Chapter Twenty-Five: Four Yin and Four Yang Seal Eight Coffins

The young Celestial Fox sat in the chair, his eyes darting around mischievously, as though weighing the pros and cons of the matter at hand. After a while, he finally said, “If everyone is worried about the drought demon’s attack, I do have a solution. Brother Zhang, when you left the sect, didn’t you also bring a few of those crimson flags along with the Rain-Prayer Banners?”

“The Crimson Dragon Banners?” Zhang Yuanchu retrieved four deep red banners, each embroidered with golden dragon patterns. Upon close inspection, the so-called dragon patterns were actually formed from intricate runes, composing a special fire dragon incantation.

“These were originally a set of magical implements—twelve in all—meant solely to arrange the Triple Sun Flame Dragon Annihilation Formation, with no other use. They’re relics from ancient cultivators, and only four remain. Tasteless to use, yet a pity to discard, they’ve long languished in the sect’s storerooms.”

“These four banners can ward off fire, absorbing flames to condense into fire dragons. As long as we hold the banners and stand atop the four coffins, we can easily cut off the drought demon’s path of retreat.”

Ji Feichen was surprised that the Celestial Fox youth was offering to help, but the suggestion reminded him of something: “Four Fire Dragon Banners aren’t enough for eight coffins, but if we add the four Rain-Prayer Banners, it’s a different story. The Rain-Prayer Banners are of water, holding the four gates of yin, while the Crimson Dragon Banners are of fire, guarding the four gates of yang.”

“Then, by using the principle of yin and yang’s mutual generation and leveraging the terrain’s gathered energy around the eight coffins, we can transform death into life, trapping him within the coffins so he cannot escape?” Li Jingxun’s eyes lit up; wasn’t this the very method she had taught Ji Feichen just days before?

“Exactly, four yin and four yang make up the eight trigrams. He uses eight coffins to seal the eight directions and create a land of certain death? We’ll do the opposite, using the interplay of yin and yang to transform it into an eightfold haven of life.”

The Gate of Life connects all meridians, borrowing the world’s rising righteous energy to trap the drought demon within the valley, making escape impossible.

Hearing this, Jingxuan was overjoyed and said to Zhang Yuanchu, “Contact the two elders at once—there is no time to lose. Shall we begin immediately, everyone?”

Since manning the formation gates entailed little risk, the others agreed.

“Rest assured, everyone, any losses from this battle will be borne by our Daoist Virtue Sect. Saving lives takes precedence; we absolutely cannot let the drought demon succeed.”

A drought demon who achieved the Earth Immortal level would possess terrifying power—wherever he rested, the land for a thousand miles would be scorched and barren. Apart from the Thirty-Six Blessed Caves, no other sect could withstand such a disaster.

Three thousand years ago, an Earth Immortal drought demon, enraged by her husband’s capture, sought vengeance at a certain sect. In a single day, she turned the sect into a sea of fire. Even though that sect had an Earth Immortal guardian, they still couldn’t withstand the drought demon’s supreme sorcery. Of that grand sect, only a couple of survivors remained.

The group then split up. Ji Feichen, carrying the Rain-Prayer Banner, teamed up with Tushan and Li Jingxun to handle the eastern arrangements of the Chenghuang Mountains.

The coffin at the Palace of Zhen in the east was bounded by cliffs to the east, a dry river valley to the west, the official road to the south, and dead forest to the north. The area was perfectly square, forming the shape of a coffin.

The three stood atop the cliffs, surveying the terrain. Li Jingxun pointed to the parched river valley. “Once, clear waters flowed here, channeling vital energy from the cliffs downstream—a dragon reclining in the mountains. To the north, thick woods shielded the land, and the official road brought prosperity. In a hundred years, this would have become a land of rising dragons. But now, with the coffin formation set, all vitality is lost.”

Li Jingxun spoke of a geomantic configuration once fit for royalty, an auspicious place to bury one’s ancestors. But now, the drought demon had utterly ruined it.

“That only shows the demon’s discerning eye,” Tushan said with a laugh. “If the feng shui here weren’t excellent, why would he come? He intends to borrow eight favorable sites and turn them into his own tomb.”

Li Jingxun shook her head and sighed. “Heaven cherishes life. If he had cultivated quietly in the mountains, perhaps he could have attained enlightenment through virtue. But with this chaos, to what end?”

Depending on their origins, drought demons who reached celestial fruition had varied destinies. Some scorched thousands of miles and vanished into the netherworld, becoming flying night fiends. Others, after enlightenment, turned from demons to the Dao, bringing rain to parched lands and becoming deified as drought gods. Some transformed yin into yang, finding new life amidst death and becoming celestial revenants—revived as living beings. There were even those who, deep in esoteric contemplation, became corpse immortals revered by the Daoist sects.

The vast majority of drought demons, however, could not suppress the resentment in their hearts. Three thousand years ago, a female immortal spent centuries cultivating virtue, yet in the end, her rage erupted—she scorched a thousand miles, destroyed several blessed lands, and remains unable to transcend to this day. Thinking of that drought demoness who cultivated immortality, Tushan could not help but sigh.

She had once been a mortal, buried in a special tomb and transformed into a corpse demon after death. After three centuries of cultivation, she achieved the Dao of the Human Immortal and forged a drought demon’s body. Eight centuries more of secluded cultivation followed, until she descended from the mountains to the freezing north, where she used her powers to create a blissful land for living beings and thus attained Earth Immortal fruition, becoming a female immortal revered even by the orthodox Daoists.

Yet in the end, she succumbed to a tribulation of the heart, journeyed south, and scorched five thousand miles. The collapse of that dynasty three thousand years ago, and the great chaos among the Daoists, all stemmed from her single thought. In the end, ten Earth Immortals joined forces to seal her within the Demon-Suppressing Tower.

