A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu and the Three Prodigies could not be judged by ordinary standards.

Among the Five Immortal lineages of the Daoist Order, the Banished Immortal ranked first. Even when cultivators of the other lineages possessed the same level of cultivation, they were generally no match for a Banished Immortal. Among the Banished Immortals themselves, Yao Pei surpassed ordinary members thanks to her Great Witch bloodline. She was second only to the manmade Banished Immortals.

In this regard, Zhang Yuelu truly lagged far behind. Setting aside external enhancements and bloodlines, and judging by innate talent alone, Zhang Yuelu possessed the greatest aptitude. However, Zhang Yuelu’s attention was also the most divided. She had too many ambitions and devoted too little of her energy to cultivation itself. As a result, her cultivation fell behind the other Three Prodigies. Even the Heavenly Preceptor could no longer overlook it, personally travelling to Nanyang to order Zhang Yuelu to devote herself wholeheartedly to cultivation.

In truth, all three great families possessed special bloodlines. The Li family carried the bloodline of Qingqiu Mountain, the Yao family the bloodline of the Great Witches, and the Zhang family the bloodline of an Ancient Immortal. But for various reasons, the Zhang family’s Ancient Immortal bloodline had died out. Zhang Yuelu herself possessed no special lineage or bloodline whatsoever. She was an ordinary human in the purest sense, untouched by any external enhancements. Competing against the other three under such circumstances naturally placed her at a significant disadvantage.

Qi Xuansu had external enhancements, Yao Pei possessed a powerful bloodline, and Li Changge possessed both bloodline and external enhancements. Therefore, it was only natural that all three had pulled ahead of Zhang Yuelu.

Now, Zhang Yuelu could only rely on her superior natural talent to close the gap.

Even without the Great Witch bloodline, Yao Pei still had the aptitude of a natural-born Banished Immortal. The Yao family also had secret techniques of the Ancient Wuist Sect that were passed down through countless generations, which suited her perfectly.

Compared to Zhang Yuelu, Yao Pei was remarkably low-key, so much so that people often overlooked her existence. Among the Daoist Three Prodigies, she was the most inconspicuous. She rarely showed herself, and even Qi Xuansu rarely met her. The last time they met was at the disciple acceptance ceremony. This alone demonstrated how diligently she cultivated, allowing her to reach the Zaohua stage ahead of Zhang Yuelu.

Yan Ben’s cultivation realm was already inferior to that of a true Zaohua-stage Heavenly Being, let alone Yao Pei’s, and that was before taking her Great Witch bloodline into account.

Faced with Yao Pei’s slash, Yan Ben struck downward through the air with a Giant Imprint. The palm rapidly grew larger and larger, blotting out the sky above Yao Pei and casting an enormous shadow over her.

Yao Pei seemed incomparably tiny, like a mayfly trying to shake a great tree.

Yet in the very next instant, her blade pierced straight through the Buddha’s palm that had obscured the heavens.

Yan Ben’s face turned deathly pale. He slowly withdrew his hand and looked down to find a bloody hole in the center of his palm.

After piercing through the Buddha’s palm, Yao Pei continued ascending until she was level with Yan Ben, then rose just a little higher, looking down upon him from above.

She brought one foot down on the Buddha’s head.

Yan Ben and the golden throne beneath him were driven violently downward. Countless cracks spread across his face, while the golden radiance surrounding his body rapidly dimmed.

Even so, Yan Ben desperately thrust out another palm strike, hoping to recover at least a little of the lost ground.

In that split second, Yao Pei forcibly withdrew her blade, twisting her body midair to narrowly evade the earth-shattering palm strike.

The next moment, an enormous palm print spanning dozens of meters appeared across the sky, every crease of its palm lines clearly visible.

Yan Ben extended his other hand. Instantly, radiant Buddhist light blazed forth, giving rise to countless illusory buddhas and bodhisattvas. Every one of them appeared lifelike, with a solemn and sacred expression. At the same time, he began to chant in a thunderous voice, shaking the minds of all who heard it. It was faintly accompanied by the unified chanting of innumerable Buddhist disciples, seeking to guide all living beings into the legendary Buddhist Pure Land.

