A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 271: Cult Stronghold

A journey of a thousand miles had to begin with one single step.

No matter how difficult things seemed, there were always people who had to give it a try, just like those who built the Ghost Kingdom on Earth.

Similarly, Zhang Yuelu also wanted to try completely exterminating the Ancient Immortal Wu Luo.

Therefore, shortly after Zhang Yuelu was promoted to the Eighth Deputy Tiangang Hall Master, she led her subordinates in an operation to wipe out a group of Lingshan Witch Cult demons.

Tiangang Hall had lost the deceased Seventh Deputy Hall Master, Shangguan Jing, which directly led to the resignation of the former Tiangang Hall Master, Ning Lingge. Due to this incident, the new Tiangang Hall Master, Sage Cihang, specially assigned a second-rank Spirit Guard to be responsible for Zhang Yuelu's safety.

Zhang Yuelu knew that she could not take things lightly, as anything that happened to her would undoubtedly affect her master’s competition for the title of Grand Master. Thus, she did not refuse to have a second-rank Spirit Guard as her personal bodyguard.

This time, Zhang Yuelu took the Yinglong Warship out of Jade Capital and flew over Yongzhou again.

The Daoist Order was determined not to let history repeat itself. After the Golden Tower Council meeting, a first-rank Tianzhen Daoist master and two first-rank Spirit Guards invaded Wu Luo’s Divine Kingdom. Although they fought on Wu Luo’s home base, they still managed to injure the Ancient Immortal, to the point Wu Luo was forced to seal off her Divine Kingdom and lick her wounds silently. However, the three of them also suffered varying degrees of injuries.

If Wu Luo dared to appear in the mortal realm again, she would be ushering in her physical death once again. This was undoubtedly the Daoist Order’s warning to the Ancient Immortals.

If any Ancient Immortal crossed the line, the Daoist Order would not hesitate to fight back even at a price. After all, the Daoist Order was large enough to bear most consequences.

The Yinglong Warship began to land about 100 kilometers away from a manor that belonged to the local gentry. Many local dignitaries would often gather there for banquets, as it was similar to a high-end brothel that was not open to the public.

For most people, this large manor was heavily guarded, with undercover guards posing as servants. If one was not at least in the Guizhen stage, it would be tough to break into this manor and make it out alive. Even Guizhen-stage masters could not guarantee that they would be able to escape unscathed.

However, in the eyes of the Daoist Order, this was just a regular cult stronghold, a suitable training ground for youngsters like Zhang Yuelu.

There was an order to everything. Thus, Zhang Yuelu was not allowed to attack the main altar of the Lingshan Witch Cult for now, even if she had the clearance to command and dispatch the Spirit Guards and Daoist priests in her division.

The Daoist Order had long known that this was one of the strongholds of the Lingshan Witch Cult. However, they did not touch it for various reasons. That was because they wanted to monitor the large gatherings of cult demons, rather than have the cult demons spread out in small groups all over the continent.

Now, the Daoist Order wanted to make the Lingshan Witch Cult an example to show the other secret societies that provoking them came with serious consequences.

At this time, Zhang Yuelu did not wear the Daoist formal attire. Instead, she changed into an outfit befitting of a young master from a noble family. She was meticulous in her disguise, altering her voice, adding an Adam’s apple, and flattening her breasts, so much so that no one could tell that she was actually a woman.

Standing next to Zhang Yuelu was an extraordinarily tall man wrapped in a cloak, which was concealing his armor. He was the second-rank Spirit Guard sent by Sage Cihang responsible for Zhang Yuelu’s safety.

The other superintendents in the Yaoguang Division, including Lingquanzi, Xu Kou, and Sun Yongfeng, were also onboard. There were also some new faces among them, all of whom were superintendents who used to work under Shangguan Jing.

Zhang Yuelu scanned the crowd and said, “As the Deputy Hall Master, I know that I should not risk my life, but I would like to see with my own eyes what the inside of this cult stronghold is like. If we break in forcefully, we will only be able to see the ruins and nothing else.”

Sun Yongfeng, the bootlicker, quickly echoed his agreement with the Deputy Hall Master’s decision.

However, Lingquanzi and the others disagreed because they were worried about Zhang Yuelu’s safety. If something were to happen to Zhang Yuelu, none of them would be able to shirk responsibility.

Zhang Yuelu did not emphasize her own cultivation level. Instead, she turned to the Spirit Guard next to her. “We have a second-rank Spirit Guard with us, so we have nothing to be afraid of! Don’t you think so, Spirit Guard Xu?”

Everyone fell silent.

Although Spirit Guards generally had a lower status compared to Daoist priests, a second-rank Spirit Guard was still much higher in status than fourth-rank Daoist priests like the superintendents. In terms of rank, even Zhang Yuelu could not compare to Spirit Guard Xu. Only an Omniscient Sage like Sage Cihang could mobilize a Spirit Guard of this rank.

Spirit Guard Xu reassured them. “I will be responsible for the safety of Deputy Hall Master Zhang.”

Since this second-rank Spirit Guard said so, the others could no longer object to it.

Zhang Yuelu instructed, “I will go into that manor with Spirit Guard Xu and Xu Kou. The rest of you will wait at the predetermined location.”

Everyone responded in unison.

Zhang Yuelu ordered three horses to be brought over. She got on her horse and rode to the manor because she did not plan to sneak into the manor. Her plan was to enter through the front door as a guest. After all, it was never a problem for a large institution like the Daoist Order to forge an identity without any flaws. They even had the ability to turn this fake identity into a real one.

