A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu quickly smashed the ghost soldiers until they once again became scattered armor on the ground.

Just as Zhang Yuelu had said, these former divine kingdom guards truly lacked sentience. The nearby ghost soldiers had all been dispatched by Qi Xuansu, yet the ones farther away showed no reaction at all, unmoved even while their comrades suffered.

“Where do we go next?” Qi Xuansu looked toward Zhang Yuelu and Little Yin.

Zhang Yuelu also took out a compass, but hers was clearly superior to Qi Xuansu’s, at least a treasure. Qi Xuansu was certain this was new. It was evident how swift her family’s backing came.

Lowering her gaze to the compass, Zhang Yuelu personally led the way.

Soon, the trio arrived at the center of the city, where a vast Buddhist temple was located.

However, the temple was strangely out of place. It did not seem like it had been built here originally. Rather, it was as if it had fallen from the heavens, crushing whatever had stood here before, usurping the space, and clashing with its surroundings.

Now, the temple was stained with black, its former splendor and solemnity gone. Like this pocket realm, the temple exuded decay and ruin.

Around the temple were countless visible cracks crisscrossing the ground. They were about a person’s width, some stretching over 30 meters, while the others were around 3 meters.

Upon reaching this place, Qi Xuansu could also sense the flow of energy that was leaking outward through these fissures.

From this, it was clear that the temple was the very core of the pocket realm.

If this was truly one of Izanagi’s five sealed sites, then the presence of a Buddhist temple made sense. After all, it had been the Buddhist Sect that aided the Three Noble Children in defeating Izanagi. So it was only natural they would construct the core of the seal.

There were no prohibitions to the temple, so one could enter and exit freely.

The three entered the temple and headed straight for the Mahavira Hall.

The Mahavira Hall was the heart of any temple, where monks gathered morning and night to cultivate. Ordinary halls had three bays, but the Mahavira Hall had nine. Yet when Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu reached it, it was a wide open space littered with debris.

The moment he stepped into the Mahavira Hall, Qi Xuansu suddenly felt countless flickering shadows before his eyes. The surrounding space began to twist and warp, as though he had fallen into the clouds. Continuous chants of Sanskrit hymns bombarded his ears. Simultaneously, a flood of yin energy spread out, so condensed that it became hard to breathe.

Qi Xuansu furrowed his brows and used his Martial Arts Practitioner’s blood qi to dispel the various illusions.

Zhang Yuelu warned, “This is the core of the seal. Be careful.”

As she spoke, Zhang Yuelu drew a Yin Severing Halberd. The concentration of yin energy within the hall lessened, and the illusions ceased to manifest.

Ordinarily, the Mahavira Hall was dedicated solely to either one, three, five, or seven buddhas. At this time, the Mahavira Hall enshrined a single buddha, one the world knew as the Buddha.

However, the statue was covered in cracks, with black blood seeping continuously from them. Instead of looking majestic and solemn, it appeared eerie and terrifying.

Zhang Yuelu’s face grew grave. “If I’m not mistaken, this statue is the key to the seal. But after years of erosion by the yin energy, it’s on the verge of collapse. Even if we hadn’t come here, the seal would have crumbled in a matter of time.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “What exactly is the reason?”

Zhang Yuelu explained, “The influences inside and outside feed each other. Though the yin energy leaking from this pocket realm is the main culprit behind Ise Province’s aberrations, the dense yin energy generated by several battles in Ise also accelerated this seal’s deterioration. The seal’s damage then worsens the chaos in Ise. It’s a vicious cycle that keeps continuing until it collapses.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “So what should we do now? Should we destroy this statue?”

Zhang Yuelu put away her compass and replaced it with a formation diagram. “I can try to unravel it. If this seal were intact, I wouldn’t be able to with my current cultivation. But since it’s tottering on the brink, I might as well give it a shot first.”

Qi Xuansu eyed Zhang Yuelu’s diagram. “Where did you get all these treasures? I’ve never seen you use them before. They weren’t there the last time I went to get you the pill from your magical receptacle.”

Zhang Yuelu answered curtly, “Didn’t I tell you? The Heavenly Preceptor gave me a Cosmos Pouch. These new items are stored in it. My old magical receptacle is only for daily essentials.”

Qi Xuansu could not help but sigh dramatically. “Last time I saw the Heavenly Preceptor, he said the Xuanwu Hall had no suitable semi-immortal objects, so he could only lend us his swords. Turns out that show of poverty was just for me...”

Zhang Yuelu rolled her eyes and did not comment.

Qi Xuansu added, “But I suppose you’re finally living up to the title of the Daoist Order’s foremost prodigy now that you’ve earned no small measure of family support.”

Zhang Yuelu ignored his chatter. With a flick of her hand, the formation diagram flew up on its own, transforming into a curtain of light.

This diagram was called the 28 Star Chart, a treasure derived from mystical abilities. If a formation seal were a lock, then the 28 Star Chart was a tool to aid in unlocking it. Compared to ordinary treasures, such items came with a limited number of uses, but that also meant they possessed greater power than artifacts designed for repeated use.

