A Pawn's Passage

On the way back from the Lower Palace to the Upper Palace, Qi Xuansu asked Yao Pei a question. “Why was Zhang Wuhen sentenced to death by the Daoist Order just for stealing True Lord Taiyin’s legacy? Even if she had to die, why did Zhang Wushou have to personally carry out the execution? Isn’t the Daoist Order always advocating caution when taking the lives of their own?”

Yao Pei did not answer directly. Instead, she said, “If you’ve read the teachings of the Western Holy Court, you would know they speak of original sin, which is the inherent guilt one is born with, said to be the root of all suffering and evil. This is why their believers are constantly speaking of redemption, atonement, and repentance.

“On the surface, the Daoist Order does not preach about original sin. But in certain matters, we do believe that some people carry an innate guilt.”

Qi Xuansu immediately understood. “Because Zhang Wuhen is a descendant of an Ancient Immortal, her theft of True Lord Taiyin’s legacy was seen as an even greater crime. Her very bloodline—the Ancient Immortal lineage—is her original sin.”

“Exactly.” Yao Pei nodded. “This isn’t just about a legacy. There was also a portion of True Lord Taiyin’s divine power left in the mortal realm. That was something the Daoist Order absolutely could not allow. As for why the Heavenly Preceptor was the one to handle it, there were multiple reasons.

“The official explanation was out of respect. Letting the Heavenly Preceptor deal with his own family affairs was preferable to outsiders interfering. But in truth, it was a way to force him to draw a clear line between himself and the Ancient Immortals. That’s because the Heavenly Preceptor carries the same original sin.

“If the Heavenly Preceptor wanted to prove his innocence, he had to take an even firmer stance than anyone else. It’s like how the Hu people who served in the Qi Dynasty Court were often harsher toward other Hu people who refused to submit. That’s because they can only prove their loyalty by being ruthless to their own kind.”

Qi Xuansu mused, “The Heavenly Preceptor is quite contradictory. On one hand, he maintains ties with True Lord Ziguang, while on the other, he takes a firm stance against anything related to the Ancient Immortals.”

“It’s not contradictory at all. These shouldn’t be grouped.” Yao Pei spoke calmly. “An alliance and supporting Ancient Immortals are entirely different. Do you think the Daoist Order truly cares about the Ancient Immortals themselves? What the Daoist Order actually fears are the heretical cults.

“To become a Godly Immortal, one requires an immense amount of incense power. If they could not obtain it through proper channels, they would inevitably set up their own cults, shaking the very foundation of the Daoist Order. But alliances are different. With the Heavenly Preceptor’s rank and status as the leader of the Zhengyi Sect and a Deputy Grand Master, the Daoist Order is not worried about him defecting to the Ziguang Society, especially now without a Grand Master above him.

“Even if the Heavenly Preceptor wanted to join the Ziguang Society, would they even dare to accept him? He’s not some small fry like you or me. He’s a leviathan. A shallow pond can’t contain him. If he did join, who would really be in charge of Ziguang Society? True Lord Ziguang or him?”

Qi Xuansu finally understood.

As they spoke, the two returned to Zhen Garden and parted ways.

Qi Xuansu returned to his courtyard, activated a privacy formation, and entered his meditation room. He sealed the doors and finally took out the amber fragment.

This was his greatest prize.

After the great calamity in Jinling, he obtained the Xuan Jade of Divinity, which was undeniably precious. However, the divine power within it had already been completely consumed by True Lord Siming during his divine descent.

Thus, the Xuan Jade of Divinity was like a flying ship without Xuanhuang, unable to fly and could only drift on water. This amber fragment was the much-required Xuanhuang, capable of replenishing the Dragon Pearl’s essence, thus allowing the flying ship to take off to the skies once again. It was exactly what Qi Xuansu needed to feed the Xuan Jade of Divinity.

Qi Xuansu clenched the amber fragment tightly. The fragment began to melt slowly, turning into a golden stream that flowed into his body.

