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

Zhang Zhiwei watched this scene quietly.

The sun shines brightly overhead, its rays illuminating the sky.

Without a doubt, this is Amaterasu, the principal deity of Shintoism, making her move.

Can the Thunder Gods defeat Amaterasu?
He silently assessed the situation and felt it was unlikely to succeed.

It wasn't that he was being self-deprecating, but rather that one should never underestimate the deities built up by the faith of millions of people in Japan over thousands of years.

When countless people have unwavering faith in something, the resulting spiritual power called "belief" is extremely terrifying.

It can turn the illusory into the real, give a tangible concept a physical form, and even grant mortals the power to shake the heavens and the earth.

Moreover, Amaterasu, as the principal deity of Shintoism, represents not only a single deity, but also the spiritual totem of the entire Japanese nation.

Even if the Thirty-Six Generals of the Thunder Department joined forces, it would be very difficult to defeat an existence of this caliber on its home turf.

"The ritual must continue!"

With a firm resolve, Zhang Zhiwei twirled the three or five male and female demon-slaying swords in his hand and chanted the mighty thunder incantation once more.

"Thunder rumbled in the sky, thunder roared on the ground, dragon thunder swirled the water, and water thunder surged..."

The altar he is currently operating is the Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin of Thunder and Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable's Demon-Subduing Altar. Since it is the altar of the Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin of Thunder and Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable, it is naturally not as simple as just summoning thirty-six thunder generals.

Seeing Zhang Zhiwei begin the ritual again, the uncles who had been loudly discussing the divine might of the Thunder General noticed something amiss, stopped talking, and turned their gazes toward the smoke and light screen.

“Something’s not right. That sun…” Zhang Yi pointed to the pattern in the smoke, his expression turning serious. “It looks like some big cargo is about to be released!”

“It is indeed a large shipment,” Yi Qian said in a deep voice. “The main deity of Shintoism is named Amaterasu, which represents the sun. Without a doubt, this is Amaterasu herself who took action.”

"Can the Thunder Generals... handle Amaterasu?" Zhang Shoucheng asked with some concern.

“Definitely no problem!” Zhang Yushan, the junior disciple from the previous generation, was still immersed in the victory just now and said with a confident look.

But neither Zhang Yi nor Yi Qian were as optimistic as him.

Although the Thunder Generals are strong, the power of faith should never be underestimated.

They all turned to look at Zhang Zhiwei, who was intently performing the ritual on the high platform. Clearly, Zhiwei shared their concerns.

"What will Zhiwei do next?" Zhang Shoucheng muttered to himself.

Looking at the scene on the stage, Zhang Yushan guessed, "That kid Zhiwei is holding the Three-Five Male and Female Demon-Slaying Sword in one hand and the Yangping Governing Capital Seal in the other. He must be planning to invite the Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin Thunder and Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable to annihilate those evil heretics from the East!"

Hearing this, Zhang Zhiwei, who was performing rituals on the high platform, glared at his lovable uncle with annoyance: "Uncle, I am not skilled enough in performing rituals, so I cannot invite the Heavenly Venerable of Universal Thunder and Lightning of the Nine Heavens. Please do not try to ridicule me!"

The Heavenly Venerable of Universal Transformation and Responding to the Origin of Thunder is no ordinary deity, much less a fictional figure like Grand Tutor Wen Zhong from the novel "Investiture of the Gods".

He is the Thunder Ancestor, the source of all thunder, and the incarnation of the Antarctic Longevity Emperor. He and the Northern Purple Emperor are both among the Four Emperors, one in the south and one in the north, each in charge of the Thunder Department of the Three Realms.

These are the most powerful figures in the Taoist lineage. Even if they possess the Yangping Zhidu Gong Seal and the Sanwu Cixiong Zhanxie Sword, two of the Celestial Master's Mansion's most precious treasures, they cannot be easily summoned to the mortal realm with just a single ritual.

Of course, Zhang Zhiwei felt that it wasn't worth troubling Lei Zu's true form to deal with a mere Japanese lineage.

Lei Zu only needs to provide a little help, and he can do it for him.

After a series of elaborate rituals, Zhang Zhiwei sheathed his magic sword, tidied his appearance, and respectfully bowed before the majestic shrine on the altar inscribed with "Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin of Thunder and Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable".

"Disciple Zhang Zhiwei, with utmost trepidation, respectfully reports to the Heavenly Venerable. There are now Japanese pirates from the East, who masquerade as gods, wreaking havoc on the land, poisoning the lives of the people, and committing countless atrocities. Their Shinto religion is even more of an accomplice to evil, driving ghosts and gods to wreak havoc on humankind, their sins are immeasurable!"

