Chapter 28: This is Sacred
The sacred radiance illuminated the entire great hall, and a supreme aura surged forth, enveloping the Earth Goddess Ximi.
"Ah~ Great Fan, this is… the Supreme Form: Fire-Linga!"
The Earth Goddess Ximi held her breath. The scene before her eyes was beyond belief.
She had actually witnessed the Supreme Form, Fire-Linga—
Even if it was only a divine mark.
This sight made the Earth Goddess Ximi fall to her knees at once, devoutly praying to and blessing Fan En's Linga.
"You are the greatest existence in all creation.You are the root of life.You are the Infinite—mighty and sacred beyond all."
"Permit me to kiss you, to praise the glorious Fire-Linga."
The Earth Goddess prayed with piety, then lowered her head and kissed it.
Fan En watched with amusement as the Earth Goddess Ximi prayed and offered reverence.
The Linga stirred, leaving the Earth Goddess momentarily speechless.
When the sacred Touch-of-the-Feet Rite ended, the Earth Goddess Ximi finally realized that the Great Tree Goddess Manlina had also entered the Hall of True Mystery.
(Note: The "Touch-of-the-Feet Rite" has two forms. The first is the Sacred Rite—what the Earth Goddess Ximi has just performed. The second is the Sincere Rite—taken literally.)
"Hurry, pray to and bless the Supreme Form, Fire-Linga, my child."
The Earth Goddess Ximi looked at the Great Tree Goddess Manlina with displeasure, urging her on.
Because of Manlina's earlier actions in the City of Good Vision, Ximi had come to acknowledge her—Thus, treating her as her own child.
"Ah, this…"
When the Great Tree Goddess Manlina saw Fan En manifest the Linga, even though it wasn't the first time, her heart was still inexplicably stirred.
Love from Yoni surged forth.
Coming before Fan En, she knelt devoutly, imitating the Earth Goddess Ximi, and completed the Sacred Touch-of-the-Feet Rite to the Supreme Form, Fire-Linga.
Throughout the process, Fan En was stunned.
He froze.
Wasn't this… against the cosmic ethics?No—wait—the Supreme Universal Laws had already been rewritten.
It felt rather good.
But already, an unholy flame rose from Fan En's heart, rushing straight into his mind.
Scorching, searing—iron-hard.
"You have received the blessing of the Supreme Fire-Linga. Do you know what this means? From now on, it is no longer an ordinary Linga. Praise the great Fire-Linga, praise your noble husband."
The Earth Goddess Ximi gazed at Fan En with burning eyes, overflowing with love.
"Manlina, my child, do you realize what a supreme honor it is to behold the divine mark of the Fire-Linga?"
Excited, she failed to notice her husband's predatory gaze, instead speaking passionately to Manlina.
A wave of guilt surged in the heart of the Great Tree Goddess Manlina.
To witness the mark of the Fire-Linga was the highest blessing and joy.
But she had not only seen it—She had… partaken of it.Fully.
"I…"
Manlina wanted to confess, but when she saw the joy on Ximi's face—her motherly lord—she could not bring herself to speak the truth.
"Manlina, leave for now."
Fan En spoke urgently.
The earlier rite had set him aflame, and the mark of Fire-Linga only stoked the fire further—making it even harder to restrain himself.
Still, unlike the Creator God Brahma, he did not indulge in such things openly for others to watch.
Perhaps he simply hadn't reached that level yet.
Hearing his words, the Great Tree Goddess Manlina immediately withdrew. She had not known what else to say anyway.
But before she passed beyond the palace gates, she heard behind her the enchanting voice of the Earth Goddess Ximi—
"Ahhh~"
Manlina's legs tightened involuntarily, and she quickened her pace, fleeing outside.
Time passed as a hundred years in a day.
Only after an entire perfect set of Yogic movements was completed did the sounds in the palace gradually cease.
A complete set of Yoga had thirty-six postures—Fan En and the Earth Goddess Ximi's three-thousand-year practice behind closed doors had produced this.
But the Earth Goddess Ximi had once said that Yoga is the greatest movement of the cosmos—it extends far beyond thirty-six postures.
Fan En deeply agreed.
But to unlock new Yogic positions required constant discovery, exploration, and refinement.
"What are you doing, my great husband?"
The Earth Goddess Ximi looked in puzzlement at the result of a hundred years' effort—only for Fan En to smear it upon her legs.
"Spread it evenly."
Fan En smiled.
"You mean—?"
Hearing his words, Ximi instantly became excited. She recalled his reassurance not to worry.
So this vīrya could remove the scar on her leg.
At once, the Earth Goddess spread it evenly with her hand, feeling a searing power sink into her skin.
The ugly scar began to fade.
But when the strength of the vīrya was spent, the scar still remained—though much lighter.
Unless closely examined, it was nearly invisible.
"Hm? It did not vanish completely?"
Fan En was surprised.
His Linga bore the mark of the Supreme Fire-Linga—That was as though it had been divinely blessed.
Logically, his vīrya should have been able to dissolve even the extreme yin energy of the Black Flood.
"This is already wonderful. Praise you, my great husband."
Seeing Fan En's furrowed brow, Ximi hastened to comfort him. To her, this was already a great blessing.
"Do not worry. I will find a way to completely remove the scar from your leg, my beautiful Ximi."
Fan En's voice was firm.
He knew how important beauty was to a woman—Even more so to a goddess of India.
So long as the scar remained, Ximi would always feel inferior.
Even during Yoga, her heart could never be truly at peace.
Hearing this, Ximi was filled with happiness, and she knelt again.
Her hands and mouth repaid him.
In that sudden ecstasy, Fan En's mind cleared—he had found a method to erase Ximi's scars completely.
After Yoga, the divine milk (दूध, doodh) of the female deity—
For the Black Flood was pure yin;His Linga was pure yang;The Yoni was feminine power;And together, the resulting doodh could dissolve the Black Flood's energy.
But this was not something achieved quickly.
And Ximi was not of fertile constitution.
Even the Great Tree Goddess Manlina, after a single perfect Yoga, had shown no result.
Among the Three Realms, the only goddess with fertile constitution was Virini, wife of Daksha, the Progenitor.—or rather, his consort.
Would he need to borrow her from Daksha?
(Annotation: In Indian mythology, wives could be lent—Shiva once even granted his wife's blessing to a devotee.)