"Checkmate. Master, you lost again."
"Wait, I'm not making that move. Let me take it back." He reached out to move a piece on the board, but Wine Fox, sitting opposite him, swiftly pinned down the back of his hand.
"Master, once a piece is placed, there's no taking it back." Wine Fox smiled, her fingers resting lightly on the back of his hand. "You've already taken back ten moves."
Li Chen looked at the board, then at her teasing smile, and finally sighed. "Fine. Checkmate. You win."
He leaned back, his gaze still sweeping over the board. "I refuse to believe this. We're playing Gomoku this time."
Two months had passed since the conference. During that time, besides releasing the widely acclaimed Douluo Kill through the Emerald Merchant Guild, he had also introduced diversions such as Gomoku, Chinese chess, football, and basketball.
Just as he was about to demand another round, unwilling to accept defeat, he suddenly sensed someone trying to summon him. He did not resist, and ten seconds later, he was teleported to the Lake of Life.
The first thing he saw was Di Tian and his two companions, all in a wretched state. "I didn't expect you to actually come back alive. What's it like in The End? How long were you there? Did you see a huge black dragon?"
Di Tian raised his head to look at him, remaining silent for two breaths before speaking. "It was far more dangerous than we expected. Aside from one enormous island, there was nothing but a vast void in every direction. We aren't sure how much time passed, either. As for the black dragon..."
As he spoke of her, the image of that enormous dragon surfaced in his mind, and his body instinctively began trembling in fear.
"Yes.