Chapter 163 Ise Grand Shrine

Jiang Chen gave a soft "Mn," his footsteps not faltering as he walked straight inside.

However, the tourists were displeased, simply because Jiang Chen and his group were not dressed like the staff inside, yet were able to enter.

But this had nothing to do with Jiang Chen. He turned left and right, eventually reaching the corridor where the torii gates were located.

Then, at the end of the corridor, he saw Abe Kusuku.

Abe Kusuku looked at Jiang Chen with a very complex gaze; he did not know what Jiang Chen had actually discussed with Tamamo-no-Mae that night.

Well, now she should be addressed as Great Deity Fushimi Inari.

But he knew that Jiang Chen knew Tamamo-no-Mae, and Tamamo-no-Mae was no stranger to Jiang Chen either. That made Jiang Chen's identity and background very intriguing.

During this time, Abe Kusuku had pored over many ancient texts and found the possible timeframe of Tamamo-no-Mae's origin.

Tamamo-no-Mae was likely a demon that had crossed the sea from ancient China.

He reviewed historical records; during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had basically faded, and the Law was not manifest.

And the Song and Yuan Dynasties, which were even further back, did not quite fit the timeline of Tamamo-no-Mae's earliest appearance.

Only during the Tang Dynasty did exchanges between the island nation and China begin to intensify, and after that, the figure of Tamamo-no-Mae gradually began to appear in the island nation.

During that period, even their Abe Family ancestor, Abe no Nakamaro, had crossed the sea to the Great Tang and passed down a shikigami, Shuten-dōji, which laid the foundation for the Abe Family's later hegemony.

If Tamamo-no-Mae was a figure from the Tang Dynasty, then it meant that Jiang Chen might also be a figure from the Tang Dynasty!

He reviewed the classics left behind by his ancestors regarding great cultivators of the Tang Dynasty's profound schools.

However, much of it was missing, with only fragments regarding the Tang Dynasty remaining.

Yet, Abe Kusuku still found crucial information within those few pieces of incomplete data!

According to his ancestor's records, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, he had invited high-ranking officials, nobility, and the Daoist schools of the world to participate in a grand event.

It seemed his ancestor wanted to pass on some information, writing many words in the classics, but most were illegible, either due to poor preservation or weathering and damage.

Yet, he still managed to identify two characters from them.

"Jiang Chen!"

He didn't know if it was a change in the characters of the Great Tang era, some taboo, or if it was truly not the same person, but in any case, this text and Jiang Chen's name had only a few strokes of difference.

The origins and identity of Jiang Chen were already vaguely described in the classics.

Abe Kusuku had specifically studied Chinese characters, so naturally, he understood quite a few details.

Abe Kusuku did not understand the reason for this discrepancy, but he subconsciously chose to believe.

Jiang Chen was that very person recorded in the books left by his ancestor, Jiang Chen!

This realization made his hair stand on end; he felt a sense of rational disbelief, yet a sixth sense confirmed it.

Therefore, at this moment, seeing Jiang Chen, his first reaction was to bow deeply without hesitation.

"Lord Jiang, the Venerable Deity is already inside waiting for you."

Jiang Chen was somewhat surprised; the contrast in Abe Kusuku's attitude before and after was quite large.

However, he didn't pay too much attention to it and walked straight inside.

Jia He also raised his head and puffed out his chest, striding inside.

But just as he was about to pass Abe Kusuku, Abe Kusuku blocked him with his hand, stopping Jia He outside.

"What are you doing?"

"The two Lords are talking; it would be better if you didn't go in."

Jia He cast a pleading look toward Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen turned back, thought for a moment, and said, "You wait outside for now. Abe Kusuku shouldn't do anything to you."

"Ancestral Master... Junior Martial Uncle, alright." Jia He was quick-tongued for a moment and unconsciously shouted "Ancestral Master." Although he immediately corrected himself, it still made Abe Kusuku's eyes narrow.

He roared in his heart, "Sure enough, my guess was right!"

Jiang Chen was a Daoist from the Tang Dynasty who had lived from the Tang Dynasty until the modern era; otherwise, why would this young Daoist call Jiang Chen 'Ancestral Master'?

No wonder he could stand on equal footing with Tamamo-no-Mae; everything made sense now.

Abe Kusuku secretly rejoiced in his heart; fortunately, his original plan was to shift the disaster eastward, rather than taking action himself.

Otherwise, he might be the same as a certain collateral descendant of his Family who had been gunned down on the street.

...

Jiang Chen walked into the main hall and saw at a glance Su Baiwei sitting in the seat of honor.

She had changed into island nation attire today, and there was not much divinity exuding from her body.

She looked a bit more human, rather than that high and mighty Great Deity Fushimi Inari.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, how do you like my attire today? Does it remind you of the past?"

The island nation's attire was quite similar to that of the Great Tang; with her dressed like this right now, she truly had a bit of the Tang style.

However, Jiang Chen was in no mood to admire her attire and asked directly, "How do I go to Takamagahara?"

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, have you considered it carefully? Do you really want to follow me to Takamagahara?"

"Naturally, but I still hope Your Excellency will not hide too much from me."

"Rest assured, I have already told you everything that should be said. Since that is the case, there is no time to lose; let us depart now."

After speaking, Su Baiwei flicked her sleeves, her body turning into a stream of light as she flew away.

Jiang Chen took a look, followed closely behind, and also flew up.

Su Baiwei glanced back, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

She felt that after just one day, Jiang Chen's aura had grown significantly stronger.

Could it be that he, like her, had used some method to split his own power, and yesterday he had only retrieved a portion of it?

Su Baiwei only felt that the more she explored, the more mysterious this old friend from the Tang Dynasty became.

It was impossible for two streams of light flying in the sky not to attract attention. Not only did many practitioners in the island nation notice, but two powerful and peerless auras passed overhead one after the other.

Satellites from many countries, including the island nation, China, and the United States, also simultaneously monitored this strange phenomenon.

...

"Oh! God, what the hell is this? Two people? Am I seeing things, or have aliens come to Earth?"

"Oh! Aliens? What aliens? These are damn superhumans! Does the island nation actually have superhumans capable of flight now? Within three minutes, I want to know the information on these two superhumans!"

...

"The island nation has practitioners above the Life Wheel Realm, and there are two of them? Are you sure our satellites didn't misrecord it?"

"Spiritual Qi has just recovered; logically speaking, it shouldn't be that fast over in the island nation, right?"

"Life Wheel Realm? Can he withstand a few missile strikes?" This was the statement of a certain hawkish general.

...

In just a few minutes, the two had already flown to the sky above Ise Grand Shrine.

At this moment, many Yin and Yang masters and practitioners had already gathered here. When they saw Jiang Chen and Su Baiwei arrive, they all bowed down in unison.

The person at the head was none other than Tsuchimikado Yeyasu. When he saw Jiang Chen and Tamamo-no-Mae arriving together, he had already sensed what was about to happen, but he was powerless to stop it, nor did he dare to.

...

(Long live the motherland, brothers.)