A Pawn's Passage

By mimicking a divine kingdom, Zhang Wuhen attained an anomaly similar to the first death of a Godly Immortal, which allowed her to return to the mortal world.

However, the early version of Xuan Jade could never truly compare to a divine kingdom.

An Earthly Immortal who had mastered the Five Innate Tais could slay a Godly Immortal with the same level of cultivation and even shatter the latter’s divine body. However, even an Earthly Immortal would struggle to destroy a divine kingdom.

To annihilate a divine kingdom, one must cut off its source of divine power. As long as divine power continued to flow, the divine kingdom would remain eternal; as long as the divine kingdom remained, a Godly Immortal could be continuously revived within it and rebuild their divine body.

This was the terrifying aspect of a Godly Immortal.

By contrast, an Earthly Immortal was unmatched in sheer combat strength. They could slay a Godly Immortal many times over. But if a single mistake led to them being slain instead, they would perish permanently, with no chance of return.

A Godly Immortal had infinite chances to return to the mortal world, but the Earthly Immortal only had one chance to live.

Moreover, inside their divine kingdom, a Godly Immortal possessed an overwhelming territorial advantage. Their divine power flowed endlessly, and their divine body was one with their domain. Meanwhile, an Earthly Immortal who entered a divine kingdom was fighting alone, deep within enemy territory.

This was the key reason why the Daoist Order had never recklessly waged a final battle against the three Ancient Immortals.

However, Zhang Wuhen’s Xuan Jade was different. It was fragile, and it did not require an Earthly Immortal to destroy it. Even a Heavenly Being could easily shatter it.

Zhang Wuhen understood one thing very clearly—until she became a true Godly Immortal, she had only one chance to be revived. If she died again, the Daoist Order would never allow her to return.

She also would not have another accomplice who was as loyal as her son, Zhang Juyan.

Now, her life was no longer hers alone. It also belonged to Zhang Juyan. The mother-and-son pair had reunited as one again. As long as she could become a Godly Immortal and establish a divine kingdom, her son could be reborn within it.

Sun Hewu was unaware of this secret, but with his vast knowledge, he had pieced together enough of the puzzle. He knew one thing for certain—they could not allow Zhang Wuhen to escape from Xingye Lake.

Within the seven stars of the Big Dipper, the Megrez was the dimmest, yet it was also the most crucial position, where the Dipper Handle was connected to its body. The Megrez corresponded to yin, and the one occupying this position was Sun Hewu, the highest-ranked and most powerful of the people present.

When Sun Hewu first became a Heavenly Being, he chose to cultivate an unorthodox perfected method—the Yin-Yang Unification Method.

This was originally a high-attainment method, one that had nearly reached perfection, but it had severe limitations. Each time it was used, it drained a massive amount of vital energy. Its primary ability was to split one body into two but at the cost of distorting yin and yang.

A male body would develop female traits, while a female body would take on male features. That was because yang was masculine and yin was feminine. Their imbalance resulted in gender confusion.

Later, the Great Sage of the Quanzhen Sect, Elder Shangguan, refined the technique and perfected it, eliminating yin-yang distortion.

In an instant, two Sun Hewus appeared before Zhang Wuhen. The pure yang version ascended, while the murky yin version descended.

The yang Sun Hewu appeared no different from an ordinary person, seemingly unchanged. But the yin Sun Hewu was shrouded in a dim, shadowy haze, his figure flickering in and out of existence—less like a human and more like a ghost.

The yin Sun Hewu struck first, unleashing waves of black light that layered over Zhang Wuhen’s body. Though these black lights had no substance, they slowed her movements, as if there was an unseen force weighing her down. It was not just her body either; even her thoughts became sluggish.

Taking advantage of the opening, the yang Sun Hewu swept his sleeve, materializing a jet-black chain from thin air. Its metallic composition was unknown, but the chain was engraved with countless talismanic patterns. It slithered like a massive black serpent, clinking ominously as it unfurled.

The chain stretched out, one end wrapping tightly around Zhang Wuhen’s neck, while Sun Hewu gripped the other end firmly. With a single pull, the chain tightened instantly.

