Chapter 10 One move, and the Golden Immortal is trapped.

Pa.

A black stone was placed at the center, the Origin Point.

The sound was crisp, yet it was like a thunderclap of creation, exploding within the depths of everyone's Primordial Spirit!

In that instant, there was no earth-shattering energy explosion, nor any terrifying phenomena of Law fragmentation.

There was only dead silence.

An absolute dead silence that made even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal feel palpitations!

That giant golden palm, which had reached out from a spatial rift and was capable of crushing stars with one hand, froze completely just three inches away from the chessboard.

The thousands of Dao rhythms flowing on the palm and the vast magical power contained within it seemed to be frozen and sealed by rules of a higher dimension the moment they touched the invisible force field of the chess game!

The figure of Daoist Duobao, who had torn through the Void Realm to arrive, also manifested in mid-air.

He wore a Robe of Ten Thousand Treasures, his expression was majestic, and he was surrounded by the perfected Dao rhythm unique to a Grand Unity Golden Immortal. He should have been like a Heavenly God descending to suppress everything.

But at this moment, his outstretched hand was frozen in the air, unable to advance or retreat.

And on his majestic Face, an emotion called 'astonishment' appeared for the first time.

He could feel that his power had not been defeated, but rather... 'isolated'.

That small stone chessboard, the moment the black stone was placed, had transformed into an independent grotto-heaven world outside of the Great Desolation.

In this world, the one who set the Formation was the sole Heavenly Dao!

"Hiss..."

The Jie Sect Disciples who saw this scene all gasped, feeling their scalps tingle.

He blocked it?

That Gu Ziyuan... he actually used a game of chess to block Senior Brother Daoist Duobao?!

What kind of concept was this?

One was a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, high above and the first person below the Saints.

The other was an Outer Sect Disciple who had just revealed his strength and ostensibly only had a Heavenly Immortal cultivation.

This was no longer a challenge across levels; this was subverting everyone's understanding of cultivation!

Bixiao Fairy covered her mouth, her fiery beautiful eyes filled with nothing but shock.

She had originally thought Gu Ziyuan was arrogant and seeking death, but she never expected he truly had the confidence to confront their Senior Brother!

In the void, Daoist Duobao's gaze finally moved slowly from his frozen palm to Gu Ziyuan.

His eyes were as deep as the sea, no longer containing the slightest bit of contempt, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity and... a hint of inquiry.

"You are very good."

Daoist Duobao slowly withdrew his hand, his voice low and devoid of emotion.

He did not try to forcibly break the Formation again.

Because he knew that to break this Formation, he would need to destroy it with absolute power in one strike, and the resulting shockwave would be enough to flip half of Jinao Island over.

For the sake of Long-eared Dingguang Immortal, it wasn't worth it.

More importantly, this Junior Brother before him allowed him to see a brand new 'Dao' that he had never encountered before.

Gu Ziyuan met Duobao's gaze with a calm expression, giving a slight bow, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Senior Brother."

He didn't say much, but this form of address already stated his attitude.

I respect you as my Senior Brother, but my chess game and my rules also need to be respected.

What kind of figure was Daoist Duobao? He instantly understood Gu Ziyuan's subtext.

He glanced at Long-eared Dingguang Immortal on the ground, who no longer looked human, with only a wisp of Primordial Spirit fire flickering in the wind, and frowned slightly.

"Junior Brother, the chess game is exquisite and its killing intent is heaven-shaking; I admire it." He first gave affirmation, then changed the subject, "But Long-eared Dingguang Immortal is, after all, one of the Seven Attendant Immortals. Within the same sect, is it not excessive to deal such a lethal blow?"

These words were both a questioning and a way to give Gu Ziyuan an out.

Everyone held their breath, looking at Gu Ziyuan.

Since the Senior Brother had said so, he should stop now, right?

However, Gu Ziyuan smiled.

"Senior Brother, you are mistaken."

He looked up, staring directly into Daoist Duobao's eyes that seemed capable of piercing through eternity. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

"The rules of Jinao Island state that Disciples should stop when they reach the limit during sparring. However, just now when he wanted to destroy my chessboard, shatter my Dao foundation, and take my life, did he ever think of the word 'fellow Disciple'?"

"He overturned the chessboard and broke the rules first. I am merely cleaning out the sect to preserve the dignity of the Way of Chess afterward."

"May I ask, Senior Brother, what wrong have I committed?"

His words were powerful and resonant!

He instantly elevated a private fight to the level of 'rules' and 'Dao'!

Hearing this, Daoist Duobao was momentarily speechless.

He looked deeply at Gu Ziyuan, waves of shock surging in his heart.

What a sharp-tongued boy!

What airtight logic!