The identity used by Zhang Yuelu was a fake identity that had been operated by a Daoist Order for a long time to gain the trust of the cult demons. This person was usually very mysterious and had never shown his face. However, with this identity, the cooperation of several Daoist disciples, and the Daoist Order’s financial resources, they managed to create a persona that was false yet existent in the real world.

Zhang Yuelu used this identity so that she could see how these cult demons operated. After all, most cult demons fought like trapped beasts when they were in desperate situations but cried bitterly and repented after being arrested. They were not their true selves in those situations.

That was why Zhang Yuelu grew curious. She always wondered why these people went against the Daoist Order to believe in the Ancient Immortals. What were they like usually?

After all, to eradicate these evil cults, one must first understand them. Only by knowing thyself and thy enemy could victory be gained.

That was how Zhang Yuelu, disguised as a young master from a noble family, waltzed into the manor with her two “attendants.”

The manor did not doubt her identity and let her in without a fuss. The person who received Zhang Yuelu was an old and prudent butler who had heard about the reputation of her fake identity. The butler was very enthusiastic. At the same time, he spoke cryptically. “There are a few heats going on right now. Young Master Lu, are you interested?”

The fake identity Zhang Yuelu used was Young Master Lu, a rich young scion who had not seen much of the world. This time, he came to this manor to gain some experience.

Zhang Yuelu raised her eyebrows arrogantly. “What heat? I don’t understand slang, so use normal language.”

It was reasonable for scions of noble families not to understand slang, which was meant for commoners. Thus, the butler was not surprised to hear this. He explained, “There are some boxing matches, weapons showdown, and gunfights going on. Young Master Lu, which do you prefer?”

Zhang Yuelu glanced at Xu Kou.

The reason Zhang Yuelu brought Xu Kou with her was due to his background as a Green Phoenix Guard. Xu Kou had also been working in the local Daoist mansion for a long time, so he had interacted with thugs and cult demons before. That was why he would be familiar with the ways of the real world.

Xu Kou answered on behalf of Zhang Yuelu. “Generally speaking, gunfights end too quickly, and weapons showdowns will be too bloody. I think boxing is better.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded slightly. “Boxing it is.”

Under the guidance of this butler, Zhang Yuelu and the two men entered a passage that was sloped downward, with many forked roads that led to different places.

The butler led the trio into one of the fork roads, which had a private room at the end. The entire wall was covered with glass windows, which were very fashionable at the moment.

From the inside of the private room, they could see a 30-meter-square arena below, with seats arranged at varying heights all around a fighting ring.

At this time, there were already hundreds of people packed into the arena, shouting at the top of their lungs. Many of them were women. Their faces were flushed because of the crowded atmosphere. They were also not wearing middle garments, deliberately leaving the collar of their outer garments open to expose their waist.

Zhang Yuelu was stunned. So, this is a boxing match.

There was essentially no difference between cricket fights, cockfights, and dog fights. They were merely replacing insects and animals with human beings.

Zhang Yuelu narrowed her beautiful eyes and suppressed her simmering anger.

The butler explained, “Young Master Lu, these windows are made from one-way glass shipped from the Western Continent. You will be able to see what is going on outside from here, but outsiders won’t be able to peek inside.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded.

The butler pointed to a secret door in the corner and suggested, “If you want girls...”

One could only imagine how thrilling it must be to view a bloody battle going on in the arena while also engaging in some heart-pounding activities within the privacy of this room.

“No need.” Zhang Yuelu was a conservative woman, so she refused without hesitation.

The butler nodded and hinted, “By the way, you can still place a bet for the fight.”

Zhang Yuelu did not refuse this time and merely shot Xu Kou a look.

Xu Kou took out 10 Wuyou coins, equivalent to 100 Taiping coins, and handed them to the butler. “To test the waters.”

“I understand.” The butler beamed. Although 100 Taiping coins was not their largest bet, it was not a small amount either. After all, the night was still young. There was no need to worry that the young scion would not spend more money.

The butler exited the private room.

Zhang Yuelu glanced at the expensive chaise lounge large enough to accommodate two people and decided not to sit down. Instead, she stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with her hands clasped behind her back and stared at the arena below.

At this moment, three people stepped into the fighting ring.

The host introduced the identities of the other two people, who were both well-known in the circle. They either owed money and were forced to enter the ring, or they were in urgent need of money, so they came here to fight.

Zhang Yuelu could imagine the other two arenas that used weapons or guns. Perhaps there were even some down-and-out Daoist disciples or Black Robes among those fighters.

She muttered, “I can’t believe the Daoist Order actually allows such a place to exist.”

“If the water is too clear, there will be no fish.” Spirit Guard Xu, who had been silent all this while, made an ambiguous remark.

Zhang Yuelu did not say anything.

Xu Kou sneered. “These customs originated from the Western Continent. Those barbarians...”

Zhang Yuelu sarcastically said, “It is said that the barbarians admire our teachings, yet here we are, influenced by them. Who is the barbarian in this scenario? There’s no use pointing fingers.”

Xu Kou coughed slightly, feeling a little embarrassed.

During their short conversation, the host had already left the ring, and the fight had begun.

At first, the two fighters were a little cautious, circling each other in defensive positions. Soon, the edges of the ring caught on fire, and this ring of fire gradually shrank toward the center.

This forced the two fighters to give it their all before the ring of fire consumed them both.

The audience also roared and howled, cheering them on. As soon as they threw out their punches, flesh and blood splattered everywhere.

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