A Pawn's Passage

Deep within the belly of Mount Omikami, the Spirit Guards facing the Shiranui, who were blocking their path, were already prepared and began constructing a temporary formation.

The Spirit Guards were well practiced in this, so they soon had the formation completed. From the outside, it resembled a traditional circular formation, with talismans as its nodes. But since it was a temporary setup, its structure was rather crude. They were unable to connect the formation with the earth qi but relied on divine power to operate.

If cannons could be considered oversized guns, then formations were oversized talismans. Formations were not necessarily meant to entrap. They could also be used simply as magnified talismans.

Once the formation was complete, its nodes lit up one after another as divine power coursed through the etched lines.

The activated formation and overwhelming divine power conjured a golden bridge out of thin air, spanning directly across the blazing Shiranui flames below.

No matter how intense the sea of flames was below, it could not damage the golden bridge at all.

This was an orthodox Daoist spell known as the Taixu Golden Bridge. It was far more useful than the Yin-Yang Gate, free of many restrictions and unaffected by factors like blood qi. It could also be used freely amid fierce battle.

This technique had originally been a secret method of the Taiping Sect but had since been refined and popularized, becoming a standard method for Spirit Guards.

Li Changge was the first to step onto the golden bridge, instantly transforming into a streak of golden light that swept across.

Qi Xuansu and the others followed close behind, along with the Spirit Guards, all turning into streaks of golden light that flashed across the bridge. Clearly, this was not Li Changge’s ability but the innate power of the Taixu Golden Bridge.

After passing over the sea of flames, the group finally reached the outskirts of the shrine.

However, the Ise-jingu had laid ambushes here as well. Suddenly, countless Flying Savages emerged from the shadows, so densely packed that they blotted out the sky. But the Spirit Guards were prepared. They immediately threw out the talisman papers they had readied, which ignited upon contact with the wind and erupted into a blazing wall of fire. The ghastly beings were reduced to ashes the instant they touched the flames.

However, among every ten Flying Savages, there was one Flying Enma, which was far more formidable.

The so-called Flying Enma was remarkably similar to the Daoist Heavenly Ghosts.

Before the Daoist Order became the orthodox power of the world, it had practiced some extremely vicious arts. Among the most infamous was the Heavenly Ghost that birthed nine demonic children. The process was difficult. First, they had to gather nine women, whose birth dates all fell under the most extreme yin hour, and nine children under the age of nine with six yin bodies. These were used to form ghost embryos, implanted into the nine women’s wombs, and fed with human blood. After ten months of pregnancy, their bellies were cut open, and the Heavenly Ghost was created.

Once a Heavenly Ghost was refined, the mother and child became one. From the moment of its birth, it rivaled Xiantian Beings, and upon full maturity, it was comparable to Heavenly Beings.

However, this method violated the natural order and was extremely cruel. Thus, it was forbidden by the Daoist Order later. Moreover, these Heavenly Ghosts were filled with violent, malevolent energy, so they were prone to turning on their masters. Even heretical cults rarely dared to create this Heavenly Ghost.

The Flying Enma of Fenglin lacked the “child” aspect of the Heavenly Ghost. Though they bore alluring features, they were born of corpses from women born in the Bingwu year and fated to misfortune, bringing death to their husbands and children. Even if they remarried, the curse continued, sometimes killing five or six spouses. These demons were rare due to the Bingwu year’s cycle every 60 years. However, once they appeared, they easily brought calamity upon a region.

Only the Tenmon Sect, with its deep foundations, could nurture so many of these Flying Enma.

Once they appeared, the Flying Enma released waves of pink mist. Amid this haze, countless naked beauties began to dance gracefully, limbs swaying, eyes brimming with lust, and their most private places revealed. Every movement ensnared the heart and soul.

Faced with such temptations, the mere spark of desire would cause one to sink instantly into delusion. The demon would then pounce on the victim, draining away all yang energy. At best, the victim’s cultivation would be crippled. At worst, the victim would die on the spot.

Several Spirit Guards could not withstand the temptation and were immediately ensnared. The Flying Enma rolled on the ground, transforming into a green-faced, fanged demon. It leaped upon a Spirit Guard, passing straight through his armor and body, leaving behind a dried corpse in an instant.

Qi Xuansu raised his hand, sending forth a crimson bell-shaped cover. It expanded in the wind until it was over 3 meters tall and dropped down on the Flying Enma.

The other Flying Enma scattered, but one was caught beneath the cover. Its fanged, green face transformed into that of a pitiful beauty as it pleaded desperately. No trace of its savagery remained from earlier when it devoured the Spirit Guard.

The Spirit Guards fought the horde of demons with talismans, which proved more effective. Still, casualties mounted. More Spirit Guards continued to fall, some dying instantly, while others survived only to suffer grievous damage to their vital essence.

Amid the Flying Enma lurked a few Hannya.

The Hannya was a vengeful spirit, said to arise from women consumed by strong jealousy and resentment. They typically dwelled deep in the mountains and came out at midnight to devour humans. The more beautiful the woman in life, the more hideous and grotesque the Hannya became. The deeper her resentment at death, the longer the horns on her head would grow.

