A Pawn's Passage

The temple gate was tightly shut. When Qi Xuansu tried to touch it, ripples immediately appeared, and a massive reflective talisman emerged on the gate.

At its center was an eye composed of the sun and moon, intertwined in black and white, faintly resembling the Daoist Order’s yin and yang symbol. This was the symbol of the Cult of Fates.

Zhang Yuelu pulled out a talisman and snapped her fingers. The talisman paper spontaneously combusted with a muffled bang. The black mist before them split apart, revealing a clear path.

With a light tap of their feet, Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu easily leaped over the temple gate. As their feet touched the ground, the talisman burned to ashes and completely disintegrated.

Zhang Yuelu pulled out another talisman, but this time, it refused to ignite. Instead, the talisman grew damp, indicating how saturated the yin energy in the area was, to the point of condensing into tangible moisture droplets. Zhang Yuelu had no choice but to put away the talisman and survey her surroundings.

The large temple was engulfed in black mist, devoid of any human presence.

However, the faint chanting of monks performing morning prayers could be heard intermittently. Unlike the serene Buddhist hymns, this chanting carried a sinister tone, akin to mocking whispers in the dead of night. Each rhythmic knock on the wooden bell struck the heart, causing the chants to linger in the listener’s ears, seeping into the mind, and making the listener dizzy.

Two majestic statues of Vajra warriors with fierce glares, holding golden cudgels to ward off demons and ghosts stood in the gatehouse. At this moment, their faces were shrouded in shadow, faintly visible yet ominous and terrifying.

On either side of the gatehouse were two side halls—the Bell Tower on the left and the Drum Tower on the right. Normally, the bell was struck first thing in the morning, which would then be answered by the drum. In the evening, the drum was struck and answered by the bell.

At this moment, the large bell inside the Bell Tower rang continuously on its own, and two drumsticks were striking the drum inside the Drum Tower without a soul in sight.

Suddenly, a towering figure emerged from the black mist, swiftly approaching Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu before throwing a silent punch without a hint of wind.

Yet, this single punch put Qi Xuansu on high alert. He countered with a Dragon-Tiger Fist.

When the two fists collided, the shockwave rippled outward, dispersing the black mist and revealing the figure’s true form. It was clad in pitch-black armor, with a heavy visor covering its entire face, bearing a striking resemblance to the Daoist Spirit Guards.

Zhang Yuelu immediately thrust her sword forward with unwavering resolve.

Her sword qi was extremely sharp, so much so that she did not even need to activate the lightning on the Azure Thunderbolt. The black mist that came into contact with the sword qi hissed, like frost meeting fire, before dissipating.

This single strike tore through the surrounding black mist.

The figure clad in pitch-black armor crossed their arms over their chest, attempting to block this sharp strike with their body.

When the blade of Azure Thunderbolt clashed with the armor, sparks flew all around, illuminating the area.

The figure’s arm guards shattered entirely, revealing an ashen gray arm beneath the armor, nothing like that of a living being.

Upon reflection, it was only natural for the body beneath the armor to be a living corpse, as the Cult of Fates was well-versed in such methods.

The armored living corpse stomped heavily on the ground, leaving a circle of cracks, before propelling its body forward and charging toward Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu held her sword horizontally in front of her to block the impact while gracefully retreating. Her steps, as light as a dragonfly on water, left ripples shaped like lotus flowers at each point of contact.

The armored living corpse was unrelenting, aiming another punch straight at Zhang Yuelu’s face.

Zhang Yuelu held Azure Thunderbolt horizontally before her, meeting the armored corpse’s fist nine times, deflecting each punch. Not only did she neutralize its force, but she also generated a counterforce that pushed the corpse backward.

It all happened so fast that the sounds merged into one continuous, muffled tone, reminiscent of the toll of a temple bell.

The armored living corpse stumbled back over 30 meters before finally coming to a halt.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Yuelu appeared behind the armored living corpse and struck its back with her sword.

As a Heavenly Being at the Xiaoyao stage, her strength was unmatched. The armor shattered under her strike, and sword qi pierced through its body.

Beneath the armor, the grayish-white flesh wriggled and began regenerating, only to be shredded again by the sword qi in a ruthless cycle. It was truly an eerie sight.

