A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu said, “I wonder which senior of the Li family has graced us with his presence. Please show yourself.”

In truth, Qi Xuansu knew that the speaker was inside the residence below, but he still put on a show of courtesy.

Sure enough, another figure rose into the air. He was dressed as a second-rank Taiyi Daoist but wore no lotus crown, nor was his hair tied into a topknot. Instead, it hung loosely around him, strands of black and white intermingling.

His face appeared somewhat aged, which was the complete opposite of Sage Qingwei. Sage Qingwei had never deliberately rejuvenated himself. He simply looked young. This man had likewise never used his cultivation to alter his appearance, yet he looked an entire generation older than Sage Qingwei.

More importantly, this man was a Pseudo-Immortal. He was in no way inferior to Zhang Jucheng and was even slightly stronger than Hun Ahau and Utu.

Qi Xuansu could more or less guess this man’s identity.

“If I’m not mistaken, you should be Li Minghuang’s adoptive father,” Qi Xuansu said.

The newcomer was indeed Li Tianqing, who had once competed against Sage Qingwei and ultimately lost.

Li Tianqing said, “Sage Qi, I’m truly flattered that you’ve heard of me.”

Despite his words, there was not the slightest trace of flattery on Li Tianqing’s face. Instead, his expression carried a hint of mockery.

Qi Xuansu said, “Of course I know of you. I could be considered one of Sage Qingwei’s former subordinates, after all. Sage Qingwei has mentioned you several times. He said that you...”

At this point, he deliberately paused.

Li Tianqing knew full well that Qi Xuansu was doing this deliberately. However, he had been obsessed with beating Sage Qingwei for so long that it became a force of habit. “What did Zhi Qing say about me?”

Only then did Qi Xuansu continue, “Sage Qingwei said that you’re nothing special.”

In an instant, Li Tianqing erupted in an overwhelming fury.

The surrounding sea, which had been relatively calm, instantly turned into turbulent waters with raging waves. Dark clouds even began gathering overhead, looming oppressively over the island.

No one else could have provoked Li Tianqing to such an extent. Not even Sage Donghua could do so. But Sage Qingwei was the exception.

However, Li Tianqing quickly calmed himself. “Qi Xuansu, Zhi Qing would never say something like that.”

Qi Xuansu chuckled. “You can always ask Sage Qingwei yourself. Perhaps I remembered it wrong.”

Naturally, Li Tianqing would not go to Sage Qingwei only to humiliate himself, so he changed the subject. “Qi Xuansu, what if I refuse to let you search the place?”

Qi Xuansu said, “Then I’ll have no choice but to conduct the search by force. Even the Li family has no special privileges before the Daoist law.”

Some things could be done but could never be said aloud.

Whether the Li family had special privileges or not, everyone knew it in their hearts, but it absolutely could not be said out loud.

Li Tianqing did not refute him and merely sneered.

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the residence was exceptionally tense. A woman sat on a large red sandalwood chair in the seat of honor inside the main hall. She was dressed in plain garments and a snow-white outer robe embroidered with black plum blossoms, looking as imposing as a celestial goddess.

An ordinary woman could hardly pull off an all-white outfit. The woman’s face was as fair as snow, completely unaffected by the white garments. Instead, her white robes accentuated her ethereal presence. Her brows extended toward her temples, while her deep-set eyes made her seem imposing.

It was none other than Pei Shenfu.

Two other people sat on either side of Pei Shenfu, one old and one young.

Pei Shenfu leaned against the back of her chair and looked up at the beams overhead, as though she could see through the roof at the people in the sky above.

Li Tianzhen said, “I didn’t expect Qi Xuansu to make it to Nanyang so quickly. It’s a miscalculation on our part...”

Pei Shenfu continued looking upward.

Li Tianzhen fell silent for a moment before continuing, “Logically speaking, even if Qi Xuansu was removed from his position ahead of schedule, Yong Yan could have delayed taking up his post. As long as the handover had not taken place, Qi Xuansu would not have been able to leave his post without authorization. But who would have thought that Yong Yan couldn’t even wait half a day and went straight to the Southern Continent? He was clearly trying to make things difficult for us and watch us make a fool of ourselves.”

