Chapter 381: 383. Chapter 376: The Hidden Divine Monkey Li Ban Sheng's Response, the Chess Saint's Dao Fruit Experiences an Unprecede

383. Chapter 376: The Hidden Divine Monkey Li Ban Sheng's Response, the Chess Saint's Dao Fruit Experiences an Unprecedented Anomaly 【Seeking Monthly Votes】

"Each hero, within the Pan Tao Garden, may pick only one Pan Tao."

The Queen's voice resonated throughout Shendu's Second City, like a wind sweeping through a hall, stirring continuously, causing the cultivators seated at the many banquet tables in the grand pavilion to show slight changes in expression.

Changed!

The rules of this year's heroes tournament indeed differ from before, and the changes are quite significant.

The previous heroes tournament in the Pan Tao competition was somewhat similar to the last Young Dragon tournament, resembling a personal arena battle.

One‑on‑one duel techniques clashed, determining rank through the duels, to compete for the ultimate Nine-Thousand-Year Pan Tao.

Although there are minor rule tweaks, the overall direction remains centered on individual duels.

However, this year, when the Queen announced the heroes tournament rules,

the heroes from the great sects, noble families, princely heirs, and other powerful forces all showed astonished expressions.

Each hero must obtain five Pan Tais within the Pan Tao Garden to advance to the second round and enter the garden that cultivates Five-Thousand-Year Pan Tais!

Yet, according to the Queen, each hero may pick only one Pan Tao inside the garden…

This means that to obtain five Pan Tais, one must seize the Pan Tais from other participating heroes!

One hundred heroes imply that the first round has one hundred Thousand-Year Pan Tais; averaged, they could be distributed to twenty heroes.

Each hero can obtain five Pan Tais.

However, this is only the ideal situation.

The Pan Tao has a characteristic… it can be eaten.

If a hero feels advancing to the second round is hopeless and chooses to swallow a Pan Tao…

The resulting impact would be huge.

Moreover, during the clash, if a cultivator on either side cannot match the opponent's duel technique and, before defeat, swallows a Pan Tao… that is also possible.

In short…

Too many unforeseen events!

Under the grand pavilion of Shendu's Second City, the heroes of the major forces could not help but turn pale, their brows slightly furrowing.

They contemplated the scenarios the rules could produce.

The Queen, however, glanced around and smiled gracefully.

"After advancing to the second‑round Pan Tao Garden, one must also obtain five Five-Thousand-Year Pan Tais to enter the third round… and then enter the Seven-Thousand-Year Pan Tao Garden to pick Seven-Thousand-Year Pan Tais."

"However, from the Seven-Thousand-Year to the Nine-Thousand-Year Pan Tao Garden, the rules relax: gathering three Seven-Thousand-Year Pan Tais suffices for promotion…"

The Queen scanned the crowd, her voice crystal clear, as if an invisible form lingered, echoing continuously in everyone's ears.

Shendu's Second City and Third City fell silent in an instant, as if plunged into utter hush.

The Queen calmly surveyed the entire hall once more.

"May all heroes set sail and achieve victory."

The Queen gave a slight bow.

After finishing the rules, she, led by Lian Gonggong of the Purple‑Robed Marten Temple, turned back to the table.

In fact, even Lian Gonggong was momentarily shocked by the rule, feeling a hint of bewilderment, never expecting this year's heroes tournament rules to change so drastically.

Undoubtedly, as a result…

The competition will become extremely ruthless, and many unforeseen changes will arise.

Not even he, nor the Emperor or the Queen, can be sure how this heroes tournament will ultimately unfold.

Who will obtain the final Nine-Thousand-Year Pan Tao?

No…

Lian Gonggong's heart suddenly jolted; he looked at the smiling Queen, his eyes filled with intense astonishment.

Because…

According to the Queen's described rules, is the Nine-Thousand-Year Pan Tao Garden the upper limit?

Since the Queen never said the Nine-Thousand-Year Pan Tao Garden is the ceiling, does that mean many heroes still qualify to enter the Ten-Thousand-Year Pan Tao Garden?!

Ten-Thousand-Year Pan Tao Garden!

Lian Gonggong's heart raced!

If that is true, it would indeed be interesting!

…

…

Qian Yuan Divine Sect Leader's Banquet Area.

Xixi nestled in Zhang Ya's arms, happily eating the delicacy, her eyes sparkling; as she ate, she glanced at Li Che.

