A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu shared a mutual Western friend named Arthur, a demon hunter from the Holy Court Tribunal.

After meeting Arthur, Qi Xuansu learned a bit of Western language and could communicate simply with gestures. Later, when Qi Xuansu went for advanced studies at the Wanxiang Daoist Upper Palace, he also learned some Western knowledge. After all, the maritime trade of the Daoist Order required interaction with Westerners. Thus, mastery of Western studies was essential to join the Shibo Hall. Conversely, Westerners also needed Eastern specialists to do business with the East.

Western names were exceptionally long, especially among those of higher social standing, sometimes ridiculously so. In terms of sheer length, even Eastern family names, courtesy names, given names, and titles combined could not match the Western ones. Perhaps only the posthumous titles of emperors could compete with them.

Following Western naming conventions, Renatus of Dragonburg would mean that the Paladin was from Dragonburg. Like the East, significant figures like prime ministers would often combine their last name and hometown, usually down to the county level. For instance, former prime ministers Xu Huating and Zhang Jiangling were from Huating County and Jiangling County, respectively. Those who could link their names to a place, whether East or West, were inevitably prominent figures.

Thus, Renatus was clearly a noble, and a powerful one at that. The reason behind his journey far from home to the East remained unknown.

At this moment, the two armored men assumed fighting stances, facing each other from afar.

Spirit Guard Jia Chen did not act carelessly. He positioned his shield before him, slightly crouched, and instructed the others, “Keep going. If I can defeat him, I’ll catch up naturally. If I get held up, don’t wait for me. Focus on your own tasks.”

The three young Daoists said nothing more and swiftly bypassed Renatus, heading toward the exit on the opposite side.

Renatus made no attempt to stop the group. His opponent was formidable, and any distraction would show disrespect to both his opponent and himself.

Spirit Guard Jia Chen chuckled confidently. “I am a first-rank Spirit Guard of the Daoist Order, code-named Jia Chen. I look forward to exchanging techniques with you.”

Renatus grasped his greatsword with both hands and advanced purposefully, neither praying nor chanting.

The two rapidly closed the distance between them.

As Renatus advanced, his figure was outlined by a sacred, pristine glow. If this place were viewed as a painting, it was as though he had been precisely cut out along his edges. The radiance emanating from his greatsword grew increasingly intense, resembling an enormous torch.

Immediately afterward, a halo appeared beneath his feet, emanating pure light, with its center moving continuously in rhythm with his steps.

The Buddhist Sect’s and the Holy Court’s lights differed fundamentally. The former’s light was either golden or multicolored, while the latter’s light was pure white, utterly pristine without the slightest impurity.

An ordinary Paladin’s halo might only cover a few centimeters, but Renatus’s halo kept expanding, nearly enveloping the entire cavern. It appeared less like a halo beneath his feet and more like he was stepping upon a grand formation.

The halo continuously emitted an aura of purification, aggressive enough to carry an implicit message that followers would thrive, and opposers would perish. Everything incompatible with its essence was purged, leaving only pure light. Thus, this pure light possessed immense offensive power. Conversely, those aligned with it received significant enhancement and benefits.

Simply put, the light weakened the enemy and strengthened oneself.

This was the Sacred Halo of Purification and Protection, or simply Sacred Halo, usable only by Paladins at the Legendary Demigod level.

Immediately afterward, a second halo formed beneath Renatus’s feet. Unlike the domineering Sacred Halo, this one was subtle and gentle, almost harmless to the body, yet directly influencing the spirit. In Eastern terms, this was targeting the heart above all else.

In fact, the Holy Court and the Buddhist Sect had much in common. The concept of redemption closely resembled the Buddhist Sect’s salvation. In the Mahayana teachings, Buddhists aimed for universal enlightenment. Similarly, the Holy Court saw all people as lost sheep, duty-bound to guide them.

Redemption provided spiritual guidance and functioned like the Bewitching Technique. It infused the opponent with divine energy. If the disparity in cultivation between both sides was immense, the opponent could be instantly converted and compelled to repent according to the doctrines of the Holy Court, becoming a Paladin’s servant. The duration depended on one’s cultivation. It could last mere moments or a lifetime.

If the two parties were evenly matched, it eroded the opponent’s will and softened their spirit.

Under the empowerment of the Sacred Halo, the Redemption Halo became the Sacred Redemption Halo, vastly amplifying its effect.

