A Pawn's Passage

Out of ten parts of Izanami’s golden body, Izanagi, being the mightiest and the longest to dwell in Yomi-no-Kuni, consumed the largest share, at three parts. Thus, he reaped the greatest benefit of gaining an undying body.

The Three Noble Children, who were weaker than Izanagi and unable to rely fully on the Vairocana’s protection to enter Yomi-no-Kuni, devoured no more than two parts combined. Tsukuyomi consumed one part, the most among the three.

However, what they could not consume, they took away. Himiko and Susanoo carried another two parts with them, using these parts to revive Tamamo-no-Mae, Yamata-no-Orochi, and Shuten-Doji. However, the fragments used to revive Shuten-Doji had been too few, so his resurrection went awry.

Thus, only three parts remained of Izanami’s husk.

If the Daoist Order seized the remnants and refined them into golden elixirs, they would yield three Elixirs of Immortality. Though they would not be equal to the second-generation elixirs created by the Six Enlightened Witches, they could still rival the first-generation elixirs from the Ten Great Witches.

The reason why the Daoists would rather refine three elixirs instead of one supreme elixir was that there were three sects, three Deputy Grand Masters, and three heirs.

This was the balance that the Heavenly Preceptor spoke of.

If the Imperial Preceptor claimed them all to create one supreme elixir, then that balance would break.

This was not about morality. Only interests mattered at such times.

Sage Qingwei and the Sakka—Qi Xuansu’s puppet—both fell into silence.

Though the Sakka could not speak, its silence was palpable.

After all, their plotting and toil were precisely for these last three parts.

Now that the husk lay before them, how should it be divided?

Sage Qingwei’s fingers tightened upon the Mountain Whip, but his gaze slid past the husk, turning instead toward the space above the Sakka’s shoulder.

This was the location of the Celestial View.

In other words, Sage Qingwei was staring straight at Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu could no longer keep silent. At this moment, he was not just representing himself. More importantly, he was the mouthpiece of the Heavenly Preceptor and the Earthly Preceptor. “Sage, this discovery must be submitted in full to the Golden Tower Council so that they can decide its fate.”

Sage Qingwei countered calmly. “Isn’t this too hasty? What if the golden husk can only survive within Yomi-no-Kuni and rots the instant it leaves?”

At present, the Earthly Preceptor served as the Great Sage Lunzhi. But come July, that title would fall to the Imperial Preceptor. To hand over this golden husk now and in July meant different results for the Taiping Sect. Sage Qingwei no longer dreamed of sole possession of Yomi-no-Kuni’s secrets, but he still wanted to scheme for the greatest profit.

Qi Xuansu remarked, “The Three Noble Children once carried fragments from Yomi-no-Kuni, and nothing befell them. We cannot linger here, nor can we return to this realm at will. So I’m afraid there will be too many variables if we were to leave this golden husk for later.”

By right, a third-rank Youyi Daoist master like Qi Xuansu had no standing to bargain with the Sage Commander. However, armed with the Earthly Preceptor’s Class-A access to wield the Sakka for a fleeting span and backed by both the Heavenly and Earthly Preceptors, Qi Xuansu now had the confidence to speak as the face of the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect. Meanwhile, Sage Qingwei was the Taiping Sect’s representative. Thus, Sage Qingwei knew better than to ignore Qi Xuansu’s opinion.

Sage Qingwei asked, “How do you think it should be removed then?”

Qi Xuansu fell silent.

His mind raced. The simplest course was to let the Sakka carry this golden husk. But could the Jianxiu Mountain portal bear such strain? Would Sage Qingwei even agree to this suggestion?

Should Sage Qingwei refuse, it would mean that they would have to fight for it. At this moment, Sage Qingwei possessed three immortal objects. Even if his actual cultivation prevented him from unleashing their full might, they should not be underestimated. Moreover, the Imperial Succession Seal was held by the steady hands of the Donghai Navy’s Chief Admiral outside this realm.

Not to mention, Qi Xuansu was not proficient in controlling the Sakka. Each command took a strain on him. At best, he could only switch the giant puppet to a self-governing mode, letting it fight on instinct. It could slay opponents and guard itself, but it would be impossible for the Sakka to snatch the husk without an active command.

In such a stalemate, neither side could claim sure victory.

After weighing his options and seeing that Sage Qingwei had already compromised, Qi Xuansu decided to yield. “Then I must trouble you to carry it away, Sage.”

For now, with the Sakka having witnessed the golden husk, it was equivalent to the Heavenly and Earthly Preceptors themselves seeing it, so Sage Qingwei would not dare to play tricks. Unless, of course, he decided to risk it all and go all out.

From another point of view, it was Sage Qingwei who should fret about the Quanzhen Sect playing tricks since they were the most proficient in creations. Thus, having Sage Qingwei carry this golden husk was also a reassurance for the Taiping Sect.

