Imdiately after, the view suddenly opened up.
A crystal-clear river flowed quietly before his eyes.
The river was called the Isuzu River.
An ancient wooden bridge spanned the river, built entirely of cypress wood, without any superfluous carvings.
This was the only entrance to the Inner Shrine, the Uji Bridge.
The Information Bug silently glided over the bridge, officially stepping into this Forbidden Land of the gods.
An indescribable solemn atmosphere washed over him.
On the other side of the bridge was an endless prival forest.
Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, which could only cast dappled light through the gaps in the branches and leaves.
Most of these trees were Japanese cedars, often hundreds of years old, with trunks so thick that several people would be needed to embrace them.
Several pilgrims in traditional attire walked slowly, and with each step, the gravel underfoot made a soft "shuffling" sound.
This sound was exceptionally clear in the silent forest.
Zhou Huai controlled the Information Bug, flying close to the ground, along the mountain path, deeper into the forest.
He recalled the information Wei Liao had given him.
The Ise Grand Shrine has a Legacy of over five hundred years.
Legend has it that this was once the long-term residence of amaterasu omikami.
Later generations continuously repaired and expanded upon this foundation, leading to the sacred and magnificent sight it is today.
The entire shrine is divided into an Inner and Outer Shrine, with nurous temples, totaling over a hundred large and small.
This is the most sacred place in the entire Sakura Country.
Ordinary people cannot access the core area at all.
Even descendants of the Kujo and Omiya Families are only allowed to enter the Inner Shrine for worship on specific morial days each year.
From this perspective, he could already see the patrolling priests all around.
Zhou Huai originally wanted to control the Information Bug to continue flying forward, towards the Inner Shrine.
He didn't expect to have just gone a short distance when...
Beneath the gravel paving the ground of the shrine, golden runes suddenly lit up.
They instantly intertwined into a dense, impenetrable golden net.
The Information Bug, still flying low to the ground, seed to hit an invisible wall and were instantly fixed in mid-air.
Zhou Huai's heart sank.
He could clearly feel his ntal connection with the Information Bug being forcibly severed by a powerful and brutal force.
No matter how he urged his will, the tiny bug remained motionless, as if it had beco a specin Sealed in amber.
Almost at the sa ti the Formation lit up...
Deep within the Inner Shrine, inside an ancient temple.
A white-robed priest, who had been ditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing within them.
"Hmm? The outer purification Formation has been triggered?"
He stood up and quickly walked out of the temple.
Several young priests who were sweeping the courtyard, seeing this, quickly bowed in greeting.
"Lord Matsushita."
The middle-aged priest, referred to as Lord Matsushita, ignored them, rely looking up at the golden light rising into the sky in the distance, his brows slightly furrowed.
The purification Formation is the first and most basic barrier on the outskirts of the Ise Grand Shrine.
Its purpose is not to kill, but to purify all impure things and simultaneously imprison all unauthorized intruders.
Normally, apart from the occasional misguided bird, this Formation had not been actively triggered for decades.
"I'll go take a look."
Matsushita's figure flickered, his feet seeming to generate wind, and he transford into a white afterimage, rushing towards the direction of the Formation.
His speed was extrely fast, covering nearly a thousand ters in a few breaths, arriving at the area enveloped by the golden light.
The light of the Formation was still brilliant.
Matsushita narrowed his eyes, ticulously searching within the area covered by the Formation.
He walked a circle around the Formation, his expression growing increasingly puzzled.
"Strange, there's nothing."
The interior of the Formation was empty, let alone suspicious figures, not even a trace of a wild beast could be seen.
Could the Formation be malfunctioning?
Impossible.
All Formations within the shrine are maintained daily by dedicated personnel and have not had a single error in hundreds of years.
Matsushita, not believing in evil, once again cald himself, elevated his perception to the extre, and scanned the space within the Formation inch by inch.
Finally, his gaze fixed on a tiny, almost imperceptible black dot in mid-air.
That thing was too small.
If not for the golden light of the Formation as a backdrop, it would be almost impossible to capture with the naked eye.
Matsushita's brows were tightly furrowed as he slowly extended his hand.
As he moved, the golden net that enveloped the sky and earth rapidly contracted, ultimately transforming into a soft light rope, coiling # Nоvеlight # around the small black dot, and settling steadily into his palm.
The light dispersed.
A completely black insect, resembling a mosquito, lay quietly in his palm.
Matsushita's face showed an expression as if he had seen a ghost.
He brought the "mosquito" closer to his eyes, turning it over and over several tis.
"What is this thing?"
"A mosquito?"
He was sowhat incredulous.
The magnificent Ise Grand Shrine, the most sacred Forbidden Land in Sakura Country, and its purification Formation, guarded for hundreds of years, was actually triggered by a mosquito today?
If this got out, wouldn't people laugh their heads off?
The more Matsushita thought about it, the more absurd it seed, and a hint of annoyance appeared on his face.
"Honestly, how can such a sacred place have sothing as filthy as a mosquito?"
He mumbled, his tone filled with disgust for this uninvited guest.
After speaking, he didn't even bother to look at it again.
His thumb and index finger casually pinched.
"Snap."
A faint, almost imperceptible sound.
The Information Bug, which carried Zhou Huai's hopes, were thus crushed into dust, treated as an ordinary mosquito... In Tokyo, in the two-story building of the Natsu Family in the suburbs of Takamagahara.
