Chapter 1266: Two Games of Chess

The shifting tides of this world always left one in a daze.

When the Demon Sovereign looked upon the Mortal World once more, he found it in absolute chaos. Factions from all sides had crowded into this place, drawn by the qi destiny of the Human Dao.

The Dao cultivators of the Cultivation World spoke in hushed tones of a Tribulation, yet they used the guise of the Investiture of the Gods to openly scheme for the Human Dao's qi destiny.

“Clever.”

Even the Demon Sovereign could not help but voice his admiration.

This so-called Investiture of the Gods was perfectly justified in name. Better yet, if their plans failed, they could easily evade the karmic backlash. Such a method was truly the best of both worlds.

“However, this Sovereign has already set his sights on this prize. How could I let you ruin it?”

The chessboard before his eyes suddenly flipped over. With a sweep of his long sleeve, a new game of chess surfaced on the board.

She did not understand the purpose of this man's arrival.

Seeing this, the Demon Sovereign said nothing more.

The Demon Sovereign laughed. “He and I are inextricably linked to begin with. Why would I need to steal?”

The Listening Rain Sword projected a sense of intimacy and longing toward him, leaving the Demon Sovereign briefly caught off guard.

With those words, Chen Changsheng flipped his hand over.

The Demon Sovereign looked back, his gaze falling upon the Listening Rain Sword. He was not Chen Changsheng, and so this blade felt entirely foreign to him.

“Listening to Rain, behave! Why are you acting so strangely today?”

The Demon Sovereign paused upon hearing this, then let out a laugh.

The Listening Rain Sword was certain it had not mistaken him; the man standing before it was its master. Yet why would he say such things?

Yu Youyu obediently gripped the Sword and asked, “Is this your sword?”

Yu Youyu panicked for a moment.

“Interesting... truly interesting...”

Chen Changsheng stared at the chessboard, falling into deep thought.

She suddenly recalled what had happened before she passed out, and immediately began looking around.

He did not understand, nor could he make sense of it.

Where did he go?

“As a token of my gratitude,” the Demon Sovereign said, “This Chen shall set you upon the immortal path!”

“I have an eighty percent chance of victory,” the Demon Sovereign said. “While he does not even have five!”

Looking down, she saw the Listening Rain Sword lying quietly off to the side, completely motionless.

“Hold the Sword,” the Demon Sovereign said.

The Demon Sovereign shook his head at it. “You are a fine Immortal Sword. Unfortunately, you have made a mistake. I am not your master.”

The Demon Sovereign left her with those words.

Game pieces already dotted its surface, scattered all across the board.

He offered the Listening Rain Sword forward.

“Thank you for looking after Listening to Rain for me all these years,” he said.

Yet she was unable to move an inch, and her expression turned increasingly awful.

Yu Youyu felt a bit puzzled, but brushed it off.

When the Demon Sovereign fell into a deep slumber once more, disappearing from this world.

“You replaced him,” Chen Changsheng said. “Or rather, you stole his physical body. Demon, you are truly bold!”

“My head hurts!”

Yet somehow, the Sword shot straight toward the man in front of her.

“I play black, intending to slaughter the dragon. The game has reached its end, and this dragon has nowhere left to run.”

She pursed her lips, but the Listening Rain Sword in her arms remained entirely still.

The Demon Sovereign grasped the Listening Rain Sword. When he looked at her, his face returned to a gentle warmth.

Chen Changsheng's divine sense shook his head. “I did not find him within Reincarnation. Instead, I found you.”

The Listening Rain Sword trembled, as if pleading for him to take it along.

Yet the Listening Rain Sword chased right after him.

Yu Youyu let out a long sigh, feeling somewhat at a loss.

She could no longer find him.

The Demon Sovereign waved a hand dismissively. “He won't get the chance.”

Yu Youyu searched back and forth around the area, but there was still no sign of his figure.

Instead, he asked, “Are you truly that certain?”

She closed her eyes. The texts of those Immortal Arts were now branded clearly in her mind, leaving her in a momentary daze.

