A Pawn's Passage

The reason Zhang Yuelu mentioned there were many sources of yin energy was that something like Shuten-Doji’s head could also be considered one of them. However, such sources varied in scale. Small ones had a limited range of influence, while big ones spread far and wide. Without doubt, Shuten-Doji’s head was only a small source, whereas this pocket realm was a major one.

This indirectly confirmed Zhang Yuelu’s suspicion and conjecture—that this place was very likely one of Izanagi-no-Mikoto’s five sealed sites.

However, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were not afraid. Izanagi’s name was indeed formidable, but Tamamo-no-Mae and Suzuka Gozen had made it clear that Izanagi’s golden body and divine kingdom had already been shattered by the combined efforts of the Three Great Kami and the Buddhist Sect. That meant half his strength was gone. His body was split into five parts, with the most powerful—his head and torso—sealed in Mount Fuyo. That was another half gone, leaving only a quarter. This one would be a limb at most, which was merely one-sixteenth. Surely, a single arm or leg could not still wield the full might of an Immortal, as that would be absurd.

Of course, even weakened, a single arm or leg of Izanagi could still influence Ise Province. All beings had a natural ranking, and without doubt, Immortals stood above mortals.

Even dismembered, Izanagi’s essence remained divine, so they were tied to certain laws of the universe.

More crucially, according to the legends of Fenglin, Izanagi had created Fenglin, or at least perfected it upon an existing foundation. Thus, within Fenglin’s bounds, he was nearly impossible to kill and could only be sealed. Even a small portion of his strength could leverage immense authority over the rules of his domain, causing dramatic and violent changes.

For this reason, Izanagi’s ability to affect Ise Province did not conflict with his extreme weakness.

This was the main reason Qi Xuansu and the others dared to come here.

The Daoist Order rarely mentioned this notion of natural status. Instead, they distinguished people by cultivation. In their view, Immortals and mortals were both people, differing only in attainment. This was meant to embody the principle of equality. Whether such equality could be realized in practice was another matter, but at least on paper, it had to be upheld.

“Where should we go now?” Qi Xuansu asked.

Zhang Yuelu said, “This pocket realm is on the verge of collapse. It’s like a leaking water jar. Inside, the aura will flow like water, surging toward the cracks. By following the flow of aura, we can locate the exact leak.”

Little Yin was an expert in this matter, as she could sense intense yin energy from 400 kilometers away. At the mention of this, Little Yin nodded. “You’re right! I can feel the aura flowing the way you described.”

Only Qi Xuansu felt nothing at all, so he could only turn to Little Yin.

Little Yin, now emboldened, puffed out her chest and demanded, “Apologize!”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Apologize for what?”

Little Yin retorted confidently, “Who was it now who said I was good for nothing? Now that you need me, shouldn’t you apologize?”

Qi Xuansu had no choice but to say, “Fine, I apologize. You’re good for a little more than just eating.”

“Is that even an apology? Hmph! There’s no sincerity at all! What kind of attitude is that?” Little Yin said indignantly, refusing to accept his apology.

Now that the two were familiar, they were less formal than before. Qi Xuansu deliberately said, “That’s my attitude. Take it or leave it. If you don’t like it, report me to the Fengxian Hall, or cry injustice at the Golden Tower Palace!”

Infuriated, Little Yin opened her mouth wide, trying to bite Qi Xuansu. But she had not expected Qi Xuansu to use his Manly Immortal’s Hundred Forms to elongate his arm. He pressed on her forehead so that she would keep a safe distance from him, leaving her with snapping jaws and flailing limbs while raging in impotent anger.

Serious as ever, Zhang Yuelu reminded them. “This pocket realm is quite big, so three days may not be enough to search it thoroughly and return. The fastest way is to go directly to where it’s cracking. The closer to the seal’s core, the greater the pressure and the harsher the corrosion, so it’ll fracture more easily. Once we find the breaking point, we won’t be far from our goal. Are you two even listening? Stop fooling around.”

Qi Xuansu was still playing “hide-and-seek” with Little Yin. When she could not bite his body, she changed tactics to bite his hand. Qi Xuansu kept dodging, deliberately refusing to let her succeed.

Hearing Zhang Yuelu’s reminder, Qi Xuansu was distracted for a moment. That was when Little Yin bit down hard on his wrist.

Qi Xuansu shook his hand vigorously to shake the little imp off, but she clamped down tight and would not let go, flailing up and down along with his arm.

In the end, Zhang Yuelu could not stand it anymore. She stepped in and sternly scolded the two troublemakers, finally putting an end to it.

Qi Xuansu casually wiped the two teeth marks from his wrist. “Since you bit me once, let’s call it even. Now hurry up and lead the way.”

