A Pawn's Passage

Spirit Guard Xu lifted the Guizhen-stage guard with one hand and lifted his feet off the ground. This would not make the Guizhen-stage guard suffocate to death, but it was embarrassing. The poor guy could only use his hands to swat at the iron fist of the second-rank Spirit Guard, unable to break free.

Du Longtan frowned, suddenly realizing that things were getting out of his control.

Only a Heavenly Being could subdue a Guizhen-stage master with one move.

What kind of background did the Lu family have to hire a Heavenly Being as an escort?

However, Du Longtan did not panic. After all, everything was still negotiable at this stage.

The surrounding guests were also relatively relaxed because there were other guards around. Even if someone powerful decided to stir up trouble, they could call for backup and win the fight by outnumbering the opponent.

Du Longtan stood up slowly, clasped his fists, and said, “Greetings, my friend. It’s best not to cause any fatalities today. Why don’t we each take a step back? I’ll apologize, and you can let the guard go. We’ll all be better off that way.”

Zhang Yuelu slowly walked onto the platform. She did not stop until she reached the relief of the two dragons playing with a pearl. She looked down at the blackened blood flowing between the gaps of the white-jade relief, which was a stark contrast similar to the yin and yang symbol.

“It’s best not to cause any fatalities today, huh?” Zhang Yuelu tapped the tip of her boots. “Then what is this? Isn’t this considered a fatality?”

Du Longtan was rendered speechless.

Zhang Yuelu turned to Spirit Guard Xu. “Don’t kill him.”

Spirit Guard Xu obliged and relaxed his grip slightly.

Zhang Yuelu looked at Du Longtan again. “Perhaps to you, these aren’t fatalities because you don’t consider them human. They are just animals for your entertainment. But you seem to have forgotten whether what you are doing is allowed. The heavens and earth treat all beings as equals, and the enlightened ones treat all people equally. We are all the same, whether you are a court official, a nobleman, or a homeless beggar. There is no difference between you and me. The enlightened ones won’t approve of what you are doing, nor will the people.”

Confucian Sages, the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, the Buddha, the God of the Holy Court, and even emperors could be considered enlightened ones.

All the guests looked at Zhang Yuelu as if she were a fool. Who would come to a place like this to preach morals? This young man was so studious and naive!

However, Du Longtan had already noticed something was wrong. He stared at Zhang Yuelu intently and questioned, “Who the hell are you?”

Zhang Yuelu thought that she had seen enough depravity for the day, so she had no intention of concealing her identity anymore. She declared, “My name is Zhang Yuelu.”

Zhang Yuelu’s great reputation was limited to the Daoist Order and, at most, to certain groups with which she had interacted before. These guests were mostly merchants and scions who came here to have fun, wanting to take a break from their business, wives, concubines, and the many children they had at home. They usually had a full schedule in their mundane lives, so they would not pay attention to a rising star in the Daoist Order.

Therefore, after Zhang Yuelu announced her name, most of the guests present were confused. A few people even thought that she was joking, as her name coincided with one of the 28 constellations.

However, Du Longtan’s reaction was different from the rest. When he heard her name, his face turned pale. Of course, he knew who this girl was.

Zhang Yuelu had no intention of using her name to shock people, but she felt the need to first declare her identity so that she could state her purpose—to punish these people according to the law.

She wanted these people to understand what they were about to face. That way, this incident could serve as a warning to others.

Zhang Yuelu continued, “I am a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master serving as the Eighth Deputy Hall Master of Tiangang Hall. I am under the orders of the Tiangang Hall Master to destroy this cult stronghold.”

Everyone was flustered as soon as they heard this. Though the night was young, there was no way they could continue having fun.

Zhang Yuelu scanned the crowd. “Although you are not members of the Daoist community, according to the Kunlun Pact made by the Holy Xuan and the Emperor Gaozu, the Daoist Order has the right to solely handle all matters involving secret societies. Therefore, the Daoist Order has the right to arrest you all and punish you accordingly.”

Everyone could not help but shudder.

Zhang Yuelu was implying that there was no need to use one’s connections or background in an attempt to escape punishment. The pact between the Holy Xuan and Emperor Gaozu was an ancestral decree that no one, not even the Grand Master or the current Emperor, could overturn.

