Chapter 854: Our Commander Is a Furnace

The World's Arbiter!

That's right, this was the positioning Tang Luo gave the Jia clan, and also the way he would complete this mission.

Reaching the pinnacle didn't necessarily require becoming Emperor, making the Jia clan the imperial family, and unifying the world.

There was another way, for instance becoming the World's Arbiter, the Sword Bearer.

This was far easier than contending for the world and becoming Emperor.

Being Emperor required raising armies of hundreds of thousands, even millions; being an Arbiter was different — "soldiers" valued quality over quantity, just having a portion of warriors with outstanding strength was enough.

And there was no need to exhaust one's mind and labor — at least not toil like a qualified Emperor.

One only needed to manage this three-acre plot of the World's First City, while simultaneously guaranteeing one's own extraordinary martial prowess.

Everyone looked at Tang Luo, unsurprised by his words.

Ever since he slashed out a deep valley with one sword and introduced the "Chess Warriors," people had more or less guessed his purpose.

"Come with me, I've built a 'World's First Chessboard.'" Tang Luo, resolved to become the World's Arbiter, said, walking out of the City Lord's Mansion.

At the platform's edge, there was a special chain, directly connecting the City Lord's Mansion and the "chessboard" already built on the other side.

The chain wasn't taut; unlike the spiraling roads and internal spaces outside the platform, there were no formations to shield against the cold high-altitude winds.

The thick chain swayed faintly in the gale.

Tang Luo took the lead, walking as if on flat ground, and soon vanished from sight.

The Liangshan remnants followed; this path seemed perilous, but in reality, any warrior who could overcome the fear in their heart and reach the Qi Refining stage could pass.

The mountain transformed into the "chessboard" on the other side had no constructed paths up or down.

It counted as a kind of invisible threshold.

Over a hundred people filed along the chain to the "Beast-Fighting Chessboard"; having experienced the baptism of the "Mountain-Inverting City Lord's Mansion," they now appeared remarkably calm.

The construction difficulty of this chessboard was far lower than inverting the mountain.

The spectator stands were simple stone steps, without seats, allowing anyone to sit freely.

Each delegation found their own spots, in twos and threes, "vast land, sparse people," looking rather scattered.

But these people, a single stomp of their feet, and the whole world would tremble.

The Liangshan side had clearly made preparations long ago.

The Commander-in-Chief was Guan Sheng of the Great Saber, a "fan" of Guan Yu; on the day the city fell, he, already injured, left together with Wu Song and others who forcibly broke through the pass.

Guan Sheng was a Martial Dao Grandmaster, his strength not bad, but unfortunately he suffered severe injuries during the Liangshan 108 Stars power struggle for the Great Yin.

Even now he hadn't fully recovered, unable to exert Grandmaster-level combat power.

Guan Sheng held his long saber, standing still, not sitting on the chair provided for the two Commanders on the chessboard.

The two Advisors were Holy Water General Shan Tinggui and Divine Fire General Wei Dingguo, respectively ranked forty-fourth Earth Stranger Star and forty-fifth Earth Fierce Star.

The two Ministers were Ruan Xiao'er, the Earthbound Taisui, and Ruan Xiao'wu, the Short-Lived Second Son, the two Ruan brothers.

Truth be told, these four weren't particularly strong, merely Qi Refining warriors.

The two Cannons were Zhang Qing the Featherless Arrow and Yan Qing the Prodigal.

The two Chariots were Wu Song and Lin Chong, both originally Martial Dao Grandmaster experts; when Tang Luo broke the city, they were in seclusion attempting to break through to the Great Grandmaster realm.

If not for Tang Luo descending like a natural disaster, they would surely have succeeded in entering the Great Grandmaster realm.

Unfortunately reality has no ifs; they forcibly broke out and fled, and now remain stuck between Grandmaster and Great Grandmaster.

The two Horses: one was Huyan Zhuo of the Twin Whips, the other was Shi Jin the Nine-Tattooed Dragon.

