A Pawn's Passage

The eight faces of the Eight Scenes Lantern each corresponded to one of the eight directions.

The figure on the southeastern face was the first to glow, stepping forth from the Eight Scenes Lantern. A voice echoed, “Vast Primordial Spirit, restore life and transform from within. Vision ascends to the Purple Court. Should any dare to trespass, shatter them with flowing bells. May this name rise unto the Supreme Clarity.”

As the words fell, five thick bolts of purple thunder materialized above Princess Himiya Akiko’s head, converging into one and crashing down with a deafening roar.

Mount Omikami, which was already as dark as night, was instantly lit by the strike. Though Princess Himiya Akiko braced against this strike with the Ame-no-Murakumo, she only barely managed to withstand the thunder. The protective clouds shrouding her body burst apart, scattering like feathers, drifting and falling in disarray.

This was none other than the Five Thunder Strike that was part of the Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method.

The might of each recorded technique was bound to the cultivation of the person who inscribed it. In this case, it was as though Princess Himiya Akiko had endured the thunder of the Heavenly Preceptor himself. Even the clouds from the Ame-no-Murakumo had been scattered, unable to reform for a time.

Zhang Qihan seized the moment, swinging his sword to attack the Saio, aided on either side by his inner demon and Suzuka Gozen. Princess Himiya Akiko and the flood dragon beneath her had no choice but to retreat over 5 kilometers to widen the gap between them.

Zhang Qihan did not pursue her. Instead, the figure on the lantern’s northeastern face illuminated.

A faintly ethereal green formation materialized out of nothing. Talismans of every kind flowed and shifted, emanating glimmers of green light. It looked like countless fireflies emerging from the grass, exuding a vitality of flourishing vegetation, presenting a wondrous scene of all things thriving in exuberance.

So long as one stood within the array, the green radiance would surge into the body, as though cleansing one’s marrow and remolding one’s flesh. The curse that had afflicted Zhang Qihan was swept away in an instant. The black serpentine patterns vanished, and his depleted true essence was restored. This method could regenerate missing limbs and heal any wounds faster than even a Martial Arts Practitioner.

This was the Changchun Restorative Formation.

Its sole flaw was its long preparation time and high threshold. In single combat, it was of little use. Moreover, this formation did not distinguish between friend and foe. Anyone within the range of the green light would be affected, which greatly restricted its application.

However, since this spell had already been inscribed within the Eight Scenes Lantern, its lengthy preparation was bypassed, allowing for immediate use. Princess Himiya Akiko and her flood dragon had retreated far away, so they could not benefit from it. Instead, Zhang Qihan’s inner demon and Suzuka Gozen, who were both shrouded within this Changchun Restorative Formation, were instantly restored to their peak states.

Seeing this, Princess Himiya Akiko drew in a deep breath. She then produced a magatama and clasped it tightly in her palm.

This was the Yasakani Magatama, one of the Three Divine Artifacts.

Seeing this, Zhang Qihan did not rush to employ the third divine technique of the Eight Scenes Lantern, as though he were waiting for something.

Moments later, two colossal flying ships tore through the sea of clouds with a thunderous roar.

Two Yinglong Warships arrived and hovered in the air behind Zhang Qihan.

Before the Yinglong Warships, Zhang Qihan appeared minuscule. But in sheer presence, he overshadowed them.

As the Great Sage presiding over the Fenglin Daoist Mansion, Zhang Qihan had long been known as the Supreme Emperor of Fenglin. This title signified that Zhang Qihan stood higher even than the Fenglin Emperor. What lent him such stature was not merely his immortal cultivation but the power of the Daoist Order backing him.

Upon seeing the two Yinglong Warships, the flood dragon beneath Princess Himiya Akiko’s feet revealed a storm of emotions—fear, rage, and hatred all at once.

That was because these Yinglong Warships, which were shining testaments to the Daoist Order’s combat strength, had all been fashioned from the corpses of the flood dragon’s kin.

To the dragon race, the Daoist Order’s ferocious name brought them a sense of dread that made them shudder. For countless years, the surviving dragons had not even dared attempt revenge.

At that moment, a folded fan appeared out of the void. It opened a crack, revealing a soul-snatching eye.

As the fan spread open fully, Tamamo-no-Mae’s figure unfurled along with it, twisting like the painted beauty upon its surface. She stepped forth slowly, holding the folding fan in her hand to cover the lower half of her face.

Behind her stretched seven fox tails, each one far larger than her body, like towering canopies. They spread open like a peacock’s tail, swaying in the void.

At this critical moment, Tamamo-no-Mae had finally entered the field.

By contrast, Sage Qingwei’s entrance was far less dramatic. He simply stepped from the Yinglong Warship’s bridge and walked to the prow.

The two locked eyes.

Sage Qingwei spoke first. “Tamamo-no-Mae, I have long wished for you to come see me, yet you remain obstinate and unrepentant. I am most disappointed.”

