A Pawn's Passage

In fact, based on Zhang Yuelu’s identity, she was also qualified to meet with the metropolitan. After all, she was the successor of Sage Cihang. However, her identity as the Junior Tiangang Hall Master was only known within the Daoist community; the Holy Court might not be aware of it. Zhang Yuelu also had no intention of explaining herself, so she only asked to see the archbishop.

The chief bishop had been residing in the Central Plains for a long time and often dealt with people from the Daoist Order. Thus, he was well aware of the weight of a fourth-rank Daoist priest and a Deputy Hall Master. Left with no choice, the chief bishop went inside to report Zhang Yuelu’s arrival.

To her surprise, a cardinal deacon came out to greet her.

Although the Great Xuan Dynasty no longer had the dual-capital system, Jinling Prefecture, as one of the most prosperous places in the world, was unofficially considered a secondary capital. It was also the center of the Jiangnan region.

Therefore, the Holy Court attached great importance to Jinling Prefecture, deploying two metropolitans to lead the many churches in the city. Each church had an archbishop and a chief bishop, and above them was a cardinal deacon to command the overall situation.

This cardinal deacon was not comparable to the deacons of the Daoist Halls. Instead, the Holy Court’s cardinal deacon was equivalent to a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master.

Naturally, the cardinal deacon’s duties were not as simple as managing church believers. He was mainly responsible for trade and business transactions between the continents.

The last time when the Earthly Preceptor handed over the position of the Great Sage Lunzhi to the Imperial Preceptor, Sage Cihang did not attend the important Golden Tower Council meeting because she was dealing with a trade dispute between the Holy Court and the Daoist Order. That meant negotiations with the cardinal deacon.

However, Sage Cihang was an Omniscient Sage, who was still one level higher than a cardinal deacon. She should not have been left in charge of such negotiations, as that was typically the jurisdiction of the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion.

Zhang Yuelu did not expect that the cardinal deacon of the Holy Court would be here, instantly realizing that the situation was getting out of her control.

This cardinal deacon was wearing a pure white robe with gold trim and a soft hat on his head. A golden key hung from his waist, and a holy emblem hung over his chest. He looked quite young with dazzling blond hair. But his actual age should be around 50 years old.

Zhang Yuelu could clearly feel the faint oppressive aura the man was emanating. She was unsure what the cultivation levels of the Holy Court were, but if she were to roughly judge him by the Daoist standards, he was undoubtedly a Heavenly Being.

Her mind spun rapidly about how she should approach this cardinal deacon of the Holy Court, whose rank and cultivation level were far above hers.

That was when a guttural laugh interrupted her thoughts.

A man in a lotus crown and the formal attire of a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master, with a Sword of Wisdom pendant and a bamboo staff, descended from the sky.

This man was Pei Xiaolou.

Seeing him, Zhang Yuelu breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, she had already messaged Zhenwu Temple before confronting Marshal Wind and had left marks along the way, allowing Pei Xiaolou to arrive in time at the critical moment.

This cardinal deacon had also been in Jinling Prefecture for many years and had dealt with many high-ranking people in the Daoist Order. Thus, he knew from Pei Xiaolou’s attire that the latter was a Daoist Sage and took the initiative to greet him.

The two men saluted each other and exchanged names.

Having lived in the Central Plains for a long time, the cardinal deacon had adopted a Central Plains name, calling himself Shi Luosi.

This was the first time Shi Luosi had met Pei Xiaolou. But the cardinal deacon was aware of the current situation in Jinling Prefecture, that the Daoist Golden Tower Council had dispatched an investigation team to Jinling. Thus, as soon as he heard Pei Xiaolou’s name, he already knew the latter’s identity. His attitude became much more solemn.

Pei Xiaolou said, “I have just received the news that a cult demon has snuck into your church. Cardinal Deacon, I hope that you will allow us entry and work with us to investigate thoroughly.”

Shi Luosi replied calmly, “I only saw my believers worshiping in the church. I didn’t see any demons.”

“Perhaps you were mistaken. It would be better to check it out to put everyone at ease.”

“Sage, are you planning to barge into the church without permission?” Shi Luosi raised his eyebrows.

It was not difficult for Pei Xiaolou to mobilize people to break into the church, as Shi Luosi alone could not stop him. However, Pei Xiaolou could not bear the serious consequences.

When the Daoist Order and the Holy Court established Daoist temples and churches for each other, they established a rule that these places of worship would operate under the laws of their motherland, not in their borrowed territory.

