A Pawn's Passage

This was a prayer by Wu Yang, one of the Eleven Great Witches of Ancient Wuism, used to summon the soul of the King of Chu. Its approximate meaning was that leaving the body to wander in all directions and abandoning a place of peace and comfort would lead to peril.

For True Lord Siming, his body was an indestructible golden body, and his place of peace and comfort was his divine kingdom.

This signified his return to the divine kingdom.

As expected, True Lord Siming’s head began to disintegrate from the neck, breaking into countless particles of blue sand that scattered with the wind.

In an instant, his chin, mouth, and nose disappeared as well, leaving only his two eyes suspended in the air.

Qi Xuansu’s heart tightened.

The disintegration was irreversible. Soon, the eyes vanished. However, after the black moon dissipated, a piece of jade was left floating mid-air—the Xuan Jade, as Qi Xuansu had speculated.

Zhang Yuelu darted forward without hesitation, aiming to claim the Xuan Jade for her beloved.

At that moment, another figure approached from the opposite direction.

Having already summoned Azure Thunderbolt, Zhang Yuelu slashed decisively with her sword. The other person also wielded a longsword and struck back.

Though separated by nearly 300 meters, their sword qis clashed first.

A thunderous explosion echoed in the air, scattering sword qi and lightning, illuminating their faces intermittently.

The person opposing Zhang Yuelu was none other than her former superior, Li Mingcheng. His tenure in Beichen Hall was a testament to his impressive cultivation. His failure to attain the title of second-rank Taiyi Daoist master was just fate.

Cultivation stages had some correlation to official ranks. Generally, the Guizhen stage corresponded to the fourth rank, the Xiaoyao stage to the third rank, the Wuliang stage to the second rank, the Zaohua stage to Omniscient Sages, and Pseudo-Immortals to Virtuous Great Sages.

Of course, there were exceptions to everything. Some Omniscient Sages only had a Wuliang stage of cultivation, proving that official ranks did not always align strictly with cultivation levels.

For example, Pei Xiaolou, despite being in the Xiaoyao stage, was promoted to the second rank. This was because his elder brother, Pei Xuanzhi, was a Chief Omniscient Sage practicing abstinence, making Pei Xiaolou the destined heir to the Pei family.

Though a member of the Li family, Li Mingcheng was disadvantaged by the sheer number of Li descendants. He could never compare to Pei Xiaolou, who was the only son entrusted to continue the bloodline of the Pei family.

Li Mingcheng’s body shook violently, forcing him to retreat several meters before stabilizing himself. He was stunned by the power of a Heavenly-Being Banished Immortal, whose innate qi had been transformed entirely into true essence, which was far purer and more refined. Against a Qi Refiner’s innate qi, the quality of true essence was vastly superior, creating an insurmountable gap between the two.

At that moment, Li Tianlan appeared, clearly intending to snatch the Xuan Jade.

Just then, Lei Xiaohuan let out a thunderous roar. “Sage Li!”

The roar was infused with a Martial Arts Practitioner’s blood qi and was as powerful as a thunderclap. Even Li Tianlan was momentarily startled, causing him to halt briefly.

Lei Xiaohuan stepped into the air and met the old fox.

Martial Arts Practitioners in the Xiaoyao stage could not fly, but Lei Xiaohuan was a Wuliang stage Martial Arts Practitioner.

Li Tianlan ignored Lei Xiaohuan, while Cardinal Deacon Shi Luosi stepped forward to confront her.

The Xiaoyao stage of Martial Arts Practitioners was called the Divinity Realm, while the Wuliang stage was called the Everchanging Realm.

Lei Xiaohuan’s entire body radiated light from all 365 acupoints.

Within each acupoint resided a golden spirit, resembling a miniature version of Lei Xiaohuan. These were her body spirits.

All 365 body spirits were interconnected, forming a seamless, indestructible whole, which was achieved in the Divinity Realm.

Shi Luosi placed his hand on the cover of a thick holy scripture, his face filled with devout solemnity. In pure Latin, he proclaimed, “Gloria in excelsis Deo[1]!”

Countless dazzling white lights flared up.

Two pristine white doors with intricate relief carvings slowly opened. Endless light surged forth, as if on the verge of igniting everything in its path.