"Dad, go for it! Xixi became the champion of the Young Dragon tournament, and Dad must also seize the top!"

Xixi had roasted chicken stuffed in her mouth, greasy all over, yet her gaze was more resolute and hopeful than ever.

Li Che reached out, patting Xixi's head.

He recalled the pang of pain when Xixi won that Nine-Thousand-Year Pan Tao and handed it to Zhang Ya.

Li Che couldn't help but smile, "Xixi wants to eat that Nine-Thousand-Year Pan Tao?"

"Then Dad will go win another one for you."

Hearing that, the roasted chicken in Xixi's mouth lost its flavor, and her eyes instantly shone brilliantly!

All her little flesh quivered softly!

"Dad, you're the best!"

Xixi climbed up from the banquet table, pursing her greasy mouth, intending to give Li Che a big reward.

However, Li Che disdainfully reached out and pressed Xixi's small head.

It made Xixi instantly both displeased and delighted, thinking, "Dad, are you rejecting me for being too greasy?"

The beloved, blooming-like Xixi Great Emperor, how could she be greasy!

Xixi, refusing to believe it, placed her hands on her hips, and her head began to tilt forward like a stubborn ox.

Beside them, Lu Taibai's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Ah Che, this time's rules aren't that simple—every major sect, plus feudal princes and aristocratic families… a total of one hundred heroes!"

"To enter the next round of the Peach Garden, it's not through one‑on‑one duels, but according to the number of peaches—you must seize and fight for them…"

"Additionally, it may happen that a single major sect holds five heroes who qualify for the main banquet of the Heroic Tournament; those five can choose to sacrifice one, gather five peaches, and send that one into the five‑thousand‑year Peach Garden!"

Lu Taibai's brows furrowed slightly.

Li Che no longer felt like continuing to tease Xixi.

"The rules of this Heroic Tournament… are basically chaos."

"It's too chaotic; all sorts of possibilities exist—weak ones might enter the next Peach Garden, while the strong might fail to advance."

Lu Taibai said.

Li Che thought carefully and understood roughly: "These rules are indeed interesting; all kinds of accidents could happen…"

Lu Taibai nodded: "Although this rule gives the weaker heroes some chances, the chances aren't many…"

"Because a tournament is a tournament, it will ultimately produce winners and losers, and once the weak enter, the peaches they hold become targets for the strong to plunder…"

"The Heroic Tournament is the most divided; among those at the main banquet are even weaker heroes of the top‑three‑flower rank, and there also appear strong ones like Golden‑fur Hound who have already reached the third‑stage Martial Saint realm."

"Therefore, the Empress's revised rules will fully reveal the cruelty of the Peach Tournament…"

Li Che nodded.

Unexpected, incalculable, unpredictable—that's the state of this Heroic Tournament.

Lu Taibai looked at Li Che, his eyes flashing, and finally sent his voice: "Ah Che, among the many heroes in the Heroic Tournament, your cultivation isn't too weak…"

"But you will certainly become the target of all arrows…"

"Whether it's Golden‑fur Hound, the Western Buddhist Lands, or the top hero Zhang Xuanlei of the Purple Palace Divine Sect and other strong ones, after entering the thousand‑year Peach Garden, their primary target may all be you!"

"So your pressure remains great. Should your martial cultivation be exposed? If exposed, people might guess your identity; if the Divine Monkey identity erupts, the impact would be even larger."

Li Che heard this and smiled gently: "Master, rest assured; I know what's going on in my heart."

The Divine Monkey clutched the free‑will Golden‑Iron Divine Staff; Li Che naturally cannot reveal his Divine Monkey identity—once revealed… that would truly make him the target of all arrows.

If he doesn't rely on martial cultivation…

Not to mention, the challenge is quite high; the difficulty is truly great.

But…

Li Che, however, has also prepared a countermeasure.

…

…

Shendu Third City.

After the Empress announced the rules, the martial cultivators of the entire Shendu Third City fell into a certain bewilderment.

Night fell, darkness descended.

Yet it could not swallow the cultivators' enthusiasm; compared with the Young Dragon Tournament, the clash of the Heroic Tournament was actually more captivating and drew more attention from the martial world.

After all, heroes' overall cultivation strength far exceeds that of the Young Dragons.

Even the youngsters of the Young Dragon Tournaments, no matter how strong, still seemed like a small‑scale skirmish.

