"This female assassin surrendered intentionally to lure me out?"
Lu Yang glanced at Duanmu and continued speaking to Natsume Reiko.
"Naturally. Do you think the assassins I trained would betray me?"
"We islanders value loyalty above all else. Even unto death, they would not betray me!"
"Duanmu, you have done exceptionally well. Upon our return, I shall appoint you as my successor and future candidate for the presidency of the Nandu Shrine!"
Natsume Reiko said, smiling at Duanmu.
"Hahaha, Natsume Reiko, do you truly believe I would fall for such a petty trick?"
"Do you know that after Duanmu and I left, I questioned him about why he would reveal this information to me?"
"Duanmu also told me about your conspiracy!"
Lu Yang laughed heartily, looking at Natsume Reiko as if she were an imbecile.
"What?"
"Duanmu, how dare you betray me?"
Upon hearing this, Natsume Reiko's expression turned incomparably cold, and she shouted at Duanmu.
Duanmu stood there, silent, like a piece of wood.
"So what if it was a betrayal? Kid, have you even considered the current situation? With so many experts here, killing you would be as easy as killing a chicken!"
Seeing all her subordinates present, Natsume Reiko breathed a sigh of relief and sneered at Lu Yang.
"Do you know why I still came here?"
"Even after Duanmu revealed your entire conspiracy, I still insisted on coming?"
"I sensed your presence the moment I left that battlefield, but..."
"Your little tricks mean nothing to me; I can crush them with one hand. However, you islander ninjas are extremely troublesome. If you are not dealt with swiftly, you will continuously harass my loved ones and friends. Therefore, this time, I will eliminate all of you in one fell swoop, and then I will go to the island nation, destroy the Nandu Shrine, and completely sever all your ambitions!"
Lu Yang said coldly, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"Kid, since you are so arrogant, then welcome your death!"
Natsume Reiko's eyes blazed with fury. She drew her sword and attacked Lu Yang.
Her sword, three feet three inches long, was also a famous blade, once wielded by her master, Sakurai Ryu. Now gifted to her, it was named the Dragon God Sword. With this single strike, she illuminated the entire space. The power was terrifying as sword energy, like a long dragon, surged towards Lu Yang.
"Is this the swordsmanship you cultivate? I must say, it's slightly more powerful than Fu Bo Jian Ren's swordsmanship!"
Lu Yang smiled faintly and punched out, colliding with Natsume Reiko's sword energy.
With a "bang," Lu Yang's ancient, unadorned fist directly shattered Natsume Reiko's sword energy. The force of the punch continued forward, striking the Dragon God Sword.
"Crunch!"
The Dragon God Sword, struck by the force of Lu Yang's punch, was actually split into two pieces.
Natsume Reiko, too, was sent flying by the recoil of Lu Yang's punch, crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Ah..."
Natsume Reiko spat out a mouthful of blood, utterly surprised that Lu Yang's strength had reached such a terrifying level. She, a master of the Martial Grandmaster realm, had been sent flying by a single punch from Lu Yang. This was too powerful, too inconceivable.
"All of you, attack together and kill this brat!"
Natsume Reiko's eyes seemed to be bleeding blood as she roared. Everyone charged towards Lu Yang, unleashing their most formidable techniques.
The Martial Grandmaster, wielding a samurai sword, swung it towards Lu Yang's head.
Another Martial Minor Grandmaster, employing a tough body-training technique, clenched his fist and aimed for Lu Yang's vital points. The remaining ninjas instantly vanished from their positions, only to reappear moments later, their daggers and short swords hurtling towards Lu Yang's critical areas.
However, Lu Yang remained unfazed by these attacks. He activated his protective aura, enveloping himself in a transparent film. Regardless of the power of their techniques, none could breach the barrier surrounding Lu Yang.
In response, Lu Yang threw a punch at the Martial Grandmaster, forcing him to retreat several steps, his samurai sword raised to block Lu Yang's strike.
Lu Yang then kicked the other Martial Minor Grandmaster, sending him flying backward to smash against the iron door, coughing up a stream of blood.
Before the remaining ninjas could react, their necks were twisted and broken by Lu Yang. Only two managed to quickly conceal their forms, evading the initial onslaught.
In the very first exchange, the islander assassination team suffered heavy casualties, with two severely injured and four killed. Only the Martial Grandmaster and two ninjas remained mobile. Natsume Reiko and another Martial Minor Grandmaster were gravely wounded and dared not engage further, as any move would have led to their demise at Lu Yang's hands.
Lu Yang's power far exceeded everyone's expectations, reaching an unfathomable degree. Even if Watanabe Ichiro were alive, he would not possess such divine abilities as Lu Yang, who could defeat so many attackers simultaneously and maintain the upper hand.
"This... this is the cultivation of Half-Step Divine Realm! This kid is no longer someone we can defeat. He is a super expert at the Half-Step Divine Realm, run!"
The Martial Grandmaster was the first to react, shouting to those around him.
Upon hearing the Martial Grandmaster's words, Natsume Reiko's face turned extremely grim.
Half-Step Divine Realm? A youth in his twenties? This was utterly unbelievable!
"Could it be that this brat absorbed Mr. Watanabe Ichiro's spiritual essence, converting all of Mr. Watanabe Ichiro's cultivation into his own, thus becoming so powerful?"
Natsume Reiko dared not dwell on this thought. The more she considered it, the more incredible and terrifying it became.
"Escape!"
The word "escape" was the only thought left in Natsume Reiko's mind. Killing Lu Yang, avenging Watanabe Ichiro, seizing all the data from the Heavenly Flying Sword Company—to hell with it all. Whoever had the ability to kill Lu Yang could do it. She certainly didn't have that capability anymore.
With that thought, Natsume Reiko quickly retreated into the darkness, attempting to flee.
"Now you wish to escape? Is it not a little too late?"
"When I arrived here earlier, I had already set up a barrier, encasing this entire underground chamber. Unless your cultivation surpasses mine, you will never break through the barrier I've established!"
Lu Yang sneered, looking at the spot where Natsume Reiko had vanished. Then, with a "bang," Natsume Reiko reappeared, having evidently collided with an invisible barrier and been repelled.
"Let's fight this brat with all we have!"
Seeing that escape was futile, Natsume Reiko's eyes burned like raging flames. She roared and was the first to launch an attack against Lu Yang. The remaining individuals also knew that they faced certain death today. Rather than perish in such a manner, it was better to fight with everything they had.
Everyone unleashed their full power once more, charging at Lu Yang.