This is the distance defined by the rules of this world.
Not only was she unable to climb the steps, but she also couldn't control her pieces.
What should we do?
Wen Jing pondered as he tried to find a way to break the deadlock.
All forms of attack landed on the steps in front of him, but all vanished without a trace.
The movement range restricted by the squares is a completely independent space. Outside of this space, even if you can see the entire chessboard, it doesn't essentially belong to the same space.
Let alone other energy-based or physical attacks, even if she used the Gravity Silk most related to spacetime, she wouldn't be able to affect the steps.
After thinking for a moment, Wen Jing disregarded the fact that this was not the Altar World and began to dance to Summon Flint Fire.
A moment later, the dance ended.
"Buzz..."
The surrounding air rose subtly, yet the flint did not descend upon the Chess Game World.
However, it seems that this 'offensive' act provoked a reaction from the three mythical chess pieces on the steps.
The dragon-headed priest glanced sideways, the flow of bronze liquid in the hands of the Kui Niu craftsman increased slightly, and the giant axe of the Taotie warrior seemed to exude an even stronger aura of malevolence.
Seeing this, Wen Jing perked up and gestured defiantly with his arms, shouting, "Come down here!"
If she can't get up there, she can lure these three mythical chess pieces down and kill them.
On the chessboard, the two "armies" faced off. Apart from the pale insect being a living creature, the three mythical chess pieces on it and the pieces behind her were all silent.
Only Wen Jing below was shouting and jumping around, taunting and Summon Flint Fire, creating a rather comical scene.
"..."
Unfortunately, after that initial glance, the three pieces made no further moves.
Wen Jing had come this far from the first palace, but unexpectedly, he was stuck at the last hurdle.
After several unsuccessful attempts, a sense of frustration began to rise within her.
However, the negative emotions that were not helpful to her were quickly Calmness as soon as they arose.
She tried to shift her perspective, no longer staring at the unreachable top and the three annoying mythical chess pieces.
They began to examine the entire palace, and even the entire microcosm, from a macro perspective.
What's missing?
Wen Jing recalled the process of his previous promotion.
The first palace was built by commoners.
The second palace represents the victory in a local power struggle.
The third palace represents the power struggle within the central factions.
Now that she has finished her battles, if this palace were to be compared to a feudal dynasty, then her current status would be that of a powerful minister who holds both military and political power.
He is second only to the third-ranking official and above ten thousand others. He only needs to seize the top pieces on the three paths before he can ascend to the throne represented by the bronze cauldron.
"Etc..."
Wen Jing suddenly had a flash of inspiration and quickly grasped it—after all, if this brain couldn't capture it, she had another one.
"The throne... that's right, because of the throne!"
This third palace looks similar to the second palace, but it actually places a great emphasis on 'rules' or 'systems'.
If you follow a certain system, you will be protected by that system.
Therefore, the defeated faction pieces in this palace don't need to fight to the death; they can surrender directly to Wen Jing.
Conversely, following the rules also means being subject to those rules.
Wen Jing played the part in factional struggles, becoming the only faction in the court, but he was still just a powerful minister who could control everything.
That means there's nowhere left to go.
The rules are set by those at the top. Trying to defeat them within their rules is nothing short of a pipe dream; they are simply not within the 'rules' themselves.
Therefore, at this point, rebellion is necessary.
Thinking of this, Wen Jing couldn't help but smile. Coincidentally, she had recently been a guest in the rebels' den.
"But here's the problem: what constitutes rebellion?"
Her gaze swept across the entire palace and the steps in front of her.
In a real feudal dynasty, Wen Jing could imitate the experiences of his predecessors and use various methods, such as hiding strips of cloth inside a fish or slaying a white snake, to declare his rebellion.
But in this world where the imagery of a chess game is condensed, this method is clearly not feasible.
These beast-headed chess pieces are neither human nor Wilderness Beast. Apart from basic obedience, they have no intelligence whatsoever. It is impossible for Wen Jing to give them a rebellion speech and turn them into rebels.
Of course, despite her thoughts, she, being a woman of strong initiative, actually gave it a try.
... The result was nothing but a suffocating silence.
Perhaps Wen Jing himself, according to the rules, is still a very loyal subject.
However, she did not give up and continued to ponder.
" Summon Flint Fire has touched this line to some extent, but its influence is clearly not yet sufficient."
"If we deduce backwards from these images of civilization..."
"The entire palace can actually be seen as a concrete manifestation of certain concepts!"
"Steps, class... power?"
The thoughts gradually became clearer and more distinct, like spring buds breaking through the ice, growing out of Wen Jing's consciousness.
