A Pawn's Passage

Lei Xiaohuan asked with some doubt. “Logically speaking, shouldn’t the position of Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master be reserved for Li Changge?”

Zhang Yuelu said, “Not necessarily. The position of Chief Deputy Hall Master isn’t that important. The key position is the Beichen Hall Master. As we all know, almost no one rises directly from Chief Deputy Hall Master to Hall Master of the same hall. They usually need external experience first. Since the Chief Deputy Hall Master role isn’t a direct path to becoming Hall Master, whether Li Changge takes this position isn’t that critical if his true goal is to become the Beichen Hall Master.”

Xu Jiaorong added, “There’s another point. Li Changge’s record doesn’t match Chief Deputy Qi’s. During the Fenglin Campaign, Chief Deputy Qi had the highest military merit among the eighth-generation disciples, while Li Changge was tied up in Zhang Juquan’s case and under investigation for a month. Later, Chief Deputy Qi was transferred to Poluo, where he led an anti-corruption purge throughout the Poluo Daoist Mansion. Not to mention, he facilitated several major military procurement deals that are excellent numbers on paper, achieving the Poluo Daoist Mansion’s targets ahead of schedule and easing the Daoist Order’s financial pressure. He has since earned repeated praise from the Golden Tower Council. Altogether, Chief Deputy Qi’s credentials are far stronger than Li Changge’s. He might still fall slightly short of promotion to an Omniscinet Sage, but it’s more than enough to compete for the position of Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master.”

Lei Xiaohuan said, “So by that logic, Tian Yuan becoming the Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master is almost guaranteed?”

Zhang Yuelu said, “Ultimately, it depends on Sage Qingwei’s intentions. Although a Hall Master cannot directly appoint a Chief Deputy, they hold significant influence through recommendation and advisory power. Unless there are special circumstances, the Golden Tower Council rarely rejects a Hall Master’s recommended candidate.”

......

At this moment, Qi Xuansu had no idea that he had already become a leading candidate for the Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master. He and Qi Jiaoyao were advancing along the path halfway up the mountain.

The guard still had not appeared, as if he had vanished after delivering his threats.

Something so abnormal suggested hidden danger, leaving Qi Xuansu with a bad premonition.

After coming this far through countless hardships, there was no reason to hesitate. Even if the guard was only equal to him, as Qi Jiaoyao claimed, or even a Pseudo-Immortal, they would still have to fight. After all, Qi Jiaoyao had an immortal object. Combined, they held three and a half semi-immortal objects, Shebishi Venom, and a sarira. With so many external aids, they could certainly kill an ordinary Pseudo-Immortal.

Was that guard afraid of them?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a Daoist with a long, flowing white beard suddenly appeared beside them.

Qi Jiaoyao exclaimed, “Yao Liu!”

Yao Liu had already manifested a 10-meter-tall Spiritual Body that was radiant with golden light. He held a ritual sword in his right hand and slashed down toward Qi Jiaoyao, while he formed a sword mudra with his left hand and pointed remotely at Qi Xuansu.

Leaving aside how Qi Jiaoyao dealt with that strike, from Qi Xuansu’s perspective, this single gesture sealed off all directions, blocking all escape techniques such as the Star Shift Technique. At the fingertip, a brilliant ray formed, flashing past in an instant.

Qi Xuansu let out a muffled groan as blood slowly soaked through the fabric over his chest, as if he had been stabbed by a sword.

However, given his Martial Arts Practitioner’s physique, these were merely minor injuries, not enough to damage bones or tendons.

Yao Liu said nothing. He simply flicked his fingers again. Mysterious light flowed at his fingertips. There was no grand display of power, as if he were gently plucking a zither.

“Seven-String Immortal Sword?” Qi Xuansu showed surprise.

The Seven String Immortal Sword was not a physical blade but a technique unleashed through a seven-stringed zither, transforming sound into invisible swords. True essence and innate qi could be infused into the music to disrupt an opponent’s mind. When the opponent’s qi resonated with the melody, they would unconsciously fall under its control. When the music slowed, their innate qi slowed, and when it accelerated, their innate qi followed suit.

Though no instrument was visible, sharp twanging sounds rang out. Points on Qi Xuansu’s shoulders and lower abdomen gradually reddened. At first, they were no bigger than needle pricks, then they expanded to the size of coins, staining his clothes with blood.

At that moment, Qi Jiaoyao had already blocked Yao Liu’s sword and launched a counterattack, forcing him to focus entirely on her and leaving no room to pursue Qi Xuansu.

Hundreds of brilliant golden lamps appeared around Yao Liu, rising and falling in the air. Invisible connections linked them together, building a formation in front of him that halted Qi Jiaoyao’s strike.

Her attack failed. Qi Jiaoyao flipped her hand and produced the Bone-Illuminating Mirror. With a single sweep, more than a dozen golden lamps vanished into nothingness.

Yao Liu dared not go against the immortal object. Instead, he used the golden lamps to stall time and seized the opportunity to evade the Bone-Illuminating Mirror.

Qi Xuansu had never been the type of martial fanatic who sought fair duels. He disliked one-on-one fights. If he could overwhelm the opponent with numbers, he would never fight alone, and if a sneak attack from behind was possible, he would not confront the enemy head-on.