In his mind, the clear and precise real-ti image shared by the Information Bug instantly disconnected, turning into a pitch black.
Zhou Huai couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated.
This Ise Grand Shrine, as expected, lived up to its reputation.
The security was outrageously strict.
It really ant not even a mosquito could fly in, huh?
It seed that if he wanted to see the specific situation inside the Ise Grand Shrine, he would have to think of other thods.
Outside, the sky had already completely darkened.
Suddenly, a short, rhythmic knock ca from the door.
Zhou Huai silently controlled Caesar to stand up.
He went to the door.
He didn't rush to open it, but instead lightly tapped on the door a few tis himself.
Wei Liao had told him before he ca.
Soone would et him after he successfully infiltrated Tokyo.
This knocking sound was the secret signal.
Only after the other party knocked out a short response again did Zhou Huai confirm that his contact had co for him.
He slowly opened the door, but no one was outside.
Zhou Huai wasn't surprised in the slightest.
He controlled Caesar to walk down the dimly lit street.
A mont later, a clear female voice ca from behind him.
"Chaleon Lord?"
Zhou Huai paused his steps and slowly turned around.
The voice ca from the shadows of the street corner, where a slender figure leaned quietly against the wall.
She wore a practical black outfit that accentuated her curvaceous figure.
On her head was a black baseball cap, pulled low, almost covering half of her face, revealing only a beautifully sculpted chin.
Zhou Huai raised an eyebrow.
Honestly, this really had the vibe of a spy drama.
He lowered his voice, making it sound hoarse, more fitting for a low-level thug.
"White Butterfly?"
The figure stepped out of the shadows, her movents swift and decisive, without any hesitation.
She ca before Zhou Huai, stopping three steps away, and nodded.
"It's ."
The woman's voice was calm, carrying a professional coolness.
"Minister Wei has already conveyed his orders to us."
"From now on, all our forces in Tokyo will be at your disposal, fully cooperating with your actions."
Zhou Huai controlled Caesar, mimicking Natsu Masahiro's timid deanor, and awkwardly rubbed his hands.
"You must have heard about the theft at the Ise Grand Shrine, right?"
"What do you think about it?"
"Can soone really steal sothing from the Ise Grand Shrine without anyone knowing?"
The woman, code-nad White Butterfly, was silent for a mont.
Her gaze seed to linger on Zhou Huai for an instant, as if evaluating sothing.
"Whether anyone can steal sothing from the Ise Grand Shrine, I don't know."
She shook her head silently.
"The only thing I currently know is..."
"The Kujo Family might use this to make trouble for the Omiya Family."
Zhou Huai raised an eyebrow.
"Make trouble?"
"Are they about to start the Ancestor Scramble?"
"Ancestor Scramble? An interesting way to put it."
White Butterfly smiled and continued, "However, it doesn't seem to be what you think."
"Just last night, the high-ranking mbers of the Kujo and Omiya Families held a secret eting."
"I don't know the specific contents of the eting."
"But according to intelligence from our informant embedded in the Omiya Family, the Omiya Family's attitude seems to have undergone so change."
White Butterfly paused, her voice dropping even lower.
"The Omiya Family doesn't seem to plan to use the pendulum of life to resurrect their Lord Susanoo."
"Not only that, they even want to stop the Kujo Family from resurrecting amaterasu omikami."
The expression in Zhou Huai's eyes shifted slightly.
Things were getting more and more interesting.
Had the Omiya Family also deduced the terrifying consequences of using the pendulum of life?
"Between these two Families, who is stronger and who is weaker?"
Zhou Huai asked the most crucial question.
White Butterfly didn't hesitate at all, clearly having this information morized.
"Originally, the Kujo Family could firmly suppress the Omiya Family."
"After all, the forr Kujo Family had as many as three SS-level powerhouses guarding it."
Her voice was unhurried, clearly reaching Zhou Huai's ears in the night wind.
"The strongest, Watada Heizan, the most senior, Okifumi Komo, and the youngest and most talented, Takatsukasa Arashi."
"As for the Omiya Family, they only openly have one SS-level, 【Spirit Painter】 Soma Kosuke."
"But now, Takatsukasa Arashi has died during the exploration of the Caslantis Ruins."
Zhou Huai understood in his heart.
He died under the backlash of the pendulum of life.
White Butterfly continued, "So, the current Kujo Family only has Watada Heizan and Okifumi Komo, these two SS-levels, left."
"With one side diminishing and the other growing, the situation becos a bit hard to say."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Huai controlled Caesar, a perfectly confused expression on his face.
He scratched his sowhat poorly dyed blonde hair, his tone carrying a hint of bewildernt.
"Two SS-levels against one SS-level, how is that hard to say?"
"Can his 【Spirit Painter】 really take on two?"
The corner of White Butterfly's mouth, in the shadow of her cap, seed to curve into a very faint arc.
It was a kind of confidence that belonged to an intelligence officer, seeing through everything.
"Originally, of course, no."
Her voice carried a mysterious aning.
"But, don't forget."
"The Divine Artifact of Sakura Country has always been in the hands of the Omiya Family."
White Butterfly looked up, her gaze from under the cap seeming to pierce through the night, carrying a strange sharpness.
"That Divine Artifact called 'Yasakani no Magatama'."
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