A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1345: Shooting the Wolf

The flying craft slowly rose into the air and departed from the port. On the floating island below, the Paladins raised their lances in salute. Milton did not leave immediately but stood in place according to protocol, watching the flying craft off. The flying craft, in turn, circled the floating island once in salute before officially departing.

Milton watched the flying craft disappear into the distance and traced an inverted triangular holy emblem out of habit, as if presiding over a funeral and mourning the departed.

The once clear sky had grown noticeably dimmer at some point.

Sadie of the Morgan Brotherhood also emerged from the underground tunnels today, climbed to the rooftop of a tall building, and watched the departing flying craft through a telescope.

She had been waiting for some unexpected turn of events, such as a strike descending from the sky or a violent explosion within the flying craft. Yet nothing happened, leaving her somewhat disappointed.

After spending a large sum to purchase the intelligence, that client seemed to have backed out, doing nothing at all.

However, Sadie was not entirely disappointed, because the journey from St. York to San Francisco was not a short one.

The Patriarch had already left St. York yesterday to head to the Holy Seat in the Old Continent to attend a conclave of the highest level, with all Patriarchs present.

It seemed the Holy Seat was determined to resolve the wars among Lune, the Nederland, and Ibia Kingdoms.

Thus, the Northern New Continent was currently in a relatively weakened state. Although a cardinal bishop remained in charge, he had to ensure not only the safety of St. York but of the entire Northern New Continent, inevitably stretching his resources thin.

Sadie’s intelligence included the flying craft’s route. Due to frequent hurricanes and unpredictable weather in the New Continent, a fixed safe route was typically used to deal with extreme conditions. No matter how suspicious Sun Zhongnu might be, he could not arbitrarily change the route.

Qi Xuansu had already left St. York and was waiting along the flying craft’s inevitable path.

After all, Qi Xuansu’s true body was unburdened, free to go wherever he pleased.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu was hard at work on a high ground, like a diligent mechanical worker.

Had Madam Qi been present, she would have found the devices he was working onto be very familiar.

Back then, at the Ascension Platform in Jinling Prefecture, Madam Qi had used this very weapon to fire upon True Lord Siming. Later, during the great battle in Thanglong Prefecture, Qi Xuansu and Madam Qi also used it to bombard the Ancient Immortal and Chen Shuhua in succession.

This was the portable cannon Star Plucker, developed by Jianxiu Mountain. It could be paired at best with the Grade-A Series Three Dragon Eye Bullet. Though somewhat troublesome to assemble, its power was beyond doubt. Even a Pseudo-Immortal would not fare well after taking a hit. In direct combat, assembling it on the spot would be too late, but with prior preparation and by lying in wait, it could easily catch an opponent off guard.

Qi Xuansu took out another cylindrical shell that was half his height—the Grade-A Series Three Dragon Eye Bullet.

The Grade-A Series One and Two Phoenix Eye and Dragon Eye Series Ammunition were strictly controlled by the Daoist Order because there were limited stock. Without official authorization, they could not be used and were never circulated externally. Thus, the Grade-A Series Three Dragon Eye Bullet was the upper limit for general deployment because it could still be carried around by an individual. The Grade-A Series Three Phoenix Eye Bomb was too large and must be deployed from a flying ship.

However, the Grade-A Series Three Dragon Eye Bullet was extremely expensive. Each round was 23,500 Taiping coins at cost price, so the selling price was doubled.

Qi Xuansu had the authority to requisition such resources. In the past, when his cultivation level was lower, he used firearms. Now that his cultivation had advanced, it was only natural for him to use a cannon, which was simply a larger version of a pistol.

When the flying craft finally passed overhead, Qi Xuansu looked up.

Due to the great distance, the flying craft appeared very small in his view, like a bird. However, with his cultivation, he had already locked onto it firmly.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu had calibrated the Star Plucker. Without hesitation, he activated this special cannon with top-tier talismanic craftsmanship.

In an instant, vast amounts of elemental energy began converging toward the cannon. The Star Plucker resembled a vortex, continuously devouring the surrounding energies.

A fiery red glow began to gather deep within the cannon’s barrel.

The next moment, a thunderous boom erupted, and the entire mountaintop seemed to tremble. A shockwave spread in all directions, nearly peeling the skin off one’s face.

Qi Xuansu remained unmoved. Aside from his clothes fluttering violently, his body did not sway in the slightest.

The Phoenix Eye Bomb was used for a wider area attack, while the Dragon Eye Bullet was a point strike. For ordinary people, this “point” could cover an entire mansion and should be considered an area. But for a large flying craft, it was indeed like a sharp arrow, a precise point.

