NCCnovel Chapter 262 You can't win an argument, and you can't beat them in a fight.
Chapter 262 You can't win an argument, and you can't beat them in a fight.
Izanagi's cold laughter echoed in the hall, yet it carried a sense of powerless desolation.
"How could we possibly let it go?"
He repeated it, but his voice was much lower, as if he was trying to convince himself.
Upon hearing this, the gods in His Highness were invigorated.
The volatile deity with a giant sword at his waist stepped forward. "Lord! Give the order! I am willing to be the vanguard, charging towards the divine realm of China! I will die without regret!"
"Yes! Charge in!"
"Let them know the wrath of Takamagahara!"
The crowd was stirred up again, as if they weren't the ones who had been terrified and silenced just moments before.
"Shut up, all of you!"
Izanagi roared, his voice filled with the majesty of a god, instantly silencing all the commotion.
His cold gaze swept across the face of each of the gods in the palace, causing them to lower their heads.
Charge in? With what?
Don't you have any idea of your own capabilities?
Izanagi felt a surge of anger, yet also a profound sense of powerlessness.
"The nation's destiny has been jeopardized, and divine power has declined; this is a fundamental problem," a refined-looking deity holding a scroll spoke in a deep voice.
"What happens in the mortal world must ultimately be recovered from in the mortal world."
"To directly launch a war of gods is the worst possible strategy."
Izanagi nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.
"The meaning of the Thunder Ancestor of China is that one must not interfere in the cause and effect of the mortal world. But the definition of this 'interference' is very vague."
A glint of light flashed in Sijinshen's eyes.
"We do not descend directly, but we can bestow divine pronouncements, select mortal agents, and even..."
"Secretly bestow upon them several divine artifacts, and send them to deal with that mortal named Chen You."
"As long as we are discreet enough and do not leave any trace of divine power, the Thunder Ancestor will probably not be able to cause trouble."
Upon hearing this, the gods' eyes lit up.
Yup!
If we can't get involved ourselves, we can find an agent!
It's like playing a game: if your main account gets banned, you can just create a new one, right?
"Brilliant plan!"
"That's what we'll do!"
"We must make sure that Chen You dies a horrible death!"
The atmosphere in the hall became lively again, and the air of intrigue replaced the previous deathly silence.
A hint of approval flashed in Izanagi's deep eyes.
This is currently the only feasible solution.
Although it's frustrating, it's still better than sitting and waiting to die.
As long as we can kill Chen You and reclaim the nation's destiny, paying some price is worthwhile.
He was about to speak and finalize the plan.
Just then—
"Buzz—"
An indescribable Daoist aura, like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain, permeated the entire Tianzhian Palace without warning.
Outside the palace, the sea of clouds rolled and thousands of divine palaces shone with light, as if in worship, or as if in fear.
A warm and peaceful golden light pierced through the dome of the temple and slowly fell into the center of the hall.
As the light faded, an elderly man in a white Taoist robe, with white hair and a youthful face, holding a whisk, was smiling at them.
His smile was warm and his eyes were clear, like a kind old grandfather next door.
But the moment Izanagi saw him, his heart skipped a beat!
"Venus...?"
He practically spat out those four words through gritted teeth.
"Hehe, Lord Izanagi, it's been many years. How have you been?" Venus flicked his whisk, his smile undiminished.
This familiar demeanor instantly silenced the gods in the hall who had just been shouting for battle.
Izanagi's face turned ashen. He stood up, his divine power surging.
"Why do you come to my High Heaven Plain instead of serving the Jade Emperor in the Lingxiao Palace?"
"Ah, Your Majesty, you are mistaken," Venus said slowly.
"I heard that you encountered some unpleasantness in the mortal realm. My Celestial Venerable is also an impatient person, and his words may have been somewhat offensive."
"His Majesty the Jade Emperor is kind-hearted and worried that the neighbors might have a falling out, so he specially sent this old Taoist priest to visit them and, by the way... bring some small gifts to express his condolences."
His words were perfectly tactful.
But none of the gods in the temple were fools.
Visiting? Offering condolences?
This is clearly like beating someone up and then coming to their door, stepping on their face and asking, "Does it hurt?"
A hot-tempered martial god could no longer contain himself and roared, "Enough!"
"You've gone too far! Do you really think there's no one left in Takamagahara?"
Upon hearing this, Venus turned his gaze to him, his smile unchanged, but a hint of indifference flashed deep in his eyes.
"My lord, please calm down."