Pei Shenfu lowered her head slowly. Her fair hand rested on the armrest as she looked toward Li Tianzhen. “Don’t forget that you people caused Yong Yan to be investigated for a month at Jiangnan Daoist Mansion, making him miss the Fenglin War. That was what allowed Qi Xuansu to seize the initiative. How could Yong Yan not resent you for that?”

Li Tianzhen sighed. “You’re right, Sage Pei.”

Pei Shenfu pushed herself up from the armrest and stood. “There’s no point talking about this anymore. Yong Yan and Zhi Qing are both being ambiguous about their stance, so we can only rely on ourselves.”

Pei Shenfu then looked toward the other person seated beside her. “I’ll have to trouble you, Master.”

That person was a Buddhist monk.

Earlier, the monk had kept his eyes tightly shut without uttering a word. Only when he heard Pei Shenfu address him did he slowly open his eyes. He first recited the Buddha’s name before saying, “Since Sage Pei has entrusted this matter to me, I shall do my best.”

Meanwhile, Qi Xuansu confronted Li Tianqing aggressively. “Li Tianqing, are you going to step aside or not?”

Li Tianqing said, “Qi Xuansu, you currently hold no official position whatsoever. Even if you have this search warrant, you have no official authority to conduct the search. How dare you act like this?”

Qi Xuansu replied frankly, “You can concern yourself with Donghai’s affairs. Nanyang’s affairs are my concern. Since I have decided to do this today, you have no choice but to comply.”

Although Li Tianqing did not have a sword in his hand, he said, “It seems you intend to test whether the sword in my hand is sharp.”

Qi Xuansu refused to yield. “My sword is just as sharp.”

In the blink of an eye, the two were ready to draw their weapons.

When it came to schemes, one had to be steady, precise, and ruthless. There was no point beating around the bush.

Qi Xuansu wanted to capture Li Tianzhen and Wu Guangbi, while Li Tianqing had lain in ambush here. It was as simple as that. All their previous words had merely been a pretense to provide some cover for their actions.

Without any visible movement from Li Tianqing, 13 longswords appeared out of thin air behind him, spreading out one after another like a peacock unfurling its tail.

Qi Xuansu could not have been more familiar with this technique. It was none other than the Taiyin 13 Swords.

This was beyond Qi Xuansu’s expectations. Li Tianqing had actually chosen to learn the Taiyin 13 Swords instead of the Nandou 28 Swords or the Beidou 36 Swords.

The Taiyin 13 Swords were the most dangerous of all. Judging from what Qi Xuansu was seeing, this was not the ordinary abridged version either, but the original version, which was the most powerful and the most brutal.

However, the Li family had inherited the Taiyin 13 Swords as well, so the technique was not limited to the Quanzhen Sect. Li Daoxing, along with the Holy Xuan and Donghuang, was all proficient in this sword technique. Thus, it was perfectly reasonable for Li Tianqing to have learned it as well.

Qi Xuansu knew full well that the most powerful technique within the Taiyin 13 Swords was the Taiyin Sword Formation, so naturally, he had no intention of giving Li Tianqing the opportunity to complete the formation. He struck first by throwing a void-shaking punch.

Faced with this punch, Li Tianqing neither dodged nor retreated. He unleashed a surging qi no less mighty than the great tides of Donghai. Violent ripples erupted between the two men, instantly tearing apart the ground below and the trees across the island.

Li Tianqing seized the opportunity to counterattack, unleashing another supreme technique, the Transforming Demonic Hand.

In terms of technique alone, this method might not be considered exceptionally exquisite. The key was that it had evolved from the Taiyin 13 Swords. It could seize a person’s mind and ensnare their soul, causing them to lose themselves within the Demonic Realm, where inner demons would multiply until the victim became utterly distraught and disoriented.

Those with weak wills or insufficient cultivation would succumb to cultivation deviation without any need for external forces to harm them. All of their qi and divine power would transform into raging flames that burned them to ashes.

