Tokyo Gods Only Want Beautiful Priestesses

As expected of unscrupulous people, Tian Gong Ji Xian's words immediately pinpointed one of the purposes of the Divine Palace.

If you ask what fun things are to do with Tamamo-no-Mae, come find Ame-no-Kami to freeload a meal and flirt with your idol while you're at it, boosting your favorability rating – how fun!

"Tch... It's not like I came to see you just because of pretty girls. I came to see you for serious business, okay?"

Tian Gongji had an expression that said, "I'm listening, but I don't believe you."

"Tsk... Stop talking so much nonsense. You know this area well. Let's find a place first, and we can talk while we eat."

"Alright! I know this stuff."

Tian Gongji's eyes darted around twice, and he immediately thought of a good place to go.

"Hehe, I'll take you to experience some of Akihabara's unique features, how about a maid cafe?"

"Huh? You mean those restaurants that overcharge for vegetarian food? I'm not going to be a sucker, that's too naive. They only serve instant food. Do you think I'm the kind of person who can't walk past a woman and whose mind is completely blank?"

Jingu curled his lip, not finding the suggestion from the Heavenly Bow Assembly reliable.

"Don't worry, would I kill you? You'll find out when we get there."

With his arm around the shrine's neck, Tenkyuu Shugen's expression revealed a wicked grin.

This chapter contains 2161 words, please note.

It's so hard to come up with a title; I'm terrible at creating catchy ones.

Chapter 89 Hell Reincarnation

"Welcome, Master!"

The maid at the entrance bowed deeply, and with a touch of embarrassment, Jingu and Tenyu entered the maid cafe.

Although I am called "Master" by the Shrine Master every day, this is the first time I have been called "Master". Maybe I can try using it on someone else next time.

While the shrine was pondering these things, Tenko had already placed his order and was speaking to the maid with practiced ease:

"I'm specifically requesting that Paluffy-chan, who's on duty today, personally deliver the food~"

Jingu took the order form she had placed, glanced at it, and asked in confusion:

"Aren't you eating? Why is it only a single serving?"

"Why do I need to eat?" Tenkyu asked in surprise.

"Do you think all gods are freaks like you, with physical bodies in this world? I am merely a collection of faith, I don't need to eat."

"Then why don't I see you possessing a shrine maiden? Why are you showing up everywhere like this?"

"Heh, no shrine maiden, but plenty of divine power, I can just wander around aimlessly."

The Tenkyu Shrine is clearly a wealthy dog, and although it's strange that there's a shrine but no shrine maiden, the shrine doesn't seem to care.

"Speak, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Jingu glanced at the other people in the shop. An invisible wind pressure formed a weak soundproof layer, preventing outsiders from hearing their conversation.

"I want to ask you if there is any way to retrieve the souls of the dead from hell."

"Um...well...wait a minute! What did you say?"

He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then realized what the Divine Palace was talking about. He immediately opened his eyes and looked at the Divine Palace in disbelief.

"Why are you so excited? It's just a soul retrieval. I know plenty of people who have had their souls retrieved. I'm just here to ask how it's done."

Jingu was somewhat surprised. Wasn't this something that could be done casually? Kaguya was always making money, and he was just asking to see what would happen. Maybe he could even learn from her in the future.

"What do you mean it's just retrieving a soul? You're making it sound so easy. You should ask someone you know. No way, I won't do it. Even if I offered you a price, you wouldn't pay it."

Tian Gongji waved his hand repeatedly. Even this unscrupulous merchant said so. Is it really that difficult?

Jingu fell into thought and tentatively asked, "I'm not asking you to do anything for me, I'm just asking if you have any ideas. Is this not going to work?"

Tian Gongji rolled his eyes at him, then started counting on his fingers with him.

"In that case, I'll tell you why you can't do it. First, you need to understand what the process of hell is like, right?"

"There are Grim Reapers on the Sanzu River, and Enma in the Hall of Enma. Hell and the Hall of Enma are one and the same, so it's highly unlikely that you can get someone out of there."

"We're all gods, can't we even leave without this little connection?" Jingu scratched his head. If it's this strict, how did Kaguya manage to do it?

"It's hard to say. Hell has its own system and principles. Yingzhou has a belief system that combines gods and Buddhas, while Hell is more inclined to the other side. It's very difficult to find someone to help you with this."

Tenkō-jūn shook his head and offered a word of advice to Shōkyū.

"The souls of ordinary people aren't worth going to such lengths to retrieve from hell. Are you trying to..."

What?

"Nothing much, just satisfying my curiosity." Jingu recalled her conversation with Kaguya; she seemed to have mentioned finding it somewhere, something like that.

"The animal realm? What is the animal realm? And the underworld too? Are we going to fish from there?"

“That’s something else. The underworld was established by later generations to house innocent souls or those completely obliterated by hell, leaving them there until they dissipate and merge into the cycle of reincarnation.”

Do souls also have life? From the words of Tenkyu Jixian, we can hear that the soul does indeed have a limit and will be worn down over time, eventually turning into nourishment for new life, just as matter in the material world is degraded into basic particles and then recombined into new matter.

"As for the animal realm..." Tian Gongji paused for a moment, then asked the Divine Palace:

"You should know about the so-called six realms of reincarnation, right? However, this is a Buddhist concept. In the context of the combined practice of gods and Buddhas in Yingzhou, these six realms are just a general term and are no longer specified."

