A Pawn's Passage

Once a massive breach appeared in what had barely been an evenly matched battlefront, a complete collapse became inevitable.

As soon as the old Buddhist monk died in battle, Wu Guangbi was the first to flee.

In fact, Wu Guangbi had prepared for this possibility from the beginning. After facing Lin Yuanmiao, he had deliberately drawn the battlefield outward, fighting all the way from Qingshui Island into the depths of the sea, all to create favorable conditions for escaping at the first opportunity.

As mentioned in the Art of War, before considering victory, one must first consider defeat.

Wu Guangbi understood the situation perfectly well. Whenever the Daoist Order descended into internal conflict, outsiders died first. This had long been a tradition.

During the rebellion of the Deposed Heavenly Preceptor, the Confucian Grand Libationer had also become involved, and the latter had been the first to die.

Wu Guangbi was self-aware enough to know that he was the perfect sacrifice for Qi Xuansu to warn others what would become of those who attacked him.

Put simply, this was a relatively restrained internal conflict within the Daoist Order. Li Tianqing had the Imperial Preceptor protecting him, while Pei Shenfu had the Earthly Preceptor protecting her. Unless Qi Xuansu had gone mad, there was no way he could kill both of them. But no one in the Daoist Order would protect Wu Guangbi.

Thus, the moment the old monk died, Wu Guangbi fled without a second thought, never once looking back.

This actually caught Lin Yuanmiao somewhat off guard.

As more and more Pseudo-Immortals entered the fray, Wu Guangbi, who had originally been a designated target for elimination, instead became largely insignificant. All attention had shifted to Qi Xuansu and Li Tianqing. Who could have expected that Wu Guangbi would flee so easily?

No matter how much the Li family paid Wu Guangbi, it was hardly worth risking his life.

Lin Yuanmiao watched as Wu Guangbi streaked away and knew that he most likely could not catch him. At the speed of a fleeing Pseudo-Immortal, Wu Guangbi would reach the headquarters of the Heavenly Court in no time. Lin Yuanmiao could not possibly continue pursuing Wu Guangbi and try killing him right in front of the Golden Patriarch. Back then, Wu Guangbi had managed to escape Chen Shuhua’s sword because he had been close enough to safety. Now that he was intent on fleeing, there was certainly no stopping him.

Thus, Lin Yuanmiao simply gave up pursuing Wu Guangbi and instead flew back toward Qingshui Island.

However, before Lin Yuanmiao could rejoin the battlefield and influence the outcome, the other four Pseudo-Immortals had already begun deciding the outcome of their respective battles.

After being possessed by the Heluo God, Qi Xuansu already held a slight advantage in cultivation. With an Immortal Sword aiding him as well, his victory against Li Tianqing was entirely within expectations.

It was only because Qi Xuansu could not communicate with the two Punishment Pillars on the Demon-Vanquishing Platform that the stalemate had dragged on for so long. If he had been able to command them as effortlessly as the Heavenly Preceptor, he would have won long ago.

The sword light grew increasingly brilliant, while the shadows grew increasingly faint.

Thirteen figures shot off in all directions and plummeted from the sky like cannonballs. Some crashed onto Qingshui Island and smashed deep into the ground, while others plunged into the sea, sending enormous waves surging upward.

The Taiyin Sword Formation was finally broken.

Only Li Tianqing barely remained suspended in the air, but Qi Xuansu had already placed his sword against his neck.

Li Tianqing said nothing and made no further attempt to resist.

Just as Wu Guangbi had analyzed, Qi Xuansu would not go so far as to kill Li Tianqing outright. Killing a Sage was a crime far too serious to simply gloss over. If Qi Xuansu became the Grand Master and executed someone after formally listing their crimes and following the proper procedures, that would be legal and just. But to simply kill someone with his own hands was another matter entirely.

Li Tianqing’s death was simply not worth the trouble.

If the Taiping Sect killed Qi Xuansu, then no matter how great the price they paid, it would still be worthwhile because they would have eliminated Li Changge’s greatest rival. As long as Li Changge became the Grand Master, all their losses would be recouped.

But if Qi Xuansu killed these people, Li Changge would remain unaffected and would still compete for the position of Grand Master. Meanwhile, Qi Xuansu would only be mired in controversy, which would hurt his own chances of competing for the Grand Master seat.

