A Pawn’s Passage

Qi Xuansu lunged forward, closing in to engage the Black Robes in close combat.

He still did not draw Green Cloud and continued to fight barehanded.

Martial Arts Practitioners and Bhikkhus were very similar. Both excelled in physical prowess.

The difference was that Martial Arts Practitioners relied more heavily on their vital blood qi. One could even say they were more pure in focus, whereas Bhikkhus possessed certain traits of Qi Refiners as well, also cultivating innate qi. However, they did not make innate qi their primary reliance like a true Qi Refiner would.

Qi Xuansu's assault was like a raging storm, every punch accompanied by the whistling roar of explosive air. The black-robed monk focused more on defense than offense. Though he relied on his robust body to avoid showing signs of defeat for the moment, he was inevitably being forced into a disadvantage.

Qi Xuansu threw both fists forward, only for the monk to seize his wrists with both hands, locking them in a stalemate.

At that instant, two more fists sprouted from beneath Qi Xuansu's ribs, slamming viciously into the monk's chest and abdomen.

A Martial Arts Practitioner at the Everchanging Realm had absolute control over their flow of blood qi, so it did not surge wildly. Instead, their blood qi became still, like a stagnant pool. The manifested body spirits within the acupoints would remain in a half-dormant, deathlike state without the stimulation of blood qi. This was the only way to ensure that a Martial Arts Practitioner did not unintentionally harm others around them due to leakage of their own blood qi in their daily life.

Once blood qi was channeled into the acupoints, it would fully awaken the body spirits within, unleashing their full power. As such, they could manifest various forms known as the Manly Immortal's True Form—one of them being the famed "three heads and six arms."

At this moment, Qi Xuansu simply sprouted two extra arms.

The black-robed monk staggered back, blood trickling from his mouth and nose.

Qi Xuansu moved all four arms in unison. His bones, blood, organs, and flesh shifted and morphed in continuous motion. The sounds of these transformations were clear and unbroken, like the chanting of Daoist mantras. From time to time, with the immense force of his chest and abdomen, he exhaled concentrated bursts of steam, each as sharp as a Qi Refiner's flying sword.

There were tens of thousands of acupoints in the human body. A Xiaoyao-stage Martial Arts Practitioner typically refined the largest and most important 365 main acupoints. After the Divinity Realm, they could continue refining secondary acupoints, eventually achieving the everchanging transformations of the body.

For example, refining the acupoints of the face allowed one to alter one's appearance at will, shifting bones and reshaping flesh without leaving the slightest flaw. Refining the acupoints of the arms enabled one to reverse joints, enlarge or shrink limbs, and twist bones in ways that defied human anatomy, making one's martial techniques completely unrestricted. The extent of such transformations depended on the number of refined acupoints.

A Martial Arts Practitioner at the Pseudo-Immortal stage, having refined over 1,200 major acupoints, could alter their body at will. They were no longer limited to a human form.

The unreasonable advantage of a manmade Banished Immortal was that they could skip much of the tedious refining process. Qi Xuansu had only just stepped into the Everchanging Realm, yet he could already wield its techniques with full mastery.

All four of Qi Xuansu's arms lashed wildly at the black-robed monk. But being a Bhikkhu at the Wuliang stage, the monk also had his own defenses. Snake-like veins writhed beneath the monk's exposed skin, and smoke constantly seeped from his orifices, dispersing Qi Xuansu's fist intention. At first glance, it looked as if Qi Xuansu had beaten him until smoke arose from his head. But in truth, all of Qi Xuansu's fist intention had been dispersed by that smoke, never truly harming his core.

With four arms, Qi Xuansu's punches were even more unpredictable and impossible to guard against, ever-changing in form. However, his strength, blood qi, and fist intention were spread thin. Though his relentless strikes left the monk no chance to counterattack, he still could not break through the monk's defenses to cause decisive harm. Qi Xuansu would rather deal a single, all-out blow to settle the fight.

Qi Xuansu unleashed four simultaneous punches, forcing the monk back and widening the gap between them. He withdrew his two extra arms, and in the monk's eyes, he merely leaned forward slightly, as if preparing to dash ahead. Yet in reality, that figure was only an afterimage lingering in place.

As Qi Xuansu surged forward, he threw a punch.

This punch began at an ordinary size, but as it traveled, it grew larger and larger. By the time it reached the monk, it was as broad as a canopy, crystal-clear like jade, blotting out his view.

Qi Xuansu's punch had no flair, only the instantaneous eruption of all his blood qi.

A massive ripple of blood qi spread outward, and wherever it passed, the ground transformed into a glass-like texture. Such was the heat of the Martial Arts Practitioner's blood qi, burning so fiercely that even earth and stone could not withstand it.

Several ronin who failed to evade were swept by the torrent of blood qi, their bodies instantly dried of all moisture, leaving behind mummified corpses in an utterly horrific state.

Bearing the full brunt of the blow, the black-robed monk finally could not withstand it. He was sent flying, slamming into a stone wall and vomiting black blood.

Elsewhere, Zhang Yuelu did not stay idle. She faced an old opponent—Imperial Princess Tamako of Kissho-no-miya, one of the candidates to become the next Saio of the Tenmon Sect.

The last time the two crossed blades was when Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu, under orders from Sage Qingwei, escorted Toyotomi Hidemochi to Xiujing to be appointed as the Kampaku. On that occasion, Princess Tamako had nearly been captured, only to be rescued by the Great Yokai Tamamo-no-Mae.

