A Pawn's Passage

To be precise, it was only part of the insect.

The earliest stage of humanoid insects was only an egg, which corresponded to the Foundation Building stage. Later, the egg hatched into a larva, forming a cocoon which marked the Core Formation stage. When the mature insect emerged from the cocoon, it entered the Golden Core stage. If the mature insect could leave the host’s body, that signified the Nascent Soul stage. By the Ascension stage, the mature insect had completely replaced the host’s original bodily structure. Everything, including the internal organs, spine, and brain, had become part of the mature insect.

Thus, what Qi Xuansu had torn out was merely a portion of the mature insect. Even so, the excruciating pain caused the humanoid insect elder to let out a blood-curdling scream.

Qi Xuansu’s understanding of the humanoid insect was still rather shallow. He had assumed it was a small insect. Never had he imagined that, at the mature stage, the humanoid insect had already become one with the insect, impossible to separate. It was essentially an insect donning a human shell.

As Qi Xuansu forcibly tore away part of the mature insect’s body, an unknown fluid squirted out, which was extremely revolting.

Fortunately, the demonic fire isolated it and instantly vaporized everything.

In the blink of an eye, the priest had been beheaded, while the humanoid insect elder was on the verge of death. What had originally been a coordinated assault by three opponents had become the tribal chief facing Hun Ahau alone.

Although Hun Ahau had yet to regain his senses, he was by no means incapable of fighting back.

A Pseudo-Immortal Martial Arts Practitioner possessed a terrifying instinct akin to the Demonic Blade. Even while trapped in a dream, they could rely purely on bodily instinct to evade danger and kill with a single punch.

That was precisely Hun Ahau’s current state. Had all three opponents attacked together, instinct alone might not have been enough. But against only a single opponent, especially another Martial Arts Practitioner, whether he had conscious awareness no longer mattered. Compared with other lineages, the Martial Arts Practitioner lineage was the most straightforward. Most of the time, it required little thought beyond throwing a punch.

The two Martial Arts Practitioners clashed head-on. Their techniques were not especially intricate, because true sophistication lay in their mastery of fist intention rather than elaborate forms. When two Martial Arts Practitioners fought, the contest came down to physique, speed, and strength. In all three aspects, Hun Ahau held an unquestionable advantage.

Before long, the tribal chief had already been wounded by Hun Ahau’s fists.

The tribal chief tried to retreat, but Hun Ahau clung to him relentlessly.

The several thousand warriors certainly wanted to aid their chief, but the two Martial Arts Practitioners were locked in close-quarters combat, making any intervention impossible. They could hardly strike both combatants together. Even if they attacked indiscriminately, Hun Ahau’s superior physique meant he would still come out ahead.

These relatively primitive tribes simply did not understand how to wage large-scale warfare.

Both the Daoist Order and the Holy Court had properly coordinated large-scale military formations that were capable of contending against Pseudo-Immortals and even true Immortals. For instance, the Daoist Order could deploy a Yinglong Warship supported by the Diviner Corps. Meanwhile, the Holy Court had formidable dragon riders. Such battles generally required carefully arranged formations and the aid of external equipment.

Though these several thousand warriors were all fierce fighters, they came from different tribes and had virtually no coordination, let alone battle formations. They also lacked the necessary external equipment like powerful firearms. Once a high-level battle broke out, they could only fight as individuals, while others were easily reduced to spectators or cannon fodder.

As the fierce battle between the two continued, Hun Ahau circulated his blood qi and gradually restored his consciousness. After all, this was not an actual page from the Scripture of Zuriel, so it could not keep him trapped in an illusion indefinitely.

Once Hun Ahau regained his senses, the force behind his punches became even heavier. Before long, Hun Ahau had beaten the tribal chief to the point where the latter could no longer fight back.

The tribal chief resolved to retreat. Even if it meant taking a punch head-on, he intended to escape. However, Hun Ahau had no intention of letting him go and bellowed, “Where do you think you’re going?!”

