A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1351: Lightning and Fire

Audrey had not slept for several days. With her physical condition, she could endure it, but she looked somewhat haggard.

As they drew closer to San Antonio, Audrey grew increasingly uneasy. She could not help but say to Qi Xuansu, “I have a feeling the people from the Evangelical Ministry are getting closer to us.”

Qi Xuansu, always sparing with emotional comfort, did not try to soothe her. “Your feeling is correct. The Ministry is gradually locking onto our position. We will eventually have to face them.”

Audrey’s face turned pale at once, her lips trembling.

But Qi Xuansu continued, “But there’s no need to worry too much. We’re also getting closer to our reinforcements.”

A bit of color returned to Audrey’s face. “From the South?”

Qi Xuansu merely nodded and said nothing more.

During this time, Qi Xuansu had not been idle. He was not simply accompanying Audrey on the train. He had been constantly communicating and coordinating with various parties, including Li Mingzhen, Lu Yujue, and Beichen Hall’s headquarters.

Li Mingzhen was mainly responsible for handling the retreat. With the Evangelical Ministry’s headquarters suffering heavy damage and the traitor Sun Zhongnu dead, the retreat could be slowed somewhat. Those already exposed had to be withdrawn, while those still hidden could remain.

Li Mingzhen showed great respect for Qi Xuansu, reporting, seeking approval, and leaving records for everything, as he was afraid that acting on his own might lead to mistakes and leave him to take the blame.

Qi Xuansu was known for taking responsibility, so he did not mind this at all and simply directed matters remotely.

Lu Yujue reported on the Western Daoist Order’s movements and acted as a messenger. Since there had been no prior arrangement, Qi Xuansu could not directly contact Huangfu Ji, who was also in the Northern Continent, and had to rely on Lu Yujue to relay messages. Lu Yujue had just conveyed Huangfu Ji’s goodwill. The youngest Sage of the Western Daoist Order explicitly expressed his intent to come support Chief Deputy Qi, so Qi Xuansu could only respond with thanks.

Beichen Hall’s headquarters was too far away for ordinary mother-child mirrors. Thus, when the assistants needed to contact headquarters, they typically used large-scale rapid post talismans for written communication.

However, Beichen Hall, as a special external-facing organization, had its own solutions. The key lay in the Lotus Seat token in Qi Xuansu’s possession. Purely in terms of communication, it was comparable to a semi-immortal object. The method used by Sage Qingwei and Tantai Zhenxiao to communicate was similar, though theirs was not portable. It was fixed in place and capable of full-body projection.

Such communication tools were collectively known as the Cloud Message, distinct from the rapid post talisman, mother-child mirror, and voice transmission talisman.

Although the Cloud Message had countless advantages, its only drawback was its extremely high cost. As a result, it could not be widely used and was limited to a small number of high-ranking individuals.

Qi Xuansu reported the general course of events to Sage Qingwei.

Sage Qingwei’s instructions focused on two points. First, he reiterated that the situation must not escalate. Any conflict had to remain localized and must not develop into full-scale war, largely due to financial constraints. Second, Qi Xuansu was to adapt to circumstances and make decisions as situations arose.

The second instruction might seem vague, but it actually granted Qi Xuansu a degree of autonomy, as long as he did not violate the first principle.

Just as Qi Xuansu was about to contact Lu Yujue again, the steam train suddenly lurched violently.

The sky outside the window darkened instantly, like storm clouds pressing down upon the city.

“They’re here!” Audrey clutched her chest, her face filled with panic.

Qi Xuansu gestured for her to stay calm. “Stay in the carriage. I’ll go take a look.”

“Alright.” Audrey forced herself to calm down.

The next moment, Qi Xuansu was already standing on the roof of the train.

The steam train continued speeding forward, but the sky had turned pitch black. Countless heavy clouds gathered, with lightning coiling within them, occasionally revealing glimpses like a divine dragon whose full form could never be seen.

On closer inspection, the storm clouds seemed to move along with the train itself.

That alone would have been alarming enough, but numerous black-robed clerics were flying above the train, moving in parallel, so they appeared to be hovering motionless from the train’s perspective.

Qi Xuansu stood with his hands behind his back. “Who’s there?”

The leader held a very unusual hammer. Rather than a spiked mace, it resembled a blacksmith’s hammer—square-headed and imbued with immense lightning energy.

The storm clouds above were likely summoned by him.

He replied coldly, “I am Alex Tudor, Cardinal Deacon of the Evangelical Ministry.”

Although Alex was seemingly of the same rank as Dennis, whom Qi Xuansu had slain, they could not be compared directly. Just as Qi Xuansu and Pei Xiaolou were both second-rank Taiyi Daoists, yet vastly different in status and cultivation.

