I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

The Black Mountain Demon Mother remained silent for a moment, but the grief Zhong Jiu had expected did not appear on her face. She simply sighed softly and said in a low voice, "Perhaps, this is fate. Heaven has decreed that I will be all alone, with nothing."

This was the first time she had shown such a sorrowful expression, her whole being shrouded in melancholy, making her all the more pitiful.

Zhong Jiu, however, showed no intention of comforting him. He and the Black Mountain Ghost Mother had no prior relationship, and upon closer examination, they even had some minor grudges against each other.

When he wanted to capture the Thousand-Eyed Demon, the Black Mountain Demon Mother not only refused to hand him over, but also took the opportunity to test the secrets of the Underworld, clearly showing her contempt for the Underworld.

At that time, Chung Kau had already planned to eradicate the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom completely and eliminate any future troubles.

However, after that test, the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom completely withdrew its sharp edge and returned to its former low profile. The entire country never stepped out of Black Mountain.

Zhong Jiu had to admit that this Black Mountain Demon Mother was indeed a clever person.

In this vast world, keeping a low profile may not guarantee self-preservation, but in the absence of a conflict of interest, no one would be foolish enough to provoke a power that is content with its lot.

It was precisely because of her pragmatism that Zhong Jiu temporarily suppressed his intention to take action and did not pursue them to the bitter end.

But fate is fickle, and in the end, the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom still perished at the hands of the underworld. I wonder if this was ordained by heaven.

A sense of感慨 (gan3 kai3, a feeling of mixed emotions, including admiration and a touch of melancholy) crossed Zhong Jiu's mind. He then looked up at the sky and asked in a calm tone, "How big is this chessboard world?"

Black Mountain Demon Mother's heart stirred, and she instantly understood Zhong Jiu's intention. She asked, "Does Your Excellency intend to break through this space and escape?"

Zhong Jiu nodded without saying anything more.

Black Mountain Ghost Mother gently shook her head, her tone tinged with difficulty and helplessness: "I'm afraid it will be very difficult. After I was trapped here, I struggled with all my might to break through the space and escape, but I found that the higher I climbed, the higher and more distant the sky became; the deeper I went underground, the more solid and heavy the earth became. No matter how hard I tried, I could not find the boundary of this world, let alone break through it."

She was secretly amazed. This Penglai Go board was truly a rare treasure. No wonder the Old Immortal of Penglai was able to use it to ascend to heaven in one step and cultivate to the realm of a true immortal in just a few years.

"According to you, the basic laws of this small world have already matured."

Zhong Jiu seemed to be deep in thought, his fingertips lightly tapping his palm. "The outside world has undergone a spiritual revival, its laws are perfected, and it is infinite and boundless. But this small world is ultimately a man-made creation; it cannot truly be infinitely large."

"Only when the spiritual energy outside the world revived could a great world be formed. This small world is not even one millionth the size of the outside world. Even if some of its laws mature, it is nothing special."

A burning glint flashed in Zhong Jiu's eyes, and his tone was resolute: "As long as the power is strong enough, we can forcefully break through this small world!"

He was already certain that this small world must have its limits; otherwise, the old immortal of Penglai wouldn't have had such a difficult time trapping him, and the chessboard wouldn't have even cracked from the shock.

Since there are limits, as long as we break through these limits, we can break through the heavens and earth and return to reality.

"Does Your Excellency intend to... break the heavens with brute force?"

A flicker of disbelief flashed in the Black Mountain Demon Mother's eyes, her beautiful gaze filled with shock. "This is impossible! This world, though small, possesses complete spatial laws; brute force alone cannot break it!"

"Why can't it be done?"

Zhong Jiu took a step forward without any extra movements, but the terrifying divine power hidden within him erupted without reservation at this moment!

This was the first time he had fully revealed his aura!

Black Mountain Demon Mother's expression changed drastically. Her body retreated uncontrollably for hundreds of steps, her whole body trembling, her blood surging, and her eyes filled with utter horror.

This aura is terrifying!

It was as deep as an abyss, as oppressive as a prison, as powerful as a god, suffocating her!

"The City God of Xingsha... he's actually this powerful?!" Black Mountain Ghost Mother screamed inwardly.

When Zhong Jiu was first promoted to City God, she had sensed his aura from afar once, which had already startled her. But compared to now, it was completely different!

Zhong Jiu's aura is now terrifying beyond belief. As a dignified ghost immortal, she is like a small boat in a storm in the face of this aura, insignificant and fragile, and could be completely devoured at any time, with her soul and spirit destroyed!

"Shinto... is so terrifying..."

The Black Mountain Demon Mother muttered to herself, her eyes filled with bewilderment and shock, "Is this the power of a deity recognized by Heaven and Earth? Merely through her divine authority, she can harness the power of Heaven and Earth to unleash such world-destroying force..."

At that moment, all the certainty in her heart completely collapsed.

She suddenly realized that nothing in this world could possibly stop the gods.

How high is the sky? How thick is the earth?

