A Pawn's Passage

Confronted with Situ Xingluan’s revealed true form, Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu simultaneously took to the air, leaving the tower’s spire.

In doing so, the Fate Guards, only capable of basic spells, were unable to break through Zhang Yuelu’s Five Elements Qi Shield or the cloud aura of Qi Xuansu’s Taiyi Cloud Robe.

Though Situ Xingluan had revealed his true form, he retained his intelligence and did not lose consciousness. With a powerful leap, he lunged from the tower toward Qi Xuansu, meeting him in the air.

It was clear he regarded Qi Xuansu as the weaker target and was determined to eliminate him first.

The Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica required substantial magical power to use. Coupled with the consumption from the Taiyi Cloud Robe, Qi Xuansu’s magical power was almost depleted.

For an ordinary Diviner, this would have meant complete exhaustion. However, Qi Xuansu still had the innate qi of a Rogue Cultivator and the blood qi of a Martial Arts Practitioner, so he still maintained a considerable level of combat power.

Over time, he could indeed hold his own against three opponents.

Facing the oncoming Situ Xingluan, Qi Xuansu, who was not yet a Heavenly Being, found it difficult to move freely while airborne. With little confidence in dodging the attack, he chose to confront his enemy head-on.

A loud clash of metal and stone was accompanied by Qi Xuansu’s muffled grunt as he flew backward upon impact. All he could feel was a surge of dark and malevolent energy invading his body, wreaking havoc inside him and burning his internal organs. His senses were sealed—his ears buzzed incessantly, and his vision darkened.

Fortunately, the cloud aura of the Taiyi Cloud Robe supported him and allowed him to remain airborne. In contrast, Situ Xingluan lost his momentum and started to descend. Droplets of blood scattered through the air.

As Situ Xingluan charged at Qi Xuansu, Zhang Yuelu thrust her sword forward, forcefully piercing through Situ Xingluan’s scaled armor, leaving a wound over 30 centimeters long. This was the reason for his fall.

However, Zhang Yuelu did not pursue her opponent. Instead, she quickly moved behind Qi Xuansu and placed her hand on his back to stop his flight.

Situ Xingluan was clearly a Heavenly Being. Before reaching the ground, he forcibly halted his descent, adjusted his stance, and floated mid-air, looking up at the pair above him.

Zhang Yuelu placed one hand on Qi Xuansu’s lower back and channeled her true essence into his body. She whispered, “He’s probably stalling for time.”

With Zhang Yuelu’s help, Qi Xuansu regained his vision and hearing, though the sounds seemed distant. Unable to speak, he could only nod in response.

Situ Xingluan slowly descended to the ground and raised one hand. The three Fate Guards who had been on the tower’s spire leaped down and landed heavily behind him.

Zhang Yuelu said, “At this point, every small advantage counts.”

As she spoke, Zhang Yuelu gently pushed Qi Xuansu aside. She merged with her sword, transforming into a beam of sword light descending from the sky.

With Zhang Yuelu’s push, Qi Xuansu expelled a deep breath of turbid air, finally forcing out the malevolent energy within him.

From Situ Xingluan’s point of view, the dim sky suddenly brightened. A sword light resembling a thunderbolt crashed down on him. He was not arrogant enough to dismiss it, so he assumed a defensive posture.

However, the sword light did not strike Situ Xingluan. Instead, it pierced through the head of a Fate Guard standing beside him.

The Fate Guard froze abruptly as a fine crack appeared in his armor, from top to bottom. Blinding light shot out from the crack, splitting his body vertically—one half falling to the left and the other to the right, like firewood cleaved in two.

Zhang Yuelu reappeared, holding Azure Thunderbolt in her right hand, with no sign of the Amorphous Paper.

Situ Xingluan chuckled again. “A Banished Immortal sure lives up to the title of being the best among the Five Lineages.”

Zhang Yuelu snorted coldly, raised Azure Thunderbolt, and slashed it down toward Situ Xingluan’s head.

The last two sword-wielding Fate Guards hastily blocked her, but Zhang Yuelu’s body resembled a drifting leaf caught by a gust of wind. She shifted to a backward drift, so the Fate Guards missed her. Then she swiftly advanced and struck at the Fate Guard on the left with her sword.

