Rebirth Of The Urban Immortal Cultivator

by Stayrr

Chen Fan, the great cultivator, failed to transcend the Tribulation of Heaven: the final stage of his cultivation. Little did he know that this accident would bring him back to Earth and turn back time to five hundred years ago when he was just a teenager. 'I had once reached the precipice of power in the known universe and could look down on the ten thousand realms with pride; I

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Rebirth Of The Urban Immortal Cultivator #Chapter 321 - I Am Soley Responsible - Read Rebirth Of The Urban Immortal Cultivator Chapter 321 - I Am Soley Responsible Online - All Page - FREEWN

Chapter 321: I Am Soley Responsible

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Chen Fan didn't ask Qiao Luoyin how she had recognized him.

As the leader of the Qiao Family of Jin City, Qiao Luoyin must have seen his picture before. However, Chen Fan wagered that Qiao Luoyin had to use her imagination to fill up the difference between the picture and his real-life appearance. Zhou Qinya had helped Chen Fan spruce himself up and therefore, he looked very different from his photo in a good way.

"Yes, that's me."

Chen Fan picked up a decanter and slowly poured the contents into a China cup.

No one spoke a word as they stared at the young man in shock and disbelief.

"Master Chen of Jiang Bei."

He had single-handedly killed the entire Sheng family, and even in Wu Zhou, people talked about his legendary deeds. In those stories, he was an ambitious and mighty warrior. To everyone's surprise, Chen Fan was an average looking teenage boy in real life and looked nothing like how he was painted in colorful stories. Even Qiao Luoyin found it hard to reconcile the teenage boy to the image of an overbearing martial artist.

Sweat glided off of the guard captain's forehead as he felt lucky to not make the wrong move.

If he rushed into the situation, he might as well be dead now. He was a good fighter in the eyes of ordinary people, but his strength was a far cry from that of Master Chen.

Su Ze and Su Peng glared at Chen Fan with disbelief.

"No wonder LIttle Nine would choose you. She was always so stuck up and full of herself, and I was right to think that she would never settle for just anyone. She had chosen a good one!" Su Peng put in.

Meanwhile, Su Qian was on the edge of her seat.

The young man was the infamous Master Chen of Jiang Bei!

Most people in this room were nobody once they were stripped of their family heritage. However, Chen Fan was able to surpass his grandfather's achievement before he even reached twenty. His achievements would take a normal person twenty if not thirty years to accomplish.

In other words, Chen Fan was on a different level than most people in this room.

Only the Su Family Lord Su Zhengde or the Nin Family lord was able to sit down at the same table with Chen Fan as his equal.

"Why is she so lucky? Before Master Chen she had Sheng Junwen fawning all over her. Now Shen Junwen is dead, but she caught the attention of Master Chen. Was she wearing plot armor or whatnot?" Shen Qian looked to Fang Qiong. Her eyes were green with jealousy.

Chen Fan didn't mind what other people thought of him.

After he poured himself a cup of wine, he raised the cup gently.

The china cup suddenly became airborne and levitated above the table and slowly rose to Chen Fan's mouth. Everyone watched in disbelief and even Fang Qiong was taken by surprise. It was the first time she had seen Chen Fan use his Divine powers.

"Everyone talked about Master Chen's powerful Dharma Spells, and today I have finally seen it with my own eyes." Ji Luochen managed to hold back his shock and poured a cup of wine for himself and gave Chen Fan a toast.

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"Let's drink in the name of Master Chen!"

He was born into a prestigious family in Zhong Hai and had seen Dharma Spells in action a few times.

However, all those casters he had met before were in their fifties with white hair and snowy beards. They also lacked Chen Fan's ability to summon the spell on a whim. Instead, they relied on their Dharma artifacts and required long preparation to cast a simple spell.

Chen Fan didn't even spare him a glance as he poured the contents of the cup down his throat.

A pang of anger flashed in Ji Luochen's eyes, but it was quickly masked by him. He also drank the wine, but instead of putting down the cup, he played with the cup in his hand and asked Chen Fan with interest.

"Master Chen, do you know the background of Nin Yuze?"

"What is it?"

Chen Fan casually poured more wine and replied distractedly.

Ji Luochen scanned the crowd and then raised his voice a few notches. "His father is Nin Chendong, one of the richest men in Zhong Hai. He is the owner of the Dong Chen Group and has tens of billions of assets. His grandpa is Nin Zhongshen, a retired high-level official from Zhong Hai. He was retired, but still very influential."

"He is Nin Chendong's only son and the only grandson of the Old Man Nin. Master Chen, how are you going to explain your actions to the Nin family?

After he had said that, Ji Luochen looked to Chen Fan with a faint smirk.

His words had also made everyone realize the serious consequences of Chen Fan's actions.

Zhong Hai was one of the biggest cities in China, and a high-level official in its city hall was of the same rank as a provincial governor. Without such a solid family background, Nin Yuze would never be listed together with Zhu Yuntao and Tang Jianfen as the Four Young Lords of Zhong Hai.

"Oh, really?"

Chen Fan took another gulp of the wine and his expression didn't change the slightest.

However powerful Nin Family was, they would be dwarfed when compared with Gao Tianmin.

If Chen Fan was able to topple the mighty Gao Tianmin, he should be able to quash the Nin Family with ease.

"Of course Master Chen might not think highly of Nin Family, but what about the combined might of the Nins and the Zhaos?"Ji Luochen asked with a mysterious smile.

"Zhao family? What Zhao family?"

Other people were confused as well.

Only Su Ze and Su Peng seemed to know what he was talking about as their face suddenly turned dark. They were well aware of the names of the benefactors of the Nin family.

Ji Luochen pointed to Zhao Baofen who was just being helped to his feet. "This brother of mine had just reached thirty, yet, he had already been promoted to the rank of Vice Captain in the Cang Dragon Unit."

"He is a vice captain at the Cang Dragon unit?"

Everyone was taken aback by the revelation.

Although the Cang Dragon unit had only less than a hundred members, each and every one of its members were the cream of the crop. Even a normal soldier in the unit would have a bright military career ahead of him, much less a vice captain. He was very likely to be promoted to a rank as high as general.

Then, Ji Luochen announced something even more shocking.

"His father was the Lieutenant General in the Military."

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The crowd in the room boiled over as soon as Ji Luochen finished his announcement.

"What Lieutenant General?"

"Could he from the Headquarters?"

"OMG, that means he was the top five most influential men in the military, right next to Li Wuchen."

Zhao Baofen's identity as the vice captain of the Cang Dragon and his father's rank of Lieutenant General had both caught everyone by surprise. Some people recalled that there was a Lieutenant General stationed at Jin City whose last name was Zhao.

Suddenly, Zhao Baofen's family seemed even more powerful than that of Nin Yuze and Qiao Family of Jin City. After all, both the Nin Family and the Qiao Family could only exert influence in their own city, but both cities were under the military headquarters' jurisdiction. Zhao Baofen had just reached thirty, and he had already gained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became the vice captain of the Cang Dragon Unit. If he continued his illustrious achievements, he would become a general in no time.

"Then there will be two generals under the same roof, that's impressive"

Even as people marveled at the Zhao family's achievement, some looked at Chen Fan concernedly. Master Chen might be able to stand against the Nin Family, but They doubted that he was able to ward off the combined might of the Nin Family and the Zhao family. Worse, both families had the support of Ji Luochen, a member of the most powerful family in Zhong Hai.

Even the Sheng family and the Chen family would pale in comparison with the Ji Family.

Fang Qiong felt a pang of distress. Although she was confident in Chen Fan's power, she knew that not even the Su Family of Wu Zhou City would quell the combined attack of the Nins and the Zhaos. Worse, Qiao Luoyin had not yet chosen her side, and she would very likely join the Ji Family to assist the other two families.

"So what?"

Chen Fan remained calm and drank the third cup of wine. He locked his eyes with Ji Luochen and said: "I don't want to waste my time on you. If you want to have a showdown, I can allow you some time to prepare. Bring all of your benefactors to the birthday banquet tomorrow, and we will settle this once and for all."

"That goes the same with you guys."

Chen Fan scanned the people around him: Su Qian, Su Ze, Su Peng, Qiao Luoyin and Zhao Baofen.

"Bring whoever you want, and I will be solely responsible for what happened today, and what will happen tomorrow."

Chen Fan finally dropped the wine cup and wrapped his arm around Fang Qiong's waist and sauntered out.

The crowd backed away and made a path for Chen Fan. Despite the heart-wrenching howling of Nin Yuze, no one dared to stop Chen Fan or call the police. They simply watched as Chen Fan left the room with Fang Qiong.

"He is so badass! No wonder he could dominate the Jiang Bei region."

Someone exclaimed.

Without seeing Chen Fan's decisiveness and gusto with their own eyes, people simply couldn't imagine that Chen Fan was able to dominate the Jiang Bei region. But after having experienced Chen Fan's overwhelming demeanor first hand, doubts in people's minds disappeared. Other than the legendary Master Chen, no one would dare to break Nin Yuze's four limbs and taunt the combined force of Nin, Zhao, Ji and Qiao families

"He is too reckless!"

Su Peng and the others shook their heads and lamented.

They were impressed by Chen Fan's illustrious achievements at such a young age, but disapproved of his provocation for a final showdown at the old man's birthday banquet. They also disagree with Chen Fan's brutal mutilation of Nin Yuze. Maybe he was able to get away with it because he was the Master Chen of Jiang Bei, but he had to know his limits. On the other hand, today's event proved that any family, let it be Su Family or Ji Family should take Chen Fan seriously and treat him with respect.

However, after Chen Fan uttered his final challenged, he had made himself the common enemy of all the prominent families.

Even if the Zhao family, Qiao Family or Su Family had been still on the fence, Chen Fan had chosen the side for them. That was a foolish move since no individual could have withstood the combined might of so many powerful forces.

"I wonder what is he going to do tomorrow."

Everyone thought to themselves expectantly.

However, a strange light flashed in Qiao Luoyin eyes.

She had heard of Chen Fan's overbearing demeanor while she was in Jin City and what happened today proved that those rumors were right. While she was visiting her BFF at the Tang family, her BFF had told her many incredible stories about Master Chen. If her BFF had told her the truth, then she doubted that Old Man Ji or Old Man Nin could do any harm to Chen Fan.

"He is the most powerful Grandmaster in China, Chen Beixuan!"

Qiao Luoyin lowered her head and murmured to herself.

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Chapter 322: Rise to Power In Wu Zhou

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Chen Fan let go of Fang Qiong after they walked out of the room. He said apologetically.

"Sorry for crashing your family party."

"No... I should be sorry, Xiao Fan." Fang Qiong closed in and leaned on Chen Fan. She said with a hint of disappointment: "I had never thought that my family would oppose so strongly of our marriage. They were my cousins, but none of my cousins were on my side. I wonder if our family bond really meant anything to them."

