A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu silently weighed everything before finally making up his mind. “We’ll continue with the operation. There’s no need to dwell on this. If someone attacks me, you only need to hold them off while reinforcements from Jade Capital arrive. Don’t worry, I won’t gamble with my life.”

Upon hearing that there would be reinforcements from Jade Capital, Utu relaxed somewhat. At least Sage Qi understood the gravity of the situation and had his own plans and calculations. He was neither arrogant nor dismissive of his enemies.

Thus, Utu was completely reassured and continued leading the way for Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu used Cloud Message to briefly communicate with the others, taking precautions against any unforeseen developments.

To be fair, Qi Xuansu had never underestimated Zhou Mengyao. But Zhou Mengyao frequently underestimated Qi Xuansu. It was not exactly arrogance but more like the attitude parents had toward their children. Since she watched him grow up, she was confident that she knew him. That was when problems arose.

An example would be Qi Xuansu’s journey into the Lingshan Paradise. The Heavenly Preceptor had intervened, and Madam Qi had pointed him in the right direction so that Qi Xuansu himself was aware of the truth and would take the initiative to investigate.

Since the matter involved the Earthly Preceptor, the Heavenly Preceptor had no desire to openly fall out with her. As such, he could only wait for the right opportunity and subtly guide events along, rather than making the first move. Likewise, Madam Qi was constrained by both her contract and the Earthly Preceptor. She neither wished to turn against her nor could she directly reveal the truth to Qi Xuansu. She could only make a few discreet moves behind the scenes.

Had Qi Xuansu believed everything he had learned today was simply a matter of course and that there had been no flaws whatsoever in the death of his master, Qi Haoran, then he would have deserved to be manipulated. But if he chose to struggle and seek the truth himself, then the heavens would aid those who saved themselves.

Zhou Mengyao had believed Qi Xuansu would never discover the truth, yet in the end, Qi Xuansu still sensed that something was amiss.

That was because Zhou Mengyao had been too careless and had underestimated Qi Xuansu.

In contrast, Sage Qingwei and Sage Donghua had never underestimated Qi Xuansu. Both believed the young man possessed tremendous potential. If Qi Xuansu had been born into the Li family, he probably would have gotten along extremely well with Sage Qingwei.

However, Qi Xuansu had a nagging feeling that matters would not be so simple. The humanoid insects would not simply sit and await destruction. They would inevitably seek outside assistance, and Zhou Mengyao, in her efforts to deal with Qi Xuansu, would very likely join forces with them. Naturally, such an alliance would be far from equal, much like Ixchel’s treatment of the humanoid insects, useful only until they were no longer needed.

Over the following days, Qi Xuansu and Utu eradicated two more humanoid insect villages in succession. The remaining strongholds had received word of their attack and begun a full-scale withdrawal.

Qi Xuansu notified Tantai Ying, instructing the Western Tiangang Hall to begin advancing toward the area. He also had Utu transfer custody of those who had not yet been implanted with insect eggs. At the same time, Hun Ahau arrived to aid Qi Xuansu.

After all, if Qi Xuansu knew someone was targeting him yet still took no precautions whatsoever, then his intention of using himself as bait would have been far too obvious. Zhou Mengyao was no fool and would certainly become suspicious. Calling Hun Ahau over was therefore the most reasonable course of action, one that actually reduced Zhou Mengyao’s suspicions. Moreover, this location was far removed from both New Xijing and New Paititi, which meant that reinforcements could not arrive immediately.

In truth, Qi Xuansu still had another difficult problem to deal with. Hun Ahau wanted revenge against Unulatu over what had happened to Hun Chowen, yet Ixchel was adamantly protecting Unulatu. Under the current circumstances, Qi Xuansu could no longer cause trouble for Unulatu again. But he had to pacify Hun Ahau without openly falling out with Ixchel.

Left with no better option, Qi Xuansu shamelessly approached his master, Sage Donghua, and requested that he make a special exception by granting Hun Ahau the status of a second-rank Daoist Priest Kindred.

The Ziwei Hall was responsible for these matters. Although Hun Ahau did not fully meet the qualifications, Sage Donghua personally controlled several discretionary quotas. Since it was the first time his disciple had ever asked him for a favor, it was only natural for him to oblige. Sage Donghua readily agreed, had Ziwei Hall issue the official document, and transmitted it to Qi Xuansu through a rapid post talisman.

With the document in hand, Qi Xuansu finally had the confidence he needed and sought out Hun Ahau for a private conversation.

Qi Xuansu first appealed to both emotion and reason. Even if Unulatu had wronged Hun Chowen emotionally, that was no justification for Hun Chowen committing treason. That much was beyond dispute. Moreover, Unulatu had already been punished. She had lost her position as Empress, allowing Huangfu Xi to reap the benefits. Unulatu had abandoned Hun Chowen for the sake of power, and now she had lost that very power. The scales were balanced.

Finally, Qi Xuansu produced the official document granting Hun Ahau the second-rank Daoist Priest Kindred title. It served both as a reward and as a gesture of reassurance.

Without that official appointment, everything Qi Xuansu had said beforehand would have been empty nonsense, incapable of convincing anyone. But with the document in hand, those same words became sincere counsel and sound advice.

