Chapter 324 - Shattered
Witnessing the Nine-Tailed White Fox fall in such a manner, the Nine-Lives Cat Demon's eyes instantly turned red with fury. Tokugawa Zang Er also knew that the battle had reached a critical point. He shouted loudly to his remaining subordinates, Banra and Lika, "If you want to survive, give it your all!"
Both Banra and Lika had solemn expressions but remained unmoving upon hearing the command. Even a master like Tokugawa Zang Er found himself at a loss as to how to proceed. What more could they do?!
As Yang Chen steadily approached, Tokugawa Zang Er finally ceased holding back his strength. He lifted his demonic sword, Myōhō Muramasa, its dragon patterns tinged red with Yang Chen's blood, once again vivid and alive.
"Perhaps you don't know, the stronger the blood, the more it can unleash the power of this demonic sword. Let yourself taste the blade's aura fueled by your own blood!" Tokugawa Zang Er's entire body erupted with killing intent, the sword's bloody light scattering like a fierce hellish Asura, his white hair reflecting the uneven colors!
Yang Chen calmly watched him congeal the killing intent, but he stood still without moving.
"You will regret this!" Tokugawa Zang Er made no fancy moves, just raised the demonic sword high and swung down vertically!
With his skills reaching the level of Tokugawa Zang Er's, he'd already made the complex simple. The most direct move, showcasing all his brawny learning!
With all the gathered hostility in this one, the dragon pattern on the demonic sword let out a hoarse shout.
"Your aura forms a blade; your moves are impressive. Unfortunately, I'm no longer the same person I was just moments ago."
Under a sky thick with clouds, Yang Chen stood in place, completely untouched by the rain. He looked mockingly at Tokugawa Zangji, who was panting slightly after exerting all his strength. Behind Yang Chen, half a wall had already collapsed, and most of the roof had been blown away. However, the spot where Yang Chen stood remained completely unaffected!
Tokugawa Zangji's face turned ashen, and he took a few steps back in panic. The calm expression he had earlier was gone, and it was clear that he no longer knew what to do!
"Attack! Attack! Go now!" Tokugawa Zangji immediately commanded Banre and Tanuki. At this moment, he wished he could gather all the ninjas of the Yatsuki Society, even though he knew that calling everyone would be futile. Battles of this level could only be participated in by true masters. Yet, even having one more person to delay Yang Chen would be better than nothing!
Tanuki, the most cunning, realized the timing was bad. Seeing that Tokugawa Zangji was no longer able to counterattack, he thought it best to escape for his life. He was skilled in speed and stealth, thinking that Yang Chen might not be able to catch him, especially with Tokugawa and the cat demon present.
With this thought, Tanuki took a small step back, seized the opportunity, and suddenly vanished from the spot!
Little did he know, the entire area was already within Yang Chen's control. Yang Chen could easily see through Tanuki's little tricks.
Before Tanuki could leave the house, Yang Chen casually waved his hand behind him!
An invisible force abruptly stopped Tanuki from escaping!
"Bang!"
Tanuki's body was inexplicably blocked by an impenetrable wall of energy, causing his body to tremble violently and fall to the ground, coughing up blood.
Yang Chen walked up to him, a wicked smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Back in Yanxia, I already found you unpleasant. I couldn't deal with you then, but now, I can."
Without waiting for Tanuki to say anything, Yang Chen stomped down with his foot, crushing Tanuki's head into pulp, a look of horror still frozen on his face.
Thanks to his significant progress with the Way of Mindfulness, Yang Chen didn't feel any discomfort after killing several people. He then turned his gaze towards the remaining three.
Tokugawa Zangji's hand, holding the demonic blade, began to tremble. He focused intently on Yang Chen, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. It was only when one was truly close to death that one could understand what fear was.
Despite having killed countless people in his life, Tokugawa Zangji still feared death!
This wasn't about courage; it was the most primitive instinct of human beings!
"Banre, we'll attack together with all our might! Fight to the death!" Tokugawa said to Banre, who stood behind him.
Banre's expression was stern as he drew his short blade, its cold gleam shining. "Yes, foster father!"
Yang Chen was slightly surprised to find out that Banre was actually Tokugawa Zangji's adopted daughter. No wonder, when they previously came to Yanxia, despite Tengu being the strongest, it was Banre who led the group.
"Cat Demon, don't even think about running away. Join the fight!" Tokugawa Zangji said to the hesitating Cat Demon beside him. He knew that without a reminder, this woman might consider fleeing.
