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

The Grand Master's words surprised both Matsui and Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu.

They exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes they saw an irrepressible gleam of excitement.

But soon, both of them composed themselves and looked away.

Although they still regarded each other as irreconcilable enemies in their hearts, neither of them objected to the battle plan proposed by the Grand Master.

First, the Grand Master of Ceremonies has the qualifications and status. He was once an army general and is now the supreme leader of Shintoism; even the Emperor treats him with respect.

Secondly, he is now neither a member of the Navy nor the Army, but a detached third party.

Therefore, obeying his orders to coordinate with the actions of one's sworn enemy is no longer about bowing down to the other side, but about serving a noble goal.

This psychological barrier allowed both of them, who were both proud, to easily step down.

Most importantly, they really couldn't find anything wrong with the plan itself, or the decision itself.

This is a grand undertaking, and also a well-intentioned strategy that can completely solve the problem.

"Did you all understand?" The Grand Master's voice rang out again, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"Hai!"

"Hai!"

The two responded in unison, their voices loud and clear.

The Grand Master nodded in satisfaction, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon, as if he could already see the dawn of victory.

"Then do as I say. I'll personally keep an eye on that little Chinese Taoist master. Once his true form can't resist making a move and steps onto this battlefield..."

He slowly raised his right hand, making a clenching and slashing motion in the air, his eyes icy cold.

"I will borrow the supreme divine power of the divine artifact to ignite the wrath of Amaterasu and kill him... with a single blow! I will leave him no chance to regret it, and turn him and everything he protects into dust!"

This is a completely open and aboveboard conspiracy!

Prince Fushimi and Matsui said no more. They bowed deeply and then immediately turned and left to begin making arrangements for their troops.

Such large-scale coordinated operations involving tens of thousands of troops cannot be accomplished in a few words. Behind it lies a mountain of complex logistical scheduling, intelligence confirmation, and order transmission, requiring them to race against time.

Meanwhile, the Grand Master also had his own things to do.

The person he was about to face was the pinnacle of the extraordinary world of Shenzhou, and even with the power of the divine artifact "Yata no Kagami" as a shield, he could not be easily underestimated.

He needed to make a perfect plan. He wanted to maximize the Shinto religion's ability to command spirits and deities. He wanted to summon an unprecedented "Night Parade of a Hundred Demons" in this bustling city to completely destroy the Tian Tong Church and reclaim all the face and dignity the empire had lost here recently, with interest!

……

The Japanese pirates began to frequently mobilize their troops, and such large-scale operations naturally could not escape the notice of all the all-pervasive eyes and ears of the people of China.

The spies from Jianghu Xiaozhan and the informants under Lu Yusheng's command all intercepted some intelligence to varying degrees.

In other words, the Japanese pirates never intended to keep it a secret. They wanted to project an image of overwhelming force and certain victory, putting immense psychological pressure on China.

This is precisely the terrifying aspect of a calculated strategy—I show you my sword, let you know where it will come from, yet you have no choice but to meet it head-on.

All of this information was transmitted to Zhang Zhiwei through various channels immediately.

Zhang Zhiwei, that big mouth, found out, and naturally Zhang Jingqing found out too.

At this moment, at the Shangqing Palace on Longhu Mountain.

Zhang Zhiwei and his master Zhang Jingqing sat facing each other, a fierce game of chess lying between them.

But at this moment, neither of them was thinking about the chessboard.

"Judging from all the signs at the moment, this is an open conspiracy." Zhang Jingqing picked up a white piece but did not place it.

He stared quietly at the black and white pieces on the chessboard, as if he were witnessing a real battlefield.

“It is indeed an open strategy.” Zhang Zhiwei nodded, his expression calm. “The Japanese pirates have divided their main force in two, one to the south and one to the north, forming a pincer movement. Their intentions are crystal clear. This battle is about to enter its most difficult and crucial phase!”

"How do you plan to deal with this?" Zhang Jingqing asked, raising her eyes. "The Japanese military movements don't seem to be directly targeting the Tiantong Church. But the more they do, the more abnormal it is. That Grand Master of the Ise Grand Shrine, who has always been as good at hiding as a rat in a gutter, has now stepped forward openly to personally command. He is definitely not here to watch the battle; he must have come prepared, and he must be carrying something that can restrain you."

“Master, what do you think it is?” Zhang Zhiwei asked in return.

Zhang Jingqing pondered for a moment and analyzed, "On the surface, there shouldn't be any superhumans in Japan who are more powerful than you. If there were, given the earth-shattering things you did before, even if that person didn't want to work for the Japanese military, they would probably have been forced to deal with you long ago."

