A Pawn's Passage

Zhang Yuelu asked, “The Liberation Realm requires an external object as an anchor. What did Lin Lingsu use as his?”

The mortal shell replied, “It was one of my original body’s eyes, an arm, six ribs, and half a heart. Using these as the foundation, flesh and blood were regenerated. Thus, the body was rebuilt. Then, the Three Corpses and Nine Worms formed the Three Souls and Seven Spirits, thereby recreating a soul. Finally, the soul was infused into the body, creating Lin Lingsu, the Imperial Preceptor of the Jin Dynasty. My original self called Lin Lingsu the evil body. From that moment on, only the good body remained.”

Qi Xuansu could not help but marvel at the power of First-Tribulation Immortals. They can create life without a woman?! It’s no wonder Immortals can’t bear children. They don’t have to since they can clone themselves!

Zhang Yuelu sighed. “Planting a twig and getting a tree—truly the work of an Immortal.”

Lin Lingsu’s creation was like sticking a willow branch into the ground and watching it grow into a new tree, a practice farmers called cutting propagation.

Zhang Yuelu grew increasingly convinced that the so-called “original body” was True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao. Based on their respective behaviors, Lin Lingsu had indeed brought disaster to the nation. One of the cited causes of the Jin Dynasty’s downfall was the emperor being obsessed with rumors, being neglectful of governance, and exhausting the people. The chief instigator of this obsession was none other than Lin Lingsu. In contrast, True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao had an excellent reputation, embodying everything the world imagined of an Immortal. Thus, the notion of an evil body and a good body seemed to fit perfectly.

The fact that both were founding patriarchs of the Shenxiao lineage further strengthened this theory.

Only one thing did not match up. There were 160 years between Lin Lingsu’s disappearance and True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao’s investiture. When True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao created Lin Lingsu, he could not have been merely at the Heavenly-Being level. He had to be at least an Immortal. Even adding 100 years for a heavenly tribulation, that would not make up 160 years, unless True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao became an Immortal before the age of 40, created Lin Lingsu soon after, and then lived another 60 years. Adding on 100 years after one tribulation, that made exactly 160 years.

But then again, historical records clearly stated that Lin Lingsu disappeared at the age of 44.

There was one more possibility: True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao was not a First-Tribulation Immortal, but a Second-Tribulation Immortal. In that case, the 160-year gap would be easily accounted for.

As for why a Second-Tribulation Immortal like him could not revitalize the Daoist Order, the reason was simple. At that time, the Confucian School had a Second-Tribulation Sage from the School of Mind, known as the Sage of Mind.

While alive, the Sage of Mind once took the form of a court official, crushed the Rebellion of Prince Ning initiated by the Daoists, suppressed many Daoist Immortals, and labeled them as bandits. He was later granted the title of Earl.

In truth, it was common for Immortals, Sages, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas to hold alternate identities in the mortal world. Lin Lingsu becoming the Jin Dynasty’s Imperial Preceptor was one example, and the Sage of Mind quelling Prince Ning’s rebellion was another. Even the Primordial Daoist Ancestor once assumed the identity of a records keeper in the Zhou Dynasty to advise the not-yet-enlightened Confucian Sage.

The Buddhist Sect had similar examples. For instance, the Buddhist Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta once incarnated as Empress Mingkong. She first served as the empress consort, then usurped the throne of the Daoist-aligned Li royal family, promoting Buddhist supremacy by forcing Daoist priests to shave their heads and become monks. This provoked retaliation from Daoist Immortals, who entered the Imperial Court and joined forces to compel Empress Mingkong to abdicate. They shattered her mortal incarnation and returned her to the Buddhist Kingdom as Mahasthamaprapta. Power was then restored to the Li family. This incident became known in history as the Five Kings.

It was not until the emergence of the Holy Xuan that this pattern was broken.

The Holy Xuan believed such interventions were mere superficial remedies, ultimately ineffective. He firmly believed in man’s triumph over fate, so he restructured the Daoist Order, reorganized the lineages, advanced technological innovations, established the Golden Tower Council and the Nine-Rank System, and abandoned many old conventions. He stepped out from behind the scenes and actively influenced the course of the world.

Thus, the three-way struggle among the Confucian School, Buddhist Sect, and Daoist Order that had lasted for over a millennium finally saw a resolution. Faced with a revitalized Daoist Order, the Buddhist Sect and the Confucian School suffered defeat. The Confucian School became a vassal, while the Buddhist Sect retreated to the Western Region.

In the past, Daoist-Buddhist disputes played out as doctrinal debates and magical duels before the monarchs. Whichever side pleased the ruler became the state religion. Or, it was merely the deities and Immortals fighting each other. Today, the Daoist Order could simply mobilize flying ships, cannons, and tens of thousands of Spirit Guards, march straight into Buddhist heartlands, and force them into capitulation treaties.

In recent years, the Daoist Order has launched continuous campaigns. With Kunlun and the Buddhist strongholds both located in the Western Region, the Daoists had to maintain a constant offensive. Otherwise, the Buddhists would be at the gates of the Jade Capital.

Qi Xuansu asked, “So what’s the relationship between Master Tongzhen Daling and Sage Changchun?”

Zhang Yuelu answered, “Both were patriarchs of the Quanzhen Sect, but they were not on good terms. As proof, Sage Changchun, despite being the junior, once criticized the Jin Dynasty’s Imperial Preceptor in the book titled The Xuanfeng Celebration Records.”