Sage Qingwei gave a faint nod. He raised the Mountain Whip and summoned its power of translocation. A ring of light appeared out of thin air, enveloping the golden husk.

This divine power could be used to seize treasures dropped by others. However, relocating a golden husk of this scale was far more taxing.

Storing it within a magical receptacle was impossible because there was no receptacle large enough for this golden husk. Any ordinary magical receptacle would collapse instantly.

Fortunately, only three parts of the golden husk remained.

Izanagi and the Three Noble Children had never tried to remove it because they knew there was no hiding spot safer than Yomi-no-Kuni. After all, they knew that if this secret were exposed, they would only invite trouble upon themselves since there were other powers beyond Fenglin.

After an hour of being in Yomi-no-Kuni, Sage Qingwei succeeded in translocating the golden husk remnants onto the Yinglong Warship stationed outside Izanagi’s divine kingdom. Though he had not foreseen that the secret of Yomi-no-Kuni was this golden husk, he had guessed it might be some alchemical marvel, so he had prepared accordingly.

When the golden husk landed with a thud on the Yinglong Warship, the massive vessel sank more than 100 meters, nearly overwhelmed. However, the Spirit Guards onboard were long prepared and immediately began to seal the golden husk to prevent any leakage.

Sage Qingwei and the Sakka withdrew from Yomi-no-Kuni one after another, reentering Izanagi’s divine kingdom.

Elsewhere, billows of black mists gushed from the orifices of Izanagi’s true body, like smoke from a raging fire.

Izanagi wanted to roar, but no sound escaped his mouth.

Since his revival, Izanagi’s true body had failed to re-enter his divine kingdom or any other pocket realm to seek refuge. So now, it was subjected to a heavenly tribulation.

When Izanagi sealed his divine kingdom, he had already abandoned his true body, resolving to be reborn through his golden body instead. However, he lost his golden body, and his true body was now doomed.

Izanagi had already survived the first Lightning Tribulation. Now, it was the Yin Fire Tribulation.

This was no ordinary flame, but yin fire, rising from the Yongquan acupoint at his feet to his Niwan Palace at his head. It bypassed the flesh and seared the organs. However indestructible one’s body, if the organs turned to ash, centuries of cultivation would dissolve in the blink of an eye.

If one were fortunate enough to weather this fire, the five viscera would harmonize with the five qi, achieving the Greater Five Qi Convergence.

Even at the height of his power, Izanagi had no certainty of weathering such a tribulation. Now, after being sealed for centuries, his essence depleted and his golden body shattered, there was not even the faintest hope of survival.

Even the Vairocana could not annihilate Izanagi, but a Heavenly Tribulation could.

This yin fire was no different in nature from that conjured by the Taiyin 13 Swords. The difference lay only in scale. A cup of water could quench one’s thirst, but a pool could drown somebody.

The yin fire spread swiftly, reducing Izanagi’s internal organs to ash, which turned into black smoke seeping from his orifices.

Contrary to mortal imaginings, a Heavenly Tribulation was ruthlessly precise, making it nearly impossible for outside forces to interfere. It was not a grand display that would implicate bystanders.

Thus, no Immortal had ever tried to charge into enemy lines to weaponize a Heavenly Tribulation.

This was what made a Heavenly Tribulation so dangerous. No matter one’s status or how many immortal objects one possessed, a Heavenly Tribulation was something that could only be crossed alone. Thus, if one lacked the certainty of surviving this, one could only flee upward and ascend before the tribulation befell.

Of course, there were also some rare exceptions, like the Elixir of Immortality or the Immortal Retaining Platform left by the Primordial Daoist Ancestor. These could not help one to avoid a Heavenly Tribulation, but they could help dampen the power of one. Elder Xu had swallowed such an elixir and stood upon that platform, so he had passed one tribulation smoothly before the age of 100. Due to this, the three Deputy Grand Masters longed for such elixirs.

Izanagi’s organs, flesh, and blood became fuel to the yin fire, allowing it to blaze fiercely. It was more dreadful than his own demonic fire or the Xiaoyao Six Void Tribulations. Everything within him became ash, but outwardly, his body was still intact.

Around him, the gathered Longevity-stage Immortals and Great Yokai all bore grave expressions. Though they knew the Heavenly Tribulation would not affect them, they were driven by instinct to retreat in the face of such force. Even so, no one looked away from this rare scene.

A Second Tribulation was exceedingly rare. Even among the Immortals, few had ever seen one. So to behold such might even from afar was to gain invaluable knowledge. It also gave them a measure of the Heavenly Tribulation’s power.

Soon, Izanagi’s outer body ignited as well. His so-called undying body was like a piece of paper, easily flammable. The fire started between his brows and spread in black and yellow scorch marks until he became nothing but drifting ash.