Chapter 865: Vessel
Qi Xuansu could not yet draw a firm conclusion on how the Tsuchimikado Onmyoji managed to escape this place. But Qi Xuansu had some guesses as to why Tsuchimikado Tadataka was left behind and why an additional seal was applied before they departed.
Perhaps the key to the time loop lay in Tsuchimikado Tadataka himself.
If this guess was correct, then how could the loop be broken?
Killing him was definitely not the solution.
In the first cycle, Qi Xuansu had already sliced Tsuchimikado Tadataka in two. His internal structure was clearly different from that of a normal human. It resembled some sort of insect, with no blood or flesh, only mucus. Yet it failed to stop the time loop. Once the full moon appeared, Qi Xuansu still entered the next cycle.
Or perhaps the method of killing was incorrect? How could one link Tsuchimikado Tadataka with the full moon?
With that thought, Qi Xuansu had a sudden epiphany.
Tsuchimikado Tadataka had said that Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto’s divine power had descended here. As the moon deity among the Three Great Kami, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto was connected to the moon. So the moon itself could be a manifestation of his divine power.
Although divine power was omnipotent, according to Qi Xuansu’s understanding of divine power, it had one major flaw. It required a vessel. Divine power was not something that naturally existed in the world but something forcibly condensed and created through human effort. Without a vessel, divine power would constantly dissipate.
Divine power was like water. If poured onto the ground, it would quickly evaporate, but if stored in a jug, it could last much longer.
For instance, the divine power of one’s divine kingdom was constantly depleting. However, the volume of divine power it had gathered was so vast that no immediate change was visible. If there were no continuous replenishment, that divine power would eventually run dry, and the divine kingdom would collapse. The Daoist Order’s Thirty-Three Heavens, also known as the Sky Tower, was the largest divine power storage vessel in the world. Most Spirit Guards received their divine power from this place, and the divine power from various regional Daoist mansions was also transported there.
Daoist formations could last for a long time because they were linked to the earth qi, which flowed continuously. Thus, they persisted. That was why, when breaking formations, many Immortals would directly sever the earth’s meridians, essentially cutting off the foundation.