A Pawn's Passage

From the countless eyes covering his body, Master Yin unleashed innumerable malevolent rays that struck Zhou Mengyao, which accumulated on her. Though these rays had no physical weight, her movements gradually became sluggish. Even her thoughts began to slow, her mind growing noticeably dull.

Seizing the opportunity, Master Yin swept his sleeve. A pitch-black chain forged from an unknown metal materialized out of thin air. It was engraved with countless talismanic patterns and resembled an enormous black serpent, rattling loudly as it moved.

The chain stretched outward without end. One end wrapped itself tightly around Zhou Mengyao’s neck, while the other remained firmly in Master Yin’s grasp. With a gentle tug, the chain immediately constricted.

Master Yin spoke softly, “When the Nether Chains descend, no living soul can escape.”

The chain existed somewhere between the tangible and the intangible, possessing the miraculous ability to bind the soul itself. Once the soul was immobilized, the body became nothing more than a lifeless shell, incapable of movement. Master Yin then released billowing clouds of black miasma, filling heaven and earth with an overwhelmingly foul stench that seemed impossible to dispel.

This corpse qi was so deadly that an ordinary person would have their flesh and bones dissolve almost instantly upon inhaling even the slightest trace. It was exceedingly corrosive, so much so that it could even decay the bodies of cultivators and extinguish spirits. Even spiritual objects and treasures would corrode and crumble from its foul pollution.

But Zhou Mengyao was an Immortal. Even under the combined suppression of the malevolent rays and the Nether Chains, she was still able to focus her mind and circulate her qi. She broke free of the chains, dispersed the rays, and prevented the corpse qi from approaching her. Then, she pointed the dagger in her hand toward Qi Xuansu and vanished in a blur. In the next instant, one of Qi Xuansu’s arms was severed cleanly from the shoulder.

Once more, Master Yin unleashed countless black threads from his body. Though visible, they possessed no physical substance. Instead, they tugged directly at the heart and manipulated the mind. Every one of them descended upon Zhou Mengyao, intertwining into a dense mass that resembled a flowing black river.

However, Zhou Mengyao ultimately stood a level above Master Yin. She paused for only the briefest moment before drawing her blade, severing every black thread. Each slash struck precisely at the fundamental weakness of the technique.

Zhou Mengyao knew the Three Yin Beings well. Although each possessed extraordinary abilities, each also had its own weakness. The Nine-Yin Lord of the Netherworld was formed from vengeful souls, baleful qi, death qi, corpse qi, and yin qi—an existence of ultimate yin and malevolence. Its greatest weakness was ultimate yang. Techniques embodying pure yang and righteousness were its natural counter.

Accordingly, Zhou Mengyao used the Taiping Qingling Sutra to imitate the Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method, conjuring five bolts of heavenly lightning that crashed down on Master Yin. This technique was called the Five Thunder Strike.

Without waiting to see the outcome, Zhou Mengyao transformed into a streak of blade light and instantly slashed toward Qi Xuansu’s neck.

By then, Qi Xuansu had already reattached his severed arm. He condensed the Daozi Sword and employed the Taixuan Sword Heart Series from True Lord Taiyin’s Taiyin 13 Swords. Combined with the instinctive reactions of the Demonic Blade, he barely managed to block the attack. The Daozi Sword shattered instantly. Even so, the blade carved a deep gash across Qi Xuansu’s neck. Fortunately, his Martial Arts Practitioner physique was extraordinarily resilient, making it little more than a flesh wound.

Once Zhou Mengyao fought seriously, she single-handedly overwhelmed both Qi Xuansu and Master Yin, despite the two of them being Pseudo-Immortals. The saying that it took three Pseudo-Immortals to contend with a true Immortal was no empty talk. Missing even one Pseudo-Immortal immediately turned the battle into a hopelessly one-sided affair.

Unfortunately, Qi Xuansu was unable to summon all Three Yin Beings at the same time.

None of that truly mattered. Qi Xuansu and Master Yin had only been buying time from the very beginning, for a figure had already appeared within the mirror formed by the Moon in Water.

