A Pawn's Passage

After consulting Sage Qingwei and seeking the opinion of the Western Daoist Order, Qi Xuansu ultimately succeeded in obtaining Hun Ahau’s cooperation in the investigation.

At present, the investigation had split into two fronts. One front concerned the Shadow Tide, while the other concerned the schemes of the humanoid insect. However, Qi Xuansu was in no hurry to touch either of these topics and instead raised another question—the Heron Society.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu and Hun Ahau were in the Hun Manor. After obtaining permission from the Western Daoist Order, although Hun Ahau still held the title of Commander-in-Chief overseeing military affairs in New Xijing, he was permitted to leave New Xijing and accompany Qi Xuansu back to the manor located in Cusco.

Although it had been unoccupied for only a few months, the degree of decay far exceeded expectations. Not only was everything covered in dust, but the place also emitted an ominous aura, like a haunted house.

As Qi Xuansu and Hun Ahau walked inside, it was as though two vividly colored figures had stepped into a black-and-white picture, completely out of place.

However, both Qi Xuansu and Hun Ahau knew that this was not the work of ghosts or spirits. With a Pseudo-Immortal Martial Arts Practitioner like Hun Ahau stationed here, no ghost would dare approach. The true cause was the human-faced fruit tree. The invasion of yin energy had already become extremely severe. Although yin energy bore some resemblance to ghostly qi, it originated from another world and was an absolutely real existence. Even the vigorous blood qi of a Manly Immortal could not completely suppress it.

Hun Ahau paid little attention to such things. Having spent many years in the military, he lived with great simplicity. He would not mind even if he were made to live in a graveyard.

Sitting on a chair covered in the colors of dust and decay, Qi Xuansu asked, “I have heard that General Hun is one of the members of the Heron Society. I’m quite curious. What kind of organization is the Heron Society?”

Hun Ahau pondered for a moment before replying, “I am not a member of the Heron Society. Chowen is. Of course, his motives for joining were not entirely pure. He merely wanted to find more like-minded people.”

Qi Xuansu nodded.

Although Hun Ahau and Hun Chowen were brothers, their temperaments were vastly different. Hun Ahau was a typical old-school man who desired power yet was also disciplined by it. He believed in orthodoxy and was not the sort to associate himself with secret societies.

Hun Ahau said, “As for the secrets of the Heron Society, I know no more than the Juesheng Hall. However, I have seen some references regarding the humanoid insects in my master’s notes.”

Qi Xuansu had once heard Huangfu Ji mention the Hun brothers’ master.

In addition to training its own disciples, the Western Daoist Order also liked to select exceptionally talented children from the military for cultivation. The Hun brothers’ master was one of the senior elders of the Western Daoist Order.

Not all experts of the Western Daoist Order came from the three great families. This senior elder was one such example. Though he stood alone without a family backing him, his cultivation was extraordinary. He was a genuine Immortal, and his seniority was roughly equivalent to a fifth-generation disciple of the Daoist Order.

It was precisely because this Daoist senior’s generation rank was so high and his age so advanced that he had ascended many years earlier. Had this elder not ascended and remained to support Hun Chowen, Unulatu might not have become the Empress of the Tawantin Empire.

At present, the Daoist Order consisted of four generations. The sixth-generation disciples were entering the final stage of life; the seventh-generation disciples were preparing to ascend to the highest positions in their careers; the eighth-generation disciples were gradually becoming the backbone of the Daoist Order; while the ninth-generation disciples had yet to shed their youthful immaturity.

Having four generations coexist was considered normal.

Judging by his age, Hun Ahau’s master had lived through the eras of three successive Grand Masters. When the third-generation disciples held power, this elder was roughly the same age as Qi Xuansu now. In his youth, he personally witnessed the humanoid insect calamity and even took part in the extermination campaign against the humanoid insects.

As such, his notes on the humanoid insects would constitute firsthand source material.

Madam Wu was an immortal object, making it inconvenient for her to travel the world freely on her own, so her knowledge and experiences were inevitably limited. She might not necessarily know more than this senior elder of the Western Daoist Order.

Hun Ahau’s expression grew somewhat solemn. “My master recorded many secrets concerning the humanoid insects in his notes. The fact that he was able to attain the rank of an Immortal speaks to his extraordinary talent. From a young age, he was designated as a key development target by the Western Daoist Order. As such, he maintained close ties with the upper echelons at the time, allowing him to learn many inside details.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Do Great Sage Tantai and Great Sage Gong know about these matters?”

Hun Ahau shook his head. “My master was considerably older than both Great Sages. Back then, even my master was still young, while the two Great Sages were not yet born...”

Qi Xuansu nodded in understanding.

Hun Ahau continued, “There should be some classified archives within the Western Daoist Order, though I don’t know whether the two Great Sages would have any interest in reading them. After all, following the extermination campaign, the humanoid insects were officially declared extinct. The Western Daoist Order’s enemy has always been the Steam Evangelical Sect, so who would bother spending effort on an enemy that has already been completely wiped out? With that time, wouldn’t it be better to study the Steam Evangelical Sect instead?”

Qi Xuansu was reminded of the archives at the Fenglin Daoist Mansion and felt that this was highly plausible. In many cases, even the most rigorous organizational structures could end up functioning like an amateur troupe. The issue did not lie in the rules and regulations but in the people themselves.

