In front of the shrine, an old man wearing simple linen clothes was kneeling on a futon, concentrating on pruning a pot of twisted and weird pines and cypresses in front of him.
He seemed to have never heard of the arrival of Kujo Houka. The scissors in his hand "clicked, clicked" and methodically cut off the excess branches.
This old man is Neon Country's other Legend, Kujo Houka's grandfather, Kujo Ryujin.
"You've seen it all."
The voice of Kujo Houka broke the tranquility of this place, and no emotion could be heard.
"I saw it."
Kujo Ryujin responded calmly without raising his head, as if he was talking about a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.
"Li Qingcang's aura is much more condensed than it was a few years ago. It seems that it is difficult for anyone among Legend to defeat him head-on."
Kujo Houka's body trembled slightly.
She clenched Fist tightly, her nails digging into her palms.
"His entire Nihon face was stepped on by him!"
"And you, just sitting here, watching all this happen?"
There was finally a trace of irrepressible anger and questioning in her voice.
"Crack."
Kujo Ryujin cut off the last branch and then put down the scissors with satisfaction.
He slowly raised his head, his wrinkled face without any ripples, and his pair of cloudy old eyes quietly looking at his angry granddaughter.
"What if?"
he asked back.
"Rush out and fight him to the death? And then let the whole Takamanohara be buried with us, our grandparents?"
Kujo Houka was choked and speechless.
"Huanghua, you have to remember."
Kujo Ryujin's voice is old and dull.
"Weak people are not qualified to talk about dignity."
"What happened today was not because Li Qingcang was too strong, but because we... were too weak."
These words, like a basin of ice water, Doutou extinguished the anger in Kujo Houka's heart, leaving only a biting chill and deeper weakness.
Yes, weak.
Because I am weak, I can only watch others knock on my door, show off my power, and then humiliately offer compensation.
It's because I'm weak that I don't even dare to say a harsh word.
"I thought today's humiliation would completely wake you up."
Kujo Ryujin stood up, put his hands behind his back, walked to the eaves of the shrine, and looked at the world beyond Takamanohara.
"It seems that you are still not awake enough."
"We, Nihon, have no way out. Ever since that door came, the world has been changing."
"Look at Dragon Country, look at those Western powers, they are all running forward desperately. Only we seem to be unable to keep up with their pace."
There was a hint of inexplicable fanaticism in his voice.
"So, we need an opportunity, an opportunity that allows us to reach the sky in one step and stand on top of the world again!"
Kujo Houka's heart moved, and she knew that grandpa was getting to the point.
"Amaterasu Omikami, has been sleeping for too long."
Kujo Ryujin turned around slowly, a pair of old eyes bursting with frightening light.
"Over time, He has forgotten to protect His people."
"Since He doesn't do anything, then this Divine Throne should be inherited by someone more capable!"
Boom!
Kujo Houka's brain went blank.
She looked at her grandfather in disbelief.
To usurp Divine Throne?
That means wanting to be Pseudo-God.
Becoming Pseudo-God means standing on the opposite side of all human beings.
"You are crazy!"
Kujo Houka blurted out.
"Crazy?"
Kujo Ryujin laughed, the laughter was hoarse and harsh.
"Huanghua, you are still too naive. What is God? God is just a more powerful professional."
"As long as I can get that power, as long as I can lead Nihon back to greatness, I will be the new god!"
"Amaterasu Omikami is not comparable to those Pseudo-God. He has power comparable to the real Mythical Rank Class. As long as I succeed, what does Li Qingcang mean? The entire Dragon Country will crawl at my feet!"
Kujo Houka's heart was in turmoil.
She subconsciously wanted to refute and rebuke this rebellious idea.
But the domineering figure of Li Qingcang, the contemptuous and mocking face of Yang Yu, and the humiliating and unwilling eyes of countless citizens below appeared in her mind uncontrollably.
Weak people are not qualified to talk about dignity.
Grandpa's words, like a curse, echoed repeatedly in her ears.
The disgust and struggle on her face gradually faded away, replaced by bottomless coldness and determination.
She had been hesitant about this matter before.
But today, the arrival of Li Qingcang completely shattered the last trace of fantasy in her heart.
Yes, dignity can be achieved by oneself, not by charity from others.
Since the conventional path is no longer feasible, we can only resort to the most extreme and crazy methods!
Kujo Houka slowly raised his head, and there was no trace of wavering in those narrow phoenix eyes.
"I understand."
She looked at Kujo Ryujin, her voice was terrifyingly calm.
"However, it is not easy to usurp Divine Throne. You have been planning for many years, how far have you reached now?"
A satisfied smile appeared on Kujo Ryujin's face.
He knew that his granddaughter finally made a choice.
"Everything is ready, all we need is the east wind."
He walked to the center of the shrine, where an ancient bronze mirror was enshrined. The mirror was covered with complex Divine Pattern.
"If I want to take over Divine Throne, I need to make a perfect device to serve as a bridge between me and the Deity body."
Kujo Houka's eyes condensed slightly.
She understood something instantly.
"Abe no Seimei."
At the same time, Dragon Country, Imperial Capital, in a secret courtyard guarded by many barriers.
The water in the pool is like a mirror, and the ancient trees are towering into the sky.
An old man wearing simple linen clothes with white beard and hair is sitting leisurely by the pond fishing. He is the other Sea-Calming Pillar, Elder Wang of Dragon Country.
Suddenly, the space in front of him fluctuated slightly, and a heroic figure wearing a white martial arts uniform quietly appeared.
It is Ye Tinglan that just finished Trial.
At this moment, her aura was more condensed than before, and her eyes were opening and closing as if there were lightning flashes. It was obvious that her strength had made a qualitative leap.
"Elder Wang." She bowed respectfully to the old man's back, "Fortunately, I have passed Trial."
"Yeah, not bad." Elder Wang didn't even look back, just responded lightly, "Lin Shen That guy's Legacy is not easy to get. The fact that you can pass it shows that your potential is still above my expectations, old man."
Ye Tinglan didn't answer, and was silent for a moment, but couldn't help but ask, "Elder Wang, Yang Yu... Where is he now?"
Her voice was calm, but the flame known as "fighting spirit" was beating in her bright eyes.
Elder Wang heard this, finally put down the fishing rod, turned around, looked at her with his cloudy old eyes, and showed a meaningful smile.
"What's the matter? You've just come out of seclusion and you're so anxious to have a discussion with him?"
"Don't worry, that kid is doing business outside with Old Li."