A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1450: One Sword Illuminating Everything

Qi Xuansu strode toward the city wall and said, “Li Tianlan, come with me.”

At that very moment, an iron nail suddenly appeared out of thin air. It looked rust-covered and even stained with blood. The 10-centimeter-long sharp nail pierced directly into Qi Xuansu’s chest.

This was the Holy Nail, one of the sacred artifacts of the Holy Court. Unlike artifacts such as the Scripture of Zuriel, which originated from the Fallen Apostle, this artifact had been bestowed by the Supreme Will itself, making it a holy relic.

Qi Xuansu had encountered similar holy relics before, such as the Holy Lance, also known as the Spear of Longinus or the Spear of Destiny.

Shi Luosi of St. Mary’s Church had once summoned a projection of Longinus.

The Holy Lance differed from the Spear of Osiris. The latter targeted the physical body, while the former targeted the soul.

Legend had it that the Holy Lance could shatter a person’s soul into countless fragments without harming the body, establishing contracts on the soul itself.

Li Tianlan’s connections with Westerners were no secret. As early as the second major Jiangnan case, he had used Shi Luosi to hold Lei Xiaohuan back. Qi Xuansu had personally experienced it.

Even Qi Xuansu’s Martial Arts Practitioner physique could not stop the tip of the Holy Nail from sinking into his chest.

There were three Holy Nails in total, corresponding to the three corners of the Holy Court’s inverted triangle symbol. One of the nails had been melted down and forged into the Iron Crown, the symbol of authority for the kings of the Western Continent. During the coronation, it served as proof that the king had been appointed by divine mandate. Without this crown, the king would not be considered legitimate. It was equivalent to the Central Plains’ Imperial Succession Seal. Another nail had been cast into the raging sea to calm a catastrophic tsunami.

Clearly, this iron nail was the final Holy Nail, and the only one still held by the Holy Court.

Of course, this was not the true body of the Holy Nail. Clerics of the Holy Court were highly skilled at summoning projections of these holy relics, temporarily borrowing their power and effectively making the relics public tools. This was something Daoist immortal objects could not compare to. However, Daoist immortal objects had their own strengths, often making better use of terrain and local advantages.

Qi Xuansu stopped in his tracks and looked toward a black-robed figure.

It was none other than the Cardinal Deacon Shi Luosi.

Although the name sounded very Central Plains in style, Shi Luosi was a Westerner. It was the same as when Qi Xuansu had used a Western name in St. York.

This man was also an old ally of Li Tianlan. His cultivation level was comparable to Lei Xiaohuan’s, at the Wuliang stage.

Shi Luosi differed from the priests of the Steam Evangelical Sect. He came from the orthodox Holy Court, so his methods were also different. He did not possess the wide variety of steam augmentation or Arcane Alchemy, but he excelled at summoning projections of holy relics.

Qi Xuansu spoke in a deep voice, “Shi Luosi, during the last Jiangnan case, you already interfered repeatedly. Now, here you are, interfering again. Do you really think the Daoist Order can’t do anything to you?”

Shi Luosi replied, “Second Deputy Li is my friend. I cannot stand by unmoved while a friend suffers. I believe there must be some misunderstanding here. I would like to invite Second Deputy Li to stay at the church as a guest while we await a response from the Golden Tower Council.”

Qi Xuansu laughed. “Trying to delay things and wait for circumstances to change? That’s impossible now. On the contrary, another charge can be added to Li Tianlan’s crimes—colluding with the Holy Court. As the Chief Deputy of the Beichen Hall, this falls within my authority. Even if the Hall Master personally came, he still wouldn’t be able to save you.”

Li Tianlan’s expression was dark, and his aura fluctuated unsteadily. Clearly, Qi Xuansu’s earlier punch had injured him quite badly.

Qi Xuansu reached toward the Holy Nail embedded in his chest and yanked it out violently. “Also, do you two think this can stop me?”

As Qi Xuansu pulled out the Holy Nail, no blood flowed. Instead, a chain of luminous thorns was dragged out, formed from condensed radiance. Those thorns had taken root within him when the Holy Nail pierced his chest, so he now tore out the roots.

At the same time, the thorns spread everywhere as if invading every opening. They even surged out from Qi Xuansu’s orifices and extended wildly. Across the surface of his skin, thorn-like patterns bulged out like swollen veins. Countless thorns intertwined, completely engulfing Qi Xuansu. The radiance reached its peak, turning him into a blazing sphere of light that made it impossible to look at directly.

Shi Luosi quickly said to Li Tianlan, “Brother Li, the power of this Holy Nail can only delay him briefly. It cannot kill him. We should leave first.”

Li Tianlan nodded and was just about to leave with Shi Luosi when Qi Xuansu’s voice resounded, “Neither of you is going anywhere.”

The dazzling radiance suddenly dimmed.

The thorns formed from pure radiance rapidly withered away, while the Holy Nail in Qi Xuansu’s hand became illusory and dissolved into specks of light.

After all, this was merely a projection, not the true body of the Holy Nail. It could cause Qi Xuansu some trouble, but not nearly enough to hold him back.