The rolling waves of Buddhist chanting spread in every direction, creating concentric ripples visible to the naked eye.

However, he had underestimated Yao Pei’s Great Witch physique. Comparable to the body of a Martial Arts Practitioner, it was renowned for being impervious to all techniques. Whether it was Buddhist light or Buddhist chanting, neither could inflict the slightest harm upon Yao Pei nor shake her resolve in the slightest.

Yao Pei answered with another straightforward slash.

Yan Ben’s expression changed slightly as an indescribable sense of dread welled up within him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yan Ben crushed one of his human-skull prayer beads, formed the Mahamayuri Mudra with both hands, and let out a thunderous shout. “Om!”

Unlike his earlier Lion’s Roar, this cry was not deafening. Instead, it was deep and profound, as though the Buddha himself were expounding the Dharma, accompanied by countless Buddhist disciples chanting scriptures.

The Six Syllable Mantra was the supreme Buddhist art for subduing demons. Every syllable drew upon the immense power of heaven and earth while resonating with the essence of one’s own life force. Yan Ben roared the mantra with his immense blood qi, unleashing tremendous power. For the first time, Yao Pei’s movements were momentarily halted.

At the same time, the Great Fruition Virtuous One, who had remained idle until now, finally made his move.

This man was Yan Fa. He had not stood by coldly to watch Yan Ben make a fool of himself but had been waiting for the perfect opportunity. The instant he saw Yao Pei stall, he immediately formed the Vajra Blade Mudra.

The four arms of the Mother Buddha Spiritual Statue moved in unison. Its four ritual objects combined to manifest a Buddhist Pure Land, seeking to imprison Yao Pei within it. Yet this carefully prepared technique, built up over so long, struck nothing but empty air.

Yao Pei’s Heavenly Blade had not been cultivated in vain. Her ability to predict an opponent’s intentions surpassed even the Demonic Blade. Only the Guizang Lantern could surpass it.

Yan Fa’s expression changed dramatically as his attack missed.

A sudden sense of foreboding struck him. He abruptly turned his head, only to see Yao Pei had somehow appeared not far behind him, advancing with her blade in hand.

When had she gotten behind him? How had she broken free from the restraints of the Six Syllable Mantra?

These thoughts flashed through Yan Fa’s mind in an instant. There was no time to ponder them further. Not daring to relax his guard in the slightest, he moved his Spiritual Statue in front of himself as a shield. Yet he never expected that Yao Pei’s attack had merely been a feint. Her true target was still Yan Ben. With another flash of her blade, she shot straight toward him.

Naturally, Yan Fa had no way of knowing that this was all thanks to the Staff of Merit. As Yao Pei’s cultivation advanced to ever greater heights, the power she could draw from the Staff of Merit likewise increased. By stopping time for a brief moment, she was able to free herself from the constraints of the Six Syllable Mantra, calmly bypass the Vajra Blade, and appear behind Yan Fa.

Since Yan Ben had cultivated the physical body, he lacked agility. Seeing Yao Pei’s attack bearing down upon him, he had no room to evade and could only rely on the toughness of his body to withstand the blow. With such immense blood qi, there was no way he could be slain by a single slash.

Yet Yan Ben misjudged her once again. Yao Pei suddenly withdrew her blade, spread the five fingers of her left hand, and reached toward him in a grasping motion.

The Six Qi surged within Yao Pei’s palm. It was none other than the Six Void Tribulations.

As the orthodox heir of the Quanzhen Sect, Yao Pei naturally had mastered this perfected method.

Yan Ben’s flesh could withstand blades and weapons, but he dared not test the power of the Six Void Tribulations.

At that very moment, a long staff shaped like a tree branch suddenly extended into view, appearing from thin air. It blossomed with seven-colored lotus flowers, neatly intercepting Yao Pei’s grasp.

Yao Pei’s gaze sharpened.

This was not the orthodox immortal object of the Western Region Buddhist Sect, the Seven Treasure Bodhi. Just as Yao Pei’s Yield Sovereignty had been forged in imitation of the Moral Sovereign, this wooden staff was likewise a semi-immortal object modeled after the Seven Treasure Bodhi. Since the Seven Treasure Bodhi was also known as the Seven Treasure Wondrous Tree Staff, this semi-immortal object was called the Lesser Seven Wondrous Tree.