"This humble disciple, by the decree of the Ancestral Master, wishes to quell the demonic forces, uphold righteousness, and expel evil. I humbly beseech the Heavenly Venerable to grant me temporary access to the power of the Divine Thunder, to assist me in penetrating the enemy's lineage, felling their mountains, and destroying their temples, so as to purify the world and save all people!"

"Your disciple respectfully beseeches the Heavenly Venerable to grant your judgment! Hurry, hurry, as the law commands—I hereby decree!"

As the last word "敕" was uttered, Zhang Zhiwei suddenly stood up, his Three-Five Male and Female Demon-Slaying Swords pointing straight at the sky!
"Boom!!!"

In the sky, the already thick thunderclouds began to churn violently once again.

A vast and mighty will began to slowly descend!
……

Meanwhile, on the other side...

The Shinto priest also saw the scene in Takamagahara reflected in the Yata no Kagami (Eight-Span Mirror).

When he saw Amaterasu finally take action herself, and when he saw the supreme divine power of Amaterasu shining upon Takamagahara, he changed his previous dejection and despair, and his whole being regained its radiance.

"With Amaterasu's intervention, things will definitely get better! They definitely will!"

He stared intently at the Yata no Kagami, muttering to himself.

In the Yata no Kagami (Eight-Span Mirror), in Takamagahara (High Plain), the blazing sunlight blankets the entire world.

From the outside, the mirror shows a shimmering golden light.

Within the light waves, a majestic female face could be vaguely seen.

His face was expressionless, devoid of joy or sorrow, and his eyes were like two golden vortexes; simply looking at him seemed to draw one's soul in.

Countless golden ribbons of light danced around her, as if she were the embodiment of light.

When the chief priest saw the true face of the god he had worshipped all his life, he was so excited that he trembled all over, and tears even welled up in his eyes.

He had completely forgotten his previous painful defeats; now, all that remained in his heart was the ecstatic joy and devotion to the god he had come to worship.

He quickly and carefully placed the Yata no Kagami on the offering table, then knelt down respectfully with a devout expression, his buttocks sticking up high, watching the miracle in the mirror in an extremely humble posture.

And at this moment, in the mirror.

Amaterasu has fully revealed her true form, transforming into a massive sun that blots out the sky, stretching across the heavens above Takamagahara.

She spread her arms to the sky, and endless light burst forth from her body, like thousands of sharp swords piercing in all directions.

The thirty-six thunderbolts were instantly enveloped in the blazing sunlight.

Everything around them turned a dazzling golden yellow, and the temperature was soaring at an alarming rate.

However, they were all righteous gods of the Thunder Department, and they were not without the power to resist such high temperatures.

The protective lightning around them began to surge violently, its color rapidly changing from azure to a dazzling silver-white.

Silvery-white lightning enveloped their entire bodies, fiercely clashing with the blazing Amaterasu light.

All thirty-six thunder generals looked up at the sky.

They all possessed the ability to see through illusions. Even when the world was shrouded in bright light and nothing could be seen clearly, they could still penetrate the fiery radiance and see the enormous human figure at its very center. The figure, covered in blazing flames, stood in the sky, waving its hands. With each wave, hundreds or even thousands of orbs of light, resembling miniature suns, would fly out.

Fireballs rained down from the sky like divine punishment.

Faced with this terrifying scene, the Thunder Generals naturally wouldn't sit idly by and wait to die.

They all made their moves, unleashing thick, white bolts of lightning from their hands, tearing through the surrounding blazing sunlight and striking Amaterasu Omikami precisely, causing her waving motion to falter.

However, Amaterasu was surrounded by an even larger sun.

That great sun was the place where the power of her faith, accumulated over millions of years, converged.

Millions of Japanese people believed that she was the sun, and so, the power of that "belief" coalesced behind her into a real sun.

This power of belief, constructed by the subjective beliefs of the group, is extremely terrifying.

She stood at the very center of the great sun. Although the lightning had struck her, it had not been able to penetrate the great sun of faith, and therefore had not caused her any real harm.

However, perhaps sensing the overstepping of these outsiders, a hint of ruthlessness and anger gradually surfaced on Amaterasu's face, which was originally full of divinity and devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

Immediately afterwards, the great sun surrounding her suddenly began to spin violently.

She no longer simply stood still casting spells, but instead charged down into the midst of the thunderous storm.

She was bathed in the raging thunder and lightning, yet remained unharmed.

The thirty-six Thunder Generals felt a chill in their hearts upon witnessing this scene.

There was no room for negotiation at this point. A single glance was enough for them to understand just how perilous their situation was.