He was right; logically speaking, he had a leg to stand on. Long-eared Dingguang Immortal couldn't afford to lose and had brazenly attacked to kill and steal treasures, which was already a major taboo in the Jie Sect. No matter how Gu Ziyuan retaliated, it was self-defense.

"What a great Formation master! What a great Way of Chess!" Daoist Duobao suddenly laughed loudly, a hint of appreciation appearing on his majestic Face. "I now know the circumstances. Long-eared was in the wrong, but his crime does not warrant death. Junior Brother, can you give me some Face and spare his life?"

He lowered his posture.

It turned from a questioning into a discussion.

This was already giving Gu Ziyuan immense Face.

Bixiao looked at Gu Ziyuan nervously, secretly praying he wouldn't act foolishly again.

Gu Ziyuan looked at Daoist Duobao, the smile on his Face unchanged, but the chess piece he held remained suspended in the air, the killing intent not yet dissipated.

"I must naturally give Senior Brother Face."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

But Gu Ziyuan's next sentence made their hearts leap into their throats again.

"However, while the death penalty can be avoided, he cannot escape punishment."

His gaze shifted, falling onto the dying Long-eared Dingguang Immortal on the ground, and his voice suddenly turned cold.

"The stakes of his bet with me were his Low Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, the immortal binding ring. I will take this item."

"Secondly, he insulted my Way of Chess and ruined my quiet cultivation; this matter also needs a resolution."

The moment his voice fell, Gu Ziyuan's finger, suspended in the air, moved.

That black chess piece, which condensed endless killing intent, did not strike at Long-eared Dingguang Immortal's Primordial Spirit. Instead, it turned slightly and landed on another seemingly unrelated position on the chessboard.

Pa-ta!

As the stone was placed, the entire board came alive!

The originally death-like chess game instantly retracted its killing intent, transforming into a completely different power—suppression and deprivation!

Buzz—!

Long-eared Dingguang Immortal lying on the ground suddenly let out a shrill scream. The golden ring on his wrist emitted an unwilling wail and was forcibly stripped from his bloody arm by an invisible force!

The immortal binding ring struggled violently, its spiritual light flashing wildly, but it could not resist the pull of the chess game's power at all. It turned into a streak of light and flew directly into Gu Ziyuan's sleeve with a 'swish'.

"My Magic Treasure..." Long-eared Dingguang Immortal let out a desperate roar.

But this wasn't over yet!

Gu Ziyuan collected the immortal binding ring without even looking at it, then simply flicked his finger.

Swoosh!

A highly condensed strand of chess power shot out from his fingertip like an invisible needle, instantly sinking into Long-eared Dingguang Immortal's forehead.

"Ah—!"

Long-eared Dingguang Immortal's screams became even more shrill. The Taiyi Golden Immortal Dao rhythm on him, like a punctured balloon, rapidly decayed and dropped!

Taiyi Golden Immortal Early Stage...

Profound Immortal Perfection...

Profound Immortal Late Stage...

Finally, it barely stopped at the Profound Immortal Middle Stage Realm!

"A small punishment as a warning. I hope Senior Brother will behave himself in the future."

Gu Ziyuan's voice was as flat as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

Having done all this, he waved his long sleeve.

The vast chess game phenomenon covering Siguo Cliff, along with that terrifying aura that suppressed heaven and earth, all dissipated and merged back into that stone chessboard as if they had never appeared.

Siguo Cliff returned to its state of gentle wind and light clouds.

Gu Ziyuan gave a slight bow to Daoist Duobao, whose expression in mid-air was extremely complex.

"Senior Brother, you may take the person away."

After speaking, amidst the deathly silence of the entire field and under countless gazes that looked like they were seeing a ghost, he turned and sat back down nonchalantly on his original stone stool.

He didn't even look at Daoist Duobao again, nor did he pay any attention to the unconscious Long-eared Dingguang Immortal on the ground.

He just faced the chessboard again, reached out, and picked up the scattered stones one by one, putting them back into the box, whispering to himself as if that earth-shattering duel just now was only a dream.

"This game is concluded."

That calm and composed figure formed an extreme contrast with the miserable, dog-like Long-eared Dingguang Immortal on the ground.

This scene was like an eternal painting, deeply imprinted in the depths of everyone's Divine Soul present.

After today, Jinao Island would no longer have a 'chess obsessive'.

There was only a person named Gu Ziyuan, a Way of Chess God of Slaughter who could shake a Grand Unity Golden Immortal with a single stone!

And high above the Nine Heavens, where no one noticed, within Biyou Palace.

Grandmaster Tongtian, sitting high on his cloud bed, slowly opened his eyes. In those Saint's eyes that contained the birth and death of the Universe, a flash of unprecedented surprise and... intense interest appeared.

"Way of Chess...?"

"Using the self as a Formation, becoming a world of its own... interesting."