The next moment, she directly ordered her chess pieces to charge up the steps.
Some of the tiger-headed and bear-headed chess pieces, whose loyalty was low, remained motionless, some dropped their weapons, and some even retreated instead of advancing, surrendering to the mythical chess pieces.
Only the tiger-headed chess pieces summoned by Wen Jing from the second palace raised their weapons and advanced, but they too were blocked by the invisible space.
Seeing this, Wen Jing paused only slightly before realizing what was happening. "That's right, you're all standing too high; you're also beneficiaries of the class system."
She turned her gaze to the second palace and, through Mental Link, issued commands to the wolf-headed and monkey-headed chess pieces who were not qualified to enter it.
Power never comes from the top down, but from the bottom up.
If the staircase represents transcendent power, then the force supporting it should not be the three mythical chess pieces at the top, or even the bronze cauldron representing the supreme position, but rather the chess pieces at the very bottom.
Wen Jing doesn't necessarily need to climb those steps to reach the top.
You could also... destroy it.
"Attack the platform."
As the command was given, the lower-ranking chess pieces in the second palace who had received her order all turned around to face the steps.
They still couldn't get into the third palace, but--
"Whoosh..."
"Splash splash splash!"
The first subtle sound came from the steps, followed by a second, a third... a continuous series of cracking sounds.
The power structure began to collapse not from the top, but from the very bottom.
The towering steps, having lost their most basic support, gradually became tilted and crooked until they collapsed completely with a loud bang.
The light on the three mythical chess pieces flickered violently. They might have been trying to stabilize themselves and maintain their dignity, but the collapse originating from the level of rules rendered them powerless.
The master craftsman, symbolizing the pinnacle of skill, lost control of the flowing bronze liquid in his hand for the first time, splashing everywhere;
The War God chess piece, representing 'military' authority, stumbled, its heavy body nearly falling over;
The one in the very center, holding a bronze scepter and symbolizing the 'sacrifice' of the high shaman, also showed violent fluctuations in the light beneath its dragon-head mask.
They fell from that high place.
It wasn't just stepping down, but a true 'fall from grace,' landing on the same flat chessboard as Wen Jing.
Only the bronze cauldron remained suspended in place, as if waiting for a new master.
The original spatial separation disappeared as the steps collapsed, revealing a new path. The three mythical chess pieces were no longer out of reach.
After a brief period of disarray, they immediately burst forth with golden light. Centered on the dragon-headed priest, the light from the three chess pieces was tightly connected, seemingly forming some kind of synergy.
Seeing this, Wen Jing showed no fear, but a strong fighting spirit emerged in his eyes.
The bronze cauldron was already within her sight; nothing could stop her.
But just then, the antennae on her head twitched, sensing something else.
"Interesting..."
He sighed with emotion upon Wen Jing.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The sound of chess pieces landing echoed continuously. A large number of low-level chess pieces, which were originally unable to enter the third palace, suddenly flew from the second palace and landed beside her, following the command.
At the same time, because the rules have been broken, the pieces are not landing at the intersections of the squares, but rather breaking through the squares' limitations and landing arbitrarily around them, making it look like a normal chessboard has been scrambled.
But this is not the biggest change at this moment.
The next moment, all the animal heads on these chess pieces, whether wolf or monkey, melted and reformed like wax figures...
It transformed into a head identical to the pale, alien insect in the center.
Chapter 155
The chess pieces controlling this palace always issued one-way commands. Wen Jing didn't even have time to figure out what abilities these insect-headed chess pieces had. The three mythical chess pieces that descended on the opposite side shone brightly with golden light, their energies linked together, and the energy fluctuations oppressed the entire palace.
"Buzz... Clang!"
At the same time, on both sides of the main hall, the bronze chime bells collapsed with a loud crash...
This corresponds to the state of 'the collapse of rites and music'.
Therefore, the attack by the mythical chess piece did not drag Wen Jing into another dimension, but occurred directly on the chessboard.
The dragon-headed priest was the first to attack. He raised his bronze staff high, and the dragon's eye on the staff's head suddenly lit up, unleashing a majestic wave of energy.
The next moment, a field of gravity covered the entire palace, as if environmental data had been altered in a virtual reality environment. Atmospheric pressure and gravity surged, attempting to deprive Wen Jing of his ability to move.
However, the instant the command was formed, the invisible Gravitational Field around Wen Jing slightly distorted, forcibly deflecting some of the rules' effects. Although the cost was consuming a certain amount of energy to control the Gravitational Field, it did not diminish her combat power.