Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

She saw Xiao Honglu, who looked exactly like the Xiao Honglu in her memory.

However, she knew even more that the person sitting there was merely a 'person' who used Xiao Honglu's shell and voice and acquired, or rather, synchronized with, all of Xiao Honglu's memories!

She was ready for battle.

But until then...

At 'his' prompting, she went to the front of the hall and sat down opposite a long table. The outline of a game board immediately appeared on the table.

"How about we play a game of chess before we make a move?" her opponent invited her with a smile.

“You can’t beat me,” Alice said calmly. “In any game with fixed rules, you can’t possibly beat me.”

“I have to try,” her opponent replied, still smiling. “If you beat me, I’ll give the child back to you, how about that?”

Alice raised an eyebrow. In her observation, even in his prime in his previous life, this guy was probably only a senior transcendent being... or even below the level of a fourth-tier being. And if you factored in the burden of his reincarnated body, then at his full strength, he would only be a true god in terms of combat power. She even suspected that he might have prepared some kind of trap.

but……

Alice reached out and picked up a chess piece from the board. As soon as she touched it, the piece transformed into a pawn in chess.

"Alice, Alice Margotrovid." — This was her customary self-introduction. And this was also part of the intelligence gathering.

“Xiao Hong…” Her opponent originally intended to answer that way, but in the end shook his head and said another name that was connected to important intelligence.

"In my time, people like me didn't actually have names."

"But you can call me..."

"...Zhenyi clan."

Section 30: The Clash on the Chessboard

“The Ziyi Clan…” Alice raised an eyebrow. “The Youchao Clan, the Suiren Clan, the Ziyi Clan… the Ancestor of Humanity, Ziyi?” Alice reached out and pushed the central war game piece forward.

It's a very ordinary and common opening move. In chess, the first move rarely involves anything other than advancing a pawn. Her opponent also advanced a corresponding pawn, resulting in a stalemate on the front line.

They moved very quickly, exchanging hundreds of moves in the blink of an eye. The situation quickly tilted dramatically in Alice's favor.

"Ziyi simply refers to the name of a clan, representing that the person with this name once did this kind of thing," the Ziyi clan member with Xiao Honglu's appearance replied, pushing another piece on his chessboard forward.

“You haven’t denied that you are the progenitor of humanity,” Alice replied calmly. And as she finished speaking, the Empress in her hand brought the Emperor of the Ziyi clan to his death.

The game is over.

Her opponent pressed a button on the board, and the ended chess game transformed into a Go game that hadn't even started. Ziyi, playing black, placed her first stone at the center point.

Alice, playing white, ignored the idiot who placed his first move on the center point and instead occupied the star in the lower right corner.

“I am not the ancestor of mankind,” Ziyi replied with a smile. He continued to place his pieces, but Alice’s initial advantage was quickly and easily eroded by his moves. “In my time, there was no ancestor of mankind. And no one acknowledges that I am.”

“It’s true that ancient books rarely mention the Ziyi clan as the progenitors of humanity, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist,” Alice continued, placing more pieces. After only a few dozen moves, a large white dragon had spread across half the board, its claws outstretched. “Heroes never consider themselves heroes in life, and saints are often posthumously honored. I understand that, but you seem weaker than I expected.”

She placed her last piece on the board, and from that point on, Black had no chance of turning the tide. Her White pieces had gained a full thirty points over Black.

Thirty eyes, holding white, it's obvious that this is an absurdly large gap.

So Ziyi swept away the Go board, and the rules and pieces were changed again. This time, what appeared between the two was a six-in-a-row game where there was no guaranteed win for the first player.

Alice then let Ziyi go first. She followed. And the final result was not much different from before; she won on the sixty-sixth change.

"Because in the era I lived in, mortals could not become saints. Not only could they not become saints, but even becoming a quasi-saint required an innate spiritual treasure. Unfortunately, I had nothing."

"Even if you are a member of the Ziyi clan, you created the first garment worn by humankind?" Alice tilted her head slightly, looking somewhat puzzled. "I thought this would create a treasure of merit, but it didn't? Or is it that a treasure of merit alone is not enough to become a quasi-saint?"

The chessboard in front of her had switched to the rules of checkers, but victory was still on her side.

“If one possesses a treasure of merit, then of course one can become a quasi-saint.” Her opponent responded, retreating steadily on the chessboard as he did so. “But the problem is, back then, humans had no merit to rely on. All inventions, creations, growth, and changes would only incur the hatred of the source of all things, so naturally, there was no way to accumulate any merit.”

