Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Prince Fushimi's forehead was almost pressed against the cold tatami mat.

No one spoke in the room; the atmosphere was heavy.

After a while.

"His Majesty!"

Prince Fushimi suddenly raised his head:
"Your Majesty, please grant me another chance! I will personally lead the army to complete the unfinished mission of Takeshita Yujiro, and in cooperation with His Highness Nashimoto, present the head of that damned little celestial master before Your Majesty's throne!"

Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in the eyes of the Grand Master who was kneeling to the side.

He never expected that his cousin, who had always been pampered and used to staying behind the scenes, would have such courage.

However, upon further reflection, the situation has indeed developed to the point where intervention is absolutely necessary.

The Emperor looked at Prince Fushimi and nodded with a smile:

"I am greatly pleased to see that Your Majesty has made such a decision."

In fact, he himself had the same idea.

This young celestial master has caused immense harm to the empire, repeatedly opposing it and not only killing numerous powerful and skilled individuals who served the empire, but also massacring a large number of the empire's elite soldiers.

His existence has already become a towering figure in the Empire's operations in China, on a spiritual level.

This insurmountable mountain not only severely damaged the morale of the army, but also caused great distress to many non-Israelites who served the empire.

If no countermeasures are taken soon, many extraordinary individuals may withdraw from this battle out of fear.

Getting rid of him has become an urgent and top priority.

Just now, before Prince Fushimi arrived.

He had already discussed this matter with the Grand Master.

They had even agreed that the chief priest would persuade Prince Fushimi to participate in the matter.

Before they could even tell him, Prince Fushimi arrived on his own.

"Your Majesty, the journey to the Central Plains is fraught with peril. That young Celestial Master possesses extraordinary abilities, beyond human reach. To ensure absolute safety, I have decided to provide you with some additional support," the Emperor said slowly.

Prince Fushimi was his confidant; otherwise, he wouldn't have been given the position of Fleet Admiral and Chief of the Navy.

Despite this major failure, the root cause of the problem was that the young Taoist priest was simply too vicious.

He did not mean to punish Prince Fushimi.

Upon hearing that the Emperor intended to support him, Prince Fushimi immediately kowtowed and said:

"Thank you, Your Majesty. May I ask what kind of support Your Majesty wishes to bestow upon me?"

The Emperor's expression became extremely solemn, and he spoke slowly and deliberately:

"For this operation, I have decided to temporarily grant you one of the three divine artifacts."

"Three...Three artifacts?!"

Prince Fushimi suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with unbelievable ecstasy.

The Three Sacred Treasures! These are the supreme sacred objects passed down through the Japanese imperial family for two thousand years, and also the symbol of the imperial family.

They are the Yata no Kagami, the Kusanagi no Tsurugi (also known as the Ame-no-Murakumo no Tsurugi), and the Yasakani no Magatama.

Legend has it that these three sacred treasures possess incredible power and are the tokens bestowed upon the imperial family by Amaterasu to rule the world.

The Three Sacred Treasures played a crucial role in enabling the Japanese imperial family to remain at the pinnacle of power for over two thousand years, even during the era of the powerful shogunate.

The power of the Three Sacred Treasures is far beyond what magical weapons like the demon sword Hiruma or the dōjigiri Yasutsuna can match.

Prince Fushimi believed that as long as the sacred treasure could be summoned, there was no enemy that could not be defeated.

If there is.

Then bring out another one!
The three divine artifacts, which are the foundation of the nation, have not been brought out for a long time. Even he, a prince of the royal family, has only looked at them from afar and has never witnessed their true power.

Now, is he going to wield the divine artifact to clear obstacles for the empire?

Prince Fushimi, suppressing his excitement, asked with utmost respect:

"May I ask, Your Majesty, which divine artifact would you like to bestow?"

The Emperor didn't keep him in suspense, slowly uttering three words:

"Yata mirror."

This was something he had discussed with the chief priest before Prince Fushimi arrived.

"Yata no Kagami?"

Prince Fushimi was taken aback, then instinctively looked at his cousin and said:
"Your Highness Nashimoto, I recall that the Yata no Kagami, one of the Three Sacred Treasures, has always been enshrined in the inner sanctum of the Ise Grand Shrine and personally guarded by the successive Grand Priests, right?"

He had a bad feeling because his cousin was the chief priest of the Ise Grand Shrine.

In other words, this magical artifact was given to his cousin rather than to himself.

In Japanese mythology, Susanoo once caused a great disturbance in Takamagahara, angering Amaterasu. In her rage, Amaterasu hid in the Ama-no-Iwato (Heavenly Rock Cave) and never appeared again, plunging the world into darkness.

