star skip a beat.

The System notification was still flashing.

[The fourteenth transition trial has been forcibly activated.]

[First Task: Ascend the Inverted Chessboard.]

[Second Task: Seize the Wordless White Chess Piece within three days.]

[Failure Penalty: All of Blue Star will be entered into the Decapitation Register.]

Li Yan looked up at the gate and couldn't help but curse.

"Three days?"

"They're being quite polite."

Jiang Feng was carrying the insulated lunch box, glancing at the steam rising from its edge.

"It won't take three days."

Liu Cuilan stood behind him, frowning as she said, "Xiao Feng, the food won't taste good if it gets cold."

Jiang Feng nodded.

"I know."

The Dragon Girl held the lid of the lunch box, her face full of seriousness.

"Master, hurry and finish this."

Li Yan's mouth twitched.

"Your family really treats the Inverted Chessboard like a pre-meal exercise."

Zero Seven stared at the Chess Gate, her face pale.

"Mr. Jiang, be careful."

"This gate is no ordinary passage."

"It filters people."

"Only those it deems qualified can ascend."

Just as she finished speaking.

Inside the Chess Gate, a black and red light curtain descended.

A line of cold text floated upon the light curtain.

[Those who ascend must abandon family, abandon name, and abandon world.]

[Retain only Godhood.]

[Only then may you enter the game.]

Li Yan was instantly amused.

"Here we go again."

"Is this the only trick they know?"

Jiang Feng walked up to the gate.

The light curtain swept over him.

In the next moment.

An indifferent voice rang out from within the gate.

[Target detected: Jiang Feng.]

[Carrying mother anchor.]

[Carrying Will of the Homeland.]

[Carrying personal lunch box.]

[Unqualified.]

Liu Cuilan's face immediately darkened.

"How can a lunch box be unqualified?"

Jiang Feng raised his hand and pressed it against the light curtain.

"Then don't be qualified."

A System notification popped up.

[Touching: Inverted Chessboard Ascent Screening Gate.]

[Function: Strips the ascender's private anchors, retaining controllable Godhood.]

[Plunderable.]

Jiang Feng said, "Plunder."

[Secret Art: Pangu Plunder activated.]

[Zero-er triggered simultaneously.]

[Ascent qualification exemption erased.]

[Private anchor stripping rule erased.]

[Plundered Inverted Chessboard Ascent Screening Gate.]

Boom!

The black and red light curtain exploded on the spot.

Jiang Feng forcibly tore away half of the entire Chess Gate.

[Obtained all attributes: 1,200 ganges sand.]

[Current basic six-dimensional attributes: 11,200 ganges sand (1.12 asankhyeya).]

Behind the Chess Gate, countless pieces vibrated simultaneously.

It was like a group of people had just set the table, only for the table to be flipped first.

Li Yan's eyes lit up.

"Good grief."

"Charging for tickets as soon as we reach the door?"

Zhang Changlin said solemnly, "It's not charging for tickets."

"It's dismantling the door to sell for money."

The Dragon Girl nodded earnestly.

"Master knows how to manage a household."

Jiang Feng stepped through the Chess Gate.

The others followed.

In the next instant.

They appeared at the edge of the Inverted Chessboard.

Beneath their feet was a giant chessboard of interlaced black and white.

Within every square, the phantom of a world was suppressed.

Some worlds were still lit up.

Others were nothing but dead ash.

Further away, there were countless empty seats.

Behind each seat hung a wooden plaque.

[Venerable Xuan's Seat.]

[Venerable Ming's Seat.]

[The Name Writer's Seat.]

[Empty Seat.]

Li Yan scanned the area.

"This place is incredibly eerie."

"Anyone holding a meeting here doesn't look like a good person."

Zero Seven's voice was tight.

"This is not the true body of the Inverted Chessboard."

"It's more like the periphery of a projection."

"But its status already exceeds that of the First Blue Star."

Jiang Feng looked at the nearest black piece.

Trapped within the black piece was a Small World.

Inside, someone looked up, silently pleading for help.

From deep within the chessboard, an indifferent voice drifted over.

"Those who ascend without permission."

"Shall be placed as slaves."

Click.

The chess square beneath Jiang Feng's feet lit up.

Black and white hands reached out from the chessboard, grabbing for his ankles.

[Chess Slave Transformation rule activated.]

