A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu chose a secluded corner, lightly tapped the ground without making a sound, and leaped over the high courtyard wall, landing inside the residence.

He found himself in a backyard, far removed from the brightly lit areas. Aside from a few scattered lights, the rest of the place was shrouded in darkness.

Qi Xuansu moved quickly along the base of the wall, skillfully avoiding the patrolling guards. He soon found traces of the two carriages, but they were now empty, and the women who had been inside were nowhere to be seen.

Since he was not very familiar with Jinling Prefecture, he could not determine his exact location.

Over the past few days, he had been swamped with tasks and had not found time to complete the Qi Observation Technique and the Divine Calculation Technique for Rogue Cultivators in the Holy Embryo Realm. Thus, he had no way of tracking down the women’s whereabouts at the moment.

Just as Qi Xuansu was deliberating his next move, he sensed a sudden breeze from behind.

Being a seasoned fighter, Qi Xuansu was immediately startled. Without turning around, he instinctively rolled forward to avoid the sneak attack from behind.

The assailant was an elderly man with white hair. He had not expected Qi Xuansu to evade his sneak attack and was momentarily stunned. The old man quickly recovered and lunged forward, his five fingers clawing toward Qi Xuansu.

While rolling forward, Qi Xuansu had already drawn Qing Yuan from his waist and thrust it straight ahead.

To Qi Xuansu’s surprise, the old man used his chest to withstand the tip of the short sword, as if he were impervious to harm. Simultaneously, he delivered a heavy palm strike to Qi Xuansu’s forehead.

Qi Xuansu’s head snapped backward, his forehead turning red and bruised. At the same time, he swept his sword horizontally, carving a deep gash across the old man’s neck.

The old man tilted his head and clamped the blade with his neck.

Without hesitation, Qi Xuansu let go of Qing Yuan and drew the Flying Shadow, thrusting the sharp blade forward.

The overconfident old man still refused to dodge, thinking that he could withstand this blade and then crush Qi Xuansu to death with a single blow.

However, the Flying Shadow was a top-grade spiritual object, no less sharp than a treasure. Compared to it, Qing Yuan could be considered blunt.

By the time the old man realized the extraordinary nature of this blade, it was too late.

Flying Shadow pierced straight through the old man’s chest.

Immediately afterward, Qi Xuansu pushed the blade forward, sending the old man off his feet and slamming him into a wall.

The old man died on the spot, beyond any hope of revival.

Qi Xuansu retrieved his blade, his expression slightly grim.

This man turned out to be a Guizhen-stage Martial Arts Practitioner. If Qi Xuansu had been an ordinary Rogue Cultivator without a suitable weapon, defeating him would have been extremely difficult.

Before Qi Xuansu could catch his breath, another figure appeared in quick succession.

Qi Xuansu immediately recognized this individual as the mighty Ghost King of the Heavenly Court.

He had not dealt with the Ghost King before, but the latter was quite renowned in Jianghu due to his distinctive appearance—horns growing from his forehead and dark skin, resembling the Bull Demon King from popular stories.

The reason for his appearance was that he had once devoured a bull demon whole. Although this greatly enhanced his cultivation level, it also left him with demon-like traits, making him infamous. That was why Qi Xuansu had heard of the Ghost King, just as he had heard about a certain young Banished Immortal in Jade Capital being granted a semi-immortal object.

The Daoist Order had long studied the phenomenon of demonization, as the blood of ancient mythical beasts had various mystical applications.

For instance, consuming Dragon Blood could cleanse the meridians and marrow, transforming even a cripple with destroyed meridians and Dantian into a master. Phoenix Blood granted an undying body and the miraculous ability to regenerate flesh and bones like that of Martial Arts Practitioners. White Tiger Blood significantly increased strength and vigor, allowing one to break human limitations. Qilin Blood could advance one's cultivation.

However, these mythical beasts' blood and demon pills had severe side effects. Consuming them was extremely dangerous and could be life-threatening with the slightest mishap. Moreover, the body often developed beast-like characteristics—uncontrollable rage, brutality, insatiable lust, or drastic personality changes. In the long run, such external enhancements were detrimental to one's cultivation.

The horns growing from the Ghost King’s head were a side effect.

Qi Xuansu had no time to ponder how his whereabouts had been exposed. He raised Flying Shadow and pointed it directly at the Ghost King.

The Ghost King moved in a flash. His palm suddenly filled Qi Xuansu’s entire field of vision as a gale struck Qi Xuansu, making it hard to breathe.

The key to this strike was not the power of the palm strike itself, but its ability to capture the opponent’s mind. If the opponent was caught in the moment, a direct hit to the face would result in death or serious injury.

