A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1452: Taken Down

The Daoist Order was like a great furnace, refining people the same way one refined pills.

To achieve success within the Daoist Order, one had to cultivate certain abilities. The first level could loosely be called “tact,” never revealing one’s true attitude too easily. The second level built further upon that foundation, mastering balance and constantly weighing every situation. The highest level was what the sages described as following one’s heart’s desires without overstepping the boundaries.

However, some people mystified political maneuvering as some kind of dragon-slaying art, believing that everyone had unfathomable schemes and extremely manipulative skills. As such, every encounter became some game of strategy, with layer upon layer of reversals hidden in endless trump cards.

In this arena of power, though things were not simple, they were not that complicated.

In this world, there were a few truly capable and shrewd people and a few utterly deranged people. The overwhelming majority were ordinary people. They could only see what lay before them, not what came after. Even those lofty Sages were no exception.

Everyone advanced one step at a time and assessed things as they came. If someone could see two steps ahead while taking one, they were already considered exceptional. But who could truly foresee ten steps into the future?

Li Tianlan’s logic and behavior had always been consistent. His downfall today began and ended with one thing—money.

Men died for wealth, just as birds died for food.

Some people found it puzzling that even at such a critical moment, Li Tianlan still failed to flee because of concerns over his assets despite all his supposed cunning and foresight. But if Li Tianlan had truly been able to see through this obsession, why would he have waited until now? Had he never harbored such greed from the beginning, then no one could have touched him. Would a dignified Second Deputy Daoist Mansion Master ever truly lack food or clothing?

Li Tianlan was not like Fang Linhou or Ma Jinguo. No one had ever forced him, nor had anyone compelled him into corruption. This was precisely one of the advantages of being born into an aristocratic family. He chose greed of his own accord.

People without courage would never dare engage in this kind of business. Those bold enough to do it were inevitably confident in themselves; hence, they would never let go easily.

If they were capable of letting go, they would have done so long ago.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Jucheng were not omniscient strategists with multiple plans prepared in advance. The two of them had acted on impulse, intending to use Li Ping as an angle of attack, essentially probing first to see whether anything would come of it. Later, when they discovered that the approach would not work, they became troubled. It was only after Madam Qi brought Liu Hu over that the problem was finally resolved.

When it came to the actual operation, the two merely discussed matters briefly, divided responsibilities, and then relied on adapting to circumstances and making decisions on the spot. What was truly tested was their ability to improvise.

Taking the enemy down in a single move was naturally ideal. If that failed, then they would think of ways to deal with failure afterward.

Thus, this clash between the two sides was not like a game of chess filled with intricate exchanges and brilliant tactics. It was more like a brutal close-quarters battle.

What truly mattered here was informational advantage. With superior information, every calculation would strike true. Without it, one was like a blind and deaf man, forced to rely purely on guesswork.

Shi Luosi had suffered backlash, and Wu Guangbi was held back by Madam Wu. Li Tianlan was left without any remaining trump cards and could only face Qi Xuansu alone.

Qi Xuansu closed the distance in an instant. His towering Manly Immortal True Form, combined with the phoenix wings, made him seem as large as a mountain.

He raised his fist high.

The overwhelming pressure of a Zaohua-stage Martial Arts Practitioner was so immense that pebbles and debris on the ground floated in midair before being crushed into powder under the unbearable force.

Locked down simultaneously by divine sense and fist intention, Li Tianlan could not even move, much less evade.

Qi Xuansu threw a punch, causing Li Tianlan’s entire body to drift back and be embedded into the city wall.

However, the city wall barely trembled, while Li Tianlan seemed perfectly embedded into the wall, fitting seamlessly without the slightest gap.

Qi Xuansu transformed his fist into a claw and reached toward Li Tianlan.

Wu Guangbi, who was fiercely battling Madam Wu, naturally could not stand by idly. He unleashed his sword strike to temporarily force Madam Wu back, though one of his sleeves was burned away by her flames. He then transformed into a streak of sword light and shot directly toward Qi Xuansu.

Madam Wu transformed into a trail of firelight, closely pursuing the sword light.

Qi Xuansu was experienced in battle. Moreover, he shared a tacit understanding with Madam Wu. He immediately shifted direction to confront Wu Guangbi, forming a pincer attack from two sides.

Facing the aggressively advancing Wu Guangbi, Qi Xuansu still chose to fight barehanded.

Just as Wu Guangbi had said, without the Twin Sword Union, Qi Xuansu’s swordsmanship simply was not worth mentioning.

Qi Xuansu pushed his right palm upward. This move was the Past Meru from the Three Sacred Fist, which specialized in defense.

Although the palm faced outward, this strike was not aimed at attacking enemies externally. Instead, it protected the self. Within the range covered by this palm, the past remained unmoving.

Qi Xuansu’s entire body rapidly lost its color, becoming like a silhouette buried among faded old papers, an image from history.

No matter how fierce and overwhelming the sword light became, it lost all meaning. The sword light passed directly through the area encompassed by Qi Xuansu’s palm, as though Qi Xuansu did not truly exist at all. Since he was merely an image, he could not be harmed in the slightest.

