A Pawn's Passage

According to Princess Himiya Akiko, Izanagi’s head and torso were not sealed within Yomi. After all, Yomi possessed the power of resurrection, so sealing his head and torso there would only aid his rebirth.

Mount Fuyo was an active volcano. If its crater were seen as an abyss leading straight to the netherworld, then Yomi lay at the very bottom, at the yin-yang rift, plugging the surging yin energy. Izanagi’s remains rested above Yomi, and above them was the seal set by Vairocana.

Whether one sought to enter Izanagi’s divine kingdom or Yomi itself, one had to first fish out Izanagi’s remains.

Sage Qingwei’s concern was how much consciousness Izanagi still retained. If Izanagi was asleep or half-asleep, moving only by instinct, then it would not be so troublesome. But if he were fully awake, that would be disastrous. After all, Izanagi was an ancient god, ranked far above the Three Great Kami. Who knew what power he might wield?

Princess Himiya Akiko’s reply gave Sage Qingwei some reassurance. Vairocana had not only shattered Izanagi’s body but also scattered his soul, leaving each fragment with its own shard of awareness, rather than concentrating all of it in the torso and head. Even the demon tribes born of his shattered golden body carried fragments of his consciousness. However, they were so fragmented and dispersed that they were barely perceptible.

So, they could conclude that Izanagi certainly still had consciousness, but not a complete one. This led to drastic changes in temperament or missing memories, making him wholly unpredictable. When Vairocana shattered him, it was never with the intent to restore him, so there had been no mercy. Even if Vairocana returned to the world today, it would be difficult for him to reassemble Izanagi as before. Shattering a vase was easy, but piecing the shards back into its original shape was hard. Even if the vase were patched back, it would never be the vase that it once was.

However, just as Ghostly Immortals could split their thoughts into countless fragments and Banished Immortals could sever their Three Corpses, the remnants of Izanagi’s consciousness was not to be underestimated. Lin Lingsu’s Three Corpses could take form as Lin Yuanmiao, acting no different from an ordinary man, so Izanagi’s stray soul could be treated as independent entities derived from his true self.

That was why Izanagi’s left arm had been able to scheme against Little Yin and Qi Xuansu, seeking to use them to break free.

In the end, Princess Himiya Akiko still warned Sage Qingwei that once Izanagi was made whole again, his scattered consciousness would likewise merge. Though the fragments diffused among the demon clans could not be recovered, and his power would never reach its full peak, it was still possible for him to regain more than half his consciousness.

Sage Qingwei resolved to gather Izanagi’s five parts and open the gate to the latter’s divine kingdom. After all, Izanagi had lost his golden body and half his divine kingdom. His consciousness was incomplete, and he had been sealed for countless years, leaving his strength greatly diminished and at most equivalent to a Longevity-stage Immortal. With Sage Qingwei, Great Sage Zhang Qihan, Tamamo-no-Mae, three first-rank Spirit Guards, and several Pseudo-Immortals joining the mission, they could somewhat control the situation. If not, the Immortals of Jade Capital could be summoned down through emergency measures. Even Princess Himiya Akiko and the Great Tengu could be compelled to act.