A Pawn's Passage

Marshal Thunder, a Heavenly Being, actually chose to retreat at this time instead of facing Zhang Yuelu, who was a Guizhen-stage Xiantian Being.

He landed on the surface of Zhenwu Lake, his steps creating ripples, yet he did not sink into the water.

Zhang Yuelu descended from the sky as well, her feet hovering about one meter above the lake’s surface, never touching the water.

Using this opportunity, Marshal Thunder scanned the area and saw Qi Xuansu standing alone on the distant shore. The absence of Marshal Tianpeng aroused suspicion in his heart, but what followed a second later was fury.

Marshal Thunder did not think it possible for the kid to kill Marshal Tianpeng. So he assumed that Marshal Tianpeng must have grown restless and wandered off. The people in Jinling Prefecture, including his own brother, Marshal Wind, were all the same—inept and irresponsible. Forget asking them to strategize or think of the bigger picture, they could not even follow the plan step by step and always made stupid mistakes. Their laziness and lack of discipline were utterly infuriating.

If this major operation failed, it would not be due to poor planning but sheer incompetence.

Feeling Marshal Thunder’s intense gaze, Qi Xuansu instinctively looked toward Madam Qi beside him.

Madam Qi continued puffing on her tobacco pipe while talking. “Marshal Thunder likely planned a pincer attack. But now that Marshal Tianpeng, who was supposed to be at the entrance of the dungeon, has gone missing, Marshal Thunder is suspicious. Judging by this setup, they intend not only to destroy Zhenwu Temple but also to capture Zhang Yuelu.”

Qi Xuansu immediately thought of someone and blurted out, “Li Tianzhen?”

“Your love rival?” Madam Qi teased.

Qi Xuansu became defensive. “Qing Xiao doesn’t even like him. Actually, it’s quite the opposite—she utterly despises him!”

Madam Qi exhaled a smoke ring and remarked, “For someone like Li Tianzhen, whether a woman likes him is irrelevant. The key is whether he finds her interesting. Young Master Li has probably grown bored of obedient women, and now has his eye on a rose with thorns.”

“Isn’t that just being masochistic?” Qi Xuansu snorted.

“That’s an interesting way to put it!” Madam Qi nearly choked on the smoke. He tapped Qi Xuansu with her pipe and laughed. “Exactly—he’s a masochist. One day, you should carve a bit of flesh off him to teach him a lesson!”

Qi Xuansu said coldly, “Just carving his flesh wouldn’t suffice. If given the chance, I’d take his life. Judging by his actions, he deserves nothing less.”

Madam Qi approved. “Now, that’s my son! That’ll be a sight to witness when that old fart cries his heart out as he buries that arrogant boy.”

This duo had lived on the edge of their blade, engaging in risky ventures as members of the Qingping Society. They were far from what one would typically consider a “good person” and naturally did not adhere to the principles of mercy or benevolence.

In this regard, Qi Xuansu and Madam Qi were kindred spirits, perfectly in sync.

On the other side, Marshal Thunder turned his gaze back to Zhang Yuelu, his killing aura steadily intensifying.

Lei Xiaohuan was held back by Shi Luosi, while Pei Xiaolou was occupied by Li Tianlan. Bai Yingqiong remained a mere spectator.

Even without Marshal Tianpeng, Marshal Thunder held the advantage in terms of cultivation level. He could not possibly allow himself to be beaten into retreat by a little girl. Not only would he be sternly reprimanded by his superiors afterward, but if word spread, he would lose all respect!

Marshal Thunder slowly spoke. “You are indeed formidable as the Junior Tiangang Hall Master. But Heavenly Beings have an endless flow of innate qi. I wonder, how much longer can you last?”

Zhang Yuelu, who had been expressionless, suddenly laughed. “Don’t take me for an ignorant child. Heavenly Beings at the Xiaoyao[1] stage can fly, free to roam the heavens and the earth. Only upon reaching the Wuliang[2] stage can one truly bridge heaven and earth. That is when innate qi becomes infinite, like a lake connecting to the sea, endlessly flowing. If you were in the Wuliang stage, I would have already become your prisoner. Why else would you waste your breath with me?”