"The eternal world and the present world are opposites. The true cycle of reincarnation is the rebirth of life between the eternal world and the present world. The commonly mentioned reincarnation into the animal realm does not mean that one will actually be reborn as a tiny insect or wild beast in the present world, but rather refers to the destination of a person after death."

"Because every life in this world is a brand new beginning, there is no past life that can be traced, nor is there any karmic retribution for good or evil. The so-called karmic retribution is only used in this world."

"People are judged in the Hall of Hell because of their deeds in life. The good enjoy heavenly pleasures, while the evil go to hell to be punished. After rolling out of hell, people will be in three different situations."

Tian Gong raised three fingers towards the Divine Palace and spoke one by one:

"First, they become hungry ghosts and continue to stay in hell, constantly suffering torment and playing the role of jailers to torment others."

"Secondly, those who have been worn down by hell to the point of losing their human form, leaving only pure souls, are sent to the underworld to await the natural cycle of reincarnation."

“Thirdly…” Tian Gongji paused for a moment before speaking slowly.

“They are sent to the animal realm to continue living as humans, as life, until the time of reincarnation.”

"Wait a minute," the shrine maiden interrupted, "Why is it the animal realm? And how is that any different from the underworld?"

"Aren't humans animals? Although humans consider themselves the most intelligent of all beings, they are still just animals. Aren't primates animals too? Does human strength in the human world make us different from other animals? It is perfectly normal for humans to be reborn as animals; the underworld is the exception."

The Heavenly Bow Assembly appeared and asked in return, and the Divine Palace felt that there was nothing seriously wrong with these words.

"As for the difference, the underworld accepts souls that were innocent in life and those whose souls have been worn down to nothingness, while the animal realm accepts all animals, except for humans who need to be judged."

"The reason for this distinction is quite simple: even if a sinner is punished and all their evil deeds are atoned for, what happens next? Their life as a dead person has only just begun. Won't they continue to do evil? Isn't it another kind of cruelty to put them together with those harmless and innocent souls?"

At this point, a cruel smile appeared on Tenkyu Ji's lips.

"Food brings pleasure, and life is born from moisture, eggs, and wombs. Since we are born for instinctive desires just like animals, we are no different from animals. This is the existence of the animal kingdom. Another human world is a human world where people kill each other for instinct and desire, and no real order can be established."

"So, which do you think is more cruel: the punishments and tortures of hell, or the constant fighting for survival in the animal kingdom?"

Suddenly, Tian Gong Ji Xian asked the Divine Palace.

This chapter contains 2065 words. There might be more updates tonight, depending on how much I write.

True to my word, aside from keeping a few chapters in reserve for unforeseen circumstances, I will publish as many as I have.

Chapter 90 The Maid Spins Around

Jingu hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Perhaps it's still hell. The punishments in hell are merely judgments established to uphold the faith in gods and Buddhas. As for the animal realm..."

"As you said, that's just another world. Perhaps everything is just like that. It's just that because of the wisdom of civilization and the power of unity, humanity has gradually gained the ability to completely crush other living beings. But the essence of life is still fighting for survival. It's just that humanity no longer needs to use such barbaric methods."

Life is inherently cruel and selfish. Just as those two big guys who once disturbed us on the moon said, the strongest driving force is not love or morality, but their selfishness—killing each other, strong alkali! The selfishness of robbing the entire earth, that's the strongest driving force.

Although after saying these words, one of them used love as a driving force to beat up the other idiot who believed them.

"Haha, although it is indeed a hell system established to maintain the belief in gods and Buddhas, shouldn't this be done? Let good and evil be rewarded accordingly, so as to guide people to do good. This is the cruelty that civilization must have."

Tenko tapped the table and spoke in a tone of someone who had been through it all.

"You might ask why someone who can clearly discern good from evil would wait until after death to report it. That's because even gods have their limitations. Human affairs and divine affairs are no longer as closely intertwined as they were in ancient times."

"But no, I don't care about this at all. I was just asking you if it's possible to retrieve souls from the animal kingdom. Why did it veer off to this?"

Jingu shook his head without any emotion. He wasn't a native of this world, so what was the point of talking to him about this?

"Haha, sorry, sorry, I'm getting a bit nostalgic."

Tian Gong Ji chuckled, scratched his head, and got back to the main topic.

"The animal realm might work, since it's chaotic and disorderly there. If you have the means, you could get a few souls out without being discovered by Yama. But getting those souls out would be pointless."

"why?"

"Even if a soul that has endured the torment of hell doesn't become a complete blank, it will basically only retain some instincts and remnants of humanity. What's the use of retrieving such a soul?"

So, the main point is still the elixir of immortality? But is the elixir of immortality in Kaguya's possession really that outrageous? Even just the dregs can restore a nearly destroyed soul to a normal life.

Now the shrine is indeed interested; it will definitely try to get some from Kaguya to play with later.

"So why are you asking these questions? And who is this guy you're talking about who's already made a fortune? Would you mind if I reported him?"

The three consecutive "quality" comments fully expressed Tian Gong Ji Xian's curiosity. Who would do something so thankless and taboo-breaking?

"Tsk, don't ask so many questions, I'm just curious."

I used to think that this world was nothing special except for gods and monsters, but in the past few days I have learned about many new things.

Hell, the underworld, the animal realm... and what is the corresponding realm of gods and humans? What is the so-called Takamagahara (High Heaven) like? The eternal world... perhaps I should turn back and look.

Look.

Just as Shen Gong's thoughts were wandering, a familiar voice brought him back to reality.

"Master! This is you... Eh!!??"