The five Soldiers were Chai Jin the Little Whirlwind, Li Ying the Swooping Eagle, Zhu Tong the Beautiful Beard, Dai Zong the Divine Traveler; their martial prowess was not low.

One could see the Liangshan remnants' purpose was to attack! Attack! And attack again!

As for Bai Sheng, Divine Physician An Daoquan and the like, they did not appear.

The famous Flower Monk Lu Zhishen had passed away in a temple long ago after Liangshan accepted amnesty, dying very early, not even participating in the later power struggle.

Fifteen pieces took the board.

The Liangshan side had only two people left who hadn't taken the field; one was Divine Strategist Zhu Wu, without a doubt he was the Player.

The other... honestly, some people only noticed this person's existence now.

He wore a black robe, a hood covering his face, inconspicuous.

Until the very last moment before taking the field, he took off his black outer robe, walked to the centermost Soldier position, and looked at Tang Luo: "Zhou Tong, requesting guidance from the Mysterious Venerable."

This tall, white-bearded and white-haired elder was Zhou Tong, a Great Yin Great Grandmaster renowned for many years.

A divine dragon showing its head but not its tail; even during the Great Yin's internal strife, Liangshan's power seizure, and Jia Rong's city-breaking, he did not appear.

Only now did he finally show himself.

"Oh." Tang Luo responded casually, extremely perfunctory.

Zhou Tong's expression stiffened slightly, and he said nothing more.

His appearance actually didn't elicit any gasps; Great Grandmasters and such, everyone present was a big shot with reputation, not like they hadn't seen them before.

Just on the field, not counting "Jia Rong," Lu Bu surpassed Great Grandmaster, Guan Yu was a Great Grandmaster.

Zhou Tong's entrance didn't achieve a shocking effect.

Rather, his willingness to be a "vanguard" was more surprising — is he learning from that day's Jia Rong?

Next came Tang Luo's side's deployment, similar to last time.

But a few positions changed; last time Ao Yulie acted as a Soldier to watch the fun, this time he purely watched the fun, didn't take the field.

The Soldier at the edge position was replaced by Jia Xichun.

And Tang Luo, walking to the Commander position, waved a hand, and a furnace descended from the sky, placed by him onto the spacious chair.

"What's the situation?"

"A furnace?"

"This is our side's commander." Tang Luo said with a smile.

Our side's commander is a furnace.

Yang Jian, inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, said nothing, as if he thought arguing with Tang Luo in such a situation would be even more embarrassing.

But he could send a voice transmission.

"Are you very idle?"

"No, I'm busy, so I'm helping out. Anyway, being the commander doesn't require moving, so you can just let them fight—he can't break through the defense." Tang Luo replied with a smile.

"..."

Thinking about it this way, it seems I really don't have to do anything.

Hmph, this time I'll just let it go.

"If you can break through the defense or move this furnace, then I lose." Tang Luo said.

"I heard there's an injured grandmaster hidden inside?" some people whispered.

The Jia family has a steward furnace, and inside it is a grandmaster—ordinary people don't know, but these big figures do.

It's just that Jia Rong actually made the furnace the commander, with the grandmaster inside "assisting."

Even if there's a grandmaster hidden inside, the furnace is still a furnace. As an old-guard grandmaster, Zhou Tong couldn't possibly fail to smash a furnace? Even if he can't smash it, kicking it over is no problem.

What on earth is Jia Rong thinking? Even Zhuge Liang, the excessively wise, and Zhou Yu, the excessively wise like Zhuge Liang, couldn't figure it out.

Tang Luo naturally had to maintain an air of mystery that kept people guessing.

Mystery represents high prestige.

Without high prestige, how could one step onto the pinnacle of the world... Well, actually, as long as one occupies that position, in others' eyes, one naturally possesses various high-prestige attributes.

Just like fans see idols as having grown on dew, never needing to use the toilet—if they do, it's pink.

Tang Luo, backed by immense martial power, made his spontaneous actions become the four grand characters: "profound and inscrutable."

After successfully persuading Yang Jian to be commander, Tang Luo did not go to the middle infantry position, but retreated outside the board, leaping to the "player's position" behind him.

