Chapter 972: The Zhang–Li Struggle

The divine golden body and the physical true body were two entirely different things. The divine golden body was formed of divine power. This power carried divine might, which was an aura of overwhelming spiritual pressure. It also possessed the miraculous ability to create, manifesting divine power into tangible things like turning stone to gold, giving life to painted dragons, transforming beans into soldiers, and so on. In this regard, divine power resembled magical power.

The golden body was an acquired form condensed from divine power. A Shaman would first start from the Golden Body Realm before proceeding to the Spiritual Body Realm, where they merged with the Spiritual Statue. Finally, at the Godly Immortal stage, they would perfect this Spiritual Body, thus attaining the Godly Immortal’s Golden Body.

The physical true body, by contrast, was one’s fleshly vessel, something everyone had. Manly Immortals focused on continuously refining their physique until they reached the transcendent state of shattering the void with sheer bodily strength.

Many Godly Immortals and Ghostly Immortals abandoned their original physical body under various circumstances, existing instead in the form of a golden body or a yang spirit. For example, Wu Luo’s physical body was long ago cut down by the Ancestral Heavenly Preceptor, so only her divine golden body remained.

However, this was inconvenient, especially for Godly Immortals. Using divine power to interfere with the real world came with many restrictions and taboos. In truth, it was far easier to conjure an independent small world with divine power than to directly alter the terrain of the mortal realm. Thus, when Godly Immortals struck, they often appeared more impressive, seeming to shatter heaven and earth. However, they were merely half illusion, half truth. If an opponent believed their might to be real, that belief could be used against them, turning illusion into true harm. However, such means were highly subjective. Non-sentient things like mountains and rivers had no will, so they could not “believe” in anything.

When it came to raw destructive force upon reality, Earthly Immortals were the champions. For them, there was no need for belief. The strength they exerted produced an equivalent effect on both living beings and inanimate objects, much like firearms.

Thus, the spells and illusions of Godly Immortals and Ghostly Immortals would not work against Earthly Immortals. The concept of an indestructible body mainly referred to the tangible realities of Earthly and Manly Immortals, yet it was also often undone by mind-based techniques.

For this reason, some Godly Immortals still preserved their physical bodies. Even if they could not descend into the mortal realm with their physical bodies, they remained more practical than their divine golden body.

Izanagi was such a Godly Immortal who retained his physical body. His physique was unimaginably strong, nearly indestructible.

The most direct advantage was that while some deities entered their first death once their golden body was broken, Izanagi could still move freely even after his golden body was shattered. With a physical body, he could do as he pleased.

Thus, after the Vairocana shattered Izanagi’s golden body, he still had to slice apart and separately seal Izanagi’s physical body. Since Izanagi’s true body had not perished, half of his divine kingdom remained, hidden somewhere in the unknown void.

Sage Qingwei had just completed inspecting the five temporary sealing grounds and was now in his final conversation with the Imperial Preceptor before the formal operation began.

The Imperial Preceptor’s voice carried a faint distortion, yet still held its authority. “I have read the plan you drafted, and I have no objections. The other two Daoist sects won’t make any moves, at least not openly. If I remain still, then the Heavenly Preceptor and the Earthly Preceptor will not move. You are the Sage Commander of Fenglin, so no one can overstep you.”

Sage Qingwei asked, “In about two hours, I will send Izanagi’s five parts to Donghai and summon this ancient god. Do you have any further instructions, Imperial Preceptor?”

The Imperial Preceptor replied, “I just want you to remember that when faced with great difficulty, act with boldness. When things seem uncertain, do not be careless.”

Sage Qingwei’s gaze swept over the case files before him, each compiled with details on Izanagi and his wife, Izanami. At last, he added, “There is one more matter, concerning the seal at Ise’s Iino District. The Heavenly Preceptor once descended there through the Haotian Mirror, so I fear this could lead to complications.”

The Imperial Preceptor uncharacteristically fell silent for a moment. As the leading figure of the Li family opposing the Zhang family’s leader, the Imperial Preceptor had worked alongside the Heavenly Preceptor for years, allied with him against the fifth- and sixth-generation Grand Masters, and competed against him as a rival. Thus, the Imperial Preceptor had a very clear understanding of the Heavenly Preceptor.

Many within the Daoist Order thought of the Imperial Preceptor as ruthless and calculating, while they considered the Heavenly Preceptor to be a benevolent and amiable elder. Yet they never stopped to think: how merciful could a man who once killed his own sister and could stand as an equal against the Imperial Preceptor be?

The Heavenly Preceptor, with his lineage as a descendant of the Ancient Immortal True Lord Ziguang, had risen into the highest ranks of the Daoist Order. How could he be ordinary? One must understand that being of Ancient Immortal descent was not a merit but a liability. It was seen as even less favorable than being an orphan of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Had the Heavenly Preceptor not been of such descent, he might have become the sixth-generation Grand Master himself. But the truth was that the Daoist Order would never allow a descendant of the Ancient Immortals to lead. The position of Deputy Grand Master was the highest he could attain.

Sage Qingwei, as the second-in-command of the Taiping Sect and one of the Daoist Order’s three heirs, did not know the Heavenly Preceptor as deeply as the Imperial Preceptor did. However, he dared not underestimate the “kind” elder.

