After experiencing this, Shen Yuan was convinced that just as the sacred tree had said, the gods were indeed unreliable and that huge problems had arisen in the Yingzhou pantheon.

Izanagi, as the main god who ruled the pantheon after Amaterasu went into seclusion, did not welcome the arrival of Shen Yuan, the reinforcement.

Especially after Noro Mai called Shen Yuan the father of all gods, Izanagi and some gods developed great hostility towards Shen Yuan.

After Shen Yuan showed his strength and Niu Tou threatened him, Izanagi showed some submissiveness, but he still had evil intentions.

He abandoned the Inari God Ootenzu and deliberately killed him under the threat of Niutou in order to arouse hostility from other gods towards Shen Yuan and his group.

Shen Yuan even recognized Inari God, the chosen god, as one of the small beasts he met when he was planting rice on Takama-ga-hara ten thousand years ago.

At that time, the Inari god had not yet developed his intelligence, but he was able to grow together with Amaterasu, who was nurtured by the sacred tree.

His achievement of the status of a great god today must be closely related to the care of Amaterasu, and he should be one of the core gods of the Amaterasu series.

The fact that such a great god who was close to Amaterasu was abandoned was enough to prove that Izanagi was intending to eliminate members of Amaterasu's clan among the gods of Takamagahara.

A god who temporarily takes the position of the Lord of the Pantheon, a great god who cleans up the faction of the Lord of the Pantheon, this is enough to explain many problems.

In fact, even Shen Yuan himself was a little curious about how Izanagi got the courage to clean out the members of Amaterasu's faction.

Izanagi seems to be the second main god in the Yingzhou pantheon after Amaterasu. He has a status below one god and above all gods. He is also the husband of Izanami, another main god in the pantheon.

The combination of the two, plus their numerous powerful offspring, has almost occupied half of the Yingzhou pantheon. It does not seem surprising that they want to fight for power and eliminate dissidents.

However, in reality, the so-called second main god is insignificant in front of Amaterasu.

The Yingzhou pantheon has a more extreme structure than most of the Xuanhuang Realm pantheons. Amaterasu, who has reached the realm of celestial immortals, is enough to suppress the entire Yingzhou pantheon.

Even if Izanagi had a way to break through and reach the fairyland, the gap between him and the celestial immortals was still a world of difference. In this situation, the struggle for power and profit became a complete joke.

More importantly, Amaterasu, the lord of Shinto in the Yingzhou pantheon, was not conferred by the Heavenly Court, but was conferred by Shen Yuan based on the origin of Shinto.

The gods of the Yingzhou pantheon were appointed by Amaterasu.

Freed from the shackles of heavenly rank, the gods of the Yingzhou pantheon are not subject to the same strict restrictions on their rank as in other pantheons, where one must reach the level of Godly Lord before entering the realm of refining emptiness.

All the power of these gods appointed by Amaterasu belongs to Amaterasu. As long as Amaterasu thinks about it, she can take back the authority of the gods.

A god who loses his throne has only one way to go: death.

Under such circumstances, Izanagi still dared to do these little tricks, he must have his own support.

The surrounding scenery was rapidly receding, but in an instant they were close to Heian-kyo. However, Shen Yuan's mind was still on the Takama-ga-hara above his head.

In fact, with Shen Yuan’s current strength, he is already strong enough to sweep across the entire Yingzhou pantheon.

With the help of the six gods of Luofeng, even if Izanagi could rely on the power of the Yingzhou pantheon, Shen Yuan could still suppress him easily, but he did not choose to do so.

In essence, the so-called gods of Yingzhou except Amaterasu are just a group of small characters. No matter how high they jump, they can hardly influence the overall situation.

If they are all eliminated too early, it will inevitably arouse the vigilance of the underworld ghosts and gods, causing Shen Yuan to appear in the forefront ahead of time.

The underworld has an advantage in strength. The Ten Kings of Hell have already suffered a great loss at the hands of Shen Yuan, so they will definitely be more wary of Shen Yuan.

At the moment, Shen Yuan still needs the gods of Yingzhou to attract the attention of the underworld so that Shen Yuan can deal with the layout of the underworld later.

Of course, there was another thing that Shen Yuan was also interested in.

He really wanted to know what Izanagi relied on.

As his thoughts flowed, Shen Yuan had already stepped into Heian-kyo.

With the revival of heaven and earth and the invasion of the underworld, Heian-kyō, originally an international metropolis, has been given a whole new meaning.

The combination of high-rise buildings and pavilions can be seen everywhere on the streets. Modern technology and classical transcendence are integrated together in an extremely violent way, presenting this slightly weird Heian-kyō before our eyes.

Shen Yuan and his companions did not conceal their figures, and did not attract much attention when they landed in Heian-kyo. Even Niu-tou and others who had the head of an ox and the body of a human were ignored by most ordinary people.

On the streets of Heian-kyō, roving demons of various shapes and sizes can be seen everywhere, holding banknotes and arguing and bargaining with ordinary people.