Her story left Li Jingxun deeply moved. “All beings under heaven are equal in their potential. No matter one’s origins, if one cultivates with a sincere heart, there is always a chance to understand the great Dao. It’s a pity that, in a single moment of error, she brought catastrophe to millions—a true tragedy.”

Ji Feichen remained silent, stroking the Rain-Prayer Banner as he listened to their conversation.

His thoughts drifted, pondering how to respond to the coming challenges. “Weapons like the Demon Dragon Mace aren’t suitable. I’ll have to rely on the Water God Thunder, the Yin-Yang Dragon Whiskers, and the Azure Tide Pearl. Hopefully, Li Jingxun won’t discover my true identity.”

Suddenly, a vermilion luan bird flew down from the sky, its song crisp and clear, trailing a rainbow across the heavens.

“A message from my sect?” Li Jingxun reached out to catch it, and the bird transformed into a scroll in her hand.

After reading it, she said, “The two elders have arrived. I’ll be back shortly.”

When she left, only Ji Feichen and the Celestial Fox remained. Ji Feichen couldn’t help but complain, “You really know how to stir up trouble. Why get involved in something this dangerous?”

“This is merit, don’t you get it?” Tushan said disdainfully. “You demon folk wouldn’t understand. To slay a heaven-defying drought demon and save the lives of thousands—that’s a great act of merit. Even if the Virtue Sect claims most of it, the remainder is enough to offset some of my tribulations and help me achieve the Celestial Fox’s Dao.”

Celestial Foxes, attuned to the heavenly way and blessed with extraordinary wisdom, often defied fate and thus faced calamities. Tushan saved lives and healed the sick in the mortal world to accumulate merit and ward off disaster.

Ji Feichen said nothing.

The Celestial Fox continued, “I heard you came down from the north. Surely you’ve found your corresponding celestial artifact?”

“You know?” Startled, Ji Feichen wondered where he’d gotten the news.

“Jingxuan, that honest fellow, told me with little prompting.” Tushan shrugged indifferently. “So, you’re missing just one now?”

Ji Feichen was about to reply, but the Celestial Fox cut him off. “Don’t pretend with me. We foxes are masters of divination. I’ve already figured it out. So, do you want to quickly sever your third celestial karmic tie?”

Ji Feichen’s eyes narrowed, a gleam hidden within. “You’re awfully generous all of a sudden. No wonder you gave me that Concealing Qi Pill. Out with it—what do you want me to do?”

“The cultivator tied to your third karmic link is in the Immortal-Sealing Tower!”

“The Immortal-Sealing Tower?” Ji Feichen’s face changed dramatically. “You want to rescue someone from there?”

That was not a place anyone would willingly go.

“To steal someone from the Sacred Land of the Daoists? I’m not that reckless!”

“I have my plans. So, will you take the gamble? I have my own reasons, and I can help extract your counterpart along the way.”

Ji Feichen understood: this sly fox had laid a trap for him from the start. If he wanted to cultivate the methods of the Qi Adepts, he had to sever his immortal-demonic karmic ties and absorb celestial energy into the path of vital force. That meant he had to help the Celestial Fox undertake this journey into the Immortal-Sealing Tower.

“Let’s be clear—if you don’t join me, I’ll hand you over to the Daoists.”

Ji Feichen’s expression didn’t change. “If you betray me, I’ll expose your whole scheme. If you go digging at the Daoists’ sacred ground, I’m sure they’ll love to hear about it. You won’t get into the Immortal-Sealing Tower, but you might get a tour of the Demon-Refining Tower.”

Tushan’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Likewise, I’m sure they’d be fascinated by your ties to the Underworld Sect. Why did you go to Tiger-Departed Mountain? They’ll want to know. The Demon-Suppressing Tower might become your final home.”

The Immortal-Sealing Tower, the Demon-Suppressing Tower, the Demon-Refining Tower—these were places where the Daoists imprisoned cultivators, all guarded under the supreme palace. No one ever left.

The two locked eyes, murderous intent sparking between them.

Suddenly, Li Jingxun returned, sensing the tension. “What are you two doing?”

“Nothing,” Tushan said, slinging an arm around Ji Feichen’s shoulders with forced camaraderie. “Just chatting. By the way, did anything come of your meeting with the elders? Of course, if it’s a sect secret, you needn’t say.”

“It’s nothing serious. The elders gave us a few bottles of pills. Since you two cultivate the path of Qi Adepts, they specially sent some Jade Dew Essence Pills.”

Jade Dew Essence Pills? Tushan’s face showed surprise as he took one and rolled it in his palm, explaining to Ji Feichen, “Jade Dew Pills are made from the dew of a hundred flowers mixed with over a hundred spirit herbs. Each pill requires three pounds of dew as a catalyst—not easy to make. The Virtue Sect is truly a grand sect.”

For an individual to collect the morning dew would take at least a year for a single pill—hardly worth the effort. But with the Virtue Sect’s numbers and spiritual deer, they could gather enough for several batches in just a month.

“It’s rare for the elders to remember us. We’ll have to thank them later,” Ji Feichen said, taking two pills and thanking Li Jingxun.

Then he asked, “Junior Sister Li, do you know which elders from your sect have arrived?”

“Uncle Yu Tianyang and Uncle Lu Xuanji.”

Yu Tianyang? Ji Feichen was startled, then felt a surge of dread. Yu Tianyang was notorious in the demonic world as a slayer of demons, responsible for the deaths of countless Underworld Sect disciples. He was also the old nemesis of Ji Feichen’s own master.

“If he discovers my identity, I’m done for!”