A Pawn’s Passage

Among the twin swords Green Cloud and Purple Afterglow, Green Cloud leaned toward offense, while Purple Afterglow specialized in divine arts, like the thunder technique that the Zhang family excelled in.

Now that Zhang Yuelu had mastered the Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method and reached the Wuliang stage, she naturally would not encounter the kind of mishap Qi Xuansu did. Once she grasped Purple Afterglow, she could immediately wield it with ease.

Then she activated Purple Afterglow using the Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method. Overhead, purple mist spread across the sky. Even Himiko's divine kingdom could not suppress it. Within the mist, bolts of purple lightning wandered restlessly.

This was precisely why the Heavenly Preceptor did not entrust Green Cloud to Zhang Yuelu. After all, Qi Xuansu did not know the Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method. With Green Cloud, at least he could rely on the sword's edge. If he were given Purple Afterglow instead, he would not even have that minimal advantage.

Zhang Yuelu raised her sword to the sky. The purple clouds instantly began to spiral, with electric serpents slithering within and thunder rumbling in waves.

The thunder was intense, like a rapid war drum. The miko felt her blood and qi churn within her. Her chest tightened, her heart pounded fiercely, and she nearly coughed up blood. If it had been a Diviner's out-of-body yin spirit below Zhang Yuelu's level, it would likely have dissipated instantly.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuelu remained completely unaffected. The Lightning Mother manifestation within her 36 acupoints even resonated mysteriously with the thunder.

In the next moment, a dazzling bolt of purple lightning emerged from the vortex-like thundercloud and instantly illuminated the entire Yinglong Warship. The miko, being the closest target, saw nothing but an endless purple brilliance and experienced a brief moment of blindness.

The bolt of lightning did not strike immediately but locked onto the miko, ensuring she could not escape again using the Flying Swallow Technique.

The miko knew she was in the most perilous of situations. One misstep, and she would be reduced to ashes. Yet she did not panic. She immediately activated her Heart's Eye Technique to perceive everything around her. She put away the Kiku-ichimonji Norimune and drew another famous blade.

The blade was named Raikiri, or the Lightning Cutter, originally of the Tachibana clan. Legend has it that the head of the Tachibana clan once cleaved lightning with this blade, hence its name.

After the fall of the Tachibana clan, the blade passed hands and eventually ended up in the royal family's possession.

The miko drew this blade intending to emulate the Tachibana patriarch, nicknamed the God of Thunder, and cleave the lightning in one strike.

In the next instant, the purple lightning that had completely locked onto the miko struck from the sky, leaving her with no room to dodge.

With her eyes closed, the miko leaped up with both hands gripping her blade and slashed upward, splitting the vertical lightning bolt into two halves.

Raikiri truly lived up to its name with its wondrous effect in countering thunder spells.

However, the miko quickly realized something was amiss. At first, she advanced with unstoppable momentum, but the closer she got to the thundercloud, the more difficult it became to proceed. The purple lightning still poured down endlessly, and the thundercloud showed no sign of thinning or dispersing.

The miko failed to pierce through the heavenly thunder entirely. Her momentum faltered, and instead of advancing, she was gradually forced back.

Once the thundercloud had fully formed, Zhang Yuelu no longer pointed her sword to the sky. Taking advantage of the gathering clouds above, she summoned heavenly lightning through her sword, Purple Afterglow. The thunder fused with her sword qi. With one sweeping strike, it tore through the air like a comet, aiming directly at the miko.

Just then, the miko split into two forms. One continued wielding the Raikiri, resisting the lightning, while the other held the Kiku-ichimonji Norimune, fending off Zhang Yuelu's strikes.

In the cosmology of the Tenmon Sect, there are also three realms—heaven, earth, and mortal. The celestial realm was where Himiko's divine kingdom manifested, the underworld was called Yomi no Kuni, and the human realm was known as Ashihara no Nakatsukuni. These corresponded directly to the Three Great Kami.

Ashihara no Nakatsukuni was, in fact, what the Central Plains referred to as Fenglin. In other words, Fenglin was merely the Central Plains' name for Ashihara no Nakatsukuni. As the Central Plains grew dominant and controlled the narrative, over time, even the locals came to adopt the name Fenglin for themselves.

The miko wielding the Kiku-ichimonji Norimune now used a sword technique of the Yomi no Kuni. As her long blade danced, vast yellow clouds emerged, filled with yin energy, resentment, and the aura of death, veiling her figure from sight.

When lightning first entered the cloud, it tore through it like shredding cloth. But soon, Zhang Yuelu faced the same dilemma as the miko. If she couldn't pierce it with one strike, her efforts would falter, and she would lose momentum.

For a moment, the two became locked in a stalemate.

This miko held an esteemed status. Her father was the former emperor of Fenglin, and her mother hailed from the prestigious Fujiwara clan of the Six Regent Houses. After taking religious vows, she was given the title Kangyo-in Kaku'ei.

She was formally addressed as Imperial Princess Tamako of Kissho-no-miya.

