Chapter 161

Meanwhile, deep underground.

Bai Xiaofei felt as if he had been thrown into a high-speed spinning washing machine, his whole body rotating rapidly forward through the underground tunnel.

A rotting arm clutched his ankle in a death grip, its strength so great it nearly crushed his bones.

"Damn it! Where are you dragging me to?" Bai Xiaofei cursed loudly while struggling, "Hey! Can't you be gentle? My ass is gonna be ground away!"

He tried to break free from that arm, but every struggle only brought more violent pulling.

Suddenly, Bai Xiaofei felt his body go light, and his whole person shot out from underground like a shell.

He flipped several somersaults in midair, barely adjusting his posture, and landed heavily on both feet, staggering a few steps before steadying himself.

"Phew, good thing this old man reacted fast." Bai Xiaofei patted his chest and let out a long breath, then raised his head to look around.

The sight before him made his eyes go stark wide in an instant.

On a massive platform, an exquisite chess table was particularly eye-catching.

On one side of the chess table sat a tall man; his existence filled the entire space with a stifling aura.

Bai Xiaofei narrowed his eyes, carefully sizing up that man.

The man's skin showed an unnatural grayish-white, like a corpse that had undergone preservation treatment.

Even more unsettling, his eyes flickered with an eerie red light, like two clusters of jumping ghost fire.

"Corpse King." Bai Xiaofei sucked in a cold breath, alarm bells ringing in his heart.

However, what shocked Bai Xiaofei even more was the person sitting opposite the Corpse King.

It was a person who looked exactly like him, the only difference being the other wore a set of black clothes.

"Th-this... what's going on?" Bai Xiaofei murmured to himself, his gaze shifting back and forth between the Corpse King, Hei Xiaofei, and the hostages on the chessboard, his brain spinning rapidly, trying to understand the situation before him.

At this moment, the Corpse King raised his head, the corner of his mouth hooking into an eerie smile: "Ah, our 'other' guest has finally arrived; looks like this game of chess will be more interesting."

Only then did Bai Xiaofei notice the horror of the chess game. Every single piece on the board had a living person bound to it!

They were firmly fixed to the pieces, their faces written full of fear and despair.

And below the platform, packed densely were over a thousand bound hostages; their wails faintly carried over, chilling one to the bone.

"You lunatic!" Bai Xiaofei roared, "This isn't a game! You're toying with human lives!"

The Corpse King shrugged indifferently, his voice carrying a hint of mockery: "Correct, this game of chess concerns the lives of everyone here."

His gaze swept back and forth between the two Bai Xiaofeis, a look of great interest on his face: "Life itself is a game, isn't it?"

Bai Xiaofei's roar drew Hei Xiaofei's attention.

He abruptly raised his head, and upon seeing a person identical to himself standing at the platform's edge, a flash of disbelief crossed his eyes.

"Corpse King, what trick is this?" Hei Xiaofei demanded sharply: "What genjutsu did you cast on me?"

Hearing this, the Corpse King merely chuckled lightly, a trace of mockery flashing in those eerie red eyes: "Genjutsu? I don't have that kind of leisure."

Hei Xiaofei still wanted to say something, but the Corpse King had already turned his attention back to the chess game; his fingers lightly settled on a piece and slowly pushed it.

"Ah!" A shrill, miserable scream tore through the air.

Hei Xiaofei whipped his head around, only to see a "human piece" that had just been struggling instantly turn into a pool of blood.

Hei Xiaofei took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His gaze rapidly scanned the chessboard, his brain operating at high speed, calculating every possible move.

"Three more moves... and I win." Hei Xiaofei murmured, fine beads of sweat oozing on his forehead. His fingers trembled slightly, hovering above a piece.

At this moment, the entire underground space suddenly shook violently.

Dust rustled down from the walls, and a few chunks of rock fell from the ceiling, hitting the ground with dull thuds.

Suddenly — "Boom!" — with a huge crash, a wall was forcibly blasted open into a large hole. Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, several figures rushed out.

"Lord God!" Bai Xiaofei cried out in surprise, his face showing an expression of wild joy.

Tu Shu quickly scanned the entire scene. When he saw those suffering, struggling "human pieces" on the chessboard, a flash of shock and anger passed through his eyes.

"Th-this... what the hell is this?" He sucked in a cold breath, his face written full of disbelief.

Tu Shu nodded in understanding, then turned and ordered the Five Elements Squad: "Rescue the hostages immediately, be careful of those pieces!"

At this time, Fugaku looked toward the platform, a puzzled look on his face: "How come there are two Bai Xiaofeis..."

