A Pawn's Passage

As early as the Holy Xuan era, the Three Yin Beings had already possessed power close to Pseudo-Immortals. Back then, Master Yin, known as the Nine-Yin Lord of the Netherworld, had once fought against Elder Cihang, who at the time was also a Pseudo-Immortal. Now, over 200 years later, the Three Yin Beings had advanced even further to at least the Pseudo-Immortal level.

However, the Three Yin Beings had a severe limitation. They could not freely leave the Ghost Kingdom.

During the Daoist Order’s reformation, the Zhengyi Sect launched two major assaults on Beimang Mountain. Both the Mighty Lord of Ten Thousand Corpses and the Mystical Lord of White Bones suffered heavy injuries, while only the Nine-Yin Lord of the Netherworld remained unscathed. This explained why Master Yin had the highest cultivation among the Three Yin Beings. Even so, he could only step beyond the Ghost Kingdom and reach the nearby Ghost Pass at most.

To leave the Ghost Kingdom for extended periods and over long distances, the Three Yin Beings required a host. In the past, this role had been filled by various elders of the Ancient Gezao Sect. When the Three Yin Beings were still below the Pseudo-Immortal level, they needed a Wuliang-stage Heavenly Being as a host. But now that they reached the Pseudo-Immortal level, they required at least a Zaohua-stage Heavenly Being to carry them.

However, a Zaohua-stage Heavenly Being could only support one Yin Being leaving the Ghost Kingdom. To carry all three Yin Beings, the host would require at least a Pseudo-Immortal level of cultivation. Even then, they would need the aid of immortal objects. Without immortal objects, all Three Yin Beings would have to be carried by an Immortal.

This was precisely why the Three Yin Beings had placed their bet on Qi Xuansu. It was no surprise that Master Yin was pleased upon seeing Qi Xuansu advance to the Heavenly-Being stage. But Qi Xuansu was still far from the goal for Master Yin to feel any excitement.

For an ordinary cultivator, reaching the Heavenly-Being stage might be their life’s greatest achievement. But for true prodigies, becoming a Heavenly Being was merely the starting point.

The legendary Donghuang had become a Heavenly Being before the age of 20 without relying on external aids like Xuan Jades or elixirs. The current prodigies of the Daoist Order—Li Changge, Yao Pei, and Zhang Yuelu—were not even in the same league as Donghuang.

The sixth-generation Grand Master was also one such gifted figure. Though he had been an unfit leader, his talent was undeniable. He had become an Immortal before the age of 50. This meant he was already at the Wuliang stage, if not the Zaohua stage when he was 30.

Compared to these legendary figures, Qi Xuansu still had a long way to go.

That said, if Qi Xuansu were a true Banished Immortal like Donghuang, the Daoist Order would have fully invested in him, grooming him to become Deputy Grand Master or even the Grand Master. If so, there was no way he would have made any agreements with the Three Yin Beings. Even without being the Grand Master, the Three Yin Beings would have no choice but to obey him. More importantly, what he would desire at that level would be far beyond what they could offer.

Thus, the Three Yin Beings had to settle for a lesser bet, placing their wager on someone like Qi Xuansu, who lacked deep-rooted backing.

In truth, the Three Yin Beings were not placing all their hopes on Qi Xuansu. This was a side bet, a long-term investment with uncertain returns.

Thus, Master Yin did not have high expectations for Qi Xuansu. But since Qi Xuansu had advanced faster than expected, Master Yin saw no harm in offering some encouragement.

Master Yin extended his hand. A point of spiritual radiance emerged above his palm.

“What is this?” Qi Xuansu couldn’t help but ask.

Master Yin replied, “Some spells from the Ancient Gezao Sect. Young one, I believe you will find them interesting.”

Qi Xuansu hesitated. He had heard that many techniques from the Gezao Sect were considered taboo. In today’s era of self-righteous moralists, where everyone claimed to be pure and preached about ethics, scrutinizing others’ flaws under a magnifying glass, who would dare use such spells? He would be drowned in public scorn!

Master Yin seemed to have read Qi Xuansu’s concerns. He smiled as he clarified, “Rest assured, this is from the Ancient Gezao Sect, not the Zaoge Cult.”

Only then did Qi Xuansu feel relieved. “Thank you, Master Yin.”

With a flick of his finger, Master Yin shot the point of spiritual radiance into Qi Xuansu’s forehead.

Qi Xuansu immediately sensed new knowledge being imprinted into his mind. This allowed him to skip the traditional learning process and allow for direct knowledge transfer. It also enabled mutual exchanges of insights between two individuals.

However, the disadvantage was that such insights were derived from others, making it difficult to advance beyond surface-level mastery. True prodigies rarely relied on such expedient learning. But for mere imitation, having one’s own comprehension was irrelevant. This was likely how Li Changge had used the Taiping Qingling Sutra to mimic the perfected methods of all three major sects.

