A Pawn's Passage

Izanagi’s eyes blazed with fury as he roared toward the heavens. Ripples of soundwaves spread outward in all directions.

Where the ripples passed, the fiery clouds dispersed, revealing the blue sky behind them. The fissures and lava on the ground vanished, replaced with blooming greenery. Plants thrived, verdant grass spread as far as the eye could see, and lush trees rose to create shade.

The entire divine kingdom was being reborn with vitality. Izanagi’s appearance began to overlap with his former self. His divine kingdom also returned to what it once was.

This was the power of belief.

When a Godly Immortal truly believed in something, his power could alter reality itself, let alone within his own divine kingdom.

Since Izanagi believed he had regained his peak state, everything about him naturally reverted to his original glory.

Before long, cities and seas would reappear, just as Qi Xuansu had once seen in Izanagi’s memories.

But Izanagi’s divine consciousness had not returned to his body. Instead, he stood on the brink of madness, spreading his arms wide and crying out to the heavens in a roar filled with grief and hatred. “Vairocana!”

If one were to ask whom Izanagi hated most, it was certainly not Daoist Order. His direct conflict with Daoist Order had lasted less than a day. It was not Daoists who had sealed him, nor had they taken Fenglin from him. In truth, the Daoist Order had taken Fenglin from the Three Noble Children, then unsealed him and revived him.

For Izanagi, the one he hated most was naturally the one who shattered his golden body, dismantled his divine kingdom, and sealed him away—the Vairocana.

Izanagi had once been the sovereign of Fenglin, radiant and glorious, gazing down upon all beings. However, Vairocana had cast him down into the dust, turning him into a so-called evil god and imprisoning him beneath Mount Fuyo to be tormented day and night by flames and corrosive yin energy—a life worse than death.

Now, Izanagi’s mind was in chaos. The present faded from his sight, and memories of the past surged back.

In his daze, he mistook Sage Qingwei before him for Vairocana. “Because of you, I fell from glory and lived a life worse than death! Vairocana, when will you finally fall? I will make you suffer a hundredfold!”

Sage Qingwei retrieved the Qinghuo Pearl and swallowed it whole.

Izanagi abruptly lowered his head, his gaze locking once more onto Sage Qingwei.

Sage Qingwei transformed into a streak of blood-red swordlight, slashing toward Izanagi.

It was none other than the most lethal strike of the Taiyin 13 Swords, the Immortal Blood Sword.

Each of the Taiyin 13 Swords possessed its own mysteries. Among the final few techniques, the Inner Demon Manifestation had the greatest power; the Taixuan Sword Heart Series embodied the highest swordsmanship; Black Hair Armor offered the strongest defense; the Blue Tide Bright Moon Technique held the most abundant sword qi; and the Immortal Blood Sword dealt the greatest killing force.

Immortal Blood Sword differed from Inner Demon Manifestation because the latter fused the essence of all twelve other forms, capable of offense and defense, flawless in every respect. It even had two versions. When centered on inner demons, it was called the Inner Demon Manifestation, but when centered on the Taiyin Sword Formation, it became the Sword Demon Manifestation.

Though the Immortal Blood Sword struck with immense killing force, its backlash was also tremendous—a classic case of injuring the enemy while harming oneself. This backlash differed from the Inner Demon Manifestation. The latter’s danger lay in producing inner demons during cultivation, but once mastered, it carried no further risks. By contrast, the Immortal Blood Sword posed no obstacle in training, but every use drained the wielder’s blood and qi. Thus, few dared employ it except in dire need.

If the Imperial Preceptor was Daoist Order’s best swordsman, then Sage Qingwei was the second. Not only had Sage Qingwei cultivated the Five Great Sword Techniques, but he had also mastered some Confucian sword techniques. However, the Taiyin 13 Swords he had learned was the version without the inner demon, so he could not wield the Inner Demon Manifestation. Forced to settle for the next best option, he used the Immortal Blood Sword. Fortunately, his Blood-Garbed Immortal Severing Sword was perfectly suited to this technique, allowing him to unleash 120% of its full might.

Sage Qingwei’s sword transformed into a blood-red rainbow, shooting straight toward Izanagi’s brow.

In the blink of an eye, Sage Qingwei appeared in the middle of Izanagi’s brows. His Blood-Garbed Immortal Severing Sword pierced down without the slightest pause, its blade sinking entirely within, leaving only the guard and hilt protruding.

It was as though the earlier scene repeated itself. From the point where the sword struck, countless cracks spread outward and black flames roared from within. The cracks crept across Izanagi’s forehead, spreading to his whole face, then across his entire body.

The next moment, Izanagi shattered entirely, bursting apart into a rain of blazing fire.

However, Sage Qingwei felt no joy because he knew that the strike had not truly harmed Izanagi.

The scattered black flames multiplied as they fell, each spark becoming another Izanagi. At the same time, each bore the Buddhist svastika symbol.

Aside from the Confucian School, every sect had its own symbol. The Daoist Order’s was the Taiji symbol, while the Buddhist Sect’s was the svastika, symbolizing the sun. In Sanskrit, it meant the gathering place of auspiciousness. Buddhists believed it was the auspicious sign that appeared on the Buddha’s chest, representing blessings, longevity, the perfection of virtue, and completeness.

