A Pawn’s Passage

That statement was undoubtedly an admission of her identity.

It truly was the Tamamo-no-Mae.

Sage Qingwei said in a deep voice, "Since we are both of the Qingqiu lineage, why do you aid the wicked in their tyranny?"

"You've already ruled and dominated the Central Plains. Why must you extend your reach into Fenglin?" Tamamo-no-Mae reached into her chest and pulled out a red thread-like object. It grew wildly like weeds after the rain, writhing like tiny serpents.

Sage Qingwei replied calmly, "In terms of justice, the Daoist Order wages war on Fenglin to avenge past humiliation. In terms of ambition, expanding territory is the highest merit under heaven."

Tamamo-no-Mae fell silent. Aside from the tail coiled around the Onikiri and the Koga Ninja Scroll, five other tails began to dance, and one of the remaining tails once again reached out toward Princess Tamako.

This time, Sage Qingwei did not stop her. It was clear that he simply did not want Tamamo-no-Mae to take Princess Tamako away. He did not intend for her to die as collateral damage from their clash.

Tamamo-no-Mae's five tails each corresponded to a unique innate divine ability.

The first tail represented fire. Raging flames spread like a wildfire, no less powerful than Himiko's divine kingdom.

The second tail represented ice. It became a blizzard, surpassing even the Yuki-Onna in ferocity.

The third tail corresponded to thunder. Violet lightning crashed down like a waterfall, rivaling the Zhang family's Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method.

The fourth tail's power was the Immortal's technique of Prison Ground Marking.

A fine line appeared out of thin air, extending in an arc, eventually forming a full circle that trapped Sage Qingwei within. The circle then began to contract inward, continuously shrinking his space for movement and leaving him no choice but to face the previous three mystical abilities head-on.

Sage Qingwei simply stood his ground. Three lotus flowers appeared above his head. This was the manifestation of the Lesser Three Flowers Gathering Realm. The lotuses transformed into the Joyous Cloud Shield, from which emerged the illusion of the four sacred beasts.

With the Joyous Cloud Shield protecting his body, neither fire, snow, nor lightning could penetrate it. The others had already retreated a safe distance away, with Spirit Guard Ding Wei standing guard in front with a massive shield.

With a sudden motion, Sage Qingwei created two clones of himself.

One was a young nobleman, exuding grace and elegance, tinged with a hint of arrogance.

The other had a fox-like appearance. Though still humanoid, he bore fox ears and a fox tail. This incarnation wielded two short swords named the Hidden Dragon and the Abyss, both renowned within the Daoist Order. They were once wielded by Donghuang in his youth.

Though Sage Qingwei's true body had been restrained by Tamamo-no-Mae, his two incarnations remained unbound, darting toward her.

Tamamo-no-Mae's fifth tail swayed again.

Suddenly, a violent heavenly wind arose. Before becoming a Ghostly Immortal, a soul-traveling Diviner had three heavenly nemeses aside from a Martial Arts Practitioner's blood qi—heavenly thunder, heavenly light, and heavenly wind. Heavenly wind could scatter souls or seep into the flesh and harm without a trace. At that moment, the heavenly wind was madly compressed into blades, no less powerful than sword qi.

In an instant, countless blades of wind shot toward Sage Qingwei.

Sage Qingwei's fox-faced incarnation brandished his dual swords, forming a sword formation and charging forward. Hundreds of swords seemed to shield his entire body, not by trading single blows, but through a layered system. Seven small swords formed one large sword, and seven large swords composed one sword formation. In defense, all 49 swords guarded together; in attack, they struck in unison, forming a seamless unity of offense and defense.

A chorus of metallic clangs rang out, echoing endlessly. All the countless wind blades were deflected.

Taking advantage of the moment, the nobleman incarnation approached Tamamo-no-Mae. The Blood-Garbed Immortal Severing Sword, which the true body had previously stowed away, now appeared in his hand.

A faint ripple of blood-red energy radiated outward from the nobleman incarnation, sweeping first toward Tamamo-no-Mae. The ripple passed through her effortlessly, not triggering any protective qi shield or talisman. It was like a gentle breeze brushing past, yet her face abruptly flushed with an unnatural red. She felt her vital energy roil uncontrollably, as if all the blood in her body might burst out.

This was the Blood-Garbed Immortal Severing Sword's first transformation. It did not attack directly but disrupted the opponent's vital energy, which destabilized the flow of true essence and innate qi. A misstep in response could lead to the opponent's own blood and qi forming a net, blocking meridians, sealing acupoints, and imprisoning the Dantian, effectively trapping themselves from within.

However, Tamamo-no-Mae was still one of the Three Great Yokai in the Immortal level. Though the attack was tricky, it was not beyond her capabilities. She quickly suppressed and neutralized the effect.

After stabilizing her qi flow, Tamamo-no-Mae struck with her folding fan.

The Blood-Garbed Immortal Severing Sword in the nobleman's hand underwent its second transformation. The solid blade turned intangible, condensing into a single blood-red dot. At a glance, it seemed the young incarnation held only a sword hilt, yet his movements did not change. He continued his swordplay as usual.

The sword's second transformation condensed all its power into a single point, greatly amplifying its strength.

Tamamo-no-Mae's sleeve was torn. Then, the nobleman thrust the sword straight into her center—not the shoulder this time, but directly at her chest.

Tamamo-no-Mae's sixth tail did not unleash any magical ability. It simply swept directly toward the nobleman incarnation.

