A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1414: No Mercy

After the ceremony, Qi Xuansu had a long discussion with Sage Donghua. The main topic was the New Continent, specifically the issues surrounding Kukulkan and Ixchel.

Since it involved deities, Qi Xuansu knew it was beyond his ability to resolve alone. He had to report it to higher authorities.

Sage Donghua proposed first reporting the matter to Qi Xuansu’s direct superior, Sage Qingwei, and then holding a meeting outside the jurisdiction of the Golden Tower Council to properly discuss it.

The reason for keeping it outside the Golden Tower Council was so that they could include an outsider, Huangfu Ji.

Qi Xuansu then reported the matter again to Sage Qingwei.

Soon, the participants were finalized. The level was extremely high. Besides Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji, only four others were present—Sage Donghua, Sage Qingwei, Sage Cihang, and Great Sage Jiang. These were the top four figures of the Golden Tower Council.

This meeting was held in the Chiming Palace.

After outlining the situation, Qi Xuansu concluded, “It’s clear the ancient gods are divided internally. This is highly detrimental to overall stability.”

Great Sage Jiang looked toward Huangfu Ji. “What is your view, Daoist Huangfu?”

Huangfu Ji cautiously expressed a conservative stance. “Although the Western Daoist Order has long supported Kukulkan, such divisive tendencies are unacceptable to us. We cannot ignore them.”

Sage Donghua spoke bluntly. “What are everyone’s thoughts? Let’s set aside our internal disagreements for now. Regardless of approach, these ancient gods are crucial forces in resisting the Steam Evangelical Sect. Whatever we do, we must minimize losses.”

Sage Cihang added, “If we want to minimize losses, we nip it in the bud. If we keep dragging things out, it will become a quagmire that could pull everyone into it.”

She meant that in a regime change, a swift palace coup caused the least damage if they were to ignore long-term consequences and focus purely on immediate loss. But prolonged conflict would lead to uncontrollable and potentially unbearable losses that drew in all factions.

Thus, when Sage Donghua emphasized minimizing losses, Sage Cihang naturally proposed decisive action.

The logic progressed step by step.

Sage Qingwei said, “I agree to nip it in the bud. The question now is, when we raise the blade, who should we strike?”

Great Sage Jiang looked again at Huangfu Ji. “After all, we are not on the New Continent and lack firsthand understanding. Let’s hear your thoughts, Daoist Huangfu.”

Huangfu Ji was prepared for this and replied, “These ancient gods are different from humans. Their thinking and mindset have long diverged from ours. A human life spans less than a century. Even Immortals of the Western Daoist Order and the Daoist Order still think like humans. That is why we can sit here and discuss.

“These ancient gods have existed for far too long. Time has eroded their humanity. Coupled with their bodies transforming into divine forms, their thinking has become alien, which they call ‘divine nature,’ and with it comes arrogance. So with this in mind, we must not analyze their issues from a single angle. We must consider multiple aspects.

“This is likely not just a struggle for power among the ancient gods. It also involves matters of faith. It’s an extremely complex issue. Even between the Daoist Order and the Holy Court, many conflicts arise from this very cause.”

Great Sage Jiang nodded in agreement. “Well said. Faith is a major issue. It directly affects the mortal world. If the conflict among the ancient gods spills over from their divine kingdoms into the human world and causes unrest, that will be absolutely unacceptable.”

Sage Qingwei added, “Any impact on faith in the Primordial Daoist Ancestor is equally unacceptable.”

This statement was beyond dispute. The Primordial Daoist Ancestor was the ultimate consensus between the Daoist Order and the Western Daoist Order, greater even than the Holy Xuan since the former was the founder and the latter was the restorer of the Daoist Order.

Huangfu Ji continued, “There is another issue here, the danger of nurturing a future threat.”

Sage Donghua asked, “Explain.”

Huangfu Ji said, “Originally, Kukulkan was not the chief god and was merely the Feathered Serpent. He seized the position of Sun God and took the divine authority of the Misir Sun God, advancing even further. I believe Kukulkan has big ambitions and will not be content with merely being our ally.

“If we eliminate Ixchel and help Kukulkan remove a powerful rival, won’t he advance further? If he becomes a First-Tribulation Immortal, could he become uncontrollable? If he unifies the faith of the Southern Continent, he can become a Second-Tribulation Immortal. Though he cannot descend directly, he can still intervene in the human world through various means. In his divine kingdom, with a home-ground advantage, he would be nearly invincible, able to attack or retreat at will. Unless we wait for the end of the era, we may be powerless against him.”