Just as Yao Pei had said, this was fully purified divine power, so it required no refinement or conversion. It was ready to be used immediately.

To Qi Xuansu, it felt like an empty reservoir being replenished by crystal-clear water, rather than a flood mixed with silt and debris.

In an instant, golden radiance intertwined and shimmered across Qi Xuansu’s face.

Qi Xuansu gathered his thoughts, fully focusing on absorbing the divine power within this fragment.

Banished Immortals, Qi Refiners, and Rogue Cultivators all shared a common path. They had to unite the five elements and converge the Three Flowers into the Three Purities, ultimately achieving perfect enlightenment.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu looked inward within his body. He saw his five internal organs. His heart was enshrouded in a crimson aura, corresponding to the fire element. His liver was wrapped in a green glow, corresponding to the wood element. His spleen was bathed in a yellow radiance, corresponding to the earth element. His lungs were veiled in a pure white mist, corresponding to the metal element. His kidneys were immersed in a deep black aura, corresponding to the water element.

If all Five Elements converged, condensing into the Five Qi, and those Five Qi merged into one, they would form true essence. This was known as the Lesser Five Qi Convergence. That was how the Five Elements Origin Realm of Banished Immortals in the Xiaoyao stage had gotten its name.

After residing in the mortal realm for 100 years, an Immortal would face their first heavenly tribulation, which was most well-known as the Lightning Tribulation.

The second tribulation was the Yin Fire Tribulation. It ignited from the Yongquan acupoint at the base of one’s foot and burned upward through the Niwan Palace at the center of one’s head. This calamity ignored the external physique, striking directly at the internal organs. Thus, regardless of how indestructible one’s outer form was, if one’s internal organs were reduced to ashes, then 100 years of cultivation would come to naught.

If one possessed great fortune, profound blessings, and a predetermined destiny, miraculously surviving this tribulation, then one’s internal organs would align perfectly with the Five Qi, achieving internal and external perfection. This was known as the Greater Five Qi Convergence.

The difference between the Lesser and Greater Five Qi Convergence was as vast as the disparity between a mere mortal and an Immortal.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu was not even close to achieving the Lesser Five Qi Convergence, let alone the Greater Five Qi Convergence.

The Five Lineages were not inherently tied to any one element, but the Xuan Jade’s true wonder lay in its ability to imbue different lineages with specific elemental attributes, thus compensating for the Rogue Cultivator’s fundamental weaknesses.

The Rogue Cultivator lineage corresponded to the earth element, which bore all things.

The Martial Arts Practitioner lineage strengthened the blood, refined the spirit, and fortified the body, making one immune to worldly diseases. It was the source of vitality and corresponded to the wood element.

The Diviner lineage cultivated one’s spiritual focus and inner clarity so that the mind remained undispersed. Within a deep meditative state, they could project their yin spirit outward. An unyielding soul never scattered, finding life within death. It corresponded to the netherworld and the water element.

The Godly Immortal lineage gathered incense power and ignited one’s divine fire to forge a divine body and divine kingdom. It corresponded to the fire element.

Lastly, the most powerful lineage—the Qi Refiner lineage—were masters of sword control, unparalleled in combat prowess. It corresponded to the metal element.

At the moment, Qi Xuansu already gathered three elements—earth, wood, and water. He was still missing fire and metal. With the divine power now infused into the Xuan Jade of Divinity, it was finally completing the fire element.

If Qi Xuansu could obtain one more Xuan Jade of Immortality and use the Qi Refiner lineage to complete his final missing metal element, then he would be able to unify the Five Qi and fuse magical power, divine power, innate qi, and blood qi into true essence. At that point, he would finally stand on equal footing with Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei.

Li Changge had likely already achieved this step. By gathering the Xuan Jade of Divinity, the Xuan Jade of Immortality, the Xuan Jade of Life, and the Xuan Jade of Death, Li Changge had successfully unified the Five Qi, hence becoming a man-made Banished Immortal.

