A Pawn's Passage

Great Sage Zhang Qihan had been watching the battle the entire time.

Since the Saio had yet to make a move, Zhang Qihan held back as well, wary of her sudden intervention.

Still, Suzuka Gozen did not disappoint him. With the divine artifact, the Three Radiant Swords, she actually managed to fight the flood dragon to a draw.

Artifacts of the immortal tier each had their own unique functions. Immortal weapons often connected to and drew upon external forces. For instance, the Heavenly Preceptor’s Twin Swords could link to the Punishment Pillars from the Demon-Vanquishing Platform. Though with Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu’s current cultivation, they were still unable to summon such might.

The Three Radiant Swords worked on the same principle. Once united, they resonated with Mount Suzuka itself, and with that strength, it could hold against a flood dragon.

After a night of fierce combat, the horizon began to pale. The morning sun slowly rose into the sky.

At that moment, a delicate foot wrapped in white socks stepped onto the flood dragon’s head.

A woman dressed in white and red appeared between the flood dragon’s two horns. She was none other than the current Saio, Princess Himiya Akiko.

After becoming the Saio, a princess was forbidden to marry. So even though Princess Himiya Akiko was already past sixty, she appeared no older than a woman in her late twenties.

Princess Himiya Akiko knelt slightly, reaching out to gently stroke the flood dragon’s head. She closed her eyes and whispered, instantly calming the restless beast.

Then Princess Himiya Akiko rose and slowly drew the sword at her waist.

This sword was named Ame-no-Murakumo. It was one of the Three Great Divine Artifacts, the very symbol of Susanoo-no-Mikoto.

The sword was about 90 centimeters long, its blade shaped like a calamus leaf, its body thick and sturdy. The hilt bore decorations like fish bones, while the entire blade gleamed a pure white.

In Fenglin’s legends, there were Three Divine Swords—the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, the Ame-no-Murakumo, and the Futsunomitama-no-Tsurugi. Of these, the Ame-no-Murakumo was the most powerful.

The Ame-no-Murakumo had been found within the body of Yamata-no-Orochi. That monster’s eight heads and body stretched across eight valleys and mountains, its size as vast as a mountain range itself.

The giant serpent, Yamata-no-Orochi, demanded seven maidens each year as sacrifice. According to legend, Susanoo-no-Mikoto used fine wine to intoxicate the serpent, and when he struck it with the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, the blade struck something unnaturally hard. He then split open the serpent’s tail to discover a sharp blade within, which was the Ame-no-Murakumo.

Susanoo presented the sword to his elder sister, Himiko. She bestowed the Ame-no-Murakumo, the Yata Mirror, and the Yasakani Magatama to the royal family. These became the Three Divine Artifacts of the royal family and their symbols of authority. Among them, the Ame-no-Murakumo was enshrined in the Atsuta-jingu.

The Tenmon Sect’s so-called peace talks had been nothing more than a delay tactic, meant to concentrate manpower and resources from the various scattered shrines.

As Princess Himiya Akiko gripped the Ame-no-Murakumo, clouds immediately gathered around her.

Judging by her stance, Princess Himiya Akiko meant to fight side by side with the flood dragon.

In such circumstances, Zhang Qihan could no longer hold back because Suzuka Gozen could never prevail against two opponents of this caliber by herself.

Zhang Qihan reached out with one hand and drew from the void a jet-black longsword. This was the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword.

This sword had once been used by Elder Xu and Donghuang. It was ranked alongside Sage Qingwei’s Blood-Garbed Immortal Severing Sword. Though it was not a true immortal object, it belonged to the highest tier of semi-immortal weapons, on par with the Staff of Merit.

Zhang Qihan was an Immortal at the Longevity stage. He lifted the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword and pointed it skyward. In an instant, the heavens were stained with a layer of black, which spread rapidly, like ink bleeding across paper. Upon closer look, one would see that the darkness was countless storm clouds, surging toward Mount Omikami from every direction.

In moments, black clouds pressed upon the city, swallowing everything in darkness. The yin winds howled ever harsher, and if one listened closely, one could faintly discern ghastly murmurs that chilled the soul.

Such a technique did not bear a trace of celestial aura. Instead, it was steeped in baleful yin energy. This was the Taiyin 13 Swords.

Though Qi Xuansu had once borrowed the Taiyin 13 Swords from his Spiritual Statue, his execution compared to Zhang Qihan’s was like the faint glow of fireflies set against the brilliance of the full moon.

Ever since the Holy Xuan united the Daoist sects, all perfected methods were open to the public for study. However, true mastery still required the guidance of a great teacher. Each lineage had its own depth and emphasis. For instance, no one could rival the Zhang family in the Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method.

By right, the Taiyin 13 Swords had been the specialty of the Quanzhen Sect. But Donghuang and Li Daoxing had both studied it. Thus, the Taiping Sect had also mastered this perfected technique. However, because each lineage interpreted it differently, four distinct versions emerged—the Holy Xuan’s inner demon purging version, True Lord Taiyin’s original version, Elder Xu’s revised version, and Donghuang’s second revision.

Qi Xuansu practiced the True Lord Taiyin’s original version, while Xie Qiuniang studied Elder Xu’s revised version. At the moment, Zhang Qihan employed Donghuang’s second revision.

