"What?"
The ones ambushing Ling Tian in the forest were actually several ninjas. The leading ninja, who thought Ling Tian was about to perish under the volley of hidden weapons, was surprised when all the projectiles were repelled by a white light emanating from Ling Tian's body.
Little did he know, these deadly attacks had triggered the Vajra Talisman on Ling Tian.
Once activated, the Vajra Talisman released a large amount of energy, shielding Ling Tian from this wave of fatal attacks.
Ling Tian then saw five ninjas standing around him in the darkness.
These five ninjas had their faces covered with scarves, making their features indistinguishable. What was interesting was that their clothes were in five different colors, which Ling Tian recognized as representing the Five Elements!
These five ninjas were the latest trump cards introduced by the Kōga-ryū school of ninjutsu, the Five Elements Jonin!
The profession of ninja was unique to Japanese history. These specially selected, small-statured individuals underwent a series of inhuman training from a young age, mastering numerous skills.
They were initially used for espionage, assassination, and the like.
These ninjas continuously researched combat and escape techniques, giving rise to various schools of ninjutsu, with Iga-ryū and Kōga-ryū being the most famous.
However, as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on Earth gradually diminished over the years, many legendary ninjutsu techniques suddenly lost their effectiveness.
Many legendary ninjutsu, to modern people, seemed like mere illusions or scams.
Consequently, the profession of ninja began to decline. No child wanted to become a ninja, as they all knew it was a deception.
Nevertheless, a portion of people persisted, passing down their knowledge and practicing seemingly useless ninja skills through generations.
Their efforts and perseverance were eventually rewarded.
As the Xian Gong asteroid once again approached Earth, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth began to revive. At this time, the ninjas were astonished to discover that some ninjutsu techniques had regained the power described in ancient texts!
The ninja schools were overjoyed and began recruiting soldiers and buying horses. The entire ninja world of Japan fell into a frenzy.
Soon, each school produced a large number of ninjas with astonishing strength. The vast majority of these ninjas were awakened individuals with supernatural abilities.
The Japanese naturally did not want to miss the opportunity to establish a new world order at the World Supernatural Beings Conference held on Hell's Paradise Island. Thus, they sent a large contingent of personnel, including dozens of ninjas.
In fact, the theoretical framework of ninjutsu originated from China. Over a thousand years ago, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Chinese Yin-Yang techniques were introduced to Japan, greatly influencing the country.
Whether it was ninjas or Onmyōji, their founders had stolen Chinese Yin-Yang techniques.
Therefore, the theoretical system of ninjutsu was also based on the theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements.
The five ninjas before Ling Tian were all Jonin from Kōga-ryū. These five individuals were selected from over a thousand ninjas, each possessing a different elemental ability.
Each of them focused on cultivating ninjutsu techniques that matched their respective attributes and practiced combined attack techniques. These individuals quickly made a name for themselves in the Japanese ninja community.
This time, when the Americans offered a bounty, the Japanese participated very actively. It wasn't about the money.
On one hand, Japan and China were mortal enemies. For thousands of years, Japan had been unwilling to be subordinate to China. Now that there was an opportunity to overtake them, the Japanese naturally did not want to miss it.
Ling Tian, being a standout member of the Chinese team, naturally became a primary target for elimination by the Japanese.
On the other hand, Ling Tian was quite famous. Eliminating him would earn significant prestige, and there was no faster way to gain prestige than by defeating Ling Tian.
Therefore, as soon as the news of Ling Tian entering the free zone spread tonight, a large number of Japanese individuals took action, entering the area to search for Ling Tian's whereabouts.
However, these assassins' operations were not going smoothly. The flora and fauna on Hell's Paradise Island were not to be trifled with. These dangerous creatures and plants, having been baptized by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and evolved, posed great trouble to the intruders at night.
Especially the thicket full of venomous snakes, where several people fell victim, even suffering casualties.
These five ninjas, who excelled at stealth and obstacle traversal, quickly caught up with Ling Tian and his companions.
Moreover, the several battles that had just occurred, with flames soaring into the sky, allowed them to quickly pinpoint Ling Tian's location and launch their attack.
When they saw Ling Tian ensnared by the specially made metal net, the five Jonin were ecstatic, believing Ling Tian was certain to die from their hidden weapons.
It was worth noting that their hidden weapons, these kunai and shuriken, were crafted by Japan's finest weapon masters. Almost every piece was valuable and coated with a potent poison that caused instant death upon contact with blood!
However, they never expected that all these attacks would miss.
"Baka, close combat!"
The ninja in the golden-yellow ninja attire was Kin Nin, the leader of these Five Elements Jonin. Seeing that ranged attacks were ineffective, he immediately ordered a close-quarters assault.
The five ninjas then drew their weapons, preparing for close combat.
Among them, three ninjas wielded short swords, about fifty centimeters in length, convenient for ninjas to carry.
The ninja known as Mizu Nin, however, held a pair of Emei daggers. The ninja named Tsuchi Nin held a small, round shield in his left hand and a golden melon hammer in his right.
This golden melon hammer, with a head the size of a child's fist and a handle about 40 centimeters long, looked unassuming but could shatter bones and break limbs upon impact!
Seeing them charge forward, Ling Tian tried to tear through the wire mesh again. However, the material of the net was very special and finely crafted. The more he pulled, the tighter the large net contracted.
Witnessing this, Ling Tian became enraged and decided to get serious!
Then, to the astonishment of the others, a red light emanated from Ling Tian, which quickly transformed into a tangible, fiery red flame.
Gradually, the color of the flames became lighter, turning yellow, then green, then blue, and finally purple.
The ninjas, standing two to three meters away from Ling Tian, felt an unbearable heat. Little did they know, the purple flames emanating from Ling Tian could reach temperatures of two thousand degrees!