A Pawn's Passage

Marshal Tianpeng extended his massive hand, attempting to grab Qi Xuansu’s head.

Qi Xuansu discarded his Sun-Shooting Rifle and drew his Flying Shadow.

With a flash of the blade, a cut appeared on Marshal Tianpeng’s fingertip. However, compared to his enormous hand, the cut was akin to a scratch that was barely worth mentioning.

Qi Xuansu’s heart jolted as he leaped backward.

Marshal Tianpeng grinned and slammed down on Qi Xuansu’s head with a Giant Imprint.

Qi Xuansu managed to roll aside at the last second, avoiding the blow. The spot where he had stood now bore a massive handprint, even the fingerprints were clearly visible.

The two distanced themselves, and Marshal Tianpeng chuckled. “Is that all you’ve got?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “You’ve committed such heinous crimes. The Daoist Order won’t spare you, and those behind you will abandon you at the first sign of trouble.”

Marshal Tianpeng scoffed, too disinterested to argue. “Fine. If death is inevitable, I might as well take a few more down with me.”

Before he finished speaking, Marshal Tianpeng abruptly reached out to grab Qi Xuansu again.

Qi Xuansu was prepared for another strike, so he dodged backward and suddenly swung his hand, sending two Grade-B Series Two Phoenix Eye Bullets flying toward the Heavenly Being.

Marshal Tianpeng let out a cynical laugh, casually catching the two bullets and stuffing them into his mouth before they could explode.

With a loud bang, sparks and smoke billowed from the corners of Marshal Tianpeng’s mouth and nostrils. For a moment, his cheeks seemed to swell, but they quickly returned to normal.

Marshal Tianpeng opened his mouth and guffawed, revealing teeth that were slightly blackened by the explosion but still perfectly intact. This grin sent chills down Qi Xuansu’s spine.

The Heavenly Being stepped toward Qi Xuansu, smoke still rising from his mouth as he spoke. “Boy, how many more Phoenix Eye Bullets do you have? Come on, use them all—I’m still hungry!”

Qi Xuansu was alarmed, realizing that he had no clue how he could fight against this Bhikkhu that resembled a primeval beast.

In the next moment, Marshal Tianpeng lunged forward again. Despite his massive size, he was remarkably agile. He was determined to catch Qi Xuansu and crush him to death with his bare hands.

Relying on his agility and the dual advantages of a Rogue Cultivator and a Martial Arts Practitioner, Qi Xuansu dodged left and right, avoiding Marshal Tianpeng’s grasp. He even managed to land a few slashes on the Heavenly Being.

Unfortunately, while Flying Shadow was sharp, its blade was short. After a few slashes, it failed to even graze Marshal Tianpeng’s bones. The wounds it created healed almost instantly.

Marshal Tianpeng, on the other hand, puffed out his belly, generating a layered rebounding force that sent Qi Xuansu flying.

When Qi Xuansu landed, he left two clear footprints in the stone-paved ground.

Marshal Tianpeng stomped the ground forcefully, leaving a web of cracks, then shot toward Qi Xuansu like an arrow.

Bang!

The Grade-B Series One Dragon Eye Bullet spun rapidly as it shot out from the barrel of the Divine Dragon Pistol. The talisman patterns on the bullet lit up one by one, forming a complete talisman that activated the offensive power of the bullet. Apart from the tip, the rest of the bullet began to disintegrate, revealing a core of incandescent light like a blazing sun.

The charging Marshal Tianpeng did not dodge and let one of his eyes explode. His body barely stagnated for a split second before he reached Qi Xuansu.

This time, Qi Xuansu did not manage to evade and was struck on his gun-wielding wrist by Marshal Tianpeng’s hand chop.

An intense pain shot through Qi Xuansu as his entire hand flew off, making him wince and narrow his eyes. Relying on his regenerative abilities, he forcibly contracted his muscles and veins, keeping the blood from gushing out of the open wound as he quickly retreated.

Marshal Tianpeng did not deliver a fatal blow. Instead, he held Qi Xuansu’s severed hand and slowly pried open the fingers that were still gripping the Divine Dragon Pistol. He then tossed the hand to the side and began to toy with the gun.

The power of the Divine Dragon Pistol depended on its ammunition. While the Grade-B Series One Dragon Eye Bullet could still harm Marshal Tianpeng, hitting other parts of his body would only leave inconsequential bloody wounds. That was why Qi Xuansu had aimed for the Bhikkhu’s eye socket earlier, blowing out one of his eyeballs.