The Buddhist Dharma Wheel also derived from this, symbolizing Buddha’s light radiating in all directions, shining upon all things like the sun.

The Buddhist Sect had two major branches—the Central Plains Buddhists and the Western Region Buddhists. The latter greatly revered the sun, so this symbol naturally represented the Vairocana.

Clearly, Vairocana had left a hidden safeguard within Izanagi.

By now, the struggle had become a four-way clash between Izanagi, the Daoist Order, the Buddhist Sect, and the Holy Court.

With Vairocana’s hidden safeguard revealed, it began to contend against the false power bestowed by the Scripture of Zuriel. Vast nebulae appeared throughout the divine kingdom.

Under the empowerment of the svastika symbol, each Izanagi manifested in different forms. Some were alluring like celestial maidens, some pure like Bodhisattvas, some solemn like Buddhas, some wrathful like Vidyarajas, some glaring like Vajras, others ferocious like demons, or seductive like witches. These countless Izanagis encircled the battlefield, speaking in unison, some reciting orthodox Buddhist scriptures, others uttering bewitching, demonic incantations.

Sage Qingwei abruptly raised his head. Above, the nebula surged and parted, revealing an Izanagi formed of starlight, seated high upon the cloud of stars. He had a leisurely posture with one leg extended and the other bent, resembling a Buddha, as he gazed down upon Sage Qingwei like an ant.

Qi Xuansu also saw this sight. It was strikingly similar to the memory he had of countless stars outlining the form of Vairocana.

Izanagi’s experiences were indeed tragic. Izanagi hated Vairocana the most for casting him down into the dust, yet now, he was once again ensnared by Vairocana’s influence.

Sage Qingwei flicked his Blood-Garbed Immortal Severing Sword, casting off the lingering blood qi and black flames upon its blade, then raised it skyward.

He employed the Blue Tide Bright Moon Technique. A radiant moon slowly rose into the sky, and Sage Qingwei rose alongside it. Behind him, a colossal white-robed Guanyin appeared, no less magnificent than Izanagi himself.

Sage Qingwei had also mastered the Cihang Sword Sequence.

As the white-robed Guanyin manifested, countless phantom arms extended from her back, resembling the fanned tail of a peacock. A sword emerged from each hand, slashing in all directions. The countless Izanagis scattered like fireflies as they were shredded into fragments by the interwoven net of sword qi.

Meanwhile, the bright moon had risen above the nebulae, shining with dazzling brilliance.

Izanagi seemed to dislike the moon’s piercing light. He simply reached out, plucked the moon from the sky, and held it in his hand. Then with his other hand, he tore away a vast swath of nebula and draped it over the moon, extinguishing its radiance completely.

At the same time, Izanagi sensed a powerful sword intention steadily climbing higher and higher.

The churning nebulae across the sky even froze for an instant.

Though it lasted for a heartbeat, Sage Qingwei seized the chance and streaked past the nebulae, once again appearing before Izanagi. This time, Sage Qingwei did not hesitate and pierced his sword straight through Izanagi’s heart.

Izanagi’s colossal body began to tremble violently. His chest burst open into a bottomless chasm, from which countless black flames surged, spreading into a sea of fire. His expression froze, and after a moment of stillness, fine cracks spread across his body, spewing out endless torrents of black flames.

Sage Qingwei appeared behind Izanagi.

With a thunderous boom, Izanagi’s body collapsed within the sea of fire as black flames poured out continuously from within him. This time, as he fell from the sky, he did not transform into a human shape. He was nothing but a rain of fire.

In the void, Izanagi’s figure was gone. The bright moon he had obscured reappeared, casting silver-white light down from the heavens.

Was it over? Could Izanagi, wielding both powers from the Scripture of Zuriel and Vairocana’s lingering influence, have been defeated so easily?

Surely, it would not be so simple.

All of a sudden, the space around Sage Qingwei froze completely.

Sage Qingwei was caught as well, unable to move. It was as if he had become part of a painting.

Then, two enormous hands reached out of the void, grasping the “frame” and flipping it upside down.

Heaven and earth were overturned. The starry nebulae of the sky shifted below, while the sea and land were now above.

Within the painting, Sage Qingwei was inverted as well, his head facing downward and his feet upward.

After this, the two hands withdrew back into the void, and all returned to normal.

Since the starry sky was now below, the inverted Sage Qingwei fell headlong into its depths, vanishing into the nebulae.

In the blink of an eye, Sage Qingwei was gone without a trace.

This was the advantage Godly Immortals held within their own divine kingdoms. They could alter the rules at will. If one’s cultivation was beneath that of the divine kingdom’s master, it was all too easy to be toyed with like prey in the palm of their hand.

Qi Xuansu murmured, “Did Sage Qingwei just lose the battle?”

The Heavenly Preceptor’s voice rang in Qi Xuansu’s mind, “He’s defeated, but his life is not in danger. Now, it’s your turn.”

Qi Xuansu exclaimed in disbelief, “Me?!”