The nobleman incarnation activated the Blood-Garbed Immortal Severing Sword's fourth transformation. A blood-red lotus suddenly blossomed, like an unfolding paper umbrella, enveloping him completely in protection.

Tamamo-no-Mae's tail attack was repelled with no effect.

The nobleman incarnation then invoked the sword's fifth transformation, allowing the sword to multiply into the thousands. Countless swords launched toward Tamamo-no-Mae, forming a dense barrage like a rain of arrows on a battlefield.

Tamamo-no-Mae waved her folding fan, dispersing every sword light aimed at her. The sound of clashing metal rang out in an unending chorus.

The nobleman incarnation then triggered the sixth transformation. He held the sword horizontally before him and blew gently on it. The blade turned crystal clear like water. A sharp shriek rang out from the sword, reminiscent of the Great Thunder Sword.

With a flick of the blade, all sound gathered into a single line, slashing horizontally toward Tamamo-no-Mae's waist.

Tamamo-no-Mae neither retreated, dodged, nor yielded. Instead, she struck down cleanly with her fan.

The clash of the two attacks distorted the very space around them.

The nobleman incarnation shook his sword again, the sound growing sharper and faster. Line after line of sound wove into a net, descending over Tamamo-no-Mae's head.

Tamamo-no-Mae moved like lightning, flashing twelve times in an instant. With rapid shifts and unpredictable movements, she narrowly escaped the sword net at the very last moment.

The nobleman incarnation's expression remained unchanged. He repeatedly vibrated the Blood-Garbed Immortal Severing Sword, sending out rippling waves of blood-red energy.

Tamamo-no-Mae continued to wave her folding fan. Each wave summoned large clusters of foxfire that flared outward, illusory and surreal.

The two clashed intensely, and for a time, it was impossible to determine the victor.

Watching the fight, Qi Xuansu and the others began to notice subtle clues.

The disparity in cultivation level was akin to the difference in physical strength. If one's level was too low, they would be overwhelmed despite their skill. Just like when the Koga Jonin struck, even though Zhang Yuelu blocked it, she was still sent flying as she could not bear the blow. In such cases, it was no longer a contest of techniques.

But now, facing Tamamo-no-Mae, Sage Qingwei had yet to employ any earth-shaking methods. Despite the limited scope of their battle, he was holding his ground, which was highly unusual.

Generally, there were only two explanations.

The first possibility was that the legends of Fenglin were only partially true. Though Tamamo-no-Mae might not have turned into the Killing Stone, she was likely gravely injured and no longer at her peak, having even dropped in cultivation. Thus, she was currently at the level of a Pseudo-Immortal.

The second possibility was that Sage Qingwei was already an Immortal. After all, there had long been rumors that Sage Donghua, Sage Qingwei, and Sage Cihang were all just one step away from that immortality, and if needed, they could break through at any moment. So it was not surprising if Sage Qingwei had truly reached the level of an Immortal.

Moreover, Qi Xuansu and the others had relatively low cultivation and could not accurately determine whether it was two top-tier Pseudo-Immortals exchanging blows or two true Immortals sparring with great restraint.

Thus, both Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu turned their eyes toward Li Changge, the third-in-command in the Li family who would know the most inside information.

Li Changge pondered briefly before saying, "Since Brother Tian Yuan revealed his trump card in a moment of crisis and treated me with sincerity, I shall return the favor and speak truthfully. It's actually quite simple—so long as he possesses the Qinghuo Pearl, Sage Qingwei can wield the power of a true Immortal."

He paused slightly before adding, "But as a Banished Immortal at the Pseudo-Immortal level, he still only has two of the Three Corpses' incarnations. Only by fully becoming an Immortal could he sever the final incarnation."

Qi Xuansu, already having his own conjecture, continued, "I've heard the Qinghuo Pearl can only be used by the fox demon clan."

Li Changge smiled. "You're right, Brother Tian Yuan. The Qinghuo Pearl can indeed only be used by those of fox demon descent. Our ancestor, Donghuang, once married the ruler of Qingqiu Mountain, so the direct bloodline of the Li family carries fox demon blood, making it possible to wield this Immortal object. However, our family embraces diversity. Adopted sons, sons-in-law, and minor branches can also assume power. After so many generations, those with fox demon blood are now quite rare."

At that moment, Qi Xuansu was struck by sudden insight. Something had just become clear to him.

Since the Li family did not discriminate based on lineage and even adopted sons and sons-in-law could rise to power, why would they devote so much effort and resources to nurturing Li Changge? Surely, it was not merely due to his direct lineage or seniority within the Li family.

Qi Xuansu himself was a manmade Banished Immortal, so he understood such people best. If Li Changge had talent on par with Zhang Yuelu, the Li family would never have entrusted him with the Longevity Stone Heart. In other words, aside from being of the main bloodline, Li Changge's natural aptitude was unremarkable. The Li family's effort in cultivating him seemed to contradict their principle of inclusiveness.

Now Qi Xuansu understood. The crux was the Qinghuo Pearl. No matter how talented adopted sons or sons-in-law were, they could not wield this immortal object. Only direct descendants of Donghuang could. Manmade Banished Immortals could advance rapidly, and with the Qinghuo Pearl, Li Changge could feasibly wield the power of an Immortal even before the age of thirty.

Qi Xuansu tested the waters. "Brother Yong Yan, do you also carry Donghuang's bloodline?"

Li Changge said nothing, silently confirming his question with silence.