The night was as still as water, and the dazzling lights shone throughout the palace, making the walls and lanterns appear magnificent.
Takamagahara called itself a divine kingdom, and in this ancient era when humanity was still in its infancy, it did have some merit.
Shinsei was placed in an extremely spacious room. The stone bed was covered with soft grass, the screen was embroidered with gold patterns, and an unknown incense was burning in the incense burner.
He didn't take off his clothes, nor did he sleep. On someone else's turf, he wouldn't fall asleep and entrust his life to another.
He sat cross-legged on the stone bed, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing.
The quieter the surroundings, the sharper his senses became. It was precisely because it was so quiet that he could hear that extremely soft and distant chanting, as if it were seeping from the ground or being carried by the wind from a very far place.
He opened his eyes, stood up, and pushed open the door.
The corridor was deserted, with only a few ever-burning lamps swaying gently in the wind.
Just as he was about to walk towards the sound, he saw that the door to the room next door was also ajar. Kaguya came out, still wearing the robes she wore during the day, clearly indicating that she hadn't slept either.
"You heard that too?" Shinsei asked in a low voice.
Kaguya nodded, pointing to her ears. "They're singing very loudly."
Shinsei glanced at Kaguya. He hadn't expected the Ōtsutsuki Clan to possess such exceptional hearing, in addition to their remarkable eyesight.
"Shall we go take a look?"
Kaguya nodded.
The two walked out along the corridor. They hadn't gone far when they heard footsteps ahead.
Two young servants, carrying copper trays, were hurrying in the same direction. Shinsei gave Kaguya a wink, and the two retreated into the shadows, hugging the pillars.
As the two servants approached, Shinsei each of them on the back of the neck, swiftly and cleanly knocking them down. He then stripped off the outer robe of one of them and spoke to Kaguya.
"Change into it. Don't let your face show."
Kaguya took the clothes and put them on, imitating Shinsei's style.
Shinsei Hand Seals and used the Transformation Technique. Chakra covered his body, making him half an inch taller, and his face changed to an inconspicuous round face.
A normal Transformation Technique wouldn't require such a complicated process. However, Transformation Technique can only change one's appearance, not one's scent. Therefore, it's best to use someone else's original clothes to disguise oneself.
Kaguya watched Shinsei Hand Seals and observed the flow of Chakra within his body. She then imitated the hand Hand Seals, unleashing her Chakra and transforming into a small-eyed, tongue-tied girl.
The two dragged the unconscious servant to a corner and hid him, then blended into the stone path where people were constantly gathering.
Shinsei didn't expect Otsutsuki Kaguya to learn so quickly. He had thought he would have to explain it to her.
The further they walked, the more people there were. They were all young men and women dressed in white, lined up in long queues, heads bowed, as if they were going on a pilgrimage. Shinsei and Kaguya were sandwiched in the queue and soon spotted the young men and women they had met on the way earlier.
The girl held a wooden lantern, and the boy softly sang hymns, both with smiles on their faces. Those smiles were genuine, as if they were truly bathed in divine grace.
At the end of the stone path was a plaza partially submerged underground.
In the center of the square stood a circular altar, its surface covered with golden patterns, which was now gleaming brightly. More than a hundred men and women dressed in white sat cross-legged on the altar, forming concentric circles around it.
The chanting came from their mouths, like waves crashing against the surrounding stone walls.
Several immortals stood solemnly beside the altar. Ninigi-no-Mikoto stood at the highest point, hands behind his back, chatting and laughing with an elderly immortal beside him.
"This batch of materials is quite good, especially that girl. After this round of extractions, your cultivation talent will at least improve by another level."
Ninigi-no-Mikoto in satisfaction, then shook her head with some regret.
"It's still not enough. Without extremely high talent for cultivation, one cannot become a true immortal, and therefore cannot become a true god. Sooner or later, one will be separated from Great Goddess Amaterasu forever."
"Don't rush, becoming a true immortal isn't that easy."
It's becoming increasingly difficult for humans to develop the aptitude for immortal Senjutsu; each generation is truly worse than the last.
If something were to happen to our group of immortals, I fear Takamagahara would gradually decline, and might even become desolate and extinct.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. But we don't know the background of that Shinsei."
I've never heard of other immortals before. If we capture and interrogate him, and absorb the cultivation potential of other immortals from their respective locations, then one or two more decent immortals might be born in Takamagahara."
