A Pawn's Passage

The Blue Cloud Sect actually had the strength to put up a fight, but with morale now shattered and its people divided, it effectively had no strength to fight at all.

Sun Yong and the other leaders had already begun plotting their escape. Everything they were doing now was merely intended to buy time. Under such circumstances, how could their people possibly remain united?

Sun Yong and the others understood the situation perfectly well. Even if they managed to repel the Western Daoist Order’s fleet, what would that accomplish? Given the resources and foundations of the Daoist Order and the Western Daoist Order, they would soon return in force, taking the threat even more seriously and committing far greater strength. Eventually, there would come a battle that Blue Cloud Island could not win, and its leaders would most likely be the first to face the executioner’s blade.

Thus, in Sun Yong’s view, it would be better to abandon resistance altogether and let Blue Cloud Island satisfy the Daoist Order and the Western Daoist Order’s appetite for victory. The weaker Blue Cloud Island’s resistance, the less seriously the two Daoist Orders would regard them as a threat. Once Blue Cloud Island was destroyed, the matter would effectively be considered settled. Sun Yong and the others could then take advantage of the chaos to flee and disappear into hiding. This was precisely how the humanoid insects had escaped the Daoist Order and Western Daoist Order’s pursuit the last time.

Once the leadership had adopted this mentality, the battle for Blue Cloud Island became completely one-sided. Its destruction was already inevitable.

However, due to Zhou Mengyao’s involvement, Sun Yong and the others had prepared one final contingency. It was meant to ensure that Qi Xuansu would not be able to bring the chaos on Blue Cloud Island under control too quickly, thereby buying them enough time to get away.

That contingency was to open a passage to the Spirit Realm.

Under normal circumstances, the Yin Moon appeared as a Dark Moon, with only a thin rim of light distinguishing it from the surrounding night. Yet what Qi Xuansu saw today was a green moon radiating boundless light, its Yin energy surging intensely.

This was the sign that the passage to the Spirit Realm was being opened.

Qi Xuansu periodically glanced up at the green moon. The more he observed it, the more he was convinced that it was some kind of gateway to either the Spirit Realm or the so-called Toad Palace.

Before long, the bombardment phase drew to a close. Although they had ample resources to expend, they could not continue firing indefinitely. Cost was still a consideration that could not be ignored. Thus, after the heavy artillery had shattered the island’s various defenses, ground forces were deployed to carry out a comprehensive sweep.

At that moment, a Spirit Guard came forward to report that they had discovered a palace. Its aboveground structures had already been destroyed, but beneath it lay an enormous underground palace that had suffered little damage. The defenses inside were extremely strong, and their forces had been unable to break through, so they were requesting reinforcements.

Daoist priests had never been afraid to lead from the front, so Qi Xuansu decided to go there personally. After all, he was not the fleet commander, so his temporary absence would have little impact on the overall operation.

By the time Qi Xuansu arrived, the Spirit Guards had already cleared away most of the rubble, revealing the entrance to the underground palace. One could easily imagine that before the palace was destroyed, this entrance must have been extremely well concealed. But the Western Daoist Order’s relentless bombardment had practically erased everything aboveground, so the hidden entrance had naturally been exposed.

The Diviner Corps used spells to roughly estimate the scale of the underground palace. It was large enough to conceal several thousand people, and there was almost certainly no shortage of weapons, provisions, formations, or talismans inside. Judging from the Spirit Guards’ previous attempts to breach the place, numerous powerful humanoid insects were stationed within, including several at the Golden Core stage. It was most likely the refuge of some important figure among the humanoid insects, which was why the matter had been reported directly to the flagship.

Although no daylight could reach the underground palace, it was brilliantly illuminated, unlike a dark dungeon. Its central area was especially magnificent, gleaming with gold and splendor like a palace hosting an evening banquet. It also carried a distinctly exotic style, with thick carpets covering the floors and enormous spindle-shaped crystal chandeliers hanging overhead in cascading tiers.

There were also many women dressed like dancers from the Western Region, barefoot and wearing costumes that left their midriffs exposed, while thin veils concealed their faces. Their graceful figures stirred one’s imagination.

These women were attending to an enormously obese old man. The top of his head was already half bald, while six or seven folds of flesh gathered along the back of his neck, which was almost thicker than his head. His enormous belly folded over itself in layers, giving him an astonishingly broad waist. His entire body resembled a small hill. Apart from a piece of yellow cloth wrapped around his waist, he wore nothing else as he sat upon an enormous cushioned couch.

The couch was spacious enough for two people to lie upon comfortably, yet with this enormously obese old man sitting there alone, it somehow looked more like an ordinary chair. One could imagine just how massive he was.

This man was Lu Zhu, one of the Supreme Elders of the Blue Cloud Sect and a figure whose status equaled that of Sun Yong.

The Blue Cloud Sect had five Supreme Elders in total, corresponding to the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Sun Yong represented earth; Chen Yan, fire; Huo Ling, metal; Feng Yang, wood; and Lu Zhu, water.

Chen Yan was none other than the black-haired, black-bearded middle-aged man next to Sun Yong, while Feng Yang was the green-robed figure who had charged toward Qi Xuansu alone, only to be killed by concentrated fire.

Sun Yong was the head of the five Supreme Elders. He had first secretly allied himself with Zhou Mengyao, but after seeing Zhou Mengyao fail, he conspired with Chen Yan to sacrifice Blue Cloud Island in exchange for a slim chance to escape amid the chaos. The other three Supreme Elders knew nothing of this.

Feng Yang had chosen to meet his death with a defiant cry, while Lu Zhu had hidden himself inside the underground palace he had spent many years building.

