A Pawn's Passage

Had these seven been mere Jianghu opponents, Qi Xuansu would have shown no mercy and killed them all without hesitation. However, they were Daoist priests of the Quanzhen Sect, and this battle was happening at the very gates of the Chongyang Palace of Immortality.

Killing them outright would only hand his enemies leverage against him, forcing him into an unfavorable position.

After Qi Xuansu incapacitated one of them, the Seven Star Net Formation collapsed. The remaining six Daoists were visibly shaken and completely flustered.

Zhang Yongyan’s face turned ashen. He muttered through gritted teeth, “H-Heavenly Being?”

This was the advantage of noble-born Daoists. They were knowledgeable due to their exposure. Even if they had never wielded true power, they had at least witnessed it firsthand.

Qi Xuansu chuckled lightly. “Good eye. I am indeed a Heavenly Being.”

Normally, a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master would be at the Guizhen stage, while only a third-rank Youyi Daoist master would have reached the Xiaoyao stage of Heavenly Beings.

Zhang Yongyan had assumed Qi Xuansu was merely in the Guizhen stage, thinking the latter had only climbed ranks by cozying up to Yao Pei. Thus, he summoned his men, aiming to humiliate and defeat Qi Xuansu.

He knew this would offend Yao Pei, but this would only allow him to gain favor with the other noble families in the Quanzhen Sect. As such, the benefits outweighed the risks.

The high-ranking elders also would not care because they would treat it as just another petty squabble among the youngsters.

However, the current reality was beyond Zhang Yongyan’s expectations. Qi Xuansu was not a Xiantian Being at the Guizhen stage; he was a Heavenly Being in the Xiaoyao stage.

The gap between the Guizhen stage and the Xiaoyao stage was not just one minor level. It was a fundamental transformation of the body transcending the mundane. Even before Qi Xuansu obtained the Xuan Jade of Divinity from Madam Qi, he would have had no choice but to flee when facing a Heavenly Being.

This meant the people Zhang Yongyan had brought were utterly inadequate to defeat Qi Xuansu.

Just as Zhang Yongyan found himself at a loss, the sound of marching troops approached, their footsteps growing louder and more distinct with every passing second.

Qi Xuansu remained standing with his hands behind his back, making no attempt to flee.

Moments later, a battalion of Spirit Guards emerged at the end of the mountain path. At a glance, their numbers were no less than two hundred. Since they hailed from the Chongyang Palace of Immortality, most of them consisted of the sixth rank, while there were around 40 fifth-rank Spirit Guards interspersed among them.

Their black armor stretched into a solid, unbroken line that resembled a tide of darkness rolling forward.

Leading them was a third-rank Spirit Guard, wielding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. He was tall and imposing, exuding a terrifying aura.

With a single command from the third-rank officer, the Spirit Guards surrounded all those involved in the fight. Not one of them was allowed to escape.

Zhang Yongyan’s expression finally eased, even showing a hint of relief as he thought to himself, How can I possibly allow an outsider to humiliate me right at my own doorstep? If my men aren’t enough to take down Qi Xuansu, I’ll simply use the public blade to do the killing. If Qi Xuansu dares to resist, I can accuse him of rebelling against the Chongyang Palace of Immortality or even the Daoist Order. Then I can simply crush him on the spot!

Zhang Yongyan stepped toward the third-rank Spirit Guard, speaking in a familiar, friendly tone. “Old Zhu, what brings you here?”

“Young Master Zhang.” Spirit Guard Zhu returned a polite salute.

Zhang Yongyan immediately flashed a smile. “It’s perfect timing that you’re here. Help me take down this criminal.”

However, Spirit Guard Zhu did not respond to Zhang Yongyan’s request. Instead, he turned toward Qi Xuansu and saluted once more. “Superintendent Qi.”

Curious, Qi Xuansu met his gaze and nodded slightly.

Zhang Yongyan immediately sensed that something was wrong. His smile instantly stagnated.

Spirit Guard Zhu turned to Zhang Yongyan with a solemn expression and declared, “By decree of the Chongyang Palace of Immortality, Zhang Yongyan is to be immediately escorted to Taiyi Temple. All other individuals involved are to be detained at the Third Nether Prison under the Chongyang Palace of Immortality, where they will have their identities verified and confessions recorded while awaiting further judgment. Young Master Zhang, please come with us.”

Taiyi Temple was the Daoist temple overseen by Zhang Yongyan’s father, Zhang Jiaoling.

Zhang Yongyan had never felt this much shock before. He stood there, completely stunned, staring at Spirit Guard Zhu in disbelief. Meanwhile, Qi Xuansu finally let out the breath he had been holding.

“What did you just say?” Zhang Yongyan had heard every word clearly, but he refused to believe his own ears. His eyes widened as he locked his gaze with Spirit Guard Zhu and demanded, word by word, “Say that again.”

Spirit Guard Zhu remained impassive. “Young Master Zhang, we are simply carrying out orders. Please don’t make things difficult and come with us.”

