A Pawn's Passage

Sage Cihang chuckled. Although she came over because she sensed traces of the Cihang lineage in Qi Xuansu, she did not intend to get to the bottom of it.

Instead, she said, “The Cihang lineage has been passed down for many years, and its cultivation method has been included in the Holy Xuan’s consolidated Five Major Lineages. Only certain mystical abilities are kept exclusive for core disciples. So it’s not surprising for the Cihang lineage to spread outside the Daoist Order. It’s not a big deal.”

Qi Xuansu was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Sage Cihang’s next words made his heart race with anxiety again.

“But…” Sage Cihang paused for a moment to keep him in suspense. “Your blood qi is intriguing. You’re not just a Rogue Cultivator, but also a Martial Arts Practitioner, right?”

“Uh…” Qi Xuansu hesitated.

Sage Cihang continued, “Since the Holy Xuan established the Five Major Lineages, there are many who hope to cultivate multiple lineages, but most of them have failed. You are now in the Rogue Cultivator’s Yuding Realm, so your next step is the Holy Embryo Realm.

“That realm is when you open the upper Dantian to cultivate the soul. But a Martial Arts Practitioner’s first step as a Xiantian Being is to condense the spirit and body. After that, their soul and body will merge as one so that the soul can no longer leave the body. In that stage, you will no longer be able to cultivate the soul.

“Your two realms are in complete conflict, so how do you manage to cultivate them both? Or do you plan to stay in the Yuxu stage for the rest of your life?”

Qi Xuansu finally understood the power of a Sage. It was terrifying for a stranger to see through him with just one glance. He was not sure whether the explanation he used to deal with Zhang Yuelu could deceive this Sage, but he had no other choice.

He said, “You sure have a keen eye, Sage. I had a lucky encounter that changed my body so much it resembles a Martial Arts Practitioner’s. But I can’t condense my acupoints or practice the fist intention, nor can I combine my spirit and body like a true Martial Arts Practitioner. So I’m not considered a Martial Arts Practitioner.”

“Is that so?” Sage Cihang smiled faintly, which made Qi Xuansu feel goosebumps all over.

It was just Qi Xuansu’s luck (or lack thereof) that Sage Cihang used to be the Hall Master of Huasheng Hall before she transferred to Duzhi Hall. That was why she knew many secrets regarding the experimental creation projects and processes.

Qi Xuansu could fool the young and naive Zhang Yuelu. However, he could not deceive the experienced Sage Cihang.

That was when Sage Cihang asked, “So, who taught you these methods? It could be an old acquaintance of mine.”

Of course, Qi Xuansu dared not answer truthfully. He took a deep breath and gabbled. “I hope you will forgive me, Sage. The old lady specifically told me not to mention her name, and I dare not violate her wishes.”

If Qi Xuansu was facing Sage Donghua or Sage Qingwei, he would likely end miserably—critically injured, if not dead. Fortunately, he met Sage Cihang, who was the best-tempered among the three Omniscient Sages. Thus, she would not force Qi Xuansu against his will.

Sage Cihang merely nodded. “That’s fine. Since you don’t want to tell me, forget I asked.”

Qi Xuansu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Since Sage Cihang had broken the communication barrier set by the Ancient Immortal Wu Luo, Cuowenbu was no longer isolated from contact. As such, communication between the mother-child talisman and the rapid post talisman had been restored.

The surviving Daoist disciples hurriedly reported the situation to the Jade Capital. At this time, no one would dare openly turn a blind eye to such a big accident, so the Daoist Order sent out reinforcements, scheduled to arrive soon.

However, it would still take some time for help to arrive. Since Sage Cihang could not possibly carry the Yinglong Warship by herself all the way to the Jade Capital, she was in no hurry to leave and remained standing on the shore.

Seeing that Sage Cihang refused to leave, Qi Xuansu had no choice but to stand with her awkwardly, as he dared not leave rashly for fear of offending a mighty Sage. Thus, all he could do was silently regret the poor decision that led him to this situation. I knew that I shouldn’t have been so greedy! Now, I didn’t get any benefits and even got myself into this mess...

Standing at this angle, Sage Cihang stared at the Yinglong Warship floating on the lake and fell into deep thought.

She wondered how the situation would develop within the Daoist Order after this incident. One thing was certain—the Tiangang Hall Master must bear the brunt of the consequences and take responsibility. The losses sustained in this incident were a Deputy Hall Master and a Yinglong Warship, more than enough reason for demanding the resignation of the Hall Master.

