A Pawn’s Passage

A Pseudo-Immortal had just died, just like that.

But thinking carefully, Sage Qingwei was undoubtedly a Banished Immortal, while the Koga Jonin was more like a lower-tier existence akin to a Rogue Cultivator. Thus, there was an insurmountable gap between the two.

Though Qi Xuansu was nominally a Rogue Cultivator, he was actually an incomplete manmade Banished Immortal. Thus, he could not be compared directly.

Moreover, the Koga Jonin had already fought an intense battle with Spirit Guard Ding Wei, severely draining his strength and leaving him far from his peak. In contrast, Sage Qingwei had remained in peak condition, waiting to slay the enemy with calm readiness. He struck with full intent against an unprepared foe, so the Koga Jonin's swift defeat was expected.

The Koga Jonin's head was severed, and his soul was also split in one slash before it managed to escape his body. Half of his soul remained within his severed head, and the other half within the headless corpse.

His two semi-immortal objects, the Onikiri and the Koga Ninja Scroll, had now become masterless items.

The only one alive among the five Sonno-joi members was Ise-jingu's Princess Tamako.

No matter how one looked at it, the Daoist faction had reaped great rewards.

Just then, a sudden anomaly occurred.

Several enormous fox tails seemed to appear from thin air, blooming layer by layer like lotus petals. Each tail was as mighty as a flood dragon, rising from below to encircle the Yinglong Warship and binding it tightly so it could no longer move.

One of the fox tails swept up the Onikiri and the Koga Ninja Scroll left behind by the Koga Jonin.

Another fox tail attempted to seize Princess Tamako, but a flash of blood-red light foiled the attempt.

It was Sage Qingwei who had intervened.

This time, Sage Qingwei did not grasp an invisible sword but held a tangible one. Its blade was as thin as a cicada's wing, both edges nearly transparent, with only a single crimson line running down its center.

This sword was called the Blood-Garbed Immortal Severing Sword. Compared to the eerie and unpredictable Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword, the Blood-Garbed Sword emphasized lethality. Among semi-immortal objects, it ranked among the finest, known for its adaptability and said to be capable of staining even Immortals' robes with blood. However, its wielder had to be at least at the Zaohua stage to wield it freely, while a Pseudo-Immortal could fully unleash its power. Even those at the Wuliang stage were prone to backlash.

After forsaking Mortal Vitality to Li Changge, Sage Qingwei chose this sword instead.

The fox tail drifted backward, shedding countless golden fox hairs that turned into phantom foxes before touching the ground, scattering in all directions.

Sage Qingwei cast out a spray of sword qi as fine as red threads, resembling rain, shredding all the phantom foxes on the spot.

"I've long heard of you, Tamamo-no-Mae." Sage Qingwei said, revealing the identity of the figure before them.

Even though it was Qi Xuansu's first time stepping into Fenglin, he had still heard of the infamous Tamamo-no-Mae.

Fenglin had a particular fondness for the number "three," such as the Three Divine Artifacts, the Three Great Kami, and the Three Grand Shrines. Among many other top threes, there was also the Three Great Yokai: Shuten-Doji, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Ootakemaru.

However, all three were said to be dead in name. Shuten-Doji was decapitated by the Minamoto clan with the Dojigiri Yasutsuna, Ootakemaru died due to betrayal by Suzuka Gozen, and Tamamo-no-Mae's story was even more legendary than theirs.

The earliest record of Tamamo-no-Mae came from the Central Plains. It was said she was a golden-furred, jade-faced, nine-tailed fox, born in Qingqiu Mountain—the same Qingqiu lineage that had since pledged allegiance to the Daoist Order.

Qi Xuansu had many dealings with the Su family and had therefore studied the Qingqiu lineage in detail.

Today, Qingqiu Mountain houses two major clans—the Su family white foxes and the Hu family red foxes. In this respect, Tamamo-no-Mae was an anomaly, as she belonged to neither the white nor red fox clans.

During the Qi Dynasty, Tamamo-no-Mae traveled with the diplomatic envoy to Fenglin. She was an abandoned infant adopted by a samurai. After growing up, she entered the Fenglin imperial palace and became a court lady, where she was granted the name Tamamo-no-Mae. For over a decade, she wielded immense influence over the Fenglin imperial harem.

Later, legend had it that she sought to harm the Fenglin emperor and seize power. But the Grand Onmyoji, Tsuchimikado Yasuchika, saw through her plans and used mystical arts to force Tamamo-no-Mae to reveal her true form, which was a white-faced, golden-furred, nine-tailed fox. With her plot exposed, she fled the palace.

Aided by the Yata Mirror, Tsuchimikado Yasuchika managed to wound her. The emperor of Fenglin then summoned priests, monks, onmyoji, and an army of 80,000 to hunt her down.

Each tail of the nine-tailed fox possessed a distinct power, said to summon lightning, fire, wind, earthquakes, floods, call forth the dead, and summon lesser fox demons. The nine tails also represented nine separate souls. Unless all nine were severed at once, they could regenerate, each time restoring the fox's full might.

Against such a formidable foe, the army of 80,000 suffered heavy casualties. In the end, Tamamo-no-Mae was gravely wounded and turned into a stone. This stone was later known as the Sessho-Seki or the Killing Stone, said to contain the lingering hatred of the nine-tailed fox, so much so that any creature that touched it would die swiftly.

If, according to legend, Tamamo-no-Mae had already become the Killing Stone, then where had these fox tails come from?

If the legend was true, and Tamamo-no-Mae did originate from Qingqiu Mountain, then wouldn't she share a spiritual bond with the Li family?