Tamamo-no-Mae’s voice was low as she answered in the Central Plains’ official language. “It is not that I am unwilling, but that I simply cannot.”

Sage Qingwei lowered his eyes slightly. “I see.”

Princess Himiya Akiko ordered, “Tamamo-no-Mae, spare the nonsense and strike now!”

Tamamo-no-Mae let out a sigh but obeyed the command. One of her fox tails slammed heavily onto the ground.

Countless ghostly blue fox fires ignited out of thin air, rushing toward Sage Qingwei.

Though the Yinglong Warship possessed formations to counter such spells, Sage Qingwei chose to leave the protection of the vessel and drifted forward on his own.

With a mere flick of his sleeve, all the fox fires stopped within a hair’s breadth of him.

Tamamo-no-Mae swayed her second tail.

A fine line appeared in the void, stretching and curving until its ends joined to form a vast circle that trapped Sage Qingwei within. It then began to shrink inward, relentlessly compressing the space in which he could maneuver.

This was the Prison Ground Marking Technique.

At the same time, a wild gale surged forth. This was no common wind, but the heavenly wind that could scatter one’s soul or seep into one’s body and wound them without a trace. Now, this heavenly wind was forged into blades that were no weaker than sword qi, shooting toward Sage Qingwei.

Sage Qingwei conjured a patch of Joyous Cloud Shield, within which illusions of the Four Sacred Beasts appeared.

Whether it was the wind blades or the shrinking circle, once they met the Joyous Cloud Shield, they dissolved into nothing.

With the cloud above his head, Sage Qingwei charged at Tamamo-no-Mae.

Another of Tamamo-no-Mae’s tails swayed lightly, scattering countless fox hairs. These white hairs transformed into warriors, wrapped head to toe in golden armor. Each of them bore different weapons and shields as they arranged themselves into battle formation to charge at Sage Qingwei.

Sage Qingwei casually drew the Blood-Garbed Immortal Severing Sword, sending an unstoppable blood-colored sword light forth. Each swing of crimson sword light disintegrated any golden warrior that came into contact with it. Soon, the entire army of golden warriors was slaughtered clean.

Tamamo-no-Mae had not expected these warriors to defeat Sage Qingwei. It was merely a delay tactic for her to prepare yet another spell.

Fox demons did not possess strong and massive bodies like God Luwu or the Yamata-no-Orochi. Their advantage lay in their affinity with human nature, allowing them to cultivate the spells and divine arts of mankind. This was something no other divine beast could compare with.

A fox demon’s cultivation level was directly tied to the number of tails it had, and each tail represented an innate divine ability that could be wielded in combat. Tamamo-no-Mae knew that her innate powers alone could not subdue Sage Qingwei, so she had to resort to spells that required time to prepare.

At the very moment Sage Qingwei cut down the last of the golden warriors, Tamamo-no-Mae’s spell was complete. In an instant, everything within a 5-kilometer radius turned crimson, accompanied by a sky-rending gale. Countless blazing meteors rained down from the heavens, as though an ancient fire god had descended to ravage the earth.

This was the Qingqiu lineage’s Three Bing and Three Ding Fire Technique.

Among spells, there were indeed those capable of destroying the world. However, such spells had immense restrictions. First, it was nearly impossible for a lone practitioner to unleash them in a short time, unless they were recorded in advance by an artifact, like the Eight Scenes Lantern. Otherwise, they require lengthy charging and preparation. Second, the consequences were unpredictable. It might be an exaggeration to say that a spell could destroy the world, but it was certainly capable of destroying an entire city. Once invoked, the caster could not control its force, so there was no possibility of retraction or regret. The caster also would not be able to foresee how many innocent lives might be lost.

Fortunately, at this moment, there were no civilians on Mount Omikami.

Now, the heavens seemed set ablaze, transformed into a vast sea of fire hanging inverted overhead. The earth itself seemed destined to be scorched, with fire and molten rock erupting ceaselessly. All buildings were reduced to ash in an instant, as if they were mere paper, leaving nothing behind.

The flames grew ferocious, consuming not only shrines, forests, and rivers, but even burning through the clouds above, revealing the void beyond.

However, the Joyous Cloud Shield of an Immortal defied all reason. No matter how destructive the flames, they could not damage the shield. Thus, Sage Qingwei remained unharmed.

At that moment, countless stars appeared in the void, transforming it into a boundless starry sky.

Once a Banished Immortal reached immortality, they gained the ability to open up a cave realm. Many formations then underwent fundamental transformation, becoming small worlds of their own.

Sage Qingwei did the same, beginning with the Nandou 28 Swords and forming a small world of his own.

The Beidou 36 Swords and Nandou 28 Swords were the compulsory sword techniques that every Li family member had to learn after becoming a Heavenly Being. These techniques of the Li family were akin to the Zhang family’s Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method.

Just as the Taiyin 13 Swords possessed the Taiyin Sword Formation, the Nandou 28 Swords had the Star Sword Formation.