The Demon Sovereign raised his hand, and a chessboard materialized before his eyes.

The Demon Sovereign looked at him and said, “This Sovereign assumed you would be searching for much longer.”

Yu Youyu clutched the Listening Rain Sword and asked, but the blade gave no response for a long time, as though it were dead.

Yu Youyu gazed out over the Border Pass. As she gnawed on a steamed cake, the Sword beside her began to tremble violently, as if it had sensed something.

“You're... you are...”

In an instant, countless Divine Abilities, Arts and Techniques, and cultivation scriptures flooded into Yu Youyu's mind.

The Demon Sovereign set foot into this Mortal World.

The Listening Rain Sword suddenly froze.

Yu Youyu's expression instantly changed. As more and more information poured into her mind, she felt a splitting headache tearing at her skull.

Yu Youyu stared blankly. She stepped forward and said, “You've changed so much, I barely recognized you! Ah, you haven't aged at all—you actually look so handsome now that you're cleaned up!”

Chen Changsheng let out a cold snort. “One day, he will take back his physical body. Just you wait.”

“Listening to Rain, what exactly happened? Tell me, why aren't you moving at all anymore?”

He turned to leave.

When Yu Youyu woke up, her mind was entirely groggy.

Hadn't he come to retrieve the Sword?

Why hadn't he taken it with him?

Yu Youyu could not figure it out.

The Demon Sovereign strode away, not sparing the blade a single backward glance.

Upon this chessboard, there was only black and white; there was no heaven or earth.

“Is the steamed cake good?”

Just as she finished her steamed cake, she suddenly heard a voice behind her.

He stroked his chin, then raised his hand to pinch a black game piece. After thinking for only a moment, he placed it on the chessboard.

Yu Youyu felt a bit puzzled. “What's wrong?” she asked.

His gaze fixed on Chen Changsheng as he spoke. “Can you figure it out?”

He walked slowly forward and took a seat.

Yu Youyu spaced out for a moment.

She looked at the man in front of her, failing to recognize him at first. “Who are you?”

“What is all this?”

It was a strand of Chen Changsheng's divine sense.

She had expected the Listening Rain Sword to fall into her hands.

The Listening Rain Sword on her back suddenly trembled. Bursting through its long cloth wrappings, it flew out.

He suddenly looked up with a scoff. “You're looking at the wrong chessboard.”

This remnant soul had once lingered within Yu Hongdou's Sea of Consciousness, living and dying in endless cycles alongside the Mayfly Curse.

When he opened his eyes, he found that someone was already waiting for him.

“You're The Madman!” Yu Youyu exclaimed. “Ah! It's you!”

She thought for another moment, and realized her mind was completely overflowing with scriptures of the immortal path, sword arts, and Divine Abilities. She stood there, frozen in place.

Chen Changsheng furrowed his brows at the sight.

The Demon Sovereign reached out and grasped the Sword.

The Demon Sovereign stepped down from the Heavenly Emperor's seat.

The Demon Sovereign's expression shifted slightly at the sight, but he quickly calmed down. After observing it for a moment, a smile crept back onto his face.

His consciousness returned to Between Reincarnation.

Yu Youyu startled, whipping her head around.

As the Demon Sovereign withdrew his hand, Yu Youyu suddenly lost all her strength and collapsed to the ground.

A sword had also become confused.

...

“Listening to Rain! Listening to Rain! Where did he go?”

“You...” Staring at the man's face, it suddenly dawned on Yu Youyu.

With those words, the Demon Sovereign suddenly looked up. He pointed two fingers forward, tapping directly against the center of Yu Youyu's brow.

This was the path to immortality!

“It will be over soon,” the Demon Sovereign said calmly. “Very soon.”

Yu Youyu cried out.

Seeing this, Chen Changsheng picked up a white game piece and sat before the chessboard, falling into deep thought.

“If we play two games of chess, am I guaranteed to lose?”

The Demon Sovereign smiled and said, “Ridiculous.”