A Pawn's Passage

Itzamna realized something. Although he had, in theory, become a First Tribulation Immortal, he had yet to reclaim all of his divine authorities or return to his divine kingdom. Against the powerful being before him, Itzamna would actually be at a disadvantage. His opponent possessed far too many divine artifacts, while he had just resurrected and did not have a single divine artifact at his disposal.

At this moment, Itzamna had to set aside his arrogance and return to his divine kingdom first so that he could become a true First-Tribulation Immortal. Only then could he concern himself with everything else.

However, Great Sage Jiang had anticipated this. From the very beginning, he had invoked the mystical power of Heaven’s Will, continuously pressing down the heavens. This not only locked onto Itzamna himself but also sealed the surrounding space, preventing Itzamna from using teleportation or similar techniques to instantly return to his divine kingdom. He could only fly there.

No longer willing to clash head-on with Great Sage Jiang, Itzamna transformed into a torrent of golden light and surged toward the direction of his divine kingdom.

But Itzamna had underestimated both the Daoist Order’s speed of response and its determination.

By this point in its history, the Daoist Order had long since shed the old Jianghu mentality. If they could win through superior numbers, they would never insist on a fair duel. The result mattered far more than the process.

After Great Sage Jiang successfully arrived, the Moon Mirror could not support the descent of a second Immortal in such a short period. However, the Daoist Order possessed another similarly enhanced immortal object—the Haotian Mirror.

This immortal object could only be used by someone at the Longevity stage. By holding the mirror and maintaining unwavering concentration, one could project a mirror image from thousands of kilometers away with 80% of the original body’s cultivation. Its drawback was that while using the Haotian Mirror, the user’s true body could not move in the slightest and could not fight simultaneously with the projection.

The Daoist Order did not know the precise location of the Paititi pocket realm, so it had originally been impossible to force a projection there using the Haotian Mirror. However, once Great Sage Jiang had successfully arrived, he himself became a coordinate, allowing the Haotian Mirror to be used afterward.

At present, the Three Deputy Grand Masters rotated as the Great Sage Lunzhi in six-month terms. The first half of the year ran from January 1st to June 30th, while the second half ran from July 1st to December 31st. Now that the Shangyuan Festival had already passed, the Imperial Preceptor had stepped down as Acting Grand Master, and the Heavenly Preceptor had assumed the role.

Both Great Sage Jiang and the Heavenly Preceptor were in the Purple Mansion, not far from each other. For Immortals, exchanging divine thoughts took no more than an instant.

Thus, it was the Heavenly Preceptor who projected a mirror image through the Haotian Mirror, appearing directly in the path of the oncoming golden torrent.

With a casual gesture, the Heavenly Preceptor retrieved Green Cloud from Qi Xuansu, returning it to its rightful owner. Green Cloud immediately let out a series of ringing sword cries.

Then, a vast stream of sword qi resembling a green dragon shot out from Green Cloud. It surged like a mighty river and unleashed a flood of qi that split the golden torrent cleanly in two, forcing Itzamna to reveal his true form.

Opening his mouth, Itzamna exhaled golden flames that transformed into nine enormous feathered serpents, sweeping toward the Heavenly Preceptor’s image.

It seemed feathered serpents were favored by gods in the Southern Continent. Had this been the Central Plains, they would likely have been nine fire dragons instead.

Holding his sword in his right hand, the Heavenly Preceptor swept his left sleeve. The cuff instantly expanded countless times, as though it could encompass heaven and earth themselves. The nine feathered serpents flew into the enormous sleeve like weary birds returning to the forest. Once inside, they vanished without a trace, like clay oxen sinking into the sea, leaving not the slightest ripple behind.

This was the Daoist Order’s perfected method called the Cosmos Sleeve. Within the sleeve lay an entire universe, forming a miniature pocket realm of its own. Nothing was beyond its capacity to contain, from priceless treasures to sword qi and spells, even one’s opponent. Should the opponent’s cultivation prove insufficient, they too could be drawn inside.

The threshold for mastering this perfected method was even higher than that of Xiaoyao Six Void Tribulations. Only a handful of people had ever succeeded in cultivating it.

Itzamna had not expected this newcomer to be so formidable. Unwilling to remain entangled in battle, he once again attempted to transform into golden light and escape.

Naturally, the Heavenly Preceptor would not allow him to succeed. Through the Haotian Mirror, he manifested a projection of the Heavenly Preceptor’s Seal. Countless streams of radiant light descended from the heavens, forming a barrier that stretched from the sky to the ground and blocked Itzamna’s path.

Although the Heavenly Preceptor’s projection possessed only 80% of his true cultivation, and his greatest weapon, the Twins Swords, was not in his hands, merely holding Itzamna back posed little difficulty.

Seizing the opportunity, Great Sage Jiang moved as one with his sword, transforming into a soaring beam of sword light as he charged once more.

This time, the sword light was no longer an impossibly thin line. It was simply an ordinary beam of sword light.

Great Sage Jiang employed no intricate sword techniques or elaborate variations. He only drew the sword and unleashed a single strike. Plain and unadorned as it seemed, it was the full-force sword strike, determined to cut Itzamna down then and there.

An overwhelming sense of fear rose within Itzamna. The scene before him reminded him of how he had died at the hands of the Holy Court. Though he had foreseen his own death and intended to use it as a stepping stone toward a higher realm, the experience itself remained a traumatic memory. This was how the Holy Court fought. They always overwhelmed the few with numbers, reinforced each other with remarkable speed, and coordinated flawlessly. No matter how powerful one was, two fists could not withstand four hands. The slightest mistake or moment of isolation would quickly lead to defeat and death.