Even those with considerable cultivation who could withstand the assault on their minds and avoid cultivation deviation would inevitably be distracted, leaving them unable to pay attention to changes in their surroundings. If Li Tianqing attacked their vital points at that moment, death would be the only outcome.

Li Tianqing slowly pushed his palm forward, releasing an extraordinarily terrifying and ferocious aura. It was like the overwhelming might emanating from some primordial savage beast, sending countless birds and animals fleeing in terror. Such a creature did not even need to deliberately exert its power to transform everything around it.

In an instant, Qi Xuansu lost all six senses. Li Tianqing vanished from his perception entirely, leaving only the 13 swords in his place.

Li Tianqing’s method was similar to the concealment technique of the Heart Series. He had not truly disappeared. Instead, he made his opponent incapable of perceiving him despite looking directly at him. The best way to counter such a technique was to attack the entire surrounding area with full force, leaving no blind spots.

Qi Xuansu immediately relied on the instincts of the Demonic Blade and punched without restraint. His fist intention swept in every direction as though he intended to sink the entire island.

Such was the might of a Pseudo-Immortal. If they restrained themselves, they could fight fiercely for a long time without damaging a single brick or tile. But if they fought without restraint, they could easily destroy an entire district.

The fist intention swept outward like surging waves, leaving no corner untouched.

This entire exchange took place in the blink of an eye.

Li Tianqing’s figure reappeared, but there were now several fist marks on his body. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

After all, Li Tianqing still physically existed. He had not truly disappeared but had instead erased his sense of presence, making himself seem like part of heaven and earth itself.

Li Tianqing had merged into heaven and earth, entering the profound state of unity between heaven and man. Once that state was broken, his figure would naturally become perceptible again.

The moment Li Tianqing reappeared, Qi Xuansu stopped throwing punches. Although his six senses were temporarily impaired, he relied on the Demonic Blade’s perception to close in on Li Tianqing and thrust a finger toward his heart.

To Qi Xuansu’s surprise, Li Tianqing made no attempt to defend himself and simply allowed Qi Xuansu to attack his vital point.

In truth, Li Tianqing had secretly activated the Eclipse Method.

The Eclipse Method transformed the body’s three major Dantians into voids, like a bottomless abyss, allowing the user to devour energy like a whale swallowing schools of fish.

In the brief instant that these thoughts flashed through his mind, Qi Xuansu’s finger had already struck Li Tianqing squarely in the chest.

The force behind this finger strike was tremendous. Even with Li Tianqing’s Pseudo-Immortal physique, his entire body shook violently, and a spray of blood burst from his back directly behind his heart. Yet Li Tianqing seized this opportunity to circulate the Eclipse Method at full strength and began forcibly siphoning away Qi Xuansu’s cultivation.

Qi Xuansu’s cultivation surged into Li Tianqing’s body like floodwaters bursting through a dam.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu’s finger was stuck to Li Tianqing’s chest. He could not pull it back even if he wanted to. Losing a little cultivation was not a big concern because Qi Xuansu possessed all Five Immortal Lineages, giving him extraordinarily deep foundations. Moreover, he had the support of the Heluo God, so Li Tianqing could not drain him dry anytime soon.

However, once Li Tianqing completed the Taiyin Sword Formation, Qi Xuansu’s life would be in danger.

Qi Xuansu possessed a wealth of combat experience. He immediately turned Li Tianqing’s scheme against him, taking advantage of the situation to circulate Izanagi’s demonic fire. He simply let Li Tianqing continue absorbing his power. Not only did he allow him to absorb it, he even poured the intensified demonic fire into Li Tianqing with all his might.

In mere moments, Li Tianqing was engulfed in demonic fire, almost turning into a human torch. However, this move had also taken a considerable toll on Qi Xuansu. He needed a moment to recover.

Even so, Li Tianqing showed no sign of panic and drifted backward gracefully.

At some point, another Li Tianqing had appeared not far away, controlling the thirteen swords. He commanded in a deep voice, “Rise.”