A Pawn's Passage

When Qi Xuansu fought against Kiyohime, he was tainted by the demonic fire twice. The first time was during Kiyohime’s attack, when Qi Xuansu did not evade as he was unaware of the fire’s powers. The second attack was when Qi Xuansu’s sneak attack succeeded, and Kiyohime countered in her dying moments.

The demonic fire was far too strange to be explained by common reasoning. Even with the Demonic Blade’s instincts, Qi Xuansu still ended up tainted by a trace of it.

The demonic fire seemed to have no form, seeping directly through Qi Xuansu’s Youyi Cloud Robe into his body, heading straight for his heart. Though it could not break through the Longevity Stone Heart, it merged into Qi Xuansu’s meridians and acupoints, vanishing without a trace like a stone sinking into the sea.

If an ordinary person were tainted by this demonic fire, they would either be driven by obsession and resentment, gradually turning into a monster that did not recognize kin or friend, or their organs would be consumed, and their flesh and blood would become fuel for the flames.

At the time, Qi Xuansu was somewhat concerned, but when nothing abnormal followed, he paid it no further heed.

Qi Xuansu never imagined that the demonic fire had not truly disappeared but had lain dormant inside him. Only now, with the appearance of Izanagi’s severed hand, did the long-slumbering demonic fire within him awaken.

Illusory flames burned from within Qi Xuansu’s body and enveloped him, faintly resonating with Izanagi’s arm, which stretched from palm to shoulder.

This was only natural, for when the Buddhists divided Izanagi into five parts, they could not have cut off only the hands and feet while leaving the arms and legs attached to the torso.

Initially, only the hand was exposed, and the portion of the arm beyond the wrist had been buried underground. But now, it suddenly shot out, seizing Qi Xuansu in its grasp.

Qi Xuansu did not evade because he was bound in place by the demonic fire that had suddenly erupted within him.

Zhang Yuelu and Little Yin were forced back by the demonic fire radiating from the severed arm.

Five pillar-like fingers clamped tightly around Qi Xuansu, as the demonic fire on his body gradually merged with that of the severed arm.

Visions began to appear before Qi Xuansu’s eyes.

A resplendent golden giant, hundreds of meters tall, towered over the world. Beneath its feet were various cities, boundless seas, and vast forests. Countless armored divine guards knelt in reverence.

The golden giant roared with laughter, its voice shaking heaven and earth. The land quaked, the sea roared, and winds raged.

The vision’s perspective kept rising until it revealed an island of unparalleled vastness, surrounded by waves. At first glance, it bore a faint resemblance to Himiko’s divine realm, Takamagahara.

At the horizon where the sky met the sea, a crimson sun rose steadily, illuminating heaven and earth.

Suddenly, yin and yang reversed. The red sun still hung high, yet the sky turned dark, and countless stars appeared. The sunlight seemed confined, unable to illuminate the world.

The golden giant raised his head to look toward the heavens.

There, the stars upon the night sky shifted in subtle patterns. The stars seemed to sketch the outline of an enormous Buddha.

This was clearly the projection of some unspeakably powerful being, cast down through the canopy of stars. Though it did not have a form, it seemed as if it were an eternal and everlasting existence.

Before this Buddha, the golden giant appeared pitifully small.

It was the Vairocana.

The Daoist Order revered the Primordial Daoist Ancestor. Legend held that he transformed a single breath into the Three Pure Ones, manifesting three incarnations.

Likewise, the Buddhist Sect revered the Buddha, who also had three incarnations.

Buddhism revered the Buddha, who likewise had three incarnations—the Dharma Body, the Enjoyment Body, and the Transformation Body.

The Dharma Body was Amitabha; the Enjoyment Body was Vajrasattva; and the Transformation Body was Vairocana.

True Lord Taiyang, counterpart to True Lord Taiyin, had perished at the hands of Vairocana.

That colossal Buddha gazed down upon the golden giant, cold and aloof.

The vision suddenly shifted. The starry Buddha vanished, and the golden giant soared toward the sun, as if intent on merging with it.

The shadow of a Buddha suddenly emerged within the sun.

The sun seemed to transform into a halo behind the Buddha’s head.

In an instant, the sun was freed of all restraint, blazing forth in brilliant light.

The Buddha extended a hand, cradling the golden giant in his palm. No matter how the golden giant struggled and flew, he could never escape the bounds of the Buddha’s hand.

Three indistinct figures appeared, seemingly two men and one woman. While the golden giant battled the Buddha, they struck from behind, stabbing the giant in the back.

The golden giant let out a roar of despair. At last, his downfall became inevitable. His golden body shattered into fragments, and the island bearing the cities and forests began to crumble along with it.

The deity stripped of its golden body was smashed into pieces by the Buddha’s palm.

Finally, the Buddha flipped its palm and pressed down, dragging the deity’s broken limbs and shattered remains in a crashing descent.

The god who had seemed invincible just moments ago was now pinned beneath the Buddha’s palm.

Qi Xuansu instantly realized something. This was Izanagi’s memory.

The golden giant was Izanagi, the vast island was his divine kingdom, and the two men and one woman were the Three Noble Children.

