A Pawn's Passage

From this vantage point, the main hall of Zhenwu Temple was clearly visible. It was still engulfed in flames, with billowing smoke rising into the sky.

This was the largest Daoist temple in Jinling Prefecture, having hosted numerous prominent figures from the Daoist Order.

Just yesterday, two Sages presided over it, and many Spirit Guards were stationed there. Even a Heavenly Being would have struggled to infiltrate the Zhenwu Temple unnoticed.

Yet within a single day, an inferno reduced it to a pile of ruins.

Even standing beside Zhenwu Lake, one could feel the searing heat emanating from the blaze. The offices where documents and records were stored were still burning fiercely.

Although the Daoist Order had organized teams to extinguish the fire, they discovered that the Cult of Fates had spread curses throughout the city. This forced them to divert most personnel to dispel the curses. That was why much of the temple was still engulfed in flames.

The firefighting efforts began from the outer areas before proceeding inward. Since Zhenwu Lake was at the deepest part of the temple grounds, the Daoist forces could not reach this area immediately.

This created an opportunity for Sikong Cuo to sneak into the Zhenwu Lake under the cover of the fire.

This was the moment Sikong Cuo had been waiting for, made possible by the Daoist Order’s infighting.

For a moment, Sikong Cuo gazed at the dark waters of Zhenwu Lake in silence before retrieving the final and most important Gift from his magical receptacle.

The other Gifts resembled embryos. When placed in water, they quickly grew into various monstrous fish and spread curses.

However, the Gift in Sikong Cuo’s hand resembled a piece of amber. Within the translucent crystal, a faint outline of a baby could be seen.

This Gift was the master, controlling the other Gifts and linking them to unify the curses spread throughout the city.

Holding the amber in his hands, Sikong Cuo summoned a wind that caused his robes to flap noisily.

He chanted, “When the Lord descends to the mortal world, the sky turns to chaos, imbued with boundless power. Reversing life and death, the Lord wields the power to command all beings.

“When the Lord descends to the mortal world, thunder reverberates through the heavens, and black mist envelops the earth. The winds of life and death turn living beings into corpses. All spirits return to my Lord, the ruler of supreme power, the master of life and death.”

As Sikong Cuo chanted, the amber in his hands emitted a bright glow.

Simultaneously, rolling thunder echoed above Zhenwu Lake. Purple lightning snaked across the sky like serpents, and dark clouds gathered as if heralding an impending downpour.

Sikong Cuo’s eyes turned dark, like two bottomless wells. Within their depths, a pattern of a black moon and a white sun slowly emerged.

At some point, the oppressive heat of midsummer and the scorching temperature of the fire vanished, replaced by a bone-chilling cold that surpassed the depths of winter.

In an instant, Sikong Cuo’s hands, cradling the amber, withered and shriveled until only skin and bones remained. Yet he seemed completely indifferent, allowing his hands to desiccate like dead branches before slowly recovering, as if mirroring the cycles of blooming and wilting, life and death.

After a moment, Sikong Cuo released the amber, which floated upward on its own before gently descending into the center of the lake.

Water nourished all beings. Placing the Gift into the water was not only for ease of dissemination but also to accelerate its growth.

Once in the water, the crystalline surface of the amber began to dissolve like melting snow.

Inside, the curled-up figure of the sleeping infant slowly unfurled.

Sikong Cuo spread his arms wide as if to embrace the vast Zhenwu Lake or perhaps to fully immerse himself in the divine power emanating from it.

The anomaly caught the attention of Pei Xiaolou, who was stationed nearby at the outskirts of Zhenwu Temple, directing the firefighting efforts.

Pei Xiaolou leaped into the air, crossing the sea of flames and landing not far from Sikong Cuo.

He still held his bamboo staff, which was a treasure no less powerful than Azure Thunderbolt. However, he refrained from acting rashly.

This was because the aura emanating from Sikong Cuo was not that of a Heavenly Being at the Xiaoyao stage, but at the Wuliang stage.

That made sense because how would someone dare to infiltrate Jinling Prefecture without a high cultivation level? No matter how defenseless the city seemed at the moment, a Heavenly Being’s involvement in this attack was expected because a few Xiantian Beings could not achieve such a feat.

To be fair, Pei Xiaolou was not known for his combat skills. To put it more bluntly, he was somewhat incompetent compared to his elder brother, Pei Xuanzhi. Pei Xiaolou was essentially a flowerbed Daoist.

