A Pawn's Passage

The Infinite Coiling Finger Sword was a high-attainment method that Zhang Juyan had already mastered, rather than merely imitating it with the Taiping Qingling Sutra. As a result, its power was not reduced, making it quite formidable.

Even among Heavenly Beings in the Xiaoyao stage, combat strength varied depending on individual circumstances. Compared to Qi Jianyuan, Zhang Juyan was overwhelmingly stronger.

This was entirely reasonable because Qi Jianyuan had only just stepped into the Xiaoyao stage, while Zhang Juyan was already nearing the threshold of the Wuliang stage. It was no wonder Yao Pei thought it was a waste that Zhang Juyan was not valued by the Daoist Order.

For this reason, Yao Pei did not rashly use the Staff of Merit. Given Zhang Juyan’s cultivation level, it would be difficult for her to immobilize him for long. Moreover, as she had only recently advanced to the Xiaoyao stage, using the Staff of Merit placed a significant burden on her. The higher her opponent’s cultivation, the greater the strain. She had only one opportunity to use the Staff of Merit, so she had to choose the perfect moment.

There was a saying among Heavenly Beings in combat that mastery was only revealed within tight spaces. Destructive battles that toppled houses and collapsed walls were the marks of Xiantian Beings. Heavenly Beings wielded their innate qi with perfect precision, not wasting a single bit of it. Thus, shattering the ground with a single strike was considered a lower-level approach. True mastery lay in harming one’s opponent effortlessly, with damage that was unseen and unfelt until it was too late.

After dispersing the Infinite Coiling Finger Sword, Yao Pei flicked her sleeve, releasing seven invisible sword qi. Zhang Juyan managed to block four of them, but the remaining three struck him, forcing him to drift backward.

As Zhang Juyan landed, three small blood stains appeared—one on his chest, one on his shoulder, and one on his lower abdomen. At first, they were as fine as needle pricks, but in the blink of an eye, they expanded to the size of coins, staining his robe red.

“That’s an excellent display of the Seven Profound Swords, Miss Yao,” Zhang Juyan praised.

Zhang Juyan smiled faintly. His left hand wielded the Infinite Coiling Finger Sword, its sword qi as elusive as smoke and mist, soft yet unpredictable, changing endlessly.

With his right sleeve, he swept forth, directly unleashing the Wind Thunder Cloud Manifestation from the Taiyin 13 Swords. Thunder rumbled faintly, and mist rose naturally from the air.

At last, Yao Pei gently tapped the ground with her serpent staff. From the point where the Staff of Merit made contact with the ground, an invisible ripple spread outward in all directions. Wherever the ripple passed, all color faded, turning the world into shades of black and white.

Even Zhang Juyan, formidable as he was, froze completely in that instant, turning black and white.

Seizing the opportunity, Yao Pei dashed forward and pressed a single hand onto Zhang Juyan’s forehead. Her true essence instantly poured out like a raging flood.

Blood gushed from Zhang Juyan’s orifices. Though it was not enough to claim his life, his very foundation had been severely damaged.

Just as Yao Pei was about to shatter Zhang Juyan’s skull completely, the immobilization effect of the Staff of Merit came to an end. Zhang Juyan regained his freedom and finally wielded his weapon—a folding fan.

He struck at Yao Pei’s abdomen—an attempt to threaten her. If she insisted on delivering a fatal blow, she would inevitably suffer a severe injury herself. This kind of life-for-a-life trade was not one Yao Pei was willing to make, so she withdrew without hesitation.

Zhang Juyan inhaled slightly. The blood flowing from his orifices instantly reversed and returned to his body.

Yao Pei sighed softly, a hint of regret in her voice. She turned to Qi Xuansu and asked, “Tian Yuan, can you hold off Zhang Juyan?”

Qi Xuansu glanced down at Flying Shadow in his hand, hesitated for a moment, then said, “I can hold him off for about 15 minutes.”