Little Yin spat at him and glared. “Don’t you dare get lost.”

Qi Xuansu laughed and scoffed. “Enough nonsense, get moving.”

Little Yin walked in front, with Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu trailing her as they pressed forward.

This place seemed like nothing but open wilderness, but after walking a while, they began to notice there were indeed things within it.

First, a sun appeared, hanging high at the edge of their vision. Yet this sun was unlike the one seen in the real world. It was veiled in a thin layer of mist, blurred and indistinct, and its light brought no warmth or brightness. Instead, it exuded a gloomy and chilling aura.

That sun seemed like a cold, sinister eye, staring unblinkingly at this pocket realm.

As they walked further, the sun receded into the distance, nearly sinking to the horizon, its light tinged with blood-red.

Qi Xuansu was certain this was not caused by the passage of time but rather by changes in distance.

Soon, a ruined city appeared in their view. It was by no means majestic. Compared to the Central Plains, it was no more than the size of a small county seat. Bathed in sunlight, it should have gleamed or shone with gold, but under the setting sun’s crimson rays, it appeared ever gloomier, exuding decay.

As the three drew closer, they realized it was a city in the process of collapsing.

Normally, collapse was a fleeting process, never one that lingered. Yet this city defied common sense. From the outside, its walls had split with massive cracks wide enough for people to pass through. They should have crumbled any moment, yet they remained frozen. Looking closer, one could see dust suspended in midair and tiny fragments of stone frozen, as if time had stopped. The cracks were in fact spreading at an imperceptibly slow pace, nearly motionless, as though time itself had been slowed. It would take decades, even centuries, for it to fully collapse. Hence, it was a city caught in the midst of collapse.

When they reached the city gate, Little Yin instinctively halted, motioning for him to take the lead.

After all, Qi Xuansu was the toughest among them in terms of physique. Compared to him, Little Yin and Zhang Yuelu were but delicate women.

Qi Xuansu did not refuse and strode forward in the lead.

After passing through the half-collapsed gate and its dim archway, they entered the city, and the scene changed instantly. Outside, it was still dusk, but within the city, it was already deep at night, completely pitch-black.

Among the ruins of buildings lay scattered pieces of armor in the traditional Fenglin style, all lifeless and still. But as Qi Xuansu stepped into the city, it seemed to stir them. Billowing black qi rose from underground, filling the gaps of the armor. With a clattering sound, the suits of armor lifted into the air, assembling themselves into humanoid shapes, their eye sockets glowing with red lights.

Soon, an army of warriors appeared before Qi Xuansu, spears in hand, charging toward him.

Qi Xuansu drew Pure Bodhi and strode forward boldly.

Clearly, these were yin creatures. Pure Bodhi, being a Buddhist weapon, naturally restrained and transcended such beings.

Zhang Yuelu and Little Yin also entered the city. Zhang Yuelu did not attack, but purple mist appeared in her eyes as she activated her Immortal Eye of Providence to survey the surroundings.

Soon, Zhang Yuelu reached a conclusion. This city was a fragment of a divine kingdom, saturated with lingering divine power. It was this power that was keeping the city from fully collapsing. In fact, one could say the entire pocket realm had been built upon this fragment of divine power. Its core essence was this city caught in ruin.

These armors, or ghost soldiers, were perhaps once guardians of the divine kingdom. In its prosperity, they were bathed in golden radiance, sacred and inviolable. But with the fall of the divine kingdom, they too were reduced from divine guards to wandering ghosts.

Buddhism’s mastery over divine kingdoms far surpassed that of Daoism. To ensure the immortality of their Buddha-lands, Buddhists gathered the souls of their followers into their realm, granting them rebirth within it. Thus, within a Buddha-land, there were always as many disciples as the sand in a desert. These disciples chanted sutras day and night, preserving the Buddha-land from decline and ceaselessly reinforcing the golden body of the Buddha.

Yet within a Buddha-land, eternity meant stagnation. The bodhisattvas repeated the same task for millennia, their spirituality eroding, and the power of their vows waned greatly. Thus, Buddhism created the system of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, allowing its disciples to undergo constant rebirth, shedding past memories, starting anew, and regaining vitality and spirit.

The Six Paths of Reincarnation was Buddhism’s signature art. Neither the Tenmon Sect nor the Daoist Order possessed such ability.

Thus, the divine guards in this fragment of a divine kingdom could not be reborn like bodhisattvas. They had long since lost all spirituality, sustained only by the remnants of divine power to preserve an empty shell. Once the divine kingdom collapsed, that shell would be lost, and these ghost soldiers would not retain even the faintest trace of sentience. These former divine guards possessed essentially no supernatural powers.

Fighting only by instinct, they were no match for Qi Xuansu.