Qi Xuansu had handled quite a number of immortal objects—such as the Heavenly Preceptor’s Twin Swords, the Three Treasures Scepter, the Guizang Lamp, the Bone-Illuminating Mirror, and Madam Wu, not to mention the Longevity Stone Heart. He had also gone up against many others, like the Skycaller, Mountain Whip, and the Scripture of Zuriel. He had seen even more, such as Moral Sovereign, the Eight Scenes Lantern, the Nether Passage Lantern, the Qinghuo Pearl, and Heaven’s Will.

In this regard, few below the level of immortals could compare with Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu’s discernment was beyond doubt. He could roughly determine that the hammer in Alex’s hand was likely a divine artifact, equivalent to an immortal object.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu was merely an incarnation. Without Madam Wu’s assistance, he was inferior even to his true body. He might not be a match for so many opponents, even if they did not wield immortal artifacts.

At this critical moment, a phoenix cry suddenly resounded across the heavens.

The cry rose from behind the clouds. The pitch-black storm clouds suddenly began to glow, growing brighter and brighter, their edges seeming to burn as if lined with a fiery crimson-gold rim.

Then, a flaming phoenix tore through the heavy clouds. Wherever it passed, lightning dissipated into nothingness, and the fire reduced the clouds to ash, staining the sky crimson.

In the blink of an eye, the oppressive storm transformed into a brilliant sunset glow.

“I’m here!” Madam Wu announced.

The fiery phoenix streaked across the sky, drawing everyone’s attention. The intense heat distorted the air along its path, leaving trails of flame behind. The clerics from the Evangelical Ministry scattered and dodged, fearing even the slightest contact.

At last, before everyone’s eyes, the phoenix flew straight toward Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu was engulfed in flames, yet instead of being reduced to ashes, he seemed to be reborn within them. His aura surged continuously until he reached the Pseudo-Immortal stage, even surpassing the phoenix itself.

A layer of five-colored flames enveloped him. It was harmless to Qi Xuansu, yet capable of incinerating all things.

At the same time, a longsword appeared in Qi Xuansu’s hand—it was Green Cloud.

Qi Xuansu manifested his Celestial Phenomena Spiritual Statue, focusing on Himiko’s form. As a sun deity, this manifestation governed light and flame, which perfectly matched Madam Wu. Together, they amplified each other’s power to an even greater level. Moreover, Qi Xuansu also had Izanagi’s Left Hand. Since Izanagi was Himiko’s father, the two shared the same origin and were inherently connected.

With these three layers of augmentation, Qi Xuansu’s control over fire reached an utterly terrifying level.

The elite forces of the Evangelical Ministry sent to capture Qi Xuansu all wore grave expressions.

Huangfu Ji had succeeded in his surprise attack on the Evangelical Ministry’s headquarters partly because their elites had all been dispatched to hunt Qi Xuansu. Even so, these elites dared not be careless, as Qi Xuansu was now a Pseudo-Immortal.

With the augmentation of various external forces like Madam Wu, Qi Xuansu was extremely close to the level of a true Immortal.

Alex made a gesture. The clerics around him scattered and began praying, continuously reinforcing him with divine spells.

The Cardinal Deacon raised the hammer in his hand, gathering thunderclouds once more.

A thunderous boom echoed across the sky, and a bolt of blue lightning tore through the dense clouds, striking at Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu looked up at the descending thunderbolt and raised Green Cloud without the slightest hesitation.

There was no sword qi but flames surging skyward.

A fire dragon roared forth, smashing the falling thunderbolt into fragments. In an instant, both were annihilated, leaving only countless sparks of lightning and drifting embers scattered through heaven and earth.

The dark clouds above grew heavier, thunder roared incessantly, and purple lightning flickered unpredictably.

In the East, celestial phenomena were often seen as expressions of heaven’s emotions—rain as sorrow, snow as grief, and thunder as wrath against those who defied its will.

Amid the thunder, a massive vortex slowly formed at the center of the layered clouds.

The second bolt of heavenly lightning burst forth from the vortex, thick enough that several people could barely encircle it. It formed a line connecting heaven and earth, visible even hundreds of kilometers away.

Qi Xuansu neither dodged nor retreated. He simply raised his left hand.

Endless flames gathered into a beam that surged upward to the sky.

The thunderbolt had not even fully descended before it was pushed back by the torrent of fire.

The flames continued to spread into the sky itself, setting everything ablaze. It could no longer be described as fiery clouds. Instead, it resembled unstoppable magma, like the hellscapes described in the Holy Court’s Scripture.

Yet amid the raging flames, the final bolt of heavenly lightning struggled to emerge. This time, it was not a serpent-like strike but a sphere of lightning that was about 100 meters in diameter. It resembled a Phoenix Eye Bomb hurled from a flying ship, plunging straight down toward Qi Xuansu.