Han Li and the others had only come to participate in this battle of the powerful at Bi Ying's invitation. Although they both found it somewhat strange that he had agreed to the other party's request so readily, they naturally had no objections and simply stood to the side in silence.
Across from them, the two green flames flickering within the Buddhist Bone King's eyes pulsed a few times as he glanced at Han Li and the others, remaining equally silent.
Upon hearing Bi Ying agree to this, the King of the Wheel of Reincarnation revealed a trace of a smile on his face, then lowered his head once more to study the game before him. After a good while, he finally placed a piece on the board.
The moment Bi Ying saw his move, his expression turned grave, and he lowered his head to stare at the game board in deep contemplation.
Seeing this, Han Li also turned his gaze toward the chessboard with some interest.
However, after only a few careful glances to calculate, he shook his head with a faint look of shock.
Though his skill at the game was entirely unremarkable, he could tell at a glance that the complexity of the game before him was absolutely astonishing — far beyond anything he could calculate.
The strength of Bi Ying's and this King of the Wheel of Reincarnation's chess skills were truly the finest he had ever encountered in his entire life.
No wonder the two of them were so confident in using this game to decide the outcome of such an important match.
At this thought, Han Li couldn't help but glance at Wen Xinfeng beside him.
He saw that this woman was also watching the chessboard, her beautiful eyes shimmering with light, though her dark brows were slightly furrowed.
Her skill at this game also seemed far from ordinary…
Han Li couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself.
Just like that, the two of them at the stone table deliberated a long time over every move before finally placing a piece.
In the blink of an eye, nearly half an hour had passed.
Suddenly, a thunderous boom echoed from the distance on one side. The two layers of light barriers atop the rightmost hilltop flickered and collapsed simultaneously, and two figures shot out from within, chasing each other as they hurtled toward the central peak where Han Li and the others were.
"Fellow Daoist Lei actually lost." Wen Xinfeng's gaze swept over and identified the figure flying toward them, and her beautiful face shifted slightly.
Han Li's gaze sharpened as he too glanced over.
The person in front wore a suit of brilliant silver armor that had already become riddled with holes. Half of his body was a bloody, mangled mess, with several eerie ghost heads as black as ink biting firmly into his exposed flesh. His face was also deathly pale.
Pursuing closely behind was an extraordinarily beautiful and dazzling young girl.
She appeared to be sixteen or seventeen, draped in a purple rosy garment, but surrounded by over a hundred eerie ghost heads, chasing relentlessly amid waves of yin wind.
After a few flashes, the two arrived one after another above the hilltop where Han Li and the others were. Upon seeing the scene below with Bi Ying and the rest, they both paused in surprise.
The silver-armored man immediately recovered and descended without hesitation, while the beautiful young girl blinked her lovely eyes before also drifting down without the slightest delay.
The ghost heads surrounding the girl blurred for a moment and then vanished into thin air like bursting bubbles.
"Brother Lei, nothing too serious, I hope?" Bi Ying raised his head and looked at the silver-armored man, asking in measured tones.
"Thank you for your concern, Brother Bi. I'm fine. It's just that I'm afraid I've disappointed you in the previous battle. This woman's abilities are truly too bizarre. Even though I gave it my all, I still fell slightly short and had no choice but to break through the light barrier and escape." The silver-armored man said with a bitter smile.
"It's nothing. Fellow Daoist Han and Fairy Wen have already won two rounds. There are variations in cultivation and ability among the Ten Kings of the Underworld — I never expected us to win all five matches. Brother Lei, you should focus on healing your injuries first!" Bi Ying said gently, seeming not to care too much about the silver-armored man's defeat.
"What? Fellow Daoist Han and Fairy Wen have already defeated their opponents? What a pleasant surprise. In that case, I'm somewhat relieved. I shall recover my strength first, then." The silver-armored man glanced at Han Li and Wen Xinfeng in surprise, then said no more and sat cross-legged nearby.
Moments later, silver light erupted from his body as arcs of silver lightning coiled around him, instantly engulfing his entire form.
The middle-aged man on the other side seemed to exchange a few voice transmissions with the beautiful young girl. After learning the general course of the previous battle, the smile on his face grew noticeably broader.
"King of the Wheel of Reincarnation, I'll count that as one win for your side. However, as we agreed beforehand, those two must remain on their hilltop and may not interfere with the battle at the final location." Bi Ying glanced at the young girl and said abruptly.
"Rest assured, that is only natural. Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. The one fighting at the final hilltop is the King of the Seven Apertures. His strength among our Ten Kings can easily rank in the top three, and his abilities are extraordinarily domineering — even I must admit I fall far short of him. If his opponent proves unable to match him, I'm afraid it won't be as simple as just losing. He may very well lose his life as well." The middle-aged man suddenly smiled and said.
"Does this King of the Seven Apertures truly possess such extraordinary abilities? I find that hard to believe. Fellow Daoist Xue Sha is also a powerful existence who ranks among the top ten in our world. It may well be your companion who gets killed instead." Bi Ying's expression shifted slightly, but he immediately recovered his composure.