Seeing that the Imperial Preceptor remained silent, Sage Qingwei continued, “The Heavenly Preceptor plots with long foresight. He used Zhang Juquan’s death to secure Zhang Jucheng’s rise as the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master. I suspect that when he entrusted his Twin Swords to Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, he already intended to use this as a pretext for legitimately descending into Fenglin. And of all places, he chose the site of Izanagi’s seal...”

The Imperial Preceptor finally spoke. “That is indeed a variable. But matters are shaped by men. The original plan remains unchanged. Should complications arise, as long as they occur within the divine kingdom, they can be eliminated outright.”

Sage Qingwei also fell silent for a moment.

The Imperial Preceptor did not press him.

At last, Sage Qingwei said, “I will handle it.”

Having received Sage Qingwei’s firm response, the Imperial Preceptor said no more and ended the communication.

Shen Yuqing silently appeared behind Sage Qingwei. “Sage.”

Sage Qingwei did not turn around and instructed, “Proceed with the preparations as originally planned.”

“Yes,” Shen Yuqing replied solemnly.

Only after Shen Yuqing had departed did Sage Qingwei slowly turn around, his slender eyes narrowing further.

The Zhang-Li struggle had stretched across nearly three centuries of Daoist history, even longer if one included the hundred years before the Daoist Order’s revival. Though there had been brief periods of peace, such as certain intervals under the Holy Xuan, Zhang Luanshan’s leadership, and Yan Feiqing’s tenure, the two families had, for the most part, remained in opposition, or at least semi-opposition.

Since the Zhang family held the south and the Li family held the north, it was also called the Northern-Southern Struggle.

This left a lingering shadow over Sage Qingwei’s heart, one that would not dissipate.

The Heavenly Preceptor’s Twin Swords were the ancestral blades of successive Heavenly Preceptors, never to be wielded by one outside the Zhang family. The last outsider to wield them had been the Great Sage Yan Feiqing, who was the only Heavenly Preceptor of non-Zhang blood and had stood as leader of the Zhengyi Sect and rivaled Donghuang.

Before him, the last outsider to wield them had been the Holy Xuan.

Now, the Heavenly Preceptor had entrusted the Twin Swords to Qi Xuansu, another outsider. Leaving the Holy Xuan aside, could Qi Xuansu truly be compared to Great Sage Yan Feiqing?

No matter how highly the Imperial Preceptor valued Li Changge, he had never handed over his own sword, the Skycaller, to the junior. Even though Li Changge’s cultivation level might not yet allow him to unleash its full power, this Fenglin campaign was supposed to be momentous, tied to the succession of the Grand Master seat. Still, the Imperial Preceptor had not lent out his sword as the Heavenly Preceptor had.

Lending out such personal swords that had accompanied one for decades was no small matter. These swords almost never parted from their owner until ascension from the mortal realm.

However, the Heavenly Preceptor had handed his swords over. Whether excused as having no use for it or the juniors lacking a suitable semi-immortal object—such reasons were hard to believe.

At this critical moment, the Heavenly Preceptor descended into Fenglin under the guise of a seemingly reasonable excuse, stepping directly onto their most crucial node. Was that truly just a coincidence?

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

After all, it was often not one’s friends who knew one best, but one’s enemies.

The ones who understood the Li family best were not the Shen or Lu families, nor the Su family of Qingqiu Mountain, not even the imperial Qin family, but the Zhang family of the Zhengyi Sect.

Judging from the Heavenly Preceptor’s arrangement, the Zhang family had already seen through the Li family’s plans. How, then, would the Zhang family play their hand? That was where the great uncertainty lay.

The greatest threat did not come from Izanagi. It came from within the Daoist Order itself.

But the Imperial Preceptor’s will was already set, and Sage Qingwei could not oppose it.

After all, the difference between the first and the second-in-command was like that between an emperor and a crown prince. They were seemingly just a single step apart, yet in truth, they were separated by a large chasm.

Sage Qingwei took a deep breath, as if the Imperial Preceptor’s stern face were still before his eyes.

The Imperial Preceptor’s demands were not excessive. Sage Qingwei was still the Sage Commander of Fenglin. Though Sage Qingwei’s cultivation was not the highest, he held the greatest authority. So long as the three Deputy Grand Masters did not descend personally, no one could confront him head-on with the resources at his command.

The arrow was nocked, and it had to be loosed.

Sage Qingwei strode out of the command tent.

Two hours later, four Longevity-stage Immortals—Zhang Qihan, Tamamo-no-Mae, Princess Himiya Akiko, and the Great Tengu—rose into the skies together.

Each carried with them a part of Izanagi’s limbs.

Though the four might not be able to suppress Izanagi once revived, restraining a single portion of the ancient god’s body was an effortless task.

As for the torso, it was bound under layers of seals and placed aboard the Yinglong Warship, namely, Sage Qingwei’s flagship, with Spirit Guard Jia Chen and Spirit Guard Ding Wei also aboard.

According to the plan, the Donghai Naval Fleet had already cordoned off a swath of ocean between Fenglin and Qizhou, deploying ironclad warships to blockade the waters and forbid any vessels from entering.

After all, they were reviving a Godly Immortal. Even if Izanagi’s divine kingdom were opened at the instant of resurrection, there was no guarantee that they would not face heavenly tribulation.

Even if heavenly tribulation did not descend immediately, should battle erupt, the devastation would be immense. Mountains would be leveled, cities annihilated, and rivers severed. Countless innocent lives would perish, leaving a wasteland soaked in blood.

The saying that mortals suffered when gods fought had some truth to it.

Thus, only upon the vast ocean could the damage be reduced to its lowest.