How did I, an Onmyoji, become the Lord of Yokai?

However, Paper Dance gently shook her head.

"This is the city where I lived with him, and the city where we have shared so many memories."

"Perhaps their appearance has changed a little, but they are still our shared memories."

"I don't want... this memory to disappear."

The purity of a yokai is sometimes more persistent than that of a human.

Despite Jun's words, Paper Dance still couldn't let go of Jun.

Eight hundred years have passed, and Chun may no longer be around, but the City of the Sun Wheel, which they traversed together, still exists.

Even if it changes a little bit, as long as this place is still the City of the Sun, the City of the Sun in her memory, she will stay here forever.

She wanted to protect this place until the very end.

"So...please leave."

Paper Dance once again issued an order to leave.

Shimizu and Asahi exchanged a glance. Although they still had something to say, given Paper Dance's current state, it was clear that they couldn't explain themselves at this moment.

They had no choice but to leave for the time being.

"...Well then, we'll be going now."

"However, if Miss Paper Dance changes her mind, she can come to us at any time."

"We are at the watchtower."

"Of course, if we find a way to persuade Miss Paper Dance, we will come again."

After leaving those words behind, Shimizu Asahi led Ibuki and the others away.

After they left, the door that had been pushed open closed again.

"..."

Looking at the closed gate, Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but sigh.

It's a pity, if only the paper dance could become their partner...

Although it is unclear how Kamimai resisted Himiko's power and survived in the Sun Wheel City for eight hundred years without relying on the power of the Time Melody, there is no doubt that Kamimai's strength and abilities are definitely not simple.

While judging someone's strength by their aura is a standard, they didn't detect any powerful demonic aura from Paper Dance, so they could conclude that Paper Dance wasn't strong.

However, for beings of their caliber, judging an opponent's strength based on the strength of their aura would be far too foolish.

Therefore, if Paper Dance can become friends, their chances of winning will undoubtedly increase.

"Forget it, Chaoyang, we can't persuade Paper Dance right now, so let's leave it at that for now."

Compared to Shimizu Asahi's regret, Reiko and the others were more open-minded.

After all, you can't force someone to do something like this.

Moreover, having lost her beloved, Paper Dance had already made the City of the Sun the most important place to her. For her to destroy such an important place with her own hands would be cruel.

"Hmm...I know."

After a brief moment of regret, Shimizu Asahi stopped dwelling on the issue.

He withdrew his gaze and then looked ahead.

"Let's go, we've only just begun exploring the villages to the east."

After temporarily setting aside the matter of the paper dance, the group continued their journey through the village.

After that, Shimizu Asahi and his team searched several more places, but as before, they found nothing.

By this point, they had completely searched all the villages to the east.

"Looks like today's haul is just the paper dance... Everyone, let's go..."

Having obtained no further useful information, Shimizu Asahi prepared to leave, but just as he said this, he suddenly caught a glimpse of red in the corner of his eye...

A very faint touch of red, yet it immediately drew his attention.

It wasn't a blood-red color, but a vermilion, like... the red of a shrine torii gate!

Shrine, torii gate?

An unconscious furrow of the brow caused Qing Shui Chaoyang to immediately stop speaking and turn to look.

—At the end of the village road, behind those towering trees, a splash of vermilion caught his eye!

"That's... a torii gate!?"

Gazing at the faintly visible colors, Qing Shui Chaoyang couldn't help but show deep astonishment.

Although it was just a little bit of color, how could Kiyomizu Asahiya, who had seen so many torii gates, possibly mistake the color? Moreover, through the trees, he could clearly see the columnar shape.

Without a doubt, that's a torii gate!

Why is there a torii gate in the woods of the village to the east?

A question arose in his mind, and Shimizu Asahi subconsciously began to think about it, but soon he put it out of his mind again.

Regardless of why there's a torii gate here, one thing he's certain of.

Torii gates never appear alone. If there are torii gates, there must be shrines. And given Himiko's previous faith in Shimizu Mio, there is no doubt that the shrines enshrine her sister, Shimizu Mio!

