A Pawn's Passage

Before long, Hu Jiaode stopped moving. The scene reflected in the flying dagger also froze, though it swayed slightly with his body.

Clearly, Hu Jiaode had not yet noticed the anomaly of the dagger. This was an unventional application of the Sky Eye. It was not purely a spell, but one that used specialized daggers as a medium.

These daggers were crafted with a unique technique that was not exceedinglymplex, but their individual production made them quitestly. Qi Xuansuuld never afford such luxuries.

Yao Pei stated, “He went to the Lower Palace.”

“Why does it seem like the seal between the Upper and Lower Palaces is made of paper?” Qi Xuansu muttered, “People justme and go as they please.”

Yao Pei quipped. “If you had the cultivation of a Heavenly Being and had lived in Wanxiang Daoist Palace for many years, slipping into the Lower Palace unnoticed would hardly be difficult.”

Qi Xuansu thought it made sense. “Are we heading to the Lower Palace, then?”

“Ofurse, we are. You’re more familiar with the Lower Palace, so look carefully and tell me where this is.” Yao Pei pointed at the fragmented scene from the dagger’s perspective.

Qi Xuansu studied the image closely for a moment, then said, “This should be somewhere not too far from Xingye Lake.”

“The Star Observation Deck?” Yao Pei asked.

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “No, Xingye Lake stretches quite far and has an irregular shape, so its banks are full of twists and turns. This place is rather remote—it’s quite a distance from the Star Observation Deck.”

Yao Pei took out a gold-inlaid jade pocket watch, glanced at the time, and said, “If Hu Jiaode doesn’t move within the next 15 minutes, we’ll go immediately.”

“How are we getting down there?” Qi Xuansu asked.

Yao Pei pulled out themmand token that Sun Hewu had lent her and replied, “We’ll take the official path through the Ming Hall.”

Qi Xuansu said no more and simply waited for 15 minutes to pass.

The viewpoint of the dagger shifted only slightly from side to side. Hu Jiaode seemed to be pacing back and forth, no longer moving at the breakneck speed he had before.

Yao Pei stared at the hands of the pocket as they slowly ticked forward. When it was time, she snapped thever shut and said, “Let’s go.”

The two left Dui Garden and headed straight for the Ming Hall.

The four entrances on the snd floor had been reinforced with additional Spirit Guards, but they did not restrict general access to the Ming Hall. Only those attempting to descend to the first floor were intercepted by the stationed Spirit Guards.

However, once Yao Pei presented Sun Hewu’s token, the guards promptly allowed them through. Upon reaching the first floor, the main gate was just as heavily guarded—all passages required inspection.

Once the two exited through the Ming Hall’s first-floor main gate, they officially entered the Lower Palace.

Qi Xuansu felt overwhelmed with emotions. After so many years, he had once again set foot on the soil of the Lower Palace—his true home ground.

He looked around and remarked, “It doesn’t seem like anything has changed. Everything’s still the same.”

“Even after decades, it will remain the same,” Yao Pei said in a flat tone, shattering the moment’s nostalgia. “Every blade of grass and every tree here is tied to the grand formation of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, which isn’t something that can be easily altered.”

Qi Xuansu sighed before he led Yao Pei toward Hu Jiaode’s last known location.

Compared to the Upper Palace, the Lower Palace lacked the same number of restrictive formations, and its defenses were noticeably more relaxed. Thus, the two euntered no obstacles along the way and quickly arrived at the shores of Xingye Lake.

Hu Jiaode stood amidst a field of white reed flowers, his upper body visible above the swaying stalks. The daggers embedded in his body gleamed intermittently.

The middle-aged Heavenly Being turned abruptly. His sword caught the moonlight, momentarily blinding Qi Xuansu. His face was twisted with malice, his expression dark and ominous, radiating a murderous aura as he glared at them.

Yao Pei’s face remained expressionless as usual, her voice calm and steady. Yet her words carried a hint of disappointment. “So he’s just been pacing back and forth here, doing nothing?”

She had hastily devised a trap that was not particularly clever, and Hu Jiaode seemed to have walked into it, or perhaps he had not.

Qi Xuansu rested his hand on the hilt of Flying Shadow, also puzzled. “Seems that way.”

Yao Pei held a dagger between two fingers, its polished blade reflecting her sharp gaze. “Hu Jiaode, my patience is limited. I’ll give you one last chance.”

Hu Jiaode finally spoke. “Yao Pei, the only reason your family may have a better reputation than the Li family is because the Yao family operates in secrecy. If we really scrutinize things, how much better are you truly? Do you think my fate will be any better if I fall into your hands?”

Yao Pei did not bother responding. With a flick of her wrist, the flying dagger shot forth.

Even though Hu Jiaode was prepared, Yao Pei had anticipated his movement, so he failed to dodge the blade entirely. Half of his ear was sliced off, and blood poured down his face.

At the same moment, Qi Xuansu drew his sword and charged toward Hu Jiaode.

The two clashed again, and this time, Qi Xuansu immediately unleashed the Demonic Blade. Yet, even so, it was far from an easy fight. There was a reason why the Beidou 36 Swords was hailed as the deadliest sword technique. Combined with Hu Jiaode’s higher cultivation level and his reckless, suicidal fighting style, Qi Xuansu’s keen instincts were ultimately overwhelmed by sheer force.

In the blink of an eye, Qi Xuansu found himselfmpletely on the defensive in the duel. Nine out of ten moves were evasive defenses, leaving only a single, weakunterattack.

If not for Yao Pei’s presence, Qi Xuansu would have already started thinking of an escape plan.

