A Pawn's Passage

The former corpse cultivation site on the west bank of Cuowenbu was once one of the nine manufacturing plants under Huasheng Hall. However, a man-made disaster caused by the Cult of Fates turned the place into ruins. After changing several hands, this plant finally fell into the hands of The Inn.

This huge manufacturing plant had an area comparable to that of a county. It was shaped like a concentric circle. Most of the outer circle consisted of scorched earth, with only some scattered vegetation and buildings left behind. At this time, the place had turned into a desert. The inner circle was the core area, where the legendary corpse-raising grounds were located.

It was said that at its most prosperous, this manufacturing plant was filled with green grass, cranes, koi fishes, and pavilions. At first glance, it did not look like a place suitable for corpse cultivation. Instead, it looked like a paradise.

However, at this moment, this place resembled the netherworld.

The giant demon ravaged the place, killing and injuring the elites sent by The Inn.

The Inn’s elites tried to escape, but to no avail. The Daoist Order’s Phoenix Eye Bomb had only destroyed most of the buildings above ground. The underground buildings were still intact. However, that part of the underground buildings had been completely destroyed by the giant demon.

Among the nine people from The Inn’s headquarters, the leading old man stayed above ground, while the other eight entered the underground building. As a result, the old man above ground was the first to die. The remaining eight people were trapped underground due to the underground structure collapsing, so they would have died as well.

At this moment, a huge Daoist flying ship crossed Cuowenbu and appeared in the sky above the area.

Shangguan Jing was still standing on the bow of the ship, looking down.

There was not much expression on his face. For a Deputy Tiangang Hall Master who had just escaped from the battlefield in the Western Region, the seemingly scary sight was nothing in comparison to the Shamanistic Sect.

A superintendent stood behind Shangguan Jing and reported, “Sir, I have contacted Huasheng Hall. They have confirmed that the monster is indeed the sealed Great Asura.”

Shangguan Jing frowned and said in a disapproving tone, “What exactly were they thinking? If that monster couldn’t be taken away, it should be destroyed. Why did the Huasheng Hall choose to seal it here? It’s been so long since the incident. Why haven’t they carried out a secondary remedial exercise?”

The superintendent smiled wryly and answered, “According to Huasheng Hall’s statement, the Great Asura could not be destroyed. At the time, the Great Asura was located deep within the corpse-raising grounds. They had no way to destroy it given their manpower, so they could only seal it on the spot. Huasheng Hall did not explain why they failed to carry out a secondary remedial operation. It was probably delayed because of the pushback by several Deputy Huasheng Hall Masters.”

“And now, this mess is pushed to Tiangang Hall, huh?” Shangguan Jing snorted.

The superintendent did not comment further.

Shangguan Jing looked at the figure standing on the shoulder of the Great Asura with a mocking smirk. “Cult demons.”

……

At the same time, the person standing on the shoulder of the Great Asura looked up at the huge flying ship, gritting his teeth.

“Tiangang Hall? I didn’t expect such a quick reaction from them. But I don’t know which Deputy Hall Master is deployed this time.”

“You’re right. But this is not a reaction. It’s an advance prediction. In other words, we just happened to run into them. It’s quite a fatal coincidence.”

That person was not talking to himself. He was communicating with another person from a distance. He continued, “I understand. I will evacuate after getting what we want. I won’t confront the Daoist Order. After all, I won’t be able to defeat them alone.”

“How many cities have been sealed off? This is a rare joint operation between the Daoist Order and the Imperial Court, as expected of the Imperial Preceptor.”

“Alright, I understand. That’s all for now.”

A special mother-child talisman burned out, and this long-distance conversation ended.

The person stamped his feet on the shoulders of the Great Asura, somewhat akin to a pat on the shoulder. It was also considered a final farewell. To be fair, he was a little reluctant to part with this Great Asura, but he also understood that it was impossible to take this Great Asura away under the tight siege of the Daoist Order and the Imperial Court.

……

On the flying ship, the superintendent handed a scroll into Shangguan Jing’s hands, with the key parts already folded for easy browsing.

Shangguan Jing opened the scroll. Despite the roaring wind, the scroll in his hand did not flutter one bit as he quickly scanned the text.

“The Holy Xuan had divided the duty of innovation between Huasheng Hall and Tianji Hall, taking this opportunity to veto some projects, including all the corpse-raising grounds left by the first-generation Earth Preceptor. No one dared to oppose the Holy Xuan’s supreme authority. The second-generation Earth Preceptor had also acquiesced to this.