In other words, the shrine behind the torii gate is the Amaterasu Omikami Shrine!

I never expected to find something like this here!

Qingshui Chaoyang smiled, joy blooming in his heart.

He thought he would never be able to get any information from the shrine, but unexpectedly, he received such a gift from heaven!

"Everyone, let's go!"

"Let's go to my sister's shrine!"

The boy took a step and headed towards the dense forest. (Chapter 771) When did a pipa appear in this place?

After passing through the dense forest, Shimizu Asahi and his six companions arrived at the torii gate.

This is a small torii gate that is about one or two meters taller than a typical village house. It is similar in style to the port, but it is entirely vermilion and looks sacred. It is a formal shrine torii gate.

"I never expected that such a torii gate would be hidden in the dense forest."

Reiko looked up at the torii gate in front of her and couldn't help but say this.

Torii gates are the main gates of shrines, symbolizing the entrance to the divine realm. Therefore, such a significant structure must be built in a place that everyone can find. Hiding it in a dense forest like this would be impossible.

Even the Inari Shrine of the Hagoromo family was initially open to the public for worship.

It was only after Aunt Chiyo died that Tamamo-no-Mae hid the shrine.

therefore.

"Is it deliberately hidden, or does this torii gate hold some special significance? Hehehe..."

Ibuki sipped her sake, her purple eyes scanning her surroundings before asking curiously, "Speaking of which, there's another very important question."

"The torii gate has appeared, but what about the shrine?"

The soft words drew the attention of everyone present, and they all instinctively looked towards the torii gate.

Torii gates symbolize entrances, so there are usually two torii gates in a shrine.

The first torii gate represents entering the realm of the gods. Passing through it leads to a passage, and at the end of the passage is another torii gate, representing truly entering the realm of the gods. So, passing through it leads to a shrine.

The torii gate in front of us is built at the foot of the mountain, so it is the first entrance, and the road is behind the torii gate.

But why is it that behind the torii gate in front of us, there is still a forest, and behind the forest, there is a mountain peak?

In their eyes, there was not a single building related to the shrine.

"Is the shrine gone? Or is it just that they built a torii gate here?"

Qingnufang looked around at the scenery, a hint of contemplation in her pale yellow eyes.

It's not impossible that they simply built a torii gate, but... those all have some meaning or reason behind them.

What's going on now?

"And...didn't Takiyasha-hime say that the shrine had been destroyed? Why is there still a torii gate here, representing the entrance to the shrine?"

This sentence sparked a wave of thoughts among everyone.

Indeed, Takiyasha-hime said that ever since Himiko attributed the incident to Shimizu Mio, she destroyed the only and largest shrine in the Sun Wheel Castle.

Since then, the City of the Sun has had no shrines.

But now, they see another torii gate...

"Could it be that the City of the Sun has two shrines?"

After thinking for a moment, Ali tentatively said, "Although there is a torii gate in the palace, could it be that Himiko built it there for her own convenience?"

"Himiko's mother prayed to Mio at a shrine to obtain Himiko, which means that the shrine was open to ordinary people, so the shrine was not located in the royal palace."

"This shrine is the old shrine..."

"...That possibility isn't entirely out of the question..."

Upon hearing this possibility, Shimizu and Asahi narrowed their eyes slightly.

Indeed, what Ari said makes a lot of sense. There are very likely two shrines in the City of the Sun. The reason why there is a shrine in the palace is obviously because Himiko built one in the palace.

As for why Takiyasha-hime wouldn't know, it's quite obvious that by the time she was able to think for herself, Himiko had likely already returned to heaven. By the time she went to the palace and met Himiko, she was probably already eleven or twelve years old.

It's perfectly normal not to know these things.

"So, is the place we are in now the shrine that Himiko visited before she returned?"

My gaze returned to the torii gate and the surrounding mountains.

If this place still exists, although it is highly unlikely that the cause of the natural disaster can be found, at least traces of how much Himiko respected her sister can be found.

These traces may not be without purpose.

It's just... a pity.