Thus, although this church was located on the Central Plains, it was considered the Holy Court’s territory. As such, people from the Daoist Order were not allowed to enter without permission.

In the same way, the Daoist temples located in the Western Continent were considered the Daoist Order’s territory, and people from the Holy Court were not allowed to enter without permission.

This was a red line.

If Pei Xiaolou entered this church without the permission of the Holy Court, it would be regarded as an act of provocation. The senior officials of the Holy Court would inevitably put pressure on the Daoist Order, enough to alarm the Grand Master, or in this case, the Great Sage Lunzhi. By then, even Sage Donghua would not be able to protect Pei Xiaolou.

Of course, Pei Xiaolou understood the implication and would not give others the leverage to use this against him. He waved his hand and chuckled. “Cardinal Deacon, you’re blowing things out of proportion. That’s why I’m here discussing it with you now.”

“Since it is a discussion, I shall express my stance.” Shi Luosi said coldly, “My apologies, but I will not allow you entry.”

“Really?” Pei Xiaolou asked again.

Shi Luosi kept silent.

Pei Xiaolou nodded and changed the subject. “Deputy Hall Master Zhang, what is the identity of this cult demon?”

Zhang Yuelu immediately replied, “The cult demon in question is Marshal Wind of the Heavenly Court, who is one of the murder suspects involved in the Yuan family’s massacre in Jiangling Prefecture.”

Pei Xiaolou asked again. “Spirit Guard Xu, did you see this cult demon escape into the church with your own eyes?”

Spirit Guard Xu gave a brief nod. “Yes, Sage. I witnessed the cult demon fleeing into this church.”

Pei Xiaolou remarked, “Very well. Since the cardinal deacon is unwilling to accommodate us, I have no choice but to report this matter to the Golden Tower Council.”

While they were talking, Lei Xiaohuan finally arrived with an entourage of Spirit Guards.

Lei Xiaohuan ordered, “Surround this place. Don’t let anyone leave.”

The Spirit Guards obliged. They did not enter the boundaries of the church but surrounded it.

Shi Luosi’s expression changed. “What are you all doing?!”

Pei Xiaolou smirked. “We didn’t break into the church without permission. We are merely enforcing martial law in this area to arrest a cult demon, so I hope you understand, Cardinal Deacon. The Holy Court can’t possibly object to us imposing martial law on our own territory, can they?”

Lei Xiaohuan strode forward, so Pei Xiaolou stepped aside. The Omniscient Sage said, “I have notified the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion to activate a formation to prohibit all teleportation spells.”

The Daoist Order had formations in major towns connecting with the earth’s energy, mainly used for various teleportation and movement spells.

When such formations were activated, the Yin-Yang Gate could not be opened, Earth Escape Methods could not be used, and even the rapid post talisman and the mother-child talisman would be affected to a certain extent.

This was a measure designed for wartime to cut off communications. However, it could not defend against artillery, nor could it prohibit the flow of people.

The only way to stop an invading army was to rely on the city wall.

The Daoist Order could technically design a formation to withstand artillery, but the resources needed for a city of this size were too great. Aside from Jade Capital, no city on the Central Plains could support the huge consumption of such formations.

The formations at Yunjin Mountain, Penglai Island, and Difei Mountain also had defense mechanisms, but they were considered small compared to big cities like Jinling Prefecture, so their consumption of resources was also much less. Even the Imperial Capital could only maintain such a comprehensive defensive formation in one portion of the Imperial City and could not cover the entire city.

The formation of Jinling Prefecture was divided into many small squares, just like a chessboard. Lei Xiaohuan only activated the formation in this area, so it would not affect other places. That was why she could respond so quickly without needing to go through bureaucratic procedures.

Due to the sensitive position of the church, they were not allowed to build private tunnels because it would lead to disputes over the division of territory. Therefore, the Daoist Order would conduct regular inspections around the church to prevent tunnels from being constructed.

Thus, it was certain that Marshal Wind was trapped in the church, with nowhere to escape.

Pei Xiaolou said with a smile, “I have heard that the Holy Court believed in Three Virtues. Similarly, our Primordial Daoist Ancestor had also preached his own set of Three Virtues—compassion, frugality, and humility. Cardinal Deacon, I hope that you will practice humility in certain things.”

Shi Luosi stared down Pei Xiaolou but kept silent.

Zhang Yuelu whispered, “Spirit Guard Xu, please stand guard here, and don’t let Marshal Wind escape.”

Spirit Guard Xu accepted the order.