A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1382: Ixchel

The whisper was from a weakened goddess, conveying her wish to meet Qi Xuansu.

Of course, this was not a goddess from the Holy Court. The Holy Court was extremely domineering, insisting on singularity in all things. There was only one Goddess who was the daughter of the omnipotent Supreme Will.

The goddess summoning Qi Xuansu was one of the Southern Continent’s ancient gods.

After a brief hesitation, Qi Xuansu decided to follow the voice and investigate.

In New Paititi, no one would dare lay a hand on him.

This strong confidence did not come from his cultivation level, but from his identity, as well as the powerful Daoist Order standing behind him.

To harm an envoy who represented the Daoist Order was to slap the Daoist Order in the face. Everyone knew that such an insult would be met with enmity. Even if the Daoist Order had no time to go to war now, it would surely settle the score later.

Thus, Qi Xuansu left the inn and followed the voice back to the temple district.

It was already late at night. The moon hung high overhead, and the temple district was illuminated. The blood sacrifice had long ended. The spectators were gone, and the mounds of corpses had been cleared away.

Qi Xuansu had heard about a sacrificial pit that lay beneath the temple district. Each temple above had a dedicated passage leading to it, but these were not meant for people. They were smooth stone chutes in which corpses were thrown and slid directly down into the pit below.

This reminded Qi Xuansu of the Ghost Kingdom. When so many corpses accumulated over time, serious problems would arise. That place had so much yin energy that it had corroded a rift to the underworld and turned Beimang Mountain—one of the 72 Blessed Lands of the Daoist Order—into a ghostly domain. The Daoist Order had no choice but to have Elder Yao refine the seed of the Emperor Willow to seal this rift, which ultimately led to the birth of Little Yin.

If Qi Xuansu ever intended to address the corpse issue, he could replicate the Ghost Kingdom solution and invite the Three Yin Beings over. They were experts in such matters.

But to address the root of the issue, blood sacrifice must be abolished. Otherwise, fresh bodies would flow endlessly, and it would be impossible to clear, no matter how much effort was spent.

Soon, Qi Xuansu arrived before the pyramid from which the whisper came. It was not the same pyramid used for the daytime sacrifice. That temple belonged to Kukulkan, the sun god.

This was the pyramid belonging to the moon goddess, Ixchel.

Qi Xuansu had heard of this lunar goddess. She held multiple divine authorities, governing the moon, childbirth, weaving, water management, floods, and more. She even had two faces—one of a beautiful young maiden and the other a grotesque, terrifying crone.

There were many priests and temple warriors here as well, but they seemed to have received divine instructions. They stood in respectful formation in the plaza before the pyramid, welcoming Qi Xuansu and inviting him to ascend the long staircase to the temple at the summit.

The high priest said respectfully, “Honored guest, the Full Moon Goddess is waiting for you.”

Qi Xuansu did not bother with politeness and headed upstairs.

At a Martial Arts Practitioner’s speed, the seemingly long staircase passed in the blink of an eye. Qi Xuansu quickly arrived before the brightly lit yet empty temple. Clearly, the goddess intended to speak with him alone.

Qi Xuansu paused briefly in thought, then stepped inside.

At the most prominent spot in the temple stood Ixchel’s statue, which was over 10 meters tall. It took the form of a beautiful young maiden. But to those of high cultivation, such outward appearances could be changed at will, so Qi Xuansu did not pay much attention to it.

Manly Immortals could control every part of their body through their body spirits. Though they might not fully restrain wandering thoughts, they could control basic human desires. Thus, beauty and allure did not affect Qi Xuansu.

Immortals were full of contradictions. Though they could control the body’s desires, they could not resist the desires of the mind, as they all fought for power and gain.

Physical pleasures brought only bodily satisfaction, but power brought endless psychological gratification. With techniques like possession and liberation, bodies could be discarded and replaced at will, so physical pleasure could be abandoned just as easily. But the mind could never be cast aside, and so its desires could never be relinquished.

After Qi Xuansu entered the temple, divine light flickered on the statue, and a life-sized illusory figure stepped out. It looked identical to the statue, yet far more vivid and alive.

This was Ixchel’s projection.

The beautiful maiden said, “Honored guest from the East, I am Ixchel. Thank you for coming to my temple.”

Representing the Daoist Order, Qi Xuansu could not be overly courteous. He remained composed, even somewhat distant. “My name is Qi Xuansu, Chief Deputy of the Daoist Order’s Beichen Hall. I have come to the Southern Continent under orders from the Golden Tower Council. May I ask what business you have with me, Moon Goddess?”

