Indeed, it seemed Lin Yun had once again been forced into a desperate situation. He was helpless against He Jiemin's almost cheap, game-breaking methods.
However, there were still two pieces that had not yet vanished from the chessboard.
The red Marshal, and the black General.
Lin Yun slowly closed his eyes. In his mind's eye, he could feel countless threads of energy, fine as hair, drifting through this pocket dimension. It was his own Yuan Qi. And this power was slowly fusing with the General on the board.
Soon, Lin Yun felt a very real connection, as if the General and he had become one and the same. Now, a single thought from him could be felt by the General.
The very instant He Jiemin finished his triumphant declaration, he saw the massive General piece suddenly leap up. Its form grew even larger.
He Jiemin stared, his eyes wide. He had created this domain many years ago, but this was the first time something like this had ever happened. His gaze focused on Lin Yun. To accomplish such a feat, it had to be because of the boy before him. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't connect this phenomenon to Lin Yun. He racked his brain but simply couldn't believe or understand how this was happening.
Lin Yun, however, couldn't care less what He Jiemin was thinking. Now that he could control the General, he had broken free from the absolute restraints of this world.
He began to manipulate the General, which drew its sword and launched a series of broad, powerful attacks. He Jiemin, who had been gloating a moment ago, saw his advantage instantly shattered. Since it had come down to a contest of swordplay, he certainly couldn't back down. Helpless, the red Marshal also summoned a sword.
Lin Yun's eyes lit up with delight. "I never expected Your Excellency to be so courteous. To bring me a treasured sword even while we fight."
Lin Yun smiled. He knew the origin of this sword. It was quite famous in the compendium of blades, one worthy of being placed in his own sword box. But his words greatly displeased He Jiemin. This sword had been with him for many years. Every time he drew it, it tasted blood. He refused to believe that Lin Yun could completely suppress him in swordsmanship as well. A boy who looked so young… no matter how much of a genius he was, his attainments in the Way of the Sword couldn't possibly be on the same level as his own.
"You brat! Even now, you still don't know your own limits!"
After saying this, He Jiemin raised his sword high and brought it down with immense force. The moment he slashed down, it was as if the sun and moon changed color. Within the entire chessboard, countless stars instantly fell from the sky. To He Jiemin, however, this seemed like a simple matter.
He had expected Lin Yun to be quickly swallowed by the torrent of sword Qi, but he never anticipated the move the General would execute in response. It was even heavier. With a deafening explosion, the power of their two blows nearly tore this starry cosmos asunder.
At that moment, Lin Yun truly felt a sharp, stabbing pain in the web of his own hand. He had fought against experts from the Shangqing Temple before, but this was different. He Jiemin's cultivation realm wasn't overwhelmingly high, but he knew how to perfectly leverage his own advantages. He had, to some extent, caused Lin Yun some trouble in this battle.
But looking at the situation now, He Jiemin's position was growing weaker and weaker. He likely knew he couldn't last much longer, which was why he wanted to end things quickly.
The Chongqing Bird offered a timely reminder. "You don't need to be nervous. This fellow's momentum is failing."
Unlike Lin Yun, for He Jiemin to maintain his domain for a long period required a massive expenditure of energy. Especially when facing an expert like Lin Yun, the rate of his energy consumption was increasing exponentially. For him to have lasted this long was already quite impressive. But now, it was too late to salvage the situation. Lin Yun had not given him a single chance to breathe. Every move only made He Jiemin feel more endangered, yet there was nothing he could do to change it.
After being reminded by the bird, Lin Yun became even more composed and steady, giving He Jiemin no opening to exploit. Yet every strike he made in return put his opponent under immense pressure. Although Lin Yun was also growing weak, he was clearly in better shape than He Jiemin.
On the ground below, Prince Zuo Cheng watched the situation on the battlefield, completely dumbfounded. He had known for a long time that Lin Yun was no fish in a pond, that this young man would inevitably become incredibly powerful in the future. He had been mentally prepared for it.
But seeing these events unfold with his own eyes, the Prince was still stunned. Is this the same boy I paid no mind to back then? In such a short period of time, he had made such enormous progress. It was hard to imagine what limits Lin Yun could reach in the future. He would likely leave them all in a state of shock.
The butler, standing beside the Prince, naturally understood what his master was thinking. As the saying goes, it is better to resolve an enmity than to create one. Before, they held the advantage in strength, so they could stand above Lin Yun and issue commands at will. But now that Lin Yun possessed such means, perhaps choosing to cooperate with him was the better option.
"Your Highness, perhaps this time, Lin Yun truly has something to report to you. With his strength, he could have easily snuck in here." The butler had also seen through the Prince's thoughts and offered a timely reminder, lest his master make some irreparable mistake.
Prince Zuo Cheng just frowned, watching Lin Yun for a long time without saying a word. To be honest, this young man's performance had exceeded his expectations even more than he could have imagined.
"Have you investigated everything about this boy? Did he really leave Wangjing this time?" The Prince was still unclear on many of the recent details concerning Lin Yun.
The butler thought for a moment and nodded. "The reason we couldn't find any trace of him for the past while was likely for this very reason. He had left Wangjing long ago. No matter how many men we sent out, we would never have gotten an answer."
Hearing this, the Prince had his answer. As for whether He Jiemin could defeat Lin Yun, it was no longer important to him. After all, Lin Yun hadn't come here this time to kill him. And the fact that He Jiemin had been so eager to drag Lin Yun into his domain earlier only made the Prince more aware of the underlying issues.