A Pawn's Passage

After the family banquet ended, Qi Xuansu finally could not help but ask, “Qing Xiao, has Sage Cihang attained immortality?”

“Probably,” Zhang Yuelu replied, without giving a completely certain answer. “Even two years ago, the three Omniscient Sages could have become Immortals. They simply chose not to.”

Qi Xuansu thought for a moment, then added, “If Sage Cihang truly has stepped into immortality, then is the Palace of Cold Light that we saw real or fake?”

Zhang Yuelu still did not give a definitive answer. “I’m inclined to believe it was real.”

“Why?” Qi Xuansu had felt something similar but lacked any evidence.

Zhang Yuelu said, “Think about it—Zhang Wuhen stole True Lord Taiyin’s legacy. She couldn’t have entered the Zixiao Palace to steal it, so what does that imply? It means True Lord Taiyin’s legacy has always been under the control of the Zhengyi Sect, which gave Zhang Wuhen an opportunity. After all, it was Great Sage Yan who personally recruited True Lord Taiyin. My master is now the second-in-command of the Zhengyi Sect, so it wouldn’t be difficult for her to access the True Lord Taiyin’s Palace of Cold Light. Of course, my master isn’t a Godly Immortal, so she may not be able to fully control the Palace of Cold Light. But she is still capable of bringing us along for a spiritual excursion.”

After hearing Zhang Yuelu’s explanation, Qi Xuansu suddenly felt a sense of clarity, as if everything had clicked into place.

When the Holy Xuan established the Three Sects, he assigned them different domains. The Taiping Sect would oversee worldly affairs, the Zhengyi Sect would manage matters of ghosts and gods, and the Quanzhen Sect would be in charge of creations.

Qi Xuansu had a deep impression of the Quanzhen Sect’s creations, including the Sakka, the Three Yin Beings, and so on. Strictly speaking, the Phoenix Eye and Dragon Eye Series Ammunition were also products of Quanzhen Sect’s creation project.

He also had some understanding of the Taiping Sect’s worldly affairs. After all, the Taiping Sect had the closest ties with the Imperial Court, and many of its members served in official positions. Sage Qingwei could even mobilize the Donghai Navy for joint operations. Historically speaking, whenever rebellions occurred, the Taiping Sect was often the backbone.

Only the Zhengyi Sect’s management of ghosts and gods seemed to have a relatively faint presence.

Now that he thought about it, the Zhengyi Sect’s ability to stand alongside the other two must come from deep foundations, with many Ancient Immortal legacies, such as True Lord Taiyin and the 36 Thunder Gods. They had once eradicated the Ancient Wuist Sect and were no less formidable than the creations of the Quanzhen Sect. The Spirit Guards, who relied on divine power, fell within the domain of ghosts and gods. This was why the Tiangang Hall had always been within the Zhengyi Sect’s sphere of influence.

That said, most Spirit Guards of Tiangang Hall were stationed along the Daoist Order’s borders, functioning as frontier troops. The true imperial guard—the Kunlun Daoist Mansion—was primarily under the Grand Master lineage, with the Three Sect as support. However, during the sixth-generation Grand Master’s era, the authority of the Grand Master lineage was greatly restricted, allowing the Three Sects to extend their influence into the Kunlun Daoist Mansion and resulting in the current three-way balance of power.

The Kunlun Daoist Mansion guarded Jade Capital, while the critical internal defense of Jade Capital itself was primarily handled by the Beichen Hall. As one of the Three Great Halls, Beichen Hall was not merely responsible for intelligence gathering. It was also a coercive and violent institution.

However, Beichen Hall was only responsible for matters within Jade Capital. Within Xuan City and Purple Mansion, the responsibility shifted to the Zixiao Palace. This formed a three-layer defense structure. The outermost and innermost layers were controlled by the Grand Master lineage, while the middle layer—Beichen Hall—was managed by the Taiping Sect, preventing the Grand Master lineage from completely monopolizing control over Jade Capital.

At the very least, this design had been reasonable at the time. After all, the Taiping Sect, led by the Li family, was the lineage most trusted by the Holy Xuan. The first Great Sage of the Taiping Sect was the Holy Xuan’s wife, and the second was the Holy Xuan’s brother, both his kin. That was why the Holy Xuan often used them as examples, whether positively or negatively. There was no reason for him not to trust them.

By contrast, the Quanzhen Sect had Elder Yao secretly playing both sides behind the Holy Xuan’s back, with internal factions and complex elements. Meanwhile, the Zhengyi Sect’s deposed Heavenly Preceptor had caused turmoil. Neither was as reliable as the Taiping Sect.

Since the sixth-generation Grand Master’s era, this system had gradually fallen into disuse, allowing Beichen Hall’s authority over Jade Capital’s defenses to expand further.

It was foreseeable that if Sage Donghua took power, his first move would be to reduce Beichen Hall’s authority and restore the original arrangement, allowing the Grand Master lineage to regain partial control over the Kunlun Daoist Mansion and Jade Capital. But if Sage Qingwei took power, being from both the Taiping Sect and Beichen Hall, why would he weaken his own faction’s authority? Thus, it was only natural for the Grand Master lineage to place its bets on Sage Donghua.

