A Pawn's Passage

This scepter differed slightly from that of the High Priestess. The High Priestess’s scepter was crowned with a full moon, whereas this one bore a crescent moon at its tip. It had originally belonged to one of Chak Chel’s priests. After Chak Chel’s death, her priesthood scattered like monkeys fleeing a fallen tree. The lower-ranking priests were allowed to change their allegiance, while the senior clergy were quietly executed. Thus, this scepter came into the High Priestess’s possession.

The High Priestess clapped her hands, and a Temple Warrior entered.

The Temple Warrior’s attire had likewise been adapted to the style of the Central Plains. It bore a strong resemblance to that of a Spirit Guard, but silver was its dominant color, and it had an additional surcoat embroidered with the moon emblem.

“Your Highnesses.” The Temple Warrior saluted both the High Priestess and Unulatu.

The High Priestess said, “Commander Hun, you will lead the Temple Warrior Corps in assisting Her Highness Unulatu and carry out all operations under Her Highness’s command.”

“Yes, High Priestess.” The Temple Warrior Corps Commander accepted the order loudly.

He was named Hun Yuechu, a younger relative of Hun Ahau. Thanks to Hun Ahau’s influence, Hun Yuechu had become a mid-ranking official within the Moon Goddess Temple.

Hun Yuechu was not his birth name. However, in support of the Central Plains reforms and to curry favor with the Moon Goddess, he had specifically asked someone from the Western Daoist Order to cast a divination and had deliberately sinicized his name.

Unulatu gave a slight nod. “Let’s go.”

The High Priestess remained where she stood, watching the two depart.

Outside the temple, the Temple Warrior Corps had already assembled in the plaza before the sanctuary. Clad uniformly in silver armor, they looked like a variation of the Spirit Guard. It was obvious that these warriors had all been carefully selected. Moonlight radiance and divine power flowed through their bodies, marking them as formidable fighters.

Unulatu ascended the platform overlooking the plaza. Situated halfway up the pyramid, below the temple at its summit, this platform had once served as the site of blood sacrifices. In the past, Chak Chel’s priests had slaughtered their sacrificial victims here before casting the bodies down into the plaza below, where the gathered worshippers would divide and consume the corpses.

Now, the platform has become an ideal place for addressing a crowd. Everyone in the plaza could clearly see Unulatu standing upon it. She had already donned a silver priestess’s mask and stood leaning on the crescent-moon scepter, projecting an air of majesty and authority.

Gold symbolized the sun, while silver symbolized the moon. For that reason, the Moon Priestesses’ masks were crafted from silver rather than gold.

The Temple Warriors all looked up toward Unulatu, awaiting her command.

“In accordance with the Moon Queen’s divine oracle, we, the blades of the moon, shall punish those sinners who have defied Her Majesty’s will.” Unulatu’s voice echoed throughout the square.

The Temple Warriors grew excited, almost fanatical. They drew their blades and pointed them toward the heavens, shouting in unison, “We, the blades of the moon, are invincible!”

Unulatu swept her scepter through the air. “Move out.”

Following Qi Xuansu’s instructions, the Moon Goddess Temple would take the lead in this operation, assisted by the Southern Palace Guard, which was now under Huangfu Xi’s command.

Before long, Unulatu met Huangfu Xi, who was dressed in full military attire.

Who could have imagined that the two would one day become allies on the same side?

Huangfu Xi lifted the golden mask covering her face. Although the worship of the Sun God had been abolished, the royal family still revered gold. There were countless golden ceremonial items that could not be left unused. Moreover, Huangfu Xi belonged to the Western Daoist Order, so she paid no heed to such matters.

“Mother, we meet again.” Huangfu Xi smiled, still using the same form of address as before.

Unulatu was Huangfu Xi’s stepmother. She did not remove her mask. Instead, she asked, “Your father, Manu Tancha, was residing in the Sun God Temple. Now that Kukulkan no longer exists and the Sun God Temple has been abolished, where is he now?”

Huangfu Xi replied, “Father has devoted himself to the Dao. The Western Daoist Order has agreed to let him cultivate in seclusion at a Daoist temple.”

