Chapter 407: The Chess Game of Heaven and Earth

Shen Daoxing walked over and sat down opposite the handsome man. Looking at the black and white pieces arrayed on the board, he picked up a white stone and placed it down.

Instantly, a series of magnificent scenes materialized in the white radiance around him. In them, he rose step by step to the pinnacle of this world, becoming an unrivaled overlord. Tens of thousands of people knelt before him in submission; he had become an invincible existence.

Suddenly, Shen Daoxing saw a gentle and beautiful woman.

With a single glance, Shen Daoxing felt a profound sense of familiarity and closeness.

"Mother!"

The word escaped his lips. Though he had never met her before, Shen Daoxing recognized her instantly.

But in the next moment, a silver-white longsword suddenly burst from her chest, piercing clean through her body.

Shen Daoxing froze.

"Xing!"

Suddenly, another sweet and charming voice called out.

Shen Daoxing looked over and saw a pretty young woman standing happily before him. It was Shen Yuerou, from whom he had long been separated.

Beside her stood the Shen Family Patriarch, Shen Changqing, looking at Shen Daoxing with a kind and gratified expression.

"Yuerou! Patriarch!"

Shen Daoxing exclaimed joyfully.

And the next moment.

"SQUELCH!"

Two sharp swords suddenly burst from the chests of Yuerou and Shen Changqing, piercing through their bodies.

"No!"

Shen Daoxing screamed.

Abruptly, he looked up at the handsome man opposite him. "This is…"

"This is your fate. Your predestined fate."

The handsome man opposite him spoke slowly, then extended a finger and placed a black stone on the board.

Suddenly, within the space of white radiance, all the magnificent scenes shattered into pieces.

The supreme being? The adoration of the masses? In the blink of an eye, it all shattered like glass, crumbling to pieces.

"Fate? A predestined fate?"

In response, Shen Daoxing suddenly burst out laughing. "My fate has never been for anyone else to decide. My destiny is mine, and mine alone, to control!"

Saying this, Shen Daoxing decisively picked up a stone and placed it down with a sharp CLACK.

Instantly!

All the shattered scenes around them froze. As if time was reversing, they reassembled piece by piece, returning to their original state.

At this, the handsome man simply shook his head:

"The Celestial Dao is ruthless; it treats all things as straw dogs. Everyone's fate is sealed from the very beginning. Just as you were destined to be abandoned from birth, even the Venerable Supremes of old could not escape the arrangements of fate and ultimately fell back to the mortal world. What can a mere child like you possibly change?"

As he spoke, the handsome man picked up a black stone and placed it down with a CLACK. Instantly, the sky roiled with storms and the world itself transformed. A biting gale howled forth, threatening to overturn everything, and the newly reassembled scenes once again began to teeter on the verge of collapse.

Uncowed, Shen Daoxing defiantly raised his hand. SLAM! A white stone fell heavily onto the board. "How can you know it's impossible if you never try! Just because they failed, doesn't mean I will! I am me! They are them! They don't speak for me!"

Instantly, the howling gales all around them ceased.

The handsome man silently shook his head. "Everyone deludes themselves into thinking they control their own destiny. They are all ignorant of the fact they are but a single piece on the cosmic chessboard. You believe you have seized your fate, but have you ever considered that from the very beginning, you've been manipulated step-by-step? That even your loved ones are merely pawns, placed by another's hand."

As he spoke, the handsome man decisively placed down a black stone.

Suddenly, Shen Daoxing once again saw his mother, Shen Yuerou, and Shen Changqing falling from high above. But this time, the three of them hung limply in the air like marionettes. Transparent strings ran from their bodies upward, connecting to a boundless hand in the sky. Beneath that massive hand, they dangled and twitched like puppets.

Then, on the board, all the black stones linked together, capturing huge groups of Shen Daoxing's white stones. In the end, only a single white stone representing him lay isolated in the center.

The handsome man then gestured with the stone in his hand, inviting Shen Daoxing to make a move and break the hopeless situation.

Shen Daoxing looked down at the board. It was now almost entirely covered in black stones, with only his single white stone remaining. There was no way he could win this game.

Suddenly, Shen Daoxing looked up at the handsome man opposite him.

The handsome man smiled faintly. "Well?"

If that was the case…

Shen Daoxing suddenly slammed his hand down on the chessboard. "If we're all just pieces," he said, "then what happens if I destroy the board?"

As he spoke, he suddenly applied force. With a sharp CRACK, a deep fissure appeared on the board. Then, the board shattered completely.

CLATTER! CRASH!

Countless black stones jumped up chaotically and scattered across the ground. Yet Shen Daoxing's single white stone landed securely right on top, standing out prominently.

For a moment, the handsome man was stunned. He clearly hadn't expected Shen Daoxing to have such a move.

Then, he looked at the scattered stones on the ground and suddenly threw his head back and laughed. Afterward, he studied Shen Daoxing seriously and couldn't help but nod. "Kid, you are worthy of receiving my power."

With that, he waved his sleeve.

Shen Daoxing wanted to ask more, but the man opposite him had already vanished.

In an instant, Shen Daoxing felt the world around him once again roil with storms and transform. Rushing rivers, overlapping mountain ranges, and countless streams and peaks flowed past before his eyes.

He felt them all growing smaller and smaller.

In a majestic flash, Shen Daoxing saw the entirety of Baiyun City. In another flash, he saw the entire Martial Kingdom. And in yet another, he saw all the great rivers and mountains of the East Continent.

At this moment, Shen Daoxing felt like a giant who could prop up the heavens, capable of reaching out and grasping all things in the palm of his hand.

Heaven and Earth!

CRACKLE!

Without any control, the Venerable Power within Shen Daoxing's body suddenly surged forth.

"BOOM!"

It transformed into a dazzling beam of light that shot into the sky, piercing through the heavens.

Shen Daoxing's entire body was now covered in mysterious, ancient black-gold patterns. A supreme, primordial power accompanied them, making him seem like a Venerable Supreme from an even more ancient era. With a mere gesture, he could destroy everything, shattering the Great Dao itself.

…

Suddenly, Shen Daoxing opened his eyes. A bright moon hung high in the sky, and the entire Cyan Nether Sword Sect was silent in the night.

All the disciples had returned to their own residences. The entire expanse of the Inner Mountain's rolling Suspended Islands was completely silent.

At that moment, Shen Daoxing stood up, walked out of his room, and with a light leap, rose up using Sword Control. He then transformed into a streak of light, landing on the main island's training grounds. He slowly approached the massive furnace of the Divine Altar.

Then, Shen Daoxing flipped his hand over, and an Identity Jade Token appeared in his palm.