The Gods Offer Their Counsel

He is very famous and holds divine positions such as God of Thunder God, God of Martial God, and God of Martial Arts.

When it comes to His most glorious moment, it is undoubtedly the story of how Amaterasu sent Him to pacify Central Land of Reed Plains (i. e., the Japan mainland).

There's no need to go into details; just know that He was Amaterasu's important lackey.

Shuya pondered, "Why did He give up halfway through?"

"You'll see when you see it."

Sugawara no Michizane casually broke the scroll's seal. He was prepared, but he was still somewhat surprised that the seal was broken so easily.

A thought struck him: Could it be that He...

The Heavenly God didn't rush to reveal his guess, because it would be embarrassing if he was wrong.

He held his breath and read aloud, "On February 22, 2005, Takemikazuchi by Amaterasu Omikami to assassinate Inoue Shuya."

"The next day, the 23rd, we departed from the Kasuga Grand Shrine Divine Domain, and were en route encountered (a blurry scene)..."

"By what?"

Shuya and the others also looked at the Heavenly God.

Sugawara no Michizane shook his head. "I can't see it."

He displayed the scroll to all the gods and demons in the hall.

Amidst the confusion, Shuya exclaimed in surprise, "Wait, aren't there words here... Hmm? Let me see."

His eyes widened. "Holy crap! It's my teacher!"

"Your teacher..."

Sugawara no Michizane stroked his beard, and the image of a person's back appeared in his mind.

"Inoue- kun, since you can see this, please read it."

He handed over the scroll, which Shuya and, panting, read, "On February 23rd, Takemikazuchi departed from the Divine Domain and encountered Spear God Li Shuhong in the Spirit Realm. Takemikazuchi was killed with a single finger."

"--- Takemikazuchi has fallen!"

"Takemikazuchi is dead!"

Shuya was incredulous; the hall was deathly silent.

"It really was him..."

Sugawara no Michizane was also surprised.

"Holy crap, didn't this old man say he wouldn't bother with me? Why did he suddenly make a move? Hey, killing Takemikazuchi with a single finger is that awesome?!"

Shuya became excited.

Li Shuhong taught him for only a month, and then barely paid any attention to him, even going so far as to disappear.

Shuya occasionally use him to scare people, but he never really expected him to actually do anything. Who would have thought that he would suddenly receive a message from him at this time?

"Heavenly God- like figure, you seem to know something?"

Shuya looked at the Heavenly God, who had just acted as if he knew the inside story.

Sugawara no Michizane nodded. "I am, after all, the God of Learning, and I know a little about the inside story—although many powerful gods also know this much."

"Would you mind telling me?"

"Yes, this is actually related to you as well."

Sugawara no Michizane.

"It has something to do with me?"

Shuya a little confused.

"The Spear God and Amaterasu Omikami actually harbored a grudge."

Sugawara no Michizane calmly revealed the information.

"A grudge? How dare Amaterasu hold a grudge against my teacher?"

Shuya said casually.

"Yes, back then, although the Spear God was quite famous, he was far from being as powerful as he is now Amaterasu Omikami thought she could suppress him... or at least go toe-to-toe with him, but it turned out that was just an illusion."

"You probably don't know this, but the disappearance of the Japan Imperial Family is actually directly related to the Spear God."

Sugawara no Michizane to reveal. "The reason I said it was related to you is because the feud between the Spear God and Amaterasu is partly due to your master, Ikeda Ichinosuke."

"Even my master has come out?"

Shuya felt confused.

He thought his master's story was over, but there's a sequel?

Sugawara no Michizane said, "Didn't I just mention it? Amaterasu, the Imperial Family has always been hunting for Natural Martial Bone."

The Heavenly Demon Body was also within the hunting range, but during the World War, the Heavenly Demon Body was not Japan.

Shuya heard the Heavenly God mention it and, as if making a connection, wondered, "Could it be my master...?"

"Just as you thought... it was possible to save Ikeda Ichinosuke, and even the extraordinary individuals in Hokkaido."

