A Pawn's Passage

The humanoid insects’ earliest batch of eggs came from a mother insect. As such, the hive must have a queen.

According to the Daoist Order’s investigations, the Insect Hive was located within the Spirit Realm, which also served as the ascension destination for humanoid insects who became Insect Immortals.

The only problem was that the Daoist Order had never found an entrance to said Spirit Realm.

From Hun Ahau’s words, it seemed that the passage between the Spirit Realm and the mortal world had somehow been sealed off, much like that of Lingshan Paradise. That was why no entrance could be found.

This “passage” was not physical, but rather an abstract concept. When Qi Xuansu ascended to the Lingshan Paradise, there had not even been a path to follow. Even time itself had become distorted.

This concept was similar to a Heavenly Immortal projecting an incarnation into the mortal world. At its core, it involved breaking through the barrier between two worlds. However, because these lesser worlds still depended upon the mortal realm for their existence, their barriers were easier to breach. Heavenly Immortals, on the other hand, had completely departed from the mortal world, making the barrier far more difficult to penetrate.

By the same logic, Hell was attached to the Netherworld rather than the mortal realm. The difficulty of breaking through its barrier was lower than that of reaching the higher worlds inhabited by Heavenly Immortals, yet significantly greater than that of accessing various pocket realms and divine kingdoms. This was why Hell had become the Holy Court’s place of exile. It ensured that those banished there could not return.

What was commonly called the Heavenly Realm or the Immortal Realm was not the visible sky or the stars overhead. It was a concept rather than a tangible place.

This world was known as the Boundless Mystery Realm. It was infinite and empty, containing nothing at all—no light, shadow, or sound. It had no beginning or end. If an ordinary mortal were to enter this realm, they would effectively cease to exist. If an Immortal entered this realm, they could travel through it by extending their spirit and consciousness while maintaining a state of profound stillness.

Within this realm, distance held no meaning. Whether something was near or far depended entirely on the reach of one’s spirit. If the spirit could reach it, then it lay within arm’s length. If the spirit could not, then it might as well be at the ends of the earth.

Western scholars proposed the concept of dimensions, believing this to be a world existing on a higher dimension than the mortal realm. If an ordinary person entered this higher dimension, they would effectively become nothing, much like a painted figure on paper that left the page and entered the real world, only to be reduced to mere pigments and ink, incapable of independent existence.

However, Immortals had already become transcendent beings. As such, they could exist within this higher dimension. Yet once they entered it, returning was extraordinarily difficult, close to impossible.

For that reason, ascension was a one-way journey with no return. To those remaining in the mortal world, ascension was not that different from death.

Pocket realms, divine kingdoms, the Spirit Realm, and Hell that had not yet descended into the mortal world existed somewhere between the Boundless Mystery Realm and the mortal realm, occupying a special dimension of their own.

The evidence for this was that those in the special dimension could avoid heavenly tribulations. Clearly, the Heavenly Dao no longer regarded these places as part of the mortal realm. Yet they were not destinations of true ascension either, which meant that one could still return from them.

Within these realms, time was distorted, and space itself lacked stability. As such, many things impossible in the mortal world could be accomplished there. That was how Qi Xuansu was able to return to the past.

This was the preliminary conclusion Qi Xuansu reached after consulting various documents and records during his time at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

These documents were not difficult to obtain. For someone of Qi Xuansu’s standing, they were practically public knowledge, provided one was willing to take the time to look through them.

Most Sages were far more interested in cultivation insights or the complexities of human relationships, so they paid little attention to such matters. Had Qi Xuansu not undergone such a unique experience himself, he would likely have been the same.

However, one question remained unresolved. These dimensions existing between heaven and the moral realm were extraordinarily special, and achieving such a feat would still require immense power. In Western terms, it was a matter of quantitative change producing qualitative change. According to estimates made by senior figures of the Daoist Order, it would theoretically require the combined efforts of two First-Tribulation Immortals.