As he spoke, he extended his armored hand and gestured toward the Chongyang Palace of Immortality above them.

Zhang Yongyan could no longer hold back his fury, so he started yelling at the Spirit Guards. “Who gave this order? Who was it?! Show me the written decree with an official seal! If you don’t have one, do you really think you have the right to apprehend me?!”

At that moment, a voice interjected. “No need for that. I’ve come in person.”

With those words, the Spirit Guards stepped aside and opened a path, allowing a lone figure to step forward.

It was Yao Pei.

Zhang Yongyan’s screams cut off abruptly as he saw Yao Pei’s expressionless face. He suddenly felt a chill creeping down his spine.

Spirit Guard Zhu respectfully stepped aside, positioning himself just behind Yao Pei, clearly deferential to her authority.

Yao Pei ignored Zhang Yongyan at first. Her gaze swept across the battlefield, taking in the injured bodies strewn across the ground. “You all have truly done the Quanzhen Sect proud.”

The injured Daoists, who had been groaning and wailing in pain, immediately fell silent. No matter how much it hurt, they endured it.

Only then did Yao Pei turn her gaze to Zhang Yongyan. “First, you parade around with a crowd of women. Then, you openly incite violence. Daoist Zhang, you truly haven’t disappointed me. Well done.”

Zhang Yongyan’s face turned pale as sweat beaded on his forehead. Yet, he still forced himself to argue, “When did we incite violence? It was clearly him who attacked us! Look at the wounded lying all around—this is proof!”

Yao Pei interrupted him. “Good. Spirit Guard Zhu, take them all back and interrogate them separately. Keep questioning them until their testimonies align. I refuse to believe so many people will keep the same story.”

Spirit Guard Zhu responded loudly, “Understood.”

Zhang Yongyan’s expression shifted immediately. His men were not trained warriors who would rather die to keep a secret. This bunch was a band of opportunists, so there was no way they could keep their mouths shut. Even before the interrogators started torturing or even began questioning them, they would spill everything willingly to escape punishment.

Zhang Yongyan immediately changed his tone. “It’s all a misunderstanding! Superintendent Qi and I had a small disagreement, so we got into a scuffle in the heat of the moment. This should just be considered a private duel.”

Yao Pei replied indifferently, “You don’t get to decide how this is classified.”

“You—!” Zhang Yongyan thrust a finger at Yao Pei, his rage barely contained.

Yao Pei did not even lift her eyelids. She simply ordered, “Take them all away.”

Spirit Guard Zhu waved his hand. Two Spirit Guards lifted each wounded Daoist, clearing the area quickly. The unlucky one whose bones were shattered was carried out on a stretcher by four officers.

The injured Daoists, all members of the Quanzhen Sect, naturally cried out in protest as they were taken away.

Yao Pei remained unmoved, not even sparing them a glance. “If you have anything to say, save it for the Third Nether Prison Guards.”

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Yongyan was the only one remaining on the battlefield.

His father, Zhang Jiaoling, was not at the Chongyang Palace of Immortality at the moment, so he felt truly trapped. No one would save him.

Yao Pei clasped her hands behind her back and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Spirit Guard Zhu stepped forward and extended his hand yet again. “Young Master Zhang, please come with us.”

Zhang Yongyan remained frozen, refusing to move.

Spirit Guard Zhu finally dropped all pretense of politeness. With a low, firm voice, he commanded, “Then don’t blame us for being rude. Guards, haul him away.”

Two fifth-rank Spirit Guards immediately lunged forward, each of them grabbing one of Zhang Yongyan’s arms and lifting him off the ground. They then dragged him up the mountain.

“I want to see the Earthly Preceptor!” Zhang Yongyan shouted in vain. “I’ve been framed! I demand to see the Earthly Preceptor!”

Yao Pei waved her hand again, signaling the remaining Spirit Guards to retreat.

In an instant, only Yao Pei and Qi Xuansu were left.

Qi Xuansu probed cautiously, “You expected this?”

Yao Pei did not answer him. Instead, she said vaguely, “I told you. Zhang Yongyan wouldn’t disappoint me.”

Qi Xuansu paused for a moment before muttering, “Thanks.”

Yao Pei continued, “I should thank you as well. I’ve long wanted to rein in these reckless noble scions, but I never had the right justification. Now that they’ve delivered themselves on a silver platter, they have no one to blame but themselves.”

Qi Xuansu chuckled lightly, offering no comment.

Sure enough, neither Zhang Yuelu nor Yao Pei was easy to deal with.

Speaking of Zhang Yuelu, Qi Xuansu knew it was time for him to depart as soon as possible. He needed to resolve the matter in Shuzhou and then head to Jade Capital.

After all, Zhang Yuelu was not the only one waiting for him there. Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang also wanted to meet him.

Unlike Sage Donghua, whose matters were strictly business and could be handled accordingly, Sage Cihang’s concerns were personal. That made things much more unpredictable.

In a way, this was the real test—one he could not afford to take lightly.

Without further delay, Qi Xuansu bid farewell to Yao Pei for the third time and made his way down the mountain.