Myth Beyond Heaven-Chapter 2746: Chessboard (2)

"The Creator's Gambit?" Yun Lintian was curious.

Ping Heng's fingers hovered over the jade token, his expression unreadable. The air in the pavilion grew heavy, as if the realm itself held its breath.

"The Creator's Gambit," Ping Heng repeated, his voice low. "A forbidden technique left behind by the Creator before his disappearance. It is the only known method to forcibly balance opposing Primordial powers."

Yun Lintian's eyes sharpened. "Forcibly balance?"

Ping Heng nodded. "Under normal circumstances, absorbing multiple Primordial powers would tear a being apart. Even you—with your unique constitution—have only managed to contain them through sheer will and external aids like the Divine Beast bloodlines."

He tapped the jade token. "This technique allows you to impose balance, even upon powers that should naturally oppose one another. Light and darkness, life and death, order and chaos—none can resist its effect once activated."

Hei Xuan smirked, swirling his wine. "Think of it as cheating the system."

Yun Lintian frowned. "If this technique exists, why hasn't anyone used it before?"

Ping Heng's gaze darkened. "Because it comes at a cost."

Silence.

Then—

"The user must become the balance," Ping Heng said slowly. "Not just wield it, but embody it. The moment you activate the Creator's Gambit, your very existence will be rewritten. No longer just a cultivator, no longer just a vessel for divine power—you will become a living paradox, a walking equilibrium."

Hei Xuan's smirk faded. "Yeah. That part's a bit of a downside."

Yun Lintian absorbed this. "You're saying I'd lose my individuality?"

"Not entirely," Ping Heng said. "But your emotions, your desires—they would be tempered. You would no longer act based on personal inclination, but on what maintains cosmic balance."

A cold realization settled over Yun Lintian. "Like the Creator."

Ping Heng nodded. "Precisely."

The implications were staggering. If Yun Lintian used this technique, he would gain the power to harmonize all Primordial energies—but at the risk of becoming something other. A force of nature rather than a man.

Hei Xuan leaned forward, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "That's why I didn't give it to you earlier. You weren't ready."

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"And now?" Yun Lintian frowned slightly.

Ping Heng studied him for a long moment before answering. "Now, you have a choice. Take the technique and risk losing yourself—or continue gathering powers the hard way, knowing that some may never truly harmonize."

The weight of the decision pressed down on Yun Lintian. He had come this far to protect those he cared about. But if he used the Creator's Gambit, would he even care anymore?

He exhaled sharply. "I need time to think."

Ping Heng nodded. "Wise." He pushed the jade token across the table. "Take it. The choice is yours to make—when the time comes."

Yun Lintian pocketed the token, his mind already racing through possibilities.

Hei Xuan clapped his hands together. "Well! Now that that's settled—"

Ping Heng raised a hand, cutting him off. "There is one more thing."

His gaze locked onto Yun Lintian. "The Creator did not disappear without reason. He foresaw the Primordial Gods' ambition—that one day, we would succumb to our own greed and disrupt the balance of the world."

A chill ran down Yun Lintian's spine. "You're saying the Creator allowed this?"

Ping Heng's voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm saying he planned it."

The revelation struck like a thunderclap.

"The Creator's Gambit is not just a technique," Ping Heng continued. "It is a test. A final safeguard to ensure that if the Primordial Gods ever grew too powerful, a being capable of wielding all their powers and maintaining balance would arise."

Hei Xuan's wine cup slipped from his fingers, shattering on the ground. "You mean—"

Ping Heng nodded. "You were never just gathering power to stop Nian Shi. You are fulfilling the Creator's design."

Silence.

Then Yun Lintian laughed.

It was a cold, mirthless sound.

"So," he said, his voice dangerously calm, "you are saying that I'm just a pawn in a dead god's game no matter what?"

Ping Heng met his gaze evenly. "No. You are the answer."

The weight of Ping Heng's words hung heavily in the air. Yun Lintian's fingers tightened around the jade token, his mind racing.

The Creator planned this?

Hei Xuan, ever the irreverent one, let out a sharp laugh and pointed at Ping Heng. "So, old man, you knew about this all along and never told me? All these millennia, drinking together, and you kept this little secret?"

Ping Heng chuckled, pouring himself another cup of tea. "Would it have changed anything if I told you? If Yun Lintian hadn't appeared, you'd still be hiding in your little corner of darkness, pretending the world didn't exist."

Hei Xuan opened his mouth to retort, then snapped it shut with a grumble. "Tch. Fair."

Yun Lintian ignored their banter, his gaze locked onto Ping Heng. "You said I'm the answer. But answer to what?"

Ping Heng exhaled, setting down his cup. "The Creator's final design was never just about balance. It was about survival."

He waved a hand, and the floating islands around them shifted, forming a grand celestial map—countless timelines, countless realms, all branching and collapsing like threads of fate.

"Across time and space, many have tried to gather all the Primordial powers. Some were gods. Some were mortals who ascended beyond their limits. All failed."

Yun Lintian's eyes narrowed. "Nian Shi?"

Ping Heng nodded. "He came the closest. But even he could not fully harmonize the powers he stole. That is why he seeks you—because you are the only one who can."

A cold realization settled in Yun Lintian's chest. "He doesn't just want to kill me. He wants to use me."

"Precisely." Ping Heng's voice was grave. "Your body, your soul—they are the perfect crucible. If he devours you at the right moment, he could finally achieve what none before him have."

Hei Xuan whistled. "Well, that's just great. So we're not just fighting a time-controlling schemer, we're fighting a guy who wants to turn my son-in-law into a damn ingredient."

Yun Lintian ignored the comment, his mind working through the implications. "Then the Creator's Gambit…"

"Is both your greatest weapon and your greatest risk," Ping Heng finished. "Use it too soon, and you lose yourself. Use it too late, and Nian Shi wins."

Silence stretched between them.

Then, Ping Heng gestured to the chessboard between them. "Play a game with me."

Yun Lintian frowned. "Chess?"

Ping Heng smiled faintly. "Life is but a game of chess. The Creator made the board. The Primordial Gods are the pieces. And you?" His eyes gleamed. "You are the player who refuses to follow the rules."