A Pawn's Passage

Yao Pei’s battle with the Spiritual Statue resembled an ancient beast rampaging through the wilderness. Wherever they clashed, boulders shattered, trees splintered, and a new path was forcibly carved into the terrain.

After clashing over a dozen times with Yao Pei’s blade qi, the Vajra Spiritual Statue finally had its palm severed by a single slash. However, Yao Pei was also sent flying by a punch from its massive fist that was far larger than herself.

Even with one hand gone, the Vajra Spiritual Statue continued its relentless barrage of punches. Each strike crashed against the ground with an earth-shaking roar, sending dirt flying and raising plumes of dust. Rocks tumbled down the slopes, but fortunately, no bystanders were present to be caught in the crossfire.

Yao Pei’s only weapon was the self-defense dagger in her hand. She appeared insignificant before the 30-meter-tall Spiritual Statue, but she remained unyielding.

She seized the opportunity to counterattack, severing the Spiritual Statue’s already maimed arm. As the dismembered limb fell, it crumbled midair into golden fragments, and golden liquid spread across the ground upon impact.

Zhang Juyan turned back, his usual smile gone when he saw this. He had never expected Yao Pei to be so domineering—not only daring to face the Spiritual Statue head-on but actually forcing it into retreat.

Moreover, Yao Pei had only recently become a Heavenly Being. If given a few more years, she would certainly be a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps by then, she would be able to cleave the Spiritual Statue in two with a single stroke.

Seizing the moment while the Spiritual Statue staggered back, Yao Pei took a deep breath, the flow of true essence within her surged like a mighty river.

With a single breath, Yao Pei sprinted forward in a straight line. She then leaped high into the air and drove her self-defense dagger straight into the golden chest of the Spiritual Statue.

An explosion of blinding golden light erupted. Large chunks of gold fragments peeled away, transforming midair into fine golden sand that scattered with the wind.

The Vajra Spiritual Statue staggered backward.

Yao Pei landed with her knees bent slightly. The sheer force of her impact cracked the ground beneath her feet, forming a vast web-like pattern. Using this momentum, she launched herself upward once more.

Her blade streaked through the air like a white arc suspended in the sky, magnificent and imposing.

This strike landed precisely at the center of the Spiritual Statue’s forehead. Against the 30-meter-tall massive Spiritual Statue, the self-defense dagger that was barely 60 centimeters long seemed utterly useless. Yet from the point where the blade struck, countless cracks began to spread outward, and golden light burst forth from within.

In the next instant, the Vajra Spiritual Statue trembled violently. The cracks on its forehead spread at an alarming rate, covering its entire face in mere moments. Those fractures showed no sign of stopping as they extended further, creeping across its entire colossal form.

Zhang Juyan covered his mouth and coughed a few times, his complexion slightly pale. No matter what, he was merely on the cusp of the Wuliang stage. Thus, facing both Yao Pei and Qi Xuansu together was an immense pressure.

In the earlier clash, he had already suffered severe injuries from Yao Pei’s Staff of Merit. Though he had incapacitated Qi Xuansu, he would not be able to last much longer either.

Zhang Juyan ignored the crumbling Spiritual Statue. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the amber floating on the lake’s surface.

As more and more golden threads surged up from the lakebed, the golden amber grew even brighter.

Qi Xuansu also noticed this strange phenomenon.

He was not sure if he was hallucinating, but he saw that the golden amber was faintly pulsating, like a beating heart. As it continued to glow, it became more transparent, revealing a small, curled-up figure within it.

Qi Xuansu could even vaguely hear the cries of an infant.

Was this an embryo? He thought.

The tiny figure inside the amber squirmed, as if it were about to be born.

Qi Xuansu took a deep breath, feeling his secondary heart pulsating steadily. The surge of warmth gradually dispelled the residual lightning from his chest wound. His blood and qi circulated once more, restoring his strength.

With great effort, Qi Xuansu forced himself upright. He felt the extraordinary regenerative power of his Martial Arts Practitioner physique kicking in and slowly healing his wounds.

