The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 616 The civet cat exchanges for the prince

Inside the main hall of Ise Grand Shrine.

Ji Tianrui's gaze instantly turned cold, but she didn't seem surprised. It was as if she had expected it all along, and now the worst possible outcome had come true.

She silently took half a step back.

The suppression of the Two Elements has risen once again.

Ji Tianrui stood there silently.

After a long while, she finally let out a long breath.

"I see."

"I should have thought of it earlier."

"time."

"Although the clues we obtained earlier can be roughly pieced together, there is still one point that is a bit strange—the timing."

Ji Tianrui quietly sorted out her thoughts.

“You appeared in the Central Plains when the Great Shu Kingdom was founded, and remained there until thirty years ago, almost completely abandoning Shintoism… So why were you discovered when I came here three years ago?”

Who found me?

Ji Tianrui's speech gradually quickened. She had already pieced together a clue, and following this clue, the last bit of mystery shrouding Japan and Shintoism gradually dissipated.

“One hundred and seventy years ago, Emperor Jianwen obtained the Jizhao Kung Fu, which proves that at that point in time, you had already escaped the suppression of Master Zhang Sanfeng.”

“You cannot return here; that would likely trigger a reaction from Master Sanfeng, who would then suppress you again.”

"So, from that time on, someone else was suppressed here in your place. He was the one who found me that day... Two hundred years ago, you had already given up Shintoism. Everything that followed was his doing."

"The person who founded Shintoism has been nowhere to be found since Lord Li and I arrived in Japan. It's as if he has completely disappeared."

Looking at the skeletons at the bottom of the pit, Ji Tianrui said softly.

"I should have thought of it earlier."

"The method passed down from Yingzhou was passed on to An Qisheng by you. He can revive in other people. You can also transfer your life realm to other people and transfer your consciousness and memories to another person."

"In this way, the person who inherited your life and cultivation will be suppressed along with Master Sanfeng, while the person who inherited your memories and consciousness can take advantage of this moment to escape the suppression."

"So... everything makes sense now."

Ji Tianrui breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why would you do such petty things in the Central Plains? With your cultivation level, you could easily have pacified everything..."

"Why has the Shinto sect been so slow and ineffective since Lord Li and I crossed the sea to the East? It could even be described as chaotic and helpless..."

"Why do clues about you sometimes appear in the Central Plains and sometimes lead to the Ise Grand Shrine..."

"Because you have been divided into three parts."

Ji Tianrui said in a deep voice.

"One part is your body, which died from the suppression of Master Sanfeng."

"One part is your consciousness. After abandoning Shintoism, you returned to the Central Plains. Because you lost the Celestial Realm, you handed over the cultivation method to Emperor Jianwen, using the Da Shuo court to suppress the Celestial Realm and prevent the emergence of demons like me and Lord Li. At the same time, you rebuilt the Celestial Realm, preparing to repeat the old story of Shintoism in the Central Plains and try to step into the realm of Celestial Realm again."

"The last one... is your realm."

Ji Tianrui suddenly turned around.

"Two hundred years ago, after realizing that it would be difficult to finish you off, Master Sanfeng poured all his life and cultivation into the [Two Elements] to imprison you here."

"But he missed one person."

"Xu Fu." Ji Tianrui's feet moved slightly, and her true energy exploded. The five paths of unity drove her lightness skill to burst forth, and she disappeared from the spot in an instant.

The unspoken meaning need not be fully explained.

The True Man Sanfeng was indeed formidable, worthy of being the most outstanding genius in a thousand years. His "Two Elements" technique was indeed the most powerful and wondrous technique. At the cost of his life, he actually managed to create a shackle that even the old man on the river could not escape.

After being suppressed for thirty years, he finally realized that he had to give up everything in order to survive, otherwise he would be suppressed indefinitely, watching himself decline day by day, waiting for the next self-made genius to stand in front of him.

Fortunately, he had helpers.

Xu Fu was his first disciple.

The person who founded Shintoism.

Using An Qisheng's method of resurrection, he transferred his life and cultivation to Xu Fu. At that time, the True Man Sanfeng may still have some consciousness, and instinctively suppressed Xu Fu, who possessed the realm of the River Elder, here as well.

Meanwhile, the consciousness and memories of the old man on the river took advantage of this brief moment to escape the suppression of the [Two Elements] using another body brought by Xu Fu.

He abandoned Shintoism, Xu Fu, Japan, and his own ideal of transcending the heavens and man, and returned to the Central Plains.

At the same time, Ji Tianrui finally understood why the shrine maiden of Hachiman Shrine scoffed at her conjecture... because Amaterasu Omikami was never one person, but two!
Amaterasu Omikami, who lived 170 years ago, was Kawakami no Tomohito.

The current Amaterasu is Xu Fu.

Ji Tianrui crossed the walls of Ise Grand Shrine and sped off towards Kyoto.

She understood one thing.

There were two corpses at the bottom of the pit, one belonging to the old man from the river and the other to Xu Fu.

After two hundred years of attrition, the suppression of Master Sanfeng has loosened considerably, and is now barely maintained. It is no longer possible to consciously suppress others.

Xu Fu must also know the methods of the River Elder, and he is able to communicate with the Grand Master, so he was always aware of his and Li Miao's arrival.

Will he replicate the behavior of the old man from the river, using An Qisheng's methods to resurrect the body?

Although it is unknown why Kawakami gave up Shintoism, Xu Fu still possesses everything he has—Shintoism and the Six Paths Unity Realm. This means that Xu Fu could also take advantage of some opportunity to step into a realm beyond the celestial beings.

According to Shinto believers, the main hall of Ise Grand Shrine enshrines the incarnation of Amaterasu Omikami, and the sacred artifact Yata no Kagami.

However, there was not a single mirror in the temple.

So what does this so-called Yata no Kagami refer to?
Where are we now?

Ise Grand Shrine is 150 li away from the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. Given Ji Tianrui's speed, it wouldn't take her too long to get there.

"Lord Li...be careful..."

Ji Tianrui landed on a treetop and shot forward like an arrow.

"Don't rush into action."

"Don't be soft-hearted."

"Kyoto, the Imperial Palace is a trap."

"Xu Fu may very well be right beside you!"

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Kyoto City, the Imperial Palace of the Emperor.

Last night's fire reduced the building to charcoal, and the embers still burned, baking the corpses on the ground with a nauseating aroma.