The speed of the Dragon Eye Bullet could not compare to that of a flying sword because such weapons were rarely aimed at individuals but rather at stationary targets.

Thus, Qi Xuansu had calculated a lead. Unless those aboard the flying craft were already on guard, there was no way they could evade it. After all, a flying craft could not stop on a whim.

A flaming meteor streaked across the sky, tracing a graceful arc before striking the flying craft directly.

The flying craft was not a Yinglong Warship. Its defensive barrier was immediately pierced through, triggering a massive explosion that caused a grand fireworks display in broad daylight.

The flying craft suddenly lurched, its tail trailing thick black smoke, descending at an angle toward the ground.

Qi Xuansu did not rush to stow away the Star Plucker. Instead, he darted straight toward the direction where the flying craft was falling.

Green Cloud was not with him. Qi Xuansu only had the Pure Bodhi at hand, but it was already sufficient.

In an extremely short time, the flying craft slammed into the ground, triggering another massive explosion. A blinding flash illuminated the entire world in an instant, and the thunderous blast shook the earth. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky as flames lit up the dim, overcast heavens.

Ordinary people could not possibly have survived such an explosion, but Qi Xuansu had escaped similar situations twice before. Thus, he had to confirm it personally to ensure nothing was left to chance.

When Qi Xuansu arrived, he saw many figures rushing out from the raging flames.

The first to appear were the Paladins.

They were somewhat similar to Spirit Guards. The divine armor they wore granted them extraordinary power, allowing them to survive such an explosion. However, their armor was no longer pristine white. They were now stained with soot and scorch marks. Some were also damaged, which was proof that they were far from unscathed.

Upon seeing Qi Xuansu, they said nothing and immediately formed ranks, charging straight toward him.

Qi Xuansu gave them a death befitting their status as knights, letting them fall along the path of their charge, and all it took was a single strike.

The Paladins at the very front suddenly found a wound splitting open across their chests which widened rapidly. Blood gushed forth, and the world before their eyes began to spin.

In an instant, their upper bodies had already flown off, while their lower halves continued their forward momentum before collapsing to the ground. Between the two halves lay a gruesome spread of blood and organs.

The momentum of that single strike did not cease. The Paladins behind them were also cut cleanly in half. Some did not die immediately and crawled on the ground with their hands, their blood pooling into a horrifying trail.

Qi Xuansu remained unmoved, advancing slowly with his blade in hand, granting a swift end to those who had not yet died.

Soon, all the surviving Paladins were sent to meet the Supreme Will.

At that moment, an arm tore open a hatch that had been too badly deformed to open normally, and two figures emerged from the burning wreckage of the flying craft.

This was Qi Xuansu’s first time meeting these two in person, but he had seen their images in the intelligence provided by Sadie, so he recognized them instantly.

One of them was Dennis Lopez, the head of the Evangelical Ministry in St. York and a Cardinal Deacon, which was equivalent to a second-rank Taiyi Daoist. The other was Sun Zhongnu, a traitor of the Beichen Hall and Qi Xuansu’s true target.

As a high-ranking member of the Evangelical Ministry, Dennis possessed considerable strength. He walked straight out of the raging flames, the fire unable to cling to him at all. In his other hand, he dragged the charred Sun Zhongnu, forcibly pulling the traitor out of the inferno.

Sun Zhongnu had been burned beyond recognition, with 90% of his skin carbonized. Yet he was far from dead because beneath the charred exterior were functioning prosthetics—metal bones, metallic tubes replacing blood vessels, gears replacing joints, and black fluid and steam replacing blood. These were the results of Steam Evangelical Sect’s modifications, making him merely appear battered rather than truly destroyed.

Qi Xuansu did not rush to strike since he still had a few questions to ask this traitor.

Dennis looked at Qi Xuansu with a grave expression.

He could clearly sense the strength of the man before him.

“Who are you?” Dennis finally asked.

The sky grew increasingly overcast. There seemed to be a hurricane approaching.

Qi Xuansu’s face flickered in and out of the firelight.

Before Qi Xuansu could respond, Sun Zhongnu, who was barely able to stand upright, spoke in a hoarse voice, “He’s from the Beichen Hall. I didn’t expect their retaliation to come so quickly.”

Qi Xuansu no longer concealed his appearance. His features shifted, returning to his original face. He finally spoke, “This isn’t revenge, but damage control. Besides, haven’t you been looking for me?”

Hearing this and seeing Qi Xuansu’s true face, Sun Zhongnu suddenly realized, “You’re Mr. Li—no, you’re the Lotus Seat Qi Xuansu!”

Before he finished his words, another violent explosion erupted, shooting flames into the sky.

Illuminated by the firelight, Qi Xuansu’s expression was cold and imposing.