At present, even counting Wu Luo and the Heavenly Preceptor, that made two known Immortals. That was certainly formidable, but for reversing time, it was still insufficient.

Qi Xuansu suspected that other Immortals had also participated, and more than one at that.

True Lord Ziguang, ancestor and ally of the Heavenly Preceptor, was a highly likely candidate. From many of her remarks, it was evident that she was aware of the Earthly Preceptor’s plans. Yet even if True Lord Ziguang were included, it still would not be enough.

As for the other immortals, Qi Xuansu had no idea who they might be. One possibility was the Virtuous Great Sage of the Zhengyi Sect, who was currently serving as the Great Sage of the East Shakya Daoist Mansion. Another possibility was the existence of other Immortals entirely unknown to the public.

The Daoist Order’s foundations were certainly not as simple as they appeared on the surface. The Quanzhen Sect concealed a figure like Zhou Mengyao, as well as the elusive leader of the Qingping Society, who might or might not actually exist. This did not even include the Sakka of Jianxiu Mountain. By the same logic, the Zhengyi Sect should possess figures similar to True Lord Ziguang in addition to her.

Long ago, Qi Xuansu had already suspected that the Daoist Order possessed one or more Godly Immortals. Even though the Daoist Order maintained a vast army of Spirit Guards, with its immense foundations, it would not be difficult to cultivate another Godly Immortal. After all, even the Southern Continent was home to numerous ancient gods, and the Holy Court had exiled more than one Apostle. There was no reason why the Daoist Order, which enjoyed the worship of millions across the East, could not achieve the same. Moreover, in its earliest days, the Zhengyi Sect had specifically overseen matters concerning ghosts and gods, placing it closest to these Godly Immortals.

The reason Zhang Wuhen had failed to ascend to immortality was that her theft of True Lord Taiyin’s lineage had been exposed almost immediately. Before she could complete the process, she was cut down by the Heavenly Preceptor with a single sword strike. Had she been given more time, then with the resources of the Zhengyi Sect, she likely would have become the second True Lord Taiyin. The real issue was her sensitive background. Had she been a pure-blooded member of the Zhang family rather than a descendant of a Godly Immortal, the Zhang family would probably have welcomed her success instead of purging her.

Looking at the matter from another angle, the Heavenly Preceptor was often constrained by the main branch of the Zhang family. While part of that could be attributed to the difficulty of resolving family disputes, it was unlikely that the Heavenly Preceptor genuinely feared Zhang Jucheng. Did this imply that the main branch of the Zhang family concealed a figure akin to a Supreme Elder? Among all transcendent beings, Godly Immortals were those capable of remaining in the mortal world for the longest periods of time.

Taking the speculation even further, if this theory were correct, then could the person who had pressured the Heavenly Preceptor into killing Zhang Wuhen with a single strike have been this hidden Godly Immortal of the Zhang family?

After all, if both the Heavenly Preceptor and his sister became Immortals, and with True Lord Ziguang already in existence, the Zhang family’s main branch would find it difficult to maintain its own position and authority.

By the same logic, the Li family’s influence did not rest solely on the Imperial Preceptor and Great Sage Zhang. Setting aside the Golden Patriarch and the Imperial Court, the Taiping Sect also included the Qingqiu Mountain lineage, a branch no less formidable than the Cihang lineage of the Zhengyi Sect. It was highly likely that a Fox Immortal existed within the Taiping Sect.

These figures did not belong to the Daoist Order’s normal hierarchy, nor did they hold official positions. One would never see them participating in deliberations at the Golden Tower Council. Yet when a critical moment arrived, when life and death were at stake, they would undoubtedly appear.

When one counted them all, it became easy to understand why the Daoist Order could deal with Kukulkan and why it could dictate terms to the Western Daoist Order despite the latter possessing two Immortals. The reason was simple—overwhelming strength, both at the highest levels and at the lowest.

Reopening such a metaphysical “passage” was naturally not something that could be accomplished through physical excavation. It required divine power to reconstruct the pathway itself.