Among them, there are even a large number of monsters that don’t even have the basic human form. In this case, a bull head with a human body is considered very normal.

Instead, Noro Mai, who was dressed in a shrine maiden's costume, attracted a lot of people's attention, and some people even took the initiative to salute Noro Mai as she walked.

Bai Zhao stood beside Shen Yuan, looked at the Bull Head Ghost Immortals with fear, and then said to Shen Yuan respectfully:

“Daxia is a vast territory with many demons, so the biggest trouble for the human race is the demons that are constantly born during the recovery of heaven and earth.

But Yingzhou is completely different from Daxia. There are threats from underworld ghosts that are more powerful than demons.

In the underworld, ghosts hate all living creatures and do not distinguish between demons and humans. Wherever they go, they will turn into monsters and ghosts."

"In the face of this external enemy, the two races of humans and demons, who originally hated each other, began to cooperate, especially in Heian-kyō, which was the first line of defense against the underworld ghosts, and was home to a large number of demons.

Once Heian-kyō is attacked, these demon tribes will also join the war to defend Heian-kyō."

Shen Yuan couldn't help but reveal a hint of surprise in his eyes. In Daxia, humans and demons were irreconcilable, but when they arrived in Yingzhou, they cooperated sincerely in the face of crisis. Shen Yuan couldn't help but sigh that the world is unpredictable.

However, there was one thing that made Shen Yuan quite curious.

"The Shintoism of Yingzhou is flourishing. How did the demon race develop under the noses of the gods of Takama-ga-hara?"

Bai Zhao was stunned for a moment. He had never left the Luliang area, and his knowledge of Yingzhou was limited to the news among the people in the market. Shen Yuan's questions had touched upon his blind spots in knowledge.

However, Noro Mai, who was standing by, had recovered from her previous shock. Upon hearing Shen Yuan's words, she quickly responded:

“Above the human race are many gods, and behind the demon race are three ancient and powerful demon kings.

These three great demon kings were born even earlier than the gods of Takama-ga-hara, and they were powerful beings of the same era as Amaterasu Omikami.

Ten thousand years have passed down to this day, and the three great demon kings are said to be as powerful as the main god Takama-ga-hara, and are the pillars of fighting against the underworld demons. "

Ye Lu Mai's words immediately reminded Shen Yuan of the three great demon kings in the Huanxu realm who were born in response to the great trend of demons.

Ten thousand years ago, when fighting against the Eye of Dusk, the three demon kings caused Shen Yuan a lot of trouble.

At the end of that battle, Shen Yuan successfully killed the Earth Spider and suppressed the Eye of Dusk, and did not notice any trace of the three demon kings.

Now that I think about it, those three big demon kings actually survived until now.

“Interesting!”

A strange look flashed in Shen Yuan's eyes.

After suppressing the Eyes of Dusk, Amaterasu had already taken control of the small world of Yingzhou, and it was easy for her to settle accounts with the three demon kings.

There is no doubt that the three demon kings have been able to survive until now with the instruction of Amaterasu. Perhaps these three ancient demon kings have already defected to Amaterasu.

However, according to Noro Mai, it seems that the Yingzhou pantheon knows nothing about this.

"The three demon kings might be the backup plan left by Amaterasu before she went into seclusion."

With a bit of curiosity in his heart, Shen Yuan also wanted to meet these three "old friends" whom he had not seen for thousands of years.

"But now is not the time."

Walking on the street, Shen Yuan's eyes wandered over the complicated buildings in Heian-kyo.

In Heian-kyō, the most numerous buildings are undoubtedly shrines. Shen Yuan has seen no less than ten shrines of various sizes along the way, and in front of each shrine there are a large number of believers queuing up to make offerings, which is enough to show the prosperity of the Yingzhou pantheon.

There are many gods enshrined in these shrines, but almost without exception, the two main gods of the Yingzhou pantheon, Izanagi and Izanami, are present.

Even in some shrines, Amaterasu is not enshrined, but Izanagi and Izanami are worshipped at the highest position.

Seeing this scene, Noro Mai couldn't help but show anger on her face, and said in a low voice:

"How could this be?"

"We, the shrine maidens of Ise Shrine, received the oracle of Amaterasu Omiya and went to various places in Yingzhou to build Amaterasu Grand Shrines to protect the safety of each place, but we ignored the safety of Heian-kyo.

How dare Izanagi and Izanami blatantly steal faith in Heian-kyō!"

Noro Mai gritted her teeth and wished she could rush to Takama-ga-hara right now to question Izanagi and other gods.

However, Shen Yuan didn't care about it at all. Izanagi had the courage to attack the core god of Amaterasu, so what was a mere belief in incense and candlelight?

Rather than the statues enshrined above, Shen Yuan was concerned about another thing.

His eyes fell on the ordinary people entering and leaving the shrine. Yingzhou's industrial system seemed to have come to a standstill due to the constant attacks of the underworld ghosts, and most of the ordinary people's clothes looked very old.