He said softly, "Everything in the mortal world has a cause and effect."
"Your celestial being's use of divine power to govern mortals is a taboo. My celestial venerable's intervention is to restore order and uphold the natural order of Heaven."
"How come in your mouth it's our fault?"
"You!" The martial god trembled with rage, yet he was unable to refute it.
The gods do not directly interfere with the cause and effect of mortals; this is an ironclad rule engraved in the fundamental rules of the world.
Amaterasu was in the wrong to intervene.
You can't win an argument, and you can't beat them in a fight.
Izanagi took a deep breath, suppressing the raging anger within him.
He stared intently at Venus: "Enough with the high-sounding words! What exactly do you want?"
"My Lord, do not be anxious."
Venus chuckled, reached into his sleeve, and slowly pulled something out.
"I told you I came to give a gift."
The gods held their breath, watching his every move intently.
Could it be some kind of world-destroying magical artifact? Used to intimidate them?
The next second, under the astonished, stunned, and incredulous gazes of all the gods of the land,
Venus slowly emerged from the sleeve of his seemingly ordinary Taoist robe...
They pulled out a strangely shaped metal object.
This thing has sharp lines, a complex structure, and a foot pedal underneath.
It fell to the ground with a thud.
This object is the culmination of the Industrial Revolution—the sewing machine.
"This is……"
Izanagi was a little confused and didn't react immediately.
"This is a supreme treasure bestowed upon you by His Majesty the Jade Emperor, who took pity on your nation's fortunes and the decline of your people's faith."
Venus stroked the cold metal casing of the sewing machine and introduced it with a solemn expression:
"This item is called the 'Merit Loom'."
"Merit...loom?" The gods looked at each other, completely bewildered.
Venus solemnly explained, "The way of Heaven is impartial; for every loss there is a gain. Although your nation's destiny has been severed, its foundation still remains."
"As long as one sincerely repents and works diligently, one can make up for the deficit and rebuild one's faith."
He pointed to the steel needle on the sewing machine, his tone solemn.
"Look, every stitch and thread can eliminate past karmic obstacles."
He then pointed to the pedals below.
"Look again, step by step, only then can we reshape our future Dao heart."
"If we just work hard and diligently every day, Takamagahara will surely regain its former glory within ten thousand years."
Venus spoke with such sincerity that it seemed he was truly thinking about the future of Takamagahara.
Inside the Tennoan Hall, there was a deathly silence.
At first, the gods didn't realize what was happening.
But as Venus's words echoed in their minds, an indescribable sense of absurdity and extreme humiliation erupted from the depths of every god's heart like a volcano!
This is hardly a "merit-giving loom"!
This is clearly forcing these high and mighty gods to undergo "labor reform" like prisoners on earth, by making them work on sewing machines!
This is humiliating!
"puff--"
That hot-tempered martial god was so enraged that he spat out a mouthful of golden divine blood!
"Baka yarou!!"
His eyes were bloodshot. He drew the greatsword from his waist, his divine power surging, ready to charge forward and fight to the death.
However, as soon as he took a step, a hand pressed down hard on his shoulder.
It is Izanagi.
At this moment, Izanagi's face was no longer ashen, but rather a calm that was almost deathly pale.
He stared intently at Venus, his gaze seeming as if he wanted to devour him alive.
"Venus, is this your attitude?"
Venus's smile finally faded a bit.
He looked directly into Izanagi's eyes, his tone flat.
"This is not our attitude, it's the 'rule'."
"That Chen You, in the name of Chinese civilization, is carrying out a purge. This is the cause and effect of civilization, and it is not appropriate for us to interfere."
"When Amaterasu intervened, she broke the rules. When Thunder God intervened, it was to 'correct the error'."
"And the old Taoist priest has come today to present this 'merit loom' as a form of 'punishment'."
He paused, his voice becoming increasingly ethereal, yet also increasingly chilling.
"One last reminder."
"That mortal is not someone you can afford to offend."
"Gentlemen, take heed of this."
As soon as he finished speaking, Venus's figure transformed into specks of golden light and vanished from the hall.
Only a cold sewing machine remained, standing silently in the center of the Tianzhian Hall.
Izanagi slowly released his grip on the God of War.
The volatile martial god stomped his foot, "This is outrageous!"
"There's only one of these, it's not enough for us to share!"
"..."
Izanagi closed his eyes, tilted his head at a 45-degree angle, and two lines of golden tears silently slid down from the corners of his eyes.