Just as Situ Xingluan targeted Qi Xuansu as the weaker opponent, Zhang Yuelu’s strategy was clear—she intended to eliminate the Fate Guards first, removing Situ Xingluan’s support.

Situ Xingluan would not sit idly by. He reached out to grab the blade of Azure Thunderbolt. His hand, covered in scales resembling dragon claws, served as a weapon.

With his true form revealed, his regeneration ability had greatly increased, comparable to a Martial Arts Practitioner’s. The sword wound inflicted by Zhang Yuelu was already half-healed.

When Azure Thunderbolt met Situ Xingluan’s claw, a burst of sparks and lightning erupted. Situ Xingluan grabbed the blade, holding Zhang Yuelu in place, while the two Fate Guards seized the opportunity to attack her.

At that moment, Zhang Yuelu flicked her left hand, allowing her paper whip to encircle her, stopping the two Fate Guards from getting any closer.

On the other side, Qi Xuansu did not rush to join the fight after expelling a turbid breath. Instead, he took a moment to recover his magical power.

When facing a Heavenly Being, the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica, which was a substandard treasure, proved most effective. But it required significant energy.

Even if he did not use the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica, opening the portal to the Ghost Kingdom would also require substantial magical power.

However, Qi Xuansu suddenly thought of a problem. Jinling Prefecture had already become an isolated prison. Even mother-child talismans and rapid post talismans could not get through, so teleportation spells would theoretically be blocked, right?

Realizing this, Qi Xuansu quickly gathered what little magical power he had left to try opening a small portal.

He managed to summon a few wisps of black mist that swirled around his hand, but they failed to coalesce into the size of a window, let alone a full-sized portal.

As he expected, all pathways were sealed.

Since Qi Xuansu was not a traditional Diviner, his thinking leaned more toward that of a Qi Refiner or Martial Arts Practitioner. A true Diviner would have immediately recognized such a possibility in this situation.

In fact, during large-scale conflicts between the Daoist Order and the Buddhist Sect or the Shamanistic Sect, the first step was always to ban teleportation spells and block communication spells. If possible, the next step was to neutralize firearms.

The method for neutralizing firearms was devised by a genius Diviner from the Daoist Order. Mastering both talisman magic and firearms, the Diviner created a special talisman called the Fire-Banishing Talisman. When arranged in a formation, these talismans could suppress the generation of all fires. Within the area affected, weapons like the Dragon Eye and Phoenix Eye Series ammunition would not ignite, akin to damp gunpowder.

Unless one possessed specific immortal objects or had the cultivation level of an Immortal, it was nearly impossible to break through this formation. However, if the Daoist Order managed to implement all three formations consecutively, there would be little need for further combat.

The final formation, especially on firearms, remained mostly theoretical and was rarely seen in practice.

Under such circumstances, Qi Xuansu realized he had no way out.

Seeing Zhang Yuelu fighting off three opponents at once, Qi Xuansu retrieved the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica again, channeling his magical power to transform it into nine fire dragons that descended from the sky.

Since becoming a Heavenly Being, Zhang Yuelu had a combat strength that surpassed Zhao Fu’an, Feng Bo, Marshal Thunder, and the like. With the adaptable Qi Xuansu by her side, they even gained the upper hand.

After all, Qi Xuansu had two pieces of Xuan Jade and two treasures on him. Even if Zhang Yuelu were not a Heavenly Being, it would still be difficult for Situ Xingluan to defeat this couple.

The nine fire dragons descended and coiled around one Fate Guard, abruptly halting his movements.

Zhang Yuelu seized the opportunity to wrap her paper whip around the Fate Guard’s neck. This paper whip was a semi-immortal object, sharper than her sword, the Azure Thunderbolt. Even Marshal Thunder was wounded by it.

With a swift pull, the Fate Guard’s head spun off like a top, flying away from his body.

Qi Xuansu descended from the air and drew Flying Shadow to fight off the last remaining Fate Guard, allowing Zhang Yuelu to focus on Situ Xingluan.

Situ Xingluan, still wearing that unsettlingly harmless smile on his grotesque face, remained indifferent to the deaths of his Fate Guards.

Such madmen truly were impossible to predict.

Elsewhere, Sikong Cuo, who had left the Gratitude Temple earlier, had already arrived at the shores of Zhenwu Lake.