[Effect: Rewrites the ascender into a slave of the Inverted Chessboard.]

[True Name Self-Retention in effect.]

[Blue Star World True Name Self-Retention in effect.]

[Rewriting failed.]

Jiang Feng looked down.

"Quite a lot of hands."

He raised his foot and stomped.

Boom!

The entire chess square collapsed.

A System notification popped up.

[Touching: Inverted Chessboard Chess Slave Transformation rule.]

[Plunderable.]

Jiang Feng said, "Plunder."

[Secret Art: Pangu Plunder activated.]

[Plundered Chess Slave Transformation rule.]

[Obtained all attributes: 900 ganges sand.]

[Current basic six-dimensional attributes: 12,100 ganges sand (1.21 asankhyeya).]

A chorus of miserable screams echoed from beneath the chessboard.

They weren't human voices.

It was the sound of rules shattering.

A row of black pieces cracked directly.

The light within the trapped Small Worlds brightened momentarily.

Xiao Zhenjiang's communication suddenly patched in.

"Jiang Feng."

"The pressure on Blue Star is decreasing."

"The new Awakening Array is absorbing the feedback from the Inverted Chessboard fragments."

Jiang Feng asked, "Is it usable?"

Xiao Zhenjiang said solemnly, "Yes."

"The nation's professionals have just received a second temporary buff."

"Basic attributes have increased by another twenty percent."

Li Yan grinned upon hearing this.

"This isn't an Inverted Chessboard."

"This is the enemy's experience warehouse!"

Jiang Feng looked toward the depths of the chessboard.

"Then let's take a bit more."

As his voice fell.

In the center of the chessboard, one hundred and eight black and red pieces rose simultaneously.

Each piece transformed into an armored chess slave.

They had no faces.

The same words were carved on their chests:

[Abandoned Name.]

[Abandoned Home.]

[Abandoned World.]

Zero Seven's expression changed.

"These are people who failed to ascend."

"They were once guardians of some world."

"Later, they were modified into chess slaves by the Inverted Chessboard."

The leading chess slave raised its blade.

Their voices were synchronized.

"Ascender."

"Abandon home."

"Abandon name."

"Abandon world."

"Or be executed."

Jiang Feng looked at them.

"You abandoned yours."

"I will not."

The chess slaves charged all at once.

One hundred and eight blade lights pressed down.

Each blade light carried the Death Qi of a collapsed world.

Jiang Feng did not retreat.

He handed the lunch box to the Dragon Girl.

"Hold it steady."

The Dragon Girl hugged the lunch box tightly.

"I promise not to spill the soup."

Jiang Feng raised his hand.

He struck down with a palm.

Colorless divine light swept across the chessboard.

The first row of chess slaves exploded on the spot.

[Shattered: Name-Abandoned chess slave.]

[Pangu Plunder triggered.]

[Obtained all attributes: 80 ganges sand.]

[Shattered: Home-Abandoned chess slave.]

[Obtained all attributes: 90 ganges sand.]

[Shattered: World-Abandoned chess slave.]

[Obtained all attributes: 100 ganges sand.]

System notifications flooded the screen.

Row after row of chess slaves blew apart.

There was no struggle.

No stalemate.

It was simply a path of crushing through.

Li Yan watched, his blood boiling with excitement.

"Awesome!"

"Now this is what you call flipping the chessboard!"

Zhang Changlin stared at the residual light of the shattered chess slaves, his voice lowering slightly.

"They are being liberated."

After the chess slaves shattered, the words on the wooden plaques on their chests gradually vanished.

Vague figures emerged one by one.

Some bowed to Jiang Feng.

Some turned and ran toward their broken worlds.

One only left behind a single sentence:

"For us..."

"Smash this table."

Jiang Feng looked up.

"I will."

The last chess slave was pinned to the chessboard by him.

A crimson System notification jumped out.

[Touching: Hundred-World chess slave Army Array Core.]

[Function: Transforms guardians of failed worlds into a source of troops for the Inverted Chessboard.]

[Plunderable.]

Jiang Feng's fingers tightened.

"Plunder."

[Secret Art: Pangu Plunder activated.]

[Zero-er triggered.]

[chess slave affiliation erased.]

[Army Array Core plundered successfully.]

[Obtained all attributes: 1,800 ganges sand.]

[Current basic six-dimensional attributes: 13,900 ganges sand (1.39 asankhyeya).]

