Baili An was about to draw his sword.
At that moment, a black Go piece fell like rain.
A strand of the game’s killing aura obliquely descended into the space, and the crisp sound of the chess piece landing on the board easily overpowered the shrill shriek erupting from the human face’s mouth.
The extraordinarily polished and forceful chess piece, like a drop of clear ink, landed on the forehead of the human face carved in the mountain.
A force that was not overwhelmingly powerful but profoundly mysterious, like a move that broke the game, its aura intertwined and decomposed among the stone patterns of that face.
With a sudden bang, the face on the mountain exploded into a deep round pit.
Blood flowed continuously from the pit, as if human skin had been blasted and injured.
Meng Zifei’s vital energy no longer drained, his wandering spirits greedily took in several deep breaths of yang energy.
He coughed chokingly, bending over and retreating repeatedly, his face a mingling of cyan and ash.
What is this thing! So wickedly powerful!
Jiang Shaoyu behind him was also scared stupid, mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.
"I’m saying, how much longer do you want to talk? My time is very precious," a crisp and clear voice floated down from the Chang Feng.
People couldn’t help but look up, and above the eerie Black Mountain, adorned with a streak of vibrant red shadow, the rugged beauty of the long, desolate night wind, the red-clad woman seemed like a painting, slowly etching a melancholy beautiful outline.
Meng Zifei recognized the woman’s identity at a glance, his eyes instinctively dodged and avoided.
But as his gaze flitted, he again saw beneath the mountain where she stood, several human faces reemerging, with eyes open, mouths agape, as if wanting to pull her into the Abyss.
Meng Zifei’s complexion changed drastically, and he hoarsely shouted a warning, "Watch your step!"
Yin Baishuang didn’t look at him at all, snorted coldly, and her slender white fingertips once more held a black piece, shimmering with a cold luster.
The faces, as if sensing an extremely dangerous aura, had their stone pupils crazily spinning in their sockets—one moment murderous, another covetous, and then unwilling.
Finally, all those emotions turned to wariness, and those faces slowly disappeared into the mountainside.
Yin Baishuang glanced indifferently at her feet, seemingly disdainful.
Her red dress billowing, she descended like a blazing fire, and in a backhanded motion, she flicked the black piece she held towards the mountain ridge.
A small, polished chess piece seemed as if it struck with the force of a heavenly hammer.
The pitch-black little mountain was sent flying backward with a thunderous roar, kicking up dust and scattering grass—its massive dark silhouette instantly devoured by the night and disappearing.
Not long after, heavy and suppressed footsteps came from the depths of the forest.
Thirteen black pieces once more hovered before Yin Baishuang. Her apricot eyes were icy and serene, and she scoffed, "Since when could the Stone Demon mingle with White Apes?"
The Human-faced White Ape was already a powerful Demon Beast at the peak of the Chengling Realm, and the massive mountain it always carried turned out to be such a terrifying Demon as well.
In the darkness, a man, towering as a mountain, kicked away several thick logs blocking his path and walked into everyone’s sight.
He licked the piercing wound on his arm, emotionless in his gaze towards Yin Baishuang, his voice booming like thunder, bearing some kind of natural authority, "Cangwu Palace, Moqi Hall."
Against the overflowing hostility emanating from the Stone Demon, Yin Baishuang remained unconcerned.
Stone Demons, born from stone spirits, were among the Demon Clan the most challenging to cultivate and to develop spiritual wisdom.
They were not naturally adept at transformation, needing to endure a millennium of wind, a millennium of thunder, and a millennium of sea immersion to foster even a hint of wisdom—slowly absorbing the spirit of heaven and earth to become a Demon.
Yet the cultivation of this Stone Demon was profound, just one step away from transcending the tribulation. But considering its stone age, it had not gone through the lengthy history a Stone Demon should—hardly a thousand years at most.
Looking at this aura and appearance, it obviously used some abnormal methods for cultivation.
The divine skill of hiding faces in stone and devouring a cultivator’s yang energy was clearly not something a Stone Demon should possess.
Heavy with yin energy, his stone body likely originated from a place of utmost Yin Soil, having been born by absorbing and devouring it, and after becoming sentient, needing to absorb a great deal of yang energy from human cultivators to balance the yin within his body.
Such abnormal Spirit Formators would naturally be stronger than other Demons of the same Realm, which was to be expected.
However, sadly for them, all things in nature have their counters.
Moqi Hall, the 361 pieces in the hall were all made from Bodhi Seeds refined from the Western Holy Wood.
Bodhi Seeds belong to wood.
Stone Demons belong to earth.
Holy Wood overcomes Yin Soil, invincible in all regards.
Baili An’s fist couldn’t leave a single mark on the Stone Demon’s body, but Yin Baishuang’s two pieces caused it injury.
Moreover, Yin Baishuang’s Realm Cultivation was not weak to begin with, so naturally, the yin-transformed Stone Demon would find it hard to cause trouble in front of her.
The wound on the Stone Demon’s arm split wider and deeper, and no matter how he licked it, the blood could hardly be stopped.
His eyes spun wildly, fierce energy surging, and he tore off his own arm with his bare hands, discarding it aside.
Soon, his shoulder bulged repeatedly, regenerating a new arm.
The Stone Demon clenched his fist, his voice cold, "You from Cangwu Palace dare to intrude into the Demon World alone, do you think you’ll leave here alive today? Even if your spiritual essence overcomes mine, with all the Demons on this mountain attacking you, surely even with the power to move your white pieces, you can’t escape a deadly fate."
Yin Baishuang responded coldly, "Before that, I’ll take care of you, the Stone Demon."