Sugawara no Michizane sighed, "By the middle of the Hokkaido War, Ikeda Ichinosuke's reputation had already reached the ears of Amaterasu Omikami of that generation, and that was the beginning of the disaster."

"Amaterasu Omikami did not want such a naturally Natural Martial Bone to leave Hokkaido, so she wanted to use the invading Western army to bury him in Hokkaido."

He recounted the secret history. "Back then, Western supernatural beings also blocked the passage to the Hokkaido Spirit Realm in the Spirit Realm, but if Amaterasu were willing to put in the effort, according to my plan, she could send elites to support Hokkaido."

Sugawara no Michizane recalled the time and said indifferently, "However, Amaterasu proposed another plan—She said that we should first show weakness, use Hokkaido as bait to attract the forces of the Western superhumans, and then annihilate them in one fell swoop when the time was right."

"In fact, He simply held back, using others to do His dirty work. Only after Ikeda Ichinosuke did He send troops to defeat the superhumans in the Spirit Realm... It can't be called defeating them, though. When the Western superhumans received news of their defeat, they were all preparing to retreat completely. He only killed some of those who covered the retreat and then proclaimed a great victory."

Shuya frowned deeply. "Isn't this treason and collusion with the enemy?"

The Heavenly God shook his head and said, "Anyway, Japan belonged to His family back then, so He doesn't see anything wrong with it."

Shuya accepted this explanation; the Qing Dynasty even had a policy of "preferring friendly nations to domestic slaves" (although this wasn't actually said in history).

"So that's how my teacher became enemies with Amaterasu?"

Sugawara no Michizane said, "After Asagami Miin, the Spear God angrily demanded to see Amaterasu, asking why He hadn't sent reinforcements. He was furious for the sake of his fallen Ikeda Ichinosuke, and many others, and he demanded an explanation from Amaterasu."

The Heavenly God showed a look of reminiscence. "The Spear God was still too young back then. I remember Amaterasu bowing very low before all the gods, apologizing repeatedly. Her face was full of genuine remorse, and she said that if the Spear God was not satisfied, he could kill her to vent his anger."

Shuya shook his head as he listened. "That's..."

That's incredibly cunning.

Amaterasu was, after all, the head of all extraordinary beings in a nation. How could Li Shuhong kill her?

Sugawara no Michizane said, "After Amaterasu apologized, her subordinates all stepped forward to apologize, and some gods even knelt down, pleading with the Spear God to prioritize the greater good and not fight amongst themselves."

"Oh."

That's incredibly shameless...

"In the end, the Spear God was persuaded. He hadn't expected Amaterasu to be so ruthless. He began to think that Amaterasu was truly forced into this situation, after all, many extraordinary beings had died in Hokkaido, and many gods and Monster had perished, so she had also suffered heavy losses."

"The Spear God didn't know that in Amaterasu's eyes, those extraordinary individuals were just weeds; if they died, they died, and they would just grow back after a while."

At this point, Sugawara no Michizane suddenly revealed a strange smile:

"But that's alright; resolving doubts is one of the duties of the God of Learning."

"So I told the Spear God."

"The whole truth."

The Heavenly God smiled broadly.

Chapter 293, Section 277: The Heavenly God Offer Advice

Holy crap, this old man is really dark-skinned.

This is a classic case of using someone else to do one's dirty work.

Even if he hadn't said anything, Li Shuhong would probably have realized it later, but if he didn't pursue it then, it would have caused a lot of trouble later.

Li Shuhong is indeed shameless now, but according to what Shuya read about Asagami Miin, he wasn't like this before.

Amaterasu clearly saw through his personality back then, and because she believed she wasn't afraid of him, she staged this whole thing.

According to Shuya's estimation, Amaterasu wasn't really afraid of Li Shuhong at the time; she apologized only because she was wary of Great Hua.

But Sugawara no Michizane sold him out in no time.

Shuya felt that, given Amaterasu's personality as described by the Heavenly God, she wouldn't have been unaware that Sugawara no Michizane would betray her. She was probably too arrogant, thinking that even if Li Shuhong knew the truth, he couldn't do anything to her.

"What was his reaction after the Heavenly God figure told the teacher?"