He could not understand why a Heavenly Being like Zhang Juyan would defect to the Ziguang Society. But then, he reflected on his own past and considered another possibility—could Zhang Juyan also be acting against his own will?

Qi Xuansu was merely an orphan with no knowledge of his parents. His initiation into a secret society could be chalked up to chance. But Zhang Juyan was different—he was a descendant of the Zhang family, one of the only two top Daoist aristocratic families in the world. What could have forced his hand?

It was unlikely to be for fame or fortune. Could it be a woman? For love?

At that moment, the tottering Spiritual Statue finally shattered, disintegrating into countless fragments that dispersed with the wind.

Just then, a white streak of light roared down from the sky.

Zhang Juyan spread his arms wide, his long sleeves resembling bat wings. With a leap, he soared up.

The white streak of light struck the ground, carving a massive crater into the earth and clearing the surrounding white reed flowers in an instant.

Just as Zhang Juyan exhaled a sigh of relief, he felt a chilling killing intent envelop his back. Realizing the danger, he dodged instinctively, but not quickly enough. Yao Pei’s blade struck his arm, nearly severing it entirely.

Zhang Juyan had no time for hesitation. He retaliated with a sweeping strike—nothing but sheer speed, like a windstorm—temporarily forcing Yao Pei back.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Juyan landed and flicked his sleeves, producing two paper figurines. He tapped each one and commanded, “Attention, warriors!”

Golden light erupted from the paper figurines, and a sudden gust of wind swept across the field. Before their eyes, the two figurines transformed into towering warriors, each standing 3 meters tall. Their faces were as red as ruby, and their beards jet black. They were clad in radiant golden armor, their sashes fluttering in the wind, with a golden solar ring glowing brilliantly behind them.

These were none other than the Yellow Turban Warriors that Lingquanzi had once used during their battle with Desmond the vampire.

Yao Pei wasted no time. With a single slash, she cleaved one Yellow Turban Warrior in half from head to toe. Without pausing, she launched another strike that beheaded the second warrior.

Meanwhile, Zhang Juyan was already sprinting toward the amber.

Yao Pei’s face was cold with murderous intent. Killing Zhang Juyan was not difficult, but the battle’s outcome did not hinge on his life or death. It was all about that amber.

By now, it was clear to everyone that the amber was not just a mere vessel for divine power. The embryo within was likely a medium for a divine descent, just like how the True Lord Siming had descended upon Jinling Prefecture.

At this moment, Yao Pei began to understand why Zhang Juyan had joined the Ziguang Society.

The ties between the Zhang family and the Ziguang Society stretched back centuries—in fact, so deep that they rivaled the historic bond between the first Great Sage of Quanzhen Sect, Shangguan Wan, and the Zhang family.

Yao Pei had once told Qi Xuansu that the Ancient Immortals had found a way into Jade Capital in the past. Of course, it had not been through brute force. If the Ancient Immortals had been capable of storming Jade Capital directly, then the Daoist Order would have had no claim to be the dominant force in the world.

Instead, the Ancient Immortals had resorted to a clever scheme. True Lord Ziguang personally concealed her identity and married into the Zhang family. The Zhang ancestor she wed was the very same Omniscient Sage that Yao Pei had mentioned before—a figure who still held the record for the highest-ranking Daoist to ever fall to enemy hands.

As an Omniscient Sage’s wife, True Lord Ziguang infiltrated Jade Capital and remained hidden within Xuan City. Though she was eventually discovered by Donghuang, she had already served her purpose as a catalyst, establishing a conduit that allowed Wu Luo and the Lord Buddha to descend into Jade Capital’s Kunlun Cave.

This incident ultimately ended with the Daoist Order expelling the Ancient Immortals. However, in its aftermath, a fierce debate erupted within the highest echelons of the Daoist Order, restricted to the inner circle of the Golden Tower Council.

The main question was: What should be done with the offspring left behind by True Lord Ziguang?

At the time, it felt as if the heavens had played the greatest prank of all.

Generally speaking, the higher one’s cultivation level, the harder it was to leave behind descendants.

