A Pawn's Passage

Most Rogue Cultivators without a flying sword would use the Sword Controlling Technique to launch concealed weapons.

The Bliss Needle was not lethal. It would only dissolve Zhang Yuelu’s true essence and create illusions. Its actual effect would also vary from person to person.

Qi Xuansu knew that Zhang Yuelu would not die from the needle, but her cultivation would be restricted. That was why he dared to use it on her.

If Zhang Yuelu attacked with all her might, Qi Xuansu was no match for her, as could be seen when Zhang Yuelu easily knocked down both of his cutlasses. Unfortunately, Zhang Yuelu did not use her full strength because she wanted to capture Wei Wugui alive, which gave him the opportunity for a sneak attack.

After Qi Xuansu succeeded in his sneak attack, he punched Zhang Yuelu with both fists.

Zhang Yuelu was not completely restrained by the Bliss Needle. She waved her sleeves to create a strong surge of qi, causing Qi Xuansu to stagger back three steps and sway unsteadily.

Qi Xuansu felt that his blood qi was surging, and his meridians felt paralyzed. It felt completely different from the numbness caused by an electric current passing through his body.

He instantly knew that this was another one of Zhang Yuelu’s most accomplished techniques, the Six Void Tribulations, taught to her by the Earthly Preceptor. Back then, Xu Kou was defeated by Zhang Yuelu with this unique technique.

Zhang Yuelu took the opportunity to retreat quickly. In the blink of an eye, she was already deep in the dense forest.

Qi Xuansu had to chase her because he was worried about her safety. At this time, Zhang Yuelu’s cultivation was damaged, so he was afraid that the assassins from The Inn would take this opportunity to attack her. If she was harmed, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Thus, Qi Xuansu entered the dense forest and ran for about 4 kilometers until he came to an open space with a small pool and a waterfall at the top.

As soon as Qi Xuansu got closer, he saw the water in the pool and waterfall merging into a wall of water that steadily rose in the air before it came crashing down on him.

It turned out that Zhang Yuelu was hiding in the gap behind the waterfall. When she saw Qi Xuansu chasing her, she quickly attacked him.

Qi Xuansu jumped up and punched her with both fists. Since Tantai Yun was the master of two major lineages, the Tantai Fist Intention that she invented was not purely from one lineage. Thus, Qi Xuansu could use both his innate qi and his blood qi to counter that wall of water.

However, the true essence condensed in this wall of water was far purer than Qi Xuansu’s innate qi and blood qi. So Qi Xuansu felt like he had punched a metal wall and drifted back from the impact. Upon landing, his legs sank knee-deep into the ground. His blood qi and innate qi surged within him, making his chest feel tight.

Just then, the waterfall parted by a thin line. Zhang Yuelu appeared, but instead of pursuing victory, she continued to flee.

Qi Xuansu immediately knew that Zhang Yuelu only chose to run because she had not resolved the Bliss Needle. So he immediately pulled out his legs from the ground and caught up to her. He punched her again, intending to force her to stop.

Zhang Yuelu managed to dodge, so his punch landed on a big tree with great force, instantly snapping it in half. The strong wind brushed past Zhang Yuelu’s face, hurting her slightly.

Qi Xuansu punched her again, so Zhang Yuelu had no choice but to strike back with a Thunder Palm. Hearing the booming sound of thunder coming from her palm, Qi Xuansu quickly dodged to the side.

With a wave of her sleeves, Zhang Yuelu jumped up like a big bird and ran up the boulders to the top of the waterfall.

Although Qi Xuansu did not have such fancy skills, he used his hands and feet to climb up the cliff next to the waterfall. He climbed faster than a monkey, catching up with her in the blink of an eye.

As soon as he climbed to the top of the cliff, he saw Zhang Yuelu running in front of him. She had not gone far yet, so he chased after her at top speed.

The Tantai Fist Intention had many postures. At this time, Qi Xuansu attacked with a Mountain Fist, which was equivalent to hitting someone with a shield. That was because he wanted to show Zhang Yuelu that he had no intention of killing her. He only wanted to slow her down.

Zhang Yuelu could not dodge in time and resisted with her palm. Both their bodies swayed upon impact, but nothing else happened.

Qi Xuansu was shocked by the force in Zhang Yuelu’s strike and changed to the River Fist, which imitated the endless river current.

Zhang Yuelu turned around and dodged again, but Qi Xuansu followed up with a continuous flow of punches, gradually compressing Zhang Yuelu’s space to dodge.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuelu had to reach out her right hand to grab Qi Xuansu’s left wrist. That was when Qi Xuansu felt six streams of qi penetrating his body into his meridians.

Qi Xuansu did not have time to think too much, punching her again simultaneously with the Mountain Fist and the River Fist.

