Hunting God Era

Chapter 223 The Aura of Susanoo

The thick, impenetrable darkness pressed heavily over Kagoshima City, except for the magnificent, fortress-like castle tower of the Shimazu family, which was brightly lit, like a giant beast lurking in the darkness opening a thousand cold eyes.

Inside the pavilion, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost palpable.

All the shrine priests, temple monks, powerful warriors, and even the official secret service members from the Shimazu clan who were affiliated with the Shimazu family in Satsuma gathered together at this moment.

The candlelight cast flickering, uneasy shadows on everyone's faces, and the air was thick with anxiety, fear, and a hint of madness driven to desperation.

During this period, while Satsuma was not exactly in complete chaos, it was certainly engulfed in flames and unable to take care of itself.

It was a real fire.

Many shrines and temples were burned to the ground, and even the Yuan Chu, where they were stationed, was completely wiped out.

The former is alright, but the latter is terrifying.

"The Divine Realm has been wiped out?"

Inside the castle tower, a man with a slicked-back hairstyle, dressed in clothing resembling ancient Japanese attire, sat cross-legged on the tatami mats. He glanced around and said in a deep voice:
"You've had contact with this so-called Red Lotus Mage, right? He's only at the second realm?"

The names used to refer to the early Yuan dynasty vary from place to place.

They call it the Divine Realm, the West calls it 'Multiverse,' and the Central Plains call it the Primordial Era.

"Yes!"

Those who were caught in the gaze lowered their heads one by one. One of them said in a trembling voice, "I have fought with him. He is indeed only at the second level, but his chains are extremely powerful, as if they can strip away souls."

"No matter how high one's cultivation level, once bound by those chains, one becomes immobile. Many of our predecessors died this way."

The others nodded in agreement, their faces showing fear and lingering apprehension.

If they hadn't sensed something was wrong and hadn't refrained from fighting the Crimson Lotus Mage, instead choosing to flee first, they would likely have become souls trapped in chains.

They remembered those chains most clearly, and were most worried about them.

"A magical artifact?"

The man with the shaved head murmured, then frowned and asked, "What kind of divine artifact could destroy even the realm of gods?"

In Japan, magical artifacts are called "divine weapons" because demons are considered one of the eight million gods in Japan, and magical artifacts dropped by demons are called divine weapons.

Divine artifacts vary in rarity due to their different effects. Some divine artifacts are particularly good at attacking, but no matter how powerful they are, they may be useful against those in the third realm, but once they reach the fourth realm, the divine artifacts will definitely not be as effective against them.

What's more, this is a divine artifact capable of destroying the realm of gods!
The reason why the Red Lotus Grand Master became famous in a short period of time was not because he quickly gathered a group of martial artists who should have been used as expendable resources, nor because he summoned all the people of the Dark Guard, causing a branch of the Dark Guard to rebel en masse, resulting in a growing number of people. Moreover, he controlled the channels for selling talismans, wiped out the demons, and kept ordinary people from being harassed by demons.

Even the burning of shrines and temples couldn't really affect the Shimazu family.

Throughout history, this has been done before. The narratives of the lower classes cannot undermine the foundation of the upper classes. No matter how much trouble those people cause, it is only confined to the lower classes, and no matter how much they fight, it is only mutual infighting among the lower classes.

There was only one thing that the Shimazu family cared about deeply.

Long before this incident, their divine realm had been sealed off for two days, causing widespread panic. After the seal was lifted, the matter of the Red Lotus Grandmaster immediately came to light.

According to the intelligence reports, chains were also used, and most importantly, the divine realms guarding some places were wiped out!
That is what has been passed down from ancient times to the present, the real foundation that has enabled them to stand firm!
Everything else is irrelevant, but the destruction of the divine realm is a completely different matter, which is why this meeting was held.

They need to come up with a solution, at least to stop that Red Lotus from watching them.

Therefore, they turned to their true mastermind, the Shimazu family, for help.

The Shimazu family also harbored resentment over the previous blockade.

"Are you sure it's just a second-level cultivator, and there's no contact between them and any other forces?"

The man with the shaved head still had some doubts.

He already knew the intelligence; was he really just an ordinary wild monk with such great abilities?
Even if it can bewitch people, where does that power come from?

But his actions don't seem like those of the opposing people. Could he really have done this with just that magical artifact?
"No, we haven't seen him yet. He's the only one there with a group of people," one person said firmly.

"If that's the case..."

The man with the shaved head said, "Then I will personally take action and see who that guy really is."