Qi Xuansu was no different. If it did not concern his own safety, he would never have bothered reading those weighty tomes about world barriers and various dimensions. With that time available, wouldn’t it be better to study internal personnel relationships instead?

Based on his own experience, Qi Xuansu assumed that the two Great Sages probably cared little about what was recorded in those piles of old documents. This was also a common flaw among those in positions of authority. They cared only about results and not the process.

Hun Ahau continued, “However, my master was an exception. He did not enjoy fighting for power and profit. Instead, he preferred exploring hidden mysteries and uncovering secrets. He was particularly interested in matters concerning the humanoid insects. Taking advantage of the access afforded by his status, he conducted an in-depth investigation into the origins of the humanoid insects.”

Qi Xuansu was not surprised that there were people in this world who did not love power. It could not be said that they did not desire power at all. Rather, they simply desired it less. As long as their minimum need for power was satisfied, they had no interest in pursuing greater heights.

He had once come into close contact with such an Immortal—Great Sage Lan. Aside from caring about the reputation he would leave behind after death, this elderly man desired little else. While others might steal half a day of leisure from work, Great Sage Lan probably had about 20 days of leisure every month. Compared to the ever-busy Three Deputy Grand Masters, Great Sage Lan certainly lived a more carefree life.

Therefore, it was not surprising that Hun Ahau’s master was an unusual figure.

Hun Ahau continued, “Sage Qi, I suppose you know that the humanoid insects first gained the Daoist Order’s attention in Funan Kingdom in Nanyang. The humanoid insects there fled to the Southern Continent after being hunted by the Daoist Order in Nanyang, passing through Sahul in the meantime. So where exactly did the humanoid insects originate?”

Qi Xuansu said, “As far as I know, the Daoist Order conducted an extensive investigation in Funan Kingdom afterward, practically turning the land upside down. Yet they could only determine that the humanoid insects had lived there for a very long time and did not originate there. They had migrated from elsewhere. Their ultimate origin was, of course, the Spirit Realm, but the hosts of the humanoid insects came from the mortal world. There is still no definitive answer to where exactly the earliest hosts came from.

“But there are several theories about who established the Spirit Realm. One theory is that members of the Buddhist Sect and the Wuist Sect jointly cultivated the humanoid insect and created the Spirit Realm. Another theory claims that Westerners conducted secret experiments in West Shakya, causing the humanoid insect calamity. The Spirit Realm was their laboratory, which eventually infected Poluo.

Hun Ahau said, “My master did not accept either of these explanations. In fact, he considered both to be complete nonsense. Neither the Buddhist Sect nor the Holy Court could control the humanoid insects. In particular, the humanoid insects’ cultivation methods closely resemble those of the Daoist Order, making it impossible for them to have anything to do with the Holy Court.”

Qi Xuansu’s expression became more serious. “Please elaborate.”

Hun Ahau explained, “My master did not record the details of how he conducted his investigation. He only left behind his conclusion in his notes. He believed that the humanoid insects came from the ocean, where the entrance to the Spirit Realm is located.”

Qi Xuansu frowned. “The ocean?”

For those who lived inland, the sea was a very unfamiliar existence. The so-called Age of Exploration had only begun within the past 200 years due to rapid advances in shipbuilding technology. Before that, the New Continent had remained isolated and cut off from the rest of the world. Immortals and Heavenly Beings could fly across vast oceans, but ordinary people could not. Without ordinary settlers and pioneers, discovering a new continent held little practical significance.

The oceans covered more area of the world than the land, so it was unsurprising to say that the ocean concealed great secrets.

However, humans’ exploration of the oceans remained limited. Looking across the Daoist Order, setting aside the Heavenly Empress, only the Li family possessed any substantial understanding or research in this area.

That was because the Li family’s headquarters, Penglai Island, was located at sea. Moreover, the Li family had a Dragon Cave beneath the sea. They had also maintained the tradition of hunting flood dragons, a practice dating back several centuries before even the Holy Xuan’s father. In those days, the Li family was known as the Dragon Kings. Whenever flood dragons came ashore, they brought devastating storms and caused enormous destruction. Hunting them was therefore considered a righteous act that protected the people and safeguarded the land.

Elder Li once ventured deep beneath the sea and suffered certain injuries. He publicly claimed that these injuries were caused by the immense water pressure of the ocean depths. At the time, the Holy Xuan had never been to the deep sea and therefore accepted his explanation as true.

Later, however, as Westerners began exploring the deep sea and publishing their findings, the Daoist Order gradually came to understand that ocean pressure was not quite as terrifying as previously believed. Elder Li’s injuries likely concealed another secret. By then, however, Elder Li had already ascended and departed from the world, so no one was able to determine what he had truly encountered in the depths of the sea.

The only certainty was that the ocean was not a benevolent place and concealed countless dangers.

There were even rumors that the gods of Fenglin originated from the sea as well.

The first generation of deities in Fenglin were known as the Kotoamatsukami, numbering five in total. The second generation was known as Kamiyonanayo, with seven gods. Added together, there were twelve deities, the last two of whom were Izanagi and Izanami.

According to legend, Fenglin once floated upon the vast ocean and was highly unstable. The gods then commanded Izanagi and Izanami to stabilize and shape the land. Standing upon the Floating Bridge of Heaven, the two deities lowered the Ame-no-Nuboko bestowed upon them by the gods into the sea and stirred the waters. When they lifted the spear, Fenglin finally took shape.