This was the scene of Vairocana’s assault on Izanagi’s divine kingdom. Though the Vairocana fought in a foreign domain and had not descended in person, he was still no weaker than Izanagi. The two were evenly matched, but at the crucial moment, Izanagi was betrayed by the Three Noble Children. Defeated at last, he was sealed and suppressed by the Vairocana.

Now, Izanagi’s intention was clear. He also wished to take over Qi Xuansu’s body.

After all, Qi Xuansu was an excellent vessel for a divine descent, having once hosted the descent of True Lord Ziguang. The fusion of the demonic fire was only the first stage. Izanagi intended to use the demonic fire to erode Qi Xuansu’s consciousness, then use it as a medium to enter this new vessel, ultimately replacing Qi Xuansu entirely.

As the demonic fire fused, their consciousnesses began to intertwine, as though two people were observing each other at close range. Izanagi could see Qi Xuansu’s memories, and Qi Xuansu in turn could glimpse his.

Thus, Qi Xuansu beheld fragments of that divine battle.

Scorch marks began to appear on Qi Xuansu’s skin, and flames gradually took shape within his eyes.

The demonic fire seeped ceaselessly into Qi Xuansu’s body, remolding him into a more suitable vessel.

At that moment, Qi Xuansu heard a strange voice. It was not any tangible language, but like telepathy, it was felt in his heart. The voice urged him to stop resisting and merge as one, to gain the divinity of a god and become an immortal, eternal being. Then, by gathering the other four parts of Izanagi’s body, he could restore such immense divine might at its peak, slay the three traitors, and reclaim Fenglin.

The voice chose its words wisely, using fusion instead of seizure or replacement. From then on, Izanagi and Qi Xuansu would be inseparable and indistinguishable.

It was, without doubt, a great temptation.

But Qi Xuansu saw it clearly. Leaving aside the question of whether he would still be himself after such a “fusion,” he was pragmatic. Why would a god like Izanagi want to merge with a small existence like him? It would be like a snake attempting to swallow an elephant, or a tiny kingdom wanting to be on equal footing with the Great Xuan Dynasty. The outcome was just too obvious.

Qi Xuansu treated these voices as nothing but passing wind, throwing all his strength into resisting the demonic fire.

Fortunately, Qi Xuansu possessed the Longevity Stone Heart. To this day, he had never encountered anything capable of shaking it, and the demonic fire was no exception. No matter how the flames burned, all they could alter was his body. They could not touch his core.

After all, this was just a severed arm and not Izanagi at his peak.

The Pure Bodhi also exerted its effect at this moment, its purity aiding Qi Xuansu in resisting the intrusion of the demonic fire.

Izanagi had not expected Qi Xuansu to be so tenacious, so he could only pour more demonic fire into the latter’s body.

That was when Qi Xuansu’s body began to change. Charred black marks spread across him, with dark red firelight leaking from the cracks. The phantom flames in his eyes solidified into a tangible blaze, spilling past his eye sockets. The flickering outer flames looked like two long, wavering, fiery brows.

As Qi Xuansu transformed, the entire mausoleum began to quake. The surrounding walls, the ground, and the ceiling above burst open one after another like festering boils, spewing dark red magma.

All this while, Zhang Yuelu maintained her composure. She did not recklessly hurl herself forward at the sight of Qi Xuansu in peril, nor did she scream in panic and confusion. Now was not the time to prove how much she loved him. It was more pressing to solve the problem within the limited time they had. Countless ideas flashed across her mind, only to be dismissed one by one.

In that instant, Zhang Yuelu was struck by a crushing sense of helplessness, as if she had returned to that moment when Qi Xuansu had leaped from the flying ship. Yet, she did not give up. She refused to live with regret as she had back then. So she racked her mind desperately, searching for anything that might aid the situation before her.

Treasures would be of little use under these circumstances. Only semi-immortal or immortal objects would hold any value.

She possessed only two semi-immortal objects.

At last, Zhang Yuelu steeled her resolve. Better to risk everything than to do nothing. Even if Qi Xuansu were to die by her hand, it would be preferable to him becoming another god’s vessel.

Whatever the outcome, she had to try.

Zhang Yuelu drew Purple Afterglow, channeling all her true essence into it before hurling it with all her might.

When Green Cloud and Purple Afterglow were used separately, they were merely two semi-immortal objects. But united, they became a true immortal artifact.

Zhang Yuelu knew that Qi Xuansu possessed the Longevity Stone Heart, so she did not aim for his chest. Instead, she targeted his abdomen.

With Zhang Yuelu’s full-powered strike, Purple Afterglow carried purple lightning, piercing through the gaps between the severed hand’s fingers and stabbing into Qi Xuansu’s abdomen with thunderous force. The blade sank in all the way to the hilt, skewering Qi Xuansu completely.

Qi Xuansu had a useful habit of keeping his weapons within easy reach in battle. Thus, before entering this mausoleum, he hung both Pure Bodhi and Green Cloud at his waist. After Purple Afterglow pierced his abdomen, it came to rest within reach of Green Cloud, the two swords were now closely linked through Qi Xuansu’s body.

In that moment, they were no longer just Green Cloud and Purple Afterglow, but the Heavenly Preceptor’s Twin Swords, an immortal weapon.