A Pawn’s Passage

Green Cloud was as sharp as ever, far surpassing Little Yin's teeth.

With a single slash, Kiyohime's serpentine tail was severed, and Little Yin took the chance to break free.

Writhing in pain, Kiyohime once again spewed rolling flames toward Qi Xuansu.

Having learned his lesson, Qi Xuansu dared not meet it head-on and swiftly dodged aside.

However, the flames seemed to possess a will of their own, looping around midair before swooping toward Qi Xuansu once more.

For an instant, Qi Xuansu seemed to see the flames twist into countless human faces, all hideous and grimacing, accompanied by faint, murmuring whispers.

Fortunately, with the Longevity Stone Heart shielding his soul, Qi Xuansu could remain unaffected even by the divine descent of True Lord Ziguang. Thus, this evil fire could not do anything to him. The whispers were no more than a noisy distraction, far from enough to shake his mind.

Qi Xuansu swung Green Cloud, scattering the flames one by one with the sword qi.

Soon, Qi Xuansu noticed something. Aside from a few serpent instincts and her ability to spew strange flames, Kiyohime was essentially no different from a simple peasant woman. Her adaptability was poor, and she had no grasp of real combat techniques.

So Qi Xuansu changed tactics and coordinated with Little Yin. She would distract Kiyohime while he slipped around behind her and drove his sword straight into Kiyohime's heart.

Kiyohime let out a cry of pain. Flames burst from her wound, surging toward Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu had not expected such a development. Caught unprepared, he could only withdraw his sword and retreat. Even with the Demonic Blade's instincts, where his body moved ahead of thought, this flame was too strange to be judged by common sense. As a result, some of it still clung to him. Some seemed intangible, passing through his Youyi Cloud Robe to seep directly into his body.

The result was the same as before. The flames headed straight for his heart's acupoints, yet failed to breach the Longevity Stone Heart. They then dissolved into his circulating innate qi, vanishing like a stone sinking into the sea.

Strictly speaking, Qi Xuansu did not truly possess the full 365 body spirits like a regular Martial Arts Practitioner. His heart's acupoint was occupied by the Longevity Stone Heart. However, he discovered that the Longevity Stone Heart could generate a corresponding body spirit based on the Xuan Jade, completing the count of 365 body spirits, so he no longer dwelled on the matter.

Nevertheless, the body spirit born of the Longevity Stone Heart was unlike any other. To this day, Qi Xuansu had yet to encounter any means capable of harming it.

Qi Xuansu had once heard Madam Qi mention that, in ancient times, the Grand Shaman of the Shamanistic Sect had used the lives of hundreds of thousands to forge the Longevity Stone in order to resist an Immortal's first heavenly tribulation. In the end, the Longevity Stone merely exhausted its divine power but was not damaged in the least. This was proof of its incredible resilience.

For Qi Xuansu, these flames were frightening to look at but, in truth, posed little real danger to him. For anyone else of the same cultivation, it would be a near-certain death.

Back in the day, Monk Anchin, who was the junior brother of Aobozu and a disciple of Fenglin's Buddhist Sect, was a Heavenly Being who had the protection of a treasure bell, yet even he was burned to death by Kiyohime through the bell itself. Aobozu feared the demonic fire that Kiyohime spewed so much that he did not dare to go to Anchin's aid rashly. This alone spoke of Kiyohime's terrifying power.

If one were tainted by this demonic fire, with obsession and resentment as a catalyst, one would either gradually transform into a demon that no longer recognized one's kin, or their internal organs would be burned to ash, their own flesh and blood becoming fuel for the flames.

Unfortunately for Kiyohime, she encountered the Longevity Stone Heart, which could withstand even a heavenly tribulation. Against it, her strange flames had no place to work their harm. In terms of close-quarters combat, Kiyohime possessed brute strength surpassing that of a Heavenly-Being Martial Arts Practitioner, but she relied solely on instinct without skill, which made her a weak opponent.

Thus, though she could easily burn Anchin to death and leave Aobozu helpless, without her demonic fire, Kiyohime was now powerless against Qi Xuansu. It was, perhaps, simply a case of one thing subduing another.

Qi Xuansu thought to himself,If these flames were like the Six Void Tribulations, they should have already been triggered by now. Did the Longevity Stone Heart resolve the strange fire in me too?

Without hesitation, Qi Xuansu thrust his sword once more into Kiyohime's heart from the back, giving it a sharp twist for good measure.

Kiyohime let out another piteous cry. Flames no longer sprouted from her wound. Instead, she thrashed violently. Her severed tail pounded the ground, shaking the earth and sending dust billowing into the air.

Moments later, her struggles grew weaker and weaker until her entire body slumped limply to the ground, motionless.

Little Yin edged closer, but Qi Xuansu barked a warning. "Don't eat recklessly! This demon is strange."

"I know," Little Yin replied and thought to herself,I'm not dumb. I won't dare to eat something that's still on fire! What if it burns me?

Qi Xuansu once again examined himself internally. When he found no trace of those strange flames, he finally let out a small sigh of relief.

Taking advantage of the moment, Little Yin rummaged around in Kiyohime's chest.

Where Qi Xuansu had pierced through Kiyohime with Green Cloud was a bowl-sized hole running clear from front to back. Yet inside was not a mess of bloody flesh. It was nothing but ash and charred meat, with no internal organs at all.

