A Pawn’s Passage

Qi Xuansu had once wondered why they did not use a Yin-Yang Gate to bring Toyotomi Hidemochi directly to the army camp. Upon reflection, the reason was simple—the distance was too great. It would require multiple transfers to reach the camp from Hikone Castle.

The Daoist Order would have had to station multiple Diviners along the way to relay Toyotomi Hidemochi to the army camp. If anything went wrong at any point, like assassins targeting the stationed Diviners along the way, Toyotomi Hidemochi could end up stranded. In the current chaotic and contested landscape, there was also a real risk of falling into the hands of the Sonno-joi faction, adding further uncertainty.

Moreover, setting up the Diviners in advance to relay through the gates would take time. The Daoist Order had made the decision to install the new Kampaku in haste, so time was precisely what they lacked.

Thus, the Daoist Order ultimately abandoned the relatively safer Yin-Yang Gate method. Of the remaining land, sea, and air routes, the air route was the most conspicuous but also the fastest. Thus, using the Yinglong Warship as a mode of transport became the natural decision.

That said, the principle behind the Yin-Yang Gate was to travel through the seams between yin and yang realms, thereby covering hundreds of kilometers in a single step.

It was like two points on a sheet of paper that was not originally overlapping, but if the paper was folded, the two points could meet. These points represented the entrance and exit of the Yin-Yang Gate. The folding process represented the traversal through the yin-yang rift. The farther the distance between the two points, the larger and longer the paper, and the greater the effort required to fold it. Eventually, one would reach the limits of what was possible.

While the Yin-Yang Gate could not bridge the full distance from Hikone Castle to Xiujing, it could still enter the yin-yang rift itself.

Just then, multiple Yin-Yang Gates opened on the deck of the Yinglong Warship, and one figure after another emerged from them.

This could no longer be called an assassination. It was clearly a full-on assault.

At that moment, only Li Tiangang, Qi Xuansu, and Zhang Yuelu were on the deck.

Li Tiangang still maintained the composure required of Daoist Sages. His tone was calm as he said, "According to the Western Arcane Council's theories, what we call the yin-yang rift is actually a subspace. Once inside, it's incredibly perilous. Any carelessness could result in becoming completely lost with no way back. So under no circumstances should you leave the Yinglong Warship or fall off the ship."

Qi Xuansu asked, "Sage Li, is there any good news?"

"Of course there is," Li Tiangang reassured him. "The Sonno-joi faction is further split up into moderate and radical factions. The moderate faction focuses on revering the emperor, while the radicals emphasize expelling the Dao. Together, they form the Sonno-joi faction. Only the radicals would take such a high risk to carry out an assassination. The moderates would, at most, offer indirect support, as they want to keep their options open. So there's no need to worry too much. Among those attacking us, only one is a Pseudo-Immortal, a Koga Jonin. Spirit Guard Ding Wei will handle him."

As soon as he finished speaking, Spirit Guard Ding Wei leaped down from the high bridge of the ship.

At this moment, Spirit Guard Ding Wei had already donned the helmet of her Spirit Guard Armor and lowered the faceplate to conceal her features, sealing all the talismanic inscriptions on the armor's surface and merging the entire suit into a seamless whole.

First-rank Spirit Guards had access to a vast array of weapons that could be freely switched out, including but not limited to bows, shields, swords, sabers, spears, axes, halberds, and firearms. These weapons were highly specialized and could not be classified by whether they were treasures or semi-immortal objects, as their might depended mainly on divine power.

This time, Spirit Guard Ding Wei chose dual sabers, modeled after the Great Xuan Emperor's blade. The sabers matched the armor in color, with only the blades glowing with a constant flow of red light.

From start to finish, Li Changge had not made an appearance, but Qi Xuansu did not believe it was out of fear. If Li Changge were truly afraid of battle, he would not have come at all. At this stage, it was a life-or-death matter, and hesitating would not guarantee survival.

Qi Xuansu looked toward the approaching group. At the front was an old man dressed in a tight-fitting blue robe, his white hair casually draped over his shoulders. Contrary to popular belief that ninjas wore all-black, their standard attire was actually dark blue, close to black but not quite. This was the same man who had previously ambushed Toyotomi Hidemochi but had been repelled by Yagyu Sosei.

To the old man's left stood a shinkan wearing a ceremonial crown and a miko wearing a fox mask. To his right were a monk clad in black Kesa robes and a shirtless ronin.

Whether by coincidence or design, they were also a group of five.

Without a word, Spirit Guard Ding Wei charged toward the jonin, dual blades in hand.

Though her armor appeared heavy, Spirit Guard Ding Wei moved with unexpected agility, more than enough to match the high-ranking ninja, who specialized in speed.

The jonin was not adept at direct combat, but Spirit Guard Ding Wei had not yet activated the second phase of her Spirit Guard's power.

The two vanished in a flash, only to reappear at the stern of the ship. The jonin slashed swiftly with his ninja blade, but Spirit Guard Ding Wei ignored defense entirely, letting the strikes land harmlessly on her armor while continuing her own relentless assault.

The jonin immediately switched tactics, transforming into a swirling cloud of smoke that enveloped Spirit Guard Ding Wei. A net then dropped from above, ensnaring Spirit Guard Ding Wei, followed by a barrage of shuriken launched from all directions within the smoke.

These shuriken were far superior to those of lower-ranked ninjas, comparable in power to a Heavenly Being's flying swords. There were eighteen in total.

