A Pawn's Passage

Strictly speaking, Zhou Mengyao and Madam Qi belonged to the same generation, making them seventh-generation disciples of the Daoist Order, one generation junior to Great Sage Jiang. That was why Great Sage Jiang had remarked that, at Zhou Mengyao’s age, he had been inferior to her. The implication was equally clear. At present, he still held the advantage over Zhou Mengyao only because he had more time to cultivate.

Zhou Mengyao did not dispute the statement, clearly acknowledging its truth.

Although one could say Great Sage Jiang was bullying someone younger, Zhou Mengyao was doing precisely the same. She did not dare give Qi Xuansu another 10 years to grow. Thus, she had no grounds to argue.

Even so, Zhou Mengyao continued to address him as Brother Jiang, clearly placing herself on equal footing with Great Sage Jiang.

This was not unusual. Xie Jiaofeng and the others were also seventh-generation disciples, yet Qi Xuansu never addressed them as respected seniors. More often than not, he scolded them as though they were his juniors. Ultimately, in the Daoist Order, cultivation, authority, and official rank mattered far more than seniority. Everything else was secondary.

Sage Donghua could certainly act like a master, but Pei Xiaolou could hardly insist on being respected like a martial uncle. In practice, everyone simply addressed one another according to circumstance.

Great Sage Jiang likewise put on no airs, addressing her simply as a Daoist.

Zhou Mengyao was equally direct. “Brother Jiang, just say what you intend to do.”

Great Sage Jiang replied, “Qi Xuansu is a second-rank Taiyi Daoist who occupies an important official position. You, by contrast, are merely a fourth-rank wandering Daoist without any official appointment. Though you are his senior by generation, the laws of the Daoist Order place official rank above age. Not only have you committed insubordination against a superior, but you also stand accused of attempted assassination. According to the law, such crimes warrant severe punishment. So, come back with me to Jade Capital and spend ten years in secluded reflection within the Zixiao Palace, sincerely repenting for your actions.”

Zhou Mengyao answered with cold laughter.

Great Sage Jiang naturally knew she would not submit so easily, yet he continued calmly. “Daoist Zhou, the Zixiao Palace is the sacred domain of the Grand Master. Ordinary people cannot set foot there. It is protected by restrictions personally left behind by the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, allowing no reckless conduct. Yet within those halls, one may comprehend the profound mysteries of heaven, earth, and the Dao itself. Its benefits are immeasurable. It is a place meant for the cultivation of true Immortals. Pseudo-Immortals do not even qualify to enter.

“I am willing to allow you to reside in one of the side halls of the Zixiao Palace. There, you may contemplate countless wondrous realms, greatly benefiting your cultivation. So long as you do not leave the Zixiao Palace, I will also grant you access to its Daoist archives. With your talent, if you devote yourself wholeheartedly to cultivation, mastering the Fundamental Law of Eternal Heaven would hardly be difficult. Given your current age, you may even have the opportunity to become a First-Tribulation Immortal. Would that not be a happy outcome for everyone?”

Earlier, when Great Sage Jiang had suggested resolving matters through legal means, there had been more than a trace of mockery in his words. This time, however, he spoke with complete sincerity.

Zhou Mengyao knew he was not exaggerating. As the very heart of the Kunlun Paradise, the mysteries of the Zixiao Palace were indescribable. It was said that the palace existed on two levels. One was the physical Zixiao Palace, while the other could only be entered through spiritual projection. Upon entering the latter, one would be standing utterly alone within primordial chaos. Looking in every direction, one would not see heaven, earth, living beings, or any trace of the world itself. Instead, one would witness the separation of chaos, the ascent of pure qi, the descent of turbid qi, the clearing of heaven, and the formation of earth. Such visions greatly aided one’s understanding of the fundamental laws governing the Dao.

This form of spiritual projection was also not an ordinary one.

Within the Earthly Immortal lineage, there was a concept called a ruddy infant, when one returned to one’s original simplicity, achieving a state of perfect purity, like that of an infant.

Attaining the Dao and becoming an Immortal was known as the Golden Elixir Path. The Golden Elixir itself was originally formless and without substance, but if deliberately manifested, it could take the form of a radiant spiritual elixir. This elixir would rise and seek out one’s true nature, refining the soul. This stage was known as Illuminating the Mind. Once the soul had been refined to perfect purity and completeness, it would ascend into the head. This was known as Seeing One’s True Nature.

