A Pawn's Passage

This time, the target was not within the Imperial Capital but outside it, in the area commonly known as Zhili.

Zhili was not a single state, but a region of various prefectures and counties directly under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Capital, the heartland of the emperor’s power.

The Governor of Zhili had many duties, tasked to oversee and inspect not only provincial matters but also to command the Donghai Navy. Thus, the Zhili Governor was a first-rank officer, the highest of all regional officers.

During the reign of the Emperor Gaozu, the Holy Xuan’s wife served as the Great Sage of the Taiping Sect. At that time, Donghuang was not yet an Immortal and held official positions at court. He first served as the Chief Admiral of the Donghai Navy, later concurrently assuming the post of the Zhili Governor. It was not until the Holy Xuan replaced the Great Sages of the Three Sects that Donghuang was summoned back to Jade Capital to succeed his sister-in-law as the second Great Sage of the Taiping Sect, becoming the head of the Li family. Since the Holy Xuan had no direct descendants, the current main branch of the Li family descended from Donghuang. However, as the Holy Xuan and Donghuang were fathered by Li Daoxu, the Li family’s claim of being descendants of the Holy Xuan was not entirely inaccurate.

As for why the Holy Xuan had no descendants, some claimed it was due to him defying heaven’s will. It was said that the Wei Dynasty was meant to continue for three more generations after Emperor Shenzong. But the Holy Xuan’s actions disrupted this, ending the line with Emperor Shenzong. Thus, the Holy Xuan was struck by divine punishment. Unlike Emperor Gaozu, the Holy Xuan was not granted a reprieve by the heavens to leave behind heirs and was forced to ascend ahead of time.

Others said that it went beyond that. Confucianism was supposed to rise, with the School of Philosophy replacing the School of Principle. Buddhism would have seized the momentum to share dominance. But the Holy Xuan forcibly shifted the balance, ensuring the rise of the Daoist Order instead.

In short, it all came down to one explanation—the Holy Xuan was punished by heaven.

It was not surprising that such rumors spread. In truth, the Holy Xuan’s condition in his final years did seem abnormal. Having unified the Daoist Order and revived it, his prestige was immense. After defeating the Lord Buddha, the Holy Xuan’s fame soared to unprecedented heights. With that momentum, it would have been easy to unite the three sects. Yet after his victory, the Holy Xuan became reclusive, delegating all affairs to the three Deputy Grand Masters, who rarely saw him as well.

That was strange enough. It was widely acknowledged that the Holy Xuan had passed his first heavenly tribulation, which meant he could remain in the mortal world for 200 years. Yet, without unifying the three sects or resolving the issue of the Ancient Immortals, the Holy Xuan chose to ascend from the mortal realm alongside his wife. Those who had witnessed it remained tight-lipped—their silence coordinated. This became one of the major mysteries since the revival of the Daoist Order.

Judging from the Holy Xuan’s strange behavior, it seemed he had indeed faced difficulties during his final days in the mortal world, which made it impossible for him to oversee the Daoist Order fully.

This gave rise to a theory. Although the Holy Xuan had defeated the Lord Buddha, he had also suffered severe wounds that could not be healed. In the end, he had no choice but to ascend as a way to resolve these injuries.

However, some dissenting voices noted that the Holy Xuan had already begun to retreat from public view before his confrontation with the Lord Buddha. When the Ancient Immortals infiltrated Jade Capital or when True Lord Taiyin was offered a place in the Daoist Order, the Holy Xuan was absent. The decisions were made jointly by the Deputy Grand Masters. At the time, people believed the Holy Xuan was merely focusing on his coming battle. But in hindsight, it all seemed a bit suspicious.

Others claimed the issue lay in the nature of the creation project, using human means to forge Immortals, alter fate, and reshape one’s innate potential. All of it defied the harmony of heaven and human, which incurred the wrath of the heavens. Thus, the Holy Xuan would inevitably suffer the backlash.

These were not exactly secret and were circulated widely among high-ranking Daoists.

This time, the Qingping Society’s target was The Inn’s main branch in Zhili, located in Qingyuan County, Shanggu Prefecture. They had already consolidated all personnel from other branches into this place, making it a formidable stronghold.

Qi Xuansu employed his old trick of altering his appearance. Once he was in disguise, he quietly left the Imperial Capital and headed toward Qingyuan County.

Shanggu Prefecture was more than 150 kilometers from the Imperial Capital. On horseback, it would take at least half a day. But for a Heavenly Being flying at full speed, it was much faster.

Qi Xuansu arrived above a dilapidated temple outside Qingyuan County and descended.

This had once been a thriving Buddhist temple. But during the peak of Daoist and Buddhist conflict, the Daoists launched a campaign to eradicate Buddhism in their fury, expelling monks or forcing them to return to secular life. Many Buddhist temples were either converted into Daoist sanctuaries or shut down. This one had been abandoned. After years of being subjected to the elements and lacking maintenance, it was now in a state of utter ruin.

This was the designated rendezvous point agreed upon by the Qingping Society.