There were only two ways to conceive offspring. One way was to marry and have children early—before one’s cultivation grew too profound. Another way was for one spouse to have no cultivation at all or only minimal cultivation. Among the Immortals of the past, only Emperor Gaozu had a son and a daughter. Everyone else left no heirs.

Heavenly Beings could still try their luck, though producing offspring was difficult.

Those who had attained Immortality had already secured their eternal existence and had no need to continue their bloodline. If they wished for children, they could only pray for divine mercy—such as in the case of Emperor Gaozu. However, this was an exceedingly rare occurrence and could only happen if one spouse was not an Immortal. In most cases, Immortals could only adopt children.

As for couples like the Holy Xuan and his wife—both being Immortals—there was not even the slightest possibility of them having offspring.

This was, in fact, a reflection of the heavens’ impartiality. The way of the heavens was to take from the abundant and give to the lacking, but the way of humans was to take from the lacking and serve the abundant.

If Immortals could leave behind offspring, their offspring would have been natural-born Banished Immortals, far beyond ordinary mortals. There would be no need to seek out the Xuan Jade to enhance one’s potential. Immortals would pass down their legacy seamlessly, without fear of dynastic interruptions or generational decline. Over time, Immortal clans would likely emerge. Some Immortals ascended to higher realms; others remained in the mortal realm by going through tribulations; and some became Godly Immortals and established their own divine kingdoms, reigning over the mortal realm for an eternity to safeguard their bloodlines.

Even the two great Daoist aristocratic families had their own rise and fall. The Li family had produced two Grand Masters. But if they had Immortal guardians in every generation, there would be no decline—only continuous ascension.

In the end, an insurmountable barrier would form, cutting off any path for outsiders. Even those with the potential to reach immortality would face only two choices—swear fealty to these Immortal dynasties or be eliminated before they could achieve immortality themselves.

Heaven and Earth were merciless, treating all beings as traditional straw dogs to be sacrificed. If one attained immortality, they could not continue their bloodline. If they wished to leave an offspring, they could not attain immortality. This principle was akin to the centennial tribulations faced by Immortals or the many inherent flaws in the elixirs of eternal life.

By this logic, True Lord Ziguang should not have been able to bear offspring. However, the Zhang ancestor she married was not an Immortal, unlike the Holy Xuan and his wife, for whom such a possibility was entirely nonexistent. Thus, there was still a minuscule chance.

Through an unexpected twist of fate, True Lord Ziguang left behind a child.

Due to this issue, the inner circle of the Golden Tower Council was split into two factions. One faction, led by the Great Sage of Taiping Sect, Donghuang, advocated for complete eradication so as not to leave behind a potential threat. The other faction, led by the Great Sage of the Zhengyi Sect, Yan Feiqing, argued to keep the child alive. The reason was simple—this child was extraordinarily rare, even rarer than the Emperor’s.

This child was born with a trace of divine nature, which was perhaps a sign of fate. Many believed he could be the key to the Daoist Order’s future solution to the threat of the Ancient Immortals.

The Great Sage of Quanzhen Sect, Shangguan Wan, remained neutral, neither siding with nor opposing either faction.

At the time, the Holy Xuan was in seclusion, preparing for a decisive battle against the Lord Buddha. Since he was absent, the two factions were locked in an impasse.

In the end, it was the Holy Xuan’s wife who made the final decision—to let the child live. Her reasoning consisted of just one question: What crime has the child committed?

Following the instructions of Yan Feiqing, the Zhang family raised the child as an ordinary member of their clan, neither discriminating against him nor granting him special privileges.

This was the origin of the Zhang family’s connection to the Ziguang Society.

Perhaps Zhang Juyan was a direct descendant of True Lord Ziguang.

In an instant, Yao Pei had already caught up to Zhang Juyan, driving her blade straight into his back.

Zhang Juyan collapsed to the ground, yet his gaze remained fixed on the golden amber floating above the lake.

At that moment, a faint yet distinct sound echoed, like the cracking of an eggshell.

A thin fissure split opened across the golden amber, and from within, a wisp of purple smoke slowly ascended, resembling the sacred incense smoke offered to divine beings.