A Pawn's Passage

The combined power of the two Yinglong Warships was not just double, but threefold of a single Yinglong Warship. It was similar to the Mandarin Duck Formation used by the Black Robes, where each unit played a distinct role, allowing them to triumph over larger forces.

Thus, despite True Lord Siming’s current form—manifested through a vessel and surpassing the strength of Wu Luo’s Divine Descent at Cuowenbu—he found himself at a disadvantage.

Streaks of eerie blue light shot toward the two Yinglong Warships in the sky, resembling an inverted meteor shower.

The two Yinglong Warships were not stationary. They moved slowly along a specific trajectory, forming a rotating yin-yang symbol. Each warship represented the black and white dots within the symbol.

When the eerie blue light struck the yin-yang formation, it was like rain landing on the surface of a lake. Ripples spread, but the Yinglong Warships remained unharmed.

True Lord Siming’s left eye shone brightly once more.

Countless white flames converged into a fire tornado, starting at a width of about 30 meters. As it rose, its diameter grew wider, forming a massive funnel. By the time the flaming tornado reached beneath the Yinglong Warships, its diameter spanned over 5 kilometers, seemingly connecting heaven and earth.

It churned the fiery clouds across the sky, creating a vortex, similar to those found in the ocean.

At that moment, the Eight Trigrams appeared around the clockwise-rotating yin-yang symbol and started rotating counterclockwise. The white flames crashed against the formation like waves, only to be dispersed into massive ripples that spread outward, reaching the horizon.

Wherever the ripples passed, the dark clouds thinned, disintegrating and melting away like winter snow under the summer sun.

The massive flaming tornado persisted for about 15 minutes before gradually dissipating.

Then the Yinglong Warships counterattacked.

In an instant, nine bolts of heavenly lightning tore through the black sky, descending from the Nine Heavens.

Each bolt of lightning was as thick as an adult man’s arm, striking True Lord Siming almost instantaneously.

On impact, countless purple electric sparks, each as large as a human head and shaped like six-pointed snowflakes, scattered in all directions. Though True Lord Siming remained standing, his body was engulfed in a chaotic web of flames. More charred marks appeared all over.

Next, a colossal bolt of purple lightning, about 300 meters wide, shot down with blinding speed, piercing through layers of dark clouds. It illuminated the entire world for a brief moment before striking the top of True Lord Siming’s head.

For a moment, everything seemed to have disappeared because all anyone could see was the overwhelming flash of purple light, completely engulfing True Lord Siming’s figure.

Moments later, the blinding purple light began to fade. But a massive beam of light continued its descent from the Nine Heavens. Within it, a faint silhouette could be seen.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu perched on the rooftop of a tall building, their fingers tightly interlocked.

They gazed silently at the wide beam of light as fierce winds battered their clothing and hair.

This beam lasted for nearly 15 minutes. When it finally faded, True Lord Siming’s Twelve Ornaments Robe was completely destroyed, and half of his gargantuan body had melted away into a golden liquid, barely maintaining a humanoid outline.

The blazing white sun in True Lord Siming’s left eye had dimmed completely. Only the serene black moon in his right eye was still emitting a faint glow.

True Lord Siming’s descent through a vessel inherently limited his full power. Moreover, the yin energy he relied on was naturally countered by the yang energy of the prosperous city of Jinling. Deprived of an advantageous terrain, he was akin to a tiger that had its legs bound and forced to fight a shark in the water. His defeat was inevitable.

“Is True Lord Siming about to lose?” Qi Xuansu murmured as he stared at the serene black moon in the Ancient Immortal’s right eye.

Zhang Yuelu glanced at their tightly clasped hands. “It seems so. True Lord Siming probably didn’t expect our reinforcements to arrive so quickly.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly said, “Qing Xiao, do you think that True Lord Siming’s right eye resembles a Xuan Jade?”

Zhang Yuelu paused and focused on it. “I’ve never seen a Xuan Jade before, but based on your prior description, it does seem similar.”

Qi Xuansu explained, “The Xuan Jade has two uses. The one from White Jade Hall granted me the Diviner’s lineage when fused with my body. But if used directly, it could control the Great Asura. The Xuan Jade from Yulan Temple gave me the Martial Arts Practitioner’s lineage when fused with my body. But before that, it made the Buddha statue come alive. Do you think that the Cult of Fates also used a Xuan Jade to summon True Lord Siming to the mortal realm?”