Zhang Yuelu’s body swayed as she took the hit. Her pretty face turned red because her blood surge, so she quickly jumped back.

Qi Xuansu wanted to find out if Zhang Yuelu had resolved the Bliss Needle. Unexpectedly, he suddenly felt sore and weak as he tried to circulate his innate qi. Even so, he forcefully channeled both his innate qi and blood qi to punch Zhang Yuelu’s palms.

With that, Qi Xuansu suddenly gained the upper hand. Zhang Yuelu groaned in pain, suffering a heavy loss.

Just as Qi Xuansu wanted to take advantage of the situation to strike again, six more streams of qi surged out of Zhang Yuelu’s palms, blocking Qi Xuansu’s innate qi and blood qi.

Facing this, Qi Xuansu was forced to retreat with a look of shock on his face.

Zhang Yuelu showed no mercy when she gained the upper hand. She leaped in front of Qi Xuansu and slapped him hard.

Qi Xuansu only felt the gust of wind coming from Zhang Yuelu’s palm, so he hurriedly waved his fists to resist. However, before their fist and palm collided, Zhang Yuelu abruptly changed her move, turning her palm strike into a finger that pointed at the center of Qi Xuansu’s eyebrows.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu quickly blocked her finger with his left palm. As Zhang Yuelu’s finger moved slightly, a streak of blood appeared on Qi Xuansu’s cheek.

Qi Xuansu was awestruck. He tried to exert all his strength, but the six different kinds of qi kept interrupting his own circulation. They were changing erratically, making his meridians sore and numb so that he could not exert any force.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Qi Xuansu’s mind. Is the Six Void Tribulations the power to control the six qi: yin, yang, wind, rain, darkness, and light?

To confirm his guess, Qi Xuansu punched her again. Zhang Yuelu retreated in response to the situation, and Qi Xuansu once again noticed the six strange qi in his body that stopped him from punching with all his strength.

After all, Zhang Yuelu was only one step away from a Heavenly Being. She was also a Banished Immortal. After being hit by the Bliss Needle, she still had the strength to fight. However, it came at a cost. She had to use most of her energy to suppress the Bliss Needle.

Thus, at this time, when fighting against Qi Xuansu, she could only use half of her actual cultivation level. That was why she could not conjure a Spiritual Statue or use her sword qi.

Qi Xuansu was not considered weak among the Guizhen-stage practitioners. His Tantai Fist Intention was extremely fast and powerful, so Zhang Yuelu had no choice but to resort to the Six Void Tribulations.

Fortunately for Qi Xuansu, Zhang Yuelu had not yet mastered the Six Void Tribulations. If he was struck by the Earthly Preceptor’s Six Void Tribulations, the strange qi would take root in his body permanently, attaching to his bones. It would constantly feed on the host’s innate qi and blood qi, and it could not be resolved for the rest of his life.

For a time, Qi Xuansu was restrained by the Six Void Tribulations, while Zhang Yuelu was restrained by the Bliss Needle. Each of them had their own fears, so they just stood there facing each other from a distance, wary of each other yet not making a move.

Qi Xuansu knew that Zhang Yuelu would regain her strength soon as the effects of the Bliss Needle wore off. If that happened, she would definitely defeat him. So he was left with only two choices: retreat now or fight with all his might to capture Zhang Yuelu.

After some hesitation, Qi Xuansu decided to fight with Zhang Yuelu again.

With his rich experience, he did not have to use blood qi or innate qi. Instead, he used the posture of the Tantai Fist Intention but only with his physical strength. Zhang Yuelu’s physique was not as strong as Qi Xuansu’s, and the Six Void Tribulations consumed a lot of her energy, so she could not use it repeatedly.

Zhang Yuelu was left with no choice but to dodge Qi Xuansu.

The two of them advanced and retreated, exchanging dozens of moves. Suddenly, Qi Xuansu punched out with both fists, striking with the power of five tigers.

Zhang Yuelu raised her arms to block the attack, her body shaking. From an outside perspective, it seemed that she was repelled by the power of the punch. In actuality, she flipped back and dampened the force. She then disappeared into the forest.

Qi Xuansu did not expect this move. Seeing that Zhang Yuelu was not injured, he immediately chased after her. When he entered the forest and saw no trace of Zhang Yuelu, he immediately felt alarmed. That was when he felt a strong wind coming from behind.

He quickly turned around and threw out a punch. His fist struck Zhang Yuelu’s palm, which was filled with thunder and lightning.

A strong electric current drilled into Qi Xuansu’s body, causing him to groan in pain. His whole body was numb, and his blood surged. Zhang Yuelu used the force of the impact to propel herself deeper into the forest, disappearing from sight.

Qi Xuansu could not help but smile bitterly, ashamed that he had fallen for her trick even when he had so much fighting experience.