"Yea, and screw those family rules, they are just excuses to mask their disdain." Chen Fan snorted, "If I were the president of the United State of America, they would have fought each other to lick my boots."

"Hehe."

Despite herself, Fang Qiong blurt out a light laughter. She hit Chen Fan on the chest and complained: "Don't be so gross."

"It's the truth. They looked down on me back there and thought that I am not worthy of being part of the Su Family of Wu Zhou City." Chen Fan shrugged and said: "Little did they know that the Su Family is nothing compared to my power."

Chen Fan's voice was calm, however, his seemingly indifferent expression emanated a strong sense of pride and honor that Fang Qiong had never seen before. He looked like a god who presided in the heaven above the sky, looking down on the bustling mortals.

"Ah, right, are you sure you sure you won't get into trouble for breaking Nin Yuze's arms and legs?" Fang Qiong suddenly remembered something; her face turned black and asked concernedly. "Maybe we should skip the Birthday banquet tomorrow and go home instead. I don't think the Ji Family and the Nin Family would come all the way to Jin City to look for us."

"Don't you worry. Your husband's power is beyond your imagination. I can get rid of the Nin Family with a flick of a finger." Chen Fan said with a proud smile.

Despite the concern inside of her, Fang Qiong kept her silence.

She was smart enough to know that once her man had made a decision, she should support him no matter the consequences.

"Don't worry Xiao Fan, I will be right here with you no matter what happens."

With that thought in mind, the girl inched closer to Chen Fan. Huddling together, the two walked forward against the chilly wind of the winter night.

What had happened at the Su Family banquet quickly spread into the ears of all Su Family members.

Meanwhile, inside the Su Family's main hall, the lights were still on and many family leaders, including the Old man himself, were having an emergency meeting.

"This is ridiculous!"

Su Zhengde rose to his feet and slammed the table. He glared at Su Peng sitting beneath him and shouted: "You are the oldest brother, how could you let them start a fight during the banquet? He even broke the limbs of Young Lord Nin? Where are the security guards? He is just one person, what are other people doing? Just watching?"

Su Peng was quiet and lowered his head in embarrassment.

Su Qian couldn't help but put in: "Dad, it's not my brother's fault. Chen Fan is a menacing brute! You have to see it for yourself. He broke Young Lord Nin's arms and legs because of a small disagreement. Even the vice captain of Cang Dragon Zhao Baofen couldn't stop him. He is Master Chen after all, who would dare to stand in his way?"

"Wait. Master Chen? What do you mean?" Su Zhengde asked in confusion.

"He is the infamous Master Chen from Jin City." Su Qian muttered. "Rumor had it that he presided over Jiang Bei and not even Xu Ao dares to defy him. The Sheng family had a taste of his power and now the Sheng family is history. Who in their right mind do you think would oppose him?"

"Master Chen of Jiang Bei?"

The announcement shocked everyone in the room.

The destruction of the Sheng family was still a recent memory, and the leaders of the Su Family knew the seriousness of the incident more clearly than anyone else. They knew that even the Sheng family's benefactor, Gao Tianmin had got into trouble, trying to avenge the deceased. He was removed from his post in Jiang Nan Province and reassigned to another province.

"Little Nine's childhood friend is Master Chen of Jiang Bei?"

Everyone looked at each other in fear and shock.

They had been each other's childhood crushes and one grew up to be a drop-dead gorgeous, while the other a powerful hero. Long separated they have been and now the two young loves were finally united and wedded: It was almost too good to be true.

"That makes so much sense now. No wonder Little Nine would defy her parents' will to get the marriage certificate with him." A Su Family elder nodded and said.

"Fifth Uncle, what do you mean?" Su Zhengde was riled up by the remark. "Even if he is Master Chen, he is still a thuggish ruffian. The Su Family had withheld our moral bearing and high standard for three hundred years, and I would never agree to marry one of our girls to such an unsavory character."

Embarrassment crawled all over Fifth Uncle's face. He murmured something to himself and then was quiet.

The fifth uncle was a good friend of Fang Qiong's grandpa, however, neither of them had any say in the family business. Their third brother, Su Zhengde's father was the backbone of the Su Family, therefore, Su Zhengde and his branch wielded unchallenged authority in the family, so much so that he could even fling back at his elders.

"That's enough. Zhende is right." Su Yangzhi, the oldest man in the room nodded and said: "Our family had survived three hundred years. Although we are mainly a mercantile family, we always kept a close eye on our reputation and moral bearing. What Little Nine had done was indeed inappropriate. Plus, Chen Fan's savage actions spoke loudly of his character. I don't care how powerful or influential he is, I don't want him in our family."

Many leaders of the Su Family nodded in agreement.

Su Susu was sitting furthest away from the head of the table. She looked troubled but was not sure what to say.

She had just told Su Yanghao the identity of Chen Fan, trying to earn some points for the young man. Then she was hit by the devastating news of what Chen Fan had done at the party.

"Su Ze, tell us what you see, we want to know everything." Su Yanghao spoke readily as he pointed to Su Ze.

"Yes, Third Grandpa." Su Ze rose up and started to fill everyone in. He tried to sound as objective as possible, but snuck in a few subtle assertions and omitted a few key details here and there to sway the listener's opinion. For example, he had described Nin Yuze's rude interceptions while Chen Fan trying to sit down as a "friendly conversation" started by Nin Yuze.

The longer he went on, the worse Chen Fan's image was in everyone's mind.

"He is so full of himself! How dare he look down on the Su Family! If he is so arrogant before he even marries Little Nine, what an asshole he would be after we have agreed to the marriage? He is going to wreak havoc in our family!" Su Zhengde snorted.

"Hold on, you mentioned Zhao Baofen. Is he Zhao Xun's son?" Su Yanghao suddenly put in.

"Indeed, third grandpa." Su Ze nodded.

"I have heard of his name before. He was one of the most outstanding members of the group stationed in Jin City. Due to his excellent performance, he was transferred to the Cang Dragon Unit and was groomed to be the next captain." Su Yangzhi nodded and said: "I believe that Zhao Xun's wife is related to the Ji Family."

"Hump! Nin Family, Ji Family, Zhao family and us; Chen Fan has made too many enemies. Does he really think that he could survive the combined might of so many prominent families?" One of the Su Family leaders snorted and said.

Sensing the flaring temper of the Su Family members, Su Yanghao found it difficult to defend Chen Fan. Plus, Chen Fan's cruel actions didn't sit well with him either. Therefore, the old man announced lightly: "That will be it for tonight. If the Nin Family and the Ji Family bring the matter up, remember that we remain neutral in this. What do you think Su Susu?"

Su Susu managed to put on a smile and nodded.

"Thank you for your understanding, Third Uncle."

This was the best outcome she had expected. If Su Family decided to get involved, Chen Fan might as well be dead.

It didn't take long before the entire elite class of Wu Zhou City learned what happened at the Su Family's party.

Nin Yuze was sent to the best hospital in Wu Zhou to treat his injured limbs. After his condition was stabilized, he was transferred to the bone specialist in Zhong Hai. The incident happened in broad daylight and therefore it was near impossible to contain the spread of rumors.

Many leaders of the Nin Family rushed to Wu Zhou from Zhong Hai. As they took care of Nin Yuze, they made their intent for retribution very clearly to everyone.

The development had shocked the entire upper class of Wu Zhou's society. Everyone watched expectantly for what would happen next.

On one side of the firing line was the Lord of Jiang Bei, the one who had slaughtered the Sheng family and ended Gao Tianmin's political career: Master Chen.

On the other side was one of the most powerful family clans in Zhong Hai: the Nin Family!

This was a much more dramatic and epic conflict than that between Sheng family and the Chen family. Both Nin Family and Master Chen had unimaginable abilities to change the world. Most people believed that Nin Family would emerge victoriously since they were not fighting alone. The Zhao Family and the Ji Family also lurked behind the scenes, ready to aid the Nin Family.

Meanwhile, inside the ICU of the Wu Zhou Number One People's Hospital.

Nin Chendong, one of the richest men in Zhong Hai stood in the hallway, looking through the glass on the door at his son. Beside him were Nin Yuze's mother and cousins. A sadness gripped their heart as tears streaked across their cheeks.

"The doctor said that Yuze will have to be bed bound for the rest of his life. That boy is a cruel coldhearted asshole. How could he bring himself to do such a barbaric thing to another person?"

Nin Chendong was quiet, but his face was dark and gloomy.

"Uncle Dong, All this happened because of me. The Ji Family won't stand by, we will join your fight."

Ji Luochen bowed slightly and said in an apologetic voice.

Nin Chendong managed to squeeze out a smile on his face. He held onto Ji Luochen's arm and said: "Luochen, this is not your fault. The fault is with Master Chen and his brutality. Yuze is my only son, and what he did to Yuze is devastating to my entire family. I will not let him get away with this, we will fight to our death."

"Don't worry Uncle Dong, my father had already summoned Lou Jinhui of Jiang Nan." Ji Luochen spoke as a light flashed in his eyes.

"I appreciate your father's help. I feel much more confident with his assistance."Nin Chendong's face was lit up with relief.

Ji Luochen's father, Ji Yuanhong was a provincial governor and wielded enough power to acquire assistance from Lou Jinhui of Jiang Nan.

"I will see to it that he pays the ultimate price."

Nin Chendong cursed under his breath.

A venomous light glinted in his eyes, making him look like a wounded beast ready to lash out a desperate final attack.

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Chapter 323: The Birthday Party Begins

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

As soon as Ji Luochen walked out of the ICU, his face turned gloomy right away.

Resources such as Lou Jinhui should be reserved for the moment of life and death instead of being wasted on such trivial matters. It was public knowledge that Master Chen was on very good terms with the Wei Family of the North Bank and because of that connection, even Gao Tianmin was forced to be removed from his post. Therefore, Ji Luochen wagered that only someone as powerful as Lou Jinhui was able to bring down Chen Fan.

"Where is Baofen? Is he alright?" Ji Luochen turned around and asked his assistants.

The Zhao family's influence was only a couple notch less than that of the Ji Family. If the two families were not related, Zhao Baofen could have very well stayed out of the mess and avoided being beaten up by Chen Fan. In other words, Ji Luochen owed Zhao Baofen a big one, and therefore, Ji Luochen needed to show his commitment to avenging Zhao Baofen in order to mollify her auntie who got married to the Zhao Family.

"Lord Bao didn't even finish his examine. He rushed out of the hospital while mumbling such as 'Cang Dragon Physical Conditioning Exercise' and 'Head Sergeant'. He said he needed to return to the Cang Dragon unit right away." The assistant said under his breath.

"Why does he need to go back to the base at this hour? Does he have any urgent task?" Ji Luochen murmured to himself and changed his focus back to Chen Fan. "I ordered you to investigate Chen Fan's background thoroughly. How did you fail to find out that he is the Master Chen of Jiang Bei?"