The two would then converge and unite within the Upper Dantian. Rosy radiance would fill the chamber, while brilliant white light suffused the entire body. Afterward, they would return to the Qihai within the abdomen and merge into a Life Embryo. A lotus platform would form beneath it, nurturing the Life Embryo in emptiness. The embryo would then transform into the soul and be silently nourished until the arrival of the ethereal purple qi. Once the infant had been fully nurtured, it would slowly emerge through the top of the head, only to return again, existing somewhere between the tangible and intangible. At this point, one would become a Quasi-First-Tribulation Immortal.

Only after reaching such a realm could one’s spirit travel into the deepest reaches of the Zixiao Palace.

Beyond that, the Zixiao Palace also contained a Spiritual Root of Heaven and Earth, which flowered once every 3,600 years, bore fruit after another 3,600 years, and required yet another 3,600 years for those fruits to fully ripen. Each cycle produced 36 fruits, which could aid an Immortal in surviving the Second Heavenly Tribulation. The fruits of this tree were called Herbal Reversion Elixirs.

In a little over 300 years, the Herbal Reversion Elixirs within the Zixiao Palace would finally mature. This would also be their last ripening before the end of the era. After that, there would be no more Immortals, and no more immortal elixirs or spiritual medicines.

Despite the many benefits of entering the Zixiao Palace, Zhou Mengyao still had no desire to go. Ten years was simply too long, and far too much could change during that time. By the time she emerged, Qi Xuansu might already have become an Immortal and grown completely beyond her ability to contain. By then, the overall situation would have been settled, leaving her no possibility of reversing it.

Zhou Mengyao smiled. “Brother Jiang, how thoughtful of you to have considered everything on my behalf. Ordinarily, I ought to obey.”

Great Sage Jiang replied, “Judging by your tone, I suspect there is a ‘but’ coming.”

“Indeed,” Zhou Mengyao said. “But ten years is far too long. I still have many worldly affairs requiring my attention and cannot remain here for so long. I appreciate your kind intentions, Brother Jiang, but I hope you can understand.”

Great Sage Jiang said, “You hold neither an official post nor any meaningful rank. What worldly affairs could possibly require your attention? Surely you aren’t referring to more schemes and conspiracies?”

Zhou Mengyao replied, “The Qingping Society is now among the secret societies undergoing normalization. Its affairs are numerous and complicated. Naturally, I must place the Qingping Society’s matters first.”

Great Sage Jiang stopped wasting words. He produced two immortal objects—Heaven’s Will and the Three Treasures Scepter.

Zhou Mengyao’s expression immediately turned grave.

With the sixth-generation Grand Master absent, all of the Grand Master’s immortal objects had fallen under the authority of the Zixiao Palace Master. That was precisely why Great Sage Jiang could afford to be so overbearing. If they had not been outside the Central Plains, he might well have brought out even more. Even in Nanyang, Great Sage Jiang had once deployed the Moral Sovereign. He was more than capable of letting Zhou Mengyao experience exactly what Chen Shuhua had suffered that day.

Great Sage Jiang spoke in a deep voice. “Daoist Zhou, do you understand that after saying those words, it will be difficult for today’s conflict to end without bloodshed?”

Zhou Mengyao had no intention of confronting him head-on. Instead, she immediately began retreating.

As long as Great Sage Jiang refrained from using immortal objects, she could still contend with him for a while. Even if she ultimately lost, the defeat would not be too humiliating. But once immortal objects entered the battle, insisting on fighting to the end would mean either grievous injury or death. Thus, retreating early was clearly the wiser choice.

After all, Zhou Mengyao knew what had happened to Chen Shuhua and the flood dragon of Fenglin. Both had died beneath the might of immortal objects.

Great Sage Jiang could not possibly allow her to simply retreat like this. If he did, his journey here would have been for nothing. If the goal had merely been to rescue Qi Xuansu from danger, Qi Xuansu could simply have remained safely within New Xijing. There would have been no need to go through all this trouble.

Even if Great Sage Jiang had to show the Earthly Preceptor some respect and refrain from killing Zhou Mengyao outright, he still intended to severely injure her and force her to lie low for a while.

