268: On the eve of the war!

World Lord World, late at night.

A chilling night wind howled past.

This was the sixtieth day since Chen Fan and his group joined the North Dragon City faction.

And it was also the final night before the Life and Death Chessboard battle began!

Tomorrow, a fierce battle would kick off here.

At this very moment, six major factions were stationed around the castle left by Realm Lord Ming Sa.

Martial Artists, densely packed, moved in and out, carefully avoiding the two giant light screens that resembled teleportation gates.

Forces led by the two Holy Lands and four major organizations of Black Dragon Mountain completely sectioned off the core area of this plain.

Any occasional empty plots were allocated to other, slightly smaller powers.

Inside North Dragon City's military tent at this time.

"Lord Chen Fan, this is my elder brother, Yu Gui, our North Dragon City's primary commander in this World."

Then, Chris introduced Chen Fan and his group to each other: "Brother Yu Gui, this is Lord Chen Fan."

"Hello, Lord Chen Fan!"

"Hello, Commander Yu Gui!"

The newly arrived North Dragon City commander, Yu Gui, wore white clothes and a white robe, with a pitch-black greatsword on his back.

He stood before Chen Fan, exuding an aura as steady as a mountain.

At this moment, sharp glints of light flickered in Yu Gui's eyes, and he involuntarily emanated the presence of a superior.

No other reason.

As an Astral Rank Level 9 Psycher Master, Yu Gui's attacks were incredibly elusive, making him impossible to defend against!

Once, a Universe Rank Level 1 Martial Artist, due to carelessness, perished beneath his flying daggers.

Sending Yu Gui to serve as the primary commander in the Netherworld was a testament to how highly North Dragon City valued this World.

However, facing Chen Fan, Yu Gui put away his pride and treated him with an open mind.

He learned from Chris that this young man, Chen Fan, was no ordinary adventurer.

But someone World Lord Yaso had instructed him to treat well.

Furthermore, Chen Fan was not only a genuine Universe Rank Martial Artist but also the captain of this group of Universe Rank Martial Artists.

More crucially, the feeling Chen Fan gave Yu Gui was terrifying, his aura as profound as a heavenly abyss,

Surpassing the Universe Rank Martial Artists of North Dragon City he had seen, by many times!

Even Universe Rank Level 9 members of North Dragon City were far from matching the terrifying threat Chen Fan presented.

"No need to be nervous, we are comrades now!"

Chen Fan said with a smile, appearing completely harmless.

"Mm." Yu Gui nodded lightly.

Then, they gathered around a large round table and got down to today's main topic.

Above their heads, a halo slowly emerged.

Soon, a giant light screen, about twenty meters in length and width, floated in the center of the round table.

In the middle of the screen, were images of Realm Lord Ming Sa's castle, the bald man with three heads and six arms, and other scenes—

"Next, I will explain the rules!"

"This 'Life and Death Chessboard' trial is divided into three parts. The first part is 'Initial Screening'!

"One hundred thousand adventurers will appear on each chessboard. After an hour of slaughter, the remaining individuals will advance to the second round!"

"And so on..."

"The final one hundred survivors will be able to share the master's treasures and wealth..."

Click!

The screen abruptly froze there, and everyone began to discuss.

"The existence of this Life and Death Chessboard is truly somewhat bizarre!"

Yu Gui looked at the paused screen and was the first to speak.

This was an intuition he had developed over many years, allowing him to navigate crises and dangers by relying on these premonitions.

Even though Yu Gui was only an Astral Rank Level 9 Martial Artist, his actual combat strength had genuinely reached Universe Rank Level 2.

Among North Dragon City's Astral Rank Martial Artists, Yu Gui's battle prowess was highly ranked.

"I also agree with Brother Yu Gui!" Chris chimed in.

Hearing Yu Gui and Chris's words, Chen Fan's brows furrowed slightly, revealing a thoughtful expression.

He had also heard about the 'Life and Death Chessboard' trial on the second day of Realm Lord Ming Sa's castle's appearance.