The Five Elements Squad members quickly dispersed and began rescuing the hostages bound below the platform.

However, just as they made contact with the first hostage, the Corpse King suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"You're trying to break the game rules?" The Corpse King's voice was full of mockery.

Voice not yet fallen, those people bound on the pieces suddenly let out pained howls; their bodies began to convulse violently, eerie black patterns surfacing on their skin.

"Ah!!!" Shrill, miserable screams rose and fell in succession, reverberating throughout the entire space, making one's hair stand on end.

Suddenly, a hostage's chest emitted an eerie squirming, as if something was about to burst out of his body.

"Crack!" With a crisp sound, his sternum suddenly split open, blood splattering everywhere, and tentacles extended out from within — the scene was nauseating.

At this moment, angry roars came from below the platform.

"Damn it! It's all you guys!" A blood-stained middle-aged man roared, his eyes full of despair and hatred, "If it weren't for you meddling, we would've been rescued long ago!"

"That's right! Lord Corpse King said that as long as the chess game was won, he'd let us leave!" Another woman cried out, her voice full of regret, "Now it's all over! It's all because of you!"

Intermittent screams and curses rang out all around; clearly many hostages felt anger and despair at the Special Ability Squad's actions.

"Stop!" Hei Xiaofei abruptly stood up, glaring at the Corpse King, "You promised that as long as I won the chess game, you'd let them go!"

Hearing this, the Corpse King shrugged indifferently, the expression on his face still that same playful, unconcerned look: "Oh? Is that so? But the game rules have already been broken, haven't they?"

His gaze swept over Fugaku, Tu Shu, and the others, the corner of his mouth hooking into a cold sneer, "Since someone has interfered in our game without authorization, the previous agreement is naturally void."

Hei Xiaofei, hearing this, was struck as if by lightning; his whole person instantly froze.

At this time the Corpse King's gaze swept over everyone present, his voice full of mockery: "You humans are just like this — facing the enemy you wag your tails and beg for mercy to survive, but facing the people who come to save you, you curse them in anger."

"Foolish!" Fugaku looked at Hei Xiaofei, his Three Tomoe Sharingan spinning rapidly, "Placing hope on the enemy's mercy — he never intended to let anyone go."

Voice not yet fallen, Fugaku's hands rapidly formed hand seals, and he took a deep breath. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A huge fireball spurted from Fugaku's mouth, rushing straight at the Corpse King. Wherever the fireball passed, the air was twisted by the high temperature, emitting a piercing shriek.

At the same time, Tu Shu was not idle either. His figure flickered like a ghost, appearing behind the Corpse King in an instant.

"Baji Quan, Collapsing Fist!"

Tu Shu roared, his right fist smashing toward the Corpse King's back like a shell. Before the fist even touched him, the powerful qi had already shaken the surrounding air into crackling sounds.

Just as the two attacks were about to hit, the Corpse King curled a strange smile at the corner of his mouth. His eyes suddenly widened, a streak of blood-red light flashing through his pupils.

"Xuanwu Armor!"

As soon as the Corpse King's voice fell, his body underwent an amazing change in an instant. A thick layer of black scale armor covered his entire body at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Tu Shu's fist slammed heavily onto the turtle shell on the Corpse King's back, emitting a deafening roar. The powerful impact made the entire platform tremble, but that layer of black scale armor remained completely motionless.

At the same time, Fugaku's fireball also slammed into the Corpse King's front. The scorching flames swallowed the Corpse King's figure in an instant, twisting the surrounding air.

However, when the flames scattered slightly, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air.

Only to see the Corpse King still standing steadily in place, not a single burn mark left on that layer of black scale armor. He slowly turned around, a mocking light flashing in his strange red eyes.

"Is that all?" the Corpse King let out a disdainful cold snort, "I thought the elites of the Special Ability Squad were something. It seems, that's all there is."

At this moment, the Corpse King suddenly moved. His speed was astonishing, appearing in front of Fugaku in an instant.

"Let me teach you what true power is!"

As soon as the Corpse King's voice fell, his right fist had already smashed toward Fugaku's face like lightning. Fugaku's pupils suddenly contracted, his Sharingan spinning rapidly, his body instinctively leaning back.

"Swish!"

The Corpse King's fist brushed past Fugaku's nose, the wind of the punch even slashing Fugaku's cheek. Fugaku was startled in his heart; if this punch landed solidly, his head would probably be smashed.

However, the Corpse King's offensive did not stop there. His body twisted at an unbelievable speed, his right leg like an unsheathed sharp sword, viciously kicking toward Fugaku's abdomen.

