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In the current Dharma-Ending Age, the gods have long since perished, and even Takamagahara has long since fallen into the mortal world and vanished. But at this moment, the black bag monk felt as if he had returned to a thousand years ago. He felt the gaze from above again, the gods who easily sealed him back then. Or perhaps it was a higher being than those gods of the past.
It was sealed by the land god who guarded the village, and then was worshipped for hundreds of years. People tried to eliminate its resentment through sacrifices.
But at this moment, He looked here, and His greatness was far beyond the comparison of the land god.
That's Gaia!
It is not Ultraman Gaia. It is Gaia, the Mother Goddess of the Earth and the will of the planet. Everything on this planet was born because of Him. He is the beginning and the end; He is the whole and the one; He is the cause of everything and the final result.
This was a power that Ling did not master either. After Gaia's Light chose her, she did have this status, but that did not mean that as a human, she could master everything about this status.
She is a human being, so how can she use the resources of a planet?
This time, she used the sacrificial dance that had been passed down from thousands of years ago to the present day, and prayed to herself, drawing down a trace of power that truly belonged to the will of the planet.
This is indeed a wonderful feeling. Wearing a miko costume and holding a Kagura bell, she prays to Gaia. But at the same time, she, who bears the person of Gaia, also feels that someone is praying to her through the Kagura dance - both the praying and the prayed are herself, praying for the grace of God to descend upon her.
It was indeed a wonderful feeling to apply for and approve it by myself. Of course she agreed, and the will of the planet cast its gaze.
Even if it was just a slight glance, for this planet that had been home to all life since the Paleozoic Era for more than four billion years, there was really no need to pay too much attention to a mere demon god. To him, the demon god was far from qualified, and the Yabo people were certainly not qualified either. The only one who could truly be called an "enemy" was the Source of Destruction.
The source of destruction is also the will of the planet, the other side of the Earth. He desires to destroy everything, even himself. Destruction is his instinct.
God’s gaze is powerful; even if He does not say a word or move a finger, it is enough.
Ling once again clenched the Kagura bell, but this time she did not swing it down. Instead, she held it with both hands in front of her. She was praying and responding, and then her eyes of response were cast on the Kagura bell.
There are no words to describe the dazzling brilliance.
That is not light, not the concept of photons defined by wave-particle duality in physics. The reason why it is called "brilliance" is that the language formed by the shallow wisdom of human beings has no better words to describe it. God's grace is like the sea, and God's power is like hell. It does not belong to the category of concepts that humans can understand.
So it can only be called "glory". When the "glory" blooms on Kagura bell, all negative emotions and hatred and resentment are no longer allowed to exist.
When the black cloth bag monk saw the "light", his body collapsed like foam. The thought told him that he was not allowed to exist, so he could only disappear.
No one knows what this thousand-year-old demon god was thinking at this last moment. Perhaps the demon god himself does not know how to think. Or perhaps, he complained, "Why didn't you look at me when you believed in the gods so much and wanted to save all living beings but was killed by someone?"
Even if it asks, it won't get any answer.
Ling didn't know how to answer, but Gaia did not have the cause and effect, good and evil as humans understood.
Human beings believe only because they believe, and it has nothing to do with the people they believe in.
The morality and concepts of good and evil formulated by humans are too shallow in the light of the will of the planet. New species are born and old species become extinct every day, and hundreds of billions of lives are born and die. The honor, disgrace and fate of an individual are of no value to be considered in the macroscopic view of the long river of life on the entire planet.
The vengeful spirit that had existed for a thousand years, the devil that had been rumored by the world for a thousand years, disappeared in the blink of an eye. There was no forgiveness, and no mercy.
She remained kneeling with the Kagura bell in her hand, and seemed a little dazed.
Late at night.
The strange phenomenon in the sky had long disappeared, the stars and the moon were the same as usual, there was no white jade plate in the sky, only a crescent moon.
Someone went to light the extinguished brazier, and the courtyard became bright again.
Ling was still kneeling on the altar. No one approached, perhaps out of awe or fear. These clergy believed from the bottom of their hearts that the priestess who could attract the attention of the true god was someone that people could not approach or blaspheme.
Only Beidou walked over, but he also stopped.
"Are you...crying?"
Ling wasn't crying either, she was just shedding tears.
Gaia doesn't shed tears, and neither does the devil, so who can shed tears for their tragic fate?