Yet no matter how attentively the women waited upon him, Lu Zhu could not calm himself, much less enjoy himself as he once had. He could not ignore the thunder of artillery outside, nor the Spirit Guards’ repeated attempts to break into the underground palace. Everything made it clear that the Western Daoist Order had already fought its way to his doorstep.

Several of his trusted subordinates were also gathered in the palace. One of them said, “Master, although those Spirit Guards haven’t managed to break in, the Western Daoist Order’s experts will make their move sooner or later. They might even send a Demon Sovereign. If that happens, we’ll be in grave danger.”

Lu Zhu swept one of the women leaning against him aside with a wave of his hand and rose heavily to his feet. The cushioned couch, freed from the enormous weight that had been pressing down upon it, actually bounced upward.

He slowly paced through the palace. Despite the thick carpeting beneath his feet, every step still produced a heavy thud, as though the entire palace trembled whenever he moved.

“What is the situation with the other elders?” Lu Zhu had not even bothered to investigate personally. He relied entirely on reports from his subordinates.

One of them replied, “Before the Western Daoist Order’s Spirit Guards completely sealed off the exits from the underground palace, Elder Feng had already fallen, killed by the Western Daoist Order’s artillery. Elder Chen is still organizing resistance, but with little success. Elder Sun has gone toward the Ancestral Hall and appears to be attempting to open a passage to the Spirit Realm. No one knows where Elder Huo is. We don’t know whether she is dead or has escaped.”

Lu Zhu stopped and gave a cold snort. “A bunch of useless fools! The Wood lineage specializes in formations, yet that idiot Feng Yang went off to throw his life away. The Metal lineage specializes in swordsmanship, yet they’ve vanished without a trace. As for the Earth and Fire lineages, those two have always harbored ulterior motives. We can’t count on them. We can only rely on ourselves now. Our Water lineage specializes in poison arts. Release all of the poison water and mist to drive back the Western Daoist Order. Once their offensive eases, we’ll look for an opportunity to break through and escape Blue Cloud Island.”

Lu Zhu’s plan was much the same as Sun Yong’s. Unfortunately, he had only just come to this realization, so naturally, he was already one step behind Sun Yong.

Everyone loudly acknowledged the order before splitting up to make preparations.

Meanwhile, Qi Xuansu had already entered the outer reaches of the underground palace, with Utu accompanying him.

Although Qi Xuansu no longer had Pseudo-Immortal cultivation, he was still at the Zaohua stage. With Utu there to protect him, there was little for him to fear. After all, the old flood dragon he had slain and Zhou Mengyao were both opponents at the Immortal level. By comparison, the remaining humanoid insects seemed insignificant, unless the legendary Insect Queen herself descended.

When Qi Xuansu and Utu entered an area resembling a side hall, a group of dark figures suddenly rushed out from every corner and swarmed toward Qi Xuansu.

These figures were not living people but poison puppets refined by the humanoid insects. At first glance, they resembled corpses, but their bodies had been infused with various deadly poisons that gave off an eerie green glow. Their eyes had also been removed and replaced with gemstones, while their hearts had been dug out and replaced with strange talismans. Their skin was covered in bizarre talismanic patterns, unlike those of orthodox Daoists, allowing their controllers to command them as easily as their own limbs.

The poison puppets lunged forward. Sinister light shot from the gemstones that had replaced their eyes, capable of disturbing the mind. Once they closed the distance, they could also spew poisonous mist from their mouths, making them exceedingly difficult to defend against.

Qi Xuansu did not hold back, striking from a distance. With his fist intention, he shattered the talismans that served as hearts within several poison puppets.

The poison puppets immediately lost their ability to move. Then their bodies began to swell as though being continuously inflated. In the blink of an eye, they had expanded into round, bloated spheres, with countless spikes protruding from their skin. With a series of loud bursts, they exploded. The spikes shot outward like hidden weapons, accompanied by poisonous blood, poisonous liquid, and clouds of toxic mist. In the confined space of the underground palace, one could easily imagine how deadly such an attack was.

The other poison puppets were caught in a chain reaction, exploding one after another. Even if one could block the flying spikes, the poisonous liquid and mist seeped through every opening. For an ordinary person, even the slightest contact could prove fatal. It was no wonder the Spirit Guards had been unable to break through.

Qi Xuansu was unfazed. He directly summoned Himiko’s True Solar Flames.

Qi Xuansu could wield three kinds of flames: Izanagi’s demonic fire, Wu Luo’s Red Lotus Karmic Fire, and Himiko’s True Solar Flame. Of the three, the True Solar Flame was the most supremely yang and unyielding, making it especially effective against poisonous vapors of such sinister and yin nature.

The True Solar Flames instantly transformed the entire side hall into a sea of flames, incinerating even the poisonous mist until nothing remained.

The humanoid insect hiding in the shadows and controlling the poison puppets saw that the situation had turned against them and tried to retreat. But Utu had already crossed the sea of flames and appeared before them. He immediately subdued them and forcibly searched their souls.

Under normal circumstances, such methods would hardly have been permitted, but now no one cared. Utu quickly learned the general situation within the underground palace. The humanoid insects he searched were left as mindless husks, with not a trace of consciousness remaining.

Utu returned to Qi Xuansu’s side and reported what he had learned, including the layout of the underground palace and information regarding its master, Lu Zhu.

Qi Xuansu said, “Then we’ll take down Supreme Elder Lu Zhu. We absolutely cannot allow him to escape. Inform Hun Ahau as well. Apart from the dead Feng Yang and Lu Zhu, whom we’ve already located, there are three others—Sun Yong, Chen Yan, and Huo Ling. Search carefully for all of them. We must root them out completely.”

Utu solemnly acknowledged the order.

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