Chapter 5: Shinto
Bai Cangshu didn't believe it, and felt around the Fox God Envoy's spirit body again, but in the end, he couldn't touch the spirit body itself.
His actions caused the expressions of the white-haired Old Shinto Priest and the Fox God Envoy above the torii path to change.
They could feel that Bai Cangshu had no reverence for this solemn shrine, or even for the Inari God himself.
The Professor, watching this scene, also held his breath, and his body subconsciously flinched back. He felt that if things went wrong, he should just run away.
The Professor is The Chosen One. Every The Chosen One will possess a special ability related to Space authority, and that ability is often the first one acquired after entering the Reincarnators' Space.
The Professor's first acquired ability was called [Crystal Divination]. It was originally a low-level ability close to a parlor trick, with quite low accuracy and the restriction of having to use a crystal ball.
But after he studied it, the ability mutated. The D-ranked [Crystal Divination] became the B-ranked [Crystal Revelation];
He only needed to consume a crystal of any quality to receive a certain 'revelation'.
This 'revelation' was sometimes a warning of danger, sometimes a special inspiration, and sometimes, some very hidden information.
The Professor guessed that perhaps his sensitivity to plots and his talent for uncovering various hidden events were manifestations of this The Chosen One ability.
After he became a Reincarnator, the essence of this The Chosen One began to materialize with the help of the abilities he acquired.
At this moment, the reason he appeared in front of Kyoto's largest shrine was that the revelation he received after consuming a high-quality blue crystal was related to the shrines in Kyoto that had declined due to Kibutsuji Muzan's changes.
He felt he understood where the Demon Slayer Corps faction's greatest help lay in the main mission, so he came to trigger the mission.
However, the Professor didn't expect that 'Tao Bai Bai', who was supposed to charge directly towards the Prince's temporary palace without regard, had arrived at the Fushimi Inari Shrine one step ahead of him, and seemed to have directly triggered some incredible side mission.
'Old Man, if you have anything to say, just say it. I'm, hey, honest in my dealings, no matter who I'm with.'
Bai Cangshu walked straight through the Fox God Envoy's spirit body, which caused the latter's form to become unstable for a moment. Bai Cangshu looked directly at the Old Man in front of the shrine on the mountain and spoke.
The Old Man lowered his head, but his voice transmitted freely down the hundred-meter mountain path. This level of skill was simply not something ordinary people could achieve.
'I am merely the Shinto Priest serving Lord Inari God. Since the God's Messenger has returned, everything will naturally be decided by the God's Messenger.'
The Little Fox ignored the Professor and instantly reappeared before Bai Cangshu.
'Arrogant mortal, Lord Inari God will bring down disaster!'
The Little Fox's red eyes became somewhat crimson at this moment, and its feigned soft and cute appearance instantly became a little sinister.
[Hidden Faction: Shinto, your impression has decreased. Current: Neutral (70/100)]
Bai Cangshu and the Professor saw this prompt at the same time. The Professor widened his eyes, feeling somewhat wronged, but Bai Cangshu's smile deepened.
He was so impolite, yet Shinto's impression of him was still neutral to friendly.
It can be seen to what extent the power of [Shinto] has been suppressed, and how dilapidated this Inari God shrine has become.
Bai Cangshu also realized at this moment that his previous thinking had indeed not been thorough enough.
In the main mission, the power ratio between the Demon Slayer Corps and the Muzan Faction is currently close to 1:9. The disparity is terrifyingly large.
If he relied solely on his idea of hunting down pro-demon ministers, princes, and lone Twelve Kizuki.
He feared that the difficulty of completing the main mission would be somewhat too high.
After all, the Reincarnators participating in this cooperative mission are all [Paper]-level Reincarnators. The fact that he can quickly kill a Lower Moon solo is already an exception.
The top among the Lower Moon are probably already at the [Parallel-Lower] level, and the Upper Moon will have a discontinuous increase in power.