Ji Luochen gave his assistant a hot glare.

This man was positioned to be Ji Luochen's temporary assistant during his stay in Wu Zhou. His actual position was a manager of a company owned by the Ji Family. He was unnerved after being castigated by Ji Luochen as sweat started to slide down his forehead.

"Young Lord Ji, we did found out his identity, but it was already too late."

"Humph!!"

Ji Luochen snorted and left it at that.

After all, the Ji Family was not in the business of intelligence gathering and therefore, it would take a while for the assistant to gather enough information through other informants. That being said, Ji Luochen was not deterred by the difficulties.

"I need you to further your investigation, focus on Chen Fan and the Wei Family of the North Bank and its benefactor, the Xiao family. I wager the Xiao family must be involved in the removal of Gao Tianmin from the seat of power. No one else would have that much authority to pull that off."

Ji Luochen main focus and concern was Chen Fan's threat to them in the political realm.

However incredible Chen Fan's personal strength and his Dharma Spells were, Chen Fan would not be able to harm the mighty Ji Family using them. Unlike the Sheng family who was a purely mercantile family, the Ji Family was also a heavyweight in the political landscape. They were protected by powerful men in the government who were powerful enough to make Chen Fan think twice before he resorted to violent means. If Chen Fan dared to make a reckless move, he would have broken the fragile balance in the power dynamic and became a public enemy in China. Therefore, it was the utmost importance for Ji Luochen to find out the exact power of Chen Fan's benefactor.

Gao Tianmin was one of the top five most powerful men in the provincial government, and even Lou Jinhui would have to think twice before making a move against him.

As for the dark side of Chen Fan's background, the one that dealt with the Martial artists, and Spellcasters, it was too removed from Ji Luochen's life for him to take it seriously. Ji Luochen had presided in his own circle of elites for many years and had formed his mindset about how the competition was won. In his mind, they were won with connections, wealth and influence, and rarely did personal strength come into the equation.

The next day, the Old Man Su's birthday party was finally about to start.

Although the Su Family was extremely wealthy, so much so that even the wealth of the richest man in the province, Zhang Donghai might pale in comparison. However, the old man had made it very clear from the get-go that he only wanted a modest and intimate party. Therefore, the banquet set in the Su Family's residence had only a hundred round tables to accommodate about a thousand guests.

The spots are limited and therefore the seats were quickly taken up. Only the most reputable influential people in the Jiang Nan Province got a seat at the table. The rest of the guests only got to drop off their presents before they had to head back home.

When Fang Qiong and Chen Fan arrived at the Su Family residence, they found out the parking lot was filled to the brim with luxurious cars.

The license plates indicated they were from all over China: Jin City, Wu Zhou, Jiang Zhou City, and even those from Zhong Hai, Dong Jiang Province, and Tian Nan Province. A few cars with Yan Jin City's license plates caught Chen Fan's attention. Those were special plates issued to government officials.

Rumor had it that a secretary of a really important political heavyweight had also arrived to pay tribute to Old Man Su

"Xiao Fan, maybe we should wait until the next day when everyone is gone." Fang Qiong hesitated as she stood by the entrance. Her hands held tightly onto Chen Fan's arm.

She had spent a sleepless night at the executive suite of the Shangri-La Hotel. In the end, she decided that it was a bad idea to let Chen Fan walk right into the trap. The combined might of the Nin, Zhao, and Ji Family would be deadly to anyone, including Master Chen.

Although Fang Qiong still didn't have a handle on the full extent of Chen Fan's power, she was well aware of the Tang family's influence. Hearing people comparing Chen Fan and Tang Yuanqin made Fang Qiong convinced that Chen Fan's power should be on par with Tang Yuanqin who was definitely couldn't withstand the combined force of the three families.

"Did you mom say anything to you that changed your mind?"

Chen Fan gave the girl a warm smile.

"My mom called me yesterday and told me that the Nin Family leaders had already arrived Wu Zhou. Their family lord and made it clear that he wanted you to pay for what you have done." Fang Qiong hesitated and said: "Xiao Qiong, there is no need bud heads against them right now. Let's head back to Jinlin City and wait out the storm. My great-grandfather often says that a wise man knows when to take a step back and let go. You are much younger than them, and in ten years, you will be able to deal with them much more easily than you would now."

The girl looked tired after missing a night's sleep. Chen Fan suddenly felt guilty. He wrapped his arm around the girl and whispered in her ears.

"Don't worry, your husband is stronger than you think. I can defeat anyone who dares to take you away from me, the Nin and Ji Family are no threat to me."

Fang Qiong was caught by surprise by Chen Fan's sudden embrace. She blushed and nodded slightly.

"Can you two find a room? Don't be so dramatic, it is just a birthday party."

A woman's venomous voice rose from the distance.

Fang Qiong hurried to push Chen Fan away and she saw Su Qian glaring at her from the distance. Su Ze stood right beside her in a dashing formal dress.

"Master Chen, Miss Fang, please follow me."

Chen Fan nodded slightly.

Chen Fan held onto Fang Qiong's hand and walked into the Su Family's residence.

"Miss Fang Qiong and Mr. Chen Fan of Jin City have arrived. "

When the butler called out the couple's name, people looked to them with different kinds of reactions. Some were surprised, some were excited, and some were gloating at the couple. After what had happened last night, Chen Fan had already become a household name among the elites of Wu Zhou City.

"Is he the Master Chen of Jiang Bei everyone was talking about? He is so young!"

"I heard that he killed the entire Sheng family using Dharma Curses. Is that real?"

"Of course! He was also the reason that Gao Tianmin was removed from his post."

Everyone fixed their eyes on Chen Fan, watching and studying him carefully. They had heard so many unbelievable tales about this young man. He had first made his name in the Jiang Bei region, and then he toppled the Sheng family and ended Gao Tianmin's career. Rumor had it that he was a bastard son of a top dog in Yan Jin city and he was raised by a legendary monk who had taught him powerful spells. Although any rational person would brush off such a ridiculous rumor, rational had always been scarce among the public.

"Humph! I don't believe he could topple Gao Tianmin. Not even Lou Jinhui could pull that off, much less a young man such as him."

A man holding an ivory fan snorted.

"Boss Fu, do you have another explanation for Gao Tianmin's sudden resignation after the Sheng Family's downfall? But I partially agree with you, it would take someone as powerful as Lou Jinhui to bring Gao Tianmin down." A middle-aged businessman said with a broad smile.

"Boss Li, you are right about that! But look at this young man. He is still a green babe in the woods. Do you think he could be Chairman Lou's equal?" Boss Fu refuted.

"Ur..." Boss Li was suddenly at a loss for words.

Although Chen Fan had dominated the Jian Bei region, he was no match against Chairman Luo, the most powerful man in the province. If Chen Fan was a shiny star in the night sky, then Chairman Luo was the blinding sun. He was the de facto ruler of the province, a political heavyweight in China.

"I think it is a coincidence. Gao Tianmin must have made some mistakes that had caused his fall from grace. His downfall happened to occur around the same time as Chen Fan did away with the Sheng family. Maybe Gao Tianmin's higher-ups even used Chen Fan as a ruse to make the public believe that the young man was the reason for Gao Tianmin's undoing."

Boss Fu moved the fan back and forth, looking like the legendary strategist Zhu Geliang.

His listeners nodded in agreement.

Boss Fu's explanation was much more convincing than the notion that a young man was able to bring down a powerful bureaucrat.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan and Fang Qiong had followed Su Ze to the main hall. Su Yanghao was wearing a traditional Chinese dress that was vibrant red in color. He was sitting at the head of the table. He was flanked by Su Yangzhi, Su Yangren, and Su Zhengde. Chen Fan found Su Xiao standing behind Su Yanghao, regarding him curiously.

"Grandpa, Little Nine wishes you a happy birthday! May your happiness be as boundless as the eastern seas and your life as long as the long-lasting southern mountains!" Fang Qiong took a step forward and announced wittily.

A smile broke over the old man's face as he was pleased by his grand daughter's smooth and clever words. However, as soon as his eyes landed on Chen Fan, his smile disappeared.

"Little Nine, I am sure your grandpa is happy to see you, but who is this young man with you?"

Su Zhengde gave Chen Fan a contemptuous look.

"Grandpa, Uncle, his name is Chen Fan. He is my boyfriend." Fang Qiong lifted his chin and announced firmly.

Silence suddenly fell into the room.

Everyone looked over to the couple, they knew things were about to get serious.

"Little Nine, you are too young to have a boyfriend. Don't be silly, sent your friend back now. This is a private party, we don't welcome just anyone on the street."

Su Yangzhi put down his teacup and rebutted hotly.

Fang Qiong pulled a taut face and even as she was about to protest, Chen Fan took a step forward and he said with a smile.

"I am not only her boyfriend but also her husband, do you have any problem with that?"

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 324: Gathering of Tycoons

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

In Chen Fan's last life, he had never visited the Su Family, however, Xiao Qiong had brought up her unpleasant childhood and her suffering at the hands of the Su Family many times when they were cultivating. The bullying from the Su Family didn't go away until Xiao Qiong had grown up. Chen Fan remembered that and felt more vindictive toward the Su Family than Xiao Qiong was. The Su Family's reactions to his appearance at the party last night also disappointed him.

Therefore, Chen Fan had decided to throw his respect out of the window and questioned Su Yangzhi directly

"How dare you!"

Su Yangzhi was taken aback by Chen Fan's words, and then he pointed a finger at Chen Fan as his temper flared.

He was the second oldest brother of Su Yanghao and ever since the oldest brother of the family died, he became number one on the family's seniority list. Although he was of average talent, no one ever talked back at him due to his old age, therefore, he found it hard to come to terms with Chen Fan's reply.

"Shut up! You wouldn't even be speaking to me if not because you are Xiao Qiong's great uncle."

Chen Fan snorted.

Su Yangzhi's face turned dark as he was cut short by Chen Fan. He wanted to fling back at Chen Fan but words got stuck in his throat.

"That's enough." Su Zhengde pulled a taut face and looked to Su Susu. "Su Susu, is this the son in law you and Fang Mingde have chosen? Disrespectful and arrogant. What mades you think that he was worthy of being one of us?"

Su Susu panicked as she looked to Chen Fan, willing him to turn it down a notch.

The Su Family was the epitome of tradition, and obedience and discipline were the family's motto, except for the family lord. The junior members were never allowed to protest against their senior counterparts. A defiant soul such as Chen Fan was the least welcome in the Su Family.

Chen Fan pretended that he didn't notice Su Susu's hints. He took a few steps forward and said with a grin.

"What a load of bullshit. Stop being so full of yourself. The Su Family claimed to have founded the Jiang Nan Province Royal Textile Factory and produced clothing for the emperor. That was just a nice way of calling yourself a tailor."