Qi Xuansu had a feeling that Fenglin legends had elements of fabrication and exaggeration. According to Daoist classification, a fox demon's cultivation level corresponded to the number of tails. A nine-tailed celestial fox was equivalent to a Second-Tribulation Immortal, an eight-tailed celestial fox to a First-Tribulation Immortal, and a seven-tailed fox demon to an ordinary Immortal.

If Tamamo-no-Mae truly were a nine-tailed celestial fox on par with a Second-Tribulation Immortal, then it would have been impossible to injure her. Not even the divine descent of Himiko could have accomplished such a feat.

There was precedent for this in the Central Plains. During the previous dynasty, the Confucian School's leader was a Second-Tribulation Immortal. Though the Confucian School had already begun to decline, and its overall strength no longer matched its past glory, the Sage of Mind alone was enough to suppress the entire Daoist Order. Even though there were Immortals among the Daoists at that time, none could match him in a single exchange. It was not until the Sage of Mind ascended and departed from the mortal world that the Daoist Order finally overthrew the Confucian School and became the dominant force in the empire.

God Luwu was also on par with a Second-Tribulation Immortal. The Daoist Order dispatched six Immortals, including the First-Tribulation Immortal Wu Yang, to besiege God Luwu. They deployed more than a dozen immortal and semi-immortal objects and held the advantage of a cave formation. In the end, they only managed to repel God Luwu. While it could be called a victory, it was far from inflicting serious harm or achieving a kill.

If Tamamo-no-Mae truly were a Second-Tribulation Immortal, then even the combined strength of all Fenglin might not be enough to seriously injure or kill her.

Therefore, Qi Xuansu concluded that the legend was false.

If the legend was false, then Tamamo-no-Mae's survival and presence here made much more sense.

The enormous fox tails binding the Yinglong Warship began to shrink and retract, eventually merging into a single point.

A woman revealed her form, dressed in the junihitoe, an elaborate ceremonial court attire of noblewomen from Fenglin. It was composed primarily of white, purple, blue, green, and red, resplendent in gold and jade, breathtakingly beautiful. She held a painted fan adorned with gold and silver leaf and wore her long hair in the Osuberakashi style.

Behind her swayed seven fox tails, fanned out like a peacock's display. Two of her tails were coiled around a ninja blade and a scroll.

The woman's beauty transcended mortal standards, imbued with an ethereal air, the embodiment of charm and allure. She exuded an imperceptible yet soul-stirring aura that penetrated the heart, which could trap one's soul unknowingly.

Qi Xuansu could not even look at her directly because she was quite literally soul-captivating.

Was this Tamamo-no-Mae?

Even if she was not a nine-tailed celestial fox, she was at least a seven-tailed fox demon, which was equivalent to an Immortal, far above the level of a Pseudo-Immortal and on par with the Yamata-no-Orochi.

Tamamo-no-Mae slowly unfolded her fan, hiding the lower half of her face, revealing only a pair of soul-snatching eyes.

Unfazed, Sage Qingwei declared, "The Daoist Order is inviting the ghosts and gods of Fenglin to join us in great deliberations. Lady Tamamo-no-Mae, if you are willing, you too shall have a seat at the table."

Tamamo-no-Mae still did not respond and instead tried once more to use her fox tails to snatch away Princess Tamako.

Sage Qingwei said no more. With his right hand resting on his sword and his left hand raised, the Star Sword Formation expanded rapidly, swallowing Tamamo-no-Mae within. Then came a rain of swords, forming an impenetrable heavenly net above, below, and all around her.

The sword qi fell like endless rain, with no sign of letting up. Moreover, each strand of sword qi was different in form—some long, some short; some thick, some thin. Some extended over 30 meters, while others were less than a meter. Some were as thick as ancient trees, while others were as fine as silver needles. Some were supremely gentle and yin-like; others were fiercely masculine and yang-like.

Tamamo-no-Mae flicked her folding fan, unleashing a surge of immense and overwhelming energy that spread outward from her center like rippling waves upon water. Wherever the ripples reached, they swept away everything in their path. Every strand of sword qi was instantly dissolved, as if crushed by an unstoppable force.

The sword qi within the formation was completely cleared, and even the 361 flying swords that formed the foundation of the formation began to tremble violently, showing signs of collapsing at any moment.

Sage Qingwei remained calm. He voluntarily dispersed the sword formation and even sheathed the Blood-Garbed Immortal Severing Sword. Then, he stepped forward, made a motion before his chest as if grasping the hilt and scabbard of a longsword, and slowly drew his hands apart. A meter-long sword formed entirely of condensed true essence emerged in his palm. With it, the sword qi climbed ever higher, seemingly without limit.

Moments later, the boundless sword intention filled the entire 300-meter radius all around them, while the sword qi extended even farther.

Sage Qingwei raised a finger, and the sword qi gathered into a single stream, sweeping forward like the mighty river flowing eastward.

By now, Sage Qingwei's figure had vanished. Only the immense, majestic tide of sword qi could be seen, surging with unmatched power.

Facing this attack, Tamamo-no-Mae stood motionless. The seven massive tails behind her slowly closed together like an unopened flower bud, shielding her within.

The sword qi washed over her, yet she stood firm and unmoved.

But at that very moment, a crimson strand of sword qi burst forth unexpectedly, piercing through her fox tails and sinking into Tamamo-no-Mae's chest.

Tamamo-no-Mae clutched her chest, blood seeping between her fingers and staining her robes.

At last, Tamamo-no-Mae spoke. "We are both of the Qingqiu lineage. Why must we turn on one another with such haste?"