Ordinary [Paper]-level Reincarnators, facing this mission, cannot possibly hunt many Lower Moon to complete it.
Space will not give unavoidable death missions. Therefore, changing the power balance is not only about killing the Muzan Faction; one can also find help for the Demon Slayer Corps.
Third-party forces that have suffered losses due to Kibutsuji Muzan and related powers are all potential allies.
With this thought, his perspective instantly broadened.
He glanced back at the Professor who was disguised as a Woman. The other party indeed had some skills.
With this layer of thought, Bai Cangshu lowered his head to look at the Little Fox, then still looked up at the Old Man and said,
'You also want to kill Yuhito and Kibutsuji Muzan, right?'
The Old Man trembled all over. He looked at Bai Cangshu, his face showing no change, but his voice came out as usual.
'Mr. is joking. Prince Yuhito is the Emperor's offspring. We naturally have no other thoughts, but...'
'Kibutsuji Muzan acts against the natural order and ravages the human world. Our god naturally must uphold righteousness.'
The Old Man said this, but Bai Cangshu just laughed mockingly.
Shinto evolved from Japan's indigenous shamanism. It was designated as the state religion during the Meiji Restoration and was supposed to continue until the end of World War II, but the development process of this world has changed.
Kibutsuji Muzan, this evil demon who could arbitrarily bestow 'eternal life', caused these divine beings, the Shinto Priests who had been declining since the Heian Era, to lose favor within a short period.
Like Inari God, this agricultural deity, would fall even further due to the Industrial Revolution.
The Professor coughed twice at this moment. He was worried that if he didn't speak up, this 'Tao Bai Bai', who was so Madness as to be impolite even to plot characters, would anger a rare ally. He timely squatted down and spoke to the Fox God Envoy.
'We can help Lord Inari uphold righteousness, but in return, you must also provide us with some convenience and assistance.'
Seeing that the Professor and the Little Fox began to communicate, Bai Cangshu walked towards the mountaintop.
His steps were incredibly fast. In a breath's time, he had already reached the entrance of the shrine. At this moment, he smelled the strong scent of incense inside the shrine, but the interior of the shrine was no longer so clean.
The Shinto Priest Old Man no longer lowered his head, maintaining that humble appearance. He wasn't tall, slightly less than 1.7 meters, and had to tilt his head slightly to see Bai Cangshu's face.
'How is it? Fushimi Inari Shrine is the largest shrine in Kyoto. In the past, worshippers came and went endlessly, and the incense never ceased. Under the watchful eyes of Inari God, we...'
'Heh, you've declined.'
Bai Cangshu unceremoniously interrupted the latter's thoughts, which were immersed in the good old days. This finally caused the Old Man's face to sink.
The Old Shinto Priest held his right sleeve with his left hand, and with his right hand, he formed a hand seal. A gust of wind appeared out of thin air, causing his beard and hair to scatter simultaneously.
An inexplicable power emerged from the shrine. Subsequently, in Bai Cangshu's perception, the Shinto Priest seemed to instantly become taller, and a heavy sense of oppression began to continuously emanate.
The Old Shinto Priest chanted incantations, his right hand forming a sword with his fingers, and suddenly pointed at Bai Cangshu.
Bang!
The Old Shinto Priest's pupils constricted. Bai Cangshu's figure instantly appeared before him. One hand had already gripped his wrist, while the other fist was already in front of his neck.
'Is this so-called Onmyōdō or divine art?'
'So slow.'
[You have triggered the hidden mission: Declining Divine Signs]
[Mission Description: As the times advance, the mysterious fades, and various forces are losing their luster, but Shinto is unwilling to decline. They are determined to return to the center of politics.]
[Mission Content: Help the Shinto faction eliminate the forces hindering their development.]
[Mission Reward: Hidden Faction: Shinto unlocked, Reputation Shop unlocked]