A Pawn's Passage

From the beginning, Situ Xingluan made no move. He simply watched Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu in action, his gaze finally locking onto the latter.

Qi Xuansu sensed this attention and turned to look at Situ Xingluan.

The two men stared at each other, but it was far from a tender or affectionate gaze.

Although Situ Xingluan kept a smile on his face, Qi Xuansu could sense a chill and unconcealed murderous intent in it.

Qi Xuansu did not bother pondering why Situ Xingluan wanted to kill him. He merely focused his mind and prepared himself.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuelu did not stand by idly. She was occupied by three Fate Guards, while one who had fallen off the tower earlier was now struggling to climb back up.

The rule of thumb was that three top-tier Guizhen-stage masters working together could contend with a Heavenly Being. However, it depended on the strength of the Heavenly Being.

There was no doubt that Zhang Yuelu, who had defeated Marshal Thunder, was no weakling. As a Heavenly-Being Banished Immortal, which was the foremost among the Five Immortal Lineages, even the combined efforts of three Fate Guards could not overcome her.

Situ Xingluan also did not expect the three Fate Guards to defeat Zhang Yuelu. He just intended to hold her back while he dealt with Qi Xuansu. That way, handling Zhang Yuelu alone would be far simpler.

Situ Xingluan’s voice turned cold as he muttered, “Die.”

In an instant, a faint black mist surged toward Qi Xuansu.

The Taiyi Cloud Robe on Qi Xuansu flashed brightly as the surrounding clouds roiled ceaselessly.

At the same time, Qi Xuansu channeled his magical power to the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica in his hand. The substandard treasure expanded to the size of a temple’s morning bell. Inside were fierce flames that coiled like fire dragons as the bell descended upon Situ Xingluan.

Situ Xingluan sneered. “Today, I shall test the resilience of a Daoist talent.”

As soon as he finished his sentence, a surge of ferocious energy erupted, accompanied by an overwhelming cacophony of mournful wails. Suddenly, a chilling wind arose, and a somber, oppressive mist swirled around Situ Xingluan, enveloping his entire body.

The Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica crashed onto the black mist, unleashing countless blazing flames that transformed into fire dragons, writhing and roaring endlessly.

The black mist churned violently. Pale human faces faintly emerged within it, twisting and wailing in terror. Yet the mist prevented the shield from descending. Though the fire dragons burned holes into the mist, the gaps were quickly filled as the mist surged back in torrents.

Situ Xingluan’s figure flickered within the black mist. He suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

In an instant, countless laughter echoed from within the mist. At first, it sounded like the howling of the wind, but upon closer attention, it resembled the wails of tormented souls.

The ghostly laughter invaded one’s ears, tugged at the soul, and seized one’s mind, capable of killing without a trace.

Qi Xuansu felt his vision go dark. Suddenly, countless blood-red eyes appeared around him, staring intently as if they intended to devour him completely.

However, Qi Xuansu was prepared. He immediately channeled all his blood qi and let out a long roar that boomed like thunder. It echoed within the tower’s perimeter, the sound reverberating incessantly and overpowering the wails of the tormented souls, which in turn caused the black mist to churn and rapidly disperse.

Without hesitation, Qi Xuansu bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of True Yang Saliva, known to be the most potent source of yang energy in the human body. Combined with the blood qi of a Martial Arts Practitioner, Qi Xuansu’s True Yang Saliva was immensely powerful.

A brilliant red light erupted, dissipating the black mist like snowflakes in the sun, revealing Situ Xingluan’s figure that was hidden within.

Situ Xingluan was not a ghostly entity, so he was unaffected by the yang energy meant to counter such creatures.

He chuckled, waved his sleeve, and summoned a black wind that carried countless white talisman papers. These papers, resembling white hell money, swirled in the wind and obstructed Qi Xuansu’s vision.

The paper money ignited spontaneously, not with red flames but with icy blue yin fire, turning to ash. The resulting black cinders surged toward Qi Xuansu like black snowflakes.

Qi Xuansu extended his hand to summon the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica again, switching from offense to defense. This time, instead of igniting flames within the bell, he summoned several roaring fire dragons outside it. These dragons circled him, preventing the cinders from coming near.

At that moment, the Fate Guard who had fallen earlier finally returned to the rooftop. He grabbed onto the eaves and leaped up, landing right in front of Qi Xuansu.

