A Pawn’s Passage

When Qi Xuansu followed Shi Hengbo to the summit, he found that it had also undergone significant changes.

The towering figures were nowhere to be seen. Apart from the seemingly eternal bonfire, there now stood eleven tall, semi-transparent totem pillars, as if crafted from some kind of crystal.

If the change from a single Great Witch to eleven Great Witches had been brought about by Wu Luo's divine power, then could this scene before him be the result of Daoist divine power?

There was no doubt that these eleven pillars corresponded to the Eleven Great Witches.

On each pillar was an image representing its respective Witch.

However, only four of the eleven pillars were lit, like vertical tubes being filled with water. The "filled" portions glowed brightly, while the others remained dim.

It was not hard to guess that these four pillars corresponded to the four pieces of Xuan Jade he had previously fused with.

Looking closely, Qi Xuansu noticed that each pillar had nine evenly divided markings.

On the pillars corresponding to Wu Gu, Wu Xiang, and Wu Zhen, the light had reached the fifth mark. Meanwhile, the pillar for Wu Luo had reached the sixth mark.

Qi Xuansu couldn't help but ask his guide, "What does this mean?"

Shi Hengbo replied, "You have now fused four Xuan Jades, each corresponding to a totem of a Great Witch. Wu Gu and Wu Xiang's totems are similar, jointly classified under the Manly Immortal lineage. Wu Zhen's pillar is classified under the Ghostly Immortal lineage, while Wu Luo's belongs to the Godly Immortal lineage. Since the Daoist and Wuist systems are entirely different, this is the only explanation I can offer. The finer distinctions are for you to perceive on your own."

Qi Xuansu understood. He had used two Xuan Jades of Life in succession, elevating his Martial Arts Practitioner's lineage to the Divinity Realm. Yet, in the Ancient Wuist system, these two Jades actually corresponded to different Great Witches, Wu Gu and Wu Xiang.

Still, Qi Xuansu felt a certain awkwardness. The Xuan Jades did not seem to mesh perfectly with his Longevity Stone Heart. There had to be a conversion process between the Eleven Witches and the Daoist Six Immortals. Perhaps Li Changge's Longevity Stone Heart was a better fit, being an improved version?

Just then, the pillar corresponding to Wu Peng began to fill, the light rising steadily until it reached the sixth mark, level with Wu Luo's totem pillar.

Before Qi Xuansu could ask, Shi Hengbo had already explained, "Your Corpse Liberation Immortal lineage is classified under Wu Peng's totem."

Qi Xuansu knew this referred to his own cultivated strength, which, apart from the benefits of the Longevity Stone Heart and more than twenty years of arduous training, also included the effects of the Blood Pill, the Red Fruit glutinous rice balls from the Dazhen Mansion, as well as various miscellaneous elixirs.

Next, Wu Xian's totem pillar lit up.

Then, the pillars corresponding to Wu Xian, Wu Xiang, and Wu Peng all began to fill at the same time.

Needless to say, this was the Xuan Jade of Immortality beginning to take effect.

Qi Xuansu had more or less understood the workings of these pillars. Wu Xian, being a Great Sage of the Daoist Order, corresponded to the Daoist Order's fundamental lineage, which was the Earthly Immortal lineage. Wu Xiang also encompassed parts of the Earthly Immortal lineage. Meanwhile, the mark rising on Wu Peng's pillar likely symbolized the enhancement of Qi Xuansu's own cultivation base.

Soon, Wu Xiang's and Wu Xian's pillars both rose to the sixth mark, matching Wu Luo's totem, which had long been there. Wu Peng's pillar rose dramatically to the seventh mark. Only Wu Gu's and Wu Zhen's totems remained at the fifth mark.

Out of the eleven Great Witches' totem pillars, Qi Xuansu had already lit six: Wu Peng, Wu Xian, Wu Xiang, Wu Zhen, Wu Gu, and Wu Luo. Apart from the one corresponding to his own being, the other five matched the five pieces of Xuan Jade he had fused with.