Once Chen Fan understood the rules clearly, many questions arose in his mind..

Rather than a 'Life and Death Chessboard,' it was essentially a battlefield where two sides slaughtered each other to determine the ultimate victor.

It was just that this World Lord World had already gathered far too many Astral Rank Martial Artists.

According to the latest intelligence provided by North Dragon City, the number of Astral Rank in the Netherworld had now reached a terrifying 8.46 million!

At the same time, the number of adventurers was still increasing at a considerable rate.

The threat was not small, but Chen Fan was not afraid!

He believed in his teammates, and even more so, in his own strength!

"Currently, our North Dragon City faction has a total of 15,000 people. Every 300 people are divided into a small team, each led by 50 battle-proficient squad leaders, specifically for ease of action!"

Then, Yu Gui began to introduce North Dragon City's forces to everyone.

Unexpectedly, Chen Fan and his group were already well-acquainted with these details.

"We are very familiar with North Dragon City's elite warriors!"

Chen Fan said with a smile, then his gaze swept over Han Li, Wang Teng, and the others, who all nodded slightly after exchanging glances.

During the first month and a half, it was they who led the various North Dragon City squads to rout the Third Prince's subordinates, leaving them in disarray.

In the end, those Black Dragon Mountain Holy Land Martial Artists would flee at top speed whenever they saw North Dragon City's people from afar.

In just forty-five days, Chen Fan and his team, leading North Dragon City's elite Martial Artists, had eliminated nearly twenty thousand of the Third Prince's subordinates.

"This time, for the Life and Death Chessboard, we cannot divide our forces again!"

Chen Fan looked up, his tone incredibly firm.

He looked at the fanatical three-headed, six-armed man on the large screen, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

He always felt that this intelligent life, which had existed for an unknown number of years, was somewhat peculiar.

Especially when the second batch of adventurers entered the chessboard and were instantly annihilated by him, one could glimpse something amiss.

But exactly what was wrong, Chen Fan couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Little Master, don't worry too much. This is just an intelligent life that has been solitary for millions of years. Now, seeing so many adventurers, it's bound to show a bit of madness."

Suddenly, Liu Qiyue's voice echoed in Chen Fan's mind.

"This bald man is merely an intelligent life left behind by a World Lord. He poses no great threat to Little Master, so don't be afraid!"

"Mm, I understand!"

Hearing Liu Qiyue's words, Chen Fan's expression relaxed considerably.

"Oh, right, Qi Yue."

At this moment, Chen Fan suddenly spoke.

"Little Master, do you have something to ask?"

"Have you encountered this Life and Death Chessboard before?"

"The Life and Death Chessboard is actually a means of tempering, where many Martial Artists are thrown into it, and only those who survive to the end are the strongest and most potential-filled.

"Because between life and death lies great danger, and it is also what best stimulates human potential. If one doesn't improve, they will only die, so everyone will fight for their lives."

Listening to Liu Qiyue's words, Chen Fan nodded in agreement.

"However, Little Master, isn't it a bit too much for your large group of Universe Rank Martial Artists to go participate in an Astral Rank free-for-all?"

The enchantress's alluring voice went straight to his soul, making Chen Fan tremble slightly.

"Speak properly!"

"In short, if you want to survive such large-scale battles and become the ultimate victors, you absolutely cannot scatter."

Liu Qiyue advised, and Chen Fan agreed with the enchantress's statement.

"Since we shouldn't separate, then we'll enter the light screen together, be assigned to one side, and fight side by side!"

When he spoke of fighting side by side, even Yu Gui's expression showed some excitement.

A large-scale battle involving two hundred thousand Astral Rank Martial Artists—just thinking about it was thrilling.

"Alright, then it's settled!"

"After we go up tomorrow, we'll coordinate our actions!"

Chen Fan made the final decision, settling it directly.

"Good, everyone rest well tonight. Tomorrow, we'll observe the situation first!"

"Good!"

"Agreed!"

"Can do!"

"..."