Chapter 874: Demonic Fire
Sixty years was a very long time ago, around the end of the fourth-generation Grand Master’s reign and the beginning of the fifth-generation Grand Master’s tenure. Sage Qingwei, now a candidate for the position of the seventh-generation Grand Master, was separated from that time by three full generations. Such a lengthy passage of time was more than enough for many secrets to be buried deep in forgotten documents.
Even the current Great Sage of the Fenglin Daoist Mansion would not have been aware of these investigation results, as there had been 12 changes of this position. The Chief Deputy and Second Deputy were likewise frequently rotated. This was a deliberate strategy to prevent the Fenglin Daoist Mansion from growing too powerful and forming an uncontrollable splinter regime overseas.
However, such frequent rotation inevitably led to many omissions. The records might still exist somewhere, but those qualified to read them seldom took the initiative. As all direct participants from back then passed away, the matter became a secret known to no one.
Sage Qingwei asked, “Please elaborate.”
Aobozu replied, “Neither the Daoist Order nor the Holy Court found a way to truly resolve the matter. They could only reinforce the seal. The specific sealing methods were controlled by the Ise-jingu and the royal family. Chancellor Toyotomi’s Office rose too late and was never deeply involved in this issue.”
Sage Qingwei was not surprised by this answer. Given the Daoist Order’s usual conduct, if they could handle something themselves, they would never involve outsiders. Of course, other objective factors played a role. For instance, relations between the Daoist Order and the Holy Court were on the rise at that time, and interactions were relatively frequent.
“What exactly is this ‘demonic fire’ you speak of?” Sage Qingwei pressed on.
Aobozu replied, “In truth, both the Daoist term of yin fire and the Holy Court’s term of frenzied flame are inadequate. They each emphasize a certain aspect of this flame, but neither captures the full picture.
“Yin fire is an old term from Daoist classics. It refers specifically to the second heavenly tribulation that Immortals face—a fire trial that begins from the Yongquan acupoint and burns through to the Niwan Palace, reducing the five viscera to ash and rotting all limbs, rendering a hundred years of cultivation utterly void. However, when the Fenglin Daoist Mansion used the term yin fire, they didn’t mean it was literally that. If the fire beneath Mount Fuyo could truly kill Immortals, who would dare speak of sealing it? They used the term to point out that this fire contains immense yin energy, but it was unlike ghostly fire or nether fire. This fire is only yin in essence.
“The Holy Court’s term of frenzied flame highlights the fire’s behavior. Anyone tainted by it descends into madness, often transforming into a demon, with a completely altered disposition—sometimes to the point of denying even their closest kin. According to the Holy Court, those infected by frenzied flame develop extreme, destructive, and self-destructive tendencies, and the flame can hide in the human heart like an ember, appearing extinguished but ready to reignite when the time is right. It’s very difficult to purge. The Cardinal Bishop involved in the investigation once said that despair and madness summon the frenzied flame.
“The reason I call it demonic fire is that it incorporates both the essence and characteristics emphasized by the Daoist Order and the Holy Court. More importantly, after becoming a demon myself, I discovered certain anomalies that neither the Daoists nor the Holy Court cardinals could detect.”
Yagyu Sosei interrupted, “Master, you were already a demon when you participated in this investigation?”