A Pawn's Passage

The Taiping Sect’s miscalculation lay in a single word—greed.

Once the Golden Tower Council learned of the true situation regarding Izanagi, they authorized a full investigation, giving Sage Qingwei the authority to mobilize figures such as Princess Himiya Akiko, the Great Tengu, and Tamamo-no-Mae under the Daoist Order’s name. Through this, he succeeded in reviving Izanagi and opening the divine kingdom.

However, as the Imperial Preceptor had said, no one within Fenglin could surpass Sage Qingwei, the Sage Commander who wielded the highest authority there. In name, the Golden Tower Council was higher, but they were in Jade Capital, too far to intervene. Ultimately, it was Sage Qingwei who decided how things were handled in Fenglin.

In this world, matters were never settled simply by an edict from the higher-ups. How such orders were carried out and to what extent—whether half-hearted or excessive—depended on execution. Otherwise, there would be no disputes between central and local powers nor countless cases of corruption, despite edicts forbidding it.

This was precisely the Imperial Preceptor’s reminder. Since the matter had been reported to the Golden Tower Council, they would naturally need an explanation afterward. But Sage Qingwei could decide whether to hand over 100%, 50%, or even 30% of the information gathered from this mission.

If he wished to keep certain findings, then secrecy was paramount. Thus, Sage Qingwei faced a dilemma. He could bring Tamamo-no-Mae and the Great Tengu into the divine kingdom with him—ensuring success but risking exposure.

In name, these two Great Yokai had submitted to the Daoist Order, not to the Taiping Sect specifically. Amid intensifying struggles among the three Daoist sects, they would hardly pledge allegiance lightly. With their strength, they could afford to remain neutral, waiting to side with the victor rather than risking their lives from the start. Thus, Sage Qingwei had to invoke the Golden Tower Council’s name to mobilize them, not act under his personal authority.

Moreover, their submission had been too recent. Even if they had chosen the Taiping Sect, such a short time was nowhere near enough to build genuine trust.

If Sage Qingwei brought them into Izanagi’s divine kingdom, secrecy would be nearly impossible. The Taiping Sect’s aims would be compromised, and they would have to share their prize with the other sects.

Even from the Daoist Order’s broader perspective, the two Great Yokai could not be fully trusted. Who could say they wouldn’t act on sudden greed?

In the end, Sage Qingwei chose to enter Izanagi’s divine kingdom alone, staking everything on a risky gamble.

The other two Daoist sects understood that if they did nothing, they would simply watch as the Taiping Sect devoured the lion’s share of whatever lay in the divine kingdom. From the standpoint of the Zhengyi Sect, the Heavenly Preceptor called this an imbalance. It was not a moral condemnation of the Taiping Sect. If the Zhengyi Sect were in the Taiping Sect’s shoes, they would make the same choice. This so-called “imbalance” was purely a matter of interest.

Thus, intervention from the Heavenly and Earthly Preceptors was inevitable, but it could not be done openly.

Since the Imperial Preceptor did not intervene, neither the Heavenly nor Earthly Preceptors would step onto the field personally. Instead, Qi Xuansu became the perfect tool. Strictly speaking, the Heavenly and Earthly Preceptors had not stepped into the fray since they had not even appeared.

That said, the initiative had always rested in the Taiping Sect’s hands. Without Sage Qingwei reviving Izanagi and opening the divine kingdom, Qi Xuansu would have had no way in, let alone seizing fortune on his own. He had tried once before, but he had been swatted by Izanagi’s left hand. Without the Heavenly and Earthly Preceptors’ support, Qi Xuansu would not only fail to seize the opportunity, but he would in turn become Izanagi’s opportunity.

Sage Qingwei had anticipated that the Heavenly and Earthly Preceptors would not stand idly by, so he had voiced his concern and objections to the Imperial Preceptor. However, in the end, the Imperial Preceptor still judged that the Taiping Sect held the advantage.

What Sage Qingwei truly had not foreseen was the Holy Court’s intervention. He believed the Westerners would not dare intervene in Daoist territory, lest they lose more than they gained. However, the Holy Court skirted the edge, intervening just enough to stir the waters, then immediately withdrawing, leaving ample space for maneuver.

The Holy Court never expected to gain Izanagi’s secrets. They simply wished to ensure the Daoist Order would not.

To want the best of both worlds often meant ending up with nothing at all.

Whether the Imperial Preceptor still held further contingencies remained unclear.

Had the Holy Court not meddled, the Heavenly and Earthly Preceptors would not have snatched this opportunity so openly under Sage Qingwei’s nose. Rather, they would have monitored him closely under the guise of “assisting” him, then later forcing him to hand over all results to the Golden Tower Council.

But with the Holy Court stepping in, the Earthly Preceptor naturally changed tactics and decided to take everything.

Just as the Three Great Kami’s incarnations could merge into one to face an enemy, the Three Yin Beings possessed a similar ability. Their unity was not merely a formation or a coordination, but a true fusion into one.

The Mighty Lord of Ten Thousand Corpses became the flesh and blood, the Mystical Lord of White Bones the bones and sinew, and the Nine-Yin Lord of the Netherworld the soul.