But the heroes of the Heroic Tournament are different; to represent the Divine Sect in the Peach Tournament, they must at least be grand masters of the top‑three‑flower realm or divine embryo cultivators of the fetal‑breath transformation realm.

Thus, both the spectacle and intensity are higher.

But now, with the Empress's rule announcement, everyone is stunned.

Because it is completely different from expectations.

Especially the gambling houses that set up the bets, completely caught off guard.

The bets they had prepared for one‑on‑one duel matches were suddenly… all unusable.

Even the gambling houses couldn't immediately place bets on the subsequent developments.

Nevertheless, the gambling houses reacted quickly.

Within roughly half a incense stick's time after the Empress announced the rules, they immediately made adjustments.

They opened betting on the slots to advance from the first‑round thousand‑year Peach Garden to the second‑round five‑thousand‑year Peach Garden.

Betting on who has a higher chance to enter the second‑round five‑thousand‑year Peach Garden.

In an instant, the seven cities of Shendu starting from the Second City plunged into a carnival‑like frenzy, and almost every cultivator couldn't help but place a bet.

Of course, most people bet on Zhang Xuanlei, Zhang Xuanhe, and other first and second heroes of the Purple Palace Divine Sect, etc.

There were also the first and second heroes of the Yue family, Ji family, and Gongxu clan.

Most people still placed bets according to cultivation level.

Li Che performed exceptionally in the pre‑banquet of the Heroic Tournament, defeating the hero Zhou Chiguo, who served under Ji Mo Li.

Therefore, Li Che is not completely ignored.

He still has many people betting on him.

However, aside from supporters of the Qian Yuan Divine Sect, there are Li Qingshan, Nie Yang, and others, bets trusted by close confidants.

Li Qingshan even gave a cold smile, withdrew all his assets, and bet on Li Che.

Regarding Li Che, Li Qingshan has complete, unreserved belief.

Nie Yang, seeing Li Qingshan's high‑stakes gamble, also did not hesitate, taking all his accumulated Divine Crystals to bet on Li Che entering the second round.

Because Li Che has so few people betting on him, if Li Che succeeds in advancing, Li Qingshan and Nie Yang will each receive a substantial reward.

"They actually have such little confidence in Elder Li?"

Nie Yang held his sword, clearly not understanding.

Li Qingshan, pulling Mu Po Po, watched the battle from a prime spot atop the city wall of Shendu's Third City, snorting a cold laugh: "Isn't that just perfect?"

"Our trust will soon bring a great harvest!"

As a cat‑faced underworld official, Li Qingshan knows Li Che's identity, so…

Regarding Li Che, he believes without reservation.

He, Li Qingshan…

The purpose of betting has never been to earn those massive resources.

Betting is, instead, a heavy trust in one's teammates!

…

…

The night was hazy, as black as ink.

Lead‑gray clouds churned, like ink dancing in water.

Spring rain fell drop by drop, pattering incessantly on the greenhouse, producing a muffled sound; in the thick, unbreakable night, it burst into a white, misty veil.

The revelry did not last long.

Almost immediately after the Empress announced the rules, bets of all sizes were swiftly set up.

After a half‑incense‑long pause…

Lord Lian Zi Yi's violet robes fluttered, his palms clasped before him, and he floated onto the ruined White Jade Plaza.

His gaze swept the arena, and a sharp voice began to speak slowly.

"Second round of the Peach Banquet, Heroes' Contest… commence!"

"Heroes from all corners, summon the West Mother's divinity within your Peach Branches!"

Lord Lian's voice rose high, as if tearing the night rain.

Buzz—

The moment his words fell, the heroes seated behind the banquet table could no longer keep still.

They each drew out Peach Branches entwined with the West Mother's divinity.

Their spirits entered, and instantly a divinity surged, darting out of the Peach Branch like a winding jade serpent, soaring upward, parting the spring rain, and spiraling into the sky above the White Jade Plaza.

A hundred strands of the West Mother's divinity, nearly forming a hundred‑headed, interwoven divine jade serpent!

The Empress rose, lifted her hand, her long, fair fingers gently plucked a jade hairpin from the phoenix hairpins atop her head.

An immensely powerful divinity burst from that jade hairpin, and the void itself seemed, at that moment, to ripple and tremble!

Almost everyone's gaze was drawn.

"That is… the Sanqing Divine Weapon 'Heaven River Ruyi Hairpin' obtained from the West Mother's Guiyi Miao, as the Grand Overseer evaluated, ranking tenth in the Divine Weapon List!"

