A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu was out of ideas. Since the first day of the month had already passed, he could not attend the dream meeting and had to wait until the fifteenth.

He wanted to contact Madam Qi and ask if he could cut the Blood Pill into portions for consumption. But after some thought, he gave up on the idea. Madam Qi seemed very busy, and he did not have many mother-child talismans left, so he could not use them indiscriminately, lest he could not contact Madam Qi at a critical moment.

Moreover, Qi Xuansu thought it was a bad idea. An uncut watermelon could be stored for weeks, but if it was cut open, it would go bad in two days. He assumed that this concept applied to pills too. So perhaps cutting the Blood Pill would make it lose efficacy.

Qi Xuansu decided to stay in the Qingping Society’s contact point to cultivate while waiting for the dream meeting in the middle of the month.

......

Compared with the Qingping Society’s calmness, the undercurrents within the Daoist Order finally augmented into turbulent waves.

Zhang Yuelu, dressed in formal attire, went to the special port on the Yuzhu Peak with Mu Jin.

There was no formation covering Yuzhu Peak, so the cold winds howled, billowing Zhang Yuelu’s hechang.

Mu Jin shivered as a gust of cold wind brushed past her skin, carrying some snowflakes along with it. She looked up at the dim sky before turning to the calm lake ahead.

Ordinary flying ships could not dock here, as this was the special port for the Daoist Order’s warships.

A once-majestic warship on the verge of collapsing floated on this huge manmade lake. Its frame was teetering, but it was so gargantuan that it made the people below seem like ants.

The Daoist Order had dispatched 4 Omniscient Sages and 12 ordinary Sages to bring this warship back to Kunlun, using a lot of material resources and formations.

Originally, they only wanted to bring back the most precious Dragon Pearls and part of the keel made of dragon skeletons, but the Golden Tower Council decided to bring the entire warship back to Kunlun to serve as a reminder to the Daoist Order.

A crowd gathered around, everyone with glum and solemn expressions.

The atmosphere was depressing.

Zhang Yuelu was expressionless as she stared at the giant Yinglong Warship.

At this moment, a black spot grew in size mid-air until it occupied almost half of the sky. Everyone’s attention turned to the black mass. The already depressing mood became more somber.

This was another Yinglong Warship, descending from a high altitude at great speed.

A few Sages approached the warship, while the rest, who were not yet Heavenly Beings, had to stand where they were on the shore.

The giant warship landed on the surface of the lake that would never freeze all year round due to a formation. The mist below the warship turned into rime, creating a foggy, mystical white landscape all around.

However, at this time, no one was in the mood to appreciate such a spectacle. All eyes were on the deck of the Yinglong Warship.

A ramp wide enough for four people to walk side by side was lowered. The first to appear was a group of high-ranking Spirit Guards in black armor with complex talismans printed on them. The black armor was completely different from the armor of the Black Robes. It was deep and mysterious, like the night sky, capable of sucking one’s soul. Thus, no one would dare look into it directly. Swords hung on their waists while they held a long spear in one hand and a large shield in the other.

After the Spirit Guards disembarked, they lined up on both sides of the ramp in a fanned-out formation and stood upright.

In an era when firearms flourished, the Daoist priests of Tiangang Hall were issued guns. However, these Spirit Guards still relied on swords, spears, and shields as their basic weapons.

The lowest rank among these high-ranking Spirit Guards was at the fourth rank. The two leading the way were third-rank Spirit Guards.

Following behind this batch of Spirit Guards were four second-rank Spirit Guards carrying an ebony coffin covered with white brocade. They walked down the ramp step by step.

These heavy footsteps seemed to leave an impact on everyone’s heart. Given the gravity of the situation, everyone held their breaths.

In the coffin lay Shangguan Jing, the Seventh Deputy Hall Master of Tiangang Hall who had perished in battle. He was second-rank Taiyi Daoist Master, making him the highest-ranking Daoist priest who had died in battle in recent years.

Although there were differences between an Omniscient Sage and an ordinary Sage, all Sages were of the second rank. The highest rank among the casualties from the flying ship crash last time was the fourth rank. This time, the highest rank among the casualties was a second-rank Daoist master. A Yinglong Warship was also destroyed.

Thus, everyone who was not a first-rank Tianzhen Daoist master was worried that they would one day be a victim of such an attack.

Even those who were not on good terms with Shangguan Jing felt sad at this moment.

The last ones who disembarked were Sage Cihang, the Tiangang Hall Master, and the Kunlun Daoist Mansion Master. The three Sages did not fly back to Kunlun but returned on the Yinglong Warship like ordinary disciples.

The Tiangang Hall Master remained calm, making it impossible for anyone to read his expression.

However, everyone knew that this well-known Omniscient Sage would have to bear most of the responsibility for this incident, and his future was uncertain.

In the distance, a bell rang in the north, shaking everyone’s heart.

This was the death knell.

Zhang Yuelu closed her eyes, deep in thought.

Mu Jin clasped her hands together and whispered the Deliverance Sutra.

Many others were like Mu Jin, whispering sutras and prayers. Thus, their murmurs echoed on the Yuzhu Peak along with the death knell in the distance. Gradually, other bells echoed in the distance, mourning this tragedy.

Four second-rank Spirit Guards carried Shangguan Jing’s coffin toward Jade Capital on Yuxu Peak, accompanied by the Tiangang Hall Master and the Kunlun Daoist Mansion Master.

Sage Donghua, who ranked first among the 36 Omniscient Sages, would receive the procession outside Jade Capital on behalf of the Great Sage Lunzhi, showing the importance and honor of this death.

However, Sage Cihang stopped next to Zhang Yuelu.

Before Zhang Yuelu said a word, Mu Jin took the initiative to leave. The other disciples around them also gave the master and disciple some privacy.

Sage Cihang and Zhang Yuelu walked side by side.

Zhang Yuelu asked in a whisper, “Master, what’s going on?”

Sage Cihang replied, “Without evidence, we must not say anything.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yuelu understood.

Sage Cihang continued, “Shangguan Jing seemed to be aware of what was happening, but he was attacked when he was still hesitating whether to report this matter to the Daoist Order. He did not expect Wu Luo to come so quickly.”

Zhang Yuelu gritted her teeth and muttered, “Wu Luo, again. This Ancient Immortal is so arrogant!”

Sage Cihang shook her head. “This is nothing to her. Back then, Wu Luo was the main instigator in the murder of Wu Xian, the owner of Lingshan and the leader of the Ten Great Witches. Wu Xian could be considered the founder of Ancient Wuism. The Ten Great Witches of Lingshan were as close as sisters, yet Wu Luo dared to attack her eldest sister. So, killing people from the Daoist Order means nothing to her.”

Zhang Yuelu was silent for a moment before she grumbled. “A blood debt must be paid by blood.”

Sage Cihang did not respond to that. Instead, she said, “If it weren’t for the Earthly Preceptor’s foresight this time, the situation could have been worse.”

“What could be worse than this?” Zhang Yuelu could not help but add, “So many people are dead.”

Sage Cihang explained, “Some managed to survive. Blood sacrifice usually means that those who passed wouldn’t have peace even after death.”

Zhang Yuelu fell silent immediately.

Sage Cihang sighed. “All the external problems of the Daoist Order stem from our internal issues. No one would dare pull such a stunt during the fifth-generation Grand Master’s term.”

Zhang Yuelu did not ask who Sage Cihang was referring to.

Sage Cihang added, “You must be mentally prepared. This is just the beginning. The world is unkind, and we are expendable to those in power. To them, the dead is just a number. The undercurrents are surging, creating high tides that neither you nor I can stop.”