A Pawn's Passage

Ixchel was not fully aware of Chak Chel’s schemes. At most, she had vague suspicions, but she was hardly surprised.

No one understood the meaning of estranged spouses better than she did.

Like most married couples in the world, the affection between Itzamna and Ixchel had long since vanished. All that remained was the outward form of marriage. For the sake of appearances, they still maintained a cordial facade in public.

However, behind closed doors, the husband and wife were constantly engaged in overt and covert struggles against one another.

As the Chief God, Itzamna was dissatisfied with the state of their marriage and attempted to salvage it. Naturally, a god’s way of repairing a relationship was nothing like that of mortals. This was not something that could be mended with a few comforting words, nor would Itzamna ever humble himself before Ixchel.

Those in positions of power often shared the same mindset. If someone could do the job, keep them; if not, replace them. A downward compromise was never an option. Itzamna was no different, so his solution was simply to replace her.

Itzamna was known as the Sky God. He was not only the Sun God but also the Lord of Day and Night, so it was only natural that part of his divine authority overlapped with that of the original Ixchel. After all, Kukulkan’s authority likewise overlapped with that of the Death God.

Taking advantage of this overlap in divine authority, along with Ixchel’s own inherent flaws, Itzamna subtly influenced her from the shadows. Thus, Chak Chel was born within Ixchel herself, giving Ixchel two distinct faces—the moon maiden and the tiger-clawed crone.

Chak Chel was the Goddess of the Stars and Moon, more closely tied to the night, and therefore naturally inclined toward Itzamna.

Many secrets were known only to Chak Chel, while Ixchel remained completely unaware of them.

Itzamna naturally hoped that Chak Chel would gradually replace Ixchel, transforming his frequently defiant wife into a Queen who obeyed his every wish. This also served as a rehearsal for Itzamna’s eventual resurrection within Kukulkan.

What had once been a matter between two people became a matter involving three, greatly complicating the situation. Ixchel refused to sit and await her fate.

Taking advantage of the Holy Court’s intervention, she split herself into two entities, effectively severing Chak Chel from her own being. Although she lost Chak Chel’s Key and a great deal of divine power, leaving her cultivation and strength on the verge of collapse, she was finally free of the constant internal conflict. In this regard, Ixchel proved far more decisive and perceptive than Kukulkan.

In the end, Ixchel retained most of the moon’s authority, while Chak Chel inherited the authority over night that Itzamna had left behind. As a result, the later Kukulkan became merely the Sun God, rather than the Lord of Day and Night.

Desperation bred change. Although Ixchel did not know Chak Chel’s true intentions, she keenly sensed the urgency of the situation. She therefore changed her strategy, becoming the first among the ancient gods to embrace the Western Daoist Order’s sinicization, actively drawing closer to both the Western Daoist Order and the Daoist Order, deftly cultivating alliances with every party.

Influenced by the Daoist Order, the Western Daoist Order also sought to promote unity whenever it did not jeopardize the bigger picture, if only to make a public show of it.

In truth, the Tawantin Empire, which had been formed through the unification of three empires, had numerous conflicts and internal differences. Therefore, emphasizing unity was essential. To accomplish this, they needed to attract talent with high rewards and build loyalty by keeping promises.

From the Western Daoist Order’s perspective, Ixchel, who had actively sought closer ties, was naturally the ideal candidate. She was someone who could be cultivated into a model example.

The two sides hit it off immediately. Furthermore, for the sake of maintaining balance, the Western Daoist Order deliberately intended to use Ixchel to check Kukulkan’s power. As a result, they greatly favored her in the allocation of divine power, allowing her strength to recover at a remarkable pace.

Ixchel also thoroughly understood that she could borrow the Daoists’ prestige. Backed by the Western Daoist Order, she adopted the appearance of a Daoist Immortal, and her words and actions gradually became sinicized. Coupled with the Western Daoist Order’s preferential treatment in terms of divine power, all of this led others to believe that Ixchel had deep ties with the Western Daoist Order. Some even believed she had effectively become one of them. Consequently, the other ancient gods grew deeply wary of her, with many choosing to align themselves with her in hopes of gaining a powerful patron.

Later, when Ixchel met Qi Xuansu and told him she was willing to follow the example of True Lord Taiyin, she was being entirely sincere, for this was the path she had already been following. Nor was this her first contact with the Daoist Order.

Long before Qi Xuansu, she had repeatedly sought direct communication with the Daoist Order. Otherwise, where else could the Daoist Order have obtained its alternative intelligence channels concerning the Southern Continent? Secrets involving the internal affairs of the ancient gods could only have come from one of their own.

Thus, the reason Ixchel was able to build an entire faction opposed to Kukulkan and leave Kukulkan powerless to stop it was not because of superior divine power, but because of superior political maneuvering.

When one lacked overwhelming superiority in strength, such situations were almost inevitable.

In a one-on-one confrontation, Ixchel was naturally no match for Kukulkan. Yet Kukulkan had no choice but to take into account the other ancient gods and the Western Daoist Order standing behind her. In the end, it was Kukulkan, despite possessing the higher cultivation, who was defeated.

To Ixchel, Qi Xuansu was a wild card. Though he was young, he already wielded tremendous authority. This only proved his extraordinary background. How else could someone who was not even a century old wield such influence across the Southern Continent? It was only because he had a master who might become the next Grand Master and because half of the Daoist Order stood behind him.

Killing Qi Xuansu would not have been difficult. The difficult part was bearing the consequences.

Using brute force was out of the question since it was the worst possible course of action.