The blue-robed old man Qi Xuansu had encountered was most likely a humanoid insect. More precisely, he was most likely an Insect Immortal, either at the Ascension stage or the Nascent Soul stage.

Rebuilding the passage required divine power. The humanoid insects lacked a foundation of faith and were unable to gather incense power. Therefore, they had to resort to special methods, such as blood sacrifices using living people. However, blood sacrifice belonged to the domain of Godly Immortals, something the humanoid insects could not accomplish on their own. As a result, they had to rely on external means such as the human-faced fruit trees.

At the same time, the humanoid insects were not powerful enough to complete the entire process of cultivation, planting, and harvesting on their own. They inevitably had to cooperate with other forces. Hun Chowen and Utu were both influential figures. Since it was a partnership, the profits had to be shared. Thus, Utu took away part of the harvest and, lacking any sense of integrity, even secretly consumed one of the fruits ahead of time.

The smaller human-faced fruit trees surrounding the area were likely still immature. Once fully grown, a forest of such size would yield a very considerable harvest.

The puzzle was beginning to come together.

On the other hand, the humanoid insects had interfered with the sacrifice to the Black Sun. The reasons behind this remained unknown. Someone had deliberately guided Qi Xuansu toward the humanoid insects’ trail, and that person clearly had ulterior motives. It could hardly be as simple as a struggle over divine power.

Qi Xuansu’s tone grew slightly sterner as he reprimanded him. “Ahau, although you are not a Daoist priest, you are trained by the Western Daoist Order. You are a general whose background is effectively equivalent to that of a Daoist Priest Kindred with decades of service, so you should understand the dangers involved. How could you know about such things and fail to report them?”

Hun Ahau adopted a very humble posture. “My understanding was insufficient. I will certainly reflect on my mistakes with the utmost seriousness.”

In truth, Qi Xuansu understood very well how serious the situation was. So far, only Hun Chowen and Utu had surfaced, and neither of them was an ordinary figure. One could only imagine the size of the iceberg still hidden beneath these deep waters. There were almost certainly Immortals backing the operation from behind the scenes, and it might even involve senior figures within the Western Daoist Order itself.

Even if Hun Ahau disregarded his brother’s reputation, he still would not dare make a reckless report or accusation. Seeking death was one thing, but this was not the way to do it.

Of course, if higher authorities initiated an investigation and ordered cooperation, that was an entirely different matter.

Qi Xuansu happened to be the representative sent by those higher authorities.

Therefore, Qi Xuansu could not criticize Hun Ahau too harshly. He merely made a passing point of it.

Qi Xuansu softened his tone once more. “Of course, this matter cannot be blamed entirely on you. If the Western Daoist Order chose not to deal with it, there was little that you alone could have done. Then again, the Western Daoist Order cannot be blamed entirely either. After all, they are fighting a war. If the war is lost and the Steam Evangelical Sect breaks through, then all previous efforts will have been wasted, and there would be no opportunity to concern oneself with matters like these. In the final analysis, all responsibility lies with the Steam Evangelical Sect.”

Hun Ahau replied solemnly, “Sage Qi, you’re absolutely correct. Thank you for your understanding.”

Qi Xuansu walked forward at an unhurried pace, his gaze casually sweeping across the towering temples. “From the looks of it, such a disorder can no longer be left unchecked. Ahau, this is your opportunity.”

Hun Ahau was taken aback. “Please enlighten me, Sage Qi.”

Qi Xuansu said, “You had been sidelined because of Chowen’s crimes. At your age, you are still in your prime, far from the time when you should retire to the mountains and enjoy a quiet life. You need an opportunity to prove your loyalty and capabilities to the Western Daoist Order, and right now, such an opportunity has presented itself.”

Though Hun Ahau called himself slow-witted, he was anything but foolish. He understood immediately and needed no further explanation. He promptly declared, “I shall act entirely at Sage Qi’s command.”