When the Holy Xuan was alive, he took action against his own family, deposing many of the Li family members from positions of power, yet the Li family dared not retaliate. They also dared not badmouth the Holy Xuan. Instead, they whitewashed themselves and regarded themselves as the direct descendants of the Holy Xuan.

That was because dismissing the Holy Xuan meant disregarding the foundation of the Daoist Order. If the Li family had done that, they would have lost their claim for glory.

The arrogant and domineering Li family, whose power and influence extended throughout the Daoist Order and the Imperial Court, dared not go against the ancestral decree, let alone the others.

These guests sat stiffly in their seats, not daring to move a muscle. After all, their punishment would not be too severe.

Du Longtan was the only exception. He knew that he would be dead if he got caught, so he was not willing to be a sitting duck.

Thus, Du Longtan made a secret gesture. Two other guards emerged from the shadows, and the three of them charged at Zhang Yuelu simultaneously from all sides, intending to hold her hostage so as to bargain for a chance of survival.

Without hesitation, Spirit Guard Xu crushed the throat of the Guizhen-stage guard he strangled before facing off against two other Guizhen-stage guards at the same time.

Before they had any time to react, Spirit Guard Xu rushed toward one of them and swiped at him. The guard flew backward from the impact, crashing through the wall and falling off the building from the third floor.

Immediately afterward, Spirit Guard Xu turned sideways to grab the other guard by the neck. He easily lifted the guard up, and within seconds, the guard’s face turned from red to blue.

These Guizhen-stage Xiantian Beings could not hold a candle to a second-rank Spirit Guard, who was as fast as lightning.

Even Lei Xiaohuan, a Heavenly Being Wuliang-stage Martial Arts Practitioner, would not have the confidence to defeat Spirit Guard Xu in a fight. This showed just how powerful a high-ranking Spirit Guard was. If Spirit Guard Xu was not that capable, Sage Cihang would not have sent him to protect Zhang Yuelu.

Spirit Guards would have been on equal footing with Daoist priests of the same rank if their cultivation had not come from external sources.

In the meantime, Zhang Yuelu faced off with Du Longtan.

The result was obvious because Du Longtan was no match for Zhang Yuelu, who was about to become a Heavenly Being. Zhang Yuelu defeated him in two to three moves and bound him with a whip transformed from her Amorphous Paper.

Du Longtan could not move, but he was not yet in despair because this manor was the Lingshan Witch Cult’s stronghold. It was also an important source of wealth, so most of their manpower was concentrated here, including a Heavenly Being.

As long as that Heavenly Being brought backup, there would be a chance to turn the tables.

At this moment, a shocking explosion shook the whole building and illuminated the night sky.

One shot of Grade-A Series Seven Phoenix Eye Bomb blasted through the gate of the manor, razing the entire gatehouse and a large section of the courtyard wall to the ground.

The cult demons stationed at the gate had no time to react before turning into mutilated and charred corpses.

Immediately afterward, a battalion of Spirit Guards in black armor marched into the manor, stepping over the rubble and ashes. Their heavy footsteps were uniform and rhythmic.

Behind the Spirit Guards was a group of Daoist priests in black formal attire.

The towering walls that acted as a defense mechanism were now a hindrance to the cult demons trying to flee for their lives. The people in the manor were now caged in.

In an instant, the scene in the manor turned chaotic. The noblemen trapped in the manor were no different from the servants working there. Everyone was helpless, screaming and crying for mercy in the face of these oppressive Spirit Guards.

Not long after, Sun Yongfeng led a team of Spirit Guards to the third floor. “Deputy Hall Master, you are wise to go deep into the cult demon’s lair and capture their leader. The remaining demons have lost their courage and are completely vulnerable.”

Zhang Yuelu glanced at him and instructed, “Don’t kill innocent people indiscriminately. Be sure to screen through them carefully. Understand?”

“Yes, Deputy Hall Master.” Sun Yongfeng responded quickly.

Zhang Yuelu glanced at Spirit Guard Xu. “I’ll leave you to deal with the Heavenly Being here.”

Spirit Guard Xu handed over the captive in his hands to the other Spirit Guards. Then he took off his cloak, exposing the Spirit Guard armor underneath. He also put on his helmet and visor, which he retrieved from his magical receptacle.

He answered solemnly, “I accept your command, Deputy Hall Master.”