Of course, Past Meru was not flawless. If there were no space to sustain it, then time itself would lose meaning as well. A Martial Arts Practitioner who could shatter the void could break through it.

Unfortunately, Wu Guangbi was a Diviner.

However, Past Meru also had its drawbacks. First, while maintaining this state, one could not perform any other actions. Second, the consumption was enormous. Even though Qi Xuansu was already nearing the Pseudo-Immortal stage, he could not sustain it for long. Almost the instant the sword light ended, Qi Xuansu also ended the state. Since his cultivation was inferior to Huangfu Ji’s, he even experienced a brief moment of weakness afterward.

Wu Guangbi was just about to launch another sword strike at Qi Xuansu when Madam Wu arrived, positioning herself directly in front of him.

“Get lost!” Wu Guangbi’s brows stood upright in fury as he swept his sword horizontally.

In an instant, the entire space was reduced to only black and white. Countless sword traces crisscrossed like ink wash strokes, growing denser until they merged into one gigantic stroke of black ink.

Madam Wu did not dodge at all, allowing the sword strike to land on her body.

Her true body was an immortal object, and destroying an immortal object was likely even more difficult than killing an Immortal.

Back then, when Madam Wu had faced Elder Xu and the Holy Xuan within the Kunlun Paradise, Elder Xu even used the Taiyi Supreme Technique. But he only managed to heavily injure Madam Wu. She could still retreat intact.

Among all the Daoist patriarchs, Elder Xu had actually killed the most people, even once standing alone against a group of Immortals. How could Wu Guangbi possibly compare to Elder Xu?

Having realized this as well, Wu Guangbi raised a brow. Continuing the fight was meaningless. At best, he could only temporarily force her back. Just as he was about to use sword qi to push Madam Wu away, he suddenly noticed that the feathers from the Seven Feather Five Fires Fan were drifting down and landing on him. Their colors varied, as they all belonged to divine birds with mastery over flames.

Madam Wu smirked and said, “Burn him to ashes.”

More and more feathers gathered, wrapping Wu Guangbi entirely within them. Then multicolored flames burst forth from the gaps between the feathers, turning Wu Guangbi into a humanoid torch.

Qi Xuansu deliberately said, “Madam Wu, use every kind of fire you’ve got and burn him to death.”

“As if I need you to tell me that. I definitely wouldn’t hold back,” Madam Wu replied. “Go handle your own business.”

Qi Xuansu said nothing more. With a leap, he arrived directly before Li Tianlan.

The large contingent of Spirit Guards had finally completed the encirclement, awaiting Qi Xuansu’s orders.

Spirit Guards always seemed to arrive only after everything was already over.

But Qi Xuansu had never truly relied on them anyway. He ordered, “Take all of them into custody.”

The Spirit Guards loudly acknowledged the command and stepped forward.

Anyone could see that Second Deputy Li’s fate was sealed. At such a time, there was no longer any need for hesitation or concern.

However, the leading Spirit Guard still reminded him, “Chief Deputy, this Westerner appears to be the Holy Court’s representative stationed at St. Mary’s Church.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “I know.”

The subordinates immediately understood and asked no further questions. Since Chief Deputy Qi knew the man’s identity and still ordered his arrest, it meant he was fully aware of the consequences. There was no need for further reminders.

Shi Luosi, who was still suffering backlash, no longer had the ability to resist. Facing the dark muzzles of the firearms, he wisely surrendered. “Don’t kill me. I am a representative of the Holy Court.”

The face of the second-rank Spirit Guard was concealed beneath a pitch-black mask, making any expression impossible to read. Other than requesting instructions from superiors, the Spirit Guards rarely spoke.

With a wave of his hand, two Spirit Guards stepped forward and escorted Shi Luosi away.

Li Tianlan had already been heavily wounded after taking two consecutive punches from Qi Xuansu. These Spirit Guards were no ordinary forces either. They were fully armed, tightly surrounding Li Tianlan, with every weapon aimed directly at him.

Seeing this, Li Tianlan offered no further resistance and closed his eyes in despair.

The second-rank Spirit Guard raised a hand and gestured forward.

The Spirit Guard advanced slowly, most of them still keeping their firearms trained on Li Tianlan. Then, two third-rank Spirit Guards stepped forward and pulled the Second Deputy down from the city wall.

Qi Xuansu ordered, “Take him away!”

On the other side, Madam Wu ultimately failed to burn Wu Guangbi to death. The multicolored flames flickered between brightness and dimness before the feathers finally scattered and exploded outward. Then Wu Guangbi transformed into a streak of sword light and shot into the sky.

The Grand Leader of the Heavenly Court did not linger for even a moment and quickly fled the scene.

The Spirit Guards were just about to raise their firearms at Wu Guangbi when Qi Xuansu lifted a hand to stop them. “Don’t waste your effort. Let him go.”

Qi Xuansu had not suddenly become merciful. Rather, Sage Qingwei had warned him beforehand that everything had to stop at Li Tianlan.

Since Qi Xuansu was not someone who could act without restraint within the Daoist Order, and Sage Qingwei had already yielded one step, Qi Xuansu could not push further. Otherwise, that would only risk offending Sage Qingwei.