If he could win through clever means, he would never rely on brute force.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu drew Green Cloud and loudly invoked the name of the Ancestral Heavenly Preceptor.

Thunderclouds surged, and heavenly lightning descended.

The golden lamps summoned by Yao Liu were annihilated one after another under the power of the heavenly thunder.

As if facing a formidable enemy, Yao Liu waved his hand and pulled a creation out of nowhere, using it to block the falling lightning.

Although this creation was not at the level of a Great Asura, it was still a Yaksha. Even so, it was instantly annihilated by the heavenly thunder, leaving not the slightest trace behind. The lightning did not dissipate entirely. Residual shockwaves continued to descend.

As a result, the heavenly thunder’s power weakened enough for Yao Liu to withstand it. The ritual sword in his hand was called the Heavenly Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword, which was renowned within the Daoist Order.

The Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword was not unique. Many such blades existed, and it was especially suited for the Taiyin 13 Swords. Even so, when Qi Xuansu had once selected semi-immortal objects, the Heavenly Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword had still been marked as “unavailable,” showing just how coveted it was. Its power was beyond doubt.

While Yao Liu used the Heavenly Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword to resist the lightning, Qi Xuansu did not stand idle. He struck out with a punch that shook the void.

This was Qi Xuansu’s most lethal technique at his current level. It ignored all forms of defense. If this blow landed, Yao Liu would be gravely injured even if he survived.

Qi Xuansu’s punch nearly shattered Yao Liu’s internal organs. But then Yao Liu slowly dissipated, while another appeared in the distance.

This was the Tribulation Substitute of a Banished Immortal. When cultivated to the extreme, it could even deceive the heavens.

Though Yao Liu evaded Qi Xuansu’s punch, he could not escape Qi Jiaoyao.

Merging with the sword in her hand, Qi Jiaoyao transformed into a streak of sword light and slashed toward Yao Liu’s neck.

In the next moment, a head shot into the air, still bearing a faint smile without the slightest trace of panic, leaving it unclear whether he had failed to react or felt completely confident.

Qi Jiaoyao remained unmoved. With successive strikes, she sliced the headless body down to bare bones.

The severed head rose on its own and laughed, saying, “Do you really think that you can kill me?”

After that, the headless skeleton reached out and grasped the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword. A slightly illusory female face emerged from the broken neck. Her eyes were alluring, and her long white hair cascaded behind her like a cloak.

Meanwhile, the head alone generated layers of mist from its severed neck. The mist gradually condensed into a delicate and graceful female form. However, what was most noticeable were the fingernails on both hands, gleaming with a dark luster and extending nearly 30 centimeters in length, like ten short swords.

Qi Jiaoyao’s expression changed slightly. “The Yin-Yang Unification Method?”

The Yin-Yang Unification Method was a perfected method, yet it came with severe limitations. Each use greatly depleted vital energy, allowing only one body to split into two while simultaneously confusing yin and yang. Thus, Yao Liu’s male body bore a female appearance, and his male head produced a female form. Since male corresponded to yang and female to yin, the mingling of yin and yang resulted in a blurred gender.

Qi Jiaoyao did not dare underestimate him in the slightest. She deployed the Ruyi Light Barrier, guarding herself tightly against the two exceedingly strange bodies that could switch positions, conceal their forms, and appear without a trace. One careless moment could result in injury.

Facing two yin-yang versions of Yao Liu, Qi Xuansu showed no fear. Holding a blade in one hand and a sword in the other, he rushed forward.

The female-faced, male-bodied Yao Liu flicked their long hair, which instantly stretched hundreds of meters as they swept toward Qi Xuansu.

The strands of hair interwove until they blotted out the sky.

In the next instant, a radiant blade of light flashed, severing the flowing hair cleanly at the waist.

It was the Free-Roaming Blade Technique from the Demonic Blade, combined with the semi-immortal object Pure Bodhi, delivering a single decisive slash.

The blade light did not stop. Yao Liu bore the brunt of it and could only deploy the Black Hair Armor, weaving their hair into a cocoon that wrapped around them entirely to resist the attack.

Meanwhile, the male-faced, female-bodied Yao Liu instantly closed in on Qi Xuansu, activating the Dark Yin Sword Qi from the Taiyin 13 Swords. With rapid flicks of ten fingers, dense layers of sword qi erupted in overwhelming waves.

Qi Xuansu used the Dragon Tiger Sword Technique to control Green Cloud, shielding himself completely. Countless metallic clashes rang out in rapid succession.

Then all three figures vanished simultaneously.

Chilling sword light flickered into existence and vanished repeatedly, followed by a continuous series of metallic clashes.

When the three figures reappeared, Qi Xuansu remained unharmed, calm, and composed.

The male-faced, female-bodied Yao Liu’s nails were completely shattered, and their fingers were mutilated. Meanwhile, the female-faced, male-bodied Yao Liu was left with only short hair.

The two Yao Lius’ auras weakened rapidly. They flew toward each other and merged back into one, returning to their original form.

At that very moment, Yao Liu suddenly sensed danger. But before he could react, a sharp pain struck his back. Then, the tip of a sword pierced through his chest, blood streaming down.