As a posthumous child, she was raised in her maternal grandfather's household. Her grandfather was close to the swordmaster, Katsura Yoshiyuki, under whom she learned the Nichigishi Shingan-ryu sword techniques. Later, she joined the Ise-jingu and studied the mystical arts of Tenmon Sect under the Saio. By Daoist standards, she had reached the Wuliang stage at age thirty. Though she was still at the meikai rank now, she was already regarded as the next Saio-in-waiting.

If the Tenmon Sect were considered an equal rival to the Daoist Order, then this miko's status was no less than Zhang Yuelu's.

Had they fought elsewhere under equal terms, Zhang Yuelu would have held a sure advantage after drawing Purple Afterglow. But with Himiko's divine kingdom in effect, Zhang Yuelu was suppressed while Princess Tamako was empowered. As such, Zhang Yuelu could not defeat the miko in a short time.

The Ise-jingu allowed Princess Tamako to personally join the fight, likely because they believed that victory was already in their grasp with Himiko's divine descent.

On the other side, Qi Xuansu, Li Changge, and Li Tiangang had to face Himiko's incarnation in the mortal realm.

Although this version of Himiko was merely an incarnation, similar to the incarnations of the Ancient Immortals, in which they had a Pseudo-Immortal level cultivation, in her divine kingdom, she was its sovereign and could alter its rules at will.

At that moment, Qi Xuansu clearly felt he could no longer absorb a trace of elemental energy from the surroundings. The red sun behind Himiko grew ever brighter and more imposing, with waves of scorching heat rushing toward him, as if it were about to birth true solar fire.

Even a Wuliang-stage Heavenly Being would be severely suppressed under such conditions. Only those at the Zaohua stage could resist such force.

A Qi Refiner at the Fusion Realm could partially neutralize the divine kingdom's effects. Every bit of resistance helped. However, Li Tiangang was not a Pseudo-Immortal and thus could not completely withstand the suppression.

Li Changge, protected by the yin-yang energies of the Bright Crown, suddenly spoke. "Deputy Mansion Master Li."

"Young Master," Li Tiangang responded.

Li Changge continued, "I have an option to offer. Among the five of us, you hold the highest rank and know Fenglin best, so I hope you can assess our current situation. I carry a Cosmic Shift Talisman, personally inscribed by the Imperial Preceptor. It'll be able to break through the restraints of the yin-yang seam and the divine kingdom, ensuring that our five-member team can escape safely. However, we would have to abandon the Yinglong Warship, the 400 Spirit Guards onboard, and Toyotomi Hidemochi. If we do this, we would face the Sage Commander's judgment upon returning to camp. We might be dismissed and demoted, which might leave a permanent stain on our record."

Li Tiangang furrowed his brows.

It was indeed a hard decision to make.

Survival was more important than anything else, for one could always start over again. But such an act bordered on desertion in battle, which was a grave offense in the Daoist Order. Even with their distinguished backgrounds, it would damage their prospects and leave a lasting blemish, unless they later performed some nation-building miracle to redeem themselves.

Fortunately, after Himiko's descent, she had not yet adapted to her new surroundings and remained in a dormant state. The changes unfolding now were merely unconscious reactions during her slumber.

This was not surprising. In the past, God Luwu, the gatekeeper of Jade Capital, had an incomparably immense vital force, the strongest of his time. If an average man's life force was like flickering fireflies, then a regular Martial Arts Practitioner's would be akin to a campfire, a Heavenly Being like a raging blaze, a Manly Immortal like a full moon, and God Luwu like a blazing sun.

Even without hostile intent, merely being near him made one feel a scorching heat, not like standing near a furnace but rather like being at the edge of a volcanic crater. The searing geothermal energy would burn one's hair and skin.

This overwhelming force would instantly obliterate any weaker ghosts and spirits the moment they drew near.

Even in slumber, God Luwu's mere breaths could wither plants, crack the earth, and distort the air. He could even mutate weaker wild beasts around him, causing them to develop traits similar to his own. As such, an entire tribe that revered God Luwu as their progenitor was born.

Himiko was the same. Her divine descent had automatically triggered the unfolding of a divine kingdom, which had already started to warp some of the laws of heaven.

Thus, Li Tiangang still had a brief window of time to make his decision before Himiko fully awakened.

At that moment, Qi Xuansu spoke up. "I also have an option to offer you, Sage Li."

Li Tiangang dared not underestimate Qi Xuansu and asked immediately, "What is it?"

Qi Xuansu said, "If we were outside, I wouldn't be so confident. But in this unique environment, I can attempt to summon a Yin Being at the Pseudo-Immortal level. It may not be able to defeat Himiko, but it should be able to hold her off to some extent."

Li Tiangang paused in thought, then asked, "Young Master, what do you think?"

Li Changge smiled and said, "I prefer Brother Tian Yuan's option. Retreating in the face of battle is our last resort. If there's still a chance, we should give it a shot."

Li Tiangang made up his mind. "Deputy Hall Master Qi, please proceed then."

Qi Xuansu sheathed Green Cloud, rolled up his sleeves, and said solemnly, "Sage Li and Brother Yong Yan, I'll have to ask that you stand guard for me."

"Of course," Li Tiangang replied.

Qi Xuansu raised his right hand and released a black mist that coiled around his entire arm.