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Chapter 286 - Chapter 287: Master of the Board

At first, because he had never experienced anything like this, Lin Yun was a little worried. This was, after all, a true battle with real stakes. If he couldn't control the situation, he would surely die.

But as he slowly came to understand the rules of the game, he began to draw upon his past experiences, and the power of his strategic mind became apparent.

Although the previous turn of events had made He Jiemin cautious and vigilant, he was still consistently one step behind. The most he could do was walk one step and see five moves ahead.

But Lin Yun was different.

In this aspect, Lin Yun completely crushed He Jiemin. When a single chess piece was placed, he could instantly see dozens of potential outcomes and the branching sequence of every possible development that followed.

Even the Chongqing Bird couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. "What kind of monster are you, boy? A moment ago, I was worried you were going to lose this time, but I never expected you to have a skill like this!"

It was truly incredible. Who would have thought that Lin Yun, who had seemed so timid and uncertain just a moment ago, could suddenly display such terrifying prowess?

Lin Yun, however, remained silent. He expanded his killing intent domain.

The next moment, the black army's General transformed into a colossal projection, blotting out the sun and sky. The morale of the black pieces surged. He Jiemin, on the other hand, felt the pressure on him multiply.

He was gradually beginning to understand why, in the old days, everyone sought to stop sword cultivators from growing too powerful. Damn it all, once these sword cultivators reached a certain level, every single one of them was like an old monster. Forget about defeating them; even trying to interact with them normally was a troublesome affair.

Yet now, Lin Yun, despite being suppressed on multiple fronts, had somehow re-mastered that same troublesome power. And it had rendered He Jiemin completely helpless.

"You'd best be careful. This game is about to end," Lin Yun said, still smiling as he looked at He Jiemin. "I'm very curious. What will your next move be?"

The current He Jiemin couldn't even speak. It was too complex. How could he possibly be losing to this boy?

Outside the Star-Lattice Chessboard, Prince Zuo Cheng remained cautious. He had been somewhat moved by Lin Yun's earlier words and was now very curious to see what kind of surprise Lin Yun could deliver. It was just a pity that by the time he tried to listen more closely, it no longer mattered. This was not the outcome he had hoped to see. He still wanted to hear what critical information Lin Yun might reveal. But the thought had barely crossed his mind before the situation became utterly unpredictable.

Fang Yu'er was also looking up at the battlefield above. In He Jiemin's domain, Lin Yun was indeed at a disadvantage, completely suppressed from the very beginning. But then, he seemed to have slowly seized the initiative. Faced with He Jiemin's repeated attacks, Lin Yun was always able to find his opponent's flaws and continuously expand his own position.

And so, the red army, which had held a massive advantage at the start, was slowly but surely pushed back by Lin Yun. As for the final outcome, no one could yet be certain.

He Jiemin also realized that Lin Yun was now breaking through his defensive lines, piece by piece. Watching Lin Yun's forces charge deep into his territory, He Jiemin was powerless to resist. His every calculation was within Lin Yun's control. And the extent to which Lin Yun could calculate was something the current He Jiemin simply could not comprehend.

It was likely that while the people of this world had some understanding of Chinese chess, it had never been developed to a very profound level. The reason He Jiemin used such a domain was due to his own unique talent, which gave rise to this ingenious idea. And with this method, he had indeed defeated many powerful experts. After all, not everyone possessed Lin Yun's level of mastery in chess. Normally, when facing He Jiemin, his opponents were completely unable to display their own advantages.

But now, it was different. He Jiemin's slight advantage had been rendered nonexistent in Lin Yun's eyes. Even the domain's rule-based suppression had been seen through. And so, everything that followed underwent a heaven-and-earth-shattering change. It was now far too late for He Jiemin to turn the tide. He could only watch, helpless, as Lin Yun dismantled his plan, piece by piece.

Just as He Jiemin was about to make a final, desperate struggle, a chess piece slammed down heavily.

"Checkmate!" Lin Yun roared. The aura around him exploded, and the fierce killing intent made He Jiemin feel as if his own heart was about to burst.

He stared, wide-eyed, at the youth before him, whose aura was as sharp as a blade. In all these years, not a single person had ever beaten him so thoroughly, leaving him in such a state of utter defeat. Staring at his own checkmated King, He Jiemin thought of countless ways to escape, but all of them failed.

It was an unsolvable position.

"You have already lost," Lin Yun said, looking at He Jiemin with an air of pride. At the same time, the massive projection of the black General on the board slowly stood up. As Lin Yun drew his sword again, a powerful pressure completely suppressed He Jiemin. The Baqi Sword in Lin Yun's hand trembled incessantly, as if it could not control its own killing intent.

He Jiemin stared coldly at Lin Yun. He had originally wanted to use this domain to completely cut off any chance of Lin Yun communicating with Prince Zuo Cheng. After all, if Lin Yun told the Prince what had happened before, it could lead to great trouble. That was why he wanted to use this domain to kill Lin Yun as quickly as possible. Who could have known that this very method would be the cause of his own downfall?

But now, He Jiemin clearly had no other choice.

"You have some skill, boy," he sneered. "But I am, after all, an expert of the Shangqing Temple. How could I possibly be defeated by you just like this?"

Here, in his own domain, as its master, how could he possibly lose?

The next moment, the Chu River and Han Border that divided the board erupted in a monstrous wave. The wave crashed down upon the chessboard, and the pieces instantly shattered and disintegrated.

Lin Yun was hit by the backlash, violently spitting out a mouthful of blood. He stared intently at He Jiemin in the distance. Although the blow had dealt him a significant impact, for He Jiemin to have used such a technique must have also put a heavy strain on himself.

Don't be fooled by the fact that He Jiemin looked as if nothing had happened. Anyone could guess that his current state was far from good.

"How about it?" He Jiemin taunted with a triumphant sneer. "In my domain, what tricks do you have left?"

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