A Pawn's Passage

At this moment, Qi Xuansu had only two things on his mind.

The first was: what miraculous effects did the Longevity Elixir truly possess? Sun Lingxiu had gone to extraordinary lengths across the seas to refine this elixir, and it had once caused even the mighty First Emperor to mobilize such tremendous resources. It seemed he would have to ask Huasheng Hall to conduct a thorough analysis of it.

If he could not trust Huasheng Hall, then he could make use of Madam Qi and Shangguan Ya’s connections to have the Eight Tribes study it instead. After all, the latter had once been part of the creation project as well.

Presumably, the Longevity Elixir was by no means as simple as something that merely enhanced one’s cultivation.

The second matter concerned the Eye of the Sea, the Yin Moon, and the humanoid insects’ Blue Cloud Island. Qi Xuansu could almost connect the dots, feeling that he was already very close to the truth. Now that Zhou Mengyao had been dealt with for the time being, the next step was to eliminate the humanoid insects.

Qi Xuansu had a suspicion that Zhou Mengyao must have colluded with the humanoid insects and might even have prepared some contingencies. However, now that Zhou Mengyao had been defeated by Great Sage Jiang, all those contingencies had become useless. The humanoid insect might not know this yet, which meant their arrangements could instead end up backfiring on them.

Thus, Qi Xuansu’s best course of action now was to press his advantage and locate Blue Cloud Island immediately.

As though his thoughts had summoned it, the moment Qi Xuansu surfaced from the waters, he sensed that something was wrong. At some point, the sky had gone completely dark. Above them was utterly black, not because dark clouds had blotted out the sun, but because there was simply pure darkness without the slightest trace of light, except for the moon that was shimmering with an eerie green glow.

It was very different from the Dark Moon Qi Xuansu had seen before.

Qi Xuansu and the others returned to the deck of the Horned Dragon flying ship. By now, the entire Horned Dragon was bathed in the eerie green light, making it resemble a gigantic ghost ship steeped in yin energy.

Under the green illumination, everyone aboard the ship, including Qi Xuansu and the others, had ghastly, pale complexions. They looked almost like corpses, and together with the ghostly ship, they seemed to have come from the Netherworld.

A pale moon tinged with green light broke through the surface of the sea and slowly rose upward. Its eerie glow was the only source of light in the sky, spilling across the ocean and making the waters appear even more mysterious and unfathomable. Emerald waters were nothing unusual, but seeing the entire vast blue ocean transformed into an expanse of eerie green was an astonishing sight.

Qi Xuansu looked up. “Is this the so-called Yin Moon?”

As a follower of the Moon Goddess, Utu answered with absolute certainty. “That is definitely not the moon.”

Qi Xuansu waved his hand. “Precisely because it isn’t a real moon, they put the word Yin in front of it. Since the legendary Yin Moon has appeared, Blue Cloud Island can’t be far away. This is the perfect opportunity to wipe out the humanoid insects. Pass down my order—let’s advance immediately toward the position directly beneath the Yin Moon!”

Voyage Leader Yang Shaozhen and Navigator Pang acknowledged the order and left to carry it out.

Qi Xuansu then turned to Tantai Ying. “Sage Tantai, leave some personnel here to handle the aftermath concerning the Dragon Palace and the Longevous. Have the remaining warships join me in pursuing Blue Cloud Island. We will strive to finish this in a single decisive campaign and rid the Southern Continent of the insect menace once and for all.”

“Yes, Sage Qi.” Tantai Ying loudly acknowledged the order.

The Horned Dragon began advancing at full speed, with a fleet of Purple Flood Dragons following behind.

Along the way, Yang Shaozhen continuously deployed small beacon towers. Even if something unexpected happened, the Western Daoist Order and the Daoist Order could later follow the trail of these beacons to find them.

Qi Xuansu did not go to the bridge. Instead, he stood at the bow, his gaze fixed intently on the Yin Moon.