These Hannya bore horns curved like those of an antelope, so even ordinary Heavenly Being would find them to be dangerous foes.

Li Changge faced one Hannya, employing the Beidou 36 Swords. No matter how cunning or strange its movements, he managed to pierce the demon straight through the heart. With the might of Mortal Vitality, a single strike was enough to slay the Hannya.

The Hannya let out a shriek and clutched its chest with both hands. Raging flames burst from its fingers, eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ears.

Once again, it was demonic fire.

Cracks appeared across the Hannya’s skin, spreading into patches, from which the same demonic fire erupted.

The flames roared skyward, and in a moment, the Hannya had become a humanoid torch.

The demonic fire could not last, but it was incomparably fierce as it burned. This Hannya’s end was near, its flare nothing but a final death throe. What little consciousness it once possessed was already consumed by the blaze, leaving only raw instinct. It tried to hurl itself at Li Changge, seeking to perish together with him.

Li Changge moved with grace, sidestepping and flicking Mortal Vitality upward. The Hannya was forced into the air. With a second, casual slash, sword qi pressed against its chest, driving it higher still, until the Hannya exploded in midair like fireworks.

Li Changge stood still, leaning on his sword, head tilted back to gaze at the filthy firework. His face flickered in the blaze’s glow.

Beyond the various demons, many shinkan of the Ise-jingu lay hidden in the shadows, using crossbows to ambush the Daoist Spirit Guards.

Crossbows and rifles each had their merits. The latter had overwhelming power, while the former were silent killers, as their bolts could be laced with poison. Many Spirit Guards that were struck did not die from an open wound but from the poison coating the tip of the bolt.

The shinkan of Ise-jingu, wary of Qi Xuansu and the others, did not dare to get into formation like an army, lest the Daoists block them all at once. Instead, they remained hidden, striking with regular arrows in an attempt to hinder the Daoists.

The Spirit Guards swiftly adjusted, breaking formation and taking advantage of cover, then fired back with their rifles.

Against intangible foes like the Flying Enma and Hannya, rifles were of limited effect, but against living flesh, their might was unmatched.

At the front, Qi Xuansu finally utilized his seldom-used Nine Yang Fiery Dome. Nine fire dragons roared forth in all directions. The shinkan of the Ise-jingu screamed as they were engulfed in fire, their bodies turning into blazing torches. They fled in panic but fell after only a few steps, twitching before lying still forever.

Zhang Yuelu wielded Purple Afterglow and summoned lightning. Countless lightning serpents slithered with a will of their own, finding every hidden shinkan and reducing them to charcoal.

Of course, Yao Pei was not to be forgotten.

Like a phantom, Yao Pei darted through the field. With the power of Heavenly Calculation, she could trace the flight of arrows back to their source, pinpointing the shooter. She eliminated some with a flying dagger, while she stabbed the others in person, appearing silently behind them to deliver the final strike. None escaped her hand.

Though the Daoists suffered no small losses in this fierce battle, the Tenmon Sect’s casualties were far greater.

With the four prodigies working together to clear the path, the Daoist ranks drew ever closer to the Ise-jingu.

Outside the shrine were countless torii gates, densely arranged to create a long corridor. The torii gates marked the boundary of the sacred ground. Beneath the outermost arch stood two elderly shinkan.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu recognized them, as they were the ones who had represented the Tenmon Sect during the peace talks back in Tsu Castle. Their rank was extremely high, as the oguji and the shoguji of Ise-jingu, second and third only to the Saio.

The shoguji, with a tall crown upon his head, spread his arms wide and proclaimed, “The radiance of Takamagahara shines upon Ashihara no Nakatsukuni!”

His entire body gleamed, dazzling with the brilliance of divine power.

Around him, countless magatama beads whirled into the air, bursting one after another with thunderous cracks.

These magatama were special vessels of divine power unique to the Tenmon Sect. Though far inferior to the divine artifact, Yasakani no Magatama, the divine power sealed within them was no small quantity. It was the accumulated foundation of the Ise-jingu over many years.

Boundless divine power surged above the shrine, condensing into a mirage-like vision of the divine kingdom.

First came a boundless sea of emerald waves that seemed unending. At the far horizon where the sea met the sky, an island floated, rising from the sea into the clouds.

One could faintly glimpse countless pavilions, halls, and rolling mountains upon the island, a scene like the dwelling place of Immortals.

The island was filled with cherry blossoms. When the wind stirred, petals filled the air like a drifting snowfall. Amid the blossoms glimmered flecks of gold, dazzling as though they were shards of refracted sunlight.

Then a crimson sun rose slowly, leaping above the sea of clouds, spilling rays of rosy brilliance and dyeing the heavens with glorious splendor.

This was Takamagahara, the divine kingdom of Himiko-no-Mikoto. Within it resided the other two Great Kami, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto and Susanoo-no-Mikoto.

In the next instant, three beams of divine light descended from the divine kingdom into the mortal world.