"During the republic time, you have kowtowed to then financial magnate Song Ziwen and operated banks on behalf of foreign powers in China. If not because Su Yanghao had the wits to choose the right side, your Family would already have been toppled by the current regime."

"Of all your family members, only Su Yanghao was competent and he was the only backbone of the family. The rest of you, such as Su Zhengde and Su Zhengxun, are useless and inept, mooching off your brother while fooling the world with your empty titles. After Su Yanghao passes away, the Su Family of Wu Zhou City would become a piece of meat on the chopping block, waiting to be carved by your rivals. Compared to the Gu Family and the Lu family who were traditional families that were still thriving, you guys are a joke."

Chen Fan shook his head as he continued.

After he had learned the history Su Family based on the information provided to him by Tang Yuanqin and other tycoons of Jiang Bei, Chen Fan was hugely disappointed by Su Family's real strength hiding behind its facade.

"Shut up!"

"Nonsense!"

"Guards, remove him at his instance!"

Chen Fan's words angered nearly everyone in the main hall. Su Zhengde slammed the table and rose to his feet. His face was contorted in anger as he pointed a finger at Chen Fan. Even Su Yanghao gave Chen Fan a long and displeased glance.

However, he was shocked to find out that an outsider was able to pinpoint the family's looming crisis.

Su Yanghao was the only reason behind the Su Family's enormous reputation and wealth. Sooner or later, he would pass away and the Su Family would become rudderless and powerless, easy prey for their powerful rivals. Their rivals would carve up the Su Family as the Song and Qiao Family planned to do to the Chen family when Chen Zhenxin lost his power.

That naturally brought up the importance of the marriage alliance. He wanted to capitalize on the Ji Family's rising power using the marriage alliance to sustain the life of the Su Family. However, he would never disclose his real intention to anyone, particularly when Chen Fan was around.

"Oh? Have I said anything wrong?"

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and cracked a smile. "You disagreed with my relationship with Xiao Qiong without even knowing who I am, what I do. Is that what a wise family would do? You touted your family's three hundred years of tradition and honor, but fail to see you are rotting under the rock over the three hundred years. "

This time, even Su Yanghao's face showed slight anger.

Chen Fan's mind was sharp, but his tongue was even sharper.

Yet, his words had hit the mark.

Worried, Fang Qiong tugged at Chen Fan's arm, willing him to turn down a notch. Although she was prepared for the worst, so much as to sever any ties with the Su Family if needed, she realized that Chen Fan's direct confrontation would only anger the Su Family and was pointless. As long as Su Yanghao was still live, the Su Family would always be a force to be reckoned with.

"Kid, I am not going to argue with you."

Su Zhengde gathered himself and said with a smirk. "We are the least of your concern today, you will have to deal with someone else first."

Even as he said that a stately man with a stoic face walked into the hall. Members of the second and the third generation Su Family stood up and bowed slightly to the middle-aged man.

"Boss Nin, welcome."

The middle-aged man walked over to the elders in the room and bowed to them. Then he turned around and looked right into Chen Fan's eyes.

"Are you the Master Chen of Jiang Bei?"

"You bet I am." Chen Fan answered nonchalantly.

"My name is Nin Chendong, the owner of the Dong Chen group. I am the father of Nin Yuze whom you have injured." Nin Chendong tried to remain calm, but the angry undercurrent surfaced here and there. "Master Chen, what did my son do to you? Why would you do such a thing to him? You have broken his limbs and bound him to the bed for the rest of his life!"

"He blocked my way twice and attempted the do the same thing that I did to him to me. I have shown mercy and only broke his arms and legs." Chen Fan said readily.

"Shown mercy?"

Nin Chendong could no longer hold back his fury. He refuted hotly "Breaking his arms and legs is showing mercy? What did you plan to do to him? Kill him? Kill everyone in my family?"

Chen Fan was unfazed by the man's sudden outburst of anger. He simply said: "Indeed."

Everyone was shocked by Chen Fan's daring answer.

It was evident that the Master Chen of Jiang Bei was an arrogant fool. He might feel gratified for uttering the threat, but little did he know that he was delivering a challenge to the mighty Nin Family, a challenge that the Nin Family couldn't simply brush off.

Lo and behold, Nin Chendong lowered his voice and said: "Master Chen, the Nin Family is not Sheng family and don't you take Wu Zhou for the backward Jiang Bei where you are from. Jiang Bei is underdeveloped and poor, but Wu Zhou and Zhong Hai were very different places and you better watch yourself here."

"If you don't bring this matter to closure, the Nin Family will fight you till the last of us." Nin Chendong announced firmly.

"Humph!!"

Chen Fan snorted and didn't even offer a reply.

Nin Chendong's face was flushed red and he felt his heart was going to jump out of his chest. Everyone looked to Chen Fan and shook his head, lamenting Chen Fan's arrogance. Nin Family was a reputable family in Zhong Hai and had all kinds of connections and benefactors. They were equal to the Song Family, Qiao Family and the Wei Family of North Bank.

"Very well. Master Chen, do you think that we are fighting alone? You might not take the Nin Family seriously, but what about them?" Nin Chendong gathered himself and asked.

A group of men walked into the room, the leader of the cohort was a decorous young man in his early thirties, wearing a pair of glasses.

As soon as the young man showed up, people recognized him right away.

"That's Tang Jianfen, Young Lord Tang. Why is he here?"

The young man's appearance had caught everyone by surprise.

"He is Tang Jianfen? One of the Four Young Lords of Zhong Hai? Is he related to the Nin Family as well?"

Tang Jianfen walked over to the elders in the room and bowed to them. Then he gave Chen Fan a long hard look.

"Long time no see, Master Chen."

"When you refused me entering the Yun Wu Spirit Water, did you think you would see me again under such circumstances?"

Tang Jianfen had a run-in with Chen Fan earlier. He was courting Yun Qianqian and tried to get into the Yun Wu Spirit Water, but Chen Fan slapped him in the face and drove him away. Hearing the development at Wu Zhou, he seized the opportunity and joined Chen Fan's opposition to gang upon him.

"Tang Jianfen knew Master Chen? They didn't seem to get along either."

"That boy is dead! Tang family controlled half of China's pharmaceutical companies and was not any less powerful than the Nin Family."

Someone exclaimed.

None of Chen Fan's opponents were weaker than the Wei Family of the North Bank and each one of them was a force to be reckoned with on their own. However, Chen Fan had to face the combined might of all three of them. Even the richest man in Jiang Nan Province, Zhang Donghai would not placate all of them at once.

Chen Fan didn't even acknowledge Tang Jianfen with a glace.

Tang Jianfen's face soured and then he let out a cold snort before he stood behind Nin Chendong to show which side he was on. Su Susu was shocked after seeing what Chen Fan had to deal with.

Chen Fan might be able to handle the Nin Family, but what about the combined force of the Nins and the Tangs?

Suddenly, the butler announced another name.

"Lord Ji, Ji Luochen has arrived."

The crowd sizzled after hearing the announcement. Some people rushed out to see the guest. They saw a young handsome man holding onto the arm of a white-haired senior as they make their way toward the main hall slowly. Behind the old man was a stately looking middle-aged man with a pair of heavy glasses.

Some had recognized the middle-aged man, and they were shocked.

"Why did he come here? Shouldn't he be with Lou Jinhui?"

Boss Fu shook his head and lamented: "That's their trump card. No one in Jiang Nan Province could defy Luo Jinhui. That boy is dead, I tell you."

The crowd made a path for the old man and once as he arrived at the main hall, he locked his gaze onto Chen Fan right away.

"So you are the Master Chen of Jiang Bei?"

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 325: Pressure Heavier Than Mount Tai

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Old Man Ji didn't give Chen Fan any time to reply. He then continued after taking a quick glance at Chen Fan.

"You are indeed an outstanding lad to have gained so much fame at such a young age. I have heard of your name even in Zhong Hai. They say you have incredible divine powers and have an awful temper. Is that right?"

Old Man Ji's sentence started as a compliment but quickly turned sour as a cold light came up in his eyes.

"Grandpa Ji, there must be some kind of misunderstanding." Fang Qiong took a step forward and tried to ease the tension. Chen Fan had made himself the enemy of the Nin and the Tang family so she really didn't want to see the Ji Family getting involved. Plus, she wagered that the Ji Family was likely more mad at her than Chen Fan, so she had to stand up for herself.

"Are you Fang Qiong?" Old Man Ji looked over at the girl as a smile surfaced on his face. "What a fine lass! No wonder the Su Family praised you so highly. If you are willing to get married to my grandson Luochen, I will make you in charge of the Ji Family's business. What say you?"

Su Qian's eyes turned green with envy after hearing the old man's promise.

Although the total wealth of the Ji Family of Zhong Hai was not as great as the Su Family, it would be enough to make one a member of the top ten richest of the Province. Fang Qiong was presented with such an opportunity at the young age of nineteen no wonder Su Qian was brimming with jealousy.

"I am sorry, Grandpa Ji, I already have a boyfriend." Fang Qiong managed a smile and replied.

"He is just a boyfriend, isn't he? Nothing is set in stone yet, so why don't you give my grandson a chance? You will be very impressed by him I am sure. He is already a CEO of a public company and if you two join forces, the next richest person in Zhong Hai might as well be you!" Old Man Ji pressed on. He didn't seem to care that the girl was already seeing Chen Fan.

Ji Luochen also let out a warm smile at the girl.

Fang Qiong was suddenly at a loss as words got stuck in her mouth.

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and said: "Fang Qiong is my woman. Tell your grandson to fuck off. He is not worthy of being my competitor."

The smile froze on Old Man Ji's face after he heard Chen Fan's reply.

Ji Shoujuo had never thought that Chen Fan dared to be so rude to him. It was as if the prestige of the Ji Family meant nothing to him. Nin Chendong jumped out of his seat and flung back at him: "Shut your trap! Respect your elders. Didn't your parents teach you that?"

"Just so, Master Chen. Lord Ji is a well-revered elder and you shouldn't talk to him like that." Tang Jianfen chimed in.

Su Zhengde let out a cold snort and looked to Su Susu.

"Su Susu, look at the kind of person you have chosen for your daughter. Rude and uncouth, an insult to the Su Family's reputation."

Su Susu panicked and was not sure what to say

Suddenly, a swell of castigation rose in the room. Chen Fan was at the receiving end of their blams and reprimands. Su Yanghao had closed his eyes slightly, letting the resentment fester. Su Xiao kept quiet and studied Chen Fan curiously from behind Su Yanghao.

She had been curious about her cousin's partner ever since she met him. No one, however arrogant he was, would challenge the Nin, Tang, and Su Family at the same time. She started to suspect that Chen Fan was either more powerful than anyone thought he was, or he was a delusional idiot.

After a while, Old Man Ji finally shook his head and replied: "Young lad, I am impressed by your achievements but I also have to warn you that there is always someone better than you. This is not Jiang Bei, so choose your words carefully."