"But the fact that there hasn't been one means that there isn't such a person in Japan. Not to mention Japan, there isn't even a strong person in China who can openly overpower you."

"Since we can't compete on the level of 'humans,' we can only compensate on the level of 'materials,' such as... powerful modern firearms?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiwei shook his head with a confident expression: "At this stage, there are no modern firearms that can threaten me."

His tone was filled with absolute confidence, which was not arrogance, but rather based on an accurate assessment of his own abilities.

We're still a long way from the first atomic bomb.

Moreover, even atomic bombs and nuclear bombs did not pose a fatal threat to Zhang Zhiwei.

That thing is powerful, but it's not a stationary target.

Not to mention that he can turn into light and disappear, or be struck by lightning and explode in mid-air, he is a "ground dragon swimmer" who can swim hundreds of meters underground in an instant.

At this depth, could a nuclear bomb kill him instantly?
“Since it’s not a modern firearm, it must be a magical artifact passed down from ancient times,” Zhang Jingqing continued to analyze. “Besides the demon sword Hirumaru and that Dojigiri Yasutsuna, what other top-tier magical artifacts do the Japanese pirates have that are worth being wary of?”

Although he was a Taoist master, he didn't know much about the supernatural world in Japan.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't actually know much, but even someone with very little knowledge of Japan could name a few impressive-sounding items. "As far as I know, the strongest things the Japanese pirates possess are probably their 'Three Sacred Treasures'," Zhang Zhiwei said.

"The Three Divine Artifacts? What is their origin?" Zhang Jingqing was quite curious. Artifacts that a country would revere as "divine" must have extraordinary stories and powers behind them.

Zhang Zhiwei explained, "The Japanese pirates always make a big fuss about everything they do, and they like to exaggerate all sorts of nonsense. The so-called 'Three Sacred Treasures' are actually three heirlooms of their imperial family. Their imperial family claims to be descendants of gods, and the Three Sacred Treasures are treasures bestowed upon them by the gods. These three items are the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, the Yata-no-Kagami (Eight-Span Mirror), and the Yasakani no Magatama (Eight-Span Curved Jewel). As for their specific abilities, I have no idea."

Zhang Jingqing frowned: "How long have these three artifacts been passed down?"

Zhang Zhiwei thought for a moment and said, "It should be between one thousand and two thousand years, but I'm not sure exactly how many."

“Such a long time…” Zhang Jingqing put down the chess piece in his hand, and his expression instantly became extremely serious: “If it is a magic artifact, a magic artifact that is often nurtured by people using Qi or by the power of incense and faith, after so many years, even if it is a pile of dog shit, it should have great power, let alone a magic artifact inherited by the royal family.”

In terms of their understanding of ritual implements, Zhang Jingqing and Zhang Zhiwei differed. Zhang Zhiwei had never seen one before, but Zhang Jingqing was very knowledgeable about them.

Because the Celestial Master's Mansion inherits the "Three Treasures of the Celestial Master," which has a history of nearly two thousand years.

Zhang Jingqing was naturally well aware of the power of his family's inherited magical artifacts. Therefore, after learning that the Japanese pirates' three sacred treasures had been passed down for nearly two thousand years, he immediately abandoned his contempt.

He even subconsciously believed that the Japanese pirates' three sacred treasures might not be inferior to his own family's three treasures.

After all, this is a national royal family making offerings, and the Japanese pirates' faith is relatively concentrated. These three so-called divine artifacts are definitely not weak, and may not even be weaker than the Three Treasures of the Celestial Master.

"The Japanese pirates are coming in with great force this time. Have you thought of a countermeasure?" Zhang Jingqing asked.

“I have some ideas,” Zhang Zhiwei replied.

"tell me the story."

“Master, I have studied many rituals for setting up altars and performing rites during this period, and I have also had the protection team and some believers in Shanghai learn some of them. If there is any situation, I will set up an altar and perform rites to ask the Ancestral Master for help,” Zhang Zhiwei said.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingqing burst into laughter.

He thought Zhang Zhiwei's answer was very good; this was exactly what a Taoist priest of the talisman school should do when facing a crisis.

He had originally thought Zhang Zhiwei would say something arrogant like, "I learned to cultivate qi before I learned to walk. Have all these decades of cultivating both body and mind been in vain?" or "His divine weapon is sharp, but it has not harmed my life either."

"This is a wise decision!" Zhang Jingqing laughed. "In the past, I asked you to learn more about talismans and rituals, but you always made excuses. Sure enough, a hundred words from a person are useless, but a single act of teaching will truly touch one's heart."