Why was the Yin Moon giving off a green glow? Did this signify some kind of change? The moon resembled both a gigantic eye and a half-opened ghost pass. Did the Yin Moon’s green glow mean that the gateway had opened?

If the Yin Moon truly was a gateway, then would passing through it lead to the Toad Palace that Sun Lingxiu had mentioned? Just what kind of place was this Toad Palace that possessed the one-meter spirit talisman?

Hun Ahau and Tantai Ying had gone elsewhere, as the two of them were responsible for commanding the fleet following behind. Only Utu remained at Qi Xuansu’s side.

Suddenly, Utu pointed into the distance. “Sage Qi, that’s Blue Cloud Island.”

Qi Xuansu gathered his thoughts and looked in the direction Utu was pointing. Sure enough, directly beneath the Yin Moon, where sea and sky met at the horizon, the dark silhouette of an island gradually emerged. As the Horned Dragon continued to approach, the silhouette grew larger and larger.

The island itself was moving with all its might, like a massive ship cutting through the wind and waves. Yet an island of such enormous size could not move very quickly. At the very least, it was nowhere near as fast as a flying warship like the Horned Dragon. Thus, the distance between them continued to shrink as the Horned Dragon steadily closed in.

“It really is Blue Cloud Island!” Qi Xuansu began issuing orders. “Prepare the Starcrusher.”

Although they had exhausted all their Grade-A Series Two Dragon Eye Bombs in order to kill the old flood dragon, the ship still carried Grade-A Series Three Dragon Eye Bombs as well as Grade-A Series Two Phoenix Eye Bombs. As long as they could reach the airspace above Blue Cloud Island and deploy the Grade-A Series Two Phoenix Eye Bombs, they could still inflict a devastating blow upon the humanoid insects.

Moreover, the Purple Flood Dragons accompanying the Horned Dragon were not to be underestimated. This fleet was of a remarkably high caliber. The force deployed in the decisive battle against the Holy Court’s Nautilus Vessel had been roughly of the same scale, except that the Horned Dragon had been replaced by the Solar Ark and some Eagle Warriors.

But ultimately, the humanoid insects could not be compared with the elite legions of the Steam Evangelical Sect.

The humanoid insects on the island seemed to have realized that a large force was approaching, so they were activating the island’s defensive formations.

But could the strength of a single island truly withstand such a force?

At this moment, Sun Yong stood at the highest point of Blue Cloud Island, looking up at the green moon and the aerial fleet that were drawing closer.

“Zhou Mengyao deceived us,” the black-haired, black-bearded man said grimly. “She lured us out of hiding.”

Sun Yong slowly shook his head. “It doesn’t seem that way. It looks more like she fell into the hands of her own disciple. She once said that she had other means at her disposal, but it seems those methods have most likely failed. A disciple need not be inferior to the master. This struggle between master and disciple has already reached its conclusion before it could even extend to Blue Cloud Island. It’s only unfortunate for insignificant figures like us. We’ve been left in an awkward position, unable to advance or retreat, with little choice but to sit here and await our deaths.”

The black-haired, black-bearded man hesitated before lowering his voice. “Although the divine power we’ve accumulated isn’t enough to fully open a passage to the Spirit Realm, it shouldn’t be difficult to tear open a small breach. We could escape into the Spirit Realm.”

Sun Yong shook his head. “What difference is there between dying at the hands of the Daoist Order and dying in the jaws of the Insect Queen? You and I both know the true nature of the humanoid insects. We wanted to open a passage to the Spirit Realm so that the Insect Queen could descend here. As long as we remain in the mortal world, there is still much we can accomplish. But if we deliver ourselves straight to her doorstep and enter the Insect Queen’s territory, then we truly will become fish on the chopping block.”

The middle-aged man grew somewhat agitated. “What about surrendering? If we’re willing to surrender, won’t the Daoist Order show mercy on us? After all, they pride themselves on being civilized.”