Its primary material was a branch from a Bodhi tree, refined with the Seven Treasures—gold, silver, lapis, glass, giant clam shell, red pearl, and agate. Besides being incomparably sturdy, it could also emit seven-colored divine light. This divine radiance could pierce almost anything and seize almost anything. Any ordinary treasure illuminated by it would immediately be taken away.

Holding the Lesser Seven Wondrous Tree, Yan Fa blocked Yao Pei’s advance. The staff then underwent countless transformations as strands of seven-colored divine light intertwined like crisscrossing chains, temporarily trapping Yao Pei within.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, Yan Ben immediately launched another palm strike at Yao Pei. The strike carried overwhelming power, sending countless ripples through the air wherever the enormous palm passed.

However, through the Heavenly Blade, Yao Pei had already discerned the weaknesses and flaws within the palm strike. With a casual slash, she effortlessly dissolved the technique into nothingness.

Yan Fa’s expression grew solemn. He temporarily released the Lesser Seven Wondrous Tree and formed an intricate mudra with both hands. His thumbs pressed against the tips of the other fingers, the third, fourth, and fifth fingers folded down, while the index fingers bent slightly and hooked against the curve of the thumbs. He held his left hand level at his waist before assuming a yogic posture, twisting his body into an almost impossible angle. His hands then came to rest at his lower Dantian below the abdomen and his middle Dantian at the center of his chest.

In an instant, the Mother Buddha Spiritual Statue merged with Yan Fa. He seemed to tower between heaven and earth, his form expanding without limit until he appeared to fill the entire world. The Buddhist radiance behind his head shone with overwhelming brilliance, bathing heaven and earth in pure white light, leaving not a single shadow in which to hide. Everywhere was light, and everywhere was the Buddhist Pure Land. All who beheld it felt an inexplicable and crushing pressure descend upon their hearts, so much so that their movements became sluggish and restrained.

Seizing the opportunity, Yan Ben once again unleashed a palm strike.

At that very moment, the Staff of Merit appeared out of nowhere. A ripple spread outward, and wherever it passed, all color rapidly faded until only black and white remained. Time itself froze.

At the same time, Yao Pei’s eyes turned completely white, with neither sclera nor pupils visible. She had activated the Taishang Emotionless Sutra to enter the absolute state of Heavenly Calculation.

The Taishang Emotionless Sutra transcended emotion to attain perfect impartiality because one was neither moved by feelings nor disturbed by emotions.

As time stood still, Yao Pei also used Heavenly Calculation to perceive the critical weakness at the heart of the technique.

Her blade passed straight through the Buddhist radiance, and the Mother Buddha Spiritual Statue crumbled apart like a sand statue.

Yan Fa’s true body reappeared. His aura had greatly diminished, and he had sustained serious injuries.

The ordinary disciples who had been empowering him were likewise caught in the backlash. Some saw the ritual tools in their hands explode, while others suffered severe backlash. Some even endured both fates at once. One after another, they could no longer support themselves and fell from the sky, with some dying on the spot.

Without missing a beat, Yao Pei unleashed the Nine Forms of Heavenly Inquiry. In Yan Ben’s vision, Yao Pei herself had vanished entirely, replaced only by countless afterimages. The sun and moon could not be seen, yet sunlight illuminated everything while moonlight draped the world in a veil of cold silk. There was nowhere to hide.

Yan Ben was grievously wounded in an instant, subjected to death by a thousand cuts. Flesh and blood blurred together, and not a single part of his body remained intact.

His disciples likewise dropped from the sky, each slain by a single stroke.

Yan Fa had no time to think of anything else. He hastily summoned the Lesser Seven Wondrous Tree, whose divine radiance swept around him, leading Yan Ben and the surviving disciples in a frantic retreat. As they fled, their ritual tools continuously lost their spiritual power and fell from the sky.

The Daoist Order erupted in cheers, shouting with all the strength they could muster, their voices converging into a single deafening roar.

Yao Pei did not pursue the fleeing monks. Instead, she remained suspended in the air, her expression calm as she basked in the thunderous acclaim.