Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 960 - 792

Chapter 960: 792

A moment later, Amaterasu Omikami opened her eyes within the Divine Palace at Takamagahara.

Blood surprisingly trickled from her mouth and nose, while her eyes and brows were filled with rage: "Damn it!"

Alongside her anger, there was also a hint of surprise in Amaterasu’s eyes.

The power of Jiang Hanyun had actually traveled along that strand of Divine Consciousness, forcibly piercing through hundreds of miles of the Void to strike directly at her Primordial Spirit!

That mortal woman must possess a genuine divine treasure, yet she relied on more than just that artifact.

"It seems you didn’t come to an agreement?"

This somewhat gentle voice came from the left side of the throne of Amaterasu: "That man, Prince Fenyang of Jin, the mortal who covets the throne of the Heaven Emperor, has he refused to withdraw his troops?"

This was ’Izanagi’, one of the progenitor deities of Fusou.

He is the father of the Three Noble Gods of Fusou: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susano.

However, in Takamagahara, Amaterasu is the supreme divine being, the ancestral deity of all Fusou emperors and the source of the noble and warrior bloodlines, the paramount of all the ’Amatsugami’.

"I didn’t have the chance to discuss in detail, but from what was evident at the time, it’s unlikely that he will withdraw his forces. He accused me of condoning our warriors looting Jin and colluding with Kunpeng, and he was very aggressive in his tone."

Amaterasu looked at the distant fleet that was getting closer to Fusou, her gaze distant and detached: "Now only war can resolve the problem."

Her original intent was to demonstrate her might with her mana to Prince Fenyang and then negotiate.

But that mortal woman’s unexpected intervention prevented her plans from taking effect.

Amaterasu wasn’t really disappointed. How could someone so arrogant as to covet the position of the Heaven Emperor understand her heartfelt benevolence? How could he value the peace she was offering?

He would not understand either that Takamagahara is an existence he must look up to.

"This is a disaster that should never have happened." This strange voice was both masculine and feminine, and while it was gentle and pleasing, it also possessed the robustness of a man.

This was ’Tsukuyomi no Mikoto’, a deity whose gender was indistinct, concealing their face beneath a veil of black: "Our power is not yet sufficient; we should not have provoked Middle Earth. There’s no need to support those warriors, nor should we have given the reserves of grain from Takamagahara to Kunpeng."

Susano no O, seated below, let out a cold laugh: "Those warriors from the Minamoto, Taira, and Fujiwara clans are our descendants. They sail the seas and pray to me for protection; do you expect me to ignore them? Or is it that my dear elder sibling, you are perhaps fearful, fearful of that mortal?"

Tsukuyomi no Mikoto looked coldly at Susano no O: "Our grandfather’s decree was for us to bide our time, to hone our claws and fangs. But this war will expose our strength. The previous two ’divine winds’ have already caused great losses to our grandfather in the Outer Void."

The voice of ’Izanagi’ was sarcastic: "But to give grain to Kunpeng was also our grandfather’s decree. This disaster was brought upon us by him. Any consequences are his concern, not ours."

"Silence!"

Amaterasu cast a warning glance at her father and then with a slight flick of her sleeve, quelled the argument between her brothers.

"Notify them to prepare for war. Prince Fenyang of Jin comes with ill intent, and we must mobilize our forces to their utmost whether it be Takamagahara or the mortal realm."

Amaterasu’s gaze was cold and merciless as she observed the warships from thousands of miles away.

"To borrow a phrase from the grand ancestor of Yuan, if he wants war, then war it shall be. If that mortal dares to overestimate himself, then we shall bury both him and his forces in Fusou!"

※※※※

Meanwhile, within the imperial palace in Heiankyo of Fusou.

Li Xuan, the Ministry of Rites Yuanwai from Jin, looked indifferently at the many Fusou nobles and court officials before him.

"—The intentions of His Highness, Prince Fenyang of Jin, are threefold: First, the state of Fusou must renounce the title of Mikado and, starting today, must acknowledge fealty and pay tribute to Jin; second, you must severely punish the Japanese pirates who have looted along the coasts of Jin, and within ten days, we must see their heads, and your Fusou nobles and daimyos must swear an oath to ensure not a single plank crosses into Jin territory; third, all divine titles from Izanagi and Amaterasu downward must be scrutinized, and only those recognized and governed by the Xuanhuang Great Emperor of Jin are permitted temples for worship. All others shall be regarded as wild deities, and their likenesses must be destroyed, their Divine Palaces razed, and worship forbidden."

Before he had finished speaking, the hall erupted in noisy uproar and curses.

Especially the warriors gathered outside the hall were seething with outrage.

"Presumptuous!"

"Disrespectful Jin person, kill him!"

"This is an outrageous shame."

"Even the Emperor of Great Yuan wouldn’t dare to speak to His Majesty this way."

At this moment, there were countless thoughts of murder remotely targeting Li Xuan.

Yet Li Xuan remained unafraid, composed and serene.

He was originally an Imperial Censor at the Inspectorate, and after the Jin Dynasty pacified the Meng Wu, he was promoted several ranks because he was ’bold in making honest criticism and had outstanding achievements’ during his term, and was transferred to the position of Yuanwai at the Ministry of Rites.

This time, he was selected as the envoy of the Jin Dynasty to Fusou, heading out to sea before the eastern expeditionary forces, to convey the intentions of Prince Fenyang to the Mikado and the Shogunate General of Fusou.