However, Spirit Guard Jia Chen remained entirely fearless. When the Daoist Order originally designed the Spirit Guard system, it had anticipated this scenario. At the time, the Daoist Order’s main opponent was the Buddhist Sect, which specialized in forcibly converting souls by infusing Buddha’s Light. If a powerful Spirit Guard were converted to Buddhism, that would just be benefiting the enemy. Therefore, the Daoist Order installed special formations in Spirit Guards’ helmets to block such spiritual invasions. Consequently, Spirit Guards rarely removed their helmets while on duty.

Unaffected by the Redemption, Spirit Guard Jia Chen stepped forward decisively, delivering a swift slash.

This strike differed greatly from the eerie nature of the Demonic Blade. Swift as lightning, it was purely a technique honed on the battlefield, simple yet genuine, somewhat resembling the Black Robes. Spirit Guard Jia Chen’s divine power seamlessly merged with the blade’s killing intent, forming a blade qi distinct from the Five Lineages, slashing toward Renatus.

Renatus raised his greatsword high with both hands and swung down fiercely, leaving an arc-shaped tail of white flames trailing behind his blade.

The entire hall shook violently as soon as the blade and sword clashed, causing countless fragments of dust and stone to rain down on them.

An immense shockwave swept across the cavern, instantly smoothing the previously uneven ground to a glass-like mirror finish without the slightest burr or grinding mark.

Instantly, the Paladin’s Sacred Halo surged to its peak. Countless points of light emanated from beneath his feet, continuously empowering the sword qi until it nearly reached the cavern ceiling, simultaneously eroding Spirit Guard Jia Chen’s armor.

At this moment, a slowly rotating yin-yang symbol, which was the emblem of the Daoist Order, appeared behind Spirit Guard Jia Chen, absorbing the white points of light. Then, it produced an equal amount of black points to neutralize the white, maintaining a delicate balance.

After a brief stalemate, Spirit Guard Jia Chen took a step back, still wielding his blade single-handedly.

Renatus seized the opportunity to strike downward with his sword.

However, at that moment, Spirit Guard Jia Chen crouched swiftly behind his shield and lunged forward with a powerful bash.

The greatsword struck the shield, instantly coating the latter in white flames. However, the shield was undamaged. The sword was slightly repelled by the impact.

A dazzling radiance erupted from Renatus’s eyes, giving rise to countless white flames.

The tortoiseshell pattern on Spirit Guard Jia Chen’s shield extended outward, forming a formation that spilled beyond the shield’s edges into the surrounding space. Much like how sword qi extended a sword’s reach, this expanded the shield’s defensive area several times over, blocking the flames completely while also hiding Spirit Guard Jia Chen and obscuring Renatus’s vision.

Immediately afterward, a blade unexpectedly thrust through the formation. The formation blocked external attacks, but it posed no obstacle to Spirit Guard Jia Chen’s blade.

This strike was exceptionally cunning. As the greatsword was not suited for close-range defense, Renatus had no choice but to rely on his armor to withstand the attack.

This Western armor could not compare with the Spirit Guard’s armor. Although it was not pierced through, two embedded rubies cracked, and the runes on the armor dimmed significantly.

Renatus was forced to retreat several steps, creating some distance. He then plunged his greatsword into the ground before him, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head in prayer.

In the next moment, flames seemed to appear from nowhere, enveloping Spirit Guard Jia Chen completely.

These flames appeared harmless, so neither the shield, the formation, nor Spirit Guard Jia Chen’s helmet provided any defense.

This was the Judgment, which was used alongside the Redemption, also known as the Inquisition of the Seven Deadly Sins. To put it simply, it was an interrogation of the heart.

These flames seemed as though they came from hell itself. Flames that should have brought illumination instead emanated darkness, like a faint campfire lit at night, providing only a weak glow and intensifying the surrounding gloom. Where one might previously have seen faintly in the darkness, now only a small patch in front was visible, with everything else obscured. It was completely opposite and even conflicting with the prior holiness and light. Various negative emotions surged forth.

Spirit Guard Jia Chen was not one who killed indiscriminately or enjoyed violence, but due to his duty and years on the battlefield, he had killed countless individuals. The blood on his hands was undoubtedly greater than Qi Xuansu’s.

Under the Judgment, those who had been slain seemed to retaliate at this moment, as if all their dying agony was transferred onto Spirit Guard Jia Chen. In reality, this was the effect of the Judgment provoking Spirit Guard Jia Chen’s inner remorse, guilt, and sense of wrongdoing, effectively guiding him to destroy himself.

This method had a loophole. Against mind cultivators, it was like a gentle breeze. Against strength cultivators who had firm convictions and no remorse, they could remain unaffected. The worst scenario was someone who continually killed but was inwardly conflicted, hesitant, wavering, and uncertain. Such a person would instantly fall to their death.