"Let the people of the Yin-Yang Division..."
Before Shimazu Yoshihiro could issue his command, the national prestige within Motoyama Castle had already erupted! That national prestige great serpent had reappeared, letting out earth-shattering roars as it lunged to bite Take-Mikazuchi-no-Kami!
National prestige was attempting to suppress the giant god, even to reclaim it!
"Yukii Tomotomo-kei... this magical power is truly vast, to be able to mobilize our country's national prestige with a single person's strength, to block Take-Mikazuchi-no-Kami without forming a grand array."
Shimazu Yoshihiro felt the aura of the great Onmyoji who was casting the spell, and his originally furrowed brow gradually relaxed.
Although he didn't know why those mountain gods and Take-Mikazuchi-no-Kami, these divine positions that should have been mysteriously lost, had suddenly appeared and attacked his main formation, Motoyama Castle had many powerful individuals, and he, Shimazu Yoshihiro, was one of them. This castle, having been captured from the Ming army, would not be retaken!
As the assistant to the current head of the Yin-Yang Division, Yukii Tomotomo-kei was designated as the next head, an undeniable great Onmyoji, and had received the true inheritance of the Tsuchimikado family, the most powerful among the Onmyoji.
Even if Toyotomi Hideyoshi disliked these Onmyoji, even using them as cannon fodder on the battlefield to attract the Ming dynasty's lightning mages, the strength of these mages was still undeniable.
The concept of Onmyoji originated from the Yin-Yang School of the Central Land. Later, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Prince Shōtoku brought back a batch of scriptures from the Central Land at that time. Soon, a cultivator named Kamo no Tadatsune founded a spellcasting school called "Shugendō," which could command ghosts and spirits. He was also the first "immortal" besides Xu Fu, the Emperor Jinmu. Before him, Shintoism, founded by Emperor Sujin, mostly practiced the transformation into vengeful spirits as the ultimate cultivation. This change was akin to the "Ghost Immortals" of the Central Land.
Yukii Tomotomo-kei's hands danced, with over ten talismans circling him, constantly rotating and releasing powerful magical might. Instantly, white light filled the sky around him, and dozens of paper shikigami appeared. Holding up a lantern and a banner, he seemed to be performing some kind of sacrificial ritual.
The display of an Onmyoji's power had only three forms: talismans, shikigami, and grand sacrifices.
All magical power was displayed through talismans, all might was displayed through shikigami, and all vast power was displayed through grand sacrifices.
"The reason for building this pond is for the well-being of the people. What kind of deity disobeys the Emperor's teachings?"
"Yatogami, Yatogami..."
The great Onmyoji performed the sacrifice, and more one-horned serpent heads emerged from the national prestige! Yukii Tomotomo-kei sprinkled a handful of sand from his sleeve, and this sand flew through the heavens and earth, allowing more one-horned great serpents to condense from the national prestige!
"Grand sacrifice of Yatogami. Oh gods, slay the invading enemies, imprison, seal, and tear them apart!"
"What was that you just sprinkled?"
"The earth and soil. The earth and soil of Hitachi Province."
Yukii Tomotomo-kei explained to Yagyū Munenori, "Yatogami is a legendary earth deity of Hitachi Province. After the Chancellor unified the country, the earth and soil of Hitachi Province naturally became the earth and soil of Japan. With the help of Emperor Jinmu, Yatogami was integrated into the national prestige. During times of crisis, by performing sacrifices, they can be summoned."
"At this time, they are deities transformed from national prestige, possessing the power of immortality."
Yagyū Munenori's expression trembled, "Using national prestige to command divine positions? This... this is unheard of. National prestige can control divine positions, but how can it merge with them and be used as one's offensive spear and sharp blade?"
"I've never seen this situation before."
Yukii Tomotomo-kei smiled at this moment. He was very young, but his face had an unnatural paleness. When he smiled, he looked quite eerie, like a monster with fox-like eyes wearing human clothes.
"Naturally, summoning Yatogami is a very strenuous matter. Only a great Onmyoji can independently carry out this sacrificial ritual."
"But the current Chancellor dislikes Onmyoji and even wants to abolish us... It's truly, if abolished, we would become rogue cultivators. If it were just this, it would be fine, but they also want to eliminate our magical power and prohibit the continuation of our spells... The Chancellor fears and resents our sorcery, I am quite aware of this."
"It's a pity, if not for the Chancellor's prohibition, there would probably be many great Onmyoji now, and the Yin-Yang Way would also flourish."
Countless great serpents surged from the national prestige. Yagyū Munenori looked outside. Take-Mikazuchi-no-Kami had been pushed out of the city's boundaries by several great serpents. At this moment, he leaped to the top of a tall tower.
Take-Mikazuchi-no-Kami was pushed out of Motoyama Castle's walls. It swung its lightning to repel the national prestige great serpent. This sword strike caused dust and stones to fly, lightning and thunder to flash, and the city's earth and stones to fall!
At the same moment, a towering blaze ignited in Motoyama Castle, visible even from a great distance.
A large number of demons guarding and scouting in the surrounding mountains began to return. The thirty-six Tsugumi mountain gods were fighting the great serpents transformed from national prestige. At this time, those demons began to appear, surging from the flanks of the many mountain gods! They clashed!