Just as Qi Xuansu felt his battle instinct teetering on the brink ofmplete madness, Yao Pei finally made her move. She was not particularly fast, yet each of her steps was perfectly timed, avoiding every strike of Hu Jiaode’s sword qi. When she reached within 30 meters of Hu Jiaode, a small blade appeared in her hand. This was the self-defense dagger.

As its name suggested, it was used for self-defense. It was slightly longer than a typical dagger, but not by much. This type of dagger gained notoriety when a certain Jianghu master used it to murder hisncubine. However, such a short weapon was naturally at a disadvantage when it came to directmbat.

Qi Xuansu had not expected Yao Pei to choose this particular weapon of all things.

What followed was not visually dazzling nor particularly profound. To the untrained eye, it might have even appeared clumsy. A seemingly defenseless woman, wielding a short dagger, stepped toward a master swordsman brandishing his long blade. Her steps were erratic, walking one step, then stopping for two, lacking any sense of urgency. Meanwhile, the swordsman seemed tompletely disregard her presence, focusing entirely on dueling the younger man before him.

Yet, despite her seemingly disordered movement, she closed the distance in an instant, stopping just meters away from the swordsman.

In truth, Hu Jiaode was well aware of his predicament. He had attempted to attack Yao Pei, but she miraculously avoided his strikes every time. Whenever he turned back tounter Qi Xuansu, Yao Pei would step forward again. Her every move was meticulously calculated, flowing effortlessly into the next. She had no overwhelming aura or frenzied killing intent, just a calm and deliberate advancement that brought her right in front of Hu Jiaode.

Hu Jiaode forcefully pushed Qi Xuansu back and executed the Thundering Sword Technique from the Beidou 36 Swords. As long as Yao Pei’s dagger madentact with his sword, heuld channel his sword intention and innate qi into her, disrupting the true essence within her body.

However, Yao Pei subtly shifted her position and narrowly dodged his strike, once again seeming eerily omniscient. At the same time, she seized this moment to close the distance to just one meter from Hu Jiaode, thrusting her self-defense dagger toward him.

Hu Jiaode had no choice but to step sideways. He caught the dagger between two fingers and instantly unleashed the Primal Origin Sword Qi, which was another technique from the Beidou 36 Swords.

Primal Origin Sword Qi was the fusion of yin and yang, manifesting qi into shape, possessing form yet lacking substance. Its intangible nature made it impossible to trace, as it was neither bound by matter nor restrained by any force.

In an instant, sword qi erupted from Hu Jiaode’s position, engulfing the 300-meter radius around him.

The white reed flowers flattened in waves, anduntless broken petals filled the sky.

There was no longer any room to evade.

Without any visible movement from Yao Pei, two intertwining serpent shadows emerged around her, forming a horizontal infinite loop that empassed an area of about 10 meters in radius.

Alllors faded away within the domain of these serpent shadows, leaving only stark black and white. Everything inside the area became frozen in place.

It was as if time itself hadme to a halt. Even the invisible sword qi was no exception, frozen in place just 15 centimeters away from striking Yao Pei.

Hu Jiaode’s face was still etched with shock, as if he had witnessed something utterly inceivable.

Yao Pei withdrew her self-defense dagger from between Hu Jiaode’s fingers and thrust it forward once more.

Almost simultaneously, the two serpent shadows began to fade. The black-and-white hues receded like a retreating tide, and Hu Jiaode regained hislor. But it was already too late. Yao Pei had already plunged the dagger into Hu Jiaode’s chest—a perfect strike to the heart.

Though both were Heavenly Beings in the Xiaoyao stage, Yao Pei was a Banished Immortal wielding a semi-immortal object. She had planned ahead, while her opponent had not, and with Qi Xuansu distracting Hu Jiaode from the front, she had all thenditions in her favor.

With all these factorsmbined, Yao Pei held an overwhelming advantage. One single strike decided both the oume of the battle and Hu Jiaode’s fate.

This was the key difference between Yao Pei and Qi Jianyuan. She was a pragmatist, focused solely on achieving victory—a trait she shared with Qi Xuansu.

Under normal circumstances, a Heavenly Being would not die instantly, even if their heart were pierced. But Yao Pei’s dagger was clearly no ordinary weapon. Hu Jiaode’s innate qi and vitality rapidly dissipated.

Moments later, the Special-Rank Golden-Purple Instructorllapsed with a resounding thud.

After being pushed back, Qi Xuansu had been suppressing the bloodthirsty instincts of the Demonic Blade, fearing that he might losentrol. Thus, he had not gone for a finishing blow. By the time he calmed himself, he saw Yao Pei rifling through Hu Jiaode’s belongings, retrieving a magical receptacle shaped like a jade pendant.

Someone of Yao Pei’s status would not care about mere material wealth. She was undoubtedly searching for clues.

After a while, Yao Pei suddenly clutched the jade pendant tightly in her palm, frowning for the first time. “Nothing...”

“What do you mean, ‘nothing?’” Qi Xuansu asked. “Are you talking about a name list? If their numbers were small, they wouldn’t need a written list. Theyuld just memorize it. Not having one makes sense.”

Yao Pei shook her head. “Not a list. Antainer.”

Qi Xuansu blinked innfusion. “What kind ofntainer?”

Yao Pei replied, “Antainer to store the incense power within the Confucian Sage statue. They can’t possibly take the entire statue, so they must have a special vessel to store it. Howuld it not be here? What went wrong?”

“Could thentainer be with the small fry? Or did Hu Jiaode hide it somewhere?” Qi Xuansu speculated.

Yao Pei did not respond. She fell into deep thought, and slowly, her eyes turned pure white.