Four Hundred And Ninety-One
“I don’t like it here, not at all.” my sis complained. We had been winding our way through the passageways made of ice, and they were a jumbled ss of branches and twisting routes that seed to follow no discernible pattern. At least that’s what it seems…
Using Shaeula’s and my keen vision, as well as so scouting from Aiko’s golden statues, we had discovered that so passageways led to massive concentrations of the toxic, corrosive gas, ford up in strangely shaped caverns. Avoiding those, we spiralled deeper into the separate space that was the inside of the Sessho-seki, but now I could clearly see sothing was on Daiyu’s mind, by the expression on her face. “Nobody likes it.” I said to my sis, replying to her complaints. “It’s a place where one misstep ans death. But despite that… it’s not as dangerous to as Nebisuki implied it would be. But… Daiyu, your thoughts?”
“I am no expert. Bear in mind I am rely speculating…” She prefaced her words with that warning, and her earnestness made smile. Patting her head gently, I waited for her to continue, while my sister whistled, my display of affection improving her gloomy mood. I never quite get why sis is so invested in my love life… “While I am more practised in Talisman-crafting, though my skills are far inferior to the Cultivators of old, I have so passing familiarity with Formations, after all, did we not secure a Formation during the Kyoto struggle?”
Hearing her, I used my excellent mory to rember the paths we had taken, as well as the ones we didn’t that I’d seen. Looking at them, and comparing them to the runes inscribed on the Yin-Yang Karmic asure Desolation Formation… No, it likely isn’t a coincidence… “So you’re saying this is so sort of Cultivation Formation, using the layout of the space itself?” I asked her, and she nodded.
“I believe so. The unnatural order of the passageways seems to describe several parts of a runic Formation. I recognise so from the Karmic asure Formation, as well as several I saw in the old records and legacies of our Sect. Of course, expecting to hazard a guess at what the Formation does from that is like asking a fish to fly. I am no carp, becoming a soaring dragon.” She seed apologetic that she didn’t know, so I intensified my hand, stroking her long black hair soothingly.
“That’s where you’re wrong. We’ll all beco dragons in the end, and I’m glad you’re a girl, not a fish. I wouldn’t want to cuddle a fish.” At my words she flushed adorably, her mood lifting. “Besides…” I raised the more important point. “We can hazard a guess at what the Formation does, can’t we? And the more important question isn’t what, but…”
“Who.” Daiyu agreed. “To arrange such a Formation… it is a great work, such as from lost Kunlun. No re Foundation, or even Accumulation or Perfection of Self Cultivator would be capable of this. Golden Core perhaps?”
“I have travelled across the lands you call China.” Nebisuki mused. “I have t Cultivators, fought them, killed them, listened to them talk, after…” She paused, deciding not to say more. After a long exhalation of breath she continued, ears down and tails waving. “…grandmother vanished long, long ago. Cultivators live long, but even one of these Golden Cores, as you call them, would have succumbed to the withering grasp of ti.”
Daiyu nodded. “Indeed, Cultivation is not rely about power, but is the pursuit of true immortality. Until one reaches the legendary realm of Saint, the mortal body will eventually age and die.”
“So, you are-are a Saint then, Akio?” Shaeula giggled, and I shrugged.
“Different routes to the sa result. Cultivation basically massively strengthens the spiritual body and through that the physical, right? But even an unageing Material body won’t lead to true immortality. Even spiritual beings age and die.”
Shaeula and Nebisuki both agreed. The stronger the spiritual being, and the firr their will, the longer they could endure, millennia no bar to their existence, but eventually even the spirit wearies, and once the will to endure falters, existence will gradually co to an end. “So that ans that whoever set this up is dead, right?” My sis asked. “But… Tamamo-no-Mae is supposed to be as strong as Nurarihyon, isn’t she? Or the King and Queen of the Seelie? So… just how did the Golden Core Cultivator do this in the first place? Are they that strong?”
“I do not know. From the records, I would suspect they are a match for Akio, in so respects, but not in all. It does concern …” Daiyu admitted. After our realisations, we had more questions than answers, but there was nothing to do but push on ahead.
“In that case we shouldn’t linger. The only way we’ll find out the answer is if we see it ourselves.” There’s definitely more to this than we know…
***
“At last…” my sis breathed a sigh of relief. We had been trudging through the dark space for hours, and it was starting to affect our moods. Having to constantly be alert for the dreadful poison which could inflict pain and death with a mont of carelessness, as well as navigate through the seemingly aningless passages, many of which curved back in on themselves, forming descriptive runes, was certainly a trial, made worse by the darkness kept at bay by Nebisuki’s foxfire. It was worse for Shaeula and , as our wind elent was used to keep us safe. Chen Na, fortunately, was in a better spot, as when her barriers were cast they didn’t take much maintenance. Only Nebisuki, and to a lesser extent, Daiyu, seed fine. Nebisuki was wagging her tails eagerly, while Daiyu had been studying the passageways, trying to discern any of the functions of the grand Formation.
“This should be the nexus, the centre.” Daiyu agreed, having mapped out the pathways in her mind. “If my speculation is correct. I think… I wish I had so writing implents to make sketches…”
I felt her birthday present, the Spatial Ring, sitting in my pocket. A little regretfully, she hadn’t received it yet, as her birthday wasn’t until tomorrow, but if she had it, perhaps she would have filled it with useful items such as those. Fortunately I rember, and have a better image of everything through my Eye. I’ll put together a three-dinsional representation on the computer for her. In fact… The supercomputer Hayato-kun and the gang was putting together would likely have applications in studying Cultivation Talismans and Formations. If we could build enough of a knowledge base to simulate outcos, surely we could achieve trendous results.
“Want to send in so Sisters?” my own sis asked, and I shook my head.
“No, I think scouting is a mistake.” My glowing Eye pierced the gloom, and I could see a figure within, immobile. There was sothing else, too, unseen but the distortions of space gave it away, but I let my consciousness glide over it, pretending I hadn’t noticed. “We’ll go in bravely, but… stay alert. She looks bound, but… this is Tamamo-no-Mae we are dealing with.”
“So it is her?” Nebisuki breathed, and I nodded.
“If not her, then I have no idea who it is.” We blew aside the rest of the poison, it hanging thick and heavy, and entered the spacious heart of the Sessho-seki. Daiyu gasped, seeing the incredibly intricate Formations laid out around the room, tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of runes carved into the floor and walls in repeating, complintary patterns. She glanced up, seeing even the ceiling was so inscribed.
Nebisuki, however, cared not for that, her eyes on the figure at the centre of the room. She was hanging there, green eyes open, though their lustre was dull and faded, staring at nothing. Stunning reddish-blonde hair cascaded down her back, reaching below her feet, even touching the floor, and nine magnificent, bushy tails were bound behind her. Her figure was ripe and voluptuous, with the largest breasts I had ever seen on a woman, yet they suited her fra perfectly, and the kimono she wore being little more than rags I could see everything. She appeared a woman in her late twenties or early thirties, yet sohow still looked youthful. Though that was offset by her blank, dead face, her wolfen ears flat against her skull. “It is true then. You were trapped here…” she said sorrowfully. “…many have no love for you, grandmother, but… this is cruel indeed.”
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