This left Little Yin quite disappointed. She had been hoping to dig out a demon heart. Even if she could not eat it right away, she could at least take it back to the Ghost Kingdom to be processed.

"What's this?" Still, Little Yin did not come away entirely empty-handed. From the hole, she pulled out a human skull, charred black, with faint wisps of lingering fire still flickering upon it. From the looks of it, it was definitely not edible.

Qi Xuansu came back to his senses and said curtly, "Let me see it."

Little Yin reluctantly handed the skull to Qi Xuansu.

Before leaving, Master Yin had specifically instructed Little Yin to obey Qi Xuansu. Otherwise, she would be sent straight back to the Ghost Kingdom. So Little Yin dared not act arrogantly toward Qi Xuansu for now and had no choice but to bow her head.

Qi Xuansu took the skull in his hands, still feeling a trace of residual warmth. Then he noticed something carved into the crown of the skull, as if scratched with fingernails.

Wiping away the ash clinging to the skull, Qi Xuansu was glad that Fenglin also used Central Plains script, so it was easy to read.

Little Yin tiptoed closer and craned her head. "That looks like a person's name."

Qi Xuansu nodded. "Most likely. Perhaps the owner of this skull was called Anchin in life, maybe the snake demon's lover."

Little Yin gazed at Qi Xuansu with expectant eyes.

Qi Xuansu said seriously, "This skull is strange. It seems to contain that same bizarre flame, so it's best to leave it in my care."

Little Yin immediately protested loudly, "It's mine! Mine!"

Qi Xuansu ignored her protests. "This flame is extremely uncanny. It burns the heart's acupoints and disturbs the mind. You don't have the Longevity Stone Heart, so you can't handle it."

Little Yin pouted so much that it looked as if her bottom lip could touch her chin.

Qi Xuansu stored the skull into his magical receptacle while saying, "This place isn't safe. We should leave quickly."

Little Yin trailed behind Qi Xuansu in obvious displeasure.

After leaving Anno District, the two entered Ichishi District.

This was where the Sonno-joi faction was most rampant. Ever since the Daoist Order had taken over Taki District, this place had become the front line in resisting their advance.

Qi Xuansu had to be cautious because of the Sonno-joi faction ronin and because of the Daoist Order's Crane Crafts and artillery bombardments. The battlefield here was truly ablaze. Even for a Heavenly Being like Qi Xuansu, taking a direct cannon hit would be unpleasant.

After all, he did not have the Banished Immortal's Joyous Cloud Shield, which was purely a matter of will, one of the few divine abilities left by mind cultivators. Inanimate weapons like firearms could barely penetrate it.

Since his mission was already complete, Qi Xuansu no longer needed to conceal his identity or hide his movements, no longer fearing that the Ise-jingu would detect anything amiss. He let himself run at full speed, moving several times faster than on his prior journey. They quickly crossed more than half of Ichishi District and reached a district border.

The fighting here was not as fierce as Qi Xuansu had imagined. The Daoist Order was not launching any direct offensives, relying instead on artillery and Crane Crafts. The Sonno-joi ronin and Ise-jingu dared not take the initiative either. As a result, the area had settled into a peculiar kind of calm.

Qi Xuansu and Little Yin crossed the border like two stowaways, the thunder of cannon fire rumbling overhead.

Soon, a patrol of Spirit Guards spotted them. They raised their rifles toward Qi Xuansu and shouted, "Who's there?"

Qi Xuansu had already removed his disguise. He raised his Intermediate License and credentials, replying, "I am Qi Xuansu."

The Spirit Guards did not immediately lower their guard, keeping their long rifles trained on him. One of the guards stepped forward to take the credentials and license, both of which bore the seal of the Golden Tower Council, not stamped with ordinary ink but with Imitation Qiongqi Blood. The seal itself contained intricate mysteries, as its script would shift in a set pattern, making it impossible to counterfeit.

Once the Spirit Guard confirmed that the documents matched the man before him, he immediately bowed and said, "We are Spirit Guards of the Tiangang Hall's Tianquan Division patrolling the land under orders. Greetings, Deputy Hall Master Qi."

The other Spirit Guards lifted their rifles skyward and saluted Qi Xuansu as well.

The Spirit Guard glanced at Little Yin, as if wanting to speak but holding back.

Qi Xuansu gestured for them not to be overly formal and explained, "She's a creation of the Huasheng Hall, not a Daoist priest."

The Spirit Guard nodded in sudden understanding.

For members of the Daoist Order, it was nothing strange for creations to possess intelligence and a human appearance. Tasks that Daoist priests did not wish to do were passed to the Spirit Guards, and those the Spirit Guards refused to do were given to creations.

Qi Xuansu asked, "Has the Daoist army already taken Taki District?"

The Spirit Guard straightened his back and replied, "Our Daoist army has formally occupied all of Taki District on February 15."

Qi Xuansu nodded and asked again, "I need to return to camp. Is there a flying ship I can hitch a ride on?"

The Spirit Guard replied, "Yes, the nearest flying ship is at Lake Koshizu, just outside Yoshida Castle. Shall I lead the way?"

Qi Xuansu waved his hand. "I can find it myself. You can continue your patrol."

The Spirit Guard saluted him. "Yes, sir."