He did not deliberately lower his voice to hide this statement from Zhang Juyan.

Zhang Juyan chuckled. “Tian Yuan, that’s quite the bold claim!”

Qi Xuansu pressed his lips together. His figure flickered, and he slashed at Zhang Juyan with all his might.

Zhang Juyan tapped his foot lightly, his figure turning illusory and ethereal.

The two men seemed like butterflies dancing gracefully amidst the vast expanse of white reed flowers, seemingly light and agile. But in reality, they were locked in a deadly duel, every move perilous.

Qi Xuansu tapped his toe and spun his body. Flying Shadow traced a perfect arc in sync with his movement, sweeping horizontally toward Zhang Juyan. The latter bent his upper body backward at a sharp right angle, his nose barely brushing past the blade’s edge as it cut through the air.

In turn, Zhang Juyan casually flicked his folding fan in a horizontal slash aimed at Qi Xuansu’s lower leg.

This move appeared effortless and without aggression, yet it was incredibly treacherous.

Qi Xuansu’s body flickered, narrowly dodging the fan attack as its surface skimmed just beneath his shoe. Before he even landed, he had already swung another slash toward Zhang Juyan’s forehead.

Zhang Juyan’s wrist trembled slightly, and his unfolded fan snapped shut in an instant. With a delicate tap of the fan’s ribs against the blade, he pushed Qi Xuansu away effortlessly before unleashing his full power of the Wind Thunder Cloud Manifestation from the Taiyin 13 Swords.

In the next moment, continuous thunderclaps rumbled throughout the entire field of white reed flowers.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Juyan continued exchanging strikes. Zhang Juyan’s fan pierced into Qi Xuansu’s chest, leaving behind a wound the size of an egg when he withdrew the fan. Even with Qi Xuansu’s body-regenerative abilities, this injury showed no signs of healing. Electricity coiled around the wound, continuously emerging and dissipating. This was the Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method.

However, Zhang Juyan did not escape unscathed. In the end, Qi Xuansu fired a shot directly at his chest. The Grade-B Series One Dragon Eye Bullet detonated at point-blank range, shattering the Heavenly Being’s protective qi shield and leaving a deep, thumb-sized bloodied hole in the center of his chest.

On the other side, Yao Pei had Qi Xuansu stall for time not to heal her wounds, but to retrieve a Grade-A Series Eight Phoenix Eye Bomb from her magical receptacle. She then gathered her full strength and hurled it into the sky.

At this point, sending a message did not necessarily require returning to the Upper Palace. Instead, Yao Pei chose to directly attack the Wanxiang Daoist Palace’s formation.

The Grade-A Series Eight Phoenix Eye Bomb ascended to its highest point and made contact with the barrier separating the Upper and Lower Palaces.

With a thunderous explosion, the Grade-A Series Eight Phoenix Eye Bomb shattered, illuminating most of the night sky. Countless streaks of fire rained down like a grand display of fireworks. The rolling flames dyed much of the sky and lake surface a deep crimson.

For a brief moment, the usually invisible and formless formation revealed its true nature. Numerous talismanic inscriptions flickered in and out of existence, faintly forming a massive circular dome that enshrouded the entire Lower Palace.

The dome-like formation rippled like water, making the Upper Palace that hovered above it seem like an octagonal floating island.

Such a loud commotion was bound to alarm the entire Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Seeing this, Zhang Juyan retrieved a palm-sized Vajra statue from his magical receptacle and tossed it into the air.

He chanted, “Life is but a fleeting dream. All phenomena are empty. The Buddha said there are eight sufferings—birth, aging, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, encounters with hatred, unfulfilled desires, and the raging of the Five Aggregates. Every person in this world undergoes these tribulations. Though the Buddha seeks to enlighten all beings, people remain lost in worldly illusions. Dust and desires turn to bones; all things fade into emptiness. Yet karma alone endures, revolving ceaselessly, life after life. The ancient lamp shines eternally, night after night, year after year. As time slips away, the mundane world is forgotten.”