Unulatu nodded. “I see.”

Huangfu Xi said, “Father has been rather downcast lately. If you have the time, you could go and see him. He’s at—”

“There’s no need.” Unulatu interrupted her. “I am now a priestess of the Moon Goddess Temple. My duty is to devote myself wholeheartedly to serving the Moon Queen. It is better that we do not meet.”

“Very well.” Huangfu Xi gave Unulatu a long, searching look before lowering her golden mask once more.

Under the command of the two women, the Temple Warriors and the Southern Palace Guard assembled into a single force and advanced toward the nobles’ district.

Qi Xuansu had once pointed out that there was considerable overlap between the remnants of Kukulkan’s followers and those who secretly continued performing blood sacrifices. Some people belonged to both groups. According to the plan proposed by Tantai Ying, such individuals would be classified as criminals and dealt with jointly by the Moon Goddess Temple and the Southern Palace Guard.

Among these remaining followers of the Sun God Kukulkan were members of the royal family. They firmly believed that sacrificial offerings could bring Kukulkan back to life. Strictly speaking, they were not entirely wrong. Kukulkan had now entered the Third Death, which meant there was a slim chance of resurrection. However, reviving him through blood sacrifice would likely require slaughter on a massive scale. Their secretive piecemeal sacrifices had absolutely no chance of reviving the Feathered Serpent God.

Since they had refused to listen despite repeated warnings, no one could accuse the authorities of executing them without first giving instructions.

The great noble families had vast estates and were permitted to establish private shrines within their own residences, much like how Western nobles could build private chapels inside their castles. Under normal circumstances, one could not simply force entry into a noble’s home to conduct a search, as the nobility enjoyed special privileges.

As such, the Moon Goddess Temple first gathered evidence, identified its targets, compiled a list, and then dealt with them all in one coordinated operation.

The most prominent target on this list was a member of the royal family. By the standards of the Central Plains, his rank would be equivalent to that of an Imperial Prince. He was Manu Tancha’s uncle, Manurak, who was the Grand Chancellor, with deep-rooted and far-reaching influence.

However, once the upper echelons reached a consensus, even a Grand Chancellor was nothing particularly formidable.

That night, Manurak felt inexplicably uneasy. He stepped into the courtyard and looked up, seeing only a bright full moon hanging high overhead. He could not tell whether it was merely his imagination, but the moon seemed unusually large and brilliant.

Moonlight poured down, casting a silvery white glow on everything.

Manurak despised the moonlight. When Unulatu had been in power and promoted the faith of the Full Moon, he had strongly opposed it. He had then chosen to support Princess Masi—also known as Huangfu Xi—hoping to restore the glory of the Sun.

What he had never anticipated was a dramatic reversal of fortune. The Sun God Kukulkan had actually fallen, while the Moon Goddess Ixchel became the Chief God. Ixchel immediately abolished every form of sun-related worship and erased all traces of the Sun God, including written records, murals, sculptures, architecture, divine statues, and everything else associated with it.

Manurak had no choice but to pin his hopes on Princess Masi. Yet Huangfu Xi’s transformation proved even more decisive. She did not publicly declare her faith in the Moon Goddess. Instead, she embraced the Dao. Through Huangfu Zhao’s introductions and support, the Daoist Order conferred upon Huangfu Xi the honorary status of a second-rank Daoist Priest Kindred. In the blink of an eye, she stood on the same nominal rank as Qi Xuansu, which was why Qi Xuansu addressed her as Daoist Huangfu during official meetings.

Huangfu Xi had thought the matter through very clearly. Ixchel herself intended to align with the Daoist Order and would most likely be granted the honorary status of a first-rank Daoist Priest Kindred. Rather than remaining a follower of Ixchel, Huangfu Xi saw it as more advantageous to align herself directly with the Daoist Order.

Within the Daoist Order, these Daoist Priest Kindred titles were essentially a combination of official status and prestige, carrying little real authority. As such, they were awarded under much less stringent standards and could not be compared with the actual Daoist ranks held by members of the Western Daoist Order.