Sad for those who have been cursed by the black bag monk for many years; also for the pathetic seeker who believed deeply in gods and Buddhas, picked up wheat ears one by one and cultivated them in his heart, made great aspirations and loved the world. It is naive to think that good deeds will bring good results, but fate is not so reasonable.
The good deeds that were planted will produce the most tragic curse. People who are bent on doing evil have no faith and will only become evil ghosts. Only saints who were once noble will become demons when their faith is tainted.
No one would laugh at the witch for crying. The priests and wizards bowed respectfully from a distance and left the courtyard where they could walk freely again.
Frogs croaked in the pond, as if the fragmented time had resumed its flow, and it was a peaceful summer night just like before.
"mom."
Because he hadn't heard this name for many years, Miyamizu Kazuha was dazed for a moment before realizing that it was his son-in-law who was once kicked out of the house by him who was calling him.
Junshu's feet were still a little numb, but it was much better than before, at least he didn't limp when he walked anymore.
It was rare that Grandma Miyamizu didn't mock him. Ever since he gave up his priesthood and devoted himself to his career, and fell out with Miyamizu Shrine, they hadn't had a good conversation for a long time. In fact, Toshiki recalled that he and his mother-in-law had never had a good conversation since the day Futaba passed away. It was always a quarrel, followed by a cold war before leaving home.
Erye's departure became a huge scar that divided the family.
"You said Erye, why did she leave?" Junshu asked.
Erye did have a terminal illness, but if she went to a big city and received better medical treatment, it was possible that her life would be extended by a few months, or even a few years. Maybe she could even watch Sanye and Siye grow up.
But she chose to give up treatment and stayed in the shrine in front of the gods in the last moments of her life. To Junshu at that time, his wife seemed to have become an unreasonable martyr in the last moments of her life. He had no such doubts at first, because in his opinion, his wife was bewitched by superstition.
This is why he took his anger out on the shrine.
But today, he realized that maybe God really existed, so did Erye have other reasons? Reasons that he didn't know.
"I don't know, and I'll probably never know." Miyamizu Kazuha replied.
She really didn't know anything. In the last days of her life, Erye, who could hardly leave her bed, still sat in front of the gods all day, as if she was offering a sacrifice. She was married and no longer a member of the gods, but she seemed to be offering herself to the gods.
What is the purpose of the sacrifice?
"But all I can guess is what she saw."
"What did you see?"
"Sacrifice is all for the purpose of praying. The only thing I can think of that would make Erye willing to sacrifice herself is for you, or your daughters Sanye and Yotsuba."
Futaba is a true shrine maiden, and no one knows what she saw in the last few months of her life. The spirit of birth is the connection between people and the flow of time.
All Granny Miyamizu could think of was her daughter sacrificing all her remaining time to pray to the gods for a blessing for her child, so that at some point in the future, Sanye and Yotsuba would receive a blessing that would allow them to change their fate.
She turned into a silk thread, waiting somewhere in the long river of time, waiting for the moment when her daughter really needed her, and gently offering her blessing in exchange for all the remaining time in her life.
Although it's ridiculous, if it's Futaba -
"That's something she would do," Toshiki chuckled. It seemed to be the first time he had smiled in a few years.
On that day six years ago, Mitsuha walked up to him and told him that a comet would hit the town and asked the residents to evacuate. Of course, Junshu didn't believe it. He didn't believe a word of it. This ridiculous warning without any basis was not worth considering.
So, he issued an evacuation notice -
Thinking about it afterwards, it was still incredible. Once the announcement was made, it affected tens of thousands of residents in the town. If the natural disaster warning turned out to be a joke, his career would obviously be over, not to mention that his daughter and her friends blew up the substation. Sanye was a minor, but he was the guardian, and the candidate who competed with him for votes would definitely be willing to send him to jail.
Now thinking about it, his impulse at that time was indeed unreasonable. Because when he looked at his daughter, he saw Erye in a trance.
Maybe it wasn't an illusion, Erye was really there that day, at that moment.
She sacrificed all her remaining time and prayed for a chance to change her fate. She wanted to save not only him and his daughter, but also everyone in this town.
From the beginning to the end, she was the witch who belonged to this town and to everyone.
Chapter 81: Homeward Journey
It was already late at night when we left Miyamizu Shrine.
Before leaving, Granny Miyamizu gave her three ribbons. Compared to the ones Lingye had woven during the day, the craftsmanship of these ribbons was much more exquisite, with gorgeous colors and a soft but textured texture, making them extremely valuable works of art.
This is a specialty of Miyamizu Shrine.