The clouds in the sky rapidly gathered and descended. Then, a massive pillar of light shot down from above. When the light dissipated, a 30-meter-tall Golden Body Spiritual Statue appeared in the mortal realm. Though its form was both ethereal and tangible, its Vajra-like wrathful gaze and imposing aura inspired deep fear at first sight.

This mystical spectacle, unfolding within arm’s reach, was truly a divine masterpiece. Though it was not an earth-shattering event, it was certainly awe-inspiring. This was not the Shaman’s Spiritual Statue Realm, but rather the power of a treasure.

Upon witnessing this, Yao Pei knew that prolonging the fight was no longer an option, so she lunged forward.

Though it was Qi Xuansu’s first time fighting alongside Yao Pei, many things required no verbal communication. He already knew what to do. Almost simultaneously, he shot forward as well.

Qi Xuansu had fought his way through countless battles. The closer he was to the brink of life and death, the more his fighting spirit soared. At this moment, he feared that the Demonic Blade might cloud his judgment and cause trouble for Yao Pei, so he did not draw his weapon. Instead, he unleashed what could be considered the most powerful punch of his life, holding nothing back.

It was the Sea Mountain Fist from the Tantai Fist Intention.

The Spiritual Statue that had appeared out of thin air blocked Yao Pei’s path, while Zhang Juyan turned to face Qi Xuansu.

Visible ripples of innate qi surged outward, transforming into a raging tempest that swept in all directions. Countless reeds bent under the violent winds and flattened to the ground, while those closest to the source were uprooted entirely.

Qi Xuansu’s punch landed squarely on Zhang Juyan’s forehead, leaving a distinct fist imprint. Zhang Juyan’s head jerked violently, and his body staggered back unsteadily.

However, Zhang Juyan managed to strike Qi Xuansu’s chest once more with his closed folding fan.

Already at his limit, Qi Xuansu was sent flying backward, crashing into the ground more than 30 meters away. His body skidded more than 10 meters before finally coming to a stop.

Qi Xuansu forced himself into a sitting position. When he looked down, he noticed that his chest was torn open in a gruesome mess of flesh and blood. Tiny threads of electricity slithered across his wounds, crackling as they writhed within his body like miniature snakes. He knew this was due to severe physical trauma.

Fortunately, he had an Auxiliary Heart. Otherwise, a real heart would have been shattered. Even if he had not died instantly, he would have been gravely wounded and knocking on death’s door.

He attempted to stand, but his body was limp and powerless. Left with no choice, he slowly dragged himself toward a large tree and leaned against its trunk for support. Planting his feet firmly, he tried to push himself up, but his weakened physique and depleted strength failed him. Twice, he attempted and collapsed each time.

Meanwhile, the colossal 30-meter-tall Spiritual Status strode toward Yao Pei with heavy steps.

Yao Pei stowed away the Staff of Merit. Instead, she drew her self-defense dagger. Blade qi surged around her entire right arm, making it seem as if her limb and blade were one. Though the blade itself was less than 60 centimeters in length, the blade qi extending from it spanned about 10 meters. This blade qi contained the power of wind and thunder, causing her wide sleeves to billow and rustle fiercely.

The Spiritual Statue raised a fist larger than Yao Pei’s entire body and brought it down upon her.

Yao Pei swung her blade, releasing a crescent-shaped blade qi that met the Spiritual Statue’s fist head-on.

In that instant, a thunderclap resounded through the air. Countless golden rays and blade qi scattered in all directions. The white reed flowers were chopped down, and ripples spread across the surface of Xingye Lake, as if a torrential downpour were striking the waters.

At this moment, there was no longer any room for precise, restrained combat. Both sides had unleashed their full power. Within a radius of 100 meters, all that could be seen was the razor-sharp blade qi and a golden radiance.