A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu had already pieced together the causes and consequences of many things, including the relationship between Little Yin and the Emperor Willow. Now it seemed that, as the central figure among the Three Yin Beings, Master Yin knew far more than he did and had laid plans on a much deeper level.

That was only natural. After all, he was an old fellow who had lived for more than 200 years and personally witnessed the rise of the Daoist Order. One could even say that he had watched the Emperor Willow grow. Regardless of which generation of Emperor Willow Spirit Little Yin belonged to, she would still have called him Grandpa. As such, he knew many secrets unknown to others.

Qi Xuansu could not help his curiosity. “How did the second-generation Emperor Willow Spirit perish?”

Master Yin replied, “I’m not entirely sure myself.”

Qi Xuansu had no choice but to phrase the question differently. “Why did the second-generation Emperor Willow Spirit leave the Ghost Kingdom? I once saw that she had a long conversation with you before she left.”

Master Yin’s gaze also shifted toward the Guizang Lantern. He seemed to understand how Qi Xuansu had learned about this. “After the first-generation Emperor Willow Spirit perished, the second-generation Emperor Willow Spirit suffered a substantial decline in strength. However, the second-generation Emperor Willow Spirit was a very ambitious and driven person.”

Hearing this, Qi Xuansu thought of Little Yin. He could not see a single quality in her that could possibly be associated with ambition or drive. To her, the most important matters in life were eating, drinking, and having fun. Could this be a case of one extreme giving rise to its opposite? Perhaps the previous generations had been far too ambitious, so this generation had simply decided to give up on trying altogether.

Then again, perhaps it had something to do with their psychological age. The first- and second-generation Emperor Willow Spirits had clearly been born with mature minds. Their relationships with the Three Yin Beings were also rather interesting. The first-generation Emperor Willow Spirit had interacted with them as an equal and a friend. The second-generation Emperor Willow Spirit was more like a junior, though she still possessed considerable independence.

By the time it came to Little Yin, she had become a child who needed to remain under the guardianship of the Three Yin Beings. Her actions had to be restricted because her mind was immature. She had the ability to act independently but lacked the judgment necessary to fully understand the consequences of those actions. No one knew what sort of disaster she might cause if left completely unchecked.

Qi Xuansu suddenly remembered the first time he had met Master Wan. Back then, Master Wan had said to Little Yin, “Little one, why can’t you ever seem to grow up?”

From this, it seemed that the Three Yin Beings did indeed hope Little Yin would eventually grow up. They had very likely even tried to find ways to make that happen.

Master Yin continued, “The second-generation Emperor Willow Spirit wanted to recover the cultivation and strength of the first-generation Emperor Willow Spirit. If she remained within the Ghost Kingdom forever, accomplishing that would have been extremely difficult. The three of us old fellows are the best examples of that.

“Her opportunity lay somewhere in the outside world. That was why she decided to leave the Ghost Kingdom and search for her own fortuitous encounter. I did try to persuade her otherwise, but she was not an obedient child like Miaomiao. She didn’t take my advice.”

Qi Xuansu laughed. “Little Yin isn’t exactly obedient. She’s just very good at seeing which way the wind is blowing. She knows better than to ever sail against it.”

Master Yin said, “In any case, there were many differences between the second-generation Emperor Willow Spirit and Miaomiao. She was determined to leave the Ghost Kingdom, and eventually, she perished somewhere in the outside world. As for precisely how she died, or why she died, even I do not know the full truth.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Little Yin once sensed something and went searching for some sort of treasure in Nanyang. I suspect it may have had something to do with the second-generation Emperor Willow Spirit. But later, that sensation inexplicably disappeared, like a spring dream vanishing upon waking. I suspect she may have missed whatever opportunity it was.”

“Nanyang?” Master Yin fell into deep thought. “I thought she was supposed to go to the Lingshan Paradise. Why would it be Nanyang?”

Master Yin’s words also reminded Qi Xuansu of something. His speculation was entirely reasonable. Based on what Qi Xuansu had discovered during his journey to the Lingshan Paradise, the Emperor Willow Seed had been refined there. If the second-generation Emperor Willow Spirit wanted to restore her cultivation, then logically, she should have returned to the place of her origin. Why, then, would she have gone to the seemingly unrelated Nanyang?

