A Pawn's Passage

The eight faces of the Eight Scenes Lantern each corresponded to one of the eight directions.

The figure on the southeastern face was the first to glow, stepping forth from the Eight Scenes Lantern. A voice echoed, “Vast Primordial Spirit, restore life and transform from within. Vision ascends to the Purple Court. Should any dare to trespass, shatter them with flowing bells. May this name rise unto the Supreme Clarity.”

As the words fell, five thick bolts of purple thunder materialized above Princess Himiya Akiko’s head, converging into one and crashing down with a deafening roar.

Mount Omikami, which was already as dark as night, was instantly lit by the strike. Though Princess Himiya Akiko braced against this strike with the Ame-no-Murakumo, she only barely managed to withstand the thunder. The protective clouds shrouding her body burst apart, scattering like feathers, drifting and falling in disarray.

This was none other than the Five Thunder Strike that was part of the Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method.

The might of each recorded technique was bound to the cultivation of the person who inscribed it. In this case, it was as though Princess Himiya Akiko had endured the thunder of the Heavenly Preceptor himself. Even the clouds from the Ame-no-Murakumo had been scattered, unable to reform for a time.

Zhang Qihan seized the moment, swinging his sword to attack the Saio, aided on either side by his inner demon and Suzuka Gozen. Princess Himiya Akiko and the flood dragon beneath her had no choice but to retreat over 5 kilometers to widen the gap between them.

Zhang Qihan did not pursue her. Instead, the figure on the lantern’s northeastern face illuminated.

A faintly ethereal green formation materialized out of nothing. Talismans of every kind flowed and shifted, emanating glimmers of green light. It looked like countless fireflies emerging from the grass, exuding a vitality of flourishing vegetation, presenting a wondrous scene of all things thriving in exuberance.

So long as one stood within the array, the green radiance would surge into the body, as though cleansing one’s marrow and remolding one’s flesh. The curse that had afflicted Zhang Qihan was swept away in an instant. The black serpentine patterns vanished, and his depleted true essence was restored. This method could regenerate missing limbs and heal any wounds faster than even a Martial Arts Practitioner.

This was the Changchun Restorative Formation.

Its sole flaw was its long preparation time and high threshold. In single combat, it was of little use. Moreover, this formation did not distinguish between friend and foe. Anyone within the range of the green light would be affected, which greatly restricted its application.