To the tribal chief, Hun Ahau’s voice was like a clap of thunder. His body shuddered, and his blood qi momentarily stalled. In that instant, Hun Ahau seized him by the throat from behind and yanked him backward.

Following through, Hun Ahau drove a punch into the middle of the tribal chief’s back. The force of the strike was like a fully drawn bow snapping loose, its release like exploding thunder. It sounded like a heavenly bell being struck, shaking the air with a deafening boom.

With his blood qi thrown into complete disarray, the tribal chief was utterly incapable of resisting. Hun Ahau’s punch sent him flying almost 100 meters. He managed to struggle back to his feet, looking utterly battered and miserable.

Hun Ahau stayed glued to his opponent like a shadow. He circled behind the tribal chief and casually grabbed the back of the opponent’s neck with his left hand, effortlessly lifting the man’s feet off the ground. Then he rammed his right fist into the middle of the chief’s back, dispersing his blood qi and using overwhelming fist intention to destroy a number of his acupoints. Finally, Hun Ahau gripped the chief by both shoulders, braced his knee against the man’s lower back, and exerted force with his entire body, bending the tribal chief backward until his body snapped in two.

Legend has it that when Tantai Yun fought the Holy Xuan back then, she was beaten until both body and form were utterly destroyed. Only the body spirits residing within her acupoints remained intact. Those acupoints and body spirits could stay within the void itself, like countless points of light outlining a human silhouette, still moving about freely. However, only a Manly Immortal had this ability.

This tribal chief was merely at the Zaohua stage. Moreover, he was not an orthodox Martial Arts Practitioner who had learned how to properly condense his acupoints and body spirits. He relied mainly on his naturally gifted physique and did not know much about body spirits.

As a result, the tribal chief had been gravely wounded by Hun Ahau. Only a Martial Arts Practitioner could still cling to life after such injuries. Had he been a Diviner or another type of cultivator, he would already be preparing to seize a new body, provided that his soul could escape.

Hun Ahau carried the half-dead tribal chief and walked toward Qi Xuansu with a grim expression. He had originally wanted to show off in front of Qi Xuansu by demonstrating how he could take an enemy commander’s head from amidst an army of thousands, proving that his title as second-rank Daoist Priest Kindred had not been bestowed in vain. Instead, he had come embarrassingly close to making a fool of himself. In the end, Qi Xuansu and Utu still had to intervene.

How could Hun Ahau not be annoyed?

However, Qi Xuansu paid little attention to such matters. What he valued in Hun Ahau was not merely his martial strength. After leaving the Southern Continent, Qi Xuansu needed someone of sufficient stature whom he could truly rely on. Zhang Wuyue was still too young. Huangfu Ji certainly carried enough weight, but he could not be considered Qi Xuansu’s confidant, only an ally. Huangfu Ji was a power of himself and did not have to depend on anyone.

At that moment, Qi Xuansu was contemplating another question.

Was Zhou Mengyao truly not nearby?

Just now, when he and Utu had made their move, it had been the perfect opportunity for an ambush. Yet Zhou Mengyao had not acted. Perhaps she had no intention of making her move in the Southern Continent, or perhaps she merely wanted to leave a mark on Qi Xuansu in advance, ensuring she could track his whereabouts, with the real surprise still waiting further down the line.

Of course, Qi Xuansu was far from unprepared. He had kept the sarira within his sleeve, always within easy reach. Moreover, the divine power he had deliberately poured into the Guizang Lantern had never been intended for dealing with the humanoid insect elder but rather to serve as an alarm for him. The moment Zhou Mengyao decided to strike, the Guizang Lantern would surely reveal a glimpse of the future in advance, giving Qi Xuansu enough time to react and unleash the sarira, greeting Zhou Mengyao with the Buddha’s palm strike.

Since Zhou Mengyao had not acted, the Guizang Lantern had predicted the movements of the humanoid insect elder, allowing Qi Xuansu to experience the might of an immortal object firsthand.