Lei Xiaohuan clenched her fingers into a fist, her arm veins bulging, resembling entwined miniature dragons.

She took a deep breath, absorbing all the vital energy within 50 kilometers. Streams of visible vital energy converged from all directions into her body, forming a massive spiral vortex centered on her.

Behind the white doors lay an expanse of pure white, filled with blinding light that was impossible to gaze at directly.

An old, black iron spear, mottled with bloodstains, emerged from the radiance.

This was the Holy Lance, also known as the Spear of Longinus or the Spear of Destiny.

Of course, this was not the original artifact, but a projection summoned by Shi Luosi.

Lei Xiaohuan’s body emitted a dazzling brilliance, resembling a living deity descending from the heavens. She threw a punch, and the 365 body spirits within her struck in unison, its power capable of shaking heaven and earth and moving mountains.

Her fist intention was overwhelming, crushing everything in its path.

Countless rays of light were scattered by her punch, colliding directly with the Holy Lance.

Though the Holy Lance appeared worn and aged, it remained completely unaffected by Lei Xiaohuan’s punch, as if it were not tangible.

However, Lei Xiaohuan’s punch transitioned from tangible to intangible, ultimately clashing with the spear’s tip.

In that instant, Lei Xiaohuan’s soul experienced an intense shock.

The Holy Lance, known as the Spear of Destiny, targeted the soul.

Legend has it that the Holy Lance could shatter a person’s soul into countless fragments without harming the body, binding them into soul contracts.

Fortunately, Martial Arts Practitioners achieved the unity of the soul and the body. At Lei Xiaohuan’s level, her physical and spiritual essence had become inseparable. Thus, targeting the soul inherently meant targeting the body, which was indestructible.

After a brief stalemate, the projection of the Holy Lance gradually faded until it disappeared completely.

Lei Xiaohuan continued charging at Shi Luosi.

Shi Luosi had tried his best to evade but was still struck squarely in the chest by her punch, sending him flying like a kite with a broken string.

However, Shi Luosi was far from defeated. At some point, a Holy Seal appeared in his hand, shaped like a disc. Its design consisted of three interlocking circles arranged in a triangular formation.

The Holy Seal radiated brilliantly as it conjured a golden spear.

This was the Spear of Osiris, also known as the Spear of Judgment or the Spear of Hell’s Inquisitor.

As before, Lei Xiaohuan did not dodge and threw another punch.

A series of explosive sounds rang out from her chest, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and finally, her fist. Her seemingly exhausted punch was reinvigorated with newfound power.

The Manly Immortals might not be able to rival the Heavenly and Earthly Immortals, but in the mortal realm, they were no less formidable than Earthly Immortals. In battles of strength, life and death often hinged on a single decisive move.

Although this punch appeared to be a simple and direct strike, it concealed profound intricacies. Beneath its overwhelming power lay a subtle, soft energy that alternated unpredictably, capable of penetrating outward defenses to strike the core.

The punch’s sheer force emptied all the elemental energy in a direct line before Lei Xiaohuan, creating a void between her and Shi Luosi.

Unlike the silent clash with the Holy Lance, this time, there was a piercing metallic collision with the Spear of Osiris.

Moments later, countless cracks appeared along the shaft of the golden spear, with bursts of golden light erupting from within.

The world was engulfed in a blinding white radiance.

Lei Xiaohuan and Shi Luosi’s figures were both swallowed by the light.

As the white light faded, their figures reappeared. The ornate ring engraved with complex runes on Shi Luosi’s right index finger had shattered, and his expression was grim, clearly showing signs of significant injury.

Lei Xiaohuan’s entire fist had also been shattered by the Spear of Osiris. However, due to the miraculous regenerative abilities of Martial Arts Practitioners, it began to heal rapidly. It would not be long before it was fully restored.

Although Shi Luosi managed to hold off Lei Xiaohuan, and Li Mingcheng temporarily stopped Zhang Yuelu, Li Tianlan still failed to claim the Xuan Jade because Bai Yingqiong stepped forward to block her colleague.

After all, Bai Yingqiong was a member of the Zhengyi Sect. While she might have entertained certain ambitions, the events at Zhenwu Temple had awakened her to the truth—the Li family was unreliable.

She had no choice but to side with the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect.

1. Glory to God in the highest. ☜