Sima Qing knew that his transfer to the Ministry of Rites was because he had participated in the impeachment of Prince Fenyang, so it was a promotion in name but a demotion in reality.

Being chosen by Prince Fenyang as the envoy could also be the prince using someone else’s hand to eliminate a political rival.

In the past, envoys sent by Emperor Tai of Jin to Fusou were beheaded by the Fusou people.

However, facing the Fusou rulers and officials, Sima Qing still carried the air of a heavenly envoy of a superior nation, showing no fear in the face of danger, calm and composed.

At this moment, not only was he surrounded by an air of heroism that illuminated the entire hall, his resounding voice also drowned out all other noises within.

"Prince Fenyang gives you three days, after three days, if any of these three conditions cannot be met, then the forces of my lord will come with an army of 170,000 to flatten Fusou!"

By this time, the whole hall was in an uproar, as noisy as a market.

Those remotely locking onto Sima Qing with their killing intent were even colder and more chilling.

The shouts for killing rose one after another.

"General, please kill this Jin envoy! Only with his blood can we cleanse the shame the Jin people have brought upon Amaterasu Omikami."

"Kill him! Just like Prince Huairang 300 years ago, let us offer his head in sacrifice to the gods."

"Your Majesty! General! With the divine wind protecting us, what is there to fear from the Jin people?"

But Sima Qing didn’t care at all, his gaze fixed on the ’Mikado Gohanazono’ at the highest seat, and on the contemporary Shogunate General Ashikaga Yoshinori.

The Mikado holds no real power in Fusou’s political system, but they are often regarded as the vessel and incarnation of Amaterasu Omikami on earth.

And this Shogunate General is yet another powerful figure of Fusou.

This man, although newly in office, had restored the authority of the Shogunate General, and by supporting the accession of ’Mikado Gohanazono’, leveraged the imperial power to suppress the authority of the local leaders and Daimyos throughout Fusou.

Mikado Gohanazono said nothing, but his eyebrows were furrowed, and he gripped the folding fan in his hand tightly, obviously very annoyed and displeased.

Shogunate General Ashikaga Yoshinori, on the other hand, looked calmly at Sima Qing as they made eye contact.

After a moment, Ashikaga Yoshinori gave a cold smile.

"Envoy, is this the courtesy of your Jin people? So insolent and reckless?"

Sima Qing replied indifferently with a clasped fist, "My great Jin is a land of propriety and rites. However, Prince Fenyang has stated that there is no need for courtesy with your shameless pirate kind. He only asks whether you choose to submit or to fight."

Ashikaga Yoshinori’s face suddenly flushed with anger, and then he sneered, "Then please relay to Prince Fenyang, to follow may not assure life, to resist may not assure death. We shall meet before Mount Helan for a mere game, what is there for me to fear? Guards, take this Jin envoy away! Shave his head as punishment for his disrespect."

A blaze of anger ignited within Sima Qing’s heart.

He knew that the words of Ashikaga Yoshinori were from a letter sent by Prince Huairang of Fusou to Emperor Tai of Jin three hundred years ago.

Although Sima Qing did not entirely agree with Li Xuan’s eastern campaign, at this instant, he couldn’t help but wish for Prince Fenyang’s army to flatten this place and teach these Fusou clowns what constitutes ’the formidable might of a superior power, not to be lightly insulted’!

At this moment, more than a dozen samurai, fierce as tigers and wolves, stepped forward, forcefully pinned him down, and dragged him out of the hall.

Ashikaga Yoshinori then surveyed the many court officials in the hall and the numerous samurai outside.

"You have all heard the words of this great Jin envoy, haven’t you? If we fail in this battle, not only will Amaterasu Omikami and Takamagahara be shamed, but the honor of His Majesty and our ’Minamoto, Taira, Fujiwara, and Tachibana’ families will also be destroyed in an instant."

Seeing everyone filled with righteous indignation, united in spirit, Ashikaga Yoshinori’s lips curled up slightly.

"After three days, our Fusou allied fleet of 970 warships and 200,000 naval forces will set sail from Naniwakyo (Osaka) to face off against the Jin naval forces. According to reports from Iga Ninja, the Jin have only 24 warships, although each is a large ship over 10,000 koku that is also covered in fearsome iron armor, yet they do not have even a single small boat to render aid."

"Thus, we have great chances of victory in this battle. I hope all warriors of my Minamoto Shogunate will strive to be courageous. I have negotiated with the various leaders and Daimyos to allocate 100,000 gold Coin, 7 million silver Coin, and 100 million copper coins as rewards for the brave!"

"Furthermore, the Ise Shrine of Amaterasu Omikami has decreed that all warriors who die in this battle will be officially enlisted posthumously, and those with outstanding achievements may be exceptionally appointed as ’Dianshangren’."

Upon his declaration, the several hundred fortunate samurai outside who were present at this meeting could not help but be touched, with some even showing a crimson flush on their faces.

In Fusou, only warriors who hold official ranks bestowed by the Fusou Court may have their True Spirit preserved eternally after death.

And the so-called ’Dianshangren’, as the term suggests, refers to court officials who are allowed to ascend the halls and enter the imperial palace for court meetings.

Not only would this significantly elevate their family’s status, but it would also allow them to become true deities after death.