Some people even had patched clothes and sallow faces, but they were still willing to stand in front of the shrine for an entire afternoon just to worship the gods.

Such a scene is too abnormal for a country's capital.

Shen Yuan had seen Luliang Castle and other cities around Heian-kyo.

Those cities were also plagued by ghosts from the underworld, but they did not experience scenes like the one before them.

Looking up at the sky, Shen Yuan could clearly see that the declining fortune of humanity was not even one-third of the fortune of the gods.

Although Yingzhou is dominated by Shintoism, real gods are still too rare after all, and the number of ordinary humans is hundreds of thousands times that of gods.

With such a proportion, the decline of humanity's fortune is too abnormal.

Shen Yuan frowned slightly and asked Ye Lu Mai beside him:

"Has Heian-kyō declined to the point where it can no longer maintain normal productivity?"

Noro Mai looked around and suddenly fell silent.

After a while, Noro Mai spoke in a low voice:

“Although Heian-kyō was attacked by ghosts from the underworld, except for the disaster five years ago, the rest of the battles did not really affect the city of Heian-kyō.

With the extraordinary system as the foundation, both industry and food can be maintained and guaranteed."

"Then why are there so many ordinary people on the streets with shabby clothes and pale faces?"

Noro Mai took a deep breath, and her voice unconsciously trembled.

“This situation actually occurred because of an oracle issued by Lord Izanagi after he took control of Takamagahara.

Lord Izanagi believed that humans were too weak. Even those who had cultivated to the pinnacle of spiritual attainment were nothing more than larger cannon fodder in the real battlefield of the underworld.

The gods are the ones who truly lead the war against the underworld ghosts, so everything must serve the gods."

“The gods do not need new clothes or food to fill their stomachs. All they need is the constant incense and faith of human beings.

After research, some gods concluded that in a dangerous and harsh environment, it is difficult for humans to meet their own needs for food, clothing, housing and transportation. The shortage of large amounts of supplies and the pressure of external crises will lead humans to develop a more pious and purer faith.

These beliefs are free of extraneous thoughts and are based only on the instinctive desire for survival. For the gods, the incense and faith provided by such a devout believer is a hundred times greater than that in times of peace and prosperity. "

"So the Lord God Izanagi sent down an oracle and secretly abolished most of the industrial systems, causing Yingzhou, which had already entered the industrialization stage, to fall into the dilemma of having difficulty in getting enough food and clothing.

Most humans were unable to find work, and the Yingzhou government could only provide them with food that was barely enough to sustain their survival, and spread the rumor that all this was caused by ghosts from the underworld.

As long as the gods defeat the underworld ghosts, the living standards can be restored to what they were ten years ago."

Hearing this, even Shen Yuan fell into silence.

Looking around at the many believers queuing in front of the shrine, their skinny faces were filled with numbness, and only when they looked towards the shrine did they show some irrepressible excitement.

In their view, it seems that as long as they pray to the gods more every day and worship more often in the shrine, they will have a chance to no longer endure hunger.

It’s a pity that they didn’t realize that the suffering they experienced came from those gods high above them.

"If the Yellow Springs demon is really defeated, will the gods of Takamagahara let their lives return to normal?"

Shen Yuan questioned Noro Mai.

Noro Mai was hesitant.

"Should.Maybe"

"The moment you hesitated, you were already clearly aware of the gods' choice."

There was a hint of pity in Shen Yuan's eyes.

"Most gods don't care about how mortals live. All they need is the faith they provide.

After they have tried these pure beliefs, will they be willing to let ordinary people return to their original lives and provide them with those mixed beliefs? "

"I don't know."

“The gods would keep ghosts in captivity and disguise everything as if they were defeated before the ghosts from the underworld kept appearing to scare ordinary people.

As time goes by, the glory of the industrial age will become history, mankind will lose its proud heritage, and civilization will continue to die out in the process of solidification.

What is left in the end is just a group of puppets who provide faith for the gods."

There was a look of reluctance in Noro Mai's eyes, and she spoke anxiously:

"What else can we do? Everything is just wishful thinking now as the fate of the dead is uncertain!"

“Even if we defeat the underworld ghost, there is still an insurmountable gap between gods and humans. Even for the lowest-level gods, it will take thousands of practitioners fighting desperately to have a chance to defeat them.

Not to mention the great gods and main gods, those are peaks that humans can never climb, and humans have no chance of rebelling against gods!"

Shen Yuan smiled and said calmly:

“I am human.”

Noro Mai was stunned. She stared at Shen Yuan in front of her, unable to believe that such a powerful Shen Yuan could be a human being.

In the thousands of years of historical heritage of Yingzhou, only gods and demons have crossed the realm of soul refining, and they are the masters of this world.

According to ancient legends, there were practitioners in the territory of Daxia who were capable of rivaling the gods, but that was ultimately just a legend circulated among the upper class.

And now, a real example was right before her.

Noro Mai opened her mouth but didn't know how to start, but she heard Shen Yuan's voice again.

"So, I will teach you to control everything in a human way."