This was a ninja technique called the Eighteen-Direction Shuriken.

At the same time, four crimson lightning orbs, each the size of a human head, appeared around Spirit Guard Ding Wei. Each released a chain of red lightning that leaped between them, forming a cage of electricity. Eventually, all four bolts converged upon Spirit Guard Ding Wei, exploding in unison, as countless crimson lightning serpents slithered across her armor. This was also a ninja technique, called the Four-Direction Lightning.

Spirit Guards did not possess the diverse divine abilities of Daoist priests, so their responses were more straightforward. The iconic yin-yang symbol representing the Daoist Order appeared behind Spirit Guard Ding Wei. It rotated slowly, deflecting the shuriken and neutralizing the red lightning, rendering all attacks ineffective.

Spirit Guard Ding Wei tore through the binding net, whirling her dual blades and summoning a violent storm with only his divine power. It surged upward like a land-based tornado, rising over 30 meters in height and expanding outward. Fortunately, the Yinglong Warship was large enough to contain such a spectacle. Due to the ship's special structure, they could not maneuver around freely and could only engage in direct combat.

Faced with Spirit Guard Ding Wei's relentless assault, the jonin could no longer maintain his smoke form. Revealing his true body, he formed seals with both hands and split into eight clones, taking positions in the Eight Trigrams formation around Spirit Guard Ding Wei. This was a ninja technique called the Shadow Clone.

The eight clones formed seals again in unison, conjuring countless mystical scripts out of thin air. First, a small circle formed, roughly the size of a human head. Then a larger circle emerged around it. The two became concentric. The inner circle rotated clockwise, with the characters flowing like a scripture being read forward; the outer circle spun counterclockwise, the script seemingly read in reverse.

More circles formed outward, each alternating direction—one clockwise, the next counterclockwise. In no time, nearly 100 concentric circles were nested one within another.

From above, it looked like a massive Eight Trigrams compass descending from the heavens, intending to suppress Spirit Guard Ding Wei. This was a ninja technique called the 96-Layer Mantra Spiral.

Meanwhile, Li Tiangang confronted the black-robed monk.

"I didn't expect you would arrive in person, Master Nichinin," Li Tiangang remarked. He recognized the man as the Grand Abbot of Jinsho-ji.

Nichinin intoned a solemn Buddhist chant before speaking. "The Daoist Order wiped out the Buddhist Sect of the Central Plains, seized their lands, scattered their disciples, and converted Buddhist temples into Daoist ones, forcing monks to become Daoist priests. Then you waged war on the Western Region Buddhist Sect, with battles lasting over a decade, slaughtering countless monks and leaving the land littered with bones, finally coercing the Buddhist Sect to sign a humiliating treaty. You even suppressed the Buddhist Sect in Borneo, encouraging its nations to demote and exclude monks. The Daoists are true enemies of Buddhism. If our Fenglin Buddhist Sect does not rise up in defense, we may soon suffer the same fate."

Li Tiangang offered no rebuttal. He simply said, "Since you insist on a war between the Daoist Order and the Buddhist Sect, I shall oblige."

Before he finished his sentence, Li Tiangang appeared before Nichinin and struck with a punch.

Nichinin's entire body radiated golden light, with a seven-colored halo blooming behind his head. Light poured out in all directions, making him appear like a living Buddha. Then, he also punched forward.

The two fists collided. Nichinin's body quivered slightly as his vital energy surged violently. He felt as if a boulder had struck his chest, leaving him nearly breathless.

Li Tiangang was not a Martial Arts Practitioner, but a Qi Refiner. Yet under the augmentation of his immense innate qi, this punch was no weaker than that of a Martial Arts Practitioner.

The Daoist mansion overseas had no place for pampered, flowerbed Daoists. Even if one started as such, the harsh environment of Fenglin would quickly forge them into seasoned fighters.

The two men retracted their fists simultaneously, then launched another punch. Before their fists even collided, a howling wind roared between them. When the fists finally met, Nichinin let out a muffled grunt and involuntarily took a step back.

Nichinin felt a strange surge of innate qi rushing up his arm. Wherever it passed, his muscles and veins grew weak and numb, rendering him unable to muster any strength.

Li Tiangang stepped forward and said, "As you mentioned, ever since the Holy Xuan unified the Daoist sects, our greatest opponent has always been the Buddhist Sect. After all these years of clashes, we Daoists are thoroughly familiar with your tricks. The Fenglin Buddhist Sect is stuck in its ways, trapped in outdated thinking, still relying on techniques from centuries past, without a hint of progress. We've studied them all and found ways to counter them. If this is the extent of your skill, then you deserve to die today."

With each sentence, Li Tiangang threw another punch, forcing Nichinin to retreat step by step.

In the blink of an eye, Li Tiangang had pushed Nichinin to the edge of the Yinglong Warship.

The Grand Abbot of Jinsho-ji had surprisingly little power to fight back against the Second Deputy of the Fenglin Daoist Mansion.

Cultivation level was only the foundation. Compared to the ever-progressing Daoist Order, the Fenglin Buddhist Sect appeared far too outdated.

Had it not been for Nichinin's resilient body, comparable to that of a Martial Arts Practitioner or a Shaman's Golden Body, he would likely have died under Li Tiangang's fists. Even so, Nichinin was in terrible shape. His organs were battered, his bones crushed, and his tendons torn.

At that moment, the shinkan finally made his move.

A pillar of light poured into Nichinin's body, instantly healing all of his injuries.