A Pawn's Passage

At this moment, Qi Xuansu was completely unaware that Little Yin had gotten her hands on the Guizang Lantern. He was still walking on the road toward Lingshan.

Despite all his calculations, Qi Xuansu still fell into the old habit of hiding things. He did not tell Little Yin that he was going to Lingshan Paradise with a pseudo-ascension ritual. Instead, he only said that he was going into seclusion and asked her to stand guard for him. This was partly because he feared Little Yin might spread the news everywhere.

Due to this, Little Yin had greatly underestimated the seriousness of the situation.

She assumed it was just a closed-door cultivation. Since Old Qi had just stepped into the Zaohua stage, he was certainly not breaking through another level. That meant he was just stabilizing his realm. This kind of seclusion carried no real danger at all, so it would not matter even if it was interrupted.

So, Little Yin secretly slipped into the alchemy chamber, wanting to see what Qi Xuansu was doing. If he looked fine, then she would leave this boring place. After all, it would be enough for Old Lin to keep watch over Old Qi. There were many fun things waiting for her in Lion City!

In the end, she found no one there—only a lamp.

Seeing this, Little Yin was instantly enraged, thinking to herself, How dare he trick me into standing guard here while he slipped away to do who knows what? How shameless!

However, this lantern seemed rather interesting, prompting her to study it carefully.

Though Qi Xuansu had not anticipated this to happen, the Heavenly Preceptor had already foreseen it.

After all, the Heavenly Preceptor was the descendant of True Lord Ziguang, who was adept at divination. The Heavenly Preceptor could even perceive future scenes beyond the end of the era. When he loaned Green Cloud to Qi Xuansu, he had already foreseen what would come later. Several times, he had acted through Green Cloud and still had not taken it back.

Now, the Heavenly Preceptor had also generously lent out the Guizang Lantern. However, to say that he did so from the kindness of his heart was to underestimate him.

As soon as Little Yin picked up the Guizang Lantern, the Heavenly Preceptor, who was far away at the Demon-Vanquishing Platform in the Dazhen Mansion, let out a long sigh. “The time has come.”

A vague purple figure stood beside the Heavenly Preceptor. “You have planned for so long just for today. Do you think it will succeed?”

“Whether it succeeds or not, we can only do what we can and leave the rest to fate.” The Heavenly Preceptor’s white eyebrows trembled slightly. “I have already done everything I could. The outcome is no longer up to me.”

The purple figure chuckled. “The power of Wu Luo, the Administrative Seal, the Guizang Lantern, the Demon-Vanquishing Cave beneath the Demon-Vanquishing Platform, you, and me—this should be enough to pry that willow tree loose, shouldn’t it?”

The Heavenly Preceptor did not answer directly. “The Emperor Willow is a rare species from Kunlun, said to have been left behind by the Primordial Daoist Ancestor. It is rooted between the yin-yang rift and feeds on yin energy. It connects the two realms of yin and yang, able to reverse yin and yang. By drawing in yin energy, it can transform the netherworld into a sunlit mortal realm. By releasing yin energy, it can turn the human world into the netherworld. Due to this reversal of yin and yang, the Emperor Willow is able to regress. This regression is the reason the spirit of the Emperor Willow does not die.”

Although the purple figure was far older than the Heavenly Preceptor, she was still unaware of these secrets known only to the top few elites of the Daoist Order. She asked, “What exactly does that mean?”

The Heavenly Preceptor said, “After the spirit of the Emperor Willow dies, it does not resurrect. Instead, it would regress back to the moment of its birth.”

The purple figure understood. “This kind of regression means that all her experiences, memories, and cultivation before that point will be erased, as if they had never existed, right?”

The Heavenly Preceptor shook his head. “It’s not as if they never existed. They truly never existed, with no possibility of restoration.”

“Then is she still herself?” The purple figure asked, raising an ethical question.

The Heavenly Preceptor said, “In terms of essence, she is still herself. But emotionally and mentally—Well, that depends on one’s perspective.”

The purple figure said, “I knew it. There is no rebirth without a price. Then how many times has this spirit undergone regression now?”

The Heavenly Preceptor said, “Three times. The first spirit was the strongest because the Ghost Kingdom had not yet declined at the time. Her strength rivaled that of Immortals, and her mind was the most mature, no different from that of an adult woman. In the end, she perished with the Ancient Immortal who invaded the Ghost Kingdom, while the Three Yin Beings repelled another Ancient Immortal and sustained severe injuries.”

The purple figure murmured, “So that’s how he died.”

This “he” was clearly not referring to the spirit of the Emperor Willow.

Back then, there had been seven Ancient Immortals. Aside from True Lord Taiyin, who had already ascended, only Wu Luo, True Lord Siming, and True Lord Ziguang remained, while the three other Ancient Immortals had fallen.

The Heavenly Preceptor continued, “The second time, her strength and consciousness had weakened considerably, only growing into a young adult. Eventually, she died during an excursion. I’m not entirely certain where exactly she perished. The third time, she became weaker yet again, regressing to a child. Due to the circumstances of her second death, the Three Yin Beings strictly forbade her from leaving the Ghost Kingdom at will. They feared that her next death would bring about complete annihilation.”

The purple figure asked, “Isn’t she supposed to be undying? Why would she be completely annihilated?”

