A Pawn's Passage

Qi Jiaoyao was not very familiar with Lingshan’s main peak, yet she was unusually familiar with Elder Yao’s palace, as if she had studied a detailed guide beforehand. Fortunately, Qi Xuansu knew the other areas well. Thus, they had avoided many detours and bypassed numerous traps working together and finally reached the depths of Elder Yao’s palace.

Under Qi Jiaoyao’s guidance, the two entered the corridor leading to the altar area. It was extremely dim, with shadows swirling about.

However, Qi Jiaoyao walked ahead holding the Bone-Illuminating Mirror high, and not a single shadow dared approach. Just like that, the two passed through the corridor and arrived at the altar area.

Just as Qi Xuansu had seen in his dreams, there were nine altars supported by Great Witches here, each corresponding to one of the nine Great Witches.

With only a moment’s thought, Qi Xuansu realized which two Great Witches were missing—Wu Yang and Wu Xian.

Wu Xian required no explanation, as she was the leader of the Wuist Sect.

As for Wu Yang, aside from her relationship with the Daoist Order, she was never one of the Ten Witches of Lingshan. She was not subordinate to Wu Xian but answered directly to the Heavenly Emperor, so betrayal was out of the question.

Among the nine traitorous Great Witches, five had established their own faction, forming the Six Enlightened Witches together with Wu Yang. The remaining four did not break away but instead conspired to assassinate Wu Xian.

The nine altars were arranged from left to right, with a throne made of stone at the far end of the area.

Above the previously empty throne, a figure gradually materialized, first as points of light, then outlines connecting those points, until the image filled in to reveal a complete figure.

Qi Xuansu suppressed the urge to turn and run. He asked in barely a whisper, “Is that the Earthly Preceptor?!”

Qi Jiaoyao stared fixedly at the figure. “No, it’s Elder Yao.”

Before she finished speaking, the figure fully formed. It was indeed Elder Yao, whom Qi Xuansu had seen more than once during his trance.

Elder Yao sat upright on the throne, looking toward the two without anger. Instead, she even bore a somewhat flippant smile. “What are you two little thieves planning to do sneaking into my palace?”

Qi Jiaoyao examined the figure carefully and hesitated for a moment before saying, “This seems to be only a remnant of consciousness left behind by Elder Yao.”

“That’s right,” Elder Yao replied, unexpectedly continuing the conversation. “I am not the Elder Yao you speak of, but merely a fragment of her divine thought.”

For a moment, Qi Xuansu did not know what to say. Even if this was not the true body but only a fragment of divine thought, it was still the master of this place. He could not help but feel guilty and uneasy.

Elder Yao continued, “Interesting...both of you carry my aura.”

Qi Xuansu was startled.

It was not strange that he carried Elder Yao’s aura since he possessed the Longevity Stone Heart, a creation personally forged by Elder Yao behind the Holy Xuan’s back and deeply tied to the Wuist Sect.

But why would Qi Jiaoyao carry Elder Yao’s aura? Could she truly be a member of the Yao family?

After all, ordinary outsiders, or even a Deputy Chongyang Palace Master, could never know so many secrets about the Lingshan Paradise. Perhaps only the Earthly Preceptor’s personal secretary had the clearance.

Yet all of the Earthly Preceptor’s secretaries were well known,and none were named Qi Jiaoyao.

Just as Qi Xuansu was puzzled, Elder Yao spoke again. “In that case, I can give you an opportunity. You may be wondering what purpose this fragment of Elder Yao’s divine thought serves. Perhaps it is merely an illusion. You may try attacking me. If I truly am only a phantom, I will not be able to stop you, and the entire palace will be yours.”

Elder Yao paused briefly. “Of course, if I am more than just a simple illusion and possess even a trace of divine power, then we shall settle matters through strength and see whether you two can leave this palace alive.”

Neither Qi Xuansu nor Qi Jiaoyao spoke.

Even though Daoist histories softened their accounts out of reverence, they still could not hide Elder Yao’s notorious temperament. Who knew whether this was a trap?