Marshal Thunder retorted, “Even so, you’ve used all your tricks. What can you do to me? I destroyed your Spiritual Statue, which must have taken a significant hit on your cultivation, right?”

Zhang Yuelu did not reply to his question and taunted him instead. “In terms of age, you’re much older than my father, nearly two generations ahead of me. After sixty years of arduous cultivation, wouldn’t it be galling to lose to a little girl like me?”

Marshal Thunder’s face darkened, and the ancient sword in his hand trembled incessantly.

Zhang Yuelu fell silent as the clouds surrounding her grew denser, almost completely obscuring her figure.

Marshal Thunder plunged his ancient sword into the lake beneath him.

In an instant, countless bolts of lightning spread rapidly across the surface of the water. The lightning at the farthest edges rose to form a fence with Marshal Thunder in its center, forming a thunder pool.

Upon closer inspection, the paths of the lightning were not chaotic or disordered, instead, they subtly assembled into a formation. This thunder pool resembled an enlarged talisman.

This was the purpose behind Marshal Thunder’s descent into the lake.

The Eight Trigrams—Qian, Kun, Kan, Li, Zhen, Xun, Gen, and Dui—corresponded to one of the Five Elements, which were metal, wood, fire, water, and earth.

Qian (Heaven)

yang

metal

Kun (Earth)

yin

earth

Kan (Water)

yin

water

Li (Fire)

yang

fire

Zhen (Thunder)

yang

wood

Xun (Wind)

yin

wood

Gen (Mountain)

yang

earth

Dui (Marsh)

yin

metal

Qian represented heaven, Kun represented earth, Xun represented wind, Zhen represented thunder, Kan represented water, Li represented fire, Gen represented mountain, and Dui represented marsh.

Qian and Dui were metal elements; Zhen and Xun were wood elements; Kan was a water element; Li was a fire element; and lastly, Kun and Gen were earth elements.

While the other three elements consisted of one yin and one yang trigram element, water and fire only had one trigram element each, Kan and Li, respectively. However, they were yin and yang to each other, ultimately maintaining a balance.

Thus, as seen from the table, thunder was considered yang wood, while wind was considered yin wood.

The principles of the Five Elements were profound and vast. “Water descends and moistens; fire rises and burns; wood grows and extends; metal yields and changes; and earth nurtures and cultivates.”

Water flowed downward, while fire rose upward. When their forces clashed, they naturally contended with each other, and the stronger would prevail. This mutual contention and consumption were called counteraction. Hence, water restricted fire.

“Metal yields and changes” implied contraction, while “wood grows and extends” implied expansion. These two also counteracted each other. Hence, metal restricted wood.

By extension, wood feeds fire.

Yang wood corresponded to thunder—countless fires had been caused by lightning strikes. Yin wood corresponded to wind, which fanned the flames. Thus, the stronger the wind, the greater the fire.

Water nourishes wood, naturally enhancing the power of lightning.

Marshal Thunder utilized the water from Zhenwu Lake to create a thunder pool, leveraging the advantage of the terrain.

If a thunderstorm were to arrive at this moment, it would constitute heavenly timing.

Thus, in combat, a higher cultivation level would not guarantee victory. One must also consider timing, terrain, adaptability, external objects, and mystical abilities.

Previously, Zhang Yuelu’s cultivation was weaker than Marshal Thunder’s, but she held the upper hand in adaptability, external objects, and mystical abilities, turning the tables.

Marshal Thunder understood this principle as well. Instead of solely relying on his higher cultivation level, he deliberately descended onto Zhenwu Lake to claim the advantage of the terrain. This was also why Zhang Yuelu pursued him but did not set foot on the lake.

Madam Qi pointed at the thunder pool on Zhenwu Lake and said to Qi Xuansu beside her, “The principles of the Five Elements and the logic of yin and yang are the foundation of Daoism. Watch closely and learn from this.