The greatest differences lay in how they handled inner demons and whether they incorporated sword formations.

The Holy Xuan’s and True Lord Taiyin’s versions were safer, but they were relatively modest in power. Elder Xu’s and Donghuang’s versions were perilous. One misstep in training could mean a drop in one’s cultivation or even the loss of one’s life. However, they had maximum destructive power.

Outside Mount Omikami, the morning sun had already risen, dyeing the skies crimson. However, within the bounds of Mount Omikami, it remained as dark as midnight.

Princess Himiya Akiko struck out with her sword, shattering the endless black clouds into fragments.

Zhang Qihan seemed utterly unperturbed. As soon as a swathe of black clouds was torn apart, new clouds surged forth to fill the void, leaving not the faintest trace of light.

Seeing this, Princess Himiya Akiko abandoned the attempt to part the sea of clouds. With another slash, a dazzling arc of snow-white sword qi that was more than 30 meters long shot forth like a rainbow piercing the sun, stabbing straight at Zhang Qihan.

Though this sword qi looked simple and plain, it was a strike that condensed Princess Himiya Akiko’s essence, energy, and spirit at their absolute peak.

Zhang Qihan made no move to counter, simply gazing calmly at the approaching strike.

In an instant, countless fine lines appeared before him, extending and intertwining on their own. They wove together into a mysterious formation, resembling a star chart.

This was the Nandou 28 Swords.

Even juniors like Zhang Yuelu could simultaneously master several perfected methods, let alone an Immortal like Zhang Qihan.

Once the sword qi entered the star chart, it appeared to freeze in place. But upon closer inspection, it was still moving forward. It had been drawn into a small world apart from the mortal realm, its trajectory ceaselessly shifted and diverted by the star chart, never able to approach Zhang Qihan.

To break Zhang Qihan’s technique, one would have to unravel the star chart or break apart this small world by sheer force.

The sword qi advanced at an excruciatingly slow pace, so much so that it was almost at a standstill. From time to time, faint cracking sounds like stars shattering could be heard.

The sword qi crept forward slowly, but with each centimeter it advanced, it dissipated a little more. By the time it reached Zhang Qihan’s front, the sword qi was already spent. So with a mere flick of his sleeve, Zhang Qihan dismissed the sword qi.

In the next moment, the sea of black clouds surged and pressed downward, looming as though it was reachable with an outstretched hand.

Zhang Qihan’s voice resounded. “Princess Himiya Akiko, turn back while there is still room to repent. If you want to go down together, you will regret it.”

As Zhang Qihan spoke, the sea of clouds began to churn slowly, gradually forming a colossal vortex. Its depths could not be seen, and it resembled an enormous eye, gazing coldly down upon Mount Omikami and Princess Himiya Akiko.

Princess Himiya Akiko raised the Ame-no-Murakumo and leveled it at Zhang Qihan.

At that moment, she became one with the flood dragon and soared into the heavens.

Even Zhang Qihan could not contend head-on against the union of man and dragon. He could only evade its sharp edge. He rose into the sky and vanished into the black clouds to conceal his presence.

Then, from within the black clouds, a massive, hideous demonic claw extended. It was covered in scales and capable of crushing any man within its palm. Its five talons were as long and sharp as blades, gleaming with a sinister luster and infused with malevolent energy. It tore through the heavens, striking down toward Princess Himiya Akiko.

The core of the Taiyin 13 Swords lay in one’s inner demons and sword slaves. In Elder Xu’s version, emphasis was placed on the sword slaves, while the inner demon was subdued. Donghuang’s version took the opposite path by drawing upon the teachings of another great swordsman of the Wang lineage, nourishing and empowering the inner demon with the sinister and murderous intent of the Taiyin 13 Swords. This allowed the inner demon to manifest in the mortal world with a physical form. The inner demon then wielded the swords, pushing the method’s destructive power to its absolute limit.

Compared to the sword slave’s path, which repressed the inner demon, an inner demon with true form possessed exponential power. However, there was an increased risk of losing control. Even Pseudo-Immortals would not dare to invoke it lightly, keeping it sealed away as a last resort for a desperate battle.

But Zhang Qihan had long since subdued his own inner demon, so he dared to summon it.

Princess Himiya Akiko brandished the Ame-no-Murakumo to shield herself. Wherever the sword’s light reached, clouds surged and condensed into a misty veil. No matter how the demonic claw tore and raked, it could not come within a hair’s breadth of her.

In the blink of an eye, half the inner demon’s massive form emerged from the black clouds. With a sweep of its hand, a rain of pitch-black swords poured down, scattering in all directions. This was the Dark Yin Sword Qi and the Taiyin Sword Qi of the Taiyin 13 Swords, which was vile and polluted, brimming with baleful and murderous energy, birthing endless illusions that were sinister and unpredictable. Any ordinary Heavenly Being touched by even a trace of it would find the sword qi burrowing into their body, rotting their flesh and soul and condemning them to a fate worse than death.

At last, heaven and earth shook with a thunderous roar as a colossal figure clad in fur and armor fully descended into the mortal realm. This could be considered a kind of external incarnation, but one that was far more savage and unpredictable.