A Pawn's Passage

True Lord Siming did not pay much attention to Qi Xuansu. Or rather, a Godly Immortal had countless Thoughts. Earlier, one of these Thoughts had only briefly targeted Qi Xuansu. It was akin to swatting at a fly—killing it would have been ideal, but it was also not a big deal if the fly got away.

True Lord Siming’s primary focus remained on Jinling Prefecture.

He had gone through great effort to descend into the mortal realm, not to flaunt his power or oppose the Daoist Order, but to perform a blood sacrifice to enhance his own strength.

True Lord Siming spread his arms wide. His sleeves seemed infinitely large, their depths unfathomable. Endless yin energy poured out from them. First, the yin energy spread within a 300-meter radius around him, and then it rapidly expanded in all directions.

The sky grew dim, and the world felt as though it had fallen into the depths of hell.

To ordinary people, this scene was no different from the legendary Netherworld. Even the Daoist priests and Spirit Guards witnessing this could not help but feel the sheer terror and dread creeping over them.

Zhang Yuelu’s expression was grave.

She extended two fingers to pinch a wisp of black mist, gently rolling it between her fingertips to discern the difference between this yin energy and the yang energy of the mortal realm.

The mortal world was also known as the yang realm, while the Netherworld was the yin realm. A ghostly realm in the mortal world would be naturally rejected, as it defied the laws of heaven. Thus, it would not last long.

If the yin energy could be redirected, the yang energy of the mortal world would naturally dissolve it, akin to diverting floodwaters.

However, there were not nearly enough personnel in Jinling Prefecture to divert this yin energy.

From an aerial perspective, a massive shadow was spreading outward from Zhenwu Lake, devouring the entirety of Jinling Prefecture.

Wherever the yin energy passed, vegetation withered visibly. The lush green faded rapidly into a dark yellow. The ground cracked and began to turn to sand. Even the Qinhuai River was drained of its water. The water level dropped lower, revealing the monstrous fish within.

Any civilians who had been affected by the Gifts and exposed to the yin wind would rapidly age.

Their skin shriveled, and their flesh disintegrated, turning them into desiccated corpses in an instant. Though they retained their expressions in death, a single gust of wind would reduce them to dust, scattering them into the air.

At the same time, their souls flew from their bodies, carried by the yin wind toward Zhenwu Lake.

Daoist texts recorded that hundreds of kilometers of land would be scorched when a drought demon descends. This current scene was no less devastating.

In the blink of an eye, Zhenwu Temple and its surrounding area, spanning dozens of kilometers, had become a barren, lifeless wasteland.

True Lord Siming continued spreading his arms and releasing more black yin energy from his billowing sleeves.

The yin energy carried countless souls and vital energy from living beings into True Lord Siming’s body. All the while more yin energy surged from his sleeves, relentlessly spreading outward.

In an instant, the black mist had engulfed over half of Jinling City.

True Lord Siming intended to turn the entire Jinling into a city of death.

In addition, the yin energy formed heavy layers of leaden clouds, replacing the thunderclouds above Jinling Prefecture. These thick clouds pressed down heavily on the city. There was no lightning within them, but rather, countless ghostly souls. These shadows flickered in and out of sight, stirring an inexplicable sense of oppression and terror in people’s hearts.

As the yin energy grew denser, even those untouched by the Gifts began to feel their skin and flesh slowly withering. Their souls also showed signs of detachment from their physical bodies.

Such effects varied by proximity. Those closer to True Lord Siming were already paralyzed and unable to move, while those farther away were merely dazed and disoriented.

If they could escape the soul-stealing yin energy in time, they might still have a sliver of hope for survival. But the black mist spread like a sea.

Everyone was desperately fleeing toward the city’s outskirts, including nobles, Jianghu heroes, and even some Daoist priests and Spirit Guards.

A Martial Arts Practitioner who lagged slightly behind was caught in the black mist. He had no choice but to desperately circulate his blood qi to forcibly lock his soul to his body, preventing the yin energy from stealing his soul.

However, the yin energy seemed infinite, like a stormy ocean with crashing waves. Even a skilled swimmer would be forced to drift with the current until they succumbed to exhaustion and eventually drowned.

As the yin energy continuously bombarded him, the Martial Arts Practitioner’s blood qi dimmed like a candle in the wind. He resembled a drowning man caught in tidal waves, moments away from being consumed by the ocean.

The Martial Arts Practitioner gritted his teeth and struggled to press forward. But it was as if he were fighting against a rushing current or trapped in a muddy swamp—each step took a monumental effort.