Zhang Yuelu pointed and gestured over the star chart before her.

This Star Chart referred to the 28 Mansions of the heavens. Zhang Yuelu’s very name came from one of these stars, as did names like Kang Jinlong, Wei Yueyan, and Jiao Mujiao. In the Daoist community, taking names from the constellations was an old tradition.

As Zhang Yuelu shifted the stars on the chart, the seven mansions of east, south, west, and north transformed into the Nine Fields and Nine Heavens.

First was the Central Heaven of Balance—Horn, Neck, and Root Mansions.

The lingering yin energy that filled the Buddhist hall began to rapidly diminish. Cracks spread swiftly across the Buddha statue, almost joining into a single large fissure.

Then came the Eastern Azure Heaven—Room, Heart, and Tail Mansions—and the Northeastern Changing Heaven—Winnowing Basket, Dipper, and Ox Mansions.

The Mahavira Hall began to quake violently. Black qi surged ceaselessly around the Buddha statue, as if impurities were being scorched by fierce flames, its aura flickering and unstable.

Finally came the Northern Dark Heaven—Girl, Void, Roof, and House Mansions; the Northwestern Deep Heaven—Wall, Legs, and Bond Mansions; the Western White Heaven—Stomach, Hairy Head, and Net Mansions; the Southwestern Vermilion Heaven—Beak, Three Stars, and Well Mansions; the Southern Fiery Heaven—Ghost, Willow, and Star Mansions; and the Southeastern Yang Heaven—Extended Net, Wings, and Chariot Mansions.

All the stars on the chart linked into lines, illuminating the entire star map.

Zhang Yuelu pressed her hand against the chart.

The seven mansions of the Eastern Azure Dragon, Western White Tiger, Southern Vermilion Bird, and Northern Black Tortoise lit up together. Then, the starlight rippled outward in visible waves, spreading from the Mahavira Hall to encompass the entire temple.

The last traces of yin energy melted away like snow, vanishing in an instant.

The entire temple shook violently. Countless fissures opened in the ground, spreading in all directions. Halls collapsed, walls toppled, and floors split apart.

This temple, with the Mahavira Hall at its center, had Buddhist inscriptions carved throughout its halls and pavilions, making the temple itself the eye of the formation. Linked with the fragment of the divine kingdom, it formed the foundation of the pocket realm’s seal.

Zhang Yuelu said, “It’ll take some time to completely break the formation, and certain things within this city may be affected.”

Qi Xuansu looked outside. The entire city was already shrouded in darkness, like the dead of night. Now, thick mist rolled within the gloom, so dense it could not be dispersed. Even with his cultivation, he could not see through it, as if he were but an ordinary man walking on an unlit path at night.

Just as Zhang Yuelu had said, numerous shadows were emerging within the darkness, accompanied by the clashing of armor. These were the ghost soldiers they had encountered earlier.

Qi Xuansu asked, “If these things were once divine kingdom guards, then shouldn’t they be aiding us instead of blocking our way when we are opening the seal left by the Buddhist Sect?”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “I told you before that they had lost all spirituality in the endless passage of years. When the shells granted by the divine kingdom fell with its collapse, they were left with no trace of reason, only instinct to drive out any intruder. I suspect this is precisely why the Buddhist Sect allowed them to remain here. It may cause trouble for later repairs of the pocket realm, but maintaining it was never the Buddhist Sect’s duty. It was the Ise-jingu’s responsibility. Tian Yuan, I need to sustain the Star Chart to break the formation, which will take about an hour. Stand guard over me and make sure these things won’t disturb my work.”

Before she finished her sentence, countless low growls echoed outside. In the black mist, innumerable pairs of scarlet eyes glared fixedly at the three of them.

Qi Xuansu nodded. He ordered Little Yin to stay inside the Mahavira Hall to clean up any stragglers, while he himself strode out slowly and once again drew Pure Bodhi.

At once, ghost soldiers charged in from all directions. Yet not one could withstand a single exchange with him. The blade of Pure Bodhi emanated a Buddhist aura, so any ghost soldier touched by it froze instantly, becoming easy targets.

At that moment, a warlord dressed in the fashion of a daimyo appeared. Though equally devoid of reason, it still retained the instinct to command in battle.

With a wave of his war fan, the ghost soldiers who had fought chaotically before formed ranks and charged at Qi Xuansu in military formation.

Qi Xuansu, alone with one blade, forced open the ghostly formation. Golden light blazed from Pure Bodhi’s edge, leaving behind a long golden trail. Every ghost soldier caught along that trail was torn into fragments.

However, Zhang Yuelu’s breaking of the seal caused such a disturbance that it seemed to draw every ghost soldier in the area. No matter how many Qi Xuansu had cut down, waves upon waves of them swarmed toward the temple, like a black tide rising and falling. It was a terrifying sight.

Qi Xuansu did not hesitate for an instant. He charged straight into the mass of ghost soldiers, slashing at a speed no ordinary Martial Arts Practitioners could ever match and unleashing the full force of his Demonic Blade.

Wherever Qi Xuansu passed, countless ghost soldiers shattered into broken armor, clattering to the ground.