However, even without the Xuan Jade of Immortality, Qi Xuansu could still become a Heavenly Being. At most, he would fail to reach the Banished Immortal’s Five Elements Origin Realm. Instead, he would achieve the Rogue Cultivator’s Cicada Shedding Realm.

If an observer were present at this moment, they would see Qi Xuansu’s entire body enveloped in golden divine power, with faint fiery-red hues flickering within the golden radiance.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu’s innate qi gradually settled into silence. Then, it split into three streams, converging at his Middle Dantian in the chest, the Lower Dantian in his abdomen, and the Upper Dantian between the eyebrows.

All three burst into radiance. The Upper Dantian at the forehead shone like the blazing sun, the Middle Dantian at the chest glowed like a luminous moon, and the Lower Dantian at the abdomen twinkled like countless stars. Each corresponded to the Three Lights—the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Qi Xuansu’s consciousness slowly sank into the Delusional Realm.

There was an ancient tale of the Yellow Millet Dream about how Elder Zhengyang had once enlightened the uninitiated Elder Chunyang. Elder Chunyang drank the wine that Elder Zhengyang had offered and fell into a deep slumber. In the dream, he experienced wealth, power, and worldly pleasures. Yet, when he awoke, he found that the restaurant was still cooking the yellow millet porridge that he ordered. Thus, Elder Chunyang attained sudden enlightenment, realizing that a thousand years in the Delusional Realm amounted to nothing more than a fleeting dream in real life.

In a dazed state, Qi Xuansu suddenly found himself back on the road to Jade Capital.

Behind him, the sounds of battle and slaughter gradually faded, yet his master’s thunderous roar still echoed in his ears.

Qi Xuansu could hear his own breath growing heavier. He no longer remembered how far he had run, only that his steps grew heavier. The short sword in his grasp felt increasingly burdensome, and his vision blurred, as if everything before him was drenched in a thick layer of blood.

Behind him, a demonic shadow was closing in, wielding a massive butcher’s blade that was dripping with fresh blood.

Qi Xuansu abruptly halted and turned to face the monstrous shadow directly.

The shadow continued its approach. As it moved, it grew ever larger within Qi Xuansu’s vision. At first, it was merely the size of a bear standing upright. But as it drew closer, it swiftly towered beyond 100 meters, resembling a legendary mythical giant. Its two eyes ignited into blazing flames, like two large lanterns suspended high in the air.

The shadow continued to expand, growing larger and larger, as if it knew no bounds.

Qi Xuansu’s vision could no longer contain its full form. He could only see portions of it, and its image began to overlap with that of True Lord Siming who had once descended upon Jinling Prefecture. Its two flaming eyes resemble twin suns that were suspended in the heavens.

This was the deepest fear rooted within Qi Xuansu’s heart.

However, Qi Xuansu remained fully aware that this was merely a nightmare. After all, he had just ascended to the Xiaoyao stage of Heavenly Beings and was not yet an Immortal. Thus, he was still far off from the Inner Demon Tribulation.

The best way to eliminate fear was to face it head-on.

The relationship between man and fear could be summarized in one phrase—as one rose, the other fell.

The more one feared, the stronger the shadow became. In the end, it became so real and so overwhelming that one could no longer move, crushed by the weight of their own terror. But the less one feared, the more the shadow shrank until it returned to its true form or vanished completely.

The colossal shadow raised its bloodstained butcher’s blade and swung it down on Qi Xuansu’s head.

Qi Xuansu did not dodge or flinch, having no intention of avoiding the strike.

The moment the blade touched Qi Xuansu, the shadow dispersed into thin air.

Under Qi Xuansu’s unyielding gaze, the shadow gradually shrank to its true size—from the towering figure of True Lord Siming to the size of a giant, a black bear, and finally to a scrawny man in a black head scarf wielding a dagger.

This was the shadow’s true form: a common assassin from The Inn.

Qi Xuansu raised his short sword, Qing Yuan. With one swift motion, he severed the assassin’s head.

In that very instant, the entire Delusional Realm shattered into fragments.