"This matter cannot be rushed; Shinsei's power is immense. We must wait for the hermit who went to conquer Ryuchi Ryūchi Cave on Mount Myōboku to return before we can make a move."
Shinsei stood in the crowd, listening to the words of the two immortals, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
There's definitely a lot of shady stuff going on in Takamagahara. Taking my life won't be so easy.
He looked toward the center of the altar. The young men and women were completely unaware of what they were sitting on.
They were still laughing. The girl sitting in the innermost circle was the same girl who had said Great Goddess Amaterasu was the origin of all things. Her eyes were closed, and the corners of her mouth were turned up, as if she were having a beautiful dream.
The golden light from the altar suddenly intensified. The patterns crawled up the bodies of the young man and woman like living snakes, and the Senjutsu aura around them began to dissipate outwards, then was drawn into the center of the altar one by one.
The girl's expression froze for a moment, then relaxed, as if she had been caressed by something extremely gentle.
The boys were still smiling. Their skin gradually turned white, so white it was almost translucent, like paper.
A trickle of crimson light emanated from the center of the altar. Ninigi-no-Mikoto, stretched out her palm, and walked step by step toward the center of the altar.
Just then, Shinsei made a move.
He jumped onto the altar almost without hesitation, placing one foot on the edge.
The ground seemed to awaken from that stomp, and the golden patterns suddenly froze.
The immortals realized what was happening and tried to use their Senjutsu.
But Shinsei was much faster than them. His fist slammed into the chest of the nearest immortal, sending him flying backward and smashing through two stone pillars.
Kaguya rushed in after him, a faint blue light gathering in her palm, and pushed away several immortals who pounced on her.
Shinsei jumped to the center of the altar, found those familiar faces, grabbed the boys and girls by their clothes, and threw them off the field.
Chakra coiled around them like ropes, one at a time. The chanting stopped. Screams, roars, and running sounds filled the air.
The two immortals presiding over the altar had already reacted. They flanked Shinsei from the left and right, moving quite quickly. But in Shinsei's eyes, they were still a bit too slow.
"Get out of the way," Shinsei said.
The two immortals did not yield. They simultaneously stretched out their hands, and two balls of white-green Natural Energy shone from their palms, which they launched at Shinsei one after the other.
Shinsei dodged the first attack by sidestepping, and then shattered the second one with a single palm strike. The Natural Energy broke into countless tiny fragments of light, which landed on the altar, leaving several scorch marks.
Shinsei stopped dawdling with them.
He clasped his hands together, and Sage Mode instantly activated. Purer and thicker Senjutsu Chakra surged from his body like a flood, dimming the golden patterns on the altar, causing fine cracks to appear on the ground, and the surrounding air seemed to sink.
The two orbs of Natural Energy flickered in front of him, like candle flames blown by the wind, almost going out.
The two immortals stopped in their tracks simultaneously, their faces turning pale, and they dared not advance any further. They finally understood that the person before them was simply not on the same level.
"I said, move aside," Shinsei repeated.
The two immortals retreated. All the other immortals who were still standing around also retreated.
No one made a move. Shinsei stopped looking at them, grabbed several boys and girls who were slumped on the ground, and lifted them up like sacks.
Several tried to struggle, but Shinsei gently tapped them on the back of the neck, knocking their heads to the side and rendering them unconscious. Kaguya did the same, knocking out the remaining few.
The group of people lay sprawled on the ground, like a pile of rag dolls with their bones removed.
Shinsei didn't leave immediately. He turned around and looked at Ninigi-no-Mikoto.
Ninigi-no-Mikoto remained standing there, motionless from beginning to end.
He stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering gently in the lingering aura of the altar, and the smile on his face was gone.
There was something cold in his eyes, like jade covered in frost.
"Who exactly are you?" Ninigi-no-Mikoto.
"Someone you can't afford to mess with," Shinsei said.
Ninigi-no-Mikoto darkened further. "You interrupted the ritual personally bestowed by Great Goddess Amaterasu. These mortals are fortunate enough to enter Amaterasu Palace; it is a blessing from the divine kingdom. Do you know how many gates they had to pass through to climb from the mortal realm to here? How many people pray their whole lives and still cannot attain this?"
"Blessing?" Shinsei said, "To drain a person dry and transfer their talents to you, is that what you call a blessing?"