Otherwise, Qi Xuansu would never be able to focus on his advancement in peace. The hopes and efforts invested in him had long since ceased to belong to Qi Xuansu alone. Great Sage Jiang himself had already chosen a side and entered the game. Naturally, he could no longer stand by and do nothing.

Meanwhile, Master Yin finally broke free of Zhou Mengyao’s Five Thunder Strike.

Zhou Mengyao was highly experienced. She knew that even if the Heavenly Preceptor himself were present, wielding the most orthodox Five Thunder Celestial Method with the support of the Heavenly Preceptor’s Seal, a single strike still might not be enough to kill Master Yin. The Three Yin Beings’ survivability was far beyond that of ordinary Pseudo-Immortals. If even the Heavenly Preceptor could not guarantee killing him in one blow, then Zhou Mengyao certainly could not.

Thus, Zhou Mengyao’s thunder technique had never been intended to injure Master Yin. Its true purpose was imprisonment. The lightning had formed a cage around him, trapping him within. Due to the disparity in their cultivation, Master Yin needed considerable effort to break through the lightning cage. Only now had he finally escaped.

The moment Master Yin broke free, he hurried to Qi Xuansu’s side and helped stabilize the young man’s injuries.

Qi Xuansu drew a breath and said, “Thank you, Master Yin.”

This was not the first time Qi Xuansu had called upon the Three Yin Beings for assistance. The reason he was so solemn this time was mainly that their opponent was different. In the past, most of their enemies had belonged to external forces, including Feng Bo, Wu Guangbi, the Three Noble Children, and True Lord Siming. Fighting such opponents crossed no serious political lines, and the Daoist Order would have had no reason to trouble the Three Yin Beings afterward.

But this time was different. Although Zhou Mengyao was also from a secret society, she belonged to the Earthly Preceptor’s faction. No matter what, the Three Yin Beings nominally fell under the Earthly Preceptor’s authority because they were classified as creations rather than ghosts or deities. Now that Master Yin had sided with Qi Xuansu against Zhou Mengyao, it was difficult to predict what consequences might follow.

Master Yin waved a hand dismissively. “There’s no need to worry, my friend. Although the Earthly Preceptor is technically our immediate superior, even she would need a proper justification if she wished to deal with us. Zhou Mengyao’s affairs can never be brought out into the open, so the Earthly Preceptor certainly will not pursue the matter through official channels.

“Even if the Earthly Preceptor were to use other methods outside the proper procedures, the three of us are hardly defenseless. With the geographical advantage of the Ghost Kingdom and the Emperor Willow, even an Ancient Immortal would risk perishing there. Surely, the Earthly Preceptor would not personally go to the Ghost Kingdom merely to settle accounts with us. Leaving aside the fact that it would give the Imperial Preceptor something to laugh about, it simply isn’t the Earthly Preceptor’s style.

“Besides, strictly speaking, although the Emperor Willow was indeed left behind by Elder Yao, the three of us and the Sakka were creations of Elder Xu. That means we still have old ties with the Shangguan and Xu families. Moreover, Sage Donghua would not stand idly by. We’re not helpless weaklings that anyone can squeeze at will.”

Qi Xuansu nodded slightly, finally putting his concerns to rest.

That was one advantage of a tripartite balance of power. Every side had to exercise a degree of restraint. No one could afford to completely tear away all pretenses of civility, lest the third party reap the benefits.

Master Yin then asked, “Speaking of which, how is Miaomiao lately?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Little Yin? I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed, Master Yin. She’s having such a wonderful time out here that she has no desire to return to the Ghost Kingdom. You couldn’t drag her back even if you tried. In fact, we often use the Ghost Kingdom to scare her. Whenever she refuses to behave, we threaten to send her back there. It works every single time. She immediately becomes perfectly obedient.”

Master Yin did not seem surprised. “She still has the temperament of a child and naturally loves excitement. The colorful world outside is far more interesting than the dull and monotonous Ghost Kingdom. Since that is the case, I’ll have to trouble you to continue looking after her.”

Qi Xuansu replied with complete sincerity, “Although Little Yin and I share no blood relation whatsoever, I truly regard her as my own daughter.”

Master Yin smiled. “I told you long ago that you share a deep fate with the Emperor Willow.”

Qi Xuansu instinctively glanced toward the Guizang Lantern. Something suddenly stirred in his heart.