A Pawn's Passage

Gan Longchi, both shocked and enraged, no longer held anything back. Except for not using the Darkwater Armor, he was now fighting with full strength.

Radiant light burst from the acupoints all over his body. Each acupoint housed a body spirit, a total of 365 to match the heavenly stars. Each body spirit looked exactly like Gan Longchi, but was wholly resplendent and flawless.

As Gan Longchi threw a punch, all 365 of his body spirits struck in unison. The void quaked, and wherever the fist passed, space visibly warped. Everything along its path—from the stone pavement to walls and buildings—crumbled into powder. Though it fell just short of the Shattered Void Realm, it was more than enough to break Qi Xuansu’s Taixuan Sword Heart Series.

At the same time, Gan Longchi revealed one of the many forms of a Manly Immortal’s True Body. His court robes shredded under the pressure, and his aura fully overwhelmed Qi Xuansu as he struck with another devastating punch.

A thunderous boom erupted as dust and debris billowed outward. Jagged fragments shot in all directions, and upon landing, pockmarked the ground with countless small craters.

When the dust cleared, a massive fist-shaped crater over 3 meters wide remained on the ground.

At the critical moment, Qi Xuansu transformed into moonlight, just like Zhang Wuhen had previously, narrowly evading the strike.

Having missed, Gan Longchi followed up with an elbow strike, the horn on his elbow as sharp as a blade.

Qi Xuansu transformed into moonlight again, evading the strike and reappearing before Gan Longchi. His blade, the Flying White Shadow, slashed down, and the blade qi exploded on Gan Longchi’s chest like spring thunder.

Gan Longchi’s scale armor continually cracked under the assault, but due to his body’s regenerative properties, it healed just as fast. The two parties were in a deadlock. In the end, the blade qi dissipated while the scale armor remained unbroken.

Qi Xuansu retreated gracefully.

The towering Gan Longchi, standing over 5 meters tall, advanced in long strides. Every step made the ground tremble. Though he was but one man, his charge was like that of a heavy cavalry unit.

Those nearby felt his footsteps pounding on their chests, as if their hearts might be crushed at any moment. They were forced to retreat farther and farther. Several Black Robes of lower cultivation could not withdraw in time and were shaken to death. The armored Spirit Guards, however, had superior defense. Some were injured, but none were killed.

In the blink of an eye, the two Heavenly Beings clashed again.

A full moon slowly rose from Qi Xuansu’s hand. The moonlight, like liquid silver, turned into the Taiyin Sword Qi, cascading down like falling petals.

The Taiyin Sword Qi fell upon Gan Longchi, causing his scale armor to continually peel and shatter, showing no signs of repair.

Qi Xuansu seized the opportunity and dashed toward Gan Longchi.

Although the Manly Immortal’s True Body was towering and imposing, it lacked agility. Though Gan Longchi reacted in time, Qi Xuansu still managed to stab him in the chest with Flying White Shadow.

However, to the 5-meter-tall True Body, the 60-centimeter blade was minuscule, and the wound it caused was negligible.

Qi Xuansu had anticipated this. After driving Flying White Shadow into the giant, he channeled his full power into the blade. A surge of icy chill exploded inside Gan Longchi, instantly coating his massive form in a layer of frosty white.

Gan Longchi unleashed the Kui Throat again, letting out a thunderous roar that shattered the frost. Cracks spread across the ground within a 30-meter radius.

Qi Xuansu was forced to abandon his blade and retreat.

Gan Longchi followed up immediately, manifesting six arms, which hammered wildly. Each blow was heavy and forceful. Even the wind from his strikes gouged trenches in the earth. Each punch formed a crater, leaving the land riddled with devastation.

Qi Xuansu let out a sharp cry. His black hair turned white, and his moon-white robes turned pitch-black, as if a lunar eclipse had arrived. Then, he spread both hands, thrusting all ten fingers into the surrounding void. His palms vanished. When he withdrew them, ten strands of dark moonlight emerged from his fingertips, coiling into swords of varying lengths and weaving unpredictably. The misty moonlight enveloped the two men in shadows, their figures hard to distinguish.

This was the final sword technique of the Taiyin 13 Swords, the Sword Demon Manifestation.

Unending Taiyin Sword Qi, carried by the 10 moonlight longswords, bombarded Gan Longchi’s True Body. With hissing sounds, the already shattered scale armor was completely stripped away. Without its protection, countless wounds opened across his body, spraying blood in every direction.

After over 100 exchanges, the two struck each other simultaneously.

Gan Longchi let out a long howl, and a blood-red light burst in all directions within the misty moonlight. In an instant, the mist parted, revealing daylight. The two Heavenly Beings reappeared. By then, Gan Longchi had a red dot at the center of his forehead, which slowly spread into a streak of blood. He could no longer maintain his six arms and reverted to his original form, which was now bloodstained.

On the other hand, Qi Xuansu had taken a punch to the chest. His body flew backward in an arc, crashed to the ground over 30 meters away, bounced once from the impact, and slid another 30 meters before finally coming to a stop.

When Qi Xuansu struggled to his feet, countless cracks had already spread across his entire Taiyin Spiritual Body, eventually causing it to completely shatter.

Qi Xuansu returned to his original form as well, revealing a sunken arc on his chest.