“But it’s such a pity that they specifically chose a rainless day to burn down Zhenwu Temple. Without heavenly timing and relying solely on terrain, this small thunder pool is only half complete and cannot unleash its full power.”

It was Qi Xuansu’s first time witnessing a battle like this. He suddenly understood why people of this level were called Heavenly Beings, as they could harness the forces of heaven and earth on a large scale, rather than relying solely on human effort.

This distinction was less apparent in Martial Arts Practitioners and Bhikkus, who focused on their physical bodies, but it was particularly evident among Qi Refiners.

With the thunder pool, Marshal Thunder regained his confidence in victory. While cultivation level was not everything, it was the foundation of all. Without a solid foundation, external objects, mystical abilities, heavenly timing, terrain, or adaptability were mere castles in the air.

Marshal Thunder’s cultivation level surpassed Zhang Yuelu’s, which was his greatest assurance.

His ancient sword, Azure Thunderbolt, allowed even those unfamiliar with thunder techniques to summon lightning. For someone trained in thunder techniques, it would elevate their power to an entirely new level.

Marshal Thunder earned his title because he had studied thunder techniques extensively and reached a high level of mastery, with no shortcomings in his abilities.

In contrast, Zhang Yuelu, though hailing from the Zhang family known as the foremost experts in thunder techniques, had not learned much due to her tutelage under Sage Cihang. Thus, she had only reached the level of Thunder Palm, which was far inferior to Marshal Thunder.

Marshal Thunder waved his sleeve. A massive disc of lightning with six points the size of a carriage wheel, emerged from the thunder pool, resembling a snowflake. It shot toward the cloud surrounding Zhang Yuelu.

Wherever it passed, the clouds parted and the mist dispersed, revealing Zhang Yuelu’s figure once more.

Zhang Yuelu’s expression turned solemn. She dared not risk it and transformed the Amorphous Paper into an open paper umbrella, holding it like a shield in front of her.

The lightning disc crashed against the umbrella, sending a tremor through Zhang Yuelu’s body and forcing her to stagger back a few steps in midair.

Marshal Thunder waved his sleeve again, conjuring two more flying discs of lightning. “Let’s see what other tricks you have!”

Zhang Yuelu remained silent, using her paper umbrella to block the deadly lightning discs.

Two thunderous crashes echoed, but the paper umbrella remained unscathed. However, behind the umbrella, Zhang Yuelu’s face turned pale, and her trembling hands caused the umbrella to quiver slightly.

Marshal Thunder sneered. “As you said, I haven’t fully bridged heaven and earth to harness its power as my own. But using this entire lake to summon thunder is practically the same. If you have no other tricks up your sleeves, this Zhenwu Lake will become your grave!”

By now, Marshal Thunder understood that capturing Zhang Yuelu alive was no longer a realistic option, so a murderous intent surged within him.

Previously, he refrained from killing Zhang Yuelu out of fear of escalating the situation.

Now that the situation had already spiraled out of control, he no longer had any reservations and decided to go all out, seizing this opportunity to kill Zhang Yuelu.

Three flying discs slowly bloomed across the lake’s surface, brimming with ominous lightning.

Watching from the sidelines, Qi Xuansu anxiously turned to Madam Qi, who remained unmoved like a mountain. She said calmly, “Let’s keep watching.”

At that moment, Zhang Yuelu released the paper umbrella, letting it hover in midair. She spread her arms wide, as if embracing the heavens and the earth.

A point of light moved swiftly down her throat, eventually settling in her stomach.

With this Spirit Pill, Zhang Yuelu’s fate was no longer dictated by the heavens.

Countless streams of elemental energy from the heavens and earth converged on her, descending like an inverted tornado.

Madam Qi exhaled a puff of smoke and remarked, “Only when fate is in one’s own hands can golden lotuses grow amidst fierce flames.”

1. 逍遥 (xiāoyáo) means carefree. ☜

2. 无量 (wúliàng) means immeasurable. ☜