Zhang Yuelu pondered seriously before replying, “It’s possible. As you said, Martial Arts Practitioners have vigorous blood qi, capable of regenerating flesh, so that symbolizes life. That’s why the Xuan Jade that gave you the Martial Arts Practitioner lineage could turn lifeless objects into living beings.

“On the other hand, Diviners don’t emphasize cultivating the physical body. They are more like weathered wood, pale as ash, with their consciousness turned inward. They could soul travel, like ethereal ghosts, symbolizing death. Hence, the Xuan Jade that gave you the Diviner lineage could control undead beings like the Great Asura.

“If True Lord Siming truly has a Xuan Jade to enable his descent, it would probably correspond to the Shaman lineage.”

Qi Xuansu looked at True Lord Siming’s eye longingly. “If I could complete the Shaman and Qi Refiner lineages, I’d be a Banished Immortal. It’d also give me a boost to my cultivation level, allowing me to become a Heavenly Being.”

Zhang Yuelu did not feel envious. After all, she was a natural-born Banished Immortal who had defeated Marshal Thunder, a Heavenly-Being Qi Refiner.

Standing in Qi Xuansu’s shoes, she expressed concern. “Obtaining the Xuan Jade won’t be easy. Sage Lei and Sage Pei will surely support us, but as you said, the Li family is also searching for Xuan Jades.”

Qi Xuansu nodded.

Zhang Yuelu suddenly remembered something. She glanced around with purple energy swirling in her eyes. Although there was no sound or sign of disturbance in the pitch-black surroundings, her Immortal Eye of Providence immediately exposed over a dozen Fate Guards and more shadows gathering in the distance.

Although the Cult of Fates’ defeat in Jinling Prefecture was certain, these Fate Guards could still choose to resist desperately and inflict as much damage as possible on the Daoist Order.

Having already expended significant energy during the assault on True Lord Siming, Zhang Yuelu wasted no time in contacting her subordinates.

She immediately pulled out a Tiangang Hall signal flare and ignited it with a quick motion. A fiery projectile shot into the sky, exploding into a brilliant firework.

While mother-child talismans and rapid post talismans were effective, they were easily countered. In contrast, these ancient and rudimentary methods remained the most reliable in dire situations.

Shortly after the burst of fireworks, several points of light appeared in the distance.

Soon, a squad of Spirit Guards arrived. Besides the usual swords and shields, they were equipped with Sun-Shooting Rifles and Divine Dragon Pistols, indicating that they were an elite force.

The leader, a third-rank Spirit Guard, saluted Zhang Yuelu. “Greetings, Deputy Hall Master Zhang.”

Zhang Yuelu gave a slight nod and instructed, “Eliminate the Fate Guards here first, then head to the water treatment plant and join the others stationed there.”

“Yes, Deputy Hall Master.” The third-rank Spirit Guard took the order.

At that moment, the sky brightened dramatically. The thinning black clouds broke apart, creating a massive gap through which golden sunlight shone through, enveloping True Lord Siming below.

True Lord Siming’s body instantly ignited with countless Solar Flames, which were impossible to extinguish. He was visibly weakened.

Although he exhaled large quantities of yin energy, it could only extinguish some of the flames on his face, leaving the rest of his body unprotected.

It was clear to everyone that True Lord Siming was at the end of his rope.

This was the might of the Daoist Order. Even without mobilizing a single Great Sage, they had suppressed True Lord Siming’s Divine Descent.

It was no wonder so many Daoists strove tirelessly to be a part of the Golden Tower Council, and why the three sects fought fiercely over the position of Grand Master.

True Lord Siming resisted the Solar Flames in vain because more golden sunlight pierced through the clouds above.

The scene resembled a clearing sky after the rain. The returning yang energy further diminished the yin energy he could summon.

Soon, his entire body was reduced to ashes by the Solar Flames, leaving only a disfigured head behind.

By now, his left eye had completely closed, with no trace of the blazing white sun. Although his right eye was barely open, the black moon within had lost all its radiance.

All that could be heard was True Lord Siming’s heavy sigh. “Turning away from the eternal truth often leads to unfortunate consequences...”