A Pawn’s Passage

Himiko's form began to expand rapidly, with divine light radiating from behind her head.

Strands of golden divine light converged into one, illuminating the world in every direction. Within the boundless radiance, an immense crimson sun slowly emerged. It was so vast it defied description.

As the red sun began its slow ascent, the divine kingdom was abruptly shrouded in darkness, as though an eclipse had struck. The light dimmed rapidly but surged once more, re-illuminating the world as if proclaiming that all light emanated from this divine source alone.

The towering Himiko, standing 30 meters tall, pressed down with one palm. Within the divine palm was only pure light, coalescing into true solar fire.

The descending palm moved not with speed, but with grandeur, accompanied by a sea of solar flames. It was as though the skies themselves were ablaze. The sight struck awe into the heart.

Faced with the oncoming palm, Madam Bai neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, she surged skyward, charging straight into it.

Compared to the colossal divine palm, Madam Bai seemed minuscule. Yet she was like a bullet fired from a gun, forcibly punching through the palm and leaving behind a massive hole.

Countless strands of solar fire spilled from the hole, cascading downward like a meteor firestorm from the gods.

Having passed through the palm, Madam Bai was engulfed in flames. However, she was unrelenting, charging through Himiko's chest.

Yet there was no gruesome scene of chest-rending or heart-gouging. Himiko's form remained completely intact; not even her robes were disturbed. However, her figure suddenly became far more ethereal.

At the level of a Pseudo-Immortal, making illusions seem real and overcoming illusions with substance was nothing unusual.

Though Madam Bai had pierced through Himiko, she herself had been tainted by too much solar fire. Thus, her original form was revealed. The human half of her body was completely gone, leaving only a transparent skeletal frame. When the residual fire finally faded, specks of scorch marks remained on her jade-like bones.

Qi Xuansu had been conservative in his estimation. Madam Bai could not defeat Himiko's incarnation, but the reverse was also true—Himiko could not defeat Madam Bai. After all, Madam Bai had been a Pseudo-Immortal for countless years. Were it not for the constraints of her nature, she would have ascended to immortality long ago. Over that long stretch of time, her mastery over her powers had reached perfection, no less refined than a divine incarnation.

If other Pseudo-Immortals like Katsura Yoshiyuki or Yagyu Sosei were to battle one-on-one against Himiko's incarnation, they would not have been able to endure so long.

In truth, strength could not be judged by cultivation alone. One's cultivation level was only the foundation, like physical strength. Greater strength certainly conferred an edge, but it did not guarantee victory.

Entities like the Three Yin Beings or divine incarnations were Pseudo-Immortals, yet apart from their cultivation level, their insight, perception, and other aspects were no different from true Immortals. They were also free from the burden of the Three Corpses.

If the Three Yin Beings unleashed their full might, they too could lay waste to cities, annihilate clans, and leave scorched earth for miles, just like the incarnation of True Lord Siming.

Moreover, the Three Yin Beings were associated with corpses, ghosts, and bones. Once they entered the battlefield, their power would snowball—the more dead people, the stronger they became.

They could absorb deathly aura, yin energy, and resentment to bolster their strength or raise an army of undead. Master Wan reanimated corpses into zombies, Master Yin summoned ghost tides, and Madam Bai commanded the bones of the dead.

Thus, the Three Yin Beings were essentially large-scale weapons of the Daoist Order—ones that defied the natural order. The only difference was that they had gained sentience.

If they absorbed enough deathly qi, a transformation could occur, allowing them to forcibly reach immortality. That was why the Daoist Order confined them within the Ghost Kingdom, forbidding them from leaving at will. Nor would the Daoist Order casually deploy the Three Yin Beings.

The Sakka, which was above the Three Yin Beings, slumbered deep within Jianxiu Mountain.

Both Beimang Mountain, where the Ghost Kingdom was located, and the enigmatic Jianxiu Mountain were within Quanzhen Sect's territory, as they had once overseen all creation projects.

If the three Daoist sects were ever divided, then all these creations would fall under the Quanzhen Sect's control.

Even if the three sects remained united, the Quanzhen Sect's influence over them was immense. Others dared not interfere.

Without the Quanzhen Sect's tacit approval, even if Qi Xuansu established ties with the Three Yin Beings, those ties would be swiftly severed.

After all, Master Wan and Master Yin had left traces when they helped Qi Xuansu, so the truth could be found if one chose to investigate thoroughly.

But since Qi Xuansu was one of their own, they turned a blind eye and let it slide.

That was why Li Tiangang's first thought turned to the Quanzhen Sect when he saw Madam Bai. Li Changge also found it logical and raised no objection.

Qi Xuansu was able to summon the Three Yin Beings for two reasons. First, it was due to his own luck. The Three Yin Beings had chosen to bet on him when he was a weakling. The other reason was due to the Quanzhen Sect's intentional indulgence.

For a moment, neither Madam Bai nor Himiko could gain the upper hand, and that was more than enough for the Daoists.

Even with the power of the Yasakani Magatama, the Shinkan-dan of the Asahi-jingu could not keep the Yinglong Warship trapped forever in the rift between the yin and yang realms.