Pei Xiaolou also could not compare to his wife, Lei Xiaohuan. Otherwise, Pei Xuanzhi would not have made his sister-in-law the head of the investigation team. It was likely a reflection of his disappointment toward his younger brother.

As the elder brother, Pei Xuanzhi had arranged for Pei Xiaolou’s and Lei Xiaohuan’s marriage, hoping that a strong wife could support the family in the future.

Pei Xiaolou was self-aware of his abilities, so he did not object. He spent his days being the nominal Deputy Palace Master and taking orders from his elder brother when necessary. Otherwise, he would defer to his wife.

His only independent decision had been getting into a business venture with Madam Qi, which ended in total financial ruin. After that, Lei Xiaohuan took over all household finances.

Of course, compared to ordinary people, Pei Xiaolou was not considered incompetent. He developed some skills after years of exposure to the talented people around him. However, he was understandably apprehensive facing a ferocious, Wuliang-stage cult demon alone.

The Heavenly Court members were more cautious. Even when attacking Zhenwu Temple, they were afraid to kill the investigation team members and hesitant to act because they were worried about escalating the situation. That was because they were afraid of the Daoist Order’s retaliation.

To put it bluntly, those at the top wielded their blades but aimed them downward, making the risks negligible for Sages.

On the other hand, the Cult of Fates members were ambitious. They did not want to just take down Zhenwu Temple; they aimed for the entirety of Jinling Prefecture.

While the Heavenly Court might have wiped out a few hundred people in the Yuan Residence, Jinling Prefecture was home to millions of people.

The Cult of Fates also did not care for the Daoist Order’s retaliation. They killed Sages, attacked the Yinglong Warship, broke a flying ship, and laid waste to manufacturing plants. If they feared the Daoist Order, they would not have done all this.

The difference between those two secret societies was like that of petty thieves and ruthless gangs. Among secret societies, the Cult of Fates and Lingshan Witch Cult were especially vicious and were largely made up of fanatics who did not care about life or death.

Even though their leaders were no longer as willing to sacrifice themselves as their ordinary followers, compared to the upper echelon of the Daoist Order, these cult leaders were still far more ruthless and less restrained.

After all, only a few had Zhang Yuelu’s unyielding will, as such resolve only came from strong ideals and beliefs.

Qi Xuansu had no grand ideals or beliefs. In some ways, he was like the cult demons who had nothing to lose. He did not even own a house of his own, and wealth was something he had only heard of but never seen. He was fearless because he had nothing.

That was why he did not hesitate to accompany Zhang Yuelu to the Gratitude Temple, while Zhang Yuelu had spent half a day deliberating.

This was likely one reason Zhang Yuelu held Qi Xuansu in high regard. The Daoist Order today had too many flowerbed Daoists and too many people without ideals or beliefs.

Sikong Cuo abruptly turned to look at Pei Xiaolou. “Sage Pei, what a pity.”

“Pity?” Pei Xiaolou replied. He was on high alert.

Sikong Cuo chuckled. “It’s a pity that you arrived a step too late. It’s also a pity that you’re not the more capable Sage Pei. If he were here, I’d already be his prisoner.”

Pei Xiaolou did not take offense. He retorted, “If the other Sage Pei were here, would you even dare to come?”

“You’re right, we wouldn’t dare come here.” Sikong Cuo laughed again. “That’s why it’s such a pity for you.”

Before he finished speaking, Sikong Cuo began to age rapidly, his figure shriveling like dry leaves, leaving only a shadowy outline.

At the same time, the surrounding scene resembled a painting being consumed by fire, with flames spreading from the center outward. The edges turned brownish, while the darkened, charred section spread rapidly, resembling an expanding maw that swallowed Pei Xiaolou whole.

Sikong Cuo did not kill Pei Xiaolou. Even though his cultivation surpassed Pei Xiaolou’s, it was not possible to kill the Sage in a single move. He merely trapped Pei Xiaolou temporarily in a Small World to ensure that the latter would not interfere with his grand plans.

What worried Sikong Cuo more was Zhang Yuelu, a Banished Immortal who had just become a Heavenly Being. Even at the Xiaoyao stage of Heavenly Beings, Zhang Yuelu was not to be underestimated.

Fortunately, Situ Xingluan had volunteered to hold her off.

Sikong Cuo retrieved another item.

The Daoist Order called it a Xuan Jade, while the Cult of Fates referred to it as a Blessing.