However, the armored living corpse was a product of the Cult of Fates, created using immense resources and effort. Thus, it was not so easily defeated.

The next moment, the living corpse turned abruptly and lunged at Zhang Yuelu, who drifted back gracefully.

The armored living corpse pursued her relentlessly, leaving the ground between them cracked and collapsed in varying degrees. The resulting roar of destruction was deafeningly ferocious.

Zhang Yuelu’s retreat came to an abrupt halt as she raised Azure Thunderbolt horizontally before her once more.

The armored living corpse rammed into the blade of Azure Thunderbolt with its shoulder, like a tidal wave crashing against a seawall, bending the sword into a terrifying arc.

Zhang Yuelu maintained her stance, her sword steady before her, her feet unmoving, and her right hand holding the blade without a hint of tremor.

Suddenly, Azure Thunderbolt snapped back into form, and the counterforce sent the armored living corpse flying over 3 meters backward.

At that moment, Qi Xuansu appeared behind the armored living corpse. With its back armor already shattered by Zhang Yuelu, Qi Xuansu channeled his innate qi into Flying Shadow and delivered a piercing strike with full force.

Qi Xuansu followed through with a slash, carving a cross in the living corpse’s back before shoving his Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica into the wound. Then, he activated it with his magical power while retreating.

In an instant, a miniature sun appeared in the living corpse’s chest. Countless rays of light pierced through its skin and the gaps in its armor.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Yuelu infused true essence into Azure Thunderbolt. Countless lightning serpents coiled along the blade as she struck the living corpse again, which spread across the armor.

Under the combined assault of Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, the armored living corpse—a more challenging opponent than a ninth-level Guizhen stage master—collapsed with a thunderous crash. Its body was burned to charcoal by the lightning and fire, and its dull armor scattered all over the ground.

Qi Xuansu retrieved the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica. Its flames cleansed it of any filth.

He asked, “What is this? It looks like a Spirit Guard and the Black Robes’ Cavalry.”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “This is the Cult of Fates’s version of a Spirit Guard, but they call it a Fate Guard. Their technique likely originated from the Eight Tribes, so its resemblance to our Spirit Guard is understandable. Spirit Guards rely on incense power, an area where the Cult of Fates cannot compare to the Daoist Order. So Fate Guards are rare and seldom seen. The fact that they’ve deployed Fate Guards this time shows their determination to seize Jinling.”

Qi Xuansu recalled encountering an Imitation Spirit Guard, which was the Eight Tribes’ creation. However, the Eight Tribes only had the early craftsmanship of Spirit Guards. After their split from the Daoist Order, Huasheng Hall made numerous improvements to the designs. The Daoist Order also controlled most of the rare materials.

Therefore, the Eight Tribes’ Spirit Guard Armor could not compare to the top-rank Daoist Spirit Guard. At best, the Imitation Spirit Guard was equivalent to a fourth-rank Spirit Guard, which was equivalent to the Guizhen stage.

Now it seemed that the Cult of Fates had acquired the Eight Tribes’ technology, made improvements, and added their own features, turning the Imitation Spirit Guard into Fate Guards. Although not yet comparable to Heavenly Beings, the Fate Guards’ strength exceeded that of the standard Guizhen stage master. If Qi Xuansu were to face a Fate Guard by himself, he would likely struggle in battle with a slim chance of victory.

The Daoist Order had once recruited an Ancient Immortal not inferior to the True Lord Siming, convincing them to surrender and bestowing them with immense incense power. They even bestowed them with the title of a Great Sage.

This showed the vast resources and strong foundation of the Daoist Order.

……

Situ Xingluan sat on the eaves of the Porcelain Tower, his legs dangling off the edge as he swung them leisurely, looking carefree.

“They actually came! Well, that makes it all the more interesting. If I’m not mistaken, a Great Master from the Confucian School fell from here, struck down by a Zhang family Heavenly Preceptor, so the feng shui here is exceptional.

“They didn’t get to share a bed in life, but they will be sharing a grave in death. Oh, I’m such a saint!”

By now, Sikong Cuo’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

Behind Situ Xingluan stood five Fate Guards that exuded eerie and intense yin energy.