A Pawn's Passage

Yayu, the son of the primordial deity Zhulong, was betrayed and slain by his own subordinates. The Heavenly Emperor could not bear Zhulong’s grief, so he ordered for Yayu’s corpse to be sent to Lingshan. The Ten Great Witches of Lingshan revived Yayu with the Undying Elixir. Yet after resurrection, Yayu’s nature changed drastically, becoming a dragon-headed, cat-bodied monster that devoured humans. In the end, the Heavenly Emperor had no choice but to order for his execution.

This incident triggered a chain of upheavals that led to the decline of Ancient Wuism and ultimately gave rise to the Longevity Stone Heart.

Shuten-Doji and Yayu share a striking similarity. Both were resurrected, only to lose their sanity. Shuten-Doji’s condition was somewhat better, but the difference was marginal.

This inevitably led Sage Qingwei to link the two cases together. In the world, things might differ in form, yet their underlying essence was often the same.

In retrospect, the First Emperor’s decision to send Daoists to Fenglin in search of the Elixir of Immortality was not without reason. These acts of resurrection did indeed resemble Ancient Wuism’s Undying Elixir.

As more secrets of Fenglin surfaced, the Golden Tower Council’s interest only deepened.

When the Daoist Order first set foot in Fenglin, the Tenmon Sect, wary of their flourishing and united might, chose to surrender rather than resist. Thus, the Daoist Order did not explore Yomi, Izanagi, and Mount Oe. Their investigations into Mount Fuyo also remained shallow. Only when the Tenmon Sect launched its “revere the emperor, expel the Dao” movement did the Daoist Order begin to unravel these secrets.

It was not that Sage Qingwei refused to keep secrets, but the army contained disciples from all three Daoist sects, not just the Taiping Sect. Even Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had come into contact with these revelations. There was no chance to silence them, and it was impossible to keep the news contained. So it was better to report directly to the Golden Tower Council. At least then, the Taiping Sect would still get the bulk of the merit.

Sage Qingwei had already resolved to investigate this matter thoroughly. Beyond strengthening the Daoist Order, it would also greatly weaken the Tenmon Sect, killing two birds with one stone.

Thus, someone with firsthand knowledge was needed as an ally.

Without doubt, Tamamo-no-Mae, who had been resurrected and bound to the Tenmon Sect’s service, was the most fitting choice.

Tamamo-no-Mae understood this as well. She replied, “It is what I desire. I dare not ask for more.”