Despite the old man's calm voice, everyone could sense the chilling intent in his words.

Any ordinary tycoon from Jiang Bei would have been shaken to the core after receiving such a stern warning from Old Man Ji. He was well connected and had many strings that he could pull to do great harm to anyone. He might even be able to topple the Sheng family if he wanted to. However, Chen Fan was unfazed. He answered with a great measure of levity.

"What is so special about Wu Zhou and Zhong Hai? I can be as rude as I want on this planet and no one would raise an eyebrow. What makes you think you can bark at me like that?"

Chen Fan's words set he already tense atmosphere on fire.

"Nonsense."

"Shame!"

"He has no idea what he is talking about."

Nin Chendong grunted and refuted: "Lad, who gave you the audacity to speak to us and Lord Ji in such an unacceptable manner? The combined might of our families can crush ten Master Chens at once. Do you really think your meager influence at Jiang Bei would scare us?"

Su Zhengde and the other elders nodded in agreement.

Master Chen of Jiang Bei was just an empty title and meant nothing to the top dogs in Jiang Nan Province. The only variable about Chen Fan that the Su Family was still uncertain of was his connection with the undoing of Gao Tianmin. If Chen Fan was proven to be unrelated to that incident, the Su Family would call the Law enforcement and throw Chen Fan into jail in a heartbeat. Despite the grandiose title, his influence was limited to the grey area of the society that was borderline criminal and was a far cry from the real influencers of society.

Ji Luochen straightened his glasses and cracked a smile. "Uncle Nin, you might be aware that Master Chen is actually from the Chen family of Jin City and his mother is the owner of the Jin Xiu Group."

"Chen family of Jin City? Jin Xiu Group?" Nin Chendong snorted and didn't even seem to recognize the names.

The Chen family had just rose to prominence in the last half a year, and its power was still relatively insignificant compared to the Nin Family. As for Jin Xiu Group, its wealth was far behind that of the Dong Chen Group owned by Nin Chendong before the real estate boom.

"Of course those two are not Master Chen's only benefactors. I have learned that Master Chen has earned the Old Man Wei's trust after curing his ailment" Ji Luochen continued.

"Old Man Wei? Which Old Man Wei?" Su Yangzhi asked abruptly." Do you mean Wei Fu of Jiang Bei?"

If the name made the listeners feel concerned, they didn't show it on their faces.

Wei Fu used to be a general in the military, but he had been retired for over a decade now. The most successful member of the family was Wei Changsong who ranked far below Gao Tianmin in the government. The Wei Family would pale in comparison with even the Su Family much less the Ji Family whose current family lord was in charge of an entire province.

"Do you think you can do whatever you like because of our connection with the Wei family?" Su Zhengde asked coldly.

The Wei family ranked at the most number five in the province, they were far behind the Su Family when it came down to overall strength. Even when Wei Fu was working in the military, Su Yanghao had been his supervisor. So Chen Fan's connection with Wei Fu wouldn't give him an edge in this situation.

"Of course that is not all. Master Chen has an even bigger supporter: Li Wuchen." Ji Luochen removed his glasses and glared at Chen Fan.

Ever since he caught a whiff of the relationship between Chen Fan and Li Wuchen, Ji Luochen was convinced that the general at the military was Chen Fan's trump card. Without Li Wuchen's involvement, Gao Tianmin would never be removed from his position because none of Chen Fan's other benefactors had that much power.

"Li Wuchen?"

The name caught everyone's attention.

He had serviced the military as a General for decades. Of all the political heavyweight, only Lou Jinhui packed the same clout as him. The name unsettled Su Yanghao.

While he was working in the government, his rank was slightly higher than Li Wuchen, but the latter had much greater control over political matters. Plus, he had been retired for many years, but Li Wuchen was still in his prime.

"Xiao Fan, how do you know Li Wuchen?" Even Fang Qiong was taken by surprise. She asked Chen Fan in disbelief.

Jiang Nan Province was under Li Wuchen's direct supervision, and therefore, his protection over Chen Fan was a real threat to Nin and Ji Family if they want to carry out their revenge. As reality sets in, Nin Chendong, Tang Jianfen, and Su Zhengde's faces all turned sour.

The Ji Family did not fear Li Wuchen since Ji Yuanhong was also a government official of a similar level. However, Ji Yuanhong was not in charge of Jiang Nan Province and might not be able to interfere with matters out of his jurisdiction.

By then, realization finally dawned upon Su Qian.

"No wonder he is so full of himself. He had the protection of Li Wuchen."

Even Zhao Baofen's father, Zhao Xun works for Li Wuchen as his assistant. With such a powerful benefactor, Chen Fan must have felt that he could do anything he wanted.

"Li Wuchen was a powerful man that is for sure, but I beg to differ with you if you think his power in Jiang Nan Province is unbridled." To everyone's surprise, Ji Luochen let out a smile and looked over at the middle-aged man behind him.

The man wore a spiffy outfit that had no wrinkles. He hung a smooth smile on his face and looked just like an ordinary man despite his refined features. However, as soon as Su Zhengde recognized the middle-aged man, he nearly jumped out of his seat and hurried to come over to him.

"Director Xue, welcome."

The leaders of the Su Family all rose to their feet and bowed to the middle-aged man. Even Su Yanghao exclaimed in excitement.

"Is that Director Xue Changnin?"

The middle-aged man's smile grew warmer as he came closer to the old man "Lord Su, Boss Luo was preoccupied with other matters, so he asked me to send his greatest regards."

Su Yanghao stood up, beaming from side to side: "Please tell Boss Luo that I really appreciated it."

Director Xue received such an overwhelming welcome because he was Boss Luo's secretary. That made him the closest person to the most powerful man in Jiang Nan Province. Even the Ji Family with its incredible political asset had to speak carefully when talking to Director Xue.

Nin Chendong and the others heaved a sigh of relief after seeing Director Xue.

Lou Jinhui was way out of Chen Fan's league that even the notion of comparing the two seemed comical. Unlike Gao Tianmin, Lou Jinhui had direct control over nearly all aspects of life in Jiang Nan Province. He was also the final arbiter of many high-level disputes. He was the only person who was as powerful as Li Wuchen, although the two presided in different areas of government.

Su Susu and Fang Qiong were unnerved by the development.

They had never thought that that the Ji Family would go so far as to ask help from their most powerful benefactor.

Nin Chendong, Su Yanghao, Tang Jianfen, and Ji Shoujuo.

The combined might of all these men might be overshadowed by that of Li Wuchen, the involvement of Director Xue and the power behind him quickly tip the scale by canceling out Li Wuchen's influence. Chen Fan was suddenly on his own to face his powerful foes.

"Master Chen, is there anything else you want to add?"

Ji Luochen fiddled with the glasses and asked with a smirk.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 326: General Major of Cang Dragon Unit

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"This is getting richer by the moment." Boss Fu exclaimed while holding the ivory fan. "Su Family, Nin Family, Tang Family, and Ji Family, it was as if that was not enough, now Lou Jinhui got involved. Even the richest man in Jiang Nan Province, Zhang Donghai would have to capitulate to such a force."

"Just so! Both Nin Family and the Tang Family were top ten families in Zhong Hai, the Su Family was the most prominent family in Jiang Nan Province while Ji Family's lord was a governor of another province. I didn't even mention Boss Lou yet. If Chen Fan didn't have the backing of Li Wuchen, he might as well be dead by now." Someone beside Boss Fu lamented.

"Boss Fu, do you think the boy's fate is sealed?" Boss Li asked with furrowed brows.

"Why of course!" Boss Fu grumbled. He then put on a cold smirk and said: "Unless you believe in the rumors that say he is a bastard son of a bigwig at the center of power. Otherwise, he is doomed."

"I couldn't agree more." Boss Li heaved a sigh and said.

No one, not even a miracle could have saved Chen Fan now. Lou Jinhui's involvement was the final nail in the coffin. Even if Chen Fan was Li Wuchen's direct kin, he should be thinking of backing down. Lou Jinhui alone should be enough to deter Chen Fan even without the threat from all the other families.

Fang Mingde was sitting by the entrance. He had heard the unnerving development inside the great hall and was shaken to the core. His body shriveled up and suddenly looked a few years older.

Around him were other sons-in-law of the Su Family.

Su Family had many branches and had enough in-laws to form a league of its own. The circle of in-laws was a breeding ground for bragging and showing off. Fang Mingde had always been the one who bragged about his daughter and showing off his wealth. However, his daughter's mistake had turned the situation around and made him into a laughing stock among other in-laws.

"Hehe, this boy is a joke! Did he think that the Su Family would let just anyone into the family?"

"Little Nine has made a mistake. It's important for us to forge an alliance with the Ji Family. She had recklessly ruined everything."

"Humph! We all know that the root cause is. If her parents had paid attention to her upbringing, she would never bring a man to the family gathering."

Many people looked at Fang Mingde gloatingly as they criticized the girl. They didn't even care to turn down their voice or mask their smirks. The embattled Fang Mingde lowered his head and heaved a sigh.

"Xiao Fan, I was in your spot twenty years ago, but I was able to get a hold of myself and man it out. You are much more capable than me, if you are able to stay low and work hard for ten-twenty years, you would be able to crush the Ji Family with ease. Why do you have to act up now when the odds are against you?"

Fang Mingde lamented.

When Fang Mingde married Su Susu, he was just a son of a farmer, he had to endure much more contempt and disdain than Chen Fan. However, he had turned that unfair treatment into motivation and transformed himself from a nobody to a multi-billionaire. However, his achievement still seemed mediocre in the eyes of the Su Family leaders.

Fang Mingde knew that Fang Qiong and Chen Fan were his last hope in getting the family's recognition, but little did he expect Chen Fan to cause so much trouble as soon as he arrived at Wu Zhou. He had humiliated the Su Family, injured Nin Yuze and beaten up Zhao Baofen. Worse, he even played a hero and claimed responsibility for all the things he had done.

Chen Fan had grossly underestimated the pressure these families could exert. He needed to back down now before Zhao Baofen and Qiao Luoyin joined their forces. Once that happened, even Li Wuchen would not be able to save Chen Fan's hide.

Even as Fang Mingde thought to himself, he heard a wave of commotion come up from the entrance.

He looked over and saw a couple walked through the threshold. The man had a large frame and was wearing a tank top despite the cold winter wind. The girl looked attractive, but half of her face was concealed behind large sunglasses. Some young generation of the Su Family recognized the two right away.

"Isn't that Zhao Baofen and Qiao Luoyin? Are they coming after Chen Fan as well?"

"That's it, Chen Fan is dead."

Fang Mingde's face suddenly paled as his heart sank to the bottom.

Meanwhile, inside the main hall, even as everyone expected Chen Fan to give in at any moment, Chen Fan looked around the room and said: "Is that all?"