Ignoring the searing heat and circling fire dragons, the Fate Guard slammed both fists onto the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica. With a thunderous crash, the bell vibrated violently, shrinking back to its original size, unable to protect Qi Xuansu any longer.

Qi Xuansu quickly retreated.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuelu had already gained the upper hand against the three Fate Guards. Her Azure Thunderbolt radiated with lightning. Though the glow was not dazzling, its thunderous sound exuded a pure and righteous aura of divine justice, as if determined to punish all evil.

This was the true potency of Thunder Methods.

Although Zhang Yuelu primarily practiced the Cihang Sword Sequence, as a descendant of the Zhang family, she had learned Thunder Methods as a foundational subject from a young age. Techniques like Thunder Palm originated from the Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method. While her Thunder Methods were far inferior to many Zhang family experts, it was vastly superior and undeniably authentic compared to the crude imitations often seen in Jianghu.

The Azure Thunderbolt significantly compensated for Zhang Yuelu’s shortfalls, while her authentic Thunder Methods maximized the power of this ancient sword. Thus, the two complemented each other perfectly.

The Thunder Method was the foremost of all methods, capable of subduing all evil and aberrations.

The Daoist Spirit Guards or even the Imitation Spirit Guards of the Eight Tribes would not be restrained by Daoist Thunder Methods. However, the Cult of Fates used living corpses as their Fate Guards, which made them highly susceptible to Thunder Methods.

Without any other variables, the three Fate Guards had virtually no chance of defeating Zhang Yuelu.

Suddenly, Zhang Yuelu raised her hand. The Amorphous Paper, which she had yet to use, flew out from her sleeve, transforming into a paper whip.

It temporarily restrained two of Fate Guards, leaving only one to face off with her.

Zhang Yuelu unleashed the full power of Azure Thunderbolt, striking with all her might, so much so that it was impossible to distinguish whether the dazzling flash was from the lightning or her sword qi.

The Fate Guard collapsed, his armored head rolling far away.

The next moment, Zhang Yuelu ignored the two remaining Fate Guards and launched another swift strike.

This time, the strike was aimed at Situ Xingluan, who could not evade in time. The sword pierced through his chest, chilling him to the core.

The sword penetrated his heart, causing his divine power to disperse rapidly. His body also drifted back from the impact.

Qi Xuansu seized the opportunity, channeling what remained of his magical power to activate the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica again. He used fire dragons to force the Fate Guard attacking him into retreat, then closed in on Situ Xingluan, slapping down on his head.

That palm strike contained both his Rogue Cultivator’s innate qi and the full force of a Martial Arts Practitioner.

Situ Xingluan immediately bled from all orifices and dropped to one knee, but he was undying.

The cult demon laughed. “Wow, you’re truly impressive! You’ve actually forced me to reveal my true form.”

As he spoke, Situ Xingluan’s body began to crack incessantly, sounding like popping corn kernels.

Qi Xuansu’s expression shifted, and he quickly retreated.

Situ Xingluan’s clothes tore apart as his body expanded rapidly, growing to almost 7 meters in height. His exposed skin transformed into scaled armor, with black barbs that glinted ominously. His hands resembled dragon claws, with jet-black nails as sharp as daggers.

His initially good-looking face morphed into the most grotesque feature. The left side of his face was only skin and bones, with no flesh; the right side had flesh and bones but no skin. His white teeth and jawbone were exposed, while eerie black mist continuously seeped from his mouth.

The wound inflicted by Zhang Yuelu’s sword had already healed completely.

This form did not resemble the true form of a Martial Arts Practitioner, but rather a monstrous creation of the Cult of Fates through their so-called Gift.

Situ Xingluan tilted his head back and let out a long roar, sending waves of black mist surging outward.

Meanwhile, the purple energy in Zhang Yuelu’s eyes flared as she activated her Immortal Eye of Providence to its fullest extent.

In her view, Situ Xingluan’s body still contained condensed divine power, with ordinary qi but no spirit, indicating that he was merely a Shaman and not a Martial Arts Practitioner. Yet after revealing his so-called true form, his physique rivaled that of a Martial Arts Practitioner.

She thought, Could he have used a Gift on himself? If so, he truly is a madman!