One could imagine how stifled the Grand Master lineage had felt over the years. The Zixiao Palace, once able to stand against the Golden Tower Council, was gone. The Kunlun Daoist Mansion was gone; even Xuan City and Purple Mansion were nearly slipping from their grasp. If anyone hated the sixth-generation Grand Master the most, it would be this lineage. If anyone longed most for the fifth-generation Grand Master, it would likewise be them.

After all, when one prospered or declined, all followed.

Although a weak Grand Master might give the Grand Master lineage opportunities to manipulate power behind the scenes, being too weak was also unacceptable, because fundamentally, the Grand Master lineage still relied on the authority of the Grand Master.

As the two discussed Beichen Hall, Zhang Yuelu said, “Did you know? There are rumors recently that Sage Qingwei wants you to become the Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master.”

Qi Xuansu was startled. “Why me? Even if Yong Yan is still a bit inexperienced, the Taiping Sect is so large. They can’t possibly lack capable people. How would it fall to me?”

“Maybe Sage Qingwei thinks you’re useful? After all, you performed well in Fenglin,” Zhang Yuelu said. “Besides, this assignment would be in a distant land, right at the front lines, not enjoying power in Jade Capital. The noble scions of the Li family might not be willing to endure hardship. Times have changed, and so have people’s mindsets. In the past, enduring the greatest hardship meant rising above others. Now, if you’re willing to suffer, there’s simply endless suffering waiting for you.”

“Impossible,” Qi Xuansu said, adopting the air of a veteran reluctant to boast of past exploits. “You don’t know—back then, I faced Sage Qingwei alone and made him so angry...”

“You? Facing Sage Qingwei alone? How could you anger him?” Zhang Yuelu was skeptical. “On what grounds? Because you refused to kneel?”

Qi Xuansu said, “At the time, I held Jianxiu Mountain’s Class-A access, with the Heavenly Preceptor and the Earthly Preceptor backing me. On my left was the Sakka, and on my right were the Three Yin Beings. Even when Sage Qingwei wielded the Mountain Whip, he couldn’t do anything to me. He could only watch helplessly as I took away Izanami’s corpse. How could he not be furious?”

“You call that ‘alone’?” Zhang Yuelu raised her brows.

Qi Xuansu waved his hand. “I was the lone human, at least.”

Zhang Yuelu snorted. “Fine, even if you did confront Sage Qingwei, that gives him even more reason to transfer you under his command. That would give him the perfect opportunity for retaliation.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Leaving aside whether Sage Qingwei would even do that, if I go to Beichen Hall, I’d be the Chief Deputy Hall Master, directly under the Golden Tower Council’s jurisdiction. Sage Qingwei couldn’t just dismiss me at will, and I could just as easily make things difficult for him. That would be like shooting himself in the foot.”

“But what if you make a mistake?” Zhang Yuelu countered. “For example, if the New Continent strategy fails entirely because of you. That kind of major offense would be enough to cost you your head.”

Qi Xuansu fell silent. After a moment, he said, “I don’t believe Sage Qingwei is that shortsighted to undermine a political opponent at the cost of generations of effort by the Daoist Order.”

“Sage Qingwei might not obstruct you at all. He might even fully support you,” Zhang Yuelu said. “But the situation over there is extremely complex and far from optimistic. If he fully supports you and you still fail, that would be even stronger grounds to execute you.”

Qi Xuansu pondered. “I prefer to think of it the other way around. Precisely because it’s extremely difficult, if I succeed, then...”

“Then without a doubt, you would be the youngest Omniscient Sage,” Zhang Yuelu finished.

Qi Xuansu clicked his tongue. “The greater the risk, the greater the reward. Shall we take the gamble?”

Zhang Yuelu pursed her lips. “Personally, I don’t want you to take the gamble because it’s too dangerous. But from a pragmatic standpoint, your current crisis puts your future and prospects at risk, so a great merit like this is needed to break the deadlock. But what I think doesn’t really matter. If Sage Qingwei formally assigns you the role with proper justification and procedure, then you’ll have to go anyway, regardless of whether you want to or not.”

Qi Xuansu sighed. “Not a shred of autonomy. When will I finally be able to call the shots myself?”

“When you become the first Daoist,” Zhang Yuelu said with a faint smile.

Qi Xuansu muttered the quote, “The Daoist Order has no emperor. I am merely the first among all equal Daoists.”

Perhaps Zhang Yuelu had jinxed it. Early the next morning, Qi Xuansu received notice that Sage Qingwei wished to see him.

Qi Xuansu had no choice but to go to Beichen Hall to meet Sage Qingwei.

Qi Xuansu had not expected that within just three days, he would meet the top three Omniscient Sages in succession, and all in fairly in-depth discussions.

This distinction was likely unique to him. After all, Sage Donghua would not have deep talks with Li Changge, nor would Sage Qingwei hold such discussions with Zhang Yuelu.

When Qi Xuansu arrived at Beichen Hall, Sage Qingwei’s secretary, Shen Yuqing, was already waiting, just as warm and welcoming as she had been in Fenglin.

Qi Xuansu exchanged pleasantries with the chief secretary. Those close to power might not possess power themselves, but they could influence it, and hence should not be underestimated.

After the greetings, Shen Yuqing led Qi Xuansu to Sage Qingwei’s office.

Sage Qingwei looked as he always did—the most youthful in appearance among the three Omniscient Sages.