Shi Hengbo explained, "By Daoist standards, Wu Xiang is rather unique, simultaneously encompassing both Earthly Immortal and Manly Immortal lineages. Thus, the rise of Wu Xiang's totem will enhance both your Earthly Immortal and Manly Immortal lineages. Wu Peng, on the other hand, encompasses all lineages, so her totem's rise will strengthen all your lineages. Conversely, the enhancement of any other lineage will also benefit Wu Peng's. You must remember this."

Had Qi Xuansu not studiedThe Rise and Fall of the Eleven Witchesin detail, he would have had no idea what Shi Hengbo was talking about.

Qi Xuansu then realized a key point. "You're so familiar with the Daoist lineages. Are you also from the Daoist Order?"

Shi Hengbo glanced at him, her tone still utterly flat. "I am a second-generation disciple of the Daoist Order."

Qi Xuansu fell silent.

After the Daoist Order was unified, figures such as the Holy Xuan, Donghuang, the Yao family's patriarch, the first-generation Earthly Preceptor Great Sage Shangguan, the Heavenly Preceptor Great Sage Yan, and the first-generation Heavenly Preceptor were all classified as first-generation disciples.

The second-generation disciples included the patriarch of the Pei family, who was a direct disciple of the Holy Xuan. By that measure, even the likes of the three Deputy Grand Masters, who were sixth-generation disciples, would be considered juniors and have to address Shi Hengbo as an elder, let alone Qi Xuansu, an eighth-generation disciple.

From this, it seemed clear that the Longevity Stone Heart did indeed originate from the grand creations project of that era, involving both first- and second-generation disciples. Yet there was still one thing Qi Xuansu could not understand. Why was Shi Hengbo's remnant soul left within the Longevity Stone Heart? Did the forging of this Heart require a living person as a sacrificial medium? Or had Shi Hengbo once been this heart's owner, and after her death, the Heart had preserved her remnant soul?

When Qi Xuansu voiced his doubts, Shi Hengbo simply replied, "I am but a remnant soul split off from my original self. I do not possess complete memories and cannot answer that question."

Qi Xuansu had no choice but to drop the matter.

Shi Hengbo continued, "By Daoist standards, you now possess the Earthly Immortal, Manly Immortal, Godly Immortal, and Ghostly Immortal lineages. You may activate the Heavenly Immortal lineage..."

Qi Xuansu immediately replied, "Yes, please activate the Heavenly Immortal lineage."

Shi Hengbo said, "I'm not asking whether you wish to activate it. I'm just warning you that, regardless of whether you agree or not, the fusion of the Heavenly Immortal lineage will begin immediately. Be prepared."

The next instant, Qi Xuansu felt all five of his internal organs tremble at once. He could not tell if it was an illusion within the dream or a sensation from his physical body in reality.

The Banished Immortal, Qi Refiner, and Rogue Cultivator lineages all shared the same root.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu turned to look inward, seeing within himself that his heart was wrapped in a mass of fiery red aura, corresponding to fire. His liver was enveloped in a green aura, corresponding to wood; his spleen in a yellow aura, corresponding to earth; his lungs in a white aura, corresponding to metal; and his kidneys in a black aura, corresponding to water.

The Rogue Cultivator lineage formed the foundation, corresponding to earth, bearing all things with great virtue.

The Martial Arts Practitioner lineage strengthened vitality and life force, refining the spirit and fortifying the body, rendering one immune to mortal diseases. Thus, it represented the essence of life and corresponded to wood.

The Diviner lineage guarded the consciousness, keeping a singular focus undispersed. From meditative stillness, the yin spirit emerged, preserving the undispersed yin soul with unwavering will. With life within death, it corresponded to the water element.

The Shaman lineage gathered the incense power to ignite one's divine fire, forging the golden body and divine kingdom. Thus, it corresponded to the fire element.

Lastly came the most lethal, the Qi Refiner lineage, adept at sword control, corresponding to metal.

