Reborn as a Hatrack in the Mystical Land-Chapter 782 - 32: Beast Chess Formation
Chessboard=Dark Array.
This is the first time I’ve heard of such an array.
Apart from Helian Sheng and Bo Xiyu, everyone else looked utterly perplexed, clearly having never heard of this peculiar array before.
After a hint from Qian Luo, Yue Jinghua realized that the strange distribution of channels across this bizarre wasteland did indeed resemble an enlarged chessboard.
The stone animal sculptures scattered across the eastern and western parts of the wasteland represented the pieces of different camps, reminiscent of an ancient board game that still exists in the Western Origin World, Beast Fighting Chess.
"Different Array Masters have very distinct styles when setting up Dark Arrays. The one who set up this Beast Chess Formation must be an Array Master who is extremely passionate about chess, perfectly fusing arrays with Beast Chess to create an impregnable Defensive Dark Array for Four Symbols City. Only by overcoming this Dark Array can one enter Four Symbols City," Bo Xiyu cut in before Qian Luo could finish, eloquently explaining the subtleties of the array in the form of a chess game. As the son of one of the two great Mercenary Kings on the continent, Bo Xiyu had a breadth of knowledge, with expertise in arrays, weaponry, treasure appraisal, and chess skills.
In addition to his outstanding looks and carefree demeanor, his coherent and clear explanations quickly caught the attention of everyone present.
"Is this none other than Lord Xiyara?" Helian Sheng recognized Bo Xiyu’s identity, and upon hearing that the man before them was the only son of the Bo Sai Mercenary King and Madam Xieleng, all the mercenaries around couldn’t help but show their respect.
Ye Yanyu looked at Bo Xiyu with eyes full of admiration, sizing him up continuously.
"If it’s a Beast Chess Formation, to break through this array we must win in the form of playing chess. I have already observed that the Beast Chess must be commanded by people to move the different chess pieces. To form a Beast Chess team, at least eight pieces need to be mobilized at one time," Bo Xiyu’s statement also gained approval from Qian Luo.
"That being the case, if we want to break the formation and enter Four Symbols City, we must cooperate and work together?" Participants in the Xuyang Trial discussed among themselves, and quickly formed their own Beast Chess teams.
Most mercenaries and competing Dark Beasts formed eight-person teams based on their nationality or their respective forces or organizations.
With Bo Xiyu’s prestige, he could even be said to have selected his team members from the crowd. The formidable competitors Helian Sheng, Ye Yanyu, and Yu Mubo were picked by him to join his team, and at a glance, all eight were Dark Heavenly Masters.
With this, Bo Xiyu’s team composition could be described as unprecedentedly luxurious, and their strength had reached its Peak.
Looking over at Yue Jinghua’s side, since the July Mercenary Team was the dark horse of this trial, earning the envy of many, nobody wanted to team up with them.
"Captain, we are short of people, what should we do?" The July Mercenary Team only had six members, lacking two for the minimum eight-person Beast Fighting team.
"If we’re short of people we can wait a little longer; more people will continue to arrive at Four Symbols City," Yue Jinghua estimated, expecting her brother Yue Minzhi to arrive at Four Symbols City in the coming days, but it was uncertain whether the Transmission Array he went through would send them directly to this wasteland.
She agreed with Bo Xiyu’s method of using chess to break the formation, but she also realized that the purpose of Four Symbols City setting up this chess formation was not merely for defense.
Conventional wisdom suggests that the Xuyang Trial is a competition to select individual elite warriors, always emphasizing personal combat skills. Why then, all of a sudden, would there be an element of team combat?
This Chess Formation was clearly a test of team combat ability. Yue Jinghua wondered if this year’s Xuyang Trial was different from previous years.
Seeing that the July Mercenary Team couldn’t even gather the basic number of combatants, Bo Xiyu cast a disdainful glance at Yue Jinghua, brimming with mockery.
He and his seven teammates flew up together, each selecting their respective Beast Chess pieces for battle.