Sage Qingwei looked at him. “So you suggest taking this opportunity to eliminate Kukulkan?”

Huangfu Ji replied, “Killing is not the only option. We can support Ixchel and maintain balance with the principle of yin and yang.”

Great Sage Jiang added, “We must also consider the impact. Ixchel has taken the initiative to align with us, even invoking the precedent of Great Sage Yan recruiting True Lord Taiyin. If we turn around and strike her, it would look terrible. It would severely damage our credibility. Who would dare align with us in the future? It could even affect the ongoing efforts to legitimize certain secret societies.”

Sage Donghua nodded. “What Elder Jiang said is absolutely correct. This is indeed an issue we cannot avoid.”

Qi Xuansu had no place to speak. He was here to listen. Still, he found himself reflecting deeply.

The old saying held true that organization beats isolation. The Daoist Order had many Immortals and a well-organized structure, enough to determine the life or death of a lone Immortal.

Times had changed. There was no true freedom. Only by reaching the pinnacle of power or strength could one truly breathe easy.

Since this meeting did not follow the Golden Tower Council procedures, no formal resolution would be produced.

It resembled a small meeting between a Mansion Master, a Chief Deputy, and a Second Deputy. While not an official decision-making body, such meetings were used to align opinions before formal deliberations. In practice, once these three reached consensus, the subsequent meetings almost always passed smoothly.

Excluding Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji, the remaining four represented the Three Sects and the Grand Master’s lineage. If these four reached an agreement, the Golden Tower Council meeting would merely be a formality.

Major decisions were often made in small meetings, and this was one of them.

Qi Xuansu held a small notebook in his left hand and a brush in his right. His expression was serious as he wrote continuously and nodded occasionally.

At first glance, he seemed to be diligently recording his superiors’ remarks, a model attitude worthy of emulation by younger Daoists.

In reality, his notebook was filled with his own name. He was practicing his signature.

After all, he had to write his name in every directive and reply. It was his public face. Other words could be sloppy, but his name had to be perfect, and preferably with a distinctive personal flair.

Though the meeting was important, Qi Xuansu had no place to speak. After presenting the situation, he simply waited for instructions. There was not much else for him to do besides carrying out the orders later.

Over the past two years, Little Yin had picked up quite a few habits from Qi Xuansu, like that exaggerated, serious nod, pretending to gaze thoughtfully at the sky, and even taking notes.

Whenever Zhang Yuelu scolded her, Little Yin would often pull out a small notebook, nod repeatedly, and put on a serious, repentant expression, as if she had truly learned her lesson.

At first, Zhang Yuelu thought the girl had changed. Curious, Zhang Yuelu checked the notebook and discovered Little Yin had just been drawing turtles of all sizes and shapes.

Zhang Yuelu was furious. At such a young age, Little Yin was already pulling tricks like this. Clearly, the girl must have learned it from Qi Xuansu, who must have learned from Madam Qi.

Sure enough, a lousy role model would lead to bad behavior.

By the time Qi Xuansu finally managed a signature he was satisfied with, the meeting was nearing its end.

Since this matter did not involve internal factional struggles or power disputes within the Daoist Order, it would not escalate into a tense confrontation at the Golden Tower Council.

After considering Qi Xuansu’s report and Huangfu Ji’s input, Sage Donghua, Sage Qingwei, Sage Cihang, and Great Sage Jiang reached a preliminary consensus on the general direction.

For now, they would not act against Ixchel but instead focus on investigating Kukulkan.

Whether to maintain balance or eliminate the increasingly uncontrollable Kukulkan would depend on the final results of the investigation.

Based on those findings, these four powerful figures would reconvene. Once aligned, they would bring the matter to the Golden Tower Council, formalize a resolution, and issue orders for execution.

Of course, this investigation would be led by Qi Xuansu.

That was why his position was so critical. He had high authority that carried immense weight.

If Qi Xuansu truly wanted Kukulkan dead, it would not be difficult. That was why even Ixchel had to humble herself and seek his favor.

Of course, killing Kukulkan like that would be irresponsible. If it led to serious consequences, Qi Xuansu would also have to bear the responsibility.

His best course of action would be to proceed with diligence and focus on gathering the truth.