Qi Xuansu was unfazed by the palm’s hypnotic effect. He slashed the horizontal blade, unleashing a long arc of sword energy that slashed down toward the Ghost King.

The Ghost King stood motionless with his feet planted firmly. His spine twisted like a dragon. A series of explosive cracks resounded in succession from his spinal column, chest, shoulders, elbows, and wrists to his fingers, as he pushed his palm forward.

The air in front of him began to ripple, causing the Flying Shadow to halt abruptly, diminishing its unstoppable momentum.

Qi Xuansu, seemingly prepared for this, flicked his wrist, thrusting the blade forward again.

The Ghost King threw another punch.

What appeared to be a simple and straightforward punch transformed into twelve variations in an instant, accompanied by a deafening roar. The ground and walls around them showed varying degrees of cracking. If any living being happened to be within the range of this punch, they would instantly be pulverized into a blood mist.

As soon as the blade and fist collided, both drifted back.

When they stopped moving, they seemed calm and composed. However, Qi Xuansu’s right hand, which gripped the blade, trembled slightly. The Ghost King was not completely unscathed either, having sustained a deep cut in his hand that he held behind his back. It was bleeding profusely.

The next moment, the Ghost King struck again. One punch instantly turned into over a hundred, filling Qi Xuansu’s field of vision with overlapping layers of fist shadows.

Qi Xuansu fully unleashed Flying Shadow, using the Dayan Spirit Blade Technique, creating layers upon layers of sword light that glowed.

For a while, the air was filled with fist shadows and sword light, accompanied by a dense series of metallic clashing sounds.

Their exchange gradually slowed from the initial rapid pace. Suddenly, Qi Xuansu halted unexpectedly before darting forward at lightning speed, causing the ground beneath him to shatter into fragments.

The Ghost King frowned slightly but remained motionless. As Qi Xuansu’s blade swept across horizontally, the Ghost King kept one hand behind his back while his left sleeve swirled lightly. A thunderous sound and a cascade of sparks ensued when his sleeve collided violently with the Flying Shadow.

Qi Xuansu kicked the Ghost King in the chest, but the latter grabbed his ankle, spun him around, and hurled him out. He flew toward a wall like a rock launched from a catapult. While he was in midair, he forcibly twisted his body, landing feet-first on the wall with slightly bent knees to absorb the impact. This left a web of cracks on the wall before he rebounded back even faster.

The exchange happened within a single breath.

The Ghost King landed a punch on Qi Xuansu’s forehead, while Qi Xuansu struck the Ghost King’s face with the flat side of Flying Shadow. Both exerted force simultaneously, causing Qi Xuansu to bend backward and drift back, landing against the wall with his knees bent once again.

Qi Xuansu swiftly ran along the wall, leaving behind a trail of footprints.

The Ghost King’s face was entirely swollen and red, yet he remained expressionless as he slowly rolled up his sleeves. His arms bulged with veins resembling miniature dragons, densely packed and intimidating. Under his skin, glowing acupoints flickered faintly, revealing flashes of his spirit, with strands of blood qi flowing through.

Qi Xuansu dashed along the wall for several meters before launching himself like a bolt of lightning. The Flying Shadow in his hand emitted a crescent-shaped sword qi, crashing toward the Ghost King like a tidal wave.

The Ghost King clawed out with his five fingers, attempting to crush the sword qi directly. However, he underestimated the burst of innate qi hidden within and had to withdraw immediately upon contact.

Instead, he chopped down with his hand, slicing downward through the air.

With a thunderous crash, Qi Xuansu staggered back.

The Ghost King’s face, forehead, and neck all bulged with veins that resembled miniature dragons. His body emitted continuous cracking sounds like a chain of firecrackers.

The next moment, the Ghost King stomped on the ground with tremendous force, creating a massive crater. Using the recoil, he leaped forward and aimed a punch at Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu narrowly passed by him, but the punch sent him flying back. In return, he managed to slash the Ghost King’s chest and abdomen with his blade, leaving a wound that was over 30 centimeters long.

The Ghost King landed and took a deep breath, his entire body emitted a cacophony of popping sounds as his muscles flexed. He then smashed his fists together, sounding like the deep toll of a death knell.

With the Ghost King as its center point, visible waves of blood qi spread outward. He bent his knees slightly and lunged forward. When he was still 10 meters away from Qi Xuansu, he unleashed a double punch.

Qi Xuansu gripped the hilt of Flying Shadow with his right hand while his left hand braced the tip of the blade, pushing the horizontal blade forward.

The two collided head-on without a flourish—an uncompromising clash of raw power.

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