A Pawn's Passage

Logically speaking, Qi Xuansu should have primarily relied on his Rogue Cultivator lineage and used his Shaman lineage as a trump card to stump the enemy. However, after noticing Zhao Fu’an’s overly cautious moves, Qi Xuansu changed his approach at the last moment. His intention was to lull Zhao Fu’an into complacency. That way, Zhao Fu’an would finally let his guard down.

The reasoning was simple. Young people often overestimated their true capabilities because they were blinded by arrogance, like Qi Jianyuan.

In Zhao Fu’an’s eyes, Qi Xuansu was precisely this kind of young man.

Zhao Fu’an decided to take a more aggressive approach, aiming for a swift and decisive victory to recover the dignity he had just lost.

His fist technique suddenly shifted, becoming flashy and unrestrained.

Qi Xuansu’s Golden Body grew dimmer. Though he was not entirely defenseless, he was undeniably at a disadvantage.

Just as Zhao Fu’an believed he had built up enough momentum to end the fight with a single decisive punch, Qi Xuansu gave him a massive surprise.

The Spiritual Statue Realm was one of the fundamental realms of Shamans.

A 10-meter-tall female Spiritual Statue appeared outside Qi Xuansu’s body and rose abruptly from the ground. Her face was as round as the full moon, exuding an aura of solemn divinity. She wore a celestial crown adorned with stars, flowing robes, and draping silk sashes. Though ethereal, her features resembled those of a middle-aged woman.

This was True Lord Taiyin, also known as the Moonlight Empress, the Taiyin Star Lord, or the Moon Goddess.

Behind the Spiritual Statue, an illusory mirage unfolded—a bright moon hung in the sky, illuminating a palace atop the clouds. Unlike any mortal palace, this structure was crystalline and translucent, seemingly carved from pure jade. Its hues were dim yet flickering with a faint luminous glow. Under the Jade Bridge, a river of stars flowed, while inside the palace, an endless forest of cassia trees flourished. The ground was neither cloud nor mist nor water. Instead, it resembled frozen starlight, or perhaps a floor paved with polished glass.

This was the Spiritual Statue of True Lord Taiyin.

Qi Xuansu’s mastery of this manifestation was still at a rudimentary level.

In most cases, the more advanced a cultivator’s realm, the more solid and lifelike the Spiritual Statue became. For example, the more senior members of the Lingshan Witch Cult could manifest a Spiritual Statue of Wu Luo that resembled her true form.

However, the Spiritual Statue of True Lord Taiyin was the opposite. The more advanced the cultivator, the less it resembled True Lord Taiyin’s humanoid form. This was because True Lord Taiyin was a deity born from a celestial object, rather than an Immortal that had ascended from a mortal state. Thus, the Taiyin Spiritual Statue of cultivators at Zhang Wuhen’s level no longer had a humanoid shape. All that remained was a luminous full moon.

But even at Qi Xuansu’s level, this Spiritual Statue was more than enough to deal with Zhao Fu’an.

The Spiritual Statue was far larger than an ordinary human, and its energy consumption was immense. It was not merely for intimidation, but it greatly increased the cultivator’s strength and power, allowing one to dominate through sheer force.

Qi Xuansu suddenly unleashed his Spiritual Statue, causing the unprepared Zhao Fu’an to retreat. Seizing the moment while Zhao Fu’an was off-balance, Qi Xuansu threw a powerful punch with the Spiritual Statue’s fist, which was nearly 60 centimeters wide.

Caught off guard, Zhao Fu’an took the full brunt of the punch. His entire body was sent flying backward, crashing into the Chief Military Office’s main gate and reducing most of it to rubble.

Fortunately, the onlookers had already retreated to a safe distance, so no bystanders were harmed.

Qi Xuansu, controlling the Taiyin Spiritual Statue, strode forward and stomped down.

The ruins beneath his foot shattered instantly. Zhao Fu’an rose to his feet, using both hands to catch Qi Xuansu’s descending foot.

However, Zhao Fu’an did not escape unscathed. His entire body trembled violently, his internal organs severely shaken. The sound of cracking bones echoed, as if his body were on the verge of collapse.

At this point, Zhao Fu’an had no choice but to fight with full force. All 365 of his acupoints flared with radiant light, each containing a body spirit. His body spirits merged into one complete entity, forming what was known as the Indestructible Divine Form.

Zhao Fu’an shone with dazzling brilliance, resembling a divine being descended from the heavens. With a single punch, all 365 body spirits within him struck simultaneously. This full-power punch was overwhelming and utterly destructive.

Qi Xuansu’s Taiyin Spiritual Statue barely resisted before shattering and dissipating into countless glowing embers.

This Spiritual Statue had been a feint. It was actually the common Cicada Molting Technique among Rogue Cultivators.

Startled, Zhao Fu’an hurriedly tried to turn around. But it was already too late.

Qi Xuansu appeared behind Zhao Fu’an, striking the latter squarely in the back with the River Fist, causing him to stumble forward.

Zhao Fu’an’s physical body could not endure the two consecutive blows. Though his acupoints remained unscathed and his body spirit was intact, his pale face flushed a deep shade of red, as his blood surged uncontrollably.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu was wearing a strange suit of armor that was dark greenish-black. It was not made of metal or any physical material because it appeared illusory. This was none other than the Green Netherworld Armor, a technique passed down to him by Master Yin. Its primary function was not defense, but concealment of one’s presence and movements.

