Chapter 331: The Human Dao

In the land of Yamato, Koto Prefecture, within the Daoist grounds of the Jiujuyi Sect, a group of cultivators clad in strange priestly robes sat around a circular table.

On the table rested a basin of clear water, within which floated a single chrysanthemum.

Since yesterday, the chrysanthemum's petals had been falling one by one; today, only one remained.

Yet even this last petal seemed firmly fused to the flower base, refusing to detach, leaving all waiting in unbearable anxiety.

"Report!"

At that moment, a hesitant cry came from outside the door; almost simultaneously, the final petal in the basin finally dropped.

"Enter."

The eldest cultivator took a deep breath, steadying his turbulent emotions, and spoke. Soon after, a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a black formal suit, entered.

"How is the situation?"

The elder did not ask what had happened, for at this moment, the only news that could enter this Daoist grounds was one thing alone.

"The Soul-Stealing Plan has failed. All our operatives in Port City have been annihilated; other coastal cities' Yamato nationals have been arrested and expelled. However, Yamata no Orochi did inflict damage—Port City's harbor is now completely shut down, and other coastal cities are in emergency relief mode. Yet for reasons unknown, the western coast, led by Nagasaki, was also struck by a tsunami. Fortunately, losses remain within acceptable limits."

"No matter. This is normal—it is the backlash of reversed destiny." The elder paid it little mind, glancing once more at the fully withered chrysanthemum in the basin, then dipped his finger in the water and scribbled on a white sheet of paper.

The other priests either closed their eyes in contemplation or stared blankly ahead; a strange aura spread through the Daoist grounds.

Finally, as if completing a grand calligraphic masterpiece, the elder folded the water-soaked paper into a triangle and handed it to the youth:

"The feng shui of the Central Lands has been broken—though only slightly, this portion of destiny is sufficient to protect three thousand souls. Tell Tenno Black Card: assemble the elite of all sects!"

"Hai!"

The youth took the paper triangle, bowed deeply to receive the order—but before he had taken more than a few steps, one of the priests suddenly gasped wide-eyed, spitting out a jet of black blood along with half his tongue; blood gushed from both ears, and both eyes popped directly from their sockets, still hanging by nerves and vessels from his face, a horrifying sight.

Yet he was not yet dead, only staring blankly with those sightless eyes, trembling with spiritual power as he emitted a desperate cry—

"Someone is perverting the Snake God's faith!"

At these words, all were stunned.

The Snake God—Yamata no Orochi—was merely a famous demon; it held no special status for either Yamato or the Jiujuyi Sect.

Yet precisely in this operation, Yamata no Orochi was the core of the core.

The Soul-Stealing Plan involved linking eight coastal cities of the Central Lands to eight corresponding cities of Yamato, using the ocean as the serpent's body to connect destinies, borrowing the Central Lands' destiny to protect Yamato's people, thereby granting Yamato's soldiers the same status as Central Land citizens.

This status was not of the mortal realm, but of the Dao (Yamato called human destiny "Dao"); the Dao of different nations differed. When two nations clashed, all morality and law temporarily lost meaning, for this was a war of survival, where existence was the highest priority.

But if the Soul-Stealing Plan succeeded, Yamato's soldiers would gain dual "human status": if a Central Land citizen killed a Yamato soldier, the Central Land Dao would impose karmic retribution; yet if a Yamato soldier killed a Central Land citizen, he could invoke diplomatic immunity to shift the karmic burden to Yamato's Dao. And for Yamato's Dao, not only had survival of the fittest always been the norm, but killing enemy nationals carried no karmic consequence whatsoever.

Though only enough destiny for three thousand souls had been borrowed, it was never meant for ordinary soldiers.

Ordinary soldiers did not need to consider karmic consequences at all.

What they needed was to mobilize three thousand cultivators, carrying this borrowed destiny across the sea to fight a decisive battle against Central Land cultivators—regardless of victory or defeat, the Central Land cultivators would suffer massive losses and be rendered powerless in the coming war.

At that point, Yamato could leverage its cultivator advantage to overcome greater odds and replace them!

But Yamata no Orochi, as the core, was the key to preserving this borrowed destiny—a strategy of substitution achieved through the astrological transition of Yi-Si replacing Jia-Chen, a classic "substitute the peach for the plum." Without Yamata no Orochi, this hard-won destiny would become rootless driftwood.

"The Central Lands truly teem with talent—they discovered the plan's core so swiftly and struck back. But Yamata no Orochi is a legend passed down for millennia in Yamato—how could it be so easily shaken?"

Though the leader spoke thus, his expression revealed this was merely words to calm hearts—if Yamata no Orochi had not been shaken, how could the Spirit-Subduing cultivator have ended up in such a living-death state?

Servants swiftly carried away the priest whose eyes hung to his chest; the rest began setting up altars. As Yamato's largest feng shui sect, the Jiujuyi Sect held unique insights into the transfer and borrowing of destiny. The first assault on Yamata no Orochi's faith had been absorbed by the Spirit-Subduing cultivator; now came the moment for counterattack!

Yet even as he pondered, the leader gave another order:

"Jin Er! Hand your position to Xiong Wen. Go immediately to the Imperial Palace and report to Tenno Black Card. Inform the leaders of other sects—they must depart at once!"

Though no further details were mentioned, Tsuchi no Mon Jin Er instantly understood: the Dao Master was preparing for defeat before even considering victory—if they could not halt the enemy's destruction of the Snake God's faith, they must inflict as much damage as possible before the borrowed destiny vanished.

"Hai! Dao Master, I'm off!"

Tsuchi no Mon Jin Er summoned his spirit servant, plunged into the earth, and vanished. The Jiujuyi Sect's Dao Master swept his gaze over those present and declared loudly:

"The rise or fall of the Imperial Nation hinges on this single moment!"

…

"So ruthless! They used the Human Pillar Technique? Truly a demon god!"

In Shimane Prefecture, Izumo City, near the Hii River, in a mountain somewhere, Delilah stood beside the "Earth-Anchor Tree," her expression Solemn.

As a top graduate of Loki Academy, the highest institution of the Asgardian lineage, she had assumed that once she identified Yamata no Orochi as merely a long-standing indigenous spirit faith, a single Rune-based banishment would easily suppress it.

Her spell succeeded and produced effects—but clearly, it had not struck the true target.

Undoubtedly, this was a technique akin to curse transfer; to bear the burden of "not seeing, not hearing, not speaking" required a powerful cultivator. If she continued using this method, she would merely kill the target with a curse.

Delilah gazed at the towering Earth-Anchor Tree, sighed, and removed her silver-glowing gloves:

"The simplest method won't work. Fortunately, my divine office includes nobility and knighthood…"

(End of Chapter)