Gan Longchi grasped the still-embedded Flying White Shadow in his chest and slowly pulled it out. Beads of blood rolled down the blade, nearly forming a continuous stream. Then, the wound on his chest began to heal visibly.

Qi Xuansu also relied on his body’s regenerative abilities to recover from his injuries. He then whipped out the Dragon Painting Pistol.

Gan Longchi narrowed his eyes, hesitating slightly.

He was debating whether to break their agreement and use the Darkwater Armor, completely shedding all pretenses. Yet he knew that he should not allow the situation to escalate any further.

After all, they were right under the Emperor’s nose in the Imperial Capital, which was supposedly the pinnacle of civility. It was not some remote, lawless frontier. Before him stood 500 Spirit Guards. Even if he used the Darkwater Armor, it would be a pyrrhic victory at best.

Furthermore, Qi Xuansu was unpredictable, so the outcome could very well be mutual destruction.

Clearly, Qi Xuansu had no illusions about Gan Longchi’s integrity. He merely presented him with a fact—he might not win, but he might not lose either. If it truly came to a fight to the death, even if Gan Longchi used the Darkwater Armor to kill him, the general would never be able to escape from 500 Spirit Guards unscathed.

The logic was simple. Unless Wu Luo personally intervened, which was beyond anyone’s ability to resist, then everyone involved in a Daoist commanding officer’s death would be severely punished. The Daoist priests would likely be demoted and have their careers ruined. The Spirit Guards would face even graver consequences. Some might be stripped of their rank and condemned to hard labor. Thus, the best way to avoid such punishment was to avenge their commander. Even if not for Qi Xuansu, they would risk their lives for their own sake to kill Gan Longchi.

More importantly, there was no need for this matter to escalate into a life-and-death confrontation.

So after a brief hesitation, Gan Longchi chose not to don the Darkwater Armor. However, he did not back down either. After all, Qi Xuansu had not defeated him. Their fight had ended in a draw.

By now, the south gate and one length of the courtyard wall at Oriental Autumn Villa had been leveled. The Spirit Guards had already escorted Qin Hengde far away.

Su Li was the first to reach Qi Xuansu’s side, inquiring about his injuries.

Qi Xuansu waved his hand to indicate he was fine, then whispered some instructions to Su Li.

Su Li hesitated slightly, then turned and left.

Like a double-edged sword, obsession had both advantages and disadvantages. Once Qi Xuansu showed unwavering resolve to defend the Daoist virtues, he won Su Li’s respect. From then on, she would firmly stand on his side, becoming a loyal and dependable ally.

Just now, Qi Xuansu faced off against the Wuliang-stage Gan Longchi with only his Xiaoyao-stage cultivation, showing no fear, which was a commendable performance. At this point, even if Li Ruoshui tried to cause him trouble, Su Li would not turn against Qi Xuansu. On the contrary, she would speak on his behalf. Thus, the Li family had always held a limited and never absolute trust toward the Qingqiu lineage.

Moments later, Su Li returned, holding an official letter she had hastily written.

Qi Xuansu took the letter, looked at Gan Longchi, and proposed, “General Gan, the Daoist Order and the Imperial Court are essentially one entity. If we can accommodate both sides, I have no desire to make things difficult for you.”

“What did you say?” Gan Longchi was stunned, thinking he had misheard. He stepped closer to Qi Xuansu, eyes locked onto him.

Qi Xuansu replied, “Daoist nuns falling to prostitution can be a minor thing if I pretend it never happened. But it can become a scandal that damages the Daoist Order’s reputation. If it reaches the Golden Tower Council, it will turn into a case of earth-shaking proportions. I believe you don’t wish for that outcome, General Gan.”

Gan Longchi asked, “What do you want?”

Qi Xuansu said, “Whether the young commandery prince is involved in this case is still unclear. For the sake of Commandery Prince Langya, I can choose not to pursue it for now and even allow you to take the young commandery prince away. But Oriental Autumn Villa must be sealed off, and all those involved must face punishment. What do you think of this compromise, General Gan?”

This was a mutual concession. Gan Longchi’s original intent was to force Qi Xuansu to withdraw and preserve Oriental Autumn Villa entirely. Now, he had to settle for saving only Qin Hengde and abandoning the brothel, sacrificing a pawn to protect the general.

Gan Longchi pretended to deliberate for a moment, then nodded in agreement. “Very well.”

Qi Xuansu raised the letter Su Li had hastily written. “Words alone aren’t binding, so let this serve as a record. If you agree, please sign it, General Gan. That way, I can swiftly clean up the mess and deal with the involved parties.”

With that, he handed over the letter.

Su Li stepped forward, holding a box of ink.

Gan Longchi took the letter and glanced through it swiftly. Then, he retrieved an official seal from his magical receptacle, pressed it into the ink, paused briefly, and stamped the letter.

Su Li immediately stowed the letter away.

Gan Longchi held Flying White Shadow in reverse and extended the hilt toward Qi Xuansu.

When Qi Xuansu took hold of the hilt, Gan Longchi did not let go immediately. Instead, he said, “Mage Qi, I’m a few years your senior, so let me give you some advice. Whether it’s the Imperial Court or the Daoist Order, one must learn to swim with the tide.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Thank you for your advice, General Gan.”

Only then did Gan Longchi release the blade and turn to leave.

Qi Xuansu ordered, “Release him.”