Seasoned travelers had an unspoken rule. It was better to sleep in a cemetery than in an abandoned temple.

Cemeteries might be eerie, but they were visited annually by descendants of the deceased, who were law-abiding citizens that could be reasoned with. Usually, nothing untoward happened there.

Dilapidated temples were another matter, especially those long abandoned without incense offerings. These places were magnets for filth and corruption. Demons or evil spirits often nest there. If a traveler entered one uninvited, they might end up being prey for a man-eating monster or have their life force drained by a ghost.

Even bandits and rogues often used such temples as hideouts. So, barging in could easily get one killed.

Today, Qi Xuansu had indeed run into a group of roving ruffians here. But when he entered the main hall, he found them spinning around like headless flies, desperately trying to find a way out. Yet no matter what, they could not reach the exit. Each time they neared it, they would inexplicably turn back, colliding with walls or even with each other.

Qi Xuansu immediately recognized what was happening. They were trapped in a formation similar to a Ghost Wall. They thought they were walking in a straight line but were actually looping in circles. When they saw a wall, they mistook it for the exit and rammed into it. When they saw the actual exit, they thought it was a wall and stopped short.

The group of men felt as if the Buddhist temple before them had become an endless labyrinth. They could never find a way out. The more panicked they became, the harder it was to distinguish truth from illusion, making the formation seem all the more real.

These rogues were all trained fighters—strong, able-bodied men in their prime, full of blood qi. To manipulate such a crowd with gathered blood qi would require at least a Guizhen-stage Diviner in the Thunder Realm.

Formations could be broadly divided into permanent and temporary types. Permanent ones relied on external supports like talismans, spiritual objects, treasures, buildings, mountains, or rivers to create anchor points that linked to the earth’s energy, allowing the formation to persist for years. This was how mountain-protecting or city-shielding formations worked. Temporary formations required no external aid, only the caster’s own magical power, true essence, divine power, or innate qi. They were simpler but would vanish once the caster ceased sustaining them.

This was clearly not a permanent formation, but Qi Xuansu could not detect the presence of the caster. His impression of this Diviner rose another notch. They had to be a Heavenly-Being Diviner, though he was not sure which stage.

Naturally, Qi Xuansu was unaffected by the illusion. He turned and walked out of the temple hall.

A woman’s voice, layered with overlapping tones, spoke. “It’s rare to see a Heavenly Being under 30. Even the Daoist Order would treasure such a person. Since when did our Qingping Society produce such remarkable talent?”

Qi Xuansu looked up abruptly and saw a figure wearing the A-rank member’s bronze mask standing atop a beam. Behind her hung a full moon. She blended seamlessly into the moonlit night sky, so naturally that she was nearly undetectable. Had she not spoken, Qi Xuansu would not have noticed her. This must be the spellcaster.

Qi Xuansu quickly deduced her identity and said, “Nice to meet you, Ceremony Prelude. I’m Gold-Plated Knife.”

Ceremony Prelude did not remain perched arrogantly on the rooftop. She drifted down gracefully and said, “So you’re Lady Qi’s son. No wonder.”

Qi Xuansu said nothing, his silence tinged with awkwardness.

It seemed Madam Qi had already gone around bragging about him. Qi Xuansu’s imagination ran wild again. He imagined an unbearably awkward scene of Madam Qi sitting among big shots, beaming with pride, saying, “Look, this is my son! I trained him myself! His cultivation is not far behind Li Changge. Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei aren’t even close! Little Knife, come show your aunts and uncles your Demonic Blade! This is the genuine Demonic Blade left behind by Song Zheng, and not just anyone can master it. It’s every bit as good as Yao Pei’s Heavenly Blade!”

Of course, if Qi Xuansu were ever defeated by Li Changge, Madam Qi would look utterly confused and say, “Son? What son? I don’t have a son! My son died years ago. Oh, you mean Gold-Plated Knife? He’s just a foster child, nothing comparable to my true-born son. Gold-Plated Knife losing to Li Changge is on Qi Haoran. What’s it got to do with me? Why are you all pestering me? Scram!”

Ceremony Prelude gave Qi Xuansu another once-over and said, “Strange. I can’t see through your origins or destiny. Did Lady Qi place some kind of seal to conceal your fate?”

Qi Xuansu had a hunch it was related to the Longevity Stone Heart, but he replied, “I don’t know.”

Ceremony Prelude did not press the matter. “With how advanced the Daoist Order is today, we can create Immortals and turn mediocrities into Banished Immortals. Altering fate is hardly a challenge. It’s only tough on us Diviners. Everything’s fake now, so of course we can’t read it accurately. Not that it’ll matter for long. Once the end of the era arrives, it’ll all turn to illusion anyway.”

Ceremony Prelude continued, “I’m from the Advisory Council with no major responsibilities, so I came first. Saintly Peace and Dreaming Cloud are much busier people, so they’ll get in a bit later.”

Qi Xuansu looked over at the thugs still stumbling about.

With a wave of her sleeve, Ceremony Prelude commanded, “Let them dream.”

All of them immediately fell into a deep dream.