Shuya very curious about what would happen next.

Sugawara no Michizane said, "He was furious and wanted to confront Amaterasu immediately, but he restrained himself. He felt that Amaterasu and the other gods were right to prioritize the greater good, and he believed that he could not act like them."

He said, "I urged the Spear God to take revenge, but he told me that although Amaterasu did it on purpose, the Japan front could not do without Him, and he could not act. He is different from them; he cannot let personal feelings interfere with public duty."

Sugawara no Michizane's face showed admiration.

Shuya felt that Li Shuhong's statement was very much in line with Asagami Miin's description; indeed, he (back then) was a man with heroic qualities.

"And then what?"

Shuya asked, curious as to why, if Li Shuhong didn't seek revenge, the royal family was almost entirely wiped out.

His teammates and the Monster were also very curious. They only knew that the royal family was being assassinated repeatedly, but they didn't know there was more to the story.

The gods on Sugawara no Michizane's side, however, remained calm, likely because they already knew.

The Heavenly God smiled and stroked his beard, saying with satisfaction, "After hearing what the Spear God said, I greatly admired his magnanimity. So, for such an admirable Spear God, I offered a plan, which can be considered as doing my bit."

"..."

Shuya glanced at Him sideways.

Ignoring Shuya's bewildered gaze, Sugawara no Michizane said, "That strategy, I call it the Imperial Bait Operation."

"Imperial Bait Operation?"

Shuya thought for a moment and figured out what it was just from the name.

That old man is truly wicked.

Sugawara no Michizane said, "The Japan Imperial Family has always been an object of worship for the people. If they were killed, it would be a major blow to morale. Therefore, they have always been a target for assassination by Western supernatural beings."

"Needless to say, Japan definitely has a large number of superhumans protecting the Imperial Family. And from Great Hua, there are also many external aids protecting the Emperor."

"And that is the prerequisite for my plan. Its aim is to use members of the royal family to lure out more Western experts."

Sugawara no Michizane's expression was one of profound compassion. "The Japan Imperial Family loves its people so much, I believe they would certainly be willing and happy to sacrifice their lives for them. After all... the greater good comes first."

He gave a faint smile, his tone very pleasant.

"The Spear God accepted my suggestion and immediately returned to Great Hua with his elite troops. He informed Amaterasu of the plan, Amaterasu vehemently opposed. However, prioritizing the greater good, the Spear God personally suppressed the opposition from Amaterasu and his trusted deities, and began to implement the plan."

"Then the Spear God asked me to guide him on how to set up the formation. In order to ensure the royal family had the most comfortable experience, I considerately sent warriors and Strange Arts who were close to the royal family to serve as guards."

"The number of guards can't be too many or too few. If there are too many, others won't take the bait; if there are too few, I won't feel at ease, always feeling that the royal family isn't safe."

Shuya listened and found the old man increasingly ruthless. His concerns about too many or too few guards were clearly a sign that he was worried too many would ensure success, while too few would mean not enough casualties.

However, Shuya didn't expect that Sugawara no Michizane, was no good either.

"Soon, the Imperial Bait Operation began, with Spear God and I personally overseeing it. The plan was to release suitable Western superhumans into the homeland, then launch a coordinated attack to kill them at the opportune moment. But unfortunately..."

Sugawara no Michizane's eyes were filled with sorrow. "It's a pity that, although the plan was very successful and eliminated many Western masters..."

"But several Emperors have died, and most members of the imperial family have also sacrificed their lives... Truly... magnificent! I have never seen an imperial family that cares so much for its people!"

Hearing this Shuya was also deeply impressed, and couldn't help but give a thumbs up, saying with genuine emotion, "Truly worthy of being the Emperor Family guarding Japan, just like the Ming Dynasty where the emperor guarded the nation's gates and the monarch died for the country—a true example of royal virtue!"

Such a magnificent and moving experience deserves a hearty toast!

He downed a glass of fine wine in one gulp, then said gravely, "But wasn't it said that some members of the royal family escaped into the Spirit Realm? What happened to them?"

"Snort!"