"Fire! Fire with all your might!"
The archers and musketeers on the city walls fired fiercely. The aura of the army roared, carrying the overwhelming tide of national prestige and the power of the divine lords protecting Motoyama Castle and the army. Under the reinforcement of multiple buffs, even heavenly gods found it difficult to resist the attacks of a large number of mortals, as these attacks effectively weakened their divine power.
"They've been forced back already. It seems this fellow is indeed very powerful. I haven't seen him in action before..."
Yagyū Munenori watched the situation from the top of the tall tower. The previously aggressive gods had been repelled by the fierce wave of attacks. Take-Mikazuchi-no-Kami also had no place to use its power, now trapped in a mountain of serpents formed by several great serpents, unable to even swing its lightning sword.
At the same time, other Onmyoji had also arrived and joined this counter-attack!
The sun had completely set, and night had fallen!
Six top Onmyoji, second only to the great Onmyoji, combined their efforts to perform a bizarre sacrificial ritual! As they shouted, the lights flickered, shadows intertwined, shikigami swirled, and various wails and cries converged!
At that moment, the twenty-eight layers, all prison lords, Yama kings, and Six Paths冥官, prostrated themselves and made vows.
"Six Paths冥官 Sacrifice!"
As if six ghostly voices sounded simultaneously, six massive black phantoms abruptly appeared around Motoyama Castle. The six dark figures held six underworld swords, and the profound death qi violently tore apart the divine power!
This was the power of curse! Among the thirty-six mountain gods, those struck by the underworld sword's death qi immediately had their forms and spirits destroyed, their auras completely extinguished. However, their divine tablets did not appear when they died. They came from nowhere, and even in death, they left nothing behind.
However, such a grand spectacle made even the sword saint Yagyū Munenori's heart pound with fear.
"No wonder the Chancellor fears these Onmyoji. The sacrificial rituals they control are too dangerous. In severe cases, they can even threaten the Chancellor's life... With this curse power, even gods can be cursed to death. If performed in secret, even the protection of national prestige would be useless."
He clearly saw that in the areas affected by the death qi, even the Yatogami serpents transformed from national prestige were gradually collapsing. This indicated that even with the protection of national prestige and destiny, they could not withstand this curse killing, which was terrifying!
These were only top Onmyoji. If it were a great Onmyoji, let alone a mere Chancellor, perhaps even the Emperor...
This disrespectful thought flashed through his mind. Yagyū Munenori shook his head, dispelling the杂念, and looked at the battlefield that had gained the upper hand, sighing with regret:
"It seems I don't need to enter the fray..."
Rumble—! A giant claw suddenly descended from the sky!
It appeared and disappeared without a trace, as if it had sprung from the ground! Another giant god appeared!
A tiger's form, boiling rivers, and a torrential rain suddenly descended from the sky!
The dust was annihilated. This giant tiger god, capable of manipulating only water flow and weather, crouched over Motoyama Castle. Its massive tiger eyes met Yagyū Munenori's from afar!
"Yamato! What's going on? Isn't this the divine position that Katō Kiyomasa obtained from Joseon!"
Yagyū Munenori leaped to another tall tower, but the scene before him made him widen his eyes in horror.
This was the divine position from the body of the deceased Katō Kiyomasa. It was the guardian deity obtained from the capital during the first attack on Joseon. Katō Kiyomasa loved fierce tigers, and one of Joseon's guardian deities was a giant fierce tiger named "Yamato."
And the ability to manipulate water flow and weather... Legend has it that Yamato was one of the first two primordial beast gods of ancient Joseon. She protected the earliest ancient kingdom, Buyeo, and also controlled the Buyeo water in the north. However, this ancient kingdom was destroyed by Gongsun Kang from the Central Land at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Gongsun Kang was not even a notable warlord in the Central Land, later becoming just a subordinate of Boss Cao.
...
The demons around the young Heavenly Master retreated, rushing towards Motoyama Castle as if their lives depended on it. The young Heavenly Master was also eager to know what was happening there. He dragged his exhausted body towards the direction, the deafening roars echoing incessantly. Finally, he saw a suddenly appearing fierce tiger giant god, and this giant god was very familiar to him!
"Isn't this Yamato! Could it be that Katō Kiyomasa has arrived!?"
The young Heavenly Master's heart skipped a beat, but upon closer inspection, the Yamato deity was attacking Motoyama Castle, which left him utterly bewildered!
Could it be internal strife among the Japanese army?
"Regardless, this is a good opportunity to sneak in..."
"Now is not a good time to sneak in."
A sudden voice interrupted the young Heavenly Master's soliloquy. The young Heavenly Master was startled and immediately turned around, exuding hostility, and already clutching his remaining few talismans!
In front of the young Heavenly Master appeared a young Taoist priest in black, looking to be of similar age.
"Who... who are you? Korean? From the Divine Immortal Dao?"
"What, do I look like a Korean?"
The black-clothed youth stroked his chin, "With my handsomeness, could I be Korean?"
Then, he stared at the young Heavenly Master as if looking at something non-existent. After a moment, the black-clothed youth let out a laugh:
"Not bad, not bad! I've finally found you, kid. You're not bad-looking, you have a third of my handsomeness."
"Come on, call me Uncle-Grandmaster?"