Sun Hewu chanted. “The Yellow Springs knows no mercy; the Shady Office is orderly. No soul may escape when the Chains of the Netherworld descend.”

The chain existed between illusion and reality, capable of imprisoning one’s soul. Once a soul was bound, the body became nothing more than an empty shell, incapable of resistance.

But Zhang Wuhen was no ordinary opponent—she was a Pseudo-Immortal. Even with the black light and metallic chains suppressing her, her soul remained unshackled. With a single Thought, her form shrank to the size of a mustard seed, then transformed into a radiant full moon, breaking free of the chains in an instant.

This streak of moonlight crashed violently into the yin Sun Hewu like a tidal wave, causing his shadowy form to tremble and ripple.

As Zhang Wuhen collided with the yin Sun Hewu, countless black threads erupted from his shadowy form. These threads were tangible and formless, capable of entangling one’s heart and manipulating the mind.

The black threads latched onto the full moon, weaving a dense, intricate web. It resembled a vast black spider’s web that attempted to ensnare the moon.

The full moon faltered for only a brief moment before it erupted in a burst of pure light. Every black thread disintegrated instantly, cleansed by the moon’s radiance.

That wasn’t all—an icy chill surged forth from the full moon, traveling along the remnants of the black threads all the way back to the yin Sun Hewu himself.

However, completely eradicating the yin Sun Hewu would take far too long. Instead, Zhang Wuhen chose a different strategy. She decided to strike the leader first to win the battle.

Rather than wasting time on the yin shadow, she turned her full assault on the real Sun Hewu—the yang version of him.

After forcing back the yin Sun Hewu with moonlight, a blazing full moon shot toward the yang Sun Hewu.

The yang Sun Hewu dared not meet the attack head-on. He immediately leaped backward in retreat. However, in that instant, Zhang Wuhen reappeared with one palm raised, still holding the full moon, while her other hand conjured a radiant beam of moonlight, forming a long, glowing tether.

With a flick of her wrist, the moonlight shot straight ahead, piercing directly through the yang Sun Hewu’s chest. It nailed him in midair, rendering him motionless.

Sun Hewu slowly lowered his gaze. There was no blood, not even a wound. Yet the moonlight had undeniably pierced through him. It felt as real and tangible as a blade made of solid silver. It was beyond mysterious.

Even so, Sun Hewu was far from admitting defeat. Both his yang and yin versions simultaneously began to devour the surrounding elemental energy, sending visible ripples cascading outward. The yang Sun Hewu shattered the moonlight binding him and soared into the sky. With one palm, he struck downward. It seemed light and effortless, yet its force was enough to crush mountains.

Zhang Wuhen retreated swiftly, her figure zapping across the air like lightning, narrowly evading the strike. Sun Hewu’s palm brushed just past her shoulder and slammed into the lake’s shore.

A thunderous boom erupted as a massive dust cloud billowed skyward. When the dust cloud cleared, a colossal, irregularly shaped five-fingered imprint had been etched into the ground.

At that very moment, the yin Sun Hewu, who was still on the ground, unleashed another palm strike. This time, it completely blocked Zhang Wuhen’s escape route. She had nowhere left to dodge or run.

Thus, Zhang Wuhen did not attempt to evade the palm. She swung her crescent blade without hesitation, slashing toward the incoming palm. Yet her blade passed straight through it without resistance. The palm was merely an illusion—a false attack with form but no substance.

At that moment, the yang Sun Hewu, who was still in midair, launched another palm strike downward.

Winds surged, and clouds churned. The sheer force of the strike disturbed the clouds, causing them to collapse upon themselves and form a massive vortex in the sky.

At the same time, the yin Sun Hewu, who was standing on the ground, raised his hand and activated the earth’s energy. A vast expanse of earthy-yellow mist rolled and surged, like the legendary Yellow Springs[1].

As the Daoist Ancestor once proclaimed, “Man follows the earth. The earth follows the heavens. The heavens follow the Dao. The Dao follows nature.”

Sun Hewu had now drawn from both heaven and earth, so he had likely grasped the essence of nature itself.