Zhang Zhiwei smiled. Before, he was all alone, so it didn't matter what happened; if he could win, he would fight; if he couldn't, he could always find a way around it. But now, many people's lives were in his hands, so he had to be more cautious.

“However…” Zhang Jingqing’s smile faded, and she said seriously, “You can set up an altar and perform rituals, but the Shinto sect is also skilled at exorcising gods and commanding ghosts, so I’m afraid they will also need to set up an altar and perform rituals to command divine power. Therefore, having an altar is not enough; some other preparations are also needed.”

"What preparations?" Zhang Zhiwei asked, puzzled.

Zhang Jingqing looked at him and slowly said, "Have you forgotten? The Japanese pirates have the Three Sacred Treasures, and our Celestial Master's Mansion also has the 'Three Treasures of the Celestial Master'! Since he dares to bring the sacred treasures across the sea, we might as well... bring the Three Treasures down the mountain and meet him!"

"Three Treasures?"

Zhang Zhiwei's eyes widened. He naturally knew about the Three Treasures of the Celestial Masters; they were the secrets and foundations of the Celestial Masters' Mansion.

The fact that the Celestial Master's Mansion has been able to survive for nearly two thousand years is absolutely due to these contributions.

As the sect's inherited magical artifacts, they are not brought out unless it is a matter of life and death.

Zhang Zhiwei's eyes lit up, and he tentatively asked, "Which treasure does Master plan for me to take down the mountain?"

"If you want, you can take Sanbao down the mountain," Zhang Jingqing said with a smile, stroking his beard.

"This...this is not necessary." Zhang Zhiwei quickly waved his hand in refusal.

He knew that of these three treasures, the "Three Five Male and Female Evil-Slaying Swords" and the "Yangping Governing Capital Seal" were kept at the Wanfa Sect Altar.

The "Zhengyi Mengwei Talisman", also known as the Celestial Master Talisman, is the source of Taoist talismans and the core carrier of the Zhengyi sect's teachings.

It resides within the Celestial Master's body, which is known as the "Celestial Master's Blessing".

If the Three Jewels are brought down the mountain, isn't that a transmission of the Dharma?
Master's innate constitution is still full and his body is very healthy. He doesn't want to take over the position of Celestial Master so early and be trapped on the mountain.

"No need?" Zhang Jingqing laughed. "I was just joking with you. Do you really want to take all three treasures with you? Even if you wanted to, your master wouldn't do it. What are you thinking?"

Zhang Zhiwei: "…………"

"Master, which treasure should I bring?" Zhang Zhiwei asked helplessly.

Zhang Jingqing's joking expression vanished, replaced by seriousness: "Since you intend to set up an altar and perform rituals, then take the 'Yangping Zhidu Gong Seal' with you. All talismans and documents must be stamped with this seal to reach the ears of the heavens and possess the power to communicate with the divine. With it, the power of the altar can be greatly amplified, allowing you to more completely and smoothly command the divine power of the ancestral master to descend."

Zhang Zhiwei was overjoyed: "With this, everything will be foolproof!"

“That’s not necessarily true.” Zhang Jingqing shook her head. “The Japanese pirates are here with the intention of killing us, so they must be fully prepared. Aren’t you skilled with a sword? Take the ‘Three-Five Male and Female Evil-Slaying Swords’ down the mountain with you.”

"This sword was forged by the Celestial Master on a Jiazi day, using the spiritual metals of heaven and earth, combining the numbers three and five, and following the principles of male and female. It is an unparalleled magic sword that can slay demons and monsters, break magic and ward off evil, and has boundless power."

"When performing the ritual, the three or five male and female swords used to slay evil are used, making the altar even more powerful. Even if there is any emergency, holding the sword in one hand and the seal in the other, and then invoking the divine power of the ancestral master, is enough to deal with it."

Although Zhang Jingqing never looked down on the Japanese pirates, he also did not believe that his family's ancestral artifacts were inferior to those of the Japanese pirates' royal ancestors.

“Master, one is enough, there’s no need for two,” Zhang Zhiwei said.

He still remembered the scene when his uncle asked the ancestral master for divine power to break the shackles of the dragon vein in the land of the dragon vein.

His current strength is much greater than that of his senior uncle back then.

Over the years, he has also improved his rank in magic registers and is now a second-rank, three-hole five-thunder grand mage.

With his current power, the ancestral divine power he can summon is absolutely beyond imagination.

Zhang Jingqing glared at her: "Just take him with you, why all the nonsense? Say one more word and I'll tie you to the Three-Five Male-Female Evil-Slaying Swords and unleash them!" (End of Chapter)