Once the Yinglong Warship departed the rift, the Sonno-joi faction would find itself in an awkward position, unable to retreat nor press the attack. They would be forced to follow the Yinglong Warship straight to the Xiujing encampment.

It would be like knowingly charging into the tiger's den in hopes of capturing the tiger's cub—Toyotomi Hidemochi. But if they did so, they would be seeking their own demise.

This was the purpose behind stalling for time.

That was why Li Changge's Cosmic Shift Talisman was a last resort. After all, talisman-based teleportation was constrained by distance. With that constraint came the inability to specify a precise destination.

That was why this kind of talisman only performed random teleportation within a limited range.

Even if personally inscribed by the Imperial Preceptor, it could only break through more constraints, like expanding the range and excluding certain hazardous or forbidden areas, but it still could not pinpoint a fixed teleportation location.

These talismans shared the same issue as the Yin-Yang Gate, which was why flying ships were useful.

To extend the teleportation distance, one must use formations to amplify the spell's power, but that required the construction of permanent Yin-Yang Gates, which in turn sacrificed flexibility and portability.

Under such circumstances, the Daoists did not fret, while the Sonno-joi faction was anxious.

In truth, even if the Daoists could not stay calm, there was not much they could do. Both Li Tiangang and Li Changge had been severely wounded while buying time against Himiko.

Li Tiangang had confronted Himiko head-on and suffered the worst. It was a feat he could even remain standing.

Li Changge had boundless potential, but his cultivation was still lacking. His Spiritual Body had begun to melt in the solar flames, so he was in no better state.

Only Qi Xuansu remained in relatively good shape, yet even he was nearly drained of magical power from maintaining the Yin-Yang Gate.

Unlike the previous two occasions, this time was far more difficult. Madam Bai had fallen into a stalemate with Himiko, so Qi Xuansu had to maintain the portal for an extended period. As such, he could not intervene elsewhere.

Amid the stalemate, the surroundings suddenly shifted, like a long night finally giving way to dawn.

The Asahi-jingu Shinkan-dan had finally reached their limit and could no longer contain the Yin-Yang Gate.

At this moment, the Yinglong Warship had broken free from the rift between the yin and yang realms and returned to the mortal world.

The illusion of the human face above the Asahi-jingu gradually faded.

Within the shrine, the shinkan were visibly exhausted. Some sat collapsed in sweat-drenched robes. The Yasakani Magatama enshrined within slowly dimmed.

The guji said to the negi nearby, "Ishida Gon-guji has fallen. Arrange for his spirit tablet and memorial altar."

The negi bowed and acknowledged the order.

The guji then turned to another gon-guji and added, "Master Nichinin of Jinsho-ji has passed. Though the Tenmon Sect and the Buddhist Sect often clash, we must now unite against the Daoists. Go to Jinsho-ji to report his death and convey my condolences."

The gon-guji bowed, accepting the task.

Finally, the guji sighed. "Even a Kami's descent couldn't defeat the Daoist priests..."

Once freed from the rift, the armor of Spirit Guard Ding Wei began to shift. A black disc appeared behind her, breaking apart like a puzzle into countless irregular fragments. As they reassembled and expanded outward, they formed the Eight Trigrams and yin-yang symbol, which was the mark of the Daoist Order.

Spirit Guard Ding Wei had entered the second form of a first-rank Spirit Guard, one in which divine power was virtually unbound by distance. She intoned, "Only the Dao shall I follow."

A surge of vast divine power descended from the heavens, enveloping Spirit Guard Ding Wei completely.

She exchanged her dual blades for a long-handled warhammer, its head broad and square. A second hammer formed around the original—this one forged entirely from golden divine power.

The hammer was massive, nearly the same size as Spirit Guard Ding Wei herself.

Then she leapt skyward and brought the hammer down in a devastating strike.

The Koga Jonin raised his ninja blade to block the blow.

This blade was a treasured heirloom of the Koga School named Onikiri, of which only three existed. It was forged across three generations; the one in his hands was the third generation of Onikiri, its might comparable to a semi-immortal object.

However, Spirit Guard Ding Wei had drawn upon the power of the Thirty-Three Heavens. Thus, at that moment, her divine power was infinite as she wielded the power of the Daoist Order.

At first, the Onikiri held firm, but it quickly began to falter.

Ninjas, like Rogue Cultivators, relied on a hodgepodge of techniques that were called ninjutsu—a blend from various sects and schools, mainly Buddhist and Daoist.

The Koga Jonin switched to gripping the sword in his right hand alone, red lightning coursing along the blade as he barely resisted the hammer's might.

He chanted the nine-syllable mantra, also known as the Kuji-in—Rin, Pyo, Toh, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen.

At the same time, he used his free left hand to form seals, each corresponding to one syllable of the mantra.

Empowered by the mantra, the Koga Jonin felt a surge of strength. For a moment, he held his ground against Spirit Guard Ding Wei.

However, the Koga Jonin had lost the will to fight. His only thought now was how he could escape.