Thus, in this respect, Qi Xuansu was at a relative disadvantage.

After the battle, the Heluo God returned control of the Corpse Liberation Incarnation to Qi Xuansu. Now that the sword formation had been broken and Master Wan was standing nearby, there was no need to fear that Li Tianqing would make one last desperate struggle.

Lin Yuanmiao arrived beside Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu instructed, “Old Lin, immediately notify the Daoist Mansion and Great Sage Lan that someone is deliberately stirring up trouble and harboring malicious intentions, and request reinforcements. Ideally, have a first-rank Spirit Guard come personally.

Lin Yuanmiao acknowledged the order.

Meanwhile, the battle between Star Lord Yuheng and Pei Shenfu was also gradually reaching its conclusion.

After all, Pei Shenfu did not have Qi Xuansu’s extensive experience using the Scripture of Zuriel, so it was easy for her to lose control of its effects. It might have been manageable if she still held an advantage in cultivation, but Star Lord Yuheng had forcibly erased that disparity. In her maniacally conceited state, Pei Shenfu naturally fell into a disadvantage facing True Lord Ziguang’s Divine Descent Incarnation. Soon, she was on the verge of defeat.

With the old Buddhist monk dead, Wu Guangbi fleeing, Li Tianqing and Pei Shenfu defeated, Qi Xuansu’s side had now gained complete control of the situation.

Seeing that the situation had turned against him, Li Tianzhen tried to escape, only to be casually apprehended by Lin Yuanmiao.

Once again, Li Tianzhen fell into Qi Xuansu’s hands.

Great Sage Lan had clearly made preparations in advance. The Spirit Guard contingent arrived quickly, personally led by Xu Jiaorong. Both first-rank Spirit Guards had been mobilized, and they had even brought a Yinglong Warship.

Only after handing some of the old monk’s belongings over to Xu Jiaorong did Master Wan return to the Ghost Kingdom.

Qi Xuansu said, “Sage Li, after you.”

Li Tianqing snorted coldly and boarded the Yinglong Warship under the escort of the two first-rank Spirit Guards.

Xu Jiaorong arranged for personnel to search the island for survivors, though there was little hope of finding any.

When Pei Shenfu went berserk, she reduced the buildings on the island to rubble and destroyed most of the formations. Even if someone had been fortunate enough to avoid dying at Pei Shenfu’s hands, without the protection of the formations, they would still have been killed by the aftershocks of the battle.

After all, not everyone possessed Li Tianzhen’s life-saving means.

Other than Li Tianzhen, everyone else on Qingshui Island had been wiped out, with no remains left behind.

Xu Jiaorong then ordered the Spirit Guards to retrieve and excavate Li Tianqing’s thirteen sword slaves. They affixed the Daoist Order’s special talismans to the sword slaves and temporarily sealed them away.

Qi Xuansu came before Li Tianzhen. “We meet again. Didn’t I tell you to conduct yourself properly the last time we met? It seems you didn’t heed my advice and even dared to come to Nanyang.”

Li Tianzhen did not respond to Qi Xuansu. He did not even look at him. It was not due to arrogance, but avoidance.

To Li Tianzhen, Qi Xuansu was nothing short of his nightmare. In Qi Xuansu’s presence, he was an utter and complete failure.

In the political arena, Qi Xuansu was the youngest Omniscient Sage and a leading candidate for the eighth-generation Grand Master. Having surpassed even the Three Daoist Prodigies, Qi Xuansu naturally had no reason to regard Li Tianzhen as anything noteworthy.

In matters of love, Zhang Yuelu had regarded Li Tianzhen with utter disdain and had simply let her fists do the talking. Yet she had looked favorably upon Qi Xuansu when he still had nothing to his name. This was undoubtedly an enormous rejection of Li Tianzhen. Back then, Li Tianzhen had no shortage of wealth or power and enjoyed so much external support, yet he still could not compare with a nobody like Qi Xuansu. Just how inadequate did that make him?

As long as Qi Xuansu remained alive, Li Tianzhen felt as though he would never see the light of day.