"What do you mean?" Ji Luochen asked in confusion.

"I mean is that all the help you can find?" Chen Fan shook his head and said: "Ji Luochen, you have disappointed me. I gave an entire day to investigate my background and ask for help, but this is all you got? I expected better from you."

Chen Fan realized that he had overestimated the Jis and Sus abilities.

The Su Family at the most was a merchant family clan with a fair amount of influence in politics. The so called three hundred years of tradition and reputation were simply a clever branding that meant nothing. Their overall power ranked below the top thirty in China. Most real political heavyweights in China, such as the Wang family, were located in Yan Jin. Despite the Su Family's title as the number one family in Jiang Nan Province, they were at the most on par with the Zheng family of Hong Kong or the Loong family.

Ji Family packed a slightly heavier punch than Su family in the political realm, however, their influence was a far cry from the Lee Family of the Samsung Group. Chen Fan could even dictate the life and death of Li the Family and the Hong Sect, much less the Ji Family.

As for the Nin Family and the Tang Family, Chen Fan didn't even care to consider them opponents.

Even the Lu family of Lin City that he had toppled a while ago was a more formidable foe than the two families. The Lu family presided over the Tian Nan Province and owned tens of billions of assets. The Nins and the Tangs simply couldn't compare.

Chen Fan had expected them to find out his real strength, but now he realized that he had overestimated their ability. His identity as the General Major of Cang Dragon Unit and his ranking on the Heaven roll were both top secrets of the military and the martial arts world. Ji Family had no one working in the military nor the martial arts field, so they would never have heard of the name of Chen Beixuan. Tang Yuanqin learned of his true power because Tang Yuanqin was a martial artist and was well connected in the field.

The Zhengs had learned of Chen Beixuan's name because Chen Beixuan had kidnapped Zheng Anqi under that name.

However, no one in the Ji Family, Nin Family and the Su Family would have known his second name. Their focus had always been in the political realm; a step in the wrong direction.

"What do you mean?" Ji Luochen furrowed his brows as suspicion danced in his eyes.

He found it hard to believe that Chen Fan didn't give in after he had Lou Jinhui on his side.

"I mean you are too weak." Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and walked over to Su Xiao. He took away the teacup from the girl's hand and started to sip on it.

"You!" Anger contorted Ji Luochen's face as he grunted vehemently.

He didn't expect Chen Fan to resist when his fate was already sealed.

Even Su Yanghao shook his head and lamented Chen Fan's stubbornness. Any reasonable person would give up the fight and apologize sincerely, for a start, before mending the situation. Chen Fan's cocky reaction would only further provoke his foes.

Life had drained away from Su Susu's face and Fang Qiong's grandpa, Su Yangren also heaved a sigh of disappointment and shriveled in his chair.

He had expected to count on the boy to earn some respect in the family, but his hope was crushed when the situation went out of control. If Chen Fan was defeated by Nin Family, Fang Qiong would be forced to marry into the Ji family. HIs branch would forever be a laughing stock in the family clan.

Su Xiao furrowed her brows slightly.

Even as everyone was convinced that Chen Fan's fate was sealed, she somehow felt hat the boy still had some tricks up his sleeve. Otherwise, Chen Fan would not have the nerve to enjoy a cup of tea at this moment of life and death.

"What is he hiding that could trump Lou Jinhui?"

Su Xiao could not think of anyone else who wielded more authority than Lou Jinhui.

Fang Qiong kept on looking at Chen Fan, willing him to back down but to no avail. Even as Chen Fan was going to further provoke his foes, the couple had made their way to the main hall.

As soon as Ji Luochen saw the brawny man, a broad smile broke over his face: "Baofen, Luoyin, you two are finally here. You nearly missed out on a good show."

Su Susu abandoned all hopes after she heard the names.

The combined might of the Nin, Tang, Ji, and Su families were already too much to bear, the involvement of Zhao and the Jiao family would only worsen the situation irreversibly. She doubted even Li Wuchen himself could face such pressure unfazed.

Fang Qiong took a deep breath as she dug in for a difficult struggle.

She took a step forward and grabbed Chen Fan's hand and squeezed it.

If she would die today, she wanted to die together with Chen Fan.

Chen Fan held on to her hand and gave her a comforting look. Fang Qiong smiled back, she was prepared for the worst.

Suddenly, Zhao Baofen walked past Ji Luochen and came up to Chen Fan. Under Ji Luochen's confused gaze, he straightened his back and soluted to Chen Fan.

"Soldier Zhao Baofen reporting to Head Sergeant."

Suddenly, a confused silence fell over the room.

No one knew what was going on as they stared at Zhao Baofeng in confusion.

"Head sergeant? What does he mean?" Tang Jianfen asked.

Since when did Master Chen become Zhao Baofen's sergeant? Wasn't Zhao Baofen a member of the Cang Dragon? Was Chen Fan also—

Before Tang Jianfen could finish the question in his mind, a girl answered it for him.

"He is the Head Sergeant of the Cang Dragon"

"Am I right, Mr. Chen Beixuan?" Qiao Luoyin walked slowly toward Chen Fan and removed her sunglasses, revealing her wide and sparkling eyes. They were filled with respect, admiration, and curiosity.

The great hall suddenly became pin-drop quiet.

Ji Luochen was so shocked by the turn of the event that he could only stare.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 327: He Is Chen Beixuan

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Information about the Cang Dragon unit had a much higher level of clearance needed than those of other Law enforcement units. Although most people had heard of the Cang Dragon Unit, they had no clue where they were stationed at or their leader structure. Ji Luochen was a close friend with Zhao Baofen, and he only knew that Zhao Baofen was promoted to vice-captain but knew nothing of his exact responsibilities in the team.

However, one fact that everyone knew was that the commander of the Cang Dragon Unit was its Head Sergeant.

It would take at least a General Major to fill the role of the Head sergeant, and this position was often served for those whom the Military intended to groom as a future leader. No one had ever thought that Chen Fan was the Head Sergeant of the Cang Dragon.

"He is not even twenty years old." Su Peng managed to squeeze out a few words from his throat.

It was extremely shocking to everyone that someone less than twenty years old could have earned the rank of General Major. Unlike other special units that mostly worked in the office, the Cang Dragon Unit consisted of battle hardened warriors, therefore, past leaders of the unit were all veteran generals that wielded incredible authority respect. The fact that the military assigned the position to a teenage boy shocked everyone.

"No wonder Li Wuchen is his staunch supporter and got rid of Gao Tianmin for him." People murmured to each other.

Although Gao Tianmin's rank in the government was slightly higher than General Major, Chen Fan was not just any General Major. Since the Cang Dragon was a crucial piece in the military's operation, Chen Fan's rank of General Major carried much more weight than others. Plus, Chen Fan's young age compared to other General Major spoke loudly of the Military's unwavering support and Chen Fan's unimaginable power.

Chen Fan ignored Nin Chendong, Tang Jianfen, Ji Luochen, and Su Zhengde's incredulous glares; he looked into the soldier's eyes and said lightly: "You finally found out who I am?"

"Yes, sir! I know now, Sir!"

Zhao Baofen's body was straight like a jack pine, and his booming voice echoed in the hall.

"Then do you realize your mistake yesterday? Cang Dragon members only serve the nation's benefit, not that of your cocky friends." Chen Fan snorted.

"Yes, sir. I apologize, sir! I will accept your discipline, sir!" Sweat trickled down from Zhao Baofen's face as he hurried to answer.

Zhao Baofen was enamored by the powerful Cang Dragon Physical Conditioning Exercise and the Physic Refining Pill ever since he joined the Cang Dragon. After he learned both were the brainchild of Head Sergeant Chen, Zhao Baofen was deeply impressed and was in awe of Chen Beixuan's power. His admiration toward Chen Beixuan was further reaffirmed after Cang Dragon defeated the Dragon's Fang during a recent military tournament. However, Zhao Baofen only knew the Head Sergeant Chen as Chen Beixuan but didn't know that he had another name until recently.

Last night, Chen Fan's slapping his face was a wake-up call. He hurried back to the base and found out that the man who he had a run-in with was the Head Sergeant Chen that he admired so much.

"You are grounded for ten days and I strip you of all your ranks." Chen Fan said coldly.

"Yes, Head sergeant!"

Zhao Baofen turned around and started off without any hesitation.

Zhao Baofen would have acted up if anyone else other than Chen Fan told him that he was stripped of his hard-earned ranks. However, Chen Fan's words were commandments to him, and he wouldn't protest even if Chen Fan decided to kick him out of Cang Dragon.

Zhao Baofen had served in the Cang Dragon and therefore he knew Chen Fan's power and influence in the Military very well. His fame had reached another height just recently after Cang Dragon defeated the Dragon's Fang led by Ye Nantian.

Ji Luochen stood in between Zhao Baofen and Chen Fan and watched Zhao Baofen leave the room without even saying a word to him.

It was as if Zhao Baofen didn't even know him. Zhao Baofen had brought with him an explosive piece of information and then was gone before the implication of the information fully set in.

"Master Chen of Jiang Bei was a General Major!"

This news detonated the intense atmosphere in the room. Many guests rushed to the entrance of the main hall to take a peek at the Head sergeant of the mysterious Cang Dragon.

"Old Fang, your son in law is impressive."

"Indeed Old Fang, you and your wife hit the jackpot!"

"I told you guys already that little nine is a smart girl. She wouldn't settle with a no account."

Suddenly, the in-laws surrounding Fang Mingde changed their attitude and started to congratulate Fang Mingde. A broad smile finally broke over Fang Mingde's face as he marveled at the sudden turn of events.

Meanwhile, the Su Family, Nin Family, and the Tang Family were all shocked and struggled to grapple with reality.

Su Susu glared at Chen Fan in disbelief while Fang Qiong's eyes were lit up with glee. She batted her lashes and inched closer toward her boyfriend. She suddenly felt that her childhood friend had already grown up to be her idol.

"Is that your final trump card?"

Su Xiao glanced at Chen Fan surreptitiously as she thought to herself.

Of all the people in the main hall, only Lord Su, Lord Ji and Director Xue were able to remain calm. The prestige of a General Major was slightly inferior to that of the Ji Family and the Su Family. After all, even Chen Fan's boss Li Wuchen had to be careful when he was faced with the combined might of all the families in the room.

However, the revelation did mean that the families could no longer force Chen Fan to his knees as they had planned.

They had only thought of Chen Fan having a benefactor in the military, but didn't expect him to be a General Major. If they harmed Chen Fan, they would be riling up the top dogs of the Military headquarters at Jin City. Even the families' combined force seemed meager before the leaders of the military headquarters.

Worse, no one could guarantee that Lou Jinhui would be willing to stick out his neck for them to protect them from Li Wuchen's ire.

Su Yanghao glanced at Director Xue and already, he noticed a hint of hesitation on Director Xue's face. Director Xue only intended to show moral support for the families behind the firing line and didn't want anything to do with the actual fighting. After all, Lou Jinhui didn't have his skin in the game.