Ixchel also had to take into account the rebellious nature of youth, the instinctive impulse to do the exact opposite of what others expected, as the youth were often driven by the desire to prove themself different.

Thus, Ixchel chose not to confront him. Instead, she humbled herself to extend goodwill to a young man who had not even reached the rank of a Pseudo-Immortal, going so far as to border on flattery. If the first attempt at diplomacy failed, she would simply try again. Surely the second time would succeed. One way or another, she intended to win Qi Xuansu over, making him her ally.

That was no easy feat. Once many people assumed an air of superiority, they could never set it aside again, especially those who had long occupied positions of power. Even as Kukulkan stood on the brink of death, he still proclaimed himself the King of Gods without showing the slightest willingness to yield.

This was Ixchel’s greatest strength. She knew when to stand tall and when to humble herself, and she excelled at cultivating relationships.

When one’s strength falls short of others, one must make greater use of wisdom.

Had it been anyone else, even if they had been willing to humble themselves at first, they would have flown into a rage once Qi Xuansu captured Unulatu. By that point, they would have turned against him.

Yet Ixchel still did not fall out with Qi Xuansu. She chose to compromise once again and expressed her understanding of the boy’s actions. By this point, Qi Xuansu could do nothing but trust Ixchel.

As things stood, Ixchel had anticipated this possibility to some extent and had made preparations in advance, so she showed little sign of panic.

She even had the leisure to converse with Chak Chel instead of rushing toward the pyramid. “There is a saying in the Central Plains that one must first be broken before being rebuilt. Only through complete destruction can true renewal be achieved. I suspect Itzamna had already grasped this principle. To take that final step, he intended to gamble everything, to use one death in exchange for becoming a true First-Tribulation Immortal as defined by the Daoist Order. Am I right?”

Chak Chel looked at the Moon Maiden. “Ixchel, I must admit that you have always been very clever.”

Ixchel said, “Then my guess was correct. Itzamna foresaw his own death and intended to use his death to elevate himself to a higher state of existence. You truly are loyal to serve him with unwavering devotion all these years. Had it been anyone else, they would probably have gone with the flow, allowed Itzamna to die for good, inherited everything he left behind, and completely replaced him.”

Chak Chel replied, “That is why Itzamna trusted no one else but me.”

Ixchel mocked, “After all, you were born because of Itzamna. Of course, he trusted you.”

Unmoved, Chak Chel continued, “Itzamna has long possessed power comparable to Kukulkan’s. He was merely restrained by the karmic fire. Now, by sacrificing Kukulkan and eliminating the karmic fire that blanketed the divine kingdom, nothing remains to hinder him. The moment Itzamna returns to his divine kingdom will be the moment you die.”

Ixchel replied, “That may not necessarily be the case.”

However, the Rain God and the Death God standing behind Ixchel clearly did not share her confidence. If Chak Chel spoke the truth and Itzamna were to return as a First-Tribulation Immortal, then they, as former retainers of the old Divine Court, would have to think carefully. Should they once again pledge loyalty to the old king and restore the ancient order of the Divine Court? Or should they remain loyal to the new queen in pursuit of what might become a brighter future?

If it were only Ixchel herself, there would be nothing to discuss. Anyone with the slightest sense would choose Itzamna. The crucial point was that Ixchel represented not only herself, but also the Western Daoist Order standing behind her.

Had it not been for that consideration, the War God and the Southern Goddess would have already appeared.

Chak Chel understood this as well and deliberately probed, “You don’t seem worried at all.”

Ixchel answered calmly, “I have nothing to worry about. There’s another old saying from the Central Plains that when the sky falls, the tallest people will be there to hold it up. I may not be the one least willing to see Itzamna resurrected.”

Chak Chel’s expression changed slightly.

Although Ixchel’s extreme sinicization made Chak Chel deeply uncomfortable, it also served as a reminder.

Ixchel continued, “Neither the Western Daoist Order nor the Daoist Order wishes to see the birth of a First-Tribulation Immortal, especially one who is ambitious and unwilling to live under another’s rule. Such a being would shatter the existing balance of power and could even strip the Western Daoist Order of its absolute control over the Southern Continent. That is something the hardliners within the Daoist Order would never accept.”

Having gained her influence through the Western Daoist Order and the Daoist Order, Ixchel naturally understood both organizations well. If a First-Tribulation Immortal were to reunify the Divine Court and command all the ancient gods, they would become an independent great power in their own right, even though they still could not rival the Daoist Order or the Holy Court in the mortal world.

For the Western Daoist Order, this would mean losing its ability to dominate the affairs of the Southern Continent. It would be reduced to merely a partner, from the sole leader ruling with unquestioned authority to sharing power with the King of Gods. As such, the Western Daoist Order would never agree to such an arrangement.

The hardline faction of the Daoist Order would also not tolerate such an outcome. Their objective was to turn the entire Southern Continent into one or two Daoist Mansions under the Daoist Order’s rule. If the Southern Continent could presently be likened to a semi-autonomous frontier region, then Itzamna’s resurrection would reduce it even further, transforming it from a frontier region into an independent tributary state. Rather than making progress, it would be a clear step backward for the Daoist Order’s expansion plans.

Ixchel said, “When Itzamna made preparations for his own death, his greatest enemy was the Holy Court. He probably never anticipated the influence that the Western Daoist Order and the Daoist Order would wield today, right?”

Chak Chel replied coldly, “The resurrection ritual has already begun. The Western Daoist Order cannot stop it, and the Daoist Order is far too distant to intervene.”

Ixchel smirked. “Then let us wait and see.”