The next moment, a surge of overwhelming yin energy crashed over him like a giant wave, swallowing him instantly. Then, the yin energy receded like a tide, leaving behind only a withered corpse.

A Qi Refiner hurried along but was suddenly struck by a gust of yin wind. Caught off guard, he was blown head over heels, tumbling until he crashed into a wall several meters away.

Even though a Qi Refiner’s physique was second only to a Martial Arts Practitioner and a Banished Immortal, far superior to that of a Diviner and a Shaman, the crash left him dizzy and aching all over.

He felt as if his body were about to fall apart.

Just as he got to his feet, a Fate Guard emerged from the black mist.

These Fate Guards were different from those that Zhang Yuelu fought off at the Gratitude Temple. In addition to their impenetrable black armor, they had a floating, semi-hollow disc rotating slowly behind them.

This disc, composed of a black moon and white sun, resembled the Daoist yin-yang symbol. Their shoulder guards, belts, and shoes were also adorned with the Shebishi emblem.

Although these metallic discs did not elevate the Fate Guards to the level of Heavenly Beings, they granted them the ability to fly.

They were True Lord Siming’s personal guards who had descended into the mortal realm alongside their master.

Horrified, the Qi Refiner turned to flee. However, the Fate Guard stepped forward, instantly appearing behind the Qi Refiner and sweeping a bronze ancient sword at him.

This strike resembled Qi Xuansu’s Ghost Machete. Though it passed without leaving a visible mark, the Qi Refiner’s face turned ashen as his vitality extinguished.

After the Fate Guard sheathed his sword, an illusory figure bearing a sword wound was forcibly pulled out of the Qi Refiner’s body.

Then, a gust of yin wind swept over, obscuring the Fate Guard while taking the soul and reducing the Qi Refiner to yet another withered corpse.

Similar scenes unfolded throughout Jinling Prefecture.

For True Lord Siming, the higher the cultivation of the victim, the greater the benefit their soul, flesh, and vital energy provided. Thus, he would not let such prey escape.

While Godly Immortals consumed incense power, blood sacrifices were equally prevalent in ancient times. Even within the Buddhist Sect, blood sacrifices were not uncommon, like the use of human bone artifacts.

In other words, Godly Immortals could also feed on flesh and blood. However, as society evolved, blood sacrifices fell out of favor. Compared to incense power, the biggest drawback of blood sacrifices was their severe long-term consequences and unsustainability. It was akin to killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

To put it bluntly, it was an ugly practice, unacceptable in the mortal realm.

However, appearances were the least of True Lord Siming’s worries at the moment.

He had taken such a significant risk by materializing in Jinling Prefecture, so he was determined to gorge himself on this feast.

True Lord Siming’s body swelled, towering 300 meters high, overlooking Jinling Prefecture like a supreme emperor reigning between heaven and earth.

Countless Fate Guards circled above Jinling Prefecture with True Lord Siming at their center.

In just 24 hours, True Lord Siming could completely drain Jinling Prefecture of all vitality. The immense gains would render him fearless against the Daoist Order’s retaliation.

That was, of course, as long as he could stomach all this consumption.

Before devouring all of Jinling Prefecture, he had to deal with Bai Yingqiong first.

A Heavenly Being at the Wuliang stage would be a much-needed nourishment.

True Lord Siming did not hope to capture a Heavenly Being at the Zaohua stage unless he materialized with his true body. After all, such beings had the ability to escape his grasp.

However, descending with his true body into the mortal realm would mean losing the advantage of his divine kingdom and risking annihilation.

If his reserve of incense power were insufficient to regenerate his true body within his divine kingdom, he would face the first death. That would be like taking a long slumber in which he had no control over the duration.

The key issue was that during this hibernation, he would be unable to respond to the outside world. The Daoist Order would then take the opportunity to eradicate the Cult of Fates.

Without the Cult of Fates, his source of incense power would be cut off, and his divine kingdom would soon become unsustainable. As such, he would enter the second death, akin to a coma, leaving him one step away from true death.

Thus, Ancient Immortals were exceedingly cautious about descending with their true bodies.

Bai Yingqiong’s heart was filled with despair.

If Sage Cihang were here, the outcome might have been uncertain. However, Bai Yingqiong knew that she stood no chance against True Lord Siming alone. It would be a sure death.

True Lord Siming lowered his outstretched arms and extended one hand that was large enough to cover the sky, reaching toward Bai Yingqiong.