"That being said, his military service wouldn't deter the Ji Family and the Nin Family." Su Yanghao calculated.

"Bam!"

An ivory fan fell to the ground.

"Boss Fu, you said the boy's fate was sealed, but he has turned the tables in a blink." Boss Li smirked as he fiddled with a ring on his finger.

"Hehe." Boss Fu looked embarrassed. He picked up the fan and managed a smile. "He is just a General Major. Don't you forget that the Ji Family had a governor in his family? The Nin Family and the Tang Family both had equally powerful bureaucrats that could outweigh Chen Fan. Sure Chen Fan has gained some edge this time, but overall the odds are still against him."

"Oh? would you be so kind as to entertain me with a bet? If I win, I will get that bronze buddha statue you have auctioned from Hong Kong." Boss Li suggested with a smile.

"Fine!"

Boss Fu calculated the situation and decided that the Ji Family still had the advantage, so his bets are on the Ji Family.

Meanwhile, the members of the Ji Family finally were able to gather themselves from the shock.

Old Man Ji spoke first. "I have underestimated Master Chen's achievements. Or, should I call you 'Grandmaster Chen' from now on."

Ji Shoujuo locked his eyes onto Chen Fan with a mix of emotions. There was approval, admiration and hostility. Chen Fan had proven himself to be a successful young man, but because of that, Ji Shoujuo was even more compelled to bring him to heel. Chen Fan had achieved such great deeds when he was only twenty, his level of attainment would be immeasurable when he was older. By then, the Ji Family would be far behind Chen Fan and would never have their taste of revenge. Therefore, it was wise to act quickly before Chen Fan grew even stronger.

With that thought in mind, Ji Shoujuo announced in a low voice.

"Master Chen, you have broken Nin Yuze's arms and legs in broad daylight, that was a blatant disregard of law and order. If your supervisor Li Wuchen is here, I would be the first to question his competency in disciplining his subordinates. You are supposed to use your power to serve the country, not to bully the people who you swore to protect"

The old man's harsh words caught everyone by surprise.

Su Susu was unnerved by the old man's remarks. It sounded like Ji Shoujuo wanted to charge Chen Fan for the most heinous crime so that he would be locked up for the rest of his life. There were many witnesses when Chen Fan mutilated Nin Yuze, and if Ji Family flexed their legal muscles and sued Chen Fan at the court, not even the military could ease the abundant evidence against Chen Fan.

That could end up with a life sentence behind bars for Chen Fan.

"You didn't ask me why I broke your son's arms and legs." Chen Fan pointed at Nin Chendong and said: "I wouldn't touch a hair on him if he didn't provoke me first. He also planned to break my legs and arms, I'm just letting him have a taste of his own medicine."

"Hehe, Master Chen, there is no evidence supporting anything you have claimed. The jury is not going to believe you." Old Man Ji said with a smirk.

"Sly old fox!"

Many people cursed him in their minds.

However, more people agreed with the old man's notion that the fault was on Chen Fan. He had injured Nin Yuze even before the latter could carry out his plan. In other worse, Chen Fan's life was not in danger when he acted against the potential threat.

With that thought in mind, Fang Qiong looked to Chen Fan worriedly.

As soon as this matter got into the courts, the Ji Family and the Nin Family would have a huge advantage since league games were up to their ally. They were the masters of distortion, twisting facts and playing with words to their benefits.

Even as Chen Fan furrowed his brows and was about to act up, Jiao Luoyin spoke up.

"Lord Ji, General Major is not the only title Mr. Chen has, there is another."

"what is it?"

Ji Shoujuo furrowed his brows as he suddenly felt a sense of dread.

The girl's words piqued everyone's interest. What other title does the young man have that could save him from the besiegement of all the powerful families?

"Not long ago, Kunlun had updated the Heaven roll that listed all Grandmasters in China. The first one on the list is the most powerful Grandmaster in China, and—" Qiao Luoyin paused a second to clear her throat and then lifted her chin lightly.

"His name is Chen Beixuan!"

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 328: The Greatest Pride of Our Nation

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Number one on the Heaven roll? What is the Heaven roll anyways?"

An awkwardness hung in the air as most people had never heard of such a thing. Was it some kind of alternative to the Forbes Rich List?

"Hold on, did you call him Chen Beixuan? Is he the new rising star in Hong Kong, the mysterious tycoon Chen Beixuan?"

Suddenly, someone asked.

"Ah- no wonder I felt the name sounded so familiar. Just a few months ago, I heard someone talking about a new billionaire in Hong Kong who is called Chen Beixuan. No one seemed to talk about him after he took over the Zheng's Financial Group."

Another one recalled as memory suddenly came back to him.

The conversation resonated among the crowd, and more and more people recalled the same news they had heard. Since Hong Kong was far away from Wu Zhou and the news about Chen Beixuan's rise to power was only mentioned very briefly, most people were only able to recall the name but couldn't remember any details

"He is the owner of Zheng's Financial Group in Hong Kong?" Tang Jianfen asked incredulously.

The Su Family found it hard to wrap their minds around the new information presented to them.

Chen Fan's identity seemed to be changing every passing minute. He was the Master Chen of Jiang Bei, then he was the Head Sergeant of Cang Dragon unit, and now he was the billionaire in Hong Kong. Chen Fan turned out to the owner of Zheng's Financial Group and was in charge of the Zheng family in Hong Kong. It was a powerful family clan that wielded as much prestige and wealth as the Su Family.

Many people looked at Chen Fan in disbelief.

He not only dominated Jiang Bei but was also a multi-billionaire in Hong Kong. Either of his achievements could be an ordinary man's life goals. However, He had reached both at the age of nineteen. If he was not a genius, no one else was.

Jealousy and envy quickly surfaced on Ji Luochen's eyes.

He was in his early thirties and was only able to become the CEO of a public company largely due to his family background. On the other hand, Chen Fan was in charge of a few companies and managed over billions of assets. He simply couldn't compare.

Even Su Yanghao felt a pang of regret and remorse.

If he knew Chen Fan was such a capable young man, he would risk the ire of Ji Family and marry her grandniece to him. If he was able to accomplish so much while before he even turned twenty, what could he achieve when he was forty? He would definitely help Su Family's fame rise to new heights.

"What a shame, it's all too late now."

Su Yanghao thought to himself.

Ji Family, Nin Family, and the Tang Family were clear which side they were on, therefore, if Su Yanghao kept on hesitating on the fence, the other families would sooner or later resent his lack of commitment. Worse, his son, Su Zhengde was already at it with Chen Fan and between Chen Fan and his own son, he would choose the latter any minute.

"He is a tycoon in Hong Kong, but so what? We are in mainland China now, so we need to obey the mainland's rule. Many people have witnessed what you have done to my son, you can't get away with it in court." Nin Chendong took a step forward, eyes bloodshot. He shouted at Chen Fan hotly.

Su Zhengde and the other elders nodded in agreement.

Even Old Man Zheng in Hong Kong wouldn't be able to get away with such a crime, much less his successor Chen Fan. Compensation would have to be handed out in billions to the son of the Nin Family in the bed.

Ji Shoujuo kept his silence.

Deep down, he had a nagging suspicion that the Heaven roll and the Martial arts Grandmasters meant something very significant. Plus, he remembered that he had acquainted the title "Grandmaster" before, but he couldn't recall any details.

It wasn't Ji Shoujuo who was getting old and his memories were escaping him, it was because different professions lived in different worlds. If one was a fashion designer, he would never have heard of the top chef in the food industry. Ji Shoujuo had worked in the financial sector for his entire life and rarely did he got the chance to brush shoulders with martial artists. Even if he got to meet martial artists, the latter wouldn't disclose the information about the Heaven roll readily.

Most Martial Artists he met were looking for employment under him, so the focus of the conversation was their ability but not those who were much stronger than them.

Before the old man could remember the meaning of the title, Qiao Luoyin put in: "Although a tycoon of Hong Kong has to obey the law, that is not the case for the most powerful Grandmaster in China. He could easily ruin your entire family, much less break your son's arms and legs."

She paused then let out a cold smirk.

"Are you really that naive thinking the Old Man Zheng had died of natural causes and willingly handed over his assets to Mr.Chen? The Zheng family was not running a charity the last time I checked. "

Her words stirred up a swell of murmurs.

"What does she mean? The number one Grandmaster on the Heaven roll was above the law?"

"But she had raised some good questions. Why did the Zheng family offer all of their assets to Master Chen? Things do not add up."

"I have heard that it was some kind of bet."

Someone put in.

"Indeed. The Zheng family owed Master Chen ten billion and tried to write off their debt. The two parties decided to settle the score in a good old fashioned duel. In the end, Master Chen had killed the greatest Feng Shui Master Zhou Daoji in the duel and claimed all of the Zheng family's wealth. He also took Old Man Zheng's life afterward." Qiao Luoyin said slowly.

Even as she said this, her mesmerizing gaze drifted toward Chen Fan. Her eyes were brightening by the second.

When she first heard about Chen Fan's deeds, she, like everyone else in the room, thought that those were high tales. However, after meeting the man straight out of the legend, Qiao Luoyin felt her heart thumped in her chest, unable to hold back her admiration.

"What?"

The crowd boiled over.

A tycoon's life and all of his wealth: no one has ever heard of such preposterous duel in the modern world.

"Impossible, that's impossible."Tang Jianfen shook his head

"We don't believe you either."

Su Zhengde chimed in.

Su Yanghao didn't join the opposition. As an elder who had weathered the turmoil of the early 20th century, he had heard of incredible stories of the martial arts world in passing. Although none were as stunning as what Chen Fan had done, he knew those Martial artists lived a different life than most people.

"The question remains if Chen Fan was one of those who were above the law."

Su Yanghao thought to himself shocked.

"You don't believe me because you have no idea what it means to be the number one Grandmaster on the Heaven roll." Qiao Luoyin smirked and then she lifted her chin and refuted: "Have you guys ever heard of Hua Yunfeng of the Hua Yunfeng in Zhong Hai?"

The name caught everyone's attention.

Ji Luochen and Tang Jianfen were both startled by the mentioning of the name.

Even before the People's Republic of China was founded, the Hua family had already claimed supremacy in Zhong Hai. The family not only survived but also thrived under the leadership of Hua Yunfeng. Hua Yunfeng himself also became a synonym for a successful man in Zhong Hai.

Everyone in China knew of him.

"Why do you bring him up?" Su Zhengde asked.

However, Ji Luochen and the other older men in the room have already guessed the reason. They not only knew what made Hua Yunfeng a legend but also to stay out of this mighty force's way.

"The Heaven roll listed all Grandmasters in China. Hua Yunfeng was number four." Qiao Luoyin said with a smug smile. "Even Ye Nantian was the second on the list. I hope now you will have a better idea of what the number one spot means."