Could it be that the treasure Little Yin had sensed had nothing whatsoever to do with the second-generation Emperor Willow Spirit? Or had something else happened in between? For now, there was no way to be certain.

Master Yin said, “Let’s leave this matter until Miaomiao remembers it again and actually finds this so-called treasure. By the way, has Miaomiao undergone any changes recently?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Madam Qi and Qing Xiao measure her height from time to time. Her cultivation has improved, but her height has barely changed at all. I originally thought her apparent age would increase along with her cultivation, but now it seems that isn’t the case.”

Master Yin sighed. “It seems this is not something that can be forced. So be it. There’s nothing wrong with remaining a child.”

Just then, a Horned Dragon flying ship appeared within their field of vision.

Qi Xuansu said, “Our reinforcements are here.”

The Horned Dragon was extraordinarily fast and soon arrived overhead. A dragon corpse lay across its deck, which meant they had successfully completed the final cleanup Qi Xuansu had entrusted to them.

The Horned Dragon was nearly identical to the Yinglong Warship in both size and appearance, though its overall performance was inferior. Both were considerably larger than an actual flood dragon. After all, constructing either vessel required many additional materials beyond the dragon itself, making the finished ship substantially larger. Therefore, carrying the flood dragon’s corpse on its deck was no difficulty at all.

Before the Horned Dragon had even come to a complete stop, Hun Ahau and Utu had already descended to meet Qi Xuansu.

However, they were somewhat surprised when they saw Master Yin standing beside him.

Both men were Pseudo-Immortals, so they could sense Master Yin’s cultivation, which was even higher than their own, placing him extremely close to a true Immortal.

Experts of this caliber might not be as rare as phoenix feathers, but there were certainly very few of them. No matter where such a person went, he would be regarded as a major figure.

They had not expected Sage Qi to still have such a trump card hidden away. He truly deserved his reputation as one of the Daoist Order’s carefully cultivated future successors.

Qi Xuansu took the initiative to introduce him. “This is Elder Sage Yin. Like me, he belongs to the Quanzhen Sect. This time, it was thanks to Elder Sage Yin that we were able to hold Zhou Mengyao back.”

Hun Ahau and Utu immediately understood. “So he is one of the Daoist Order’s Elder Sages.”

Master Yin had been involved with the Daoist Order for so many years and contributed so much. Whether one counted his achievements or simply the effort he had put in, granting him the title of Sage was not considered excessive. Once Qi Xuansu rose to power, he could even confer upon Master Yin the title of Great Sage. If the foxes of Qingqiu Mountain could become Daoist priests, then the Yin Beings of the Ghost Kingdom could do the same.

Master Yin gave them a salute. “Greetings, fellow Daoists, my name is Yin Jiuyin.”

The two men returned the greeting in turn.

“Greetings, Elder Sage Yin. My name is Utu.”

“Greetings, Elder Sage Yin. My name is Hun Ahau.”

Hun Ahau was quick-witted. He vaguely recalled that Sage Qi’s daughter was named Qi Xiaoyin. Could there be some connection between them?

After the brief exchange of pleasantries, Qi Xuansu turned to the matter at hand. “Has everything regarding the old flood dragon been dealt with?”

Hun Ahau replied, “After the Dragon Pearl was damaged, its existing injuries worsened considerably, leaving it with no strength to continue fighting. Tantai Ying’s fleet also arrived shortly afterward. With our combined forces, we quickly finished it off. The dragon flesh, dragon bones, Dragon Pearl, and dragon blood have all been preserved. Tantai Ying is currently dealing with the Dragon Palace and the remaining Longevous. We await your instructions as for how we should proceed from here.”

Qi Xuansu nodded slightly. “Very good. We’ll discuss it once Tantai Ying arrives. The Western Daoist Order contributed greatly this time. Even between brothers, accounts should be settled clearly.”

Hun Ahau nodded slightly. His relationship with Qi Xuansu was too close. Moreover, he had originally been a second-rank Daoist Priest Kindred, personally selected by Sage Qi for this mission. As such, it would be inappropriate for him to represent the Western Daoist Order in negotiations over the division of spoils.

