The Heavenly Mandate

Listening to the white-robed Daoist's words, Miketsu couldn't help but be taken aback. Various thoughts surfaced in her mind; she had never considered that the orthodox gods were once human—leaders and heroes of ancient humanity. Among them were even Yokai Beasts and Spirit Beasts, and even ancestral spirits.

Amaterasu's true form was Himiko, the Queen of Yamatai... Miketsu didn't know much about Yamatai, but in terms of Japanese phonetics, Yamatai... Yamato... Yamato... there seemed to be a connection. Was the so-called Kingdom of Yamatai the predecessor of the current Yamato Court? Was Yamato the result of the integration of the three ancient Japanese tribes: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo? Because Yamatai was the most powerful among them, Amaterasu secured the position of Chief God? And did Yamatai eventually become the core of the Yamato nation?

"If Amaterasu was once human, then for what reason did she become a Modern God? Or rather, why did all the Modern Gods become gods?" Miketsu continued to question the white-robed Daoist. He stroked his beard and responded at a leisurely pace.

"That was naturally due to the creation of myth..."

"The creation of myth? What exactly is a 'myth'?" Miketsu asked, perplexed. Her confusion regarding 'myths' had been long-standing. All Modern Gods existed within myths; except for the Chief Gods, they all believed their own myths to be true and were bound by divine virtue, acting 100% according to the settings within those myths. This entire phenomenon made one doubt the very system of mythology.

"A myth is history. Unlike the history that actually occurred, a myth is a created secondary history. This secondary history attaches itself to real history and influences different regions of the world. To the things influenced by the myth, it is the true history," the white-robed Daoist continued unhurriedly, though his words did not yet resolve the confusion in Miketsu's heart.

"Then, who exactly was it that created these myths and allowed mortals to ascend to godhood? Or rather, what kind of existence?" Miketsu asked with a serious expression. In her mind, the one capable of creating these countless myths, allowing gods to ascend, and changing the entire world must be some incredibly powerful Ancient God.

However, the white-robed Daoist's answer surprised her.

"The ones who created the myths... were also humans."

"What... also humans?" Miketsu said in disbelief. The white-robed Daoist looked toward the sea of clouds on the horizon and continued his reply.

"Yes, they were merely humans. They created the myths, conferred titles upon the gods, and thoroughly changed this world. They were born in different nations and different cultures. They were Moses, Jesus, Shakyamuni, Zoroaster... people have different names for them: messiahs, prophets, living buddhas, or seers..."

After finishing, the white-robed Daoist stopped and remained there, still smiling as he watched Miketsu, who was stunned and trying to digest the information. After a long while, Miketsu spoke again.

"So... the founders of those religions in history didn't create them because a god instructed them to; rather, they created the gods?"

"Correct." Hearing Miketsu's words, the white-robed Daoist nodded slowly.

"Then, if they were merely humans, how could they create myths? Where did they get the power to send so many Modern Gods to their divine thrones?" Miketsu continued. Although the white-robed Daoist had explained some issues, he had raised even more.

"This remains a mystery for now... however, if I were to guess, perhaps they were chosen. Chosen and granted the ability to open myths and create history. And as for what chose them, I call it..." As he spoke, the white-robed Daoist pointed toward the sky.

"The Heavenly Mandate..."

"The Heavenly Mandate..." Miketsu repeated his words, then asked, "And what is this Heavenly Mandate? Is it an Ancient God?"

"No, it is not an Ancient God... or rather, it is not a manifested existence. The Heavenly Mandate, or perhaps the Heavenly Dao, is a 'trend'—a great force that invisibly guides the development of the entire world. Though it almost never manifests, it rules the fate of all living beings in the shadows. Exalted One, do you know how the Ancient Gods fell into decline?" the white-robed Daoist suddenly asked Miketsu respectfully.

"How the Ancient Gods fell? Hmm... from what I know, the Ancient Gods were uniformly arrogant and extremely combative. They gradually suffered heavy casualties and fell into decline during endless internal strife," Miketsu responded, recalling Suwako's words. The white-robed Daoist nodded upon hearing this.

"Yes, the Ancient Gods declined in endless internal strife. But have you ever wondered: would all the Ancient Gods truly be so stubborn as to fight to the end? Among them, was there never an instance where they paused their strife because they foresaw the future? Was there some invisible fate constantly creating and stimulating their conflicts, preventing them from reaching a state of coexistence, ultimately leading to their total decline?" the white-robed Daoist continued. His words sent a shock through Miketsu's heart.

Isn't that just being 'arranged'? I'm familiar with this tactic!

"So, you believe the Ancient Gods were all being manipulated by the Heavenly Mandate in the shadows? The Heavenly Mandate is a trend, and that trend was the decline of the Ancient Gods, the rise of the Modern Gods, and the prosperity of mortals. So you believe the Ancient Gods declined unknowingly under its influence, while humans produced prophets capable of creating myths because of it?" Miketsu continued. She suddenly thought of her previous correspondence with Suwako. At that time, she had summarized some patterns based on the characteristics of Ancient Gods, Modern Gods, and wild gods.

Ancient Gods were the most powerful and the most reckless, requiring no faith from mortals, and thus were nearly extinct. Modern Gods were second in power, partially requiring mortal faith, and were restricted to the Celestial Realm. wild gods were extremely weak, completely dependent on faith, but could move freely in the mortal world without restriction.

The stronger the power, the more they could ignore mortals, and the more miserable their survival. The weaker the power, the more they needed faith, and the more freedom they possessed. Such a clear bias toward mortals was very obvious.

"Exactly. However, whether the Heavenly Mandate exists is still a hypothesis. Because it is so elusive, there is no concrete evidence to prove its existence. I am merely guessing that the power of the prophets came from the Heavenly Mandate," the white-robed Daoist continued. Miketsu fell into deep thought again, contemplating the essence of the Heavenly Mandate.

Miketsu suddenly felt: could the so-called Heavenly Mandate be the will of the planet itself? Because the Ancient Gods were always destroying the world or acting recklessly on this planet, if the planet had a consciousness, it would likely loathe them intensely and eventually lead them to their doom. Of course, this was based on the premise that a planetary consciousness actually existed.