"What?"

Everyone was shocked by the new information.

Once they had learned the ranking of Hua Yunfeng and Ye Nantian on the list, the weight of the ranking finally setting in.

Everyone looked to Chen Fan in shock and disbelief.

Master Chen, Tycoon of Hong Kong, the number one Grandmaster in China, when all these notable titles were bestowed upon this teenager, Chen Fan was suddenly shrouded by mystery and turned into a character out of legends.

Even Fang Qiong rounded her eyes incredulously while staring at Chen Fan.

She knew her childhood friend was a force to be reckoned with, but not to such an inconceivable degree.

"Wait for a second, do you have any proof of what you have just said?"

Suddenly, Lord Ji asked as suspicion burning in his eyes.

His question suddenly made everyone question the girl's words.

"that's right, what if she is lying to us? How could less than twenty years old young achieve so much? We don't live in a Qidian novel, aren't we?"

Many people looked to Chen Fan with doubt.

Many of them chose to question Chen Fan's power not because there was a lack of evidence, but because they couldn't coup with the reality that a teenage boy was much more successful than them.

"What kind of proof do you need? Why don't you call the Zheng family and ask them yourself right now?" Qiao Luoyin flung back at the old man.

She was the heir of the Qiao Family in Jinlin City, and no one had ever questioned her words.

Su Yanghao waved a placatory hand at both the girl and Lord Ji. He knew that Lord Ji had chosen not to believe her words because he refused to accept the reality that he had lost the fight, that even the combined forces of the families couldn't bring down Chen Fan. Ji Shoujuo had lived ninety years and never did he endure such utter defeat. Ji Shoujuo raised the question simply because his ego drove him to do so.

After all, Chen Fan's status in society was so unreachable to most people in the room that it might as well be fake should Ji Shoujuo persist that it was. After all, if people couldn't translate the Heaven roll to the power they could perceive, so it might as well mean nothing.

Chen Fan furrowed his brows and was about to speak out.

Suddenly, a commotion came up from the entrance. It sounded like some important man had arrived.

The commotion caught everyone's attention, and soon a young man darted into the main hall and announced:

"Third Grandpa, the leader of the nation sent their secretary to pay tribute to you."

"What?" Su Yanghao was taken aback and rose to his feet. With the help of Su Xiao, he made his way toward the entrance with everyone else in tow. It was the Su Family's honor to have The leaders sent their representative here.

Before Su Yanghao had made it out of the main hall, the representative was already in sight.

His name was Mr. Qu and he was a scholarly looking middle-aged man with a pair of silver-rimmed glasses.

"Mr. Qu, It is an honor to have you here." Su Yanghao held onto Mr. Qu's hand and shook it vigorously.

"Mr. Su, the leader of our country knew that it is your ninetieth birthday and asked me to send their regards." Mr. Qu hung a mechanical smile on his face and his voice sounded distant and guarded.

However, no one thought Mr. Qu's demeanor was unwarranted.

Despite Mr. Qu's low rank in the government, he represented a political hegemony in China who often appeared on Tv.

Mr. Qu scanned the crowd. As soon as his eyes found Chen Fan, they were lit up with glee. Mr. Qu quickly heaped smile on his face and hurried to Chen Fan and shook his hand with a peal of laughter.

"Grandmaster Chen, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Do you know him, Mr. Qu?"

Everyone was stunned by the development. Lord Su asked incredulously.

"Why of course. The leaders talk about him all the time." Mr. Qu said. "It is our fortune to have Grandmaster Chen serving the people of China."

Su Yanghao gapped at Mr. Qu incredulously.

"How could it be? Even the leaders of the nation know of Chen Fan?" Ji Shoujuo shook his head in disbelief.

"Of course!" Mr. Qu seemed to be displeased by Lord Ji's remark. He continued: "Do you want to know the opinion of our leader toward Grandmaster Chen?"

Mr. Qu pulled a serious face and then announced: "Chen Beixuan is the greatest pride of our nation, the golden boy of our time."

Mr. Qu's words shocked everyone and rendered them speechless.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 329: You Are Not Worthy

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"There were plenty of good generals, but there was only one Han Xin, the greatest pride of our nation."

It was a quote from the Records of the Grand Historian where it detailed the emperor Liu Bang's comment on the War God Han Xin, his field Marshal. Han Xin was born as an ordinary man but was able to lead Liu Bang's forces to sweep across China, and lay the foundations of the Great Han Dynasty. The records coined the term "greatest pride of our nation" that was used to describe the most valuable asset of a country.

The term was used on Han Xin, a legendary figure in Chinese history. What made Chen Fan the equal of such a legend? Since the words came out of one of the most reputable bureaucrats in the government, its credibility was what made the comment so shockingly surreal to others.

"Our leader thinks too highly of me."

Chen Fan replied humbly.

Chen Fan didn't expect the leader of the country to hold him in such high regard, simply because of the invention of Vitality Serum and his ability to subjugate grandmasters.

"I beg to differ with you, Mr. Chen. You have exposed the conspiracy of foreign forces in China and defended our nation's interest by bringing powerful foes to justice. You are also listed on the Dark Roll published by the CIA. You truly are the pride of our nation."Mr. Qu said with a gleeful smile. He paused a second and gave Chen Fan a knowing glance. "Not to mention the revolutionary pharmaceutical product you have offered to our country. You have made a huge contribution to our country."

'Dark Roll? What is that?"

Ji Luochen asked with indignation.

After hearing Mr. Qu's words, no one, except for Ji Luochen dared to raise a question. Even Su Yanghao and Ji Shoujuo had held back their doubts and kept their suspicions to themselves.

Mr. Qu furrowed his brows slightly and explained.

"You wouldn't have heard of it, it is beyond your pay grade. The Dark Roll is a list published by the CIA of the United States. As for the details, it is none of your business. All you need to know is that those on the list are powerful men and women that could easily rival a small country."

Mr. Qu's words shocked everyone.

Most guests in the room would consider themselves successful members of society, however, Mr. Qu had brushed them off and told them that they Dark Roll was above their pay grade. It invited many questions about the Dark Roll and the exact power of Chen Fan who ranked number three on the list.

The dark roll was used as a warning to other countries and international groups such as the Hong Sect of potential powerful foes. Such information was meant for the eyes of key bureaucrats in China. The Su Family and the Ji Family were merely local powers and were far away from the center of power at the national level.

Mr. Qu's words doused the hot anger inside of Ji Luochen with cold water. At his level, he really shouldn't talk back at Mr. Qu. Even his father had to speak respectfully with Mr. Qu, much less him. So thinking, he looked to Chen Fan as despair crawled into his mind.

He had expected to pin Chen Fan under his thumb this time as a circus trainer would to a monkey, but little did he know that the wild monkey turned out to the Son Goku, the Monkey King. One sweep of his magical staff, he could knock out all the families in his way. The situation had quickly turned 180 degrees as Chen Fan started to gain an edge.

Meanwhile, Nin Chendong, Tang Jianfen, and Su Zhengde were overtaken by dismay and regret. They knew Chen Fan had turned the tables on them.

Su Qian, Su Zea, and Su Peng were stupefied by the development.

The tycoon of Jiang Bei, a billionaire in Hong Kong, the number one Grandmaster on the Heaven roll, and the greatest asset of the nation. All these titles added up and forged a formidable foe against the alliance of family clans. Chen Fan's clout was heavy enough to crush any force in China.

Many people looked at the teenager standing upright with a faint smile.

Su Susu covered her mouth and stared at Chen Fan in disbelief.

She had abandoned all hope but little did she know that the new information brought by Zhao Baofen and Qiao Luoyin had quickly turned the situation around. Mr. Qu's announcement was the final nail in the coffin that pronounced the defeat of the major families. Even the Su Family who had been flirting with the idea of opposing Chen Fan was embarrassed by their actions.

These families' grief and regret were all caused by her son in law. She suddenly remembered what Chen Fan had told her while they were in the coffee shop.

"What if I tell you that I am already powerful enough to bring down the Su Family?"

Su Susu had been convinced that the young man was simply bluffing. Even after she learned of his identity as Master Chen, she didn't expect Chen Fan to be able to bring down the Su Family for at least thirty years if he was lucky. Chen Fan pulled the rug from under her by displaying enough prowess to bring the Su family to its knees.

However influential Su Family was, it scarcely dared to oppose the Chinese central government.

Fang Mingde stood at the door and was shaking uncontrollably. His trembling hand spilled wine everywhere, but he didn't even notice that. He murmured to himself in excitement.

"Greatest pride of our nation! The greatest pride of our nation!"

"My son in law was praised by the leaders as the Greatest pride of our nation! That proves that he was the perfect match with my daughter. Who would oppose their marriage now? Who would think he was not worthy of the Su Family's three hundred years of reputation?"

After he had said that, he poured the contents in the cup down his throat like a delusional drunk.

Around him, the other in-laws of the Su Family lowered their heads quietly.

They said that a good opponent motivated one to work harder; however, when the gap was unbridgeable, the opponent would only inspire despair.

Fang Qiong stood quietly beside Chen Beixuan. In her mind's eye, the image of Chen Beixuan and Chen Fan converged into one. Chen Beixuan's words echoed in her mind: "When the name of Chen Beixuan is heard across China, we will meet again."

Was the time now?

Fang Qiong was seized by excitement.

"Bam!"

The ivory fan was dropped to the ground once again.

This time, Boss Fu didn't care to pick it up. Instead, he looked at the young man stupidly.

"Oh my god. This is rich! He had turned the situation around on a dime just like that! Who would have thought that Master Chen of Jiang Bei was such a fearsome force? He is only nineteen years old, yet he had already claimed supremacy and rose to power. He would be invincible in ten years."

The other tycoons of Wu Zhou agreed with fear and admiration.

They were convinced that Chen Fan's fate was sealed, but—

"Boss Fu, who do you think will emerge as the victor now?" Boss Li fiddled with his jade ring and asked with a broad smile.

Boss Fu's face flushed red, but he found no words in his mouth.

Even the leader of the nation was on Chen Fan's side, The other families would never win this round unless they knew the president of the United State of America or Russia.

"Hehe, Boss Fu, just wait for a second. I don't think this is the end yet. Master Chen of Jiang Bei is not a forgiving person and neither is he a pushover. He was quite well known for his lack of tolerance." Mr. Li cracked a cold smile.

Lo and behold, Chen Fan turned around and looked at Nin Chendong.

"You accused me of mutilating your son for no reason. Can you say that again in front of everyone?"

Nin Chendong's face turned pale. His lips trembled, unable to form a word.

Chen Fan's counter-attack had just begun.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 330: Subjugate the Ji Family

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Nin Yuze had set a trap. He invited me to dinner and provoked me into a fight in front of everyone so that Zhao Baofen and his guards could break my legs and arms. I only gave him a taