Chapter 596: I Was Just Helping Him Deepen the Impression

"This landscape is like a painting; who knows how many heroes it has buried!"

As the other party finished speaking, black and white runes rose into the air, intertwining in a vast, bloody display. Like a chessboard, they were clearly divided into black and white, yet woven together.

This was the first time Shen Yu had seen such runes; in the past, he had mostly seen golden runes. But before him were countless black and white runes.

The "Ten Interpretations of Runes" he had once obtained through sign-in recorded such runes. Runes of pure black and white without other colors represented the most primal killing intent; this was a pure Killing Array centered on slaughter.

This array could trap them here and then continuously grind away the vitality within, only ceasing its operation once the very last shred of vitality was completely extinguished.

As long as there was vitality within the array, it would operate forever.

There were only two outcomes: either the array exhausted all its power, or not a single living thing remained inside.

With the appearance of the runes, the surrounding space was completely sealed. The array originally deep within Luan Mountain vanished, perfectly merging with the Great Array outside, and the people inside also walked out from there.

However, the innermost array, which had originally only trapped a small area, had now evolved into a massive array that imprisoned the entire Luan Mountain.

Above the sky, the sun, moon, and stars were hidden, leaving only those black and white Chess Pieces, each radiating dense killing intent. It was as if the heavens themselves were unleashing a killing blow, shifting the stars and changing the constellations.

Looking at the sky completely shrouded in black and white, Shen Yu tried to swing his sword toward the very center of the array.

That Sword Qi, capable of shattering stars, was completely neutralized by these black and white runes. The terrifying Sword Qi tore through space, yet it could not break through the space condensed by these Chess Pieces.

After a section of the black and white Chess Pieces was shattered, they immediately shifted again, as if instantly forming another chessboard formation.

Those Chess Pieces were like troops deployed for battle, fighting on a field. They surged forward in a grand, imposing manner, neutralizing the resistance from within the array.

Not only did they carry a sharp, chilling killing intent, but they were also unpredictable.

What a peculiar array; it is an Array within an Array. Taking the natural world as its foundation, it incorporates the grand momentum of a Military Formation.

Each of those black and white Chess Pieces was like a soldier of peerless strength. A Military Formation composed of such top-tier experts was like the clouds of the nine heavens, grand and majestic, crushing everything with sheer, upright force.

Even Shen Yu could not help but exclaim, "A fine array!"

"Naturally it is a fine array, and a deadly one at that!"

The other party stood not far opposite Shen Yu, seemingly also within the Great Array. But Shen Yu knew that they were trapped within the array, while the other party was the one controlling it.

The distance between them appeared to be but a foot away, but in reality, barring any surprises, if the array was not broken, he would never be able to reach them.

This array is truly peculiar; interesting, truly interesting.

"Lord Shen is truly formidable. Even when Cold Spear Bai Yi gave his all, he only managed to shatter a few Chess Pieces, yet with a casual wave, Lord Shen has already managed to change the momentum of the chessboard."

"I admire you, I truly do. This 'number one in the world' title is indeed well-deserved!"

"It is a pity, even so, you are still going to die!"

Looking up, the other party's eyes held a smile, yet within that smile was an unmistakable killing intent.

Shen Yu could tell that they wanted to kill him, and it was a certainty they were determined to achieve.

"Why? Didn't you say you only take action against those corrupt noble families and sects?"

Gripping his blade, Liang Ruyue fought desperately, hacking at those Chess Pieces, but it was all in vain.

With his strength, he was like a drop in the ocean before this Military Formation composed of black and white Chess Pieces, tiny and weak.

"Why take action against Lord Shen? You lied to me!"

"That's right, I lied to you. From the moment we met until now, I have been lying to you. Our first meeting was deliberate, and I never admired you; it was only because you were brought by Shen Yu, nothing more!"

"Liang Ruyue, oh Liang Ruyue, why don't you understand? What I have always wanted was never the lives of these so-called noble families and famous sects; I could take their lives whenever I wanted."

He pointed at Shen Yu, then toward Bai Yi, who was probing his way out from the very center.

"What I want are their lives—Shen Yu, Bai Yi, Mu Zishan—the lives of the most top-tier experts and the greatest geniuses of this jianghu!"

"I must even thank you. If not for you, how would Bai Yi have come here? He trusts you because Shen Yu treats you as a confidant. He believes in Shen Yu, and therefore, he believed in you!"

"It is you who harmed them, and harmed everyone!"

"I, I..." He retreated step by step; regret, self-reproach, and a multitude of emotions surged into his heart.

The ambition to change the world that had been stirred up in the past was now utterly shattered. From beginning to end, he was nothing but a joke, merely a Chess Piece in someone else's hands.

He had only wanted to carve out a path for the commoners of the world, to create an opportunity for those unwilling to submit or be mediocre, even if that opportunity was incredibly small.

Yet in the end, why did it turn out like this?

"I set up this trap three years ago, just waiting for you, Shen Yu, to jump in. It's a pity you disappeared three years ago, so I could only keep waiting!"

"In the end, that old immortal Cold Spear Bai Yi appeared, so I used the trap originally intended for you on him."

"Tsk tsk, but I didn't expect an unexpected harvest in the end. You, Shen Yu, appeared at this moment and jumped into the trap yourself."

"Liang Ruyue, you are truly capable; you did well!"

"It started three years ago?"

Turning his head to look at the head-bowed Liang Ruyue, Shen Yu asked uncertainly, "So you were planning these things long ago? Three years ago, you already thought about using my hands to sweep through the sects of the world?"

"My Lord, this subordinate... this subordinate is ashamed. This subordinate is willing to die to atone for his crimes!" Holding his blade in one hand, Liang Ruyue slashed directly at himself without the slightest hesitation.

However, he was stopped by Shen Yu. He could die, but it should not be a death like this.

Over these past three years, how many people had died in the Northern Region, and more would choose to die in the future. Dying on the battlefield was better than dying now with no value at all.

"So, you have been secretly using Mental Power to influence Liang Ruyue all along, wanting to use his hands to set me up?"

After thinking for a moment, Shen Yu shook his head. "No, if that were the case, it would be impossible to hide it from me!"

"No, no, Lord Shen, you misunderstand me. If I used a mental-type Cultivation Method, it would certainly leave traces and you would discover it. But what if I didn't use Mental Power?"

"Liang Ruyue already had such thoughts, or rather, many people have such thoughts deep in their hearts. They are unwilling, they are unconvinced, and they are very dissatisfied."

"Why is it that even though they work hard and contribute silently, just because their background is humble, no matter how hard they try, they still linger at the very bottom and have no hope of reaching high positions in their lifetime?"

"Why is it that people are not born equal? Some are born as the powerful and wealthy, while others, even if they struggle their whole lives, risk their own lives, and sacrifice everything, are destined to achieve nothing."

"At best, they become someone else's dog, someone else's blade. It looks glorious, but in reality, they have no choice. This is the pain of the common-born!"

"It's just that such thoughts have always been suppressed in their hearts; they dare not express them."

Looking at Liang Ruyue, he smiled lightly, with a hint of pity. "It was just like when I first met Liang Ruyue; he was the same, and after getting drunk, he couldn't help but complain a sentence or two."

"If not for your help back then, Lord Shen, Liang Ruyue, who had performed countless meritorious deeds, would have long since died in a dungeon, dying unknown like a weed."

"I know, he must be very dissatisfied. And all I need to do is slightly stir the thoughts within his heart and help him deepen that impression."