It was none other than Jiang Hedao, the busiest Great Sage of the Daoist Order and the pillar that steadied the entire Daoist Order.

Once Great Sage Jiang descended, the tables would turn.

Zhou Mengyao was racing against time as well. She had to interrupt the Moon Mirror because if Jiang Hedao succeeded in descending, she had no confidence whatsoever in facing someone who wielded four immortal objects.

Ignoring his own safety, Qi Xuansu threw himself directly in Zhou Mengyao’s path, using nothing but his own body to stop her.

Qi Xuansu’s Longevity Stone Heart made him difficult to kill. More importantly, Qi Xuansu figured that Zhou Mengyao would not want to kill him, for she had invested too many years of planning and painstaking effort in him. What she truly wanted was to regain control over him. If she killed him now, all of that would amount to nothing, leaving her with no choice but to watch Li Changge ascend to the position of Grand Master. Expecting Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei to compete with Li Changge simply was not realistic.

The two engaged in close-quarters combat—Heavenly Blade against Demonic Blade. Zhou Mengyao always anticipated Qi Xuansu’s moves before he made them. He was almost overwhelmed, barely managing to delay her advance.

Qi Xuansu deliberately tried to provoke her. “Master, you thought you’d seen through all my schemes and believed victory was already yours, right? How does it feel now? They say a disciple need not always fall short of the master. Are you satisfied with your student this time?”

At that moment, Zhou Mengyao had not employed the Taishang Emotionless Sutra. Hearing his taunt, she flew into a rage. Without another word, she struck her palm directly onto the crown of Qi Xuansu’s head.

Qi Xuansu’s entire body shuddered violently. His mockery had come at an enormous price.

Zhou Mengyao poured the full power of the Six Void Tribulations into his body, intent on condemning him to a fate worse than death.

This was not the same Six Void Tribulations as the one wielded by Zhang Yuelu. It was the Immortal-level Xiaoyao Six Void Tribulations. The two were worlds apart in power, and Qi Xuansu had no means of resisting it.

Qi Xuansu felt a strange force flickering unpredictably through his body. Suddenly, half of his body went numb and weak, while the innate qi within him scattered in an instant.

Startled, Qi Xuansu could only strike back with an elbow using the half of his body that still obeyed him. Zhou Mengyao merely extended one hand and effortlessly caught his elbow in her palm. Though the blow appeared casual, it actually incorporated the Future Infinity Technique from the Three Sacred Fist. Even so, it could not escape the foresight of Zhou Mengyao’s Heavenly Calculation.

With a light push and release, Zhou Mengyao sent Qi Xuansu drifting backward through the air. She had no intention of merely forcing him back. She intended to wound him.

Using the Star Shift Technique, she appeared at the very spot where he would land before he arrived, then casually struck out with another palm. Hidden within that seemingly gentle strike was razor-sharp sword qi.

Qi Xuansu inwardly cursed Zhou Mengyao’s ruthlessness. Twisting his body in midair by force, he had no choice but to counter with both palms simultaneously. His left palm carried Dark Yin sword qi, while his right contained Taiyin sword qi. Though the two sword qis differed in nature, they ultimately achieved the same purpose. The former extinguished all vitality, while the latter specialized in suppressing all forms of supreme yang methods, excelling at overcoming hardness with softness.

Yet when Qi Xuansu’s two palms met Zhou Mengyao’s single palm, and the clash of sword qi reached its peak, a strange numbness suddenly spread through both of his hands. It was like an army in the midst of battle suddenly losing its reinforcements while its supply lines were cut. Its formation collapsed instantly. Zhou Mengyao’s sword qi broke through his defenses and surged into his body, causing his blood and qi to churn violently. His body swayed as he staggered backward.

Zhou Mengyao immediately followed with another palm strike.

Qi Xuansu could only meet it head-on. The sword qi contained within Zhou Mengyao’s palm felt like the endless waters of the sea, surging forward wave after wave, each one piling atop the last without end, sending his blood and qi into constant turmoil.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, which transformed into a blood sword that shot straight toward Zhou Mengyao.