In order to invite Amaterasu Omikami, the gods together created the Yata no Kagami (Eight-Span Mirror), hung it in front of the Ama-no-Iwato (Heavenly Rock Gate), and performed the ritual dance "Kagura".

Amaterasu was drawn out of the cave by the Yata no Kagami (the mirror of the eight feet), which allowed light to return to the earth.

Therefore, the Yata no Kagami represents the divine body of Amaterasu Omikami and contains Amaterasu Omikami's supreme divine power.

Because the main deity enshrined at Ise Grand Shrine is Amaterasu Omikami.

Therefore, this sacred artifact has always been enshrined at Ise Grand Shrine and looked after by the chief priest.

The chief priest looked at Prince Fushimi and said calmly:

“Lord Fushimi, I have brought the Yata no Kagami to the Imperial Palace. It is now enshrined in the Third Hall of the Imperial Palace, together with the Yasakani no Magatama.”

Upon hearing this, Prince Fushimi Yasuhito's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, "Could it be... that we're going to summon two divine treasures this time?!"

If that's the case, then victory is practically guaranteed!

However, the Grand Master simply looked at him calmly without saying a word.

How could I have such a foolish younger brother?

What a foolish naval idiot.

Before becoming the chief priest of Ise Grand Shrine, he was also an army general.

It was the Emperor who broke the silence:

"Your Majesty, since the beginning of time, there has never been a precedent in Japan of using two divine weapons simultaneously for warfare. There has never been one before, and there will never be one in the future."

The Grand Master also spoke up, saying, "To deal with a Chinese freak, one divine artifact is enough."

Upon hearing this, Prince Fushimi was startled and quickly lowered his head, saying, "It was I who overstepped my bounds! Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

"It's alright." The Emperor waved his hand and stood up. "Let's go, follow me to the three halls of the palace to request the divine artifact."

The three of them rose and, surrounded by attendants, walked deeper into the imperial palace.

They walked through the long corridor, their wooden clogs echoing hollowly in the passageway.

The palace servants knelt at a distance, none daring to raise their heads. The deeper one went, the colder the air became—not a temperature chill, but a heavy, oppressive cold.

The air was filled with a strong scent of incense sticks, mixed with an indescribable stale aroma.

They arrived at a building surrounded by ancient giant trees.

This is where the ancestral spirits of the royal family and the Three Sacred Treasures are enshrined.

The architectural style here is completely different from that of the Imperial Palace outside.

Black tiles, vermilion pillars, flying eaves and brackets—ancient, mysterious, oppressive…

There were no lights around, only a few white paper lanterns hanging in front of the hall, emitting a pale light.

The Emperor walked at the front, followed closely by the Grand Prince, while Prince Fushimi followed at the back.

The Emperor pushed open the heavy palace door, and a cold wind blew out from inside.

In the very center of the main hall, there are two shrines, which are considered to be the sacred objects enshrined there.

Even through the shrine, Prince Fushimi could feel the terrifying aura emanating from the sacred artifacts inside.

"Is this the Yata no Kagami and the Yasakani no Magatama?" he wondered to himself.

At this moment, the Emperor gestured for the Grand Master of Ceremonies to step forward.

The chief priest nodded, entered the main hall, and respectfully performed the elaborate worship ceremony, chanting ancient and difficult-to-understand prayers.

As the prayers were recited, the air in the hall seemed to freeze.

An invisible pressure descended from the shrine, making Prince Fushimi Yasuhito feel breathless. He held his breath and stared intently.
After the ceremony, the chief priest carefully opened the shrine, lifted the curtain, and revealed the sacred artifacts inside.

The Yata no Kagami (Eight-Span Mirror) is not as enormous as one might imagine within the temple grounds; it is only the size of an ordinary bronze mirror, oval in shape, with an ancient cloud and thunder pattern on its rim.

The mirror surface is not a bright reflection, but a deep, ethereal light.

Then, the chief priest took out an even smaller shrine and solemnly placed the mirror inside.

He held the shrine and turned to walk in front of the Emperor.

The Emperor reached out, solemnly accepted it, and said with a dignified expression:

"Lord Fushimi, Lord Nashimoto. The Yata no Kagami is the spirit of Amaterasu Omikami. Today, I temporarily lend it to you. I hope you will use this treasure wisely to slay demons and monsters and uphold the glory of our nation!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Fushimi looked instinctively at the Grand Chancellor.

However, the Grand Master simply stood there respectfully, showing no intention of welcoming the divine artifact.

He reached out his hands, trembling, and accepted the heavy shrine.

The moment he obtained the shrine, he wondered if it was the power of the Yata Mirror or just his imagination.

The fear and unease in his heart vanished instantly, replaced by an unprecedented surge of confidence and an unwavering belief in victory.

"Your subject... will certainly not fail in his mission!"