Hun Ahau was not a naive person who could be fooled by empty promises and grand visions. He was the sort who would not act until he saw tangible results.

Just as Hun Chowen had once said, Hun Ahau placed considerable importance on power, status, and the continuation of the Hun family line. As a result, he was often torn between emotion and self-interest. Back in Cusco, Hun Ahau had been prepared to risk his life for his brother, only to be persuaded otherwise by Qi Xuansu.

Hun Ahau was deeply grateful. He sincerely accepted Sage Qi’s advice and made his position unmistakably clear. After all, Unulatu’s life would not get any better than this. Much of his anger had already subsided when she was removed from power. Now that he still had a bright future ahead of him, there was no reason to risk displeasing Sage Qi over a single woman.

Since Sage Qi extended him such respect, he accepted it. If he refused, it would only shatter Sage Qi’s dignity, and the consequences would be severe. Not to mention, this was precisely what Hun Ahau had long desired.

With the title of a second-rank Daoist Priest Kindred, Hun Ahau could now be considered half a member of the Daoist Order. This was an enormous leap in status. Even if the Western Daoist Order wished to discipline him in the future, they would first have to consult the Daoist Order.

He now held the same rank as the future Empress Huangfu Xi. At least within the Daoist Order’s hierarchy, they stood on equal footing. Even someone as formidable as Ixchel held the title of a first-rank Daoist Priest Kindred.

Had he not chosen to follow Qi Xuansu, he would still be in New Xijing with a bleak future. Now that Sage Qi had shown such great sincerity, he had to appreciate the gesture.

Whenever he thought of this, Hun Ahau could not help but sigh. If Sage Qi had not personally chosen him, he would still be in New Xijing reflecting on his past. He would not have been able to get out onto the battlefield and accomplish something substantial.

The three of them continued deeper into the southern rainforest, deliberately tempting Zhou Mengyao to make her move.

Whether Zhou Mengyao had perceived Qi Xuansu’s intentions or not, she remained inactive. It was almost like she had never intended to target him in the first place, making all of Qi Xuansu’s deductions seem like nothing more than his own imagination.

Or perhaps Zhou Mengyao simply believed the timing was not yet right. In any case, the journey remained uneventful.

Qi Xuansu did not relax his vigilance because of this. It had now become a contest of strategic patience, of who could remain calm the longest.

Three days later, Qi Xuansu’s group finally encountered the first major resistance of their expedition. It had nothing to do with Zhou Mengyao. Instead, the resistance came from several large local tribes, which had gathered several thousand able-bodied warriors. By the Daoist Order’s standards, there were quite a few Xiantian Beings among them. Their surging blood qi was an intimidating sight.

These local powers had not carved out territories for themselves through sheer luck. They possessed genuine strength. Their several thousand elite warriors were nearly equivalent in combat power to half a division of the Holy Court’s legions. Although none among these hundreds of thousands were Immortals or Pseudo-Immortals, there were still many Heavenly Beings.

After the humanoid insects voluntarily withdrew, they immediately began lobbying the various tribes, loudly proclaiming that the Western Daoist Order and the Tawantin Court intended to unify the land and wipe out local powers like them. Given the current situation, the tribes had little choice but to believe it. They then joined forces, assembled this great army, and prepared to deliver a crushing blow to the Daoist invaders.

Hun Ahau volunteered to fight, while Utu remained responsible for protecting Qi Xuansu. He leaped forward, shaking the ground upon impact like a falling meteor. Relying solely on the power of his own blood qi, he blocked the collective blood qi of several thousand elite soldiers and even overpowered it.

Hun Ahau then let out another mighty roar, his voice booming like thunder as his blood qi surged forth. Though many of the warriors were not shaken to death, the sheer force of that roar shattered their courage, making them flee in panic.

The Martial Arts Practitioner lineage had always been the cultivation path best suited for battlefield slaughter. Hun Ahau himself had earned his achievements through countless battles, earning his title as General Hun.

Hun Ahau charged straight toward the enemy commander’s position, intending to demonstrate before Qi Xuansu how one could take the enemy leader’s head from amidst an army of ten thousand.

Naturally, there were formidable experts among the enemy as well. They could not allow Hun Ahau to behave with such blatant disregard for them, and several figures immediately attacked him simultaneously.

In a one-on-one fight, none of them was a match for Hun Ahau. Their only hope lay in making up the difference with superior numbers.

In the blink of an eye, Hun Ahau was locked in battle with the three of them.

The three opponents were an eclectic group. Leading them was the man whose head Hun Ahau intended to take from amidst the army. He was a burly man with immense innate strength and an exceptionally powerful physique, practically born to be a Martial Arts Practitioner. Though he was no match for Hun Ahau, he had a Zaohua-stage cultivation and served as both the chieftain of the largest tribe and the commander of the army.

Another was a priest of the Fallen Apostle Zuriel with a Zaohua-stage cultivation. Having established himself in this region for many years, his influence ran deep, serving as the chief strategist to the chief of the tribe. The two had worked together seamlessly for many years, making them the true rulers of this region.

The last was a humanoid insect elder. According to the humanoid insects’ cultivation system, he had already reached the Ascension stage, only a single step away from becoming an Insect Immortal.