It was just the top of a cylindrical pillar; standing there allowed one to overlook the entire board.

"Is Jia Rong not planning to take the field himself?"

"He wants to be the player."

"No, if he took the field he could still be a player part-time, but since he's not taking the field at all, what's the point of being a player? Isn't that just cutting off his own arm?"

Everyone felt doubtful.

Everyone knows Jia Rong's chess skill—he's worse than Lü Bu.

As a mere player, he is the misfortune of his own pieces.

"Will that infantryman be Jia Huan?"

"Or maybe it's Jia Da."

To make up for the gap in chess strength, the pieces' strength must be very strong.

Zhou Tong is a grandmaster; to block his advance, we must also have a grandmaster.

So, the final infantryman should be Jia Da... This person made a move once before the peak battle, and using Lü Bu's later words, if it weren't for Jia Rong being there, he actually would have wanted to fight Jia Da.

The implication suggests this person is very likely a grandmaster.

"Wait, there's still one more..." but Zhu Bajie had no intention of taking the field, standing beside Ao Yu Lie with a faint smile.

Seeing this expression, everyone suddenly recalled a gradually overlooked role.

Another important figure of the Jia family, the true mentor of the Jia Family Thirteen Guardians!

Surname Sun, name unknown—only known that the Jia family guardians call him "Great King."

At this moment, dark clouds gathered in the sky, seven-colored flowing light, the overture of "The Small Knife Society" sounded, a figure descended from the heavens, clad in armor, with a great banner raised behind him—on the banner, four large characters: "Great Sage Equal to Heaven."

Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong, appears!

He stood at the infantry position corresponding to Zhou Tong: "Want to bully my monkey and monkey grandchild? Ask my old self if I agree?"

A descended grandmaster?

Wait, where is this voice coming from?

Everyone was suspicious and doubtful, almost turning into a hundred thousand "whys."

Jia Rong always manages to bring them "surprises"—surprises with shock but no joy.

Looking at the strange person before them, Zhou Tong furrowed his brows—this person, he cannot see through!

"Begin, begin." Tang Luo urged from the high platform.

On that side, Zhu Wu asked: "Who goes first?"

Generally, in chess, red moves first, but now in living chess, there is no black-red distinction.

"The challenger goes first." Tang Luo said, directly establishing a rule.

Zhu Wu still chose the conventional opening of the head cannon, while Tang Luo had Lin Daiyu step forward one step, offering no defense at all.

"It seems you really trust this 'Sun Great King,' so let's first test his mettle." Zhu Wu looked toward one of the double cannons already behind Zhou Tong—Zhang Qing, featherless arrow.

Zhang Qing nodded, stood in place, swung his right hand, and three flying stones shot out from behind Zhou Tong, attacking Sun Wukong from a tricky angle.

The targets were respectively the head, throat, and heart—three vital points.

Long-range attack!

Moreover, with Zhou Tong standing in front, it could be said he was directly in an invincible position, able to unilaterally beat the opponent.

Because theoretically, as an infantryman, Sun Wukong cannot actively leave his position without the player "moving" him.

Zhang Qing's move exploited a loophole in the vague rules—now let's see how Jia Rong responds!

Will he call a halt on the spot and perfect the rules?

Tang Luo did not call a halt; his response was to completely ignore it.

Three rocks landed on Sun Wukong, shattered, and didn't even stir a single splash, utterly unable to harm him in the slightest.

Zhang Qing leapt from the spot, flicked both hands, and ten small stones whistled through the air, smashing toward Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong still neither dodged nor evaded, didn't even make a defensive movement, and even let out a yawn; the stones struck his Vajra Indestructible Body and shattered once more.

Zhang Qing landed, and from his bosom took out a rhombus-shaped, semi-translucent special stone.

"It's a Kunwu Stone."

"This must not be underestimated; let's see how this Great King Sun responds."

The "audience" looked toward Sun Wukong.

The Kunwu Stone's hardness surpasses even that of many divine weapons forged through a thousand hammerings and hundred temperings.