However, Marshal Tianpeng was not particularly infuriated. Upon closer inspection, countless fragments in his eye socket wriggled, first expelling the shrapnel from the bullet before gradually reforming into the shape of an eyeball. Although it was still bloody, it seemed likely to fully regenerate soon.

Like Martial Arts Practitioners, Bhikkhus also had regenerative abilities.

Marshal Tianpeng laughed. “You won’t be able to kill me even if you shoot me 100 times with these little beans.”

With that, Marshal Tianpeng shoved the entire Divine Dragon Pistol into his mouth and began chewing.

The Divine Dragon Pistol was known for its sturdiness, as it was capable of withstanding the immense recoil of the Dragon Eye Series Ammunition. It could even serve as a bludgeon in close combat. However, under Marshal Tianpeng’s tough jaw and teeth, the Divine Dragon Pistol seemed like hard candy, quickly disintegrating.

Marshal Tianpeng swallowed with some difficulty, devouring the Divine Dragon Pistol.

The sight was nothing short of horrifying, akin to witnessing a primeval beast.

Qi Xuansu, face pale from terror, stared at Marshal Tianpeng, gripping the Flying Shadow with his only hand as despair began to creep in.

It was said that the Holy Xuan was known to be unmatched at his level and that he, while still in the Guizhen stage, could even challenge Heavenly Beings. By the time the Holy Xuan reached the end of his mortal journey, he was truly invincible.

However, Qi Xuansu was not the Holy Xuan.

By the age of 20, the Holy Xuan could challenge Heavenly Beings, able to single-handedly fight against three ninth-level Guizhen-stage Zhang Yuelus equipped with semi-immortal objects.

In contrast, Qi Xuansu was only at the Kunlun stage at that age. Forget challenging Heavenly Beings; he even struggled against Yuxu-stage opponents, as proven when he was beaten into a sorry state by Zhuge Yongming near Fengtai County.

The Xuan Jade could indeed complete the shortcomings of a Rogue Cultivator. But two pieces of Xuan Jade had merely brought Qi Xuansu from a deep valley to flat ground. The summit remained a distant goal.

Now facing Marshal Tianpeng, Qi Xuansu was not completely powerless to fight back. He could still struggle in a desperate attempt at survival, but victory seemed nearly impossible.

Marshal Tianpeng grinned, his gaze returning to Qi Xuansu.

By now, his blackened teeth had returned to their original pearly whites, which was an equally unnerving sight.

“Boy, you’re quite tough. Are you a Martial Arts Practitioner?” Marshal Tianpeng’s grin turned ferocious, like that of a predator. “Martial Arts Practitioners are the tastiest kind, with firm and chewy meat. I’ll eat you whole without wasting a single bone.”

“I’m afraid your teeth will break!” Qi Xuansu roared in anger. As he leaped backward, he threw his final Grade-B Series Two Phoenix Eye Bullet.

Marshal Tianpeng opened his mouth, catching the bullet. Then he suddenly disappeared.

In the next moment, the two figures collided.

Qi Xuansu plunged his blade into Marshal Tianpeng’s chest, while Marshal Tianpeng slapped Qi Xuansu’s face with a palm strike.

Qi Xuansu felt like his face was a goner as his nose collapsed inward.

Fortunately, with his regenerative ability, Qi Xuansu would be able to recover as long as he survived this.

However, escaping this place alive was another matter entirely.

Marshal Tianpeng looked down at the Flying Shadow embedded in his chest and clicked his tongue, purposely mocking Qi Xuansu. “What a pity! Just a little more, and you would’ve reached my heart.”

They clashed again when Qi Xuansu landed a punch squarely on Marshal Tianpeng’s face, causing the latter’s face to sink inward. However, Qi Xuansu felt as though his fist had struck cotton. The rebounding force flung his hand away.

After Qi Xuansu’s fist withdrew, Marshal Tianpeng’s sunken face immediately bounced back to its original form.

“Interesting,” Marshal Tianpeng remarked before attacking again.

One after another, craters filled with spiderweb-like cracks appeared out of nowhere as the two clashed repeatedly. There were no spells, only brute strength and raw power. However, Marshal Tianpeng’s overwhelming presence gradually wore down Qi Xuansu’s resistance. If not for Marshal Tianpeng’s intent to eat him alive, Qi Xuansu would likely already be dead.

After a fist-to-fist clash, Qi Xuansu was sent flying and tumbling across the ground.

Marshal Tianpeng sneered. “A mayfly trying to shake a tree—how laughable!”

At this moment, another voice interjected. “Pardon my tardiness! Now, who’s the mayfly, and who’s the tree?”