The ancient gods had cooperated with the Western Daoist Order for many years and were well aware of the Daoist Order in the Central Plains. Although the Daoist leadership seemed comparable to the ancient gods at their peak, in terms of foundational structure, the gap between them was immense.

To put it simply, a Daoist Great Sage was like a fully armored knight on a warhorse with attendants, while the ancient gods were like lightly armored rangers. At that point, comparing their raw strength was meaningless.

Even if the ancient gods’ alliance could be considered united, figures like the Great Tengu and Tamamo-no-Mae had defected and were utterly loyal to the Daoist Order, so they could be counted among its top-tier combat power. As such, the Daoist Order still held an undeniable advantage, and the ancient gods were no match for the Daoist Order. This was the immense difference brought by an organization.

For this reason, Daoists liked to use their official positions in a greeting. Titles like “Lotus Seat” were given by outsiders, so Qi Xuansu would never call himself that.

Ixchel smiled faintly, humbling herself and switching to the Central Plains’ official language. “I should address you as Sage Qi, then. I have asked you to meet me because I have a request.”

For a deity, learning languages was trivial. The Western Daoist Order had been in the Southern Continent for years, promoting sinicization, and the gods were no exception. The Moon Goddess not only spoke the language fluently, but her tone, accent, and manner of speech were also authentic. One might think she was a woman from the Central Plains rather than a foreign deity.

This was clearly a deliberate lowering of her stance to ask for help.

Qi Xuansu did not yield. “You are a deity, equivalent to an Immortal of the Daoist Order, while I am merely a Heavenly Being, not even a Pseudo-Immortal. How could I possibly assist the Moon Goddess?”

Ixchel replied, “You are too modest. Some matters are not determined solely by cultivation level.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Please continue.”

Ixchel fell silent for a moment, as if making a final decision. She slowly said, “I wish to obtain salvation.”

Qi Xuansu understood. Though what he had seen was only the tip of the iceberg, it revealed the weakness of the ancient gods. Still, he feigned ignorance. “Your words confuse me, Moon Goddess. How could I possibly grant you salvation?”

Ixchel said, “I have heard that there is also a moon deity who has attained transcendence in the East. I can sense her power from you, Sage Qi.”

Qi Xuansu knew she was referring to the True Lord Taiyin. As a moon goddess, it was not strange for Ixchel to sense another lunar deity, just as Kukulkan had stolen the divine authority of the Misir Sun God.

The reason other lunar deities could not seize the authority left by the True Lord Taiyin was that it was held by the Daoist Order. But internal threats were hardest to guard against, so Zhang Wuhen had managed to steal it.

Qi Xuansu processed Ixchel’s words and hit the nail on the head. “Moon Goddess, do you wish to change allegiance?”

Ixchel did not hide anything. “I have heard that the Daoist Order embraces all and makes no distinction among teachings. As long as one sincerely submits, the Daoist Order will accept them.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “The Daoist Order has indeed accepted many. For instance, the Ancient Wuist Sect that existed before the Daoist Order was a vast pantheon no less powerful than yours, with eleven deities. The Daoist Order accepted two of them because both had rendered great service. Wu Yang once saved the Holy Xuan and had instructed both the founding emperor of the Great Xuan Empire and the founder of the Western Daoist Order. Wu Xian was reincarnated and became one of the patriarchs of the Quanzhen Sect.”

Qi Xuansu’s meaning was clear. It was possible for Ixchel to change allegiance, but she would need to offer sufficient bargaining chips.

After all, the Daoist Order was not a charity, and these gods were not helpless victims.

Ixchel did not immediately name her price. Instead, she said, “As a gesture of sincerity, I can reveal some secrets about our pantheon.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Please, continue.”

Ixchel said, “Kukulkan was not the original sun god. He was merely the Feathered Serpent. The true sun god, Itzamna, was my husband. He was the lord of the heavens, the chief of the gods, the protector of priests, and the creator of literature and science. He ruled both night and day and led the gods in resisting the Holy Court’s apostles. But in the end, he was slain by Seraphim, the foremost of the Three Great Apostles. He has completely perished.

“Kukulkan is nothing but a thief. He stole Itzamna’s divine authority, declared himself the new sun god and ruler of the gods, and struck a bargain with the Western Daoist Order to maintain his rule.”