It was not only Itzamna who felt this deeply. The Rain God Chaac and the Death God Ah Puch, who watched from the sidelines, were equally shaken. In the blink of an eye, two Daoist Immortals had descended, wielding no fewer than five immortal objects. Had they been in Itzamna’s place, they would already have been slain.

This was precisely why the gods had been defeated by the Holy Court and dared not oppose the Daoist Order. The ancient gods were plagued by internal divisions. Even when facing a common external enemy, they remained a loose collection of self-serving factions, each calculating only for themselves.

The Rain God and the Death God were perfect examples. Had they gone to aid Itzamna immediately, the outcome might have been different. But after weighing the costs and benefits, both chose to remain uninvolved, leaving Itzamna in grave danger.

This was exactly what had happened during the Holy Court’s invasion. When their allies were in peril, they remained as unmoving as mountains.

Meanwhile, Itzamna was once again grievously wounded by Great Sage Jiang’s sword. Although his Golden Body could continually regenerate, the divine power he expended could not be restored so easily.

Taking advantage of the moment, the Heavenly Preceptor used his sword in place of a brush to inscribe a talisman. With a flick of the sword tip, the talisman shot straight into the highest heavens.

In an instant, dark clouds gathered across the sky, obscuring the bright moon.

Heavenly lightning churned wildly within the clouds, as though a heavenly tribulation had arrived.

Drawn by its overwhelming aura, Itzamna had no choice but to halt in place.

The Heavenly Preceptor softly uttered, “Heavenly decree.”

The sky that was already thick with black clouds grew even darker, transforming into a gigantic vortex, with purple lightning flashing within. It was a terrifying sight to behold.

The next instant, heavenly lightning crashed down.

At almost the same moment, Itzamna threw a fierce punch upward, meeting the lightning head-on.

After a brief stalemate, the heavenly lightning exploded with a deafening roar. The expanding radiance turned the entire world into a vast expanse of blinding white.

The spectacle was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Qi Xuansu had already retreated far away, not daring to come anywhere near it.

When the lightning finally dispersed, Itzamna’s figure emerged once more, completely unharmed. Only the fist he had thrown up was charred black, with thin strands of lingering lightning still crackling across it.

Immediately afterward, another nine bolts of heavenly lightning pierced through the black sky.

Each bolt was as thick as an adult’s arm. In the blink of an eye, they enclosed Itzamna, forming what resembled a cage made of lightning.

Itzamna reached out with both hands and seized two of the purple lightning rods. Upon contact, chaotic webs of blazing sparks erupted, yet he remained completely unfazed, forcibly bending the rods outward and tearing them apart.

The Heavenly Preceptor had never expected this technique alone to imprison Itzamna. His true killing move was still to come. He extended his right hand, joining his index and middle fingers into a sword gesture, and pointed diagonally toward the sky.

Within the vortex above, countless bolts of lightning coursed ceaselessly through the dark clouds.

The Heavenly Preceptor then temporarily set aside Green Cloud, crossed his hands, curled all ten fingers into his palms, and formed the Five Thunder Seal.

All of the roaming lightning converged into a single point, transforming into a purple lightning pillar with a 2-meter radius. The lightning pillar pierced through heaven and earth, tore apart layer after layer of black clouds, illuminated the entire world, and descended directly upon Itzamna’s head.

For a moment, everything seemed to have vanished. All that remained was the boundless, majestic purple radiance that completely engulfed Itzamna’s figure.

When the purple radiance finally dissipated, Itzamna still had not fallen. His body was covered in charred marks, but his movements remained fluid. Seizing the brief moment when the Heavenly Preceptor and Great Sage Jiang needed to readjust, he once again lunged forward.

The speed of a deity naturally defied common sense.

Itzamna was already very close to his divine kingdom. As long as he could successfully return to his divine kingdom, everything would turn in his favor.

At that very moment, another towering figure, as imposing as a mountain, blocked his path.

The figure was merely powerfully built rather than gigantic, yet the overwhelming presence it exuded made it feel like an immovable mountain.

The newcomer was none other than the Western Daoist Order’s Great Sage, Tantai Zhenxiao.

He was the trump card that Ixchel had prepared beforehand and the greatest source of confidence behind her decision to hand the sun divine authority over to Chak Chel.

Great Sage Tantai wasted no words and immediately struck with thunderous force. His attack was utterly straightforward and devoid of flourish. A single punch landed squarely on Itzamna’s chest, sending him flying 300 meters backward in an instant. Fine cracks spread across the point of impact, from which golden radiance continuously leaked out.

This first punch had been plain and unadorned, making it appear effortless. However, his second punch carried an overwhelming momentum that resembled an army of cavalry charging into battle.

At that moment, every acupoint throughout Great Sage Tantai’s body erupted with brilliant light. Within each acupoint was a golden body spirit bearing the exact same appearance as him.

Great Sage Tantai’s body spirits had already reached perfect completion, united into a single flawless whole. As he threw a punch, every body spirit within him struck in unison. The pocket realm trembled incessantly like an earthquake.

This punch landed on the exact same spot as his first. Together, both punches complemented each other perfectly, blasting straight through Itzamna’s chest.

Great Sage Tantai did not stop there. He followed up with another punch imbued with fist intention, shattering the void. Layers of spatial distortion appeared between him and Itzamna, blurring the outlines of both figures.

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