Ise Grand Shrine
Japan, Ise Shrine.
Under the guidance of a priest in the shrine, Kato Tadayuki walked slowly along the path.
The shrine is located in a dense forest with an area of more than 10,000 acres, covering an extremely wide area.
Therefore, the surrounding environment is beautiful, with exotic flowers and plants, and the fragrance of birds and flowers.
Ise Shrine is divided into the inner palace and the outer palace. The outer palace is open to the outside world, and there are many tourists, and it is very lively.
Kato Tadyuki looked solemn, ignored the lively atmosphere around him, and walked straight in.
Although he is the chief priest of Hachiman Shrine, one of the five major shrines in Japan, when he walks on the grounds of Ise Shrine, he is still cautious and dare not be disrespectful.
Because, Ise Jingu Shrine is the shrine with the highest rank, and the deity enshrined in the shrine is the highest deity in Japan, Amaterasu!
Among countless shrines in Japan, only Ise Shrine can enshrine Amaterasu, which also means that Ise Shrine is the spiritual leader of all shrines in Japan!
Not only that, since Amaterasu is the ancestor god of the Japanese royal family, all the priests of the Ise Shrine are members of the royal family.
It can be said that this Ise Shrine is not an exaggeration for the Royal Shrine.
Following the tree-lined path, passing through the outer palace, Kato Tadyuki entered the scope of the inner palace.
The surroundings suddenly became quiet, and the noisy voices gradually faded away. Compared with the hustle and bustle of the outer palace, the inner palace seemed much quieter.
Although the outer palace can be visited by tourists, not everyone can enter the inner palace.
Only members of the royal family can visit freely, and other people, etc., are not allowed to enter unless they are summoned by the priests in the shrine.
Kato Tadyuki was summoned by the great priest of the Ise Shrine, Ohgure Tensei, that's why he stepped into the Shrine.
Kato Tadyuki didn't actually want to come, but he had to.
Because the task assigned to him by Ise Jingu was messed up by his subordinates.
He sent to China to steal three priests and dozens of outlying disciples from the tomb of the last Rongwu more than a thousand years ago. All of them died tragically, and no one was spared!
As for the two treasures in the tomb, the whereabouts of them are also unknown.
Kato Tadyuki was a little sad, but also a little uneasy.
What saddened him was that he actually lost the three strongest priests in the Hachiman Shrine in China. As a result, he didn't know how long it would take for the Hachiman Shrine to recover.
What made him feel uneasy was that the failure of this mission had very serious consequences. He didn't know how the great priest of the Jingu Palace would punish him.
With such complicated feelings, Kato Tadyuki finally arrived outside the main hall of the inner palace.
The main hall is located in the center of the inner palace and is the core part of the entire Ise Shrine. It is said that one of the three ancient Japanese artifacts, the eight-foot mirror, which symbolizes the imperial power of Japan, is enshrined here.
The main hall is a typical example of "Kamizaku", one of the ancient Japanese architectural forms. It has a rectangular plan, a long-side entrance, excavated columns, a mountain flower center column on the gable wall, and a suspended mountain-style cao roof with a straight-line roof. From the outside to the inside, there are several fences and walls surrounding it, forming layers of space. There are torii gates on all sides of the outer wall.
The entire main hall is built entirely of logs according to the ancient method, without any secular atmosphere.
Kato Tadyuki waited quietly outside the main hall, while the priest leading the way came inside to report.
After that, the young priest came out and motioned him to enter.
Kato Tadyuki nodded, straightened his clothes, and walked in with a solemn expression.
As soon as he stepped into the main hall, he felt as if he had entered another world. The ancient and majestic aura rushed towards him from all directions, making him stand in awe. All the hustle and bustle outside seemed to have nothing to do with this place.
The surrounding area was extremely quiet. Although there were priests coming and going from time to time, they couldn't hear the slightest noise, and even the tip of a needle could be heard falling to the ground.
Kato Tadyuki came to the center of the main hall and stopped.
There is a dark room on the right. In the dark room, there seems to be a person sitting cross-legged. A bamboo curtain blocks Kato Tadakashi's eyes, preventing him from seeing the face of the High Priest Ise clearly.
Kato Tadayuki respectfully bowed to the figure behind the bamboo curtain, then knelt down and said, "The great priest of Hachiman Shrine, Kato Tadyuki, is here to pay your respects at your summons."
The voice fell to the ground for a long time, but the figure behind the bamboo curtain did not see any reaction.