In a sense, she and Zhang Yuelu were alike, always appearing in the most dangerous places rather than hiding in the rear. Though an enemy, such a person inevitably inspired a measure of respect.

If possible, Zhang Yuelu would not mind sparing her life.

"It's you!" Princess Tamako also recognized Zhang Yuelu. She had specifically investigated Zhang Yuelu after her defeat and learned that this Daoist woman was highly renowned in the Daoist Order.

That was why Princess Tamako secretly marked Zhang Yuelu as a lifelong nemesis. However, she had not expected that they would meet again so soon.

Zhang Yuelu lifted her hand and pointed toward Princess Tamako, sending forth a fierce sword qi that tore through the air, reaching within a meter of her in an instant.

Princess Tamako swung her Kiku-ichimonji Norimune. The blade clashed against the sword qi with a resounding crack. Yet instead of dissipating, that strand of fine sword qi split into countless smaller threads, surging like a boundless tidal wave.

Princess Tamako dared not be careless and kept her Kiku-ichimonji Norimune in constant motion, weaving intersecting arcs into a dense net. The surging sword qi crashed upon it, making the net tremble, but neither scattered nor collapsed, like trying to cut water with a blade.

Her blade moved faster and faster, the woven net of steel growing denser by the heartbeat. Before long, Princess Tamako's entire figure was concealed behind countless streaks of blade light. The Kiku-ichimonji Norimune moved rapidly, yet not a single whistle of wind could be heard. This was clear proof that she had reached the pinnacle of mastery with her blade.

Without any visible movement from Zhang Yuelu, the fine threads of sword qi began to shift paths on their own. Some were as straight as arrows, while some were winding and twisting. Others spiraled in circles, clashing relentlessly against the Kiku-ichimonji Norimune. The ringing of metal upon stone resounded endlessly, and sword shadows and blade qi burst like beads of mercury, illuminating the darkness beneath the earth.

After a brief deadlock, Princess Tamako's blade momentum receded like a summer rainstorm. Meanwhile, Zhang Yuelu's sword qi was like a spring drizzle, gentle yet unending, seemingly inexhaustible. The stalemate gradually broke.

Princess Tamako suddenly felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, having been struck by sword qi that appeared without a trace and vanished without a sound, injuring only her flesh without so much as grazing her garments. It was a marvel.

Knowing she had lost this exchange, Princess Tamako stopped contesting sword qi. She swung her blade as she instantly closed the distance between them, bringing her strike down toward Zhang Yuelu's head.

Zhang Yuelu responded with a single sword strike, blocking Princess Tamako's attack. She then angled her blade slightly, tapping against the spine of Princess Tamako's Kiku-ichimonji Norimune. The timing and placement were flawlessly precise, forcing the Kiku-ichimonji Norimune to dip downward.

Zhang Yuelu flicked her paper sword outward in a sweep toward her opponent's chest. Princess Tamako was forced to retreat slightly while she traced a circle using the Kiku-ichimonji Norimune, forming the shape of a full moon.

The full moon seemed almost solid, hanging in the air for a brief moment. It not only blocked Zhang Yuelu's strike but also rebounded toward her in a counterattack.

Zhang Yuelu was utterly unafraid, sidestepping the full moon and delivering a slanted slash at a calculated instant, forcing Princess Tamako into retreat. Zhang Yuelu twisted her wrist subtly and sent her long sword darting straight toward a flaw in Princess Tamako's defense, causing the latter to spring back once more.

Thus, with sudden advances and swift retreats, Princess Tamako attacked quickly and retreated even faster. In mere moments, the two had exchanged dozens of moves, each with its own variations, yet flowing together into a seamless, extraordinarily intricate whole.

The last time the two crossed blades aboard the Yinglong Warship, the battle was chaotic, and many techniques could not be employed. Now, with no restraints, Zhang Yuelu simply unleashed herself fully and manifested the Guanyin Spiritual Body.

The Spiritual Body was pure white throughout, with a serene face filled with compassion. At first, it only pressed two palms together, but then four hands sprouted behind it and continued multiplying. In the blink of an eye, there were over 100 hands, each hand wielding a paper sword that was different in shape. Some were ancient and heavy, some were light and delicate, while some twisted like serpents. Yet without exception, all radiated a chilling sword qi.

This was the Hundred Sword Guanyin. Sword shadows blazed brilliantly, crisscrossing to form a dense sword net filled with fierce sword qi, descending upon Princess Tamako's head.

Trapped within the sword net, Princess Tamako was forced to draw the Lightning Cutter. Now wielding two blades, she spun sharply, the pair of swords rotating in tandem to form a whirlwind. Golden wind burst outward, blade qi shot in all directions, and when it clashed against the sword net, countless metallic clashes rang out in an unbroken chorus.

Zhang Yuelu's swordsmanship had reached a level of complexity and variation beyond imagination. At times, she struck with grand and open arcs. Sometimes, she used slowness to overcome speed. Other times, the swords moved with ancient weight or as gently as a clear breeze.

There were multiple styles of swordsmanship, each distinct and executed simultaneously, yet they melded into one without the slightest conflict, achieving the pinnacle of unpredictable transformation.

Princess Tamako felt as though she had been thrown into a battlefield where thousands fought to the death, with enemies attacking from all directions. After all, two fists could not fend off four hands, let alone a hundred!