“However, some high-ranking Daoist priests left the Daoist Order in an act of protest against the Holy Xuan’s decisions. These people formed an association called the Eight Tribes to continue their research, but the Daoist Order could not care less because they were busy fighting against the Buddhist Sect.”

Shangguan Jing glanced at the text and did not pay much attention to it because this information was nothing new to him.

“In addition to the high-ranking Daoist priests who betrayed the Daoist Order, there were also some who stayed in the Order as spies to provide shelter and support for the Eight Tribes. At the same time, they could share the achievements of the Eight Tribes’ research.”

Shangguan Jing snorted when he read this. He muttered, “Interesting. But in the past, the Quanzhen Sect was in charge of inventions. Both Huasheng Hall and Tianji Hall have deep connections with the Quanzhen Sect, so it’s not surprising that the Quanzhen Sect is involved in this.”

He continued to read the scroll.

“It is beyond my expectation that, in addition to being inextricably linked to the high-ranking Daoist priests within the Daoist Order, the Eight Tribes have also had similar relationships with core members of other secret societies in recent years. This includes the Cult of Fates, Qingping Society, The Inn, Seven Treasure Pavilion, and Heavenly Court. Although these secret societies have conflicts with each other, they still communicate through the Eight Tribes. Through this, an alliance was formed.

“An appropriate analogy would be a business. The Cult of Fates, Qingping Society, The Inn, Seven Treasure Pavilion, and Heavenly Court contribute money to buy shares. They are considered co-owners but they do not participate in the operations of the business. They are only responsible for investing money and getting dividends. The Eight Tribes is the shopkeeper, responsible for daily operations and the distribution of profits.

“To coordinate with all parties, the Eight Tribes and other secret societies have formed a special council called the White Jade Hall, similar to our Golden Tower Council. The members of White Jade Hall all have dual identities as members of another secret society.”

Shangguan Jing’s eyelids twitched slightly. He asked the superintendent behind him. “Have you read this scroll?”

The superintendent bowed and replied, “Yes, this record was left by a superintendent of Tiangang Hall, but he passed away in an accident.”

“Since you’ve read it before, what do you think the ‘White Jade Hall’ here means?” Shangguan Jing asked.

The superintendent pondered for a moment before saying, “Jade Capital is also known as the White Jade Capital. Perhaps their naming of White Jade Hall is to allude to the Daoist Order.”

“I have the same thoughts.” Shangguan Jing flicked the scroll and continued reading it.

“After White Jade Hall was established for many years, they were inching toward breaking away from the other secret societies and establishing their own association. Several major secret societies also noticed this trend and decisively intervened. After some internal strife, White Jade Hall no longer tried to set up its own association but still maintained considerable independence.

“I once tried to make friends with a member of White Jade Hall but failed to do so because I had to return to Jade Capital for a debriefing. After which, I will be sent to Jiangnan, so I can’t stay for long...”

That was the end of the scroll. This record was left by the superintendent upon returning to Jade Capital. Not long after, he died from an accident, which was undoubtedly suspicious.

Shangguan Jing closed the scroll and asked, “Do you think those people are from the Eight Tribes or the White Jade Hall?”

The superintendent replied, “I don’t think that the Eight Tribes will be so bold.”

“You mean, White Jade Hall will have the courage to do this, huh?” Shangguan Jing said slowly, “A long-established secret society on the Daoist Order’s list of targets doesn’t have such courage, but a new association that isn’t under our radar does. Interesting.”

The superintendent kept mum about this.

Shangguan Jing did not expect an answer. He handed the scroll to the superintendent and said, “Whether it’s White Jade Hall, the Eight Tribes, or The Inn, all secret societies are included in the scope of this purge. There is no need to hold back. Just use Five Thunderbolts. After all, thunder is the best way to restrain ghosts and demons.”

The superintendent took the scroll and obeyed the orders.

Not long after, the flying ship began to absorb the spiritual energy of its surroundings. A huge illusory magical circle appeared under the hull, and various talismans were visible on the hull.

Then a Thunder Bead the size of a Dragon Pearl condensed over the flying ship. As it rotated slowly, sparks of lightning overflowed from it and slowly dissipated.

The thunder methods were most esteemed among the Daoist methods. This Thunder Bead was condensed from hundreds of talismans.

Drawn by the spiritual energy, the Great Asura became manic and restless.

The next moment, the Thunder Bead flew straight into the heavens.

In an instant, dark clouds gathered, covering the entire sky.

Layers of dark clouds weighed down on the earth. Thunder roared, and purple lightning flashed in the sky. It looked like a catastrophe was on the horizon.