A Pawn's Passage

Veins bulged on Qi Xuansu’s arms, and his entire body tensed as he exerted every ounce of his strength. His feet pressed so hard against the ground that they left two indentations.

The massive winch creaked loudly as it began to turn, and the sluice gate started descending at an excruciatingly slow pace, much like the gates of a fortress.

Lacking sheer physical strength, Qi Xuansu channeled his innate qi of a Guizhen-stage Rogue Cultivator, single-handedly forcing the oversized winch to move.

Suddenly, a giant wave surged from the reservoir beneath the gate. An enormous black fish leaped out of the water, its mouth full of sharp teeth lunging straight at Qi Xuansu.

This unexpected development caught Qi Xuansu off guard. He had not anticipated the Cult of Fates to have set up such a bizarre trap in such a short time. Though he could not identify the creature, its dense yin energy left no doubt that it was not a living being.

In the blink of an eye, the black fish was less than 3 meters away from Qi Xuansu. Its gaping maw could easily swallow him whole, and he could already smell the putrid stench akin to decaying fish emanating from it.

Abandoning the winch, Qi Xuansu turned and slashed with his blade. A burst of sharp blade qi shot forth, booming like thunder as it struck the fish.

The strange black fish took the brunt of the slash and fell back into the reservoir along the trajectory of its leap, sending up a huge splash of water that caused a brief downpour.

Qi Xuansu was not unscathed. The impact left his palm numb, nearly causing him to lose grip of his blade, the Flying Shadow. However, he quickly realized what the creature was. It was essentially the same as the monstrous fish he had encountered in the sedimentation tank, only much larger.

It was likely similar to the massive living corpse he had seen earlier, both being products of the Cult of Fates’ unique Gifts, hence their enormous size.

Just then, the ground shook violently as the black fish began ramming the reservoir’s embankment. Qi Xuansu, protected by the Taiyi Cloud Robe, could handle the force, but this winch could not.

If the winch became warped or jammed, no amount of strength from Qi Xuansu would suffice. The sluice gate was not simply suspended by chains. Its upward and downward movement depended on mechanisms driven by the chains, so even if Qi Xuansu broke the chains, he would not be able to lower the gate.

Qi Xuansu let out an angry roar and activated the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica, conjuring nine fire dragons that surged toward the black fish below.

These were no ordinary flames. They could burn even underwater, immediately igniting the black fish.

The black fish was flat with a slight curve with no scales or fins. Scorched by the fire, a human face the size of a millstone emerged on the fish’s back, ferocious and contorted in pain.

The human face opened its mouth, spitting out winged fish the size of sparrows, different from the tentacled ones Qi Xuansu had encountered before. Swarms of these strange creatures flew toward him.

Qi Xuansu dared not let his guard down, redirecting the nine fire dragons to burn the winged fish.

These creatures were not entirely without intelligence. Self-preservation was their natural instinct. Sensing danger, they retreated to the depths of the water, no longer daring to show themselves.

At that moment, a figure rushed toward Qi Xuansu from another direction.

With a sweep of his hands, the man unleashed a burst of eerie blue flames. It was a Diviner.

Qi Xuansu continued wielding the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica, sending nine crimson fire dragons to meet the surging blue flames.

As soon as the two forces collided, they erupted like boiling oil on water, scattering countless interwoven red and blue sparks all around them.

Meanwhile, across the reservoir, two members of the Cult of Fates appeared. They raised their crossbows and shot bolts at Qi Xuansu.

Compared to firearms, crossbows had many disadvantages, but they could be poisoned. Firearm projectiles could also be coated with poison, but the immense heat generated during firing often diminished its potency.

Qi Xuansu dared not take the bolts head-on. He used one hand to hold up the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica and control the fire dragons, while he deflected the bolts with Flying Shadow.

......

The Tiangang Hall Spirit Guards sent to aid the water treatment plant encountered a group of cult demons. In an instant, they engaged in brutal close combat, with both sides fighting tooth and nail.

A Tiangang Hall Spirit Guard exchanged blows with a Cult of Fates member. The Spirit Guard was struck in the chest, blood pouring from his orifices, while the cultist’s throat was pierced through with a sword.