He clutched the box tightly, his eyes burning with ambition and murderous intent. With this divine artifact, that so-called little celestial master was doomed!

The Grand Master thought the same thing. With the blessing of the divine artifact, he could finally stop being afraid of that little celestial master and take action against him. He could act freely, force him out, and then kill him.

The Emperor said, “Your Highness Fushimi, Your Highness Nashimoto, I have heard that there are also divine treasures in the land of Jinshu. You must be careful!”

Despite the Emperor's well-intentioned reminder, both the Grand Chancellor and Prince Fushimi outwardly agreed respectfully, but inwardly they were somewhat skeptical.

Prince Fushimi said, "Your Majesty is overthinking it. If the divine artifacts of the Divine Land were truly as powerful as the legends say, how could their imperial family have changed hands so many times?"

"Unlike my great Japanese Empire, whose imperial lineage has remained unbroken for ten thousand generations! This is the best proof of Amaterasu's protection!"

In his view, the divine weapons of China, like the army of China, are numerous but of questionable quality.

It is simply incomparable to the Three Sacred Treasures, which have been passed down for nearly two thousand years and embody the faith of the entire nation.

The Grand Master nodded slightly and echoed, "What Your Highness says is absolutely right. Although China is vast and rich in resources and has a long history, that is all in the past."

"The land of China today is like an old elephant struggling on its deathbed; it appears large, but is actually extremely weak."

"The Taoism that the little celestial master belongs to, although it is said to have a long history, be ancient and mysterious, is quite intimidating."

"But in reality, the internal factions are numerous and the organization is disorganized. They only think about living a quiet and inactive life, hiding in the deep mountains and forests to cultivate their minds and bodies."

"Its followers are few and its organization is loose, making it less threatening than those foreign Buddhist sects."

"In my opinion, among all the extraordinary people in the entire Divine Land, this little Celestial Master is a difficult exception to deal with."

"Apart from that, there is nothing to worry about. Now that we have the Yata Mirror to help us, breaking their magic will be a piece of cake."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's concerns dissipated, and he nodded, saying:

"Since Your Highnesses are so confident, then I will await good news at the Imperial Palace."

"Your Majesty, we will certainly not disappoint you!"

……

Meanwhile, in China, at Longhu Mountain.

The news that Zhang Zhiwei had used his lightning-fast transformation to defeat the Japanese marines and kill their admiral spread instantly, even before the news from Jianghu Xiaozhan.

However, it didn't cause much of a stir, because many Taoists on Longhu Mountain were still undergoing trials within the illusionary inner world of the Guiyuan Formation.

Zhang Zhiwei even went to the Shangqing Palace to report the details of the matter to his master, which greatly surprised Zhang Jingqing.

He knew Zhang Zhiwei would intervene, and he even tacitly approved Zhang Zhiwei's departure from the mountain. However, he did not expect that Zhang Zhiwei would not even leave the mountain, but would resolve the crisis by sending an avatar.

Just as he was about to praise Zhang Zhiwei's brilliant methods, he heard another, even more surprising thing from Zhang Zhiwei.

Afterwards, Zhang Zhiwei surprisingly chose to downplay his own impact and even instructed the newspaper to attribute the credit more to "the unity of the military and the people" and "the concerted efforts of the masses."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingqing's usually stern face broke into a genuine smile of relief.

"You did a great job with the things in Shanghai."

"I only did what little I could."

Zhang Jingqing said, "Five thousand Japanese pirates were killed without hesitation. This is no small feat. What's even more commendable is that you handled the aftermath very well, giving the credit to the soldiers and civilians who fought so hard."

"In this chaotic world, while individual bravery is important, what is even more important is to awaken the courage and confidence of the people."

"If you portray yourself as an omnipotent god, the people will become dependent on you and will only pray to gods and Buddhas when they encounter difficulties, forgetting to save themselves."

"But if you attribute the credit to the masses and tell them that as long as they are united, ordinary people can also defeat powerful enemies, that is the true way to save the world!"

Zhang Zhiwei smiled and said, "It's all thanks to my master's excellent teaching."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingqing burst into laughter: "Don't flatter me, kid."

Zhang Zhiwei smiled as well.

Zhang Jingqing added, "However, having suffered such a great defeat, the Japanese pirates will certainly not give up easily and will definitely launch an even stronger offensive."

"Master, I know what I'm doing."

“As long as you know what’s going on, I see that your fellow disciples in the Guiyuan Formation are about to pass through. Do you want them to go and help Shanghai?” Zhang Jingqing said.

Zhang Zhiwei shook his head: "I'll be fine over there. If the junior brothers want to go, they should go to the northern battlefield. I'll contact the people there now!" (End of Chapter)