Since Tantai Ying had made tremendous contributions throughout the entire campaign, through Qi Xuansu’s recommendation, the Daoist Order rewarded her by promoting her to a second-rank Taiyi Daoist.

Tantai Ying had previously held the title of Sage, but that title had effectively been an internal credential recognized only within the Western Daoist Order. The Daoist Order itself had not acknowledged it. Only a select few, such as Huangfu Ji, had their Sage status officially recognized by the Daoist Order and were granted the treatment of an Omniscient Sage. Now, Tantai Ying’s Sage status has also been formally recognized by the Daoist Order. However, she ranked one level below Huangfu Ji and did not receive the treatment of an Omniscient Sage. That was why Qi Xuansu addressed her as Sage Tantai during official meetings.

Of course, Qi Xuansu’s recommendation was only part of the reason. More importantly, the promotion was also meant to honor Great Sage Tantai. In the end, it still came down to having powerful backing.

Naturally, Huangfu Xi had no intention of protecting Kukulkan’s followers. But Manurak remained deeply devoted to his faith and was unwilling to abandon the Sun God. At the same time, he understood where the tide was flowing, so he voiced no public opposition. On the surface, he appeared to have wisely switched sides in time, aligning himself with the Moon Goddess and the Western Daoist Order. In reality, however, he continued to offer secret sacrifices to the Sun God in private.

Manurak withdrew his gaze and said bitterly, “Sooner or later, the glory of the Sun will once again shine upon the world.”

At that very moment, deafening battle cries erupted outside. Another group of armored soldiers climbed over the walls with firearms in hand and opened fire without restraint.

Although there were quite a few guards stationed within the estate, they fell in droves like autumn leaves before the superior firearms of the Daoist Order.

“It’s the Southern Palace Guard!” Manurak’s expression changed drastically.

These Palace Guards had little chance when facing the Western Daoist Order’s Spirit Guards. But against ordinary private guards, they were overwhelmingly superior. Their firearms might not be able to contend with the heavy cannons of flying ships, but they were more than sufficient to dominate opponents armed with cold weapons.

Even though these private guards were equipped with some firearms of their own, they were mostly pistols. Whether in range or firepower, they were no match for long rifles. They could only mount scattered resistance and were completely suppressed.

Meanwhile, at the front entrance, the Temple Warriors had already launched a full-scale assault. Personally empowered by Unulatu, their strength had risen to an even higher level. Although they carried no firearms, their armor was exceptionally sturdy, forming an impenetrable wall of shields as they advanced in orderly ranks like a moving fortress. Ordinary guards stood no chance of stopping them.

Before long, the Temple Warriors and the Southern Palace Guards had eliminated all resistance, secured every strategic point within the estate, and cleared a path forward.

Unulatu and Huangfu Xi walked into the residence, stepping through pools of blood. Meanwhile, two Temple Warriors escorted Manurak before them and forced him to his knees.

Manurak had once been a formidable figure. However, after Kukulkan’s death, he lost most of his power. That was also one of the reasons he had continued performing blood sacrifices.

Looking down at Manurak from above, Huangfu Xi said, “You have disappointed me greatly.”

Although the mask distorted her voice somewhat, Manurak still recognized it. He suddenly raised his head. “It’s you, Masi!”

Huangfu Xi replied, “Not just me. The Empress is here as well. Oh, and she’s now a priestess of the Moon Goddess.”

Manurak shouted angrily, “You actually stand with her?!”

Huangfu Xi said, “This is the will of the two Daoist Orders. Since you have defied the will of the Daoist Order, only death awaits you. Take him away.”

The two Temple Warriors glanced toward Unulatu, who had remained silent the entire time. Finally, Unulatu gave a slight nod.

The two warriors dragged away Manurak, the Grand Chancellor of the Tawantin Empire, placing him in temporary custody to await a public trial alongside the other prisoners.

Only then did Unulatu issue her command. “Destroy every altar and divine statue in this place.”

The surrounding Temple Warriors accepted the order in unison. “Yes, Your Highness!”