By combining the Green Netherworld Armor and the Cicada Molting Technique, Qi Xuansu successfully deceived Zhao Fu’an, shifting from defense to offense.

Ultimately, it was Zhao Fu’an’s initial carelessness that gave Qi Xuansu an opening. Had he remained vigilant and guarded, Qi Xuansu would not have succeeded so easily.

Additionally, while Spiritual Statues were undoubtedly powerful, they also consumed an enormous amount of divine power, making prolonged combat difficult.

Qi Xuansu had no desire to rely on it further. Having already inflicted serious injuries on Zhao Fu’an, he dispersed the Spiritual Statue entirely, even relinquishing the Golden Body on the majority of his body parts besides his arms.

Setting aside his Shaman lineage, Qi Xuansu was a Rogue Cultivator in the Cicada Shedding Realm. His innate qi was also nearly untouched.

Even though Martial Arts Practitioners typically had an advantage over Rogue Cultivators in close combat, given the current shift in momentum, it was clear that Qi Xuansu had the upper hand.

In the next instant, Qi Xuansu and Zhao Fu’an charged at each other, exchanging nearly 100 blows. Zhao Fu’an held nothing back, unleashing his Samaya Seal to its fullest extent, yet he still took over a dozen punches from Qi Xuansu, sending him reeling backward more than 30 meters.

Zhao Fu’an’s feet carved trenches into the ground, each over 30 centimeters deep, before he finally managed to halt his backward slide.

Qi Xuansu tapped the ground lightly with his toes, instantly appearing before Zhao Fu’an again before throwing out another punch.

Just as Zhao Fu’an freed his feet, he was in that crucial moment where he was still gathering his strength. He forced his arms up to block the punches, but the weight of those punches was immense, causing him to stagger back once more, unable to maintain his footing.

Qi Xuansu pressed the attack, transforming his fist into an open palm and striking directly at Zhao Fu’an’s forehead.

Zhao Fu’an was sent flying backward. Just before he was about to be flung out of the courtyard, his body suddenly dropped, barely landing within the courtyard’s boundaries. His hair was disheveled, and his composure utterly shattered.

The Garrison Chief Military Officer took a deep breath, enduring the pain that radiated from every fiber of his body. It had been years since he had experienced such humiliation—so long, in fact, that he had nearly forgotten what it felt like.

Just as Zhao Fu’an was about to stabilize his surging blood qi, Qi Xuansu suddenly flashed before him. He then heard Qi Xuansu’s mocking voice from above, “Is this what a Heavenly-Being Martial Arts Practitioner is capable of?”

Zhao Fu’an roared in fury. “You’re just a Rogue Cultivator. So what if you’re a Heavenly Being?”

Qi Xuansu allowed Zhao Fu’an’s arm to sweep toward him. With a simple knifehand strike, he chopped Zhao Fu’an’s elbow, instantly disrupting the latter’s blood flow.

Zhao Fu’an threw another punch, but Qi Xuansu had already anticipated it. Though it seemed as if Qi Xuansu had barely dodged it, in reality, he had evaded with perfect precision, emerging completely unscathed.

Qi Xuansu’s attack, whether a fist or a knifehand strike, was indistinguishable. He tore through Zhao Fu’an’s Tiger Armor, leaving a gaping wound across the Martial Arts Practitioner’s throat.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu showed slight hesitation. He was still facing the same issue—the Demonic Blade could be unleashed but not easily restrained. He was gradually losing control over his body.

But Zhao Fu’an was unaware of this internal struggle. He assumed that Qi Xuansu had a problem. Thus, his eyes lit up as he lunged forward for an attack. This was the perfect moment to strike while his opponent was weak. After all, they had such a tough battle, so how much longer could Qi Xuansu endure?

It was no fault of Zhao Fu’an for thinking this because, in an era of peace, few would bother to learn unorthodox perfected methods riddled with hidden dangers. The orthodox perfected methods, while profound and well-regarded, were only powerful at higher realms, making them appear unremarkable in earlier stages.

Zhao Fu’an’s Samaya Seal was a Buddhist orthodox perfected method, but he had not yet mastered it and remained stuck at its foundational stage.

Having his instincts honed by the Demonic Blade, Qi Xuansu effortlessly caught Zhao Fu’an’s punch. His expression was calm as he sneered, “General Zhao, you have sharp eyes to notice my weakness. But shouldn’t you at least wait until I actually collapse? Aren’t you being a little too hasty?”

Before he finished his sentence, Qi Xuansu’s fist struck Zhao Fu’an’s vital acupoint, causing the latter’s body spirit to tremble and blood qi to come to an abrupt halt.

Anyone else would have had no way of identifying the exact flow of Zhao Fu’an’s blood qi. Even Qi Xuansu himself did not truly understand it. But the Demonic Blade’s unparalleled intuition allowed him to effortlessly perceive Zhao Fu’an’s weak points and vulnerabilities.

Seizing the opportunity, Qi Xuansu pressed his palm against Zhao Fu’an’s chest and suddenly exerted force. Like a drawn bow snapping, the impact boomed like thunder.

Zhao Fu’an could no longer hold out, coughing up fresh blood. Over ten of the acupoints in his chest were severely damaged.

Qi Xuansu followed up with another knifehand strike, forcing Zhao Fu’an to block with his arms. Then, he stepped forward, kicking the back of Zhao Fu’an’s knee and forcing the Garrison Chief Military Officer to kneel on one leg.

Looking down from above, Qi Xuansu said coldly, “If I truly intended to kill you, why would I need the Dragon Painting Pistol?”