The Heavenly Preceptor said, “You already know the answer. As the end of the era approaches, the world becomes increasingly real, and the fissures between the yin and yang realms in the Ghost Kingdom are gradually disappearing. Without the infusion of yin energy, the Emperor Willow will only grow weaker until it can no longer birth a spirit. In theory, the Emperor Willow should have been able to be reborn indefinitely. But the end of the era has disrupted this cycle. The Three Great Yin Entities suspect that this is already the last regression. They originally hoped that the spirit could grow up, but after so many years, she is still a child, without the slightest sign of growing older, which further confirms their conjecture.”

The purple figure fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Does that spirit know about this?”

The Heavenly Preceptor shook his head. “She still believes that she can be reborn from the Emperor Willow and does not know the truth about regression and annihilation. The Three Yin Beings have concealed the truth from her.”

The purple figure asked again. “Why?”

The Heavenly Preceptor sighed. “Empathy is a wondrous thing. I believe the Three Yin Beings truly regard her as a child and do not wish to reveal some cruel truths.”

The purple figure sighed. “What about Qi Xuansu, then?”

“He also doesn’t know this. The matters involved are far too complex, far above Qi Xuansu’s clearance. Though Qi Xuansu is able to know of such secrets now, the Three Yin Beings probably have not yet found an appropriate time to tell him.” The Heavenly Preceptor seemed to see through everything. “That said, even if Qi Xuansu knew, what could he do? He is but a helpless chess piece. He cannot save those fated to die, nor can he kill those destined to live.”

The purple figure nodded. “That’s true. Qi Xuansu hasn’t even sorted out his own origins yet. How could he worry about others?”

The Heavenly Preceptor waved his sleeve. “Alright, that’s enough idle talk. Since he wants to know the truth, I will let him see it with his own eyes.”

As he spoke, the Administrative Seal appeared in the Heavenly Preceptor’s hand.

This immortal object was similar to the Imperial Succession Seal in that both could empower the wielder and raise their cultivation. However, unlike the Imperial Succession Seal, the Administrative Seal was not linked with dragon veins and earth qi. The Heavenly Preceptor’s Administrative Seal could control the various restrictions left behind by the Ancestral Heavenly Preceptor, including the Demon-Vanquishing Cave. It could also absorb the power of other people and store it within.

The last time the Heavenly Preceptor fought Wu Luo, he had seized the opportunity to siphon her power and store it within the Administrative Seal.

At this moment, the Heavenly Preceptor activated the Seal. Wu Luo’s divine power surged forth, flowing into the void.

The purple figure was none other than True Lord Ziguang, who lent a helping hand at this time.

Together with the Heavenly Preceptor himself, this amounted to the combined power of three Immortals.

The Demon-Vanquishing Platform beneath their feet rumbled violently as it activated the power of the Demon-Vanquishing Cave.

It was no wonder the Heavenly Preceptor’s Twin Swords and Administrative Seal were regarded as the Zhang family’s fundamental immortal objects. They were a set, corresponding respectively to the Punishment Pillar and the Demon-Vanquishing Cave.

......

Little Yin, who was studying the Guizang Lantern, suddenly felt it growing hotter in her hands. She yelped and tried to fling it out, only to discover that the Guizang Lantern was firmly attached to her hand, impossible to cast aside no matter what she did.

That was not all—some unknown forces continued to pour into her body.

Usually, Little Yin was like a bottomless black hole, capable of devouring anything without ever being filled. But this time, she felt as if she was about to be filled to the brim and on the verge of exploding.

Frightened, Little Yin began to cry out for her Grandpa, Auntie Bai, Old Qi, and even Zhang Yuelu. But no one answered.

Qi Xuansu did not know what Little Yin was going through at the moment. Even if he did, he was powerless to help her, just as the Heavenly Preceptor had mentioned. He had not even sorted out his own affairs, so how could he possibly take care of anyone else?

At this time, Qi Xuansu was in Lingshan Paradise, making his way to the pitch-black mountain. He discovered that the Wuist Sect especially liked to construct temples. Unlike the ornate churches of the West, these temples were suffused with an ancient and primitive aura, nothing more than large houses built from piled-up boulders.

As night fell, Qi Xuansu found a relatively intact temple to take shelter in. Inside, there were not many decorations, only some totems, which were basically identical to those he had seen in his dream.

The Wuist Sect did not erect statues. Instead, they used totems to represent their gods. In this regard, it was somewhat similar to the Holy Court, which also did not erect statues of the Supreme Will, but only used symbols as representations.

Qi Xuansu lingered for a long time before several totems, hoping to comprehend some secret techniques of the Wuist Sect from them.

However, Qi Xuansu soon became discouraged. He was indeed not an unparalleled genius who could comprehend divine techniques simply by looking at the relics left by predecessors.

Just as Qi Xuansu was about to give up completely, another uninvited guest arrived at the temple and recklessly slammed open the heavy stone doors.

Qi Xuansu turned around, startled. The newcomer was also equally surprised.

Neither of them had expected to see another living and breathing human in Lingshan Paradise.

Qi Xuansu’s first reaction was that an Ancient Witch had resurrected with the Blood Moon, so he drew Green Cloud and assumed a guarded stance.