Lu Taibai spoke in a deep voice.

Li Che was slightly startled, his eyes instantly narrowing.

The Mixed‑Origin Equal‑Heaven Ruyi Golden Staff, ranked seventh in the Dàjǐng Qintian Divine Weapon List…

This is the second Sanqing Divine Weapon Li Che has seen on the Divine Weapon List!

"Only the Empress can wield this Ruyi Hairpin, and to become the Empress one must meet the conditions to wield it…"

Lu Taibai, knowing many secrets, introduced them to Li Che.

Li Che's gaze burned; not only Li Che, this Sanqing‑ranked divine weapon almost attracted the attention of strong figures from all sides.

Lu Taibai took a sip of wine, his eyes showing unabashed envy.

"The West Mother's Guiyi Miao, as a Sanqing‑ranked Guiyi Miao… contains four great Sanqing‑ranked divine weapons. The Dàjǐng Court holds the Peach Banquet to resonate with the temple divinities, aiming for the West Mother's Guiyi Miao's divine inheritance and the Sanqing divine weapons!"

"This Heaven River Ruyi Hairpin is one; besides it, Dàjǐng also obtained the Sanqing Pure Water Divine Bowl among the four great divine weapons…"

"The other two, the Gathering Immortal Banner and the Kunlun Mirror, are the Emperor's and Empress's goals for holding the Peach Banquet, seeking to acquire them through temple‑divinity resonance."

Lu Taibai took another sip, telling Li Che some secrets.

"In fact, if not for the peach as bait, many forces also harbor the desire to try to obtain these two Sanqing divine weapons… How could those forces willingly travel thousands of miles to help the Dàjǐng Court perfect temple‑divinity resonance?"

And while Lu Taibai was recounting the secrets to Li Che,

the Empress clenched the Heaven River Ruyi Hairpin, drawing it across her own front.

The void rippled, as if another rift in the void emerged.

Lines of temple‑divinity seemed to be sucked into the fissure, all rushing inside.

Li Che's spirit stirred slightly, feeling his form begin to blur.

Then, like the shift of a flying‑thunder chess piece, his entire body vanished.

Not only Li Che.

All cultivators who summoned the West Mother's temple divinity also disappeared.

As if evaporated into nothingness.

A faint smile appeared on the Empress's face.

She spread her slender five fingers, gently tossing the Heaven River jade hairpin outward.

It traced a line like a heavenly river.

Heaven River water roared, cascading from the sky above the White Jade Plaza like a flying waterfall.

Then, a colossal curtain formed.

Within the curtain, as the Heaven River water fell, it reflected countless heroes, appearing in the scene of the millennial Peach Garden.

In an instant.

The entire city, inside and out, was profoundly silent.

Everyone's gaze grew fierce, and their breathing became rapid.

They stared fixedly at the scene reflected by the Milky Way like a waterfall.

…

…

At the very moment the divine nature of the Western Queen Mother Temple completed the teleportation,

Li Che opened his eyes.

A strange mist shrouded everything; before his eyes lay a vast, wild expanse with no end in sight, and the rolling mist continuously churned over the boundless land.

It seemed as if specters and evil lurked within the mist, causing Li Che's celestial soul, now that he had become a divine embryo cultivator, to feel an extreme, crushing oppression.

"The Three Purities Rank Guiyi Miao… has already settled deep within the Strange Palace."

"Indeed, there is a terrifying sense of dread."

Li Che exhaled, without any hesitation, and his gaze fell upon the peach garden enclosed by bamboo fences before him.

A black stone tablet stood at the entrance, crookedly inscribed with the three characters "Peach Garden"; the script was ancient and its hand unrecognizable, yet a single glance revealed its meaning.

Upon entering the peach garden, Li Che had taken only a few steps when, accompanied by a rustling sound, he turned his head and found the garden's entrance had vanished.

Moreover, Li Che actually saw a peach tree sprout legs and sprint through the garden.

Thus the entire peach garden seemed to transform into a massive maze.

"Is this the millennial peach garden of the first round?"

"Peach maze…"

A strange hue instantly flashed in Li Che's eyes.

Everyone's speculation…

…seemed all wrong.

Originally, when the Empress said each hero could pick only one peach, everyone thought that once inside the garden, a terribly brutal battle would ensue.

But now, because the peach maze exists…

To fight each other, one must first locate an opponent.

"So, this tests… investigative ability?"