At the moment, the Taiping Sect had taken control of Beichen Hall. If they were allowed to gain control over Tiangang Hall, the Taiping Sect would have control of two out of the Three Great Halls in the Ancestral Court.

Moreover, Tiangang Hall held significant military power within the Daoist Order. If anything were to happen and the Taiping Sect decided to use force to gain what they sought, Ziwei Hall would not be able to defeat them.

The political situation was clear as day. Even if a Grand Master was elected, it would likely cause dissatisfaction among the two other sects. Thus, the “losing” sect would likely take risks to seize the position by force.

If it got to that point, Kunlun Daoist Mansion, Beichen Hall, and Tiangang Hall were the key determiners of victory. Tiangang Hall was external, Beichen Hall was internal, and the Kunlun Daoist Mansion was somewhere in between. Whoever could control these three entities would be able to capture Jade Capital and gain the position of Grand Master.

As the saying goes, history is written by the winners. As long as the Grand Master gained their foothold, they could change the narrative and establish themselves as the rightful leader.

Of course, the high-ranking Daoist priests were important, and the Great Sages could indeed affect the outcome of a civil war. However, the Great Sages would restrain each other, making the Spirit Guards and various creations the key to victory or defeat.

An example would be the Yinglong Warship. Although it could not defeat an Ancient Immortal, it was still capable of fighting. If someone controlled all the Yinglong Warships, even a first-rank Tianzhen Daoist master would have to move aside if they wanted to stay alive. The formations in Jade Capital, Xuan City, and the Purple Mansion were equally important.

The Spirit Guards should not be underestimated either. Although they were essentially one level lower than the Daoist priests, there were also first-rank Spirit Guards in the Daoist Order.

Since the Spirit Guards’ cultivation level came from the Daoist Order and was not owned by the guards themselves, they could not rely on their own will like a Daoist priest and could only act according to orders. If someone could control all the Spirit Guards, they could certainly compete with the second-rank Taiyi Daoist masters and first-rank Tianzhen Daoist masters.

Qi Xuansu sneaked glances at Sage Cihang’s profile from time to time, not knowing what she was thinking about.

From the side view, this Sage had soft contours and beautiful eyebrows. She looked to be in her thirties, with no wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Her skin was smooth as jade, and her divine aura was faintly visible. Her physique and appearance were flawless.

Qi Xuansu was in a daze for a moment, as he suddenly realized that this Sage had an indescribably similar disposition to Zhang Yuelu.

However, compared with Zhang Yuelu, this Sage was clearly more reticent and mature, while Zhang Yuelu was somewhat inexperienced and overly assertive.

Just as Qi Xuansu was lost in a trance thinking of Zhang Yuelu, Sage Cihang suddenly turned to look at him. She met his eyes and asked, “What are you looking at?”

Startled by the voice, Qi Xuansu quickly looked away and stammered. “N-Nothing.”

Sage Cihang laughed it off and advised. “If you want to avoid trouble, you’d best be on your way.”

“Yes, Sage.” Qi Xuansu responded quickly, “I’ll take my leave.”

Immediately after, Qi Xuansu ran as fast as he could in the other direction.

Sage Cihang stared at the young man’s departing figure, her gaze inadvertently landing on the Jiamas tied to Qi Xuansu’s legs. Seeing this, she could not conceal the look of surprise on her face.

This pair of Jiamas looked familiar, as Zhang Yuelu had asked her for a pair just like these not long ago. The Jiamas were not worth much. What attracted her attention was the markings on them.

Although Qi Xuansu had already run off quite a distance away, Sage Cihang had great eyesight and could clearly spot the lotus pattern on the corner of those Jiamas.

That was the unique symbol of the Cihang lineage.

Each major sect in the Daoist Order had its own symbol. When Qi Xuansu obtained the flying sword from the fight in Fengtai County, he had to reluctantly sell it because it had the Li family’s mark on it.

Sage Cihang pondered. Could this person be an unnamed disciple of my seniors or juniors? Or could he be one of my juniors’ lovers?

However, her main focus was on Jade Capital, so she did not delve too deeply into this young man's identity.

At the same time, on Yuzhu Peak, which was opposite Yuxu Peak, three huge Yinglong Warships were taking off.

Each Yinglong Warship had an Omniscient Sage personally taking charge. There were also many accompanying third-rank Youyi Daoist masters and fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist masters onboard.

Their destination—Cuowenbu.