[Obtained special authority fragment: Chess Rejection.]

[Effect: chess slave Transformation, Piece Transformation, and Name Abandonment rules with a status lower than the host cannot be forcibly enacted.]

Large areas of chess squares on the periphery of the chessboard went dark.

At the core of Blue Star.

The blue stone heart gave a sudden throb.

In the Huaxia Command Center.

The technician was so excited his voice cracked.

"Commander!"

"The third feedback!"

"The new Awakening Array has advanced!"

"Blue Star's native professional System is generating a new branch!"

Xiao Zhenjiang's gaze narrowed.

"What branch?"

The technician watched the screen, his voice trembling.

"The Name-Guarding System!"

"All professionals who protect their families, cities, and homeland have gained an additional growth path!"

Xiao Zhenjiang was silent for a breath.

Then he slowly spoke.

"Record this."

"This is Blue Star's own path."

Upon the Inverted Chessboard.

In front of Jiang Feng, the first step finally appeared.

At the end of the steps.

The Wordless White Chess Piece hung within a small chess pavilion.

Outside the pavilion stood two shadows.

One was mystic black.

One was dark red.

They were not the true bodies of Venerable Xuan and Venerable Ming.

Yet they were more than a notch stronger than Xuan Yi and Ming Er.

The mystic black shadow spoke.

"Jiang Feng."

"If you go any further, the Decapitation Register for all of Blue Star will be activated ahead of schedule."

The dark red shadow sneered.

"You are very good at killing."

"Then let's see if you can be faster than the death of an entire planet."

Behind them.

The dark red register flipped open.

[All of Blue Star.]

[Decapitation Countdown: Three days.]

The characters began to writhe.

Three days.

Two days.

One day.

Twelve double-hours.

Li Yan's expression changed.

"They're cheating!"

Jiang Feng looked at the register.

"I'm used to it."

After saying that, he took a step onto the stairs.

The mystic black shadow raised its hand.

Around the chess pavilion, ninety-nine rule walls rose.

On every wall, a condition was written.

Abandon mother.

Abandon father.

Abandon home.

Abandon country.

Abandon name.

Abandon Godhood.

Abandon Blue Star.

...

At a glance, it was full of things that demanded one to cut away parts of themselves.

Jiang Feng scanned them.

"Too many."

He raised his hand and pressed it directly against the first wall.

A System notification popped up.

[Touching: Outer-layer retrieval conditions for the Wordless White Chess Piece.]

[Plunderable.]

Jiang Feng said, "Plunder all."

Boom!

The ninety-nine walls lit up simultaneously.

And exploded simultaneously.

[Plundered retrieval condition: Abandon mother.]

[Plundered retrieval condition: Abandon father.]

[Plundered retrieval condition: Abandon home.]

[Plundered retrieval condition: Abandon Blue Star.]

[Cumulative obtained all attributes: 2,100 ganges sand.]

[Current basic six-dimensional attributes: 16,000 ganges sand (1.6 asankhyeya).]

[First stage of the fourteenth transition trial completed.]

[Professional advancement analysis: Pangu Sovereign · Name-Guardian God Lord 30%.]

Colorless divine light filled the chess pavilion.

The mystic black shadow and the dark red shadow retreated simultaneously.

For the first time, they were silent.

Because they finally realized that Jiang Feng wasn't here to enter the game.

He was here to dismantle it.

Jiang Feng walked into the pavilion.

He reached out to grab the Wordless White Chess Piece.

The moment his fingers touched the white piece.

The entire Inverted Chessboard went silent.

All the chess pieces stopped bobbing.

All the seats stopped shaking.

Even Blue Star's heartbeat seemed to be held still for a breath.

On the surface of the Wordless White Chess Piece, a line of characters suddenly emerged.

It wasn't Jiang Feng.

It wasn't Blue Star.

Nor was it Liu Cuilan.

Instead, it was—

[Pangu Zero.]

Zero Seven's pupils shrank violently.

"Pangu Zero?"

"It's not a chess piece..."

"It's the very first Pangu to ascend the Inverted Chessboard!"

A crack appeared in the Wordless White Chess Piece.

A man's voice came from within.

It was very low.

And very distant.

Like someone who had crawled out bit by bit from countless failed chess games.

"Jiang Feng."

"Don't take me."

"If you take me."

"You will see why Liu Cuilan was chosen."