At the very least, we need to see what kind of divine artifact it is and whether he can obtain it.
Boom!!
Just as he finished speaking, a deafening roar abruptly shattered the somewhat heavy atmosphere inside the castle tower.

It wasn't thunder, but rather a booming sound caused by a massive energy impact on the barrier.

The massive, heavy wooden door of the castle tower, engraved with countless protective runes, along with its frame, was shattered by a violent and intense force.

Wood chips and gravel rained down like a storm, and amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a figure clad in tattered monk's robes, with dark chains wrapped around his arms, strode in like a demon returning from hell, stepping through burning flames and broken doors.

It is none other than the Great Master Honglian!
Behind him, there were traces of human activity, clearly indicating the use of gunpowder. It was unclear where they got it from, but they forcibly blew open the wooden door.

The doors here are mainly for protecting against demons and warriors, but they don't offer much protection against worldly things, because the Shimazu family is the king here and doesn't believe that worldly things can harm them.

But today, something seems wrong.

The Grand Master Honglian frowned, looking fierce and menacing, his eyes burning with rage, like a wrathful deity.

"The Shimazu family!"

His voice was like metal scraping together, conveying a sense of compassion mixed with ruthlessness.

"The source of Sama's filth, you treat human life as worthless, feed on demons to enrich yourselves, collude with evil spirits, and commit heinous crimes!"

"Today, the crimson flames of karma will burn your lair and cleanse this defiled land! Beneath the chains, your karmic obstacles will be subdued! Shimazu family, your time has come!"

Before he could finish speaking, and before anyone could react, the chains binding his arms came to life and rushed toward the group. They moved faster than lightning, ignoring any spatial barriers, and locked onto them.

"Karma, conviction!"

Chaos erupted instantly inside the hall. The shrine priests were filled with shock and anger, and they all formed hand seals and used their powers. The temple monks chanted incantations, and strange lights and vajras shone brightly.

The others roared and drew their swords, their various true qi lights shining brightly, converging into a violent torrent of energy, attempting to block the seemingly slow but actually incredibly swift chain of light and shadow.

Splash!
A series of chilling sounds rang out, and no matter what force was used, it could not touch the shadow of the chains. They penetrated all defenses without hindrance and bound the target precisely!

The moment they were bound, both powerful martial artists and those who possessed some divine artifacts froze in their movements.

Their eyes instantly became empty and blank, as a semi-transparent phantom identical to their original form was being forcibly dragged out of their bodies by chains.

The soul was pulled out!
In that instant, a burst of red light shot from Master Honglian's eyes, and he raised one palm while chanting a spell.

As he chanted, the prayer beads in his hand flew up in unison, and a talisman was also flung out, remaining suspended in mid-air. The light from the flying prayer beads ignited into flames, burning the hollowed-out bodies. This talisman was a 'divine artifact' he had taken from the warriors after burning down a shrine; it could ignite flames and burn away flesh, making it more effective than his offensive methods.

The flames instantly burned the body, leaving not even ashes in the blink of an eye.

"You bastard!"

Only the man with the shaved head was still alive.

His expression changed at that moment; the contempt that had lingered in his eyes vanished without a trace, replaced by solemnity and disbelief.

That chain is no ordinary magical artifact!

If he hadn't dodged quickly enough when the chains were activated, he probably would have been locked up as well, even if he had moved from the head seat on the tatami mat to a more distant location.

"Who exactly are you?!" the man with the shaved head demanded.

"Burn away all karma, Great Master Red Lotus."

Master Honglian said to the man with the shaved head, "You are karma, so I must burn you. Only when you die can this place be cleansed."

"Do you think you can shake the foundation of my Shimazu family, which has stood for hundreds of years, with this borrowed external force?"

The man with the chonmage-style haircut's voice deepened, carrying a strange resonance, as if the entire castle tower was breathing with him.

"The land of Satsuma is the chosen land of the Shimazu family, and the blood of the Shimazu is the blood of divine favor! Today, I will let you, you wretched creature, see what true divine protection is!"

"Powerful artifacts aren't something you alone possess!"

At this moment, he no longer regarded this person as a second-realm martial artist. This was not a power that a second-realm martial artist could possess, and he had to deal with it seriously!

He suddenly drew the ancient-looking short knife from his waist!

hum!
A long and resounding hum echoed around, and the moment the short sword was drawn, it did not gleam with cold light, but instead burst forth with a deep blue radiance like the ocean.

The radiance spread rapidly, not illuminating the main hall, but distorting the light and projecting a blurry yet immense scene behind Yoshihiro Shimazu.

It was a raging, turbulent ocean, with towering storm whirlpools hanging where the sea met the sky, and the shadowy image of an unimaginably enormous eight-headed serpent could be vaguely seen churning and roaring in the raging sea.