"What matters is who first finds another hero, defeats them, obtains the peach in their hand, and gathers five peaches to exit the maze?"

Li Che pondered, forming a fresh hypothesis about the rules.

"The Western Queen Mother Peach Garden… should be everyone's first step inside."

"Everyone knows too little about the peach garden."

Li Che's dark robe rustled, and his eyes flickered slightly.

Then he stepped forward, his soles touching the soft ground where emerald frost grass grew; the frost grass turned pale, as if the peaches had drained its nutrients.

Whoosh—whoosh—

After a few steps, the peach tree behind him, like a little girl lifting her skirt, tiptoed and began to run, changing direction and completely distorting and erasing the path Li Che had taken.

Li Che's eyes reflected contemplation; the next moment, he raised his hand and tapped his forehead.

Buzz—

An invisible, wrinkle‑like ripple spread outward!

Within the inner scene of the mud sphere, the divine embryo of the true monkey, bright and spiritual, instantly trembled, linking with the will of heaven and earth to form the celestial soul.

It seemed as if the primordial spirit leapt from his forehead, becoming a shadow spirit that scanned all directions.

Li Che released the celestial soul, which continuously rose and expanded.

He intended to seek other heroes.

However…

Li Che's expression soon shifted slightly, for as his celestial soul just formed, it sensed an extremely powerful pressure crushing down.

The higher it rose and the farther it spread outward…

The pressure grew!

Even the celestial soul, as strong as a divine embryo, was suppressed within a ten‑zhang radius!

Ten zhāng in every direction!

"Suppressing the perception of the celestial soul… isn't that like groping in the dark?"

Li Che furrowed his brows.

This situation truly was unexpected.

If he cannot find other heroes…

While other heroes gather five peaches and advance to the second round, he might still be circling in place!

"No, there must be a way to break the deadlock…"

"It's impossible to search blindly."

Li Che restrained his impulse, forgoing pure‑martial Tianren sensing, and continued to drive the celestial soul.

He aimed the celestial soul in one direction, releasing it fully!

The original ten‑zhang perception was instantly stretched to a hundred‑zhang range…

Faintly, vaguely, beyond a hundred zhāng, Li Che sensed a blurry figure!

But the moment he sensed it, Li Che released the celestial soul.

Because that terrifying pressure slammed down fiercely, like a backlash, aiming to shatter Li Che's celestial soul!

"So that's it… using each probe of the Heaven‑and‑Earth Soul at its limit to locate the target opponent."

Li Che smiled.

"First, go find a ripe Peaches of Immortality."

Li Che stretched lazily, his dark shirt fluttering, and began to stride swiftly through the peach orchard.

Every hero is allowed to pick one ripe peach, and picking this particular peach is primary and important.

Not every peach tree bears a ripe peach.

However, finding a peach is obviously far easier than searching for the heroes who have fallen into the colossal peach orchard.

In just a moment, Li Che's eyes flashed, and he smelled an extremely rich peach fragrance.

A blood‑red peach hung on a peach tree.

Its delicate beauty seemed about to drip, as if it would spill out deep crimson blood.

"Millennial Chi‑Dragon Blood Peach!"

"Good for replenishing Qi and blood, actually."

Li Che smiled, his toe tip touching the frost‑covered grass, the ground sinking slightly, and his whole body shot out like an arrowhead, swift as a black lightning!

However, just as Li Che reached to pluck the Chi‑Dragon Blood Peach hanging on the tree, a terrifying surge of blood‑Qi struck like a lightning bolt, a shocking screech rang out, and a scarlet flame erupted almost like a ray.

Li Che's dantian scene trembled slightly.

Because a Flying Thunder chess piece remains in the outside world, Li Che knows that the outside crowd is watching the scene of the Tianhe Waterfall flowing down.

Therefore, Li Che did not employ his martial cultivation.

The Law‑Heaven‑Image‑Earth surged forth with a roar, a massive Law‑Heaven‑Image‑Earth demon ape appeared, and at the moment it blocked the flame jet, it slapped the ambushing monster, pinching it on the spot and lifted it up.

Li Che crossed his hands behind his back, his dantian at his brow glowing like a golden jujube.

He looked at the seized scarlet serpent.

Star‑Eye extraction activated.

【Monster (Fifth Elder subordinate): Chi‑Fire Three‑Flower Python】

【Description: A monster born from the divine contamination of the West Mother Temple within the Strange Abyss, co‑existing in the peach orchard, growing together with the peaches; when a peach ripens, the co‑existing evil devours the peach, gaining transformation.】

A strange hue inadvertently appeared in Li Che's eyes.