The so-called merit is obviously an achievement for the world.

A race hated by the world should naturally not expect to do any good deeds.

Alice nodded slightly, but her men swiftly seized all of Ziyi's checkers territory. The game then took a dramatic turn, and this time she found herself facing a set of Chinese chess pieces.

She continued to advance her troops.

"The Battle of Creation?" she asked.

“Yes, the Battle of Kaitian,” Ziyi replied, setting up his cannon, leaping onto his horse, and launching his chariot. “I died in that battle.”

"So you died before you even became a Quasi-Saint, before you could enjoy the benefits of victory." Alice continued her advance, leaping and bounding. "Then you shouldn't have failed to unlock even the four high-level gene locks. Or perhaps you actually unlocked the four high-level gene locks, but then actively or passively knocked down your own level?"

However, Ziyi's answer was beyond her expectations.

"I haven't unlocked my genetic lock," he said calmly, revealing his information with a sense of satisfaction as a defeated warrior. "I haven't even unlocked the first-tier genetic lock."

This made Alice raise an eyebrow.

"You... don't agree with the ancient way?"

"I agree with the ancient philosophy. But I do not agree with his power. I do not agree with the external force he was given," Ziyi replied calmly. And the chessboard in front of him finally entered a hopeless endgame.

—But Alice showed no mercy.

And so, the game of chess ended. The next game was Othello, with black and white pieces reversed.

“You know more than I expected.” Alice stretched out her hand, flipping her chessboard. “Is this why you chose not to make a move, but instead sat here and played chess with me?”

"I don't know much. I only know that such humans have no future," Ziyi replied calmly. "The genetic lock has granted everyone immense power. But the vast majority still harbor a fragile and insignificant heart. This fills them with arrogance, and their continuous victories prevent them from letting go of this arrogance."

“Arrogance is proof of strength.” Alice reached out and flipped over the last piece in front of her opponent. And the game, once again, ended in her victory.

“Indeed.” The chessboard in front of Ziyi changed again, this time to backgammon. “If one is truly invincible, then arrogance is actually a noble quality. Because it helps them distinguish themselves from the weak, thus avoiding outcomes that cause great pain to both sides.”

“But invincibility is impossible.” He shook his head, watching the situation before him crumble at a visible pace. “Mortals cannot defeat this multiverse. They cannot defeat it no matter what. And before I die, I know that the source of all things will surely return.”

“Am I right, Gaia’s daughter?”

“She’s not here.” Alice reached out and mercilessly brought Ziyi to her death once more.

The latter shook his head slightly.

“There’s no difference between telling you and telling her.” He pressed the chessboard, and the new rules immediately replaced the already ended game. “I originally had no intention of waking up, nor did I think I needed to associate with the mortals of this era. But I still woke up, and the only conclusion is that someone doesn’t want me to continue sleeping.”

"...You don't like them?"

“I have never liked it.” Ziyi replied calmly, “I am different from Gu. Gu unconditionally doted on the human race on the prehistoric continent and was willing to do anything for them. Because this is his way, his philosophy. His path of creation is only for mortals. And while he was opening a path for mortals, he also planned to protect them to the very end.”

"But I am different, I have never been different. To me, if mortals cannot be self-reliant and cannot forge their own path, then they deserve to perish. Because what I want to protect has never been a degenerate race—when the War of Creation broke out, although they had some improprieties, I still generally accepted them. But now... those outside the Primordial World are still okay. Those inside the Primordial World are rotten to the core."

The chessboard in front of him kept changing, and in the blink of an eye, he lost to Alice in six or seven different types of chess games.

"As an ancestor, you're being far too harsh on your descendants," Alice scoffed, starting a new game. "Don't you intend to guide them back to the position you approve of?"

“The problems are too deep to be solved; there’s no hope.” He continued to place his pieces, and then the game continued to turn against him. “Besides, I’m just a nobody, an old relic who’s not even a Quasi-Saint. Even if I were to live a second life, my voice would not be taken seriously by the primordial world.”

"So you're just a pawn, a pawn used to cause me trouble and slow me down." Alice nodded, checkmating him once again. "But I sense you have the potential to become a saint. Aren't you going to give it a shot?"

She saw her opponent sneer.

“All beings of transcendence possess the potential to become saints, to varying degrees.” He suppressed a cold laugh and replied calmly, “Although the world has changed, and mortals can ascend to sainthood, I do not believe I should be one of them, nor do I see any need to do so.”