Kato Tadyuki only felt his heart beating violently and his breathing slightly disordered, so he knelt quietly on the ground, lowered his head, and waited for the priest of Ise to ask questions.
After a while like this, an old voice drifted out from behind the bamboo curtain.
"Tadayuki Kato, you are here. Have you completed the task I gave you?"
"Sorry, great priest, I failed." Kato Tadyuki quickly apologized, "The three priests and dozens of disciples of our Hachiman Shrine all died mysteriously in China overnight, and the reason is still unknown."
"Then what about the two treasures of the last Rong Wu?"
Kato Tadyuki replied: "The whereabouts are unknown."
The great priest of the Jingu Temple fell silent, and no longer spoke, and the surroundings fell into silence again.
Kato Tadyuki's nerves were as tense as a bowstring, he didn't even dare to take a breath, his vest was constantly sweating, soaking his clothes.
He knows that his fate will be decided in a very short time, although he is also a shrine priest respected by the world.
However, his status and influence in Shintoism cannot be compared with that of Ise Grand Priest.
After a long time passed like this, the voice of the priest of Ise, so calm and devoid of any human emotion, floated out from behind the bamboo curtain again.
"The two treasures left by the last military shaman are rare treasures. They are very important to our Ise Shrine and even the entire Shinto religion. No matter how much it costs, they must be found again.
But Kato, you did your best. I estimate that the priests under your command probably encountered Chinese practitioners. The world of Chinese comprehension is like a dragon's pond and a tiger's lair. It is extremely dangerous. If you don't pay attention, it will end in death. They can only be regarded as bad luck.
I didn't think carefully about this matter, and I didn't expect it to be noticed by Chinese cultivators. Forget it, let us, Ise Shrine, handle this matter. "
Kato Tadyuki couldn't help but quietly heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that Priest Ise would not hold him accountable.
However, when he heard that Ise Jingu was going to make a move, he was surprised again.
The priests in the Ise Shrine are all from the royal family. According to ancient legends, they are the descendants of Amaterasu, and they have a special status in Shintoism.
At present, apart from the most powerful person in Shintoism, Umaki Masahide of Izumo Taisha Shrine, the status of priests in other shrines in the Shinto religion is far lower than that of Ise Shrine.
Because of this, although Ise Shrine has many powerful priests, it generally does not send people out to perform tasks in person, but assigns other shrines to complete them.
Now, the great priest of Ise actually broke the tradition and personally dispatched the strong men in the shrine, which is enough to show how much the shrine attaches importance to this matter!
Kato Tadyuki felt a little grateful for the tolerance of the High Priest Ise for him. He felt that since his subordinates failed to complete the task assigned by the Jingu, he should do his part to help the Jingu and take back the two treasures.
"Your Excellency, for the prosperity of Shintoism, if there is any need, I am willing to do my little bit, even if I go through fire and water, I will not hesitate."
The great priest of Ise nodded slightly behind the bamboo curtain and said, "If there is a need, I will send someone to look for you."
"Then I will leave first."
Kato Tadayuki bowed to the figure behind the bamboo curtain, then stood up and slowly backed out.
Not long after Tadyuki Kato withdrew, Priest Ise picked up a brass bell and shook it lightly.
The crisp ringing sound spread far away like ripples, and it was particularly loud in the silent main hall.
Before the bell rang, a cloud of white smoke suddenly emerged from the ground, and the smoke cleared. One was wearing a white top hat and a white toga, the other was expressionless, with a face like A young man wearing a mask appeared outside the bamboo curtain.
"Your Excellency, you are looking for me." The man looked young and handsome, but his voice was quite old, like a centenarian.
"Qingyuan Chengping." The figure behind the bamboo curtain called the man's name faintly, "I have a task that needs you to complete."
"Just tell me." Qing Yuan Chengping folded his hands in the wide sleeves and bowed slightly.
"I want you to go to Binyang, China immediately, and recapture the two treasures left by the last military shaman. As for the specific details, you can ask Kato Tadyuki of Hachiman Shrine, he should be more clear. In addition, you have to remember, Qian Be careful of Chinese cultivators, the Hachiman Shrine has already lost several priests there! Although you are one of the top ten Shinto powerhouses, you still can’t be careless! I hope you don’t let me down!”
"Yes, I will do my best, Your Excellency the High Priest." Qingyuan Heisei saluted the figure, and a frightening gleam flashed in his eyes.