Xuanfeng represented the teachings of Daoism. When Sage Changchun visited the Daxue Mountain Palace to meet the Golden Horde Khan, the Khan ordered a compilation of their dialogues. This became the Xuanfeng Celebration Records, which included remarks on Lin Lingsu, whom Sage Changchun believed had misled the Jin Dynasty’s emperor and indirectly caused the nation’s fall.

Zhang Yuelu continued, “Of course, the Daoist Order today does offer some retrospective leniency toward Master Tongzhen Daling. Imperial Preceptor Lin was guilty, but a nation’s downfall shouldn’t rest on a Daoist’s shoulders alone. Blaming eunuchs, women, monks, performers, and Daoists while ignoring the responsibilities of emperors and bureaucrats is a classic Confucian tactic of diverting attention and dodging accountability. They even go as far as to criticize the people for being ungrateful toward the court.”

Qi Xuansu mused, “So when Sage Changchun encountered Lin Lingsu, he chose to act. Lin Lingsu, having lost many of his external objects to his original self, was not a match for Sage Changchun, and hence was suppressed.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded. “That should be the case.”

Qi Xuansu looked again at the mortal shell. “Wasn’t Master Tongzhen Daling an Immortal? Why didn’t he choose to ascend? Why die here in meditation instead?”

The mortal shell sighed. “First, I was gravely injured by my original self. Then I encountered Sage Changchun. This made me fall from the Longevity Realm. I couldn’t ascend because I couldn’t open the Heavenly Gate. Sage Changchun imprisoned me here and ordered me to atone through meditation until I died naturally.”

Qi Xuansu was silent for a moment before saying, “Once one reaches the Longevity Realm, the Three Corpses grown alongside them can be severed, freeing one from the limit of lifespan. Even if one falls from that realm, the newly born Three Corpses are too weak to threaten their host in the short term. But you claimed to be trapped here for 500 years due to the constraints of a corpse. This means you’ve been dead for that long. That’s interesting...how could Master Tongzhen Daling have died of old age in such a short time?”

A long silence settled over the alchemy chamber.

Zhang Yuelu tightened her grip on the paper sword. “It seems likely that Master Tongzhen Daling didn’t die of old age but rather lost control over his Three Corpse incarnation after his cultivation was damaged. One of the Three Corpse incarnations harbored treacherous thoughts, killed him, and took over his body. Normally, such incarnations can’t persist in the mortal realm, but using this Immortal’s shell of a body, you gained a vessel, allowing you to linger here for centuries. But this body also became your prison, since you will quickly dissipate once you leave it. That’s why you’ve been trapped here all these years.”

The mortal shell remained silent for a long time before finally saying, “That was between me and Lin Lingsu. I bear no malice toward you all. Qian Xiangyun is proof of that.”

Qi Xuansu let out a cold laugh. “Maybe Qian Xiangyun wasn’t enough to satisfy your hunger. Killing her would’ve severed your connection to the outside world, so it was better to keep her alive and make a deal with her, like bringing you more living souls and flesh. She happens to be in charge of the Nether Prison, so that gives her convenient access to criminals. This is a mutual benefit, isn’t it?”

Zhang Yuelu sneered. “Do you think we’d make such a deal with you?”

Though young, both of them were astute, so it would not be easy to deceive them.

A chilling wind began to stir within the alchemy chamber, growing louder and stronger.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu remained silent.

The opponent had once been an Immortal, but at this moment, his power would be no more than a Heavenly Being’s level.

Though Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu did not have the harmony of the Twin Swords, Green Cloud and Purple Afterglow, they could still stand a chance to defeat a Wuliang-stage Heavenly Being.

If the mortal shell had the power of a Zaohua-stage Heavenly Being, then they would make as much noise as possible. After all, the Yuhuang Palace was right above them. Other Zaohua-stage Heavenly Beings would surely come to assist.

Pseudo-Immortals were beyond the Zaohua stage, yet not true Immortals. Those who had fallen from the Longevity Realm often ended up in this limbo stage, but “dead” Immortals rarely retained this level.

No matter how they looked at it, they had little to fear.

The mortal shell refrained from attacking. Clearly, he understood this as well.

After a while, the mortal shell said, “I am Lin Lingsu, but Lin Lingsu is not me. When Lin Lingsu faced his original self, he lost one of his Three Corpses. Later, when he encountered Sage Changchun, he lost the second one. I am the last of his Three Corpses, which is why my memory is incomplete. Back then, I had to strike first or risk being consumed eventually. The nature of the Three Corpses is to kill their host. Otherwise, why sever us if we can coexist peacefully?”

Qi Xuansu asked, ”What exactly are you trying to say?”

The mortal shell remained seated behind the furnace. “I never asked Qian Xiangyun to bring me living souls or flesh because I don’t need those. I need Soul-Returning Incense. All I ever did was kill Lin Lingsu. Is that a crime when it is my nature to do so? If I can fully control this mortal shell and resurrect, I too can become a truly independent being.”

Qi Xuansu asked, ”Then what do you want?”

The mortal shell replied, “I simply want to strike a deal. I will serve you if you give me Soul-Returning Incense without exposing my existence. You two are young and already high-ranking, so clearly, you have bright futures. You’re bound to be involved in the internal power struggles within the Daoist sects, so I can do things that would otherwise be inconvenient for you.”

Qi Xuansu looked toward Zhang Yuelu, who looked back at the same moment.

Their eyes met.