Chessboard and Chessmen: The Contest of Deduction (Part IV)

The Demon Lord Huiyuan brought a genuine illusion—one that could not even be called an "illusion," for it differed from the result Qin Xing dreamed of by a mere "demon seed." It was precisely this state where truth and illusion were hard to tell apart that made Qin Xing sink into it beyond redemption, and breaking it was no easy task; "mixing sand" into it was considered only the first step. Qin Xing's reaction at that moment explained everything: in the blink of an eye, he had found himself a joyful reason and believed in it even more firmly. Following the conventional course, that vigilant thought would have split at most twice before being utterly extinguished, perhaps never to be recalled even when death was imminent. Fortunately, Gui Yan protected it. However, trying to move against the current was by no means an easy feat. The spark transformed from the vigilant thought originally had no chance to grow in the "Black Forest" plagued by driving wind, rain, and raging torrents, and it was only due to Gui Yan's all-out maintenance that it did not extinguish the very first second. Yet such an action also took a heavy toll on Gui Yan. At that moment, in the void where the Nine Palaces Demon Domain and Old Crow's array disc met, Gui Yan's spiritual projection sat cross-legged in the void, yet it flickered unstably, occasionally accompanied by distortions of varying amplitudes—the result of his spirit suffering impacts. By now, Gui Yan's spirit had been wounded, with a tendency for the injury to worsen. At his realm, it was one thing for the spirit to remain unhurt, but once injured, recovery was always troublesome, and it might even cause irreversible, stubborn ailments, yet he had no intention of easing up. Before him was