Fugaku's pupils contracted sharply, alarm bells ringing in his heart. In his eyes, the blood-red Mangekyou Sharingan spun rapidly, a massive chakra surging out from within him like a towering tsunami.

"Susanoo!"

Fugaku roared, blue chakra condensing around him in an instant, forming a skeletal structure in the blink of an eye.

"Boom!"

The Corpse King's kick slammed heavily onto Susanoo's skeleton. The terrifying impact transmitted through the skeleton to Fugaku; even with Susanoo's protection, Fugaku still felt a sharp pain, his whole body uncontrollably retreating several steps backward.

Seeing this, the Corpse King curled a cold smile at the corner of his mouth, "It seems you still have some skill, not like those ants that crumble at a touch."

However, at the moment he was distracted, a chilling killing intent suddenly attacked from behind. The Corpse King turned back abruptly, only to see Tu Shu appearing behind him at some point, his hands making a strange posture.

"Shaking Heaven Cannon Fist!"

Tu Shu roared, a terrifying aura that made one's heart palpitate condensing on his right fist. His fist like a shell leaving the barrel, with an irresistible momentum, smashed toward the Corpse King's back.

"Boom!"

A heaven-shaking roar echoed throughout the entire space. Tu Shu's fist slammed heavily onto the Corpse King's turtle shell, the powerful impact making the entire platform tremble.

The Corpse King's Xuanwu Armor actually shattered bit by bit under this terrifying blow. Tu Shu's fist, like splitting bamboo, directly pierced through the Corpse King's body, emerging from his chest.

However, before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the Corpse King's body suddenly twisted and deformed in midair.

Only to see that huge wound beginning to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye, broken bones reconnecting, torn muscles rapidly growing.

In the blink of an eye, the Corpse King's body had recovered as before, as if that fatal blow had never happened.

The Corpse King slowly turned around, his scarlet eyes staring straight at Tu Shu, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth: "Hahaha! That's more like it, you have to bring out your true skills!"

As soon as his voice fell, the Corpse King's body suddenly began to twist.

Bang! Countless blood-red flower stems burst out from within his body, growing wildly in the air. In the blink of an eye, the entire platform was covered by these strange flower stems.

"Since you're so eager to die, come feel the breath of hell! Bi Hua Kai Huang Quan Song Xing!"

A hint of morbid excitement was in the Corpse King's voice. Those blood-red flower stems suddenly bloomed, countless gorgeous Shenyan Hua blossoming in the air. The petals were like sharp blades, drawing bloody traces in the air.

Just at this critical moment, a massive chakra suddenly burst out from within Fugaku's eyes.

Susanoo's skeleton expanded rapidly, reaching a height of tens of meters in the blink of an eye, firmly protecting Fugaku within.

Those deadly petals crashed onto Susanoo's energy shell, emitting piercing humming sounds, but unable to break through this layer of defense.

Fugaku waved both hands, and a huge staff suddenly appeared in Susanoo's hand—Ame-no-Nuboko.

"Hah!"

Fugaku shouted angrily, controlling Susanoo to swing Ame-no-Nuboko. The huge staff swept across, bringing up a gale, instantly grinding all the flower threads around into pieces.

However, the Corpse King showed not the slightest panic. Only to see him wave both hands, those shattered flower threads actually recondensed in the air, becoming thicker than before.

"Hahaha!" the Corpse King laughed wildly, "Your struggles will only excite me more! Come, let's see who laughs last!"

"See how long you can be arrogant!" Fugaku shouted angrily, controlling Susanoo to swing Ame-no-Nuboko.

The huge energy staff swept across, the air torn apart wherever it passed, emitting piercing whistling sounds. Those blood-red petals shattered like paper scraps under this terrifying attack.

Ame-no-Nuboko, like splitting bamboo, directly smashed toward the Corpse King. The power of this blow was enough to raze a small mountain to the ground.

However, facing this blow capable of destroying heaven and earth, the Corpse King was not panicked at all. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, a hint of frenzy flashing in his eyes.

"Blood Demon Qi!"

As the Corpse King roared, a terrifying energy burst out from within him. This energy condensed like substance in front of him, forming a huge energy shield.

"Boom!"

Ame-no-Nuboko slammed heavily onto the energy shield, emitting a deafening roar. The powerful shockwave spread in all directions, shattering the surrounding ground.

The Corpse King's body kept retreating under this terrifying impact, his feet plowing two deep grooves in the ground.

(Chapter End)