Sun Yong glanced at him, his expression filled with resignation. “First, it’s the Western Daoist Order coming this time, not the Daoist Order itself. Second, the Daoist Order has not forgotten what happened with the Nanyang Federation of Daoist Expulsion. The Daoist Order has always repaid its grudges. Just look at what happened to the Wa people of Fenglin.”

“If everything won’t work, are we supposed to just sit here and wait to die?” The middle-aged man glared at Sun Yong with bloodshot eyes.

Sun Yong remained perfectly calm, though his tone softened. “On this entire Blue Cloud Island, aside from me, you’re the only one who can take charge. How can you lose your composure like this the moment something happens? Of course we’re not going to sit here and wait for death. We intend to survive. The key is to have a proper plan instead of rushing around like headless flies. The greater the crisis, the calmer we must remain.”

The middle-aged man felt deeply frustrated, but Sun Yong was ultimately the one in charge. He was the one steering this great ship. Having been reprimanded, the man could only force himself to suppress his agitation.

Only then did Sun Yong continue. “Prepare to abandon the island and escape. Perhaps some fools will help draw the Daoists’ attention for us. At the same time, we’ll expend all the divine power we’ve accumulated to tear open a rift into the Spirit Realm and create as much chaos as possible. Then we’ll use the opportunity to escape.”

The middle-aged man nodded. “Zhou Mengyao previously instructed us to send Qi Xuansu into the Spirit Realm. We’ve already made all the preparations according to her instructions. The green moon above our heads is proof of that. All it takes now is a single command, and we can immediately open the rift into the Spirit Realm.”

Sun Yong said, “We’ll split into two groups. You arrange the forces for the attack, while I’ll go open the rift into the Spirit Realm. No matter how things turn out, we’ll meet at the Spirit Temple 15 kilometers from the Western Harbor in an hour.”

Soon, the Daoist forces began their assault on the island.

The scenery of Blue Cloud Island was quite beautiful, but at this moment, the seamless blend of sea and sky was nowhere to be seen. Apart from the dark canopy overhead and the green moon, crimson beams and fireballs continuously rained down from the sky, resembling a vast meteor shower of flames.

The crimson beams were like sharp arrows, tearing through the outer formation barriers while selectively targeting defensive installations from high above. Wherever the red light flashed, fortifications were pierced and destroyed one after another, even those concealed deep within the mountains.

The crimson fireballs erupted violently upon striking the ground. Smoke billowed upward as scorching flames spread like torrents of molten lava, consuming the forests. Fires rapidly spread in every direction, turning vast stretches of land into a sea of flames in a wide-area bombardment.

Under the alternating bombardment of the Dragon Eye and Phoenix Eye Bombs, ordinary humanoid insects seemed utterly insignificant. Both hosts and insects within their bodies quickly perished amid the raging flames and were reduced to ashes.

From the humanoid insect’s perspective, it was as though enormous dark-crimson fissures had been torn open across the sky, with flames endlessly pouring through them.

The booming explosions roared like thunder, shaking the entire island.

The smoke and crimson glow of the bombardment were so intense that they even drowned out the green radiance of the Yin Moon.

This was an age of iron and fire.

Qi Xuansu did not even need to make a move. He merely stood at the bow of the ship and looked down below, where flames were blossoming.

Just then, a figure in green robes soared into the sky. Ignoring the sea of flames filling the heavens, he charged straight toward the Horned Dragon where Qi Xuansu stood.

“For my Blue Cloud Sect—”

Unfortunately, before he could finish speaking, concentrated fire descended upon him. More than a dozen crimson beams converged into one, forming a dazzling column of white light. Within that brilliance, the green-robed figure became a dark silhouette that grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared completely, leaving no trace behind.

His voice likewise lasted only for a fleeting instant before being swallowed by the roar of cannon fire and violent explosions.

Whatever heroic declarations he might have wished to make, they had lost all meaning before the overwhelming firepower.

The battlefield was never romantic. This was no place to die passionately with impact. Instead, there was only valor and tragedy.