"Born together with the peach, the Chi‑Fire Three‑Flower Python that waits for the peach to ripen… a Fifth Elder subordinate, equivalent to a Three‑Flower Grandmaster, not weak at all."

"So, every ripe peach comes with a monster?"

Li Che took a deep breath.

He stared at the serpent seized by the Law‑Heaven‑Image‑Earth.

His eyes flickered for a moment.

He couldn't help but think of the boss's previously brewed… Dragon Blood Wine.

This monster, however, is a fine ingredient.

Li Che murmured, "The queen's rule states… each hero may pick only one peach, but there has never been any restriction on these monsters."

With a sudden thought, the Law‑Heaven‑Image‑Earth demon ape instantly lifted the serpent and battered it; after stunning the serpent, Li Che tore open the cosmic space and threw the serpent into it.

The monster born alongside the peach is covered in treasure…

Naturally, Li Che would not choose to waste it.

Without the interference of the Chi‑Fire Three‑Flower Python that had painstakingly guarded for a thousand years, Li Che unceremoniously plucked the peach that the Three‑Flower Python had guarded for a millennium.

A rich fragrance filled the air, and the just‑picked peach smelled even more intense.

Li Che grasped the peach, took a sniff, and a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"The first peach…"

"The rule test is complete; it's time to speed up and enter the second round earlier…"

For Li Che, the allure of the millennium peach is not strong enough.

Raising his hand, Li Che tapped his dantian at his brow.

The Law‑Heaven‑Image‑Earth demon ape dispersed around, golden light flickering, making Li Che, standing at the center, appear somewhat blurred.

And in that blur,

Within his chest,

【Chess Saint】 Dao Fruit thumped and leapt!

Bang bang bang—!!!

The terrifying thudding sounded, like thunder exploding.

The Heaven‑and‑Earth Chessboard!

The next moment.

Using Li Che's body as the celestial pivot, countless intersecting lines were drawn.

Then, as Li Che spread his five fingers and pushed, the Heaven‑and‑Earth Chessboard surged into the firmament.

Enveloping the entire peach orchard.

Buzz buzz buzz—

? TTKдN? ￠O

Li Che gently closed his eyes.

After the Heaven‑and‑Earth Chessboard was unleashed, it spiraled and expanded, instantly enveloping the whole millennium peach orchard.

Each peach, as if tiptoeing and sneaking away, became incredibly clear in his perception.

As expected, Li Che sensed the silhouettes of heroes sprinting rapidly within the peach maze.

These figures chose the oldest method: endless running, repeatedly crashing through the maze to meet opponents…

Because he ran fast enough, the efficiency was high enough.

Since perception could not be used, he could only resort to this old method.

And at this moment, Li Che locked onto the many heroes who were barreling about like headless flies in the Peach Labyrinth.

However…

Just as Li Che locked onto a hero.

Li Che's complexion suddenly changed dramatically.

He had never experienced such a drastic change in complexion…

Within his chest.

The Chess Saint Dao Fruit, which had always been quiet, seemed to sense something and began to throb wildly, as if it were about to burst through his chest and leap out!

Thump thump thump—

Each throb seemed as if it would knock Li Che's soul out.

It was as if streams of phantom souls were scattering and expanding!

Such an anomaly in a Dao Fruit had never occurred!

Since obtaining the Chess Saint Dao Fruit, Li Che had never felt anything like this!

What is happening?

Li Che's expression grew more solemn than ever before.

Even Li Che feels apprehensive toward the unknown.

The changes occurring in the Chess Saint Dao Fruit right now are a situation he has never encountered, belonging to the realm of the unknown.

Suddenly.

The Chess Saint Dao Fruit thumped suddenly…

The Heaven and Earth Chessboard spread over the sky above the Peach Garden, as if countless glimmers radiated into every corner of the Peach Garden…

Gradually…

Amid the deafening thudding.

Li Che vaguely caught an extremely faint sound.

The subtle sound kept converging, coalescing, and gradually becoming clear.

"Save me…"

"Help me…"

And at the instant the voice rang in Li Che's ears,

the thudding of the Chess Saint Dao Fruit in his chest abruptly ceased.

A tremendously strong yearning and greed…

burst forth from the Chess Saint Dao Fruit…

like a breached river, surging outward!