The two leaped simultaneously, clashing mid-air in a flurry of moves. Before they could land, a Grade-B Series Two Phoenix Eye Bullet exploded, killing them both instantly.

One Spirit Guard decapitated an enemy with a single strike. As he spun around, he fired a gun, blowing apart the head of another cult demon who failed to dodge in time.

Before he could react, another cultist struck him from behind, slicing off half his head with a strange bone saber, spilling brain matter onto the ground.

Some Cult of Fates members were killed in the chaotic gunfire, while some Tiangang Hall Spirit Guards succumbed to poisonous gas from the Cult of Fates, their faces turning pitch black as the guards dropped dead like flies.

Both sides butchered each other mercilessly, each skirmish ending in split-second decisions of life or death.

At that moment, a ghostly white figure appeared in front of a Tiangang Hall Spirit Guard. Its hands, covered in white scales, pressed together and plunged into the Spirit Guard’s chest and abdomen. It then ripped the guard’s body in half with a forceful pull.

The white figure, like a man-eating ghoul, darted toward another Tiangang Hall Spirit Guard.

“Vile beast, how dare you!” Spirit Guard Xu shouted, leaping forward to intercept the white figure.

The white figure turned out to be a snow-white living corpse that looked like a woman, completely unclothed and covered in scales.

Struck on the forehead by Spirit Guard Xu’s palm, the white figure was sent flying but landed unscathed. It was indiscriminately hostile, as it rose and promptly ripped off the head of a nearby Cult of Fates member before flashing toward another and tearing out their heart. It was a horrifying sight.

The surrounding Cult of Fates members dared not approach and quickly retreated. The snow-white living corpse lunged at a Tiangang Hall Spirit Guard, extending two fingers and stabbing them viciously into the guard’s eyes. The fingers elongated, piercing through the guard’s skull and emerging from the back of the head.

Spirit Guard Xu, now furious, leaped toward the snow-white living corpse and punched its head into blood mist.

However, even without a head, the white living corpse was undying. It became like a headless fly, crashing into everything. Seeing this, both Cult of Fates members and Tiangang Hall Spirit Guards retreated in alarm.

......

The one fighting Qi Xuansu was a Diviner who did not have the undying divine power of an Ancient Immortal or any treasures. Thus, the man soon succumbed to Qi Xuansu’s fire dragon and was reduced to ashes.

After dealing with the Diviner, Qi Xuansu turned his attention to the two crossbow-wielders.

The two cult demons decisively discarded their crossbows and charged at Qi Xuansu.

One of them had scaly armor on his hands, with nails as long and sharp as hooks. He charged at Qi Xuansu with ghostly speed, claws aiming at Qi Xuansu’s vital points. However, Qi Xuansu saw through their flaw at a glance and severed both hands with a single slash.

Terrified, the cult demon turned and ran.

Unfortunately, he was not fast enough. Qi Xuansu caught up in a few strides and pierced the cult demon’s back with his blade. This formidable fighter’s innate qi dissipated, perishing on the spot.

The other cult demon seized the opportunity and slammed both palms into Qi Xuansu’s back. To his surprise, Qi Xuansu remained unmoved, but the backlash of innate qi left his hands trembling.

The cult member was utterly shocked, thinking, This person is clearly not a Heavenly Being, so how could he have such overwhelming qi? I’m also at the Guizhen stage, so why can’t I breach his qi shield?

What the cult demon had not accounted for was the Taiyi Cloud Robe Qi Xuansu was wearing. This top-tier treasure not only allowed one to fly. It could also generate a protective cloud aura. When Zhang Yuelu fought with Marshal Thunder, the Heavenly Being had to disperse the clouds before harming her.

If a Heavenly Being had to contend with it, how could someone at the Guizhen stage hope to shatter the Taiyi Cloud Robe’s protective aura with a single strike?

Before the cult demon could recover from the shock, Qi Xuansu reversed his grip and aimed the tip of the blade toward himself, thrusting the blade under his armpit with perfect precision to pierce the cult demon’s heart, killing him on the spot.

After getting rid of the Cult of Fates members, Qi Xuansu returned to the winch and once again exerted all his strength to turn it.

This time, the black fish did not dare interfere, and the massive sluice gate gradually lowered until it was finally shut.