Transmigrating over ten thousand years late, I was forced to become a mighty presence

Shen Yuan's expression stiffened for a moment, then his brow slightly furrowed as he looked at the beautiful shrine maiden kneeling on the ground.

"Have you mistaken me for someone else?"

The kneeling Noro Mai's voice was devout, not the slightest bit shaken by Shen Yuan's words.

"You are the great Father of All Gods, creator of The Lord of the Gods Path and everything upon this Ying Island region.

The Lord of the Gods Path has long engraved your image into the soul of every miko, and even if faith were to decline, it would be impossible to mistake your identity."
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Before Shen Yuan could react, the gathered populace of Luliang City began to kneel on the ground following Noro Mai's action.

Cultivators, nobles, merchants, and commoners alike, all of them pressed their foreheads to the ground as if on a pilgrimage, chanting in unison with Noro Mai:

"We pay our respects to the Father of All Gods!"

Bai Zhao, who was following behind, could not help but show a moved expression upon seeing the scene before him.

He approached Shen Yuan and gestured to cast an invisible barrier around them, then respectfully started to explain:

"Venerable Taoist, you might be unaware that the Amaterasu Grand Shrine is a branch of Ise Grand Shrine, the foremost shrine of Ying Island, present in almost all of Ying Island. Every major city has an Amaterasu Grand Shrine.

The Amaterasu Grand Shrine scattered across Ying Island worships the Divine System's head, Amaterasu Omikami, who ascended to the Near Immortal Territory ten thousand years ago.

The entire Ying Island Divine System, nearly all the gods, are born from Amaterasu Omikami's Divine Edict."

"Amaterasu Omikami's status is extremely revered; the Ise Grand Shrine, cared for by the Lord of the Gods Path, wields enormous influence even in the present world.

Even during the era when the Spirit Energy Tidal Surge depleted and the gods did not walk the earth, the mikos serving Amaterasu Omikami held a transcendent status, powerful enough to influence the succession of the royal authority.

And after the Hell specters massively invaded the living world, Ise Grand Shrine and its many Amaterasu Grand Shrines directly replaced the original noble system of Ying Island, taking control of the current world's power to jointly resist the Hell specters."

"Noro Mai was originally the miko of the Amaterasu Grand Shrine in Luliang City, the highest status individual there, capable of leveraging the shrine's invisible barrier to communicate with the gods, and in times of need, even invite the gods to bestow their power, becoming the city's final foundation.

However, recently, some of the nobles within Luliang City conspired with the Hell specters to destroy the Amaterasu Grand Shrine, temporarily depriving Noro Mai of the medium to communicate with the gods.

If it weren't for this, Luliang City wouldn't have been pushed into such a dire situation."

While explaining the background of the Amaterasu Grand Shrine and the shrine miko, Bai Zhao paused slightly, cautiously asked:

"May I presumptuously inquire once more, Venerable Taoist, are you truly not that Father of All Gods?"

Shen Yuan's gaze swept over the townsfolk kneeling throughout the city, his eyebrows tight as he replied, "No."

Bai Zhao immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"If that is the case, I dare to speculate that the arrival of the Venerable Taoist on Ying Island has attracted the attention of the Lord of the Gods Path.

The Lord of the Gods Path, aware of Venerable Taoist's extensive Divine Skills, has spared no effort in using this so-called title of Father of All Gods to bind the Venerable Taoist, requesting you to stay on Ying Island to help eradicate the Hell specters."

As he spoke, Bai Zhao's eyes gleamed with the look of someone who had seen through everything.

Bai Zhao had not inherited the memories of Demon Saint Bai Ze; his understanding was limited to the information known in later times.

In his view, even at Shen Yuan's Peak Stage thousands of years ago, he might not compare to Amaterasu Omikami—the so-called Father of All Gods was definitely just a ruse.

"Although this Amaterasu Omikami has an extraordinary cultivation, deigning to recognize the Venerable Taoist as a divine father is indeed a mark of a great hero.

Yet, if Amaterasu Omikami is willing to pay such a price, there must be a bigger scheme at play. In my opinion, we should still actively avoid these shrine mikos, lest we fall into a trap set by Amaterasu Omikami."

Shen Yuan was noncommittal about Bai Zhao's speculation, his gaze still rested on the kneeling Noro Mai, with thoughts swirling in his heart.

After a long pause, Shen Yuan did not continue to correct Noro Mai's words but merely said softly:

"All of you, please rise."

"Thank you, great Father of All Gods!"

Noro Mai slowly rose to her feet, and the surrounding people who had knelt and worshiped also got up following her action.

In their eyes were surprise, curiosity, and admiration, but only Noro Mai herself was filled with devotion.

"Seems like you knew I was coming to Ying Island?"

Shen Yuan voiced his confusion.

For some reason, from the very first glance at Noro Mai, Shen Yuan felt a faintly familiar aura emanating from her.

Noro Mai replied respectfully:

"The holy name of the Father of All Gods has been known to the people ever since the dawn of Ying Island's civilization, yet most people, in their ignorance, have tended to see it merely as myth."

"The true information about the Father of All Gods emerged due to the anomaly five years ago.

Hell's tributary manifested within Pingan Capital, and Amaterasu Omikami led the gods of Sky High Plateau out all at once, battling many of Hell's spirits and demons within Pingan Capital.

However, that emergence of Hell's tributary was too terrifying; with high-ranking supernatural beings from the kingdom of Hell intervening from behind, even the peerless Amaterasu Omikami could hardly stand alone.

And at that moment, four High Gods from Great Xia descended to assist the Sky High Plateau gods in temporarily suppressing the turbulence of Hell's tributary, but they still couldn't resolve the issue completely.

As time passes, Hell's tributary is bound to erupt again, and by then, even with the aid of the four High Gods, the entire Ying Island will inevitably fall into an unimaginable catastrophe."