The moment his words fell, he faced annihilation once again on the chessboard.

He lost again. And this should be his twenty-ninth defeat.

However, the thirtieth round of the game was not opened.

"Why aren't we continuing?" Alice tilted her head, looking at him with a hint of confusion. "You've already lost twenty-nine games, and this thirtieth game will grant you lasting peace—Xiao Honglu lost thirty consecutive games to my sister before starting the trial, and then turned the tables. Now I've grasped that concept and replicated it as a technique. As long as you lose thirty times to me, you'll escape this fate of being a mediocre player."

"—You should be well aware of this yourself. Or are you still hoping for victory on the chessboard?"

Ziyi didn't answer. He extended his finger and touched the surface of the chessboard for the twenty-ninth time. The next moment, the smooth tabletop was replaced by intricately detailed mountains, rivers, and urban crowds. What Alice ultimately saw was a panoramic view overlooking the entire 'Sanhu' star!

“For the thirtieth game, I hope to use this planet as our chessboard. And the civilizations on this planet will be our pieces.” He said slowly and earnestly. “You should know how to beat me, and if you fail to succeed in the end, then I will be the victor.”

Alice tapped the edge of the table lightly.

She knew exactly how to win. To defeat the Ziyi Clan and send him back to the Abyss of Death, the only thing she needed to do, and the only thing she could do, was to shatter his Dao. And in their recent conversation, the Ziyi Clan had already revealed enough secrets about his own Dao.

He is the progenitor of humanity. Although he himself does not acknowledge it, his achievements and ideals have been recorded in the multiverse. In that era when mortals did not even have names, the concept of 'black robes' he created could serve as a clue to extend his ideals.

This isn't hard to guess. Because there are two other reference individuals alongside him.

As the ancestor of humankind, Youchao built the first house for mortals, thus distinguishing the difference between wild animals and humans.

As the ancestor of humankind, Suirenshi developed the technology of fire-making, which determined the difference between civilization and barbarism.

Ultimately, Ziyi, also considered an ancestor of humankind, created clothing, providing the most primitive forms of decoration and concealment. His actions, in turn, established a hierarchy and social order within human society.

He is the progenitor of humankind, and he introduced social classes into humanity, creating the concepts of nobility and baseness.

Therefore, it is obvious that his Dao can only exist in one form.

“Order,” Alice said softly. “Just like how you can’t beat me no matter what, you still obediently follow the rules of the game in each round instead of cheating. Your path is the path of order. This ‘Sanhu’ star has been twisted into its current form because of your will.”

“You are order, you are society, you are class. You have influenced this planet, transforming it into what it is today. And they, in turn, influence you, keeping you here. Making you the only place where you can play chess with me. But once I destroy this nation, overturn its order, the anchor you use to secure yourself will break completely—you will die, and never wake up again.”

Her gaze sharpened slightly.

“You can’t beat me. In terms of strength, you can’t beat me now. And in terms of authority, my authority has a one-sided restraint relationship with your authority—you must obey the order and the rules. As for me, every closed system, no matter how big or small, no matter how complex and intricate, is completely broken down when I touch it. I can defeat you with ease.”

“I know.” Ziyi nodded, her gentle smile remaining on her face. “But we have to try.”

“Then you need to give me a reason not to take direct action.” Alice’s ten fingers gently touched together. “You have already revealed enough information to me in the previous twenty-nine games. And now, if I kill you here, what kind of crisis could it cause that would alarm the Qin Empire?”

Then, she saw the man in front of her laugh. This time, it was a hearty laugh.

“Of course I have leverage, leverage beyond Xiao Honglu. And I believe you won’t refuse this leverage.”

He paused, and then revealed the mystery as Alice's fingers touched the planetary chessboard.

“Because I know exactly where O’Connor and Evelyn are right now. I can even point you to Hamunaptra in this starry sky!”

Section 31: Victory and Defeat Outside the Chessboard

Alice's fingertips trembled slightly, but her eyes brightened as if they were torches.

Ah, that's right. She really still hasn't figured out where O'Connor, Evelyn, and Hamunata are. Perhaps "hasn't figured it out" isn't quite accurate; "completely clueless" would be a more fitting description.

Unable to find it, unable to understand it, yet the man in black robes before him claimed to know the inside story.

Was it discovered beforehand and moved by him or someone associated with him?

No, there's no need. And even assuming it's true, such a method of resource utilization is far too inefficient.

So, is it a false lie?