Seeing that neither of them spoke for a long time, Elder Yao continued, “If you do not wish to take this opportunity, I will not force you. But I shall give you another option. You can hand over 5,000 marks of divine power in exchange for 2 hours of free-roaming in this palace. During that time, I will pretend to see nothing, and you may do as you please.”

As she spoke, the ground nearby split open, and a container designed to hold divine power rose from below.

It seemed Elder Yao had played this sort of game more than once.

Qi Xuansu and Qi Jiaoyao fell into deep internal conflict.

Given Elder Yao’s notoriety, it was highly likely she was just bluffing to frighten any intruders. This was certainly an outcome that would surely satisfy her twisted sense of amusement. Alternatively, she could be weak but feigned strength so that they would give her 5,000 marks of divine power. However, this newly acquired divine power would give her the means to strike. In that case, handing it over would amount to aiding the enemy.

Still, it could not be ruled out that Elder Yao truly had a hidden contingency. After all, this was her palace. But the restrictions here were strangely fragile, barely better than having no defenses at all. Such an abnormality suggested something suspicious.

Logically speaking, trading in 5,000 marks of divine power for a Longevity Stone Heart was, beyond doubt, a bargain. However, Qi Xuansu knew that the Longevity Stone Heart was already inside his own chest. Thus, spending those 5,000 units was equivalent to throwing them away.

Just as Qi Xuansu hesitated, Qi Jiaoyao spoke first. “We’ll give the divine power.”

After speaking, she whispered to him, “I only have 2,000 marks left. How much do you have?”

Qi Xuansu still had quite a bit. As a Chief Deputy Mansion Master, his divine power was replenished yearly, keeping his reserves around 5,000 marks.

Qi Xuansu stopped hesitating and directly infused 3,000 marks of divine power into the nearby container.

Qi Jiaoyao added the remaining 2,000 marks, filling the container perfectly.

“Very good.” Elder Yao waved her hand, and the container descended into the floor again. “As you expected, I require divine power to maintain my existence. My descendants have been rather unfilial. No one has replenished divine power for me in a long time. Even so, dealing with the two of you wouldn’t have been difficult. The palace itself doesn’t require divine power to function, and I can still mobilize all its restrictions.”

Qi Xuansu finally understood why Elder Yao had left behind a fragment of divine thought. It functioned like the spirit of the palace, embodying the will of the palace and able to activate its formations and restrictions at will.

Yet there was a trace of resentment in her tone. Had she grown lax, abandoning her duty to guard this place diligently, because the successive Earthly Preceptors failed to replenish her divine power?

“Now I will honor my promise. But remember—you only have two hours.” After saying this, Elder Yao slowly dissipated, leaving only an empty throne behind.

Without another word, Qi Jiaoyao rushed straight toward the altar corresponding to Wu Gu.

Qi Xuansu followed close behind.

Wu Gu’s corpse lay upon the altar.

Qi Jiaoyao did not immediately begin cutting open the body. Instead, she crossed her arms in a victorious pose and said to Qi Xuansu, “I told you the Longevity Stone Heart had to be here, but you didn’t believe me. Do you believe me now?”

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “It’s true that Elder Yao once nurtured the Longevity Stone Heart here. But I stand by what I said. The Heart was taken long ago. What remains is only an empty shell.”

Seeing that Qi Xuansu still refused to yield, Qi Jiaoyao immediately said, “Fine. Then how about a bet? Do you dare?”

“What kind of bet?” Qi Xuansu asked.

Qi Jiaoyao gave a cold smile. “A parent-and-child wager.”

“A parent-and-child wager?” Qi Xuansu repeated.

“That’s right.” Qi Jiaoyao felt completely confident of victory. “We won’t bet on material things, just pride. If there’s no Longevity Stone Heart in Wu Gu’s corpse, then you win. I’ll accept defeat and acknowledge you as my father. But if the Longevity Stone Heart is inside the corpse, then I win. If so, you’ll have to acknowledge me as your mother. What do you think? Do you dare?”

Qi Xuansu reached out and touched his chest, thinking to himself, My Longevity Stone Heart is genuine, personally verified by the Three Deputy Grand Masters. How could I possibly lose?

With that thought, Qi Xuansu couldn’t help but laugh. “Since you’re so eager to become my daughter, I won’t stop you. Let’s bet.”