"Hmph," the Cat Demon snorted. She had indeed been considering whether to run, given Yang Chen's overwhelming combat strength, which left almost no chance of victory. However, she realized that fleeing might not be feasible. Hearing Tokugawa's words, she knew she had no choice but to brace herself and fight for her life.
Tokugawa Zangji's expression turned serious as he kept a close watch on Yang Chen, not daring to relax for even a second. The demonic blade, Muramasa, in his hand once again glowed with a red light. However, this time, he clearly didn't have enough killing intent left to swing out another light blade like before. He could only muster all his cultivation and assume a combat stance with deceptive ease.
"Banre, you attack first!"
Tokugawa's plan was simple: use Banre as the vanguard, while he and the Cat Demon looked for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack. It was his only chance!
Banre responded with a blank expression, her short blade gleaming with cold light and a surge of killing intent. Her body suddenly tensed and sprang into action!
"Pffft!"
A sharp sound of something piercing through the air was heard as the cold short blade suddenly stabbed through Tokugawa Zangji's chest from behind!
This unexpected turn of events caused the situation to become even more bizarre!
Tokugawa Zangji, who had been fully focused on Yang Chen, was caught off guard when Banre, his own adopted daughter, attacked him from behind. The blood-stained blade pierced through his chest, protruding from his front!
"You…"
Tokugawa Zangji slowly turned around, only to see Banre had already retreated several feet away, clearly wary of Tokugawa's potential counterattack.
A look of malicious pleasure and vengeful hatred flashed in Banre's eyes. Her delicate, oval face, which typically carried a refined aura, now bore an expression of cruelty that was utterly incongruous with her usual demeanor.
"Is it strange? I've been waiting for this day for ten years," Banre said coldly.
Tokugawa Zangji, already aged and reliant on a lifetime of accumulated cultivation for his extraordinary skills, had just expended a significant amount of his killing intent. Now, having been fatally stabbed by Banre, his eyes rolled back, and he finally fell to the ground, dying with a look of reluctance.
The demonic blade, Muramasa, fell to the ground with a clang, its red glow fading away.
Yang Chen didn't expect such a sudden turn of events, where an adopted daughter would betray and kill her foster father. However, he wasn't particularly concerned and remarked with a sneer to Banre, "If you think that by killing your foster father, I'll spare you, you're overestimating my magnanimity. I'm not that forgiving."
Banre shook her head. "I have nothing to say if Lord Hades wants to take my life. I merely avenged the massacre of my family and the deep humiliation he inflicted on me since childhood. I do not seek your forgiveness."
Yang Chen suddenly understood. It seemed that Banre harbored a deep blood feud and had been abused and humiliated by Tokugawa Zangji, her so-called adoptive father, which was why she had always been looking for an opportunity to take revenge. Unfortunately, Tokugawa Zangji's strength was too formidable. Luckily, today, Yang Chen had pushed him to a desperate situation, giving Banre the chance to successfully launch a sneak attack.
At that moment, Yang Chen's figure flickered and instantly appeared on top of a courtyard wall!
Below the wall, the Nine Lives Cat Demon, who had just tried to escape, looked shocked. She had seen Yang Chen talking to Banre and thought she could seize the opportunity to flee, but she didn't expect to be stopped by Yang Chen again.
"Your sisters are dead, Tokugawa is dead, so I think you should die too," Yang Chen said with a bright smile, as if he were sending her to a better place rather than killing her.
The Cat Demon backed away in panic, shaking her head repeatedly, yet without the courage to resist. She turned and tried to run away again!
This time, Yang Chen didn't waste any more words with her. With a quick movement, he landed in front of her, turned, and struck her on the top of her head with his palm!
The Cat Demon's body shook violently, followed by a sudden bulging of her limbs and chest. With a loud "bang," blood and flesh scattered everywhere, and her entire body was shattered into fragments by Yang Chen's strike!
This was unavoidable. Yang Chen knew that the Cat Demon had an extremely strong self-healing ability. Although this way of dying was gruesome, he had no choice but to use his internal force to pulverize her completely.
Seeing this scene from inside the house, Banre turned pale. Even though she had killed many people, she could not bear such a bloody and horrific way of dying.
Yang Chen, however, didn't pay much attention to it. He turned and walked back into the house. A perilous and dramatic battle was finally coming to an end, leaving only the trembling female ninja in the corner.