Qi Xuansu now had no choice but to reorganize his thoughts. Zhou Mengyao’s strategy resembled one of exhausting the enemy through constant pressure, drawing the bow without releasing the arrow. She was forcing Qi Xuansu to remain on high alert at all times, but a mind kept under such relentless strain would eventually falter. The instant Qi Xuansu finally relaxed, she could unleash a fatal strike. After all, Qi Xuansu was out in the open while she remained hidden in the shadows. She could afford to wait.

Under these circumstances, Qi Xuansu could only place his hopes in the Guizang Lantern. In the past, it had practically gone hungry most of the time. Now, for the sake of his own safety, he had to feed this demanding lantern eight meals a day. It absolutely could not fail him when it mattered most. But as soon as Madam Wu emerged from seclusion, he would gain another protector.

This inevitably led Qi Xuansu to another thought. Had the Heavenly Preceptor foreseen this day long ago? Was that why he had left the Guizang Lantern in Qi Xuansu’s care, to guard specifically against Zhou Mengyao?

If that were truly the case, these formidable figures were really just outsmarting each other. Then again, if the Heavenly Preceptor was that powerful, how much weaker could the Earthly Preceptor possibly be? After tracing the matter around in circles, Qi Xuansu concluded that Zhou Mengyao’s true backer was most likely the Earthly Preceptor.

Just then, Hun Ahau carried the tribal chief over to Qi Xuansu. The man’s body was a horrifying sight. Some areas had caved inward while others bulged grotesquely outward. His bones had shattered, and his flesh had split apart. He was barely recognizable as human. Even in this state, he still had a single remaining breath.

Hun Ahau sought instructions. “Sage Qi, how should this man be dealt with?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Ask him whether he wishes to live or die. If he wishes to live, then he must submit to the Tawantin Court and actively assist us in unifying the various tribes. Hand over every humanoid insect and every follower of the Fallen Apostles. If he wishes to die, I won’t stop him.”

Hun Ahau answered solemnly, “Understood.”

With the defeat of their three greatest combatants, the several thousand fierce warriors quickly descended into chaos. Some scattered in flight, others remained rooted to the spot in confusion, while still others attempted to launch an assault to rescue their chief.

Hun Ahau exchanged a few words with the tribal chief in the Southern Continent’s native tongue. Although the chief’s face was filled with resentment, he finally lowered his head and nodded begrudgingly after Hun Ahau sternly threatened him.

Then, Hun Ahau took the tribal chief with him to persuade the warriors to surrender. One after another, the warriors laid down their weapons. In truth, these warriors had no desire to keep fighting. No one wanted to throw away their life. They had merely lacked an excuse to stand down. Now that their own chief had surrendered, that excuse had presented itself.

After all, Hun Ahau was a general entrusted with governing an entire region. Matters like these were second nature to him. He was even more experienced than Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu only needed to determine the overall direction, and his subordinates would carry it out. It was much the same as when the Daoist Order had sent Qi Xuansu to the New Continent. They had given him only an objective. How to accomplish that objective was entirely a test of his own abilities.

Utu belonged to the priestly class and was not of the same ilk as warriors like Hun Ahau. As such, he did not take part in regrouping the warriors and remained at Qi Xuansu’s side.

Qi Xuansu handed the half-dead humanoid insect elder over to Utu. “Utu, this humanoid insect must have a great many secrets about his kind, both in his body and in his mind. Can you extract them? Especially anything concerning the Blue Cloud Sect.”

Utu asked, “Regardless of whether he survives?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “He doesn’t need to stay alive.”

“As you wish.” Utu revealed a chilling smile.

Utu then remembered something else. He took out a Westerner’s Space Bag and handed it to Qi Xuansu. “Oh, right. This was found on that follower of the Fallen Apostle. I thought you might find it interesting, Sage Qi.”

Qi Xuansu accepted the Space Bag. For the first time in a long while, he once again felt like a wandering Daoist picking up spoils in Jianghu.