But Li Tianzhen could do nothing about Qi Xuansu. The gap between them only continued to widen. He had gone from looking down on Qi Xuansu with disdain to reluctantly regarding him as an equal and now to having no choice but to look up to him.

All of this constantly reminded Li Tianzhen that, in front of Qi Xuansu, he was nothing.

Thus, the only thing Li Tianzhen could do was avoid facing Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu did not take Li Tianzhen seriously either. Seeing Li Tianzhen cowering like a quail, he could not even be bothered to waste words on him and simply waved his hand as he ordered, “Take him away.”

Two Spirit Guards immediately stepped forward, seized Li Tianzhen from either side, and escorted him toward the Yinglong Warship.

Though Qi Xuansu could not kill these people, he could arrest them all. He had even thought up the charges—deliberately stirring up trouble, harboring malicious intentions, and suspected improper dealings with the Nanyang Buddhist Sect. He would detain them for investigation for a month first, then have the Li family come and retrieve them. Moreover, Sage Qingwei would have to come personally to bail them out.

As for Pei Shenfu, there was no need to openly offend the Yao family too severely. He could first summon Pei Xiaolou and Pei Xiaoyun. If neither of them could make the decision, then he could hand her over to his master, Sage Donghua. But if Sage Donghua did not want to get involved or found it difficult to do so, then he would summon Yao Pei and have her keep her own mother under control.

Among the eighth-generation disciples, Qi Xuansu and Li Changge stood at the forefront of the male Daoists, while Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei led the female Daoists. Whether it was Zhang Yuelu or Yao Pei, neither of their mothers was easy to deal with. Tantai Qiong was constrained by her cultivation and lack of family background, so she was somewhat less destructive. At the very least, Qi Xuansu could still keep her in check. But Pei Shenfu was far more troublesome. If she were actually his mother-in-law, even Qi Xuansu would not dare claim that he could keep her under control.

Whoever married Yao Pei would truly be “blessed.”

After Pei Shenfu was defeated, the power bestowed by the Scripture of Zuriel gradually receded. Since this power essentially came from overexerting her reserves, Pei Shenfu entered a period of weakness. She was now sitting sprawled on the ground with her legs spread before her, looking rather disheveled. ℯℯ𝑙.

Star Lord Yuheng stood nearby with her arms folded across her chest.

Qi Xuansu walked over to Pei Shenfu. “Sage Pei.”

Pei Shenfu glanced at Qi Xuansu before lowering her head again, not saying a word.

Qi Xuansu said, “I told you to use whatever abilities you had. Now it seems your abilities aren’t all that impressive after all. Is this really all you’ve got?”

Pei Shenfu said coldly, “Qi Xuansu, don’t be so smug.”

By this point, True Lord Ziguang had already left, so Star Lord Yuheng had returned to her usual self.

Star Lord Yuheng interjected, “Sage Pei, you really are stubborn. You’ve already ended up in such a state. You should worry about yourself first.”

Some organizations appeared to be enemies of the Daoist Order on the surface but were actually its own people, such as the Heavenly Court, the Qingping Society, and the Ziguang Society. These organizations specialized in doing the dirty work for the Three Daoist Sects. Some of these secret societies had even been legitimized.

Others appeared to be friends of the Daoist Order on the surface but were actually untouchable taboos, such as the Buddhist Sect and the Holy Court. This was especially true of the Buddhist Sect, which had been a grave threat to the Daoist Order for countless years. Publicly, the Three Religions were said to be one family, but within the Daoist Order, vigilance against the Buddhist Sect was actually even greater than vigilance against the Holy Court.

Of course, Pei Shenfu understood this perfectly well. She simply had no one else she could mobilize, so she had no choice but to take the risk. As long as they successfully captured Qi Xuansu and the old Buddhist monk slipped away once the deed was done, it would cease to be an issue.

It was just like waging a foreign war. Going to war without a legitimate cause was not necessarily a problem, provided one kept winning.

With a justifiable cause for war, even a defeat would not shake one’s fundamental position. But without a legitimate cause, a single defeat could easily lead to a complete collapse.

The same applied to colluding with the Buddhists. As long as one was caught red-handed, it would become an enormous problem.

Qi Xuansu simply waved his hand again. “Take her away.”