The five elements gathered and refined into Five Qi, which condensed into true essence. This was called the Lesser Five Qi Convergence. The Banished Immortal's Xiaoyao stage was named after this process.

The second heavenly tribulation for an Immortal was the Yin Fire Tribulation. Should one survive it, it would be called the Greater Five Qi Convergence, as the five organs resonating with the Five Qi would then be in complete harmony, inside and out. The difference between the Lesser and Greater Five Qi Convergence was akin to the difference between a mortal and an Immortal.

Qi Xuansu only felt as if his entire being were shattered and pieced back together during the Five Qi Convergence. Or rather, as if he were melted down into molten iron, then recast, shaped, and cooled.

The agony of it could well be imagined.

It was no wonder Shi Hengbo had warned him.

But at this moment, there was no turning back for Qi Xuansu. He could only cling to his willpower to barely keep his spiritual platform from collapsing.

At the same time, the seventh pillar silently lit up.

This pillar corresponded to Wu Yang's totem.

Among the Eleven Great Witches, Wu Yang was an absolute exception. The Ten Witches of Lingshan and the Six Enlightened Witches overlapped, with Wu Peng, Wu Xiang, Wu Di, Wu Lu, and Wu Fan being members of both. They had defected from the Ten Witches of Lingshan to form the Six Enlightened Witches, standing on equal footing against Wu Xian, Wu Gu, Wu Luo, Wu Zhen, and Wu Ji.

The extra member among the Six Enlightened Witches was Wu Yang, the only Great Witch who existed solely in the Six Enlightened Witches but not among the Ten Witches of Lingshan. Like a lone wanderer, she had been drawn in by Wu Peng and the others to oppose their leader, Wu Xian.

In Qi Xuansu's dream, it had been Wu Yang who kicked over the campfire with one swift motion, just like a rebel.

Wu Yang was also the only Great Witch openly esteemed by the Daoist Order. All the other Great Witches, including Wu Xian, had their existence deliberately downplayed by the Daoist Order. Only Wu Yang, as a friend of the Daoist Order, was publicly celebrated.

Names including Wu Gorge, Wu Mountain, and Goddess Peak were specifically referring to Wu Yang, not any other Great Witch.

Thus, within the Daoist-forged Longevity Stone Heart, Wu Yang's position was uniquely exalted. Wu Xian merely symbolized the second Earthly Immortal lineage, while Wu Yang stood above her, representing the foremost Heavenly Immortal lineage.

The lighting of Wu Yang's totem meant that Qi Xuansu had already activated his Heavenly Immortal lineage and had successfully become a fully realized, manmade Banished Immortal. This light steadily rose until it settled at the sixth mark.

Of the seven lit totem pillars, Wu Yang, Wu Xian, Wu Xiang, and Wu Luo's rested at the sixth mark; Wu Zhen and Wu Gu's remained at the fifth; only Wu Peng's pillar stood like a solitary peak, climbing to the seventh mark.

That was why Qi Xuansu now acquired the Wuliang-stage Rogue Cultivator's Preserved Body Realm.

Besides that, he acquired the Xiaoyao-stage Banished Immortal's Five Elements Origin Realm, the Guizhen-stage Diviner's Thunder Realm, and the Xiaoyao-stage Shaman's Spiritual Body Realm.

His Martial Arts Practitioner lineage, influenced by both Wu Xiang and Wu Gu's totems, had also stepped into the Wuliang stage, being in the Everchanging Realm.

Although his Qi Refiner lineage was likewise influenced by Wu Xiang's totem, Wu Xiang leaned more toward the Martial Arts Practitioner lineage, so the Qi Refiner lineage had not reached the Void Refinement Realm corresponding to the Wuliang stage and remained instead at the Returning Void Realm of the Xiaoyao stage.

The Heavenly Immortal lineage could not be advanced independently. It would only rise in step with other lineages. To reach the Wuliang-stage Banished Immortal's Three Flowers Gathering Realm like Zhang Yuelu, Qi Xuansu would need at least three other lineages to reach the Wuliang stage.