This evil spirit, enveloped by the sun, is incredibly powerful!

This strength does not stem from her own subjective strength, but rather from the power built up by the subjective opinions of countless people and the power of their "belief."

With great force, bricks fly; quantitative change leads to qualitative change.

Within this lineage that belongs to her, her power is boundless.

Facing an opponent playing on their home turf, the away team has virtually no chance of winning.

We must retreat! We must leave this lineage, return to the spiritual world, and receive the power of our own lineage to have any chance of fighting back!
With this thought in mind, they began to think of ways to evacuate from here.

However, they entered through the forced capture of the Yata Mirror, so returning the way they came is impossible. They must use other methods, such as forcibly tearing open space.

Amaterasu, however, clearly did not intend to give them that opportunity.

In her lineage, so many gods have been killed, and the so-called "pure land of heaven" Takamagahara has been turned into a mess. Now she thinks she can just walk away? There's no such thing as a free lunch.
The sun behind Amaterasu began to expand wildly at a rate of thousands of times.

Above the sky, a dense shower of golden fire began to fall.

The intense sunlight burst forth like thousands of flashbangs, covering the entire world, making it impossible to distinguish east from west in the vast expanse.

The thirty-six thunderbolts will transform into thirty-six dazzling bolts of lightning, darting swiftly through the sky filled with flowing fire.

They were like a flock of swifts struggling to fly amidst raging waves.

The fiery flames chased fiercely behind them, the sky pressed lower and lower, and the earth beneath their feet began to melt, turning into flowing lava.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion followed immediately.

Amaterasu revealed her true form, transforming into a colossal being hundreds of feet tall! She stretched out her mountain-sized hand, which blotted out the sky and the sun, and fiercely grabbed at the thirty-six bolts of lightning that were rapidly moving through the world!

But each time, the Thunder Generals narrowly avoided them.

However, the surrounding situation was becoming increasingly urgent.

Because it wasn't just Amaterasu who was chasing after them.

Previously, those Japanese demons and gods who were like clay chickens and earthen dogs in front of the Thunder Generals have now become much stronger under the blessing of Amaterasu's divine light, and have begun to participate in the encirclement and suppression of the Thunder Generals.

This is tantamount to making an enemy of the entire world!
Those ghosts and spirits, hidden in the blazing sunlight, could only be vaguely seen as blurry and hideous faces.

They roared madly at the Thunder Generals, their voices reaching the heavens and the earth, sweeping in as if to engulf and engulf everything in their path.

"Heretical and evil beings, receive divine punishment!"

Those who defile the divine realm will never be forgiven!

"Let me turn to ashes in the radiance of Amaterasu!"

Their roars reached the heavens and the earth, vast and mighty, carrying the blazing sunlight, surging forward in a rush, trying to swallow and engulf these thirty-six stubborn bolts of lightning!
But at that moment...

"Boom!"

A deafeningly loud bang filled everyone's ears!

"This is?"

The Thunder Generals, who were pondering how to break through the encirclement, suddenly paused, and then, without prior agreement, looked up at the sky.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The muffled thuds of collisions rang out one after another!
The sky, which had been dyed golden and incredibly bright by the light of Amaterasu, suddenly began to twist and distort in a strange way.

The sky, which had been dyed golden and incredibly bright by the light of Amaterasu, suddenly began to twist and distort in a strange way!
Immediately afterwards, streaks of silver-white lightning rolled out from the distorted void!

The cracks, like a spider web, were dense and spread wildly, covering the entire sky in the blink of an eye!
"Snap, snap, snap!"

The deafening rumble of breaking flesh was terrifying.

Terrifying bolts of lightning, dozens of times thicker than before, poured down from the cracks like waterfalls!

Accompanying the lightning was a deafening thunderclap that seemed to shatter everyone's soul!
"Boom!"

The sound was so loud that it was as if someone had taken a heavy hammer and smashed it hard on everyone's eardrums!
Immediately afterwards, dazzling, blazing white lightning instantly filled everyone's eyes!
Thunder is naturally the bane of all spirits and ghosts.

Although ghosts and gods are empowered by faith, they are still essentially spiritual beings. Facing such terrifying lightning, which is almost at the level of divine punishment, is by no means a wise choice.

In an instant, they were annihilated!
Wind and fire, thunder and lightning, all transformed into blazing light and roar, instantly engulfing everything!
Just moments ago, those arrogant and domineering Japanese demons were reduced to ashes in an instant after facing this massive torrent of thunder, without even having time to utter a scream!
Even the omnipresent light belonging to Amaterasu, the goddess of Mount Takamagahara, was suppressed. (End of Chapter)