A Pawn's Passage

Zhou Mengyao gave the old man a long, measured look. “What is your name?”

The old man replied, “I am Sun Yong.”

Zhou Mengyao asked, “Do you know why I have come?”

“I have my suspicions,” Sun Yong said plainly. “For some time, I have heard about the struggle between the Three Daoist Sects, and that Qi Xuansu is a top candidate for the future Grand Master. Where there is a contest, there are naturally those who do not wish to see Qi Xuansu claim that seat. They must act to stop him, yet they cannot do so openly and must borrow the strength of my people.”

Zhou Mengyao said, “You dwell so far out at sea, yet you still know the affairs of the Daoist Order. That is quite remarkable.”

Sun Yong let out a sigh. “I dare not be ignorant of it. Sage Qi intends to use us as stepping stones, and if we did not know, we would die without ever understanding why. This Grand Master election doesn’t just concern those within the Daoist Order. The courts of every nation, the Western Daoist Order, the Steam Evangelical Sect, the nations of the West, and even the Holy Court are watching closely. In fact, the Great Xuan Court and the Western Daoist Order have already become deeply involved, placing their bets in advance. From what I know, the Western Daoist Order has wagered on Qi Xuansu, while the Great Xuan Court supports Sage Li Changge.”

Zhou Mengyao said, “A scholar need not leave his door to know the affairs of the world. You sure see things quite clearly, Doiast Sun.

Sun Yong said, “Master Zhou, whatever instruction you have to offer, I ask that you speak plainly.”

Zhou Mengyao said, “There is something I wish to retrieve from Qi Xuansu.”

Sun Yong said, “I wish to live.”

Zhou Mengyao smiled. “That should not be difficult.”

Sun Yong gave a slight bow of his head. “Then I am at your disposal, Master Zhou.”

Zhou Mengyao said, “It is only a matter of time before Qi Xuansu finds Blue Cloud Sect. Is there a way to lure him into the Spirit Realm? I will be waiting for him there, to prevent anyone from coming to his aid.”

Sun Yong was not surprised that Zhou Mengyao knew of the Spirit Realm’s existence. It would have been strange for a Daoist Immortal not to know of it.

Sun Yong asked, “The Spirit Realm is easy to enter but impossible to leave. Master Zhou, do you have a means of moving freely in and out?”

“I have my own methods,” Zhou Mengyao said. “You need not worry about that.”

Sun Yong fell quiet for a moment. “Very well. However, the prerequisite is that Qi Xuansu must first set foot on Blue Cloud Island.”

Zhou Mengyao nodded. “Begin your preparations. I have other means at my disposal. This is merely a contingency. If he can’t reach Blue Cloud Island, you need not trouble yourself with worry.”

Sun Yong clasped his hands and bowed. “Thanks, Master Zhou.”

Zhou Mengyao said no more and turned to leave.

Sun Yong did not straighten his back for a long time.

Only after Zhou Mengyao’s figure had completely vanished did Sun Yong finally stand upright.

A moment later, a middle-aged man with black hair and a black beard walked over. “Will this actually work?”

Sun Yong’s expression was blank. “We have no other choice but to try. We can’t simply wait for death with our hands tied.”

The middle-aged man’s expression darkened with gloom.

......

Led by Sun Jiatu, Utu arrived at a serene fishing village, untouched by the bustle of the outside world.

This was one of the dwellings of the Longevous.

The fishing village was quite refined, reminiscent of the classical gardens of Jiangnan.

Ordinarily, since the Longevous were disciples of the Daoist Order, their settlements ought to bear many Daoist markings, like the Taiji symbol and the bagua. But instead, there were dragons perched upon the upturned eaves and roof ridges and dragons carved and painted across walls and pillars. The majesty of dragons were portrayed in a thousand forms and postures.

This was the worship of the dragon.

In truth, the emperors of the Central Plains had also venerated the dragon. However, the dragon was merely one of the symbolic motifs of the Twelve Ornaments Robe.

There were many in the fishing village whose skin bore dragon scales, though none with dragon horns were to be seen. The distinction was easy to see. The more one resembled a dragon, the higher one’s standing.

At present, only a portion of the village’s inhabitants remained on watch. The senior members and many others were absent.

Sun Jiatu explained, “The old flood dragon is in slumber, and it has summoned the Dragon-Blooded from all regions to gather around it. This village is the closest settlement to where it rests. Beyond it lies the sea where the old dragon sleeps. That makes this the final outpost.”

Utu casually found two unfortunate stragglers, drew them into his divine domain, then transformed himself and Sun Jiatu to resemble them, slipping in among the rest.

Sun Jiatu held a position of some standing among the Longevous and thus knew many of their secrets. Under his guidance, they passed through the fishing village without incident. They had not approached from the sea because approaching openly on the water offered no cover and made them too conspicuous. If so, they would likely alert the enemy. Thus, it was far better to infiltrate through the village in the disguise of the Longevous, drawing far less attention.