Zhong Jiu raised his eyes and glared at the sky, his eyes not flashing with a faint light, but with a sharp edge that could burn everything in its path: "Today, I will personally measure it!"

The instant his hands formed a hand seal, an immense power exploded forth, causing ripples to spread through the surrounding void!

The law forbids all supernatural powers of heaven and earth!

This is a top-tier spell reward directly bestowed upon Zhong Jiu by the system after he was promoted to City God. It is a forbidden spell that only top-tier masters are worthy of touching!

Once this method is used, one can condense a Dharma image and transform into a giant, resulting in a double surge in divine and immortal power, crushing all villains in the world!

In the blink of an eye, Zhong Jiu's body grew a hundred feet tall. His muscles bulged and his divine and immortal power was consumed at an alarming rate, but he gained a power boost of dozens of times. His body was still growing wildly!

A thousand feet in an instant!

With his head reaching the sky and his feet planted firmly on the ground, his imposing presence, like that of Pangu creating the world, swept across all directions, and every inch of his skin exuded an unparalleled domineering aura!

The demon mother on the ground was already terrified, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes tightly, her voice trembling and incoherent: "This...this is impossible!"

Could there really be such terrifying supernatural powers in the world?

The law forbids heaven and earth!

What a powerful law that restricts heaven and earth!

In her eyes, Zhong Jiu was no longer a human being, but an ancient divine mountain that weighed heavily on her heart, towering into the clouds, and could never be shaken!

But this is just the beginning!

Without pausing, Zhong Jiu poured all his divine and immortal power into his supernatural ability, causing his body to swell once more.

Ten thousand feet high!

Her legs were like pillars supporting the sky, her eyes were like the sun and moon hanging in the world, and every hair on her body was like a giant pillar supporting the sky in the eyes of the Ghost Mother, clearly visible and awe-inspiring!

"Has the universe reached its limit?"

Zhong Jiu took a light step, and the entire chessboard world shook violently instantly, as if an elephant had been stuffed into a sack, stretched to the point of breaking, with cracks spreading all over the world!

The Ghost Mother's face was ashen, her heart filled with shock and fear, but she was also secretly relieved that she had no ill will towards the underworld and had only infiltrated Star Sand City to verify something; otherwise, she would have surely died today!

Seeing Zhong Jiu's towering figure embracing the immense power of heaven and earth, the last trace of hesitation in her heart vanished completely, and a blazing light ignited in her eyes: "What I seek, only the Underworld, only he can accomplish!"

She suddenly found it laughable. If those forces outside who were secretly plotting against the underworld saw this scene, they would probably laugh at her for being as stupid as an ant.

An ant seeing a real dragon, a toad eyeing a phoenix—this couldn't be more true!

"Just one step away!"

Zhong Jiu could clearly sense the spatial tremors, but it hadn't completely shattered yet. A chilling killing intent flashed in his eyes.

"Heavenly Dragon Strike!"

The immense Dharma image, combined with offensive and divine powers, creates a destructive force that instantly sweeps across the heavens and earth!

The first strike shattered the sky, the azure curtain of heaven broke into countless fragments, and darkness surged forth from the cracks, blotting out the sun!

The second strike caused the earth to crack inch by inch, the intact ground transformed into a giant spider web, crisscrossed with ravines and jagged rocks piercing the sky, a truly earth-shattering scene descended upon the world!

The third blow!

Zhong Jiu waved his giant hand again, and heaven and earth turned into dust. All the laws of the chessboard world collapsed completely, and the shining chess pieces and the ancient chessboard were all annihilated into dust.

The Penglai Othello game has disappeared from this day forward!

Zhong Jiu broke through the void and stepped back into the real world. Black Mountain Ghost Mother followed closely behind, her eyes still filled with shock. The world-destroying blow kept replaying in her mind. She unexpectedly had an epiphany and gained a great opportunity!

Zhong Jiu glanced at her, slightly startled but unconcerned. Such a trivial matter was not worth mentioning. His gaze was fixed directly on the Old Immortal of Penglai.

At this moment, the old immortal of Penglai was emaciated. The backlash from the broken chessboard had severely injured him. His body, which was already exhausted, was now on the verge of death, and his breath was extremely weak.

He looked at Zhong Jiu, without hatred or fear, only with deep regret: "Ten deaths without a chance of survival, indeed ten deaths without a chance of survival... It's a pity that I couldn't see my wife and daughter one last time. Oh well, I should have expected it."

He's not stupid; how could he not know that Feng Xuanzi was deceiving him?

His wife and daughter had long since passed away and entered the cycle of reincarnation; seeing them again was merely an obsession. Yet, this obsession ultimately led him down a path of defying fate. Similar to the Ghost Mother, but even more foolish, he sought refuge from the world because of his obsession, and went completely mad after being awakened by someone.

Zhong Jiu's eyes showed no pity. Even if the Old Immortal of Penglai had his reasons, he had committed heinous crimes. However, there was no need for him to take action.

At this moment, the old immortal's soul had already dissipated bit by bit due to the previous spontaneous combustion, and the dissipation of his soul was irreversible.