This could be explained using the Three Flowers of essence, qi, and spirit. The Mighty Lord of Ten Thousand Corpses corresponded to essence and blood, the Mystical Lord of White Bones to vital qi, and the Nine-Yin Lord of the Netherworld to divine spirit.

In ancient times, when the Gezao Sect flourished, they not only built the Ghost Kingdom but also devised the famed Eight Tribes plan, the precursor to the Daoist Order’s later creation projects. For this reason, when the creation project was abolished, those Daoists who broke away still called themselves the Eight Tribes.

At the heart of the Eight Tribes’ plan was a manmade god, the Sakka, leader of all gods and ranked even above the Asuras. Yet due to various constraints, the ancient Gezao Sect failed to complete the Sakka, so they split it into three parts, becoming the prototypes of the Mighty Lord of Ten Thousand Corpses, the Nine-Yin Lord of the Netherworld, and the Mystical Lord of White Bones.

Though the Three Yin Beings had evolved into wholly independent entities over countless years and were no longer able to recombine into the Sakka, their original design foundation remained. Through temporary fusion, they could manifest Longevity-stage strength that surpassed even Tamamo-no-Mae and the Great Tengu. This was a power no mere alliance of three Pseudo-Immortals could compare to.

As the Three Yin Beings charged forward, their figures slowly overlapped until they finally fused into one.

Their outer form resembled the Mighty Lord of Ten Thousand Corpses, yet its skin began to mend. There was no more foul miasma or corpse qi spewing forth, nor remnant limbs falling off. Its flesh became smooth and resilient. The countless eyes remained, but they were no longer dull and soulless. Instead, they had merged with the abyssal eyes of the Nine-Yin Lord of the Netherworld, now bottomless, eerie, and shifting. In some places, bone armor and spikes had sprouted, as if clad in battle plating. Before this, the Mighty Lord of Ten Thousand Corpses had flesh without bones, so he was just a grotesque heap of corpses barely retaining a human shape. Now he had both bone and flesh, becoming a complete humanoid form, even bearing the contours of a man.

Though they were still called the Three Yin Beings, they were now one entity.

The fused Three Yin Beings stood as tall as a mountain, just like Izanagi’s golden body.

The two giants crashed with thunderous force.

Izanagi staggered back a few steps. Half his body grew darker, while the other half flickered with light.

Izanagi’s own power already contained yin energy, so he was not affected by the erosion of the Ghost Kingdom’s yin energy. Instead, Vairocana’s lingering power clashed with the yin energy, making them utterly incompatible. This created an imbalance between the two forces within Izanagi.

The fused Yin Beings swung a colossal fist. All its innumerable eyes opened at once, unleashing torrents of corpse qi. Upon impact, Izanagi’s golden body cracked, and flames burst from within.

This punch was plain and unadorned, but equal to the might of gods.

Izanagi staggered back a few more steps, steadied himself, and regained a moment of clarity. He then charged at the Three Yin Beings.

When they collided again, the Three Yin Being bit into Izanagi’s neck, tearing off a chunk of golden flesh. Torrents of black flames surged from the wound, spraying across the Three Yin Being’s face.

The Three Yin Beings paid no heed. Endless yin energy welled up, snuffing out the flames. By now, it had become a living fountain of yin energy, for they had dwelled in the Ghost Kingdom for centuries and had absorbed uncountable stores of it. So now, they had enough yin energy to extinguish Izanagi’s flames but also corrode his golden body. Wherever this yin energy touched, an ominous ashen hue spread across Izanagi’s golden form.

Unlike the earlier pure yin energy, the current yin energy carried a deathly aura, resentment, corpse qi, and all manner of baleful breaths. Even divine souls could not escape its corruption.

If they were in the real world and not the divine kingdom, wherever the Three Yin Beings passed, vegetation would wither, land would turn barren, and the living would be transformed into walking corpses, enslaved as their thralls.

The power of Vairocana within Izanagi waned ever further, while Izanagi’s own strength gradually took dominance. Though his total might had diminished, he became more focused without the internal strife. With his strength unified, Izanagi regained a measure of clarity.

He reassessed the Three Yin Beings before him, sensed their might, and no longer attacked recklessly. Instead, he summoned the demonic fire to cloak his body.

The demonic fire was a divine ability Izanagi had gained from Yomi-no-Kuni. That realm was akin to the Ghost Kingdom, directly connected to the netherworld. Thus, the flames themselves brimmed with yin energy, serving as a shield against the yin tide from the Three Yin Beings.

As the demonic fire burned, the yin energy corroding Izanagi’s golden body swiftly assimilated, and his body was restored to its former state.

The two giants clashed once more, shaking heaven and earth. In the divine kingdom, nebulae collapsed, flames roared in endless waves, tides of yin energy surged and receded, and chaos reigned. Earth, water, fire, and wind were all thrown into disorder.

Caught within this chaos, the Wuliang-stage Qi Xuansu should have perished in the shockwaves. However, the Heavenly Preceptor channeled power across the void into a thunder orb created from the Punishment Pillar and Green Cloud, shielding the pawn from becoming collateral damage.

Meanwhile, aboard the flagship of the Donghai Navy, the Chief Admiral solemnly held a brocade box in both hands and bowed toward the Imperial Capital, declaring, “May this offering be presented to His Majesty, the Great Sage Ziji and Emperor of the Great Xuan Dynasty.”