Shi Luosi’s expression changed drastically. He had already tried his best to overestimate Qi Xuansu, yet he still ended up underestimating him.

The main reason was that Qi Xuansu had just absorbed a piece of Xuan Jade, advancing yet another step further. Although he had not yet crossed the threshold into the Pseudo-Immortal realm, he was undoubtedly much stronger than before.

Qi Xuansu even had the leisure to make a dark joke. “Li Tianlan, this Holy Nail has just nailed your coffin lid shut. Colluding with foreign enemies is an unforgivable crime!”

Li Tianlan’s face turned ashen.

Qi Xuansu continued, “Even if I beat you to death right here, Sage Qingwei wouldn’t be able to say I was wrong.”

The next moment, Qi Xuansu made his move again, intending to capture both of them.

So what if one of them was a representative of the Westerners? As long as the evidence was solid, the Holy Court would be the one in the wrong. That was why the two of them should be arrested together.

However, it seemed that things were destined not to go his way today.

At that moment, a single sword split open the sky and descended between Qi Xuansu and Li Tianlan.

The vast sword light resembled a comet, cleaving apart the night sky and scattering the rain clouds. Its lingering trail remained in the air for a long time without fading. It was like a ray of heavenly light shining into a dark chamber that had never seen the sun.

One sword illuminated everything. It even carried an imposing aura.

Li Tianlan and Shi Luosi both let out sighs of relief.

They were both highly experienced individuals and could naturally tell that the might of this sword strike surpassed even Qi Xuansu’s.

Qi Xuansu neither panicked nor grew angry. He did not look toward the sword that had already landed. Instead, he raised his head toward the opening torn in the night sky. With his hands clasped behind his back, he now held a seven-colored feather fan.

Then, a voice seemed to drift in from an extremely distant place. The tone was gentle, like a soft whisper, yet it also carried a majestic resonance. “After several years apart, your cultivation has advanced to such a degree, Chief Deputy Qi. You truly are worthy of being spoken of in the same breath as the Junior Imperial Preceptor. Since we rarely have the chance to meet today, I must properly spar with you.”

Qi Xuansu declared. “I do not care who you are, nor what background you possess. Your actions today constitute obstruction of law enforcement and open resistance against the Daoist Mansion, even against the Daoist Order itself. I will arrest you according to the law and hand you over to the proper authorities for judgment.”

That voice drew closer and closer. “It’s unfortunate that Chief Deputy Zhang is not here. I fear you alone are not my match, Chief Deputy Qi.”

The entire night sky began to blaze with light.

A man dressed in white robes descended from the sky. Mist swirled around his body, but upon closer inspection, it was actually dense sword qi, constantly gathering and dispersing like countless schools of fish darting swiftly through water.

The newcomer was a Pseudo-Immortal of the Qi Refiner lineage.

It was Wu Guangbi, the Grand Leader of the Heavenly Court.

Back in Nanyang, Wu Guangbi had once stood against Qi Xuansu, only to have Madam Bai rip out his heart and liver. In the end, the Golden Patriarch personally intervened to save Wu Guangbi. During the period afterward, Qi Xuansu heavily supported Liu Gui’s faction while suppressing Wu Guangbi’s faction, making life extremely difficult for Wu Guangbi.

If one were to ask who hated Qi Xuansu the most, Wu Guangbi would certainly be among them.

Wu Guangbi had fully recovered, and his appearance had changed drastically. He no longer looked like the charlatan mystic he once was. Now, he was dressed in white robes of the Central Plains style and wore a Confucian headdress that concealed most of his bald head. He looked refined and dashing.

If not for this, Shi Bingyun would never have had a romantic relationship with Wu Guangbi back then. After all, most women were first attracted to strength and then to appearance. Purely in terms of looks, Wu Guangbi was indeed quite handsome.

Qi Xuansu said expressionlessly, “So it’s you, Grand Leader Wu. It’s true that the Golden Tower Council has begun experimenting with policies to normalize certain secret societies, and the Heavenly Court is indeed among them. However, the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion is not within the pilot region. Your appearance here still violates regulations.”

Wu Guangbi guffawed. “Chief Deputy Qi, you have become so accustomed to bureaucratic fluff that every sentence revolves around rules and regulations. But hearing you lecture me about the law honestly makes me want to laugh.”

Qi Xuansu showed no mercy. “You are not a member of the Daoist Order, so it’s not your place to address me by my office. You should call me Sage Qi.”

With Qi Xuansu being so utterly disrespectful, Wu Guangbi could no longer maintain his composure. Wu Guangbi narrowed his eyes and said, “I can call you whatever I want, Qi Xuansu. What can you do about it? Zhang Yuelu isn’t here, so I doubt you can use the Twin Sword Union by yourself.”

Qi Xuansu replied calmly, “To deal with the three of you, there is no need for the Twin Sword Union. I am enough.”

As he finished his sentence, blazing flames illuminated the night sky. At this moment, Jinling Prefecture no longer resembled midnight but rather dusk.

A woman’s excited voice rang out. “Yay! Let’s burn everything to ashes!”