In typical Beast Fighting Chess, the formation usually contains Dark Beasts like elephants, lions, tigers, leopards, wolves, dogs, cats, and rats, adhering to the principle of mutual compatibility. There are even more types of Dark Beasts in the Beast Chess outside Four Symbols City, including foxes, snakes, spiders, lion-eagles, and antelopes.
The larger the size of the Dark Beast, the more Dark Energy is required to control it.
Bo Xiyu’s Beast Fighting team was mighty and could be described as elite among elites.
Eight individuals moved like six surprise flashes, swiftly passing by, choosing mostly beast chess with moderate size and ferocity.
Bo Xiyu chose a lion-eagle, and when he mounted the gryphon, his body’s dark power infused the beast chess, merging the Dark Light into the stone sculpted body shaped like a lion.
The originally lifeless stone sculpture let out a furious roar, kicked its legs, and came to life, beginning to move.
Looking at the other members of the group, including Helian Sheng, they also chose their preferred stone-sculpted beast chess in turn.
Unity of human and beast, that is beast chess.
The secret to driving the stone-sculpted beast chess is.
Among the eight, Bo Xiyu has the highest cultivation level, roughly between Dark Heavenly Great Success and the peak, and the beast chess he chose was also exceptionally fierce.
Helian Sheng’s cultivation was slightly lower, and he chose a Wind Shadow Stone Leopard known for its agile movement technique.
The remaining members also mostly chose dark beasts known for their astonishing attack power and agility, such as antelope, eagle, canine, leopard, and mastiff types.
As the first beast fighting chess team took their places, each driving their respective beast chess, on the other side of the wasteland, within the stone sculptures of the west, Dark Light flickered as if someone was infusing them with Dark Energy.
The enemy’s beast chess camp also deployed eight corresponding stone-sculpted beast chess, creating a strategic standoff.
As soon as the sides faced each other, a triangular flag appeared behind each, marked with the words "Beast Nest."
The victory or defeat of beast fighting chess depends on which side first captures the opponent’s beast nest.
Not only must one send corresponding fighters to attack the opponent’s "Beast Nest," but one must also leave someone to protect one’s own beast nest.
According to common sense, Bo Xiyu should divide the team into three independent but mutually supportive groups: one to guard the "Beast Nest" flag, one to roam between the enemy and own camp ready to strike, and another to penetrate directly into the enemy camp to seize their "Beast Nest."
However, Bo Xiyu did not arrange it so.
"Attack!" Bo Xiyu turned into a rapid flash and without hesitation headed straight for the enemy’s "Beast Nest." Yu Mubo wielded a treasure-lit spear, sweeping it with the force of Qian Jun.
Ye Yanyu, although domineering, was skilled in her moves. With a wave of her jade hand and a few tinkling sounds, she threw a Pear Blossom Dart into the enemy beast horde.
The trio formed an assault team that, like a sharp arrow, tore through the beast formation, overwhelming the opponent’s defenses on the verge of collapse.
The rest of the team was unstoppable, directly assaulting the enemy camp, with not a single person staying behind to guard the Beast Nest.
The momentum was unmatched, earning the admiration and envy of other Xuyang Trial contenders watching the battle, all wishing they were teamed up with an expert like Bo Xiyu.
"What a fierce way to fight. Only Bo Xiyu would adopt such a bold style of combat," commented Feng Buhui from the sidelines.
Bo Xiyu’s team was very strong, and he had no intention of engaging in prolonged combat with the enemy, opting instead for a strategy of swift and decisive conquest.
"It’s not just Bo Xiyu’s merit; his courage to fight this way is also entirely due to having a long-weapon expert like Helian Sheng on his team. As long as Helian Sheng watches over, even in case of enemy attacks, he can kill them in time," Yue Jinghua’s comment was even more sensible; in the face of absolute strength, any strategy is just empty talk.
With absolute strength, this is Bo Xiyu’s approach, which also serves as an invisible demonstration of power towards Yue Jinghua and the others.