This was the true strength of the modern Daoist Order. There were no true failures. With enough resources, even useless wood could be carved into expensive jade. Li Changge was one such example; Qi Xuansu was another. If the Daoist Order pooled their full power, disregarding cost and effort, they could even create an Immortal.

The creation project was not just an empty concept.

In the past, wandering cultivators could still stir up some trouble. But now, even a lone Immortal was no match for the Daoist Order. This was why Madam Qi had insisted that Qi Xuansu return to the Daoist Order. No matter how well one thrived in the real world, there was not much future. One would merely become a chamber pot by those in positions of power—used when needed, discarded when not.

Master Yin had bestowed on Qi Xuansu two spells.

The first spell was called the Nine Nether Chains. Qi Xuansu had just seen this technique when Sun Hewu used it against Zhang Wuhen. It could manifest chains of both illusory and material form and pierce through the opponent’s body and soul. It was somewhat similar to the Ghosthead Machete. But while the Ghosthead Machete was focused on killing, the Nine Nether Chains specialized in binding. It could generate up to nine chains at once, and its primary limitation was the consumption of magical power.

The second spell was called the Green Netherworld Armor. This technique consumed divine power to form a full-body suit of armor that protected against blades, firearms, spells, and mental intrusions. More importantly, this armor doubled as an incredibly advanced stealth outfit. It could completely conceal the user’s presence—not only eliminating footsteps and any sounds of movement but also suppressing the user’s killing intent and murderous aura.

The drawback was that once activated, the user could not fly or use the Five Elements Escape Methods. Since Shamans lacked the physical endurance of Qi Refiners and Martial Arts Practitioners, these stealth abilities greatly increased their range of motion.

Historically, the second spell had deep roots. It could be traced back to the uprising of the Heavenly Sect (predecessor of the Zhengyi Sect) and the Ancient Taiping Sect. Both factions had once trained assassins in this spell, using it to eliminate imperial officials and generals, supporting their followers in revolts.

But after the Daoist Order became the dominant force in the world, such unseemly assassination techniques had since faded into obscurity.

Astonished and delighted by his newly gained spells, Qi Xuansu once again expressed his gratitude to Master Yin.

Master Yin clasped his hands together and said, “It’s just a small gesture, nothing significant. I wish you great success in your journey, my friend. I shall take my leave now.”

The little girl also waved at Qi Xuansu. “Goodbye!”

Master Yin took the little girl’s hand, turned around, and soon vanished into the gentle mist.

While the two were conversing, Yao Pei remained silent throughout.

It was not until after Master Yin departed that Yao Pei finally spoke. “Daoist Qi, you’ve known Master Yin for a long time. It seems you, too, carry many secrets. Your early advancement to the Heavenly-Being stage is no mere coincidence.”

Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment, then replied concisely, “It’s because of the Xuan Jade of Death.”

Yao Pei did not press further and merely nodded.

Everyone had their secrets, like Yao Pei’s bloodline in which Qi Xuansu chose not to inquire any deeper.

After this brief interlude, the two encountered no further obstacles. They walked through the Ghost Pass unimpeded, entered the territory of Qinzhou, and resumed soaring in the wind.

Earlier, Yao Pei had been in a state of emotional dormancy, so she did not care why Qi Xuansu did not take a flying ship directly to Jade Capital. However, after encountering Master Yin, her emotions began to stir. A hint of clarity emerged, and she gradually became more animated.

Thus, it was only then that Yao Pei asked, “What business do you have in Qinzhou?”

Qi Xuansu answered truthfully, “I’m not going to Qinzhou. I’m heading to Shuzhou to settle an old grudge.”

Somewhat curious, Yao Pei asked, “What is the cultivation level of your enemy?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “A Xiaoyao-stage Martial Arts Practitioner.”

Yao Pei immediately lost interest. In her view, a proper opponent for a Banished Immortal was only another Banished Immortal. Although Qi Xuansu might not be a true Banished Immortal, he was at least half of one. Even if Qi Xuansu could not compare with figures like herself, Li Changge, or Zhang Yuelu, he was by no means on par with just any Heavenly Being. After all, he was able to defeat Qi Jianyuan.

Thus, she figured that Qi Xuansu would be able to handle an ordinary Martial Arts Practitioner without much issue.

Qi Xuansu did not elaborate further.

He also did not regard Zhao Fu’an as a formidable enemy. As Qi Xuansu continued improving his cultivation, gaining experience, and moving up the ladder, he no longer regarded Zhao Fu’an as an insurmountable mountain. Rather, Zhao Fu’an had become a stumbling block on his path forward.