Tantai Ying would still need some time to arrive, so Qi Xuansu recovered from his injuries while chatting casually with the others.

Before long, Tantai Ying arrived. There was no need for her to personally handle every detail. Her main responsibility was to assign duties and organize the work. Once everything had been properly arranged, she was free to leave.

Qi Xuansu said, “Let’s wait a little longer.”

Apart from Master Yin, the others were somewhat puzzled by what they were waiting for, but they remained where they were nonetheless.

Roughly another hour passed before a long rainbow streaked across the distant sky and descended before them. It was Great Sage Jiang.

By now, several fresh bloodstains had appeared on Great Sage Jiang’s hechang. But who the blood belonged to was anyone’s guess.

Qi Xuansu, who had been sitting all this time, rose to his feet and introduced him to the others. “This is Great Sage Jiang, Zixiao Palace Master of the Daoist Order.”

Anyone within the Daoist system knew what kind of place the Zixiao Palace was. The weight carried by the title of Zixiao Palace Master needed no explanation.

When the Grand Master was powerful, the Zixiao Palace Master effectively served as the chief steward of the entire Daoist Order. Even the three Deputy Grand Masters had to show him a measure of deference.

Setting aside the exceptional period under the sixth-generation Grand Master, the Daoist Order had traditionally had Nine Supreme Figures. They consisted of the Grand Master, the Three Deputy Grand Masters, the Grand Master Consort, the top three Omniscient Sages of the Golden Tower Council, and the Great Sage who served as Zixiao Palace Master.

Although the Palace Master of the Purple Heaven Palace ranked last among the nine, he was still one of the Nine Supreme Figures of the Daoist Order—a man who truly stood above countless millions.

Even during this exceptional period, Great Sage Jiang was still known as the Fourth Great Sage, which meant that he was second only to the Three Deputy Grand Masters.

Tantai Ying, Hun Ahau, and Utu naturally offered him solemn greetings.

Great Sage Jiang waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for excessive formality.

“Master Yin, we owe you thanks for your assistance this time.” Great Sage Jiang made a point of showing Master Yin particular respect. Although Master Yin was not an Immortal, his age and seniority spoke for themselves. Like Madam Wu, he belonged among the veteran elders of the Daoist Order. He was an old-timer who had personally seen Elder Xu, Elder Zhang, Elder Li, and the Holy Xuan.

Master Wan had even personally exchanged blows with the Holy Xuan. As a result, Master Wan had been severely injured, and Master Yin had subsequently become the foremost of the Three Yin Beings.

Qi Xuansu looked toward Great Sage Jiang. “Elder Jiang, is Zhou Mengyao...”

Great Sage Jiang said, “I wasn’t able to keep her from escaping, but I did cut off her head.”

Qi Xuansu was somewhat stunned. “You killed her?”

Great Sage Jiang explained, “Immortals aren’t so easily killed. Tearing out their hearts or cutting off their heads isn’t enough to kill them. Back then, Elder Tantai of the Western Daoist Order didn’t merely lose her head. Her entire body was destroyed, yet she was still able to restore herself.

“That said, Zhou Mengyao cannot compare with Elder Tantai. She suffered severe injuries this time, even worse than the injuries Great Sage Lan sustained back then. At the very least, she won’t be capable of doing anything to you for the next year.”

Qi Xuansu sounded disappointed. “Only one year?”

Great Sage Jiang replied, “The Quanzhen Sect has never lacked methods for healing injuries. One year is already the most we can expect. That means you need to reach the Pseudo-Immortal stage within the next year. Only then will you have the strength to fight back.”

Qi Xuansu answered solemnly, “Yes, Great Sage. I’ll try my best.”

The others were inwardly astonished as they listened. The Daoist Order’s internal struggle had actually reached such an extreme.

They could all be considered participants in these events, so naturally, they understood what kind of existence Zhou Mengyao was. Yet there was always someone stronger. After encountering the Daoist Order’s Fourth Great Sage, even Zhou Mengyao had ended up decapitated and forced to flee with severe injuries.

Of course, the main reason was that Great Sage Jiang possessed far too many immortal objects. His arsenal was essentially that of the Grand Master, making the whole situation downright unreasonable. In this respect, only the Great Xuan Emperor could truly compete with him.

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