With the formation amplifying his strength, Sun Hewu had now approached or perhaps even entered the Pseudo-Immortal level. The heavens and earth trembled at his command, and Zhang Wuhen stood at the heart of the storm.

Zhang Wuhen let out a long howl. She merged with her crescent blade once more and transformed into a brilliant full moon.

Above her, storm clouds churned in an apocalyptic tempest. Below her, the yellow mist of the underworld surged, vast and boundless.

With her current divine power, she had only one chance at survival, so she could only choose one path. In the end, Zhang Wuhen chose to break through from below.

The heavens loomed above, while the earth carried everything. Could a mere mortal stand between them and hold up the sky?

As the full moon crashed into the yellow mist, it did not pierce through it effortlessly. Instead, it came to a standstill for an instant. The moon and the mist seemed to be in a deadlock, neither giving way.

At the point of contact between the moon and the mist, countless forces clashed violently, sending wave after wave of visible ripples surging outward. The mist churned restlessly, the moonlight trembled unsteadily, and fierce winds howled across the battlefield.

It was a breathtaking spectacle.

Hidden within the full moon, Zhang Wuhen unleashed her full divine power, forcibly driving the moon downward. She compressed layer upon layer of the mist as she descended. Though she appeared to be gradually weakening, her Taiyin divine power remained untouched—deep, concealed, and undiminished at its core. In just 15 minutes, Zhang Wuhen could completely shatter this Sea of Yellow Springs.

Yet from above, the yang Sun Hewu’s palm had already descended. It was massive and all-encompassing, blotting out the entire sky. Clearly, he had no intention of giving Zhang Wuhen the time she needed.

Zhang Wuhen finally revealed her true form and raised her palm to meet the descending strike.

The two palms clashed—one gargantuan and another delicate—creating a stark visual contrast.

Zhang Wuhen’s entire body shook violently. Her once outstretched arm buckled until the back of her hand nearly slapped the crown of her head. Fine cracks began to appear on her statue-like face, where countless golden threads began to seep through. It was reminiscent of the divine power that was extracted from the Confucian Sage statue.

With one hand, she bore the weight of the heavens. With the other, she summoned the amber-like Xuan Jade which had once housed her life force.

She crushed the amber into countless shards, squeezing out every last drop of its divine power. A surge of newfound strength coursed through her. Her buckled arm instantly straightened, and with one fierce upward thrust, she forced the yang Sun Hewu to retreat for the first time.

Using the rebound force, Zhang Wuhen’s body sank further, her feet pressing down on the full moon beneath her, forcing a deep crater into the mist below.

It seemed as if Zhang Wuhen had reached her limit because her final reserves were dwindling. Yet Sun Hewu was in no better condition. Even with six Deputy Palace Masters providing him support through the Seven Star Net Formation, the strain was immense.

Both sides had fallen into a contest of raw endurance. The only question was—who would falter first?

At that precise moment, Deputy Master Yao in the Alkaid position collapsed first because she had the lowest level of cultivation among the seven. This caused an unbearable strain on the Seven Star Net Formation and a brief disruption in its circulation.

Zhang Wuhen sensed the change immediately. For a fraction of a second, Sun Hewu’s innate qi that was tied to the Seven Star Net Formation began to scatter. Though Sun Hewu swiftly drew upon his reserves and forcefully stabilized the formation, that single instant was enough for Zhang Wuhen to gain the upper hand.

The Pseudo-Immortal tore through the mist. A flood of moonlight burst through, as unstoppable as a collapsed dam.

The celestial changes, including the swirling winds, descending clouds, and Yellow Springs mist, were reduced to nothingness by this radiant moonlight.

With the yin Sun Hewu defeated, the yang Sun Hewu could not stand alone.

For a while, this endless tide of silver moonlight consumed Sun Hewu’s vision.

At that moment, Sun Hewu did not show anger. Instead, he simply let out a long, helpless sigh.

In the next instant, his entire body was sent flying. He crashed violently into the Star Observation Deck, cracking the cliff’s face. Dust billowed into the air, and rocks fell like torrential rain as the large boulders behind the elderly Sage collapsed.

1. Part of the netherworld in Chinese mythology. ☜