The hand-woven ribbons sold at Miyamizu Shrine are not cheap, let alone the few ribbons offered to the gods. Even if we put aside the religious factors, they can be regarded as precious intangible cultural heritage.
But in the eyes of Granny Miyamizu, this is her offering to the shrine maiden. It is not a gift, but an offering with religious connotations, and Ling has no choice but to refuse.
A shrine maiden who can truly gain the favor of the gods and be descended by the gods. Even in the Age of Gods more than a thousand years ago, she was a legendary figure. Being able to offer tribute to such a shrine maiden is not a bargain for Ling, but an honor for the shrine.
"Please bless Mitsuha to live a happy life in Tokyo, and bless Yotsuha to be admitted to a good university!"
The mother-in-law put her hands together and bowed, which made Ling feel a little embarrassed. Was she the "statue" to be worshipped?
What made her even more unaccustomed was that the former priest Miyamizu Mayor, who always had a stern face and talked about breaking superstitions, also followed suit and clasped his hands together and bowed to her.
What a weird feeling. But even so, she really didn't know how to wish others a happy life or good luck in exams.
Fortunately, Granny Miyamizu and the mayor didn't care. They just prayed to the gods and Buddhas to make themselves feel at ease, and they didn't really think that the gods and Buddhas would do anything. To be more precise, the gods and Buddhas were clay sculptures placed on the altar. They didn't say anything and didn't move, which made people feel more at ease and they could pray at will.
If gods and Buddhas could speak, people would be at a loss as to what to do.
Ling also returned to Tokyo on the Hokuto and Nanyuki Uchisuo.
Although she could also go back directly by herself, since Beidou invited her, riding in a fighter jet would be a rare experience.
Ling had flown on civil aircraft many times, but this was her first time on a fighter jet. The push-back feeling during takeoff and the flexible steering were not comparable to civil aircraft.
"How does it feel?" Beidou deliberately maneuvered the plane to do a fancy somersault, causing Nan Xizi to roll her eyes.
Beidou is so childish sometimes.
“It’s much more exciting than a roller coaster.”
Ling could only say this to satisfy a certain big boy's desire to show off.
In fact, she didn't feel anything special.
The plane was filled with a variety of complex instrument panels, making it hard to take it all in. Ling could only recognize a limited number of the units on the instrument panels. Airspeed, vertical speed, altitude, cabin air pressure, longitude and latitude, a gyroscopic semi-compass, and an attitude indicator. The remaining dozen or so instrument panels were beyond her shallow knowledge system.
Fortunately, she didn't need to understand these. Beidou was the one flying the plane.
As the ace pilots of the TAC team, even though they were the first to rush into every battle, Beidou and Minami were the record holders for the lowest number of crashes in the entire TAC team, far lower than Yamanaka and Yoshimura, and even lower than Captain Ryu and Noriko who had a low number of sorties.
He was a true ace pilot, and it was easy for him to fly through the hail of bullets. He was not a "dead pilot" who would crash every time he went to the battlefield, making the equipment department hate him.
Even though it is a fighter jet, except for the somersault that was shown off at the beginning, Beidou's driving was very stable without too much bumps.
The night sky is pitch black. If it were daytime, the scenery might be better. At this time, all that comes into view is the unchanging stars in the sky and the vast black earth.
Feeling a little bored, Ling searched for a while on the densely packed instruments and operating dials, but when she was sure that she didn't find what she wanted, she had no choice but to give up.
"Are you looking for something?" Nan Xizi asked.
It is worth mentioning that the Universe is actually limited to two people, one pilot and one gunner. That means there are only two seats on the plane, and Lingye and Sister Yuko squeezed into one seat.
This is of course very dangerous. An overloaded plane is not like a car, and it will easily result in the plane crashing and the death of people. Normally, even Beidou would never be so careless. However, since he, Yuko, and Lingye were on board at the time, there was no so-called danger. Even if they encountered a super beast, the Cosmos would not be the unlucky one.
"Nothing... Well, I just wanted to see if there was any speakers to listen to music, a radio would be fine."
Whether she is in a car, boat or plane, Ling always wants to listen to something. It's not that she loves music, but she just likes it as a way to kill time.
"Ah, sorry, fighter jets don't have that stuff." Beidou laughed. It was the first time he heard someone wanted to listen to the radio on a fighter jet. Of course fighter jets have radios, but they are communication devices for contacting the base, not for listening to radio programs.
"Or should I sing a song for you? I sing very well, and children like it."