Utu and Sun Jiatu reached the shore and gazed as far as their eyes could see.

The sea in the distance appeared perfectly calm, yet it had hidden currents churning beneath. Tides rose and fell. Waves crashed endlessly against the reef, throwing up cascading white foam before falling back into the sea in an eternal cycle.

For Utu, the view was naturally not so simple. Beneath the surface, he saw numerous strange fish that had mutated under the influence of the flood dragon’s leaking aura. It was perfectly reasonable that the Dragon King might have some manner of shrimp soldiers and crab generals.

This was the innate ability of great demons and divine beasts. Their blood carried extraordinary primal power, but even the aura that seeped from them could transform everything in their surroundings.

God Luwu of ancient times was always attended by two strange creatures—a beast called the Tulu, with a ram’s head and four horns, and a divine bird called the Qinyuan, shaped like a bee but as large as a mandarin duck. A single sting from the Qinyuan meant death for any bird or beast. It could also wither any tree. Both creatures had been born from the aura that leaked from God Luwu himself.

Immortals had no such power. Manly Immortals edged close to it, but they were only skilled at controlling their own blood qi.

Further out, Utu could see half-human, half-dragon figures either walking or sitting cross-legged on the waves 100 kilometers from shore. These figures were mostly Heavenly Beings, revealing the profound depth of the Longevous’ foundations.

Utu extended his divine power and continued to observe.

At the very center, encircled by the Longevous, many jet-black stone pillars rose from the sea, arranged in a great circle. Upon their peaks sat senior members of the Longevous, with no shortage of experts at the Wuliang or Zaohua stage.

Sun Jiatu said, “The old flood dragon rests in slumber within the space enclosed by those pillars.”

Utu gave a slight nod, dissolved into a shadow, and silently submerged into the sea, advancing toward the place where the old flood dragon lay sleeping.

With Utu’s level of cultivation, ordinary cultivators had no hope of detecting him. He drew close to that stretch of sea with speed until he saw the Dragon Palace.

The pillars that rose above the waves were rooted deep in the seabed, forming a kind of outer wall. It was a magnificent palace beneath the sea, adorned with all kinds of rare treasures, shimmering with brilliant light.

As a native of the Southern Continent, Utu was seeing this distinctly Eastern-style underwater dragon palace for the very first time.

Though still at a considerable distance, Utu could already feel the vast and sweeping dragon might radiating from within, inclining one toward submission.

As such, the surrounding seawater had been entirely “corrupted” by this aura. Within such an environment, one might gain certain gifts, like the ability to breathe fire, command water currents, and so on. But without realizing it, one would develop an unconscious deference toward the dragon, acting as a slave. Eventually, one would lose all will and become a puppet.

Such was the fate of those mutated fish and the Dragon-Blooded Longevous.

Like the old saying, every gift that fate bestowed had already been quietly marked with its price.

At this moment, the old flood dragon was sleeping within that magnificent palace.

Utu decided to press further and investigate. He wanted to map the Longevous’ defensive layout and the distribution of their forces so as to have a clear picture in mind. After all, Utu was a veteran of the battlefield, having been deeply involved in the war between the Western Daoist Order and the Steam Evangelical Sect. Though his role had been primarily in direct combat, he had absorbed enough from his surroundings to be considered a man who understood the ways of war.

On the other side, Utu used his divine arts to transmit what he was seeing to Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu and Hun Ahau stood before a screen of light that resembled a great mirror. Everything Utu saw appeared on this screen.

Hun Ahau’s expression was grave. “Even without the interference of Master Zhou, dealing with this old flood dragon is no simple matter.”

Qi Xuansu did not dispute the point. “Matters are never simple. What matters is human effort. With the right planning, even Kukulkan and Itzamna have fallen, let alone a gravely wounded old flood dragon.”

Hun Ahau said, “The ship carries the Grade-A Series Two Dragon Eye Bomb. It may prove decisive.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Naturally. We should also inform Tantai Ying. Once matters on land are largely settled, have the West Tiangang Hall prepare to aid us out at sea. Whether it is Blue Cloud Sect or the Longevous, we want them all.”

Meanwhile, Utu drew closer to the Dragon Palace.

Seen from afar, the Dragon Palace was quite magnificent. Up close, it was rather crude. The radiant glitter of its treasures served mainly to conceal its rough construction. Its gates were enormous, like Kukulkan’s bedchamber. They were wide enough for the old flood dragon in its true form to pass through freely.

At present, the gates were shut. The muffled sound of rolling thunder came from within. Whether its breathing merely echoed the rise and fall of the tides or actually drove them was unclear. Either way, it was indeed extraordinary.

Beyond the Snail Boats on patrol, there appeared to be a formation around the Dragon Palace as well. Any attempt to force entry would not only alert the Longevous above, it might also rouse the sleeping old flood dragon.

As such, Utu merely circled the perimeter once, took stock of the general situation, and then withdrew without a sound to report back to Qi Xuansu.