Truth is everywhere within range

Atsuta Shrine has never been busier than it was tonight.

The shrine maidens wearing red and white shrine maiden uniforms came and went in a hurry, while the priests had serious faces. While the whole city was about to fall into sleep, the people at Atsuta Shrine were not sleepy at all.

"A very powerful monster was discovered in the west. It is deduced that it is most likely the big monster python that has disappeared for forty years."

"There are multiple high-concentration monster power reactions, all of which are powerful monsters that have not been registered by the association."

"The scene is short of manpower, please support!"

Various latest news echoed in the side hall of the shrine.

Rensaburo Asagami, the chief minister of Atsuta Shrine, remained seated and listened to these messages with his eyes closed.

The comments from the people around him seemed not to reach his ears at all.

Qiao Qiao, who had changed his clothes, was sitting among the team of Tokyo exorcists. Except for a few who had not returned yet, most of the remaining people had just been woken up and looked a little tired.

Kotokui Masato yawned and sat down casually.

Miko Fujiwara Ayano and Asano Ariko, who often had to get up early to practice, had already had enough rest. At this time, they looked at Asakami Rensaburo with some uneasiness.

Qiao Qiao listened to these reports from the front, and the incident gradually became clear in his mind.

The big monster named Python was knocked out of disguise by a certain spirit exterminator, and a battle began.

Facing the increasing number of spiritual masters gradually arriving, the python, unable to escape, could only call for its companions.

So the two sides started a war.

At this point in time, it is difficult not to connect the Tiancong Yunjian with the appearance of the python.

Plus the snake scales Qiao Qiao and others discovered yesterday.

A conspiracy is looming.

This snake scale should not have been put into the old sports warehouse recently. Judging from the analysis results, it is at least thirty years old.

In other words, Mang had his eye on Tiancong Yunjian thirty years ago?

But it's not surprising, Qiao Qiao thought.

The lifespan of monsters is much longer than that of humans. Thirty years is a long time for humans, but it is only a blink of an eye for monsters, especially big monsters like pythons.

If Qiao Qiao could live as long as he did, he wouldn't mind spending thirty years pursuing a certain goal.

Looking at the information he just got in his hand, he saw that it was a file retrieved from the database of the Soul Exterminator Association.

The python is a snake demon with an estimated lifespan of more than seven hundred years. The last time it appeared was forty years ago.

At that time, the python had just committed several incidents in Hokkaido, and in a blink of an eye, it was near Australia.

I don’t know what happened, but it shed its skin over there.

For a snake demon with a lifespan of seven hundred years, shedding its skin is more like a means of escaping after being severely injured than growing.

The shed skin was accidentally caught by the Japanese fishing boat Zuiyo Maru. Due to its unique shape, it was once thought to be the remains of a sea monster.

Of course, after subsequent operations by several major shrines at the time, this matter became a mysterious and strange story, and there was no follow-up.

As for going forward, although there are several incidents of monsters causing chaos, the main messenger behind it may be the python, but due to the long time, it is difficult to verify the specific details.

It's such a mysterious monster.

Due to the depiction of snakes in traditional Japanese culture, the snake demon itself is very rare.

Those registered can be labeled as powerful snake monsters and can be counted on one hand.

Most of these snake monsters have very long lifespans, the longest ones even exceed a thousand years. They are ancient monsters that have been recorded since the Heian period.

While Qiao Qiao was reading the information, Asagami Rensaburo finally made a decision.

A group of spiritual exterminators from Kyoto, Nara, Tokyo, and Atsuta Shrine were dispatched to eliminate the python.

Newcomers like Qiao Qiao and Ariko Asano, as well as some older spirit exterminators, stayed at Atsuta Shrine.

This consideration is quite reasonable.

Regardless of whether the python is related to the loss of Tiancong Yunjian, this is a big monster that may harm society and must be eliminated.

As for Atsuta Shrine, it is within the city itself and is protected by multiple barriers. There are no treasures worthy of the monsters' attention, so it can be considered the safest place.

After the decision was made, everyone took action quickly.

The people in the side hall left one after another, leaving only Qiao Qiao and others.

"Can we go back to sleep?"

Kotokui Masato yawned again and kept talking about sleeping.

It can be seen that he is probably the kind of guy who can sleep until noon and then get up again on a normal day.

"Maybe it's to lure the tiger away from the mountain."

Qiao Qiao said that it was hard to imagine that if the python had been preparing for decades to steal the Tiancongyun Sword, it would accidentally be discovered and exposed by the spirit exterminator.

But now, a powerful spiritual exterminator like Rensaburo Asagami has been attracted away, leaving the Atsuta Shrine empty.

Isn't this a standard plot of "Tiao Hu Li Shan"?

"But there is nothing it wants in Atsuta Shrine anymore."

Fujiwara Ayano adjusted her glasses.

The most precious treasure of Atsuta Shrine, the Tencongyun Sword, has been stolen, and all that is left are some shaman priests and the main hall of the shrine.

There is no need for monsters to go to great lengths just to kill a few people or destroy a shrine.

What's more, in addition to Atsuta Shrine, there are many temples and shrines nearby.

If the monsters come to attack, the resistance they encounter will not be weaker than the group sent out.

In terms of motive, there was no reason for the invasion.

"I still think there's something wrong."

Qiao Qiao flipped through the information and saw the specific locations where strange events occurred throughout Nagoya after the Amancongyun Sword was lost.

These locations are marked on the map.

It seems to be quite random, occurring in every part of the city, with no pattern to be found.

Qiao Qiao stood up.

"what are you going to do?"

Kotokui Masato was already half-lying down and seemed to be about to fall asleep.

"I'm just taking a look around the palace."

Qiao Qiao left immediately, and Ariko Asano looked at him and followed him.

"Teacher, what's the problem?"

Ariko Asano asked in confusion.

"Well, if the python stole the Amancongyun Sword, why did it take so long before it left Nagoya, but was discovered by the spirit exterminator and had to fight?"

Qiao Qiao came to a corner of the shrine and opened his backpack.

A triple 460mm naval gun is exposed.

"?"

Why did you stuff the model into the box and bring it over?

Qiao Qiao took the model out of the bag and asked Asano Ariko to help hold it.

He pulled out a very thin wire and a lunch box.

"What is this going to do?"

Asano Ariko watched Qiao Qiao carefully hang grenades in some hidden corners, glue them to some pillars with the "plasticine" in the lunch box, and use steel wire to pass through the grenade's ring, and quickly arranged a trap.

"This is a defensive measure. I think the possibility of a monster attacking here tonight is more than eighty percent."

Qiao Qiao replied.

"These mechanisms can effectively delay the monster invasion."

"But, the shrine is protected by a barrier, so monsters shouldn't be able to get in, right?"

Ariko Asano looked at the explosives on the torii pillars with some worry.

Is this pillar a thousand years old?

"But didn't the monster steal the Tian Cong Yun sword?"

Qiao Qiao did not stop what he was doing.

"If you can steal the Tian Cong Yun Sword without anyone noticing, why do you think that the barrier of the shrine can definitely prevent the invasion of monsters?"

It seems to make sense?

Ariko Asano was speechless for a moment.

It took half an hour for Qiao Qiao to finish half of the work of setting traps where he thought the opponent might invade.

Just as he was preparing to set the next trap.

An explosion came from not far away.

Coming from the back mountain of Atsuta Shrine.