This was the Immortal Blood Sword Technique from the Taiyin 13 Swords, which consumed the user’s blood qi. The greater the sacrifice, the more powerful the resulting blood sword became.

This time, Qi Xuansu sacrificed 5% of his vital essence. Combined with his Martial Arts Practitioner blood qi, the sword’s destructive power could well be imagined.

Unfortunately, Zhou Mengyao once again employed the Heavenly Blade, instantly discerning the blood sword’s fatal weakness and dissolving it into nothingness.

In the next instant, Zhou Mengyao was striking him again, with yet another seemingly ordinary palm. On the surface, she appeared to be using the Wanhua Divine Sword Palm. In truth, she had woven countless sword arts into the technique. All of them were supreme techniques of the Taiping Sect.

Qi Xuansu felt the force of Zhou Mengyao’s palm descending upon him like the crushing weight of a mountain. Realizing she was striking with her full strength, he hurriedly raised his palm to defend himself. Before the two palms could meet, Zhou Mengyao suddenly altered her technique, transforming her palm into a finger strike aimed directly at the center of his forehead. Qi Xuansu could only slash sideways with his left palm, diverting the finger slightly. Even so, a bloody gash was carved across his cheek.

Qi Xuansu finally realized that every move Zhou Mengyao made was aimed at taking his life. If he failed to defend with everything he had, death was certain. Had he misjudged her intentions?

But there was no time to dwell on the question. Fighting for survival, Qi Xuansu released his long black hair, which cascaded down like a waterfall as he activated Black Hair Armor. His hair spread around him like a cloak, shielding several vital points. At the same time, he continuously changed techniques. After dozens more exchanges, great portions of his hair had been sliced away. Driven into a desperate corner with nowhere left to retreat, he could only prepare his final sword technique—the Inner Demon Manifestation.

However, at that very moment, six foreign streams of qi suddenly erupted within his body. Their movements were erratic and impossible to predict. Mingling seamlessly with Qi Xuansu’s own innate qi, they mercilessly ravaged the circulation of his internal energy. Whenever he attempted to retaliate against them, they would vanish without a trace, hiding once more within his own innate qi, causing his breathing and qi circulation to stall abruptly.

He watched as Zhou Mengyao’s palm descended toward him, yet he was utterly incapable of resisting.

Zhou Mengyao’s palm landed squarely on Qi Xuansu, who collapsed to the ground at once, utterly exhausted and no longer capable of fighting back.

Without sparing Qi Xuansu another glance, Zhou Mengyao reached out toward the Moon in Water, which hung high overhead.

At that very moment, another hand reached out through the mirror’s surface and firmly grasped Zhou Mengyao’s wrist.

Zhou Mengyao’s expression changed instantly.

“I was wondering where this Corpse Liberation Immortal had come from. It turned out to be you, Daoist Zhou. You truly are extraordinary, cultivating the Heavenly Immortal lineage and the Corpse Liberation Immortal lineage. I was far inferior to you when I was your age.” Great Sage Jiang’s voice echoed from the mirror.

Contrary to Zhou Mengyao’s expectations, Great Sage Jiang’s descent had occurred one step faster than she had calculated.

It was not that her calculations had been wrong. Time itself had been accelerated.

Zhou Mengyao whipped her head around and finally noticed a lantern had been lit. It was none other than the Guizang Lantern.

Heavenly Calculation could only compute outcomes based upon known conditions. It could not account for variables that had never entered its calculations. But the immortal object before her had clearly been one such variable.

“Zhang Wushou actually entrusted the Guizang Lantern to you as well?” Zhou Mengyao shouted in fury.

The Guizang Lantern had never been limited to foreseeing the future alone. It also possessed the ability to manipulate time within a limited area. That was how Qi Xuansu managed to enter the Lingshan Paradise of the past.

Ordinarily, Qi Xuansu should not have been capable of wielding the Guizang Lantern. But Qi Xuansu was no longer in an ordinary state. Having temporarily advanced to the Pseudo-Immortal stage, he could activate this immortal object’s power for a limited time.

In the next instant, Great Sage Jiang stepped through the Moon Mirror and appeared directly before Zhou Mengyao.