At the eye of the storm, there seemed to be a phantom of an ancient and sacred building constructed of massive logs.

A will originating from the ancient wilderness, slaying demons and monsters, wild and unruly yet carrying divine protection, descended as if it were a tangible force.

"This 'Murakumogiri' is a sacred weapon of the Shimazu family. You should take a look at it!"

With a single wave of his hand, he unleashed a beam of azure light, like a storm that instantly plunged the Crimson Lotus into a boundless, raging ocean, where it was battered and torn apart by endless storm waves.

In an instant, his blood boiled and he knelt on one knee.

"A mere second-realm cultivator, having luckily obtained a divine artifact, dares to be arrogant and disdainful of everything."

Yoshihiro Shimazu, with his hair and beard standing on end, was bathed in azure divine light. Holding a short sword, he resembled a divine messenger who controlled storms and the sea.

"Divine artifacts belong to the capable, and you are not one of the capable ones, so they are mine!"

The deaths of his men were nothing compared to the power of the chain artifact, which allowed him to witness its might. It seemed capable of even defeating those in the fourth realm. If he obtained this artifact, he would not be residing in Satsuma; this eastern island of Japan would belong to his Shimazu family!
That's true, at least in the human world!

Obtaining this item will enhance the Shimazu family's influence. As for the destroyed subordinates, nobody cares; they can only blame their bad luck.

"die!"

He raised the short sword high with both hands and slashed forward fiercely!
As he moved, the eight-headed giant serpent projected behind him suddenly let out a deafening roar, the raging ocean surged with towering waves, and a deep blue lightning bolt as thick as a bucket, wrapped in an aura of destruction, cleaved down from the storm vortex and headed straight for the Crimson Lotus Mage!

This strike contained not only his power at the fourth realm, but also the unique power of that divine weapon, making it far more powerful than ordinary fourth realm cultivators!

Dealing with someone at the second level is a piece of cake.

The people below are too complacent; they can't even control a second-level cultivator. They deserve to perish.

Honglian's pupils shrank sharply. She tried to use the chains, but under this power, she was unable to move and could only watch helplessly as the lightning struck down.

He had just made a great start and was planning to take advantage of this meeting to attack the Shimazu family and wipe them out in one fell swoop. Is he going to fall here?
boom!!

Just as the lightning struck, a soft sound suddenly rang out from outside.

"Oh? Eight heads? Yamata no Orochi is interesting."

The voice was not loud, yet it clearly pierced through the thunder, whispering in people's ears.

The man's downward strike abruptly halted, and the lightning vanished abruptly. An unprecedented chill, chilling to the bone, shot up from his spine to the top of his head without warning.

Two figures appeared at the entrance of the main hall.

A man stood with his hands behind his back, his posture as upright as a pine tree. He wore simple modern clothes, had a young face, but his eyes were as deep as an abyss.

The other person was tall and fit, with a honey-brown complexion, like a lithe female leopard, and stood silently to one side.

Especially that young man, he didn't emanate any powerful energy fluctuations, just like the most ordinary tourist, but this extreme ordinariness seemed incredibly eerie in this environment.

The man with the shaved head narrowed his eyes. "You're the ones behind this?"

As expected, this wild monk from the Second Realm did not accomplish anything alone.

Li Ye's gaze swept lightly over the kneeling Crimson Lotus Mage, past the mess and burning corpses, and finally landed on the man with the shaved head.

To be precise, it landed on the short sword in his hand that emitted a divine blue light, and on the projection of the raging ocean and the shadow of the eight-headed serpent behind him.

"It's a knife, a knife taken from the giant snake. No matter how you try to connect it, it can only be connected to one thing."

Li Ye nodded slightly, his tone as calm as if he were appraising a work of art, "The fury of the storm, the bravery in slaying the serpent, and the power of destruction. This magical artifact is interesting, but..."

His gaze suddenly sharpened like a knife, piercing through the layer of azure divine light and reaching the essence of things.

"It's a magic weapon obtained from Pan Yao. In your Primordial World, is Pan Yao the Yamata no Orochi or Susanoo himself? But whatever it is, it was built with human lives. The aura of this sword is very mixed, with resentment from human deaths. It must have been built by a lot of people who died."

"I'll find out the specifics when I go in later."

Li Ye laughed and said, "There is indeed a surprise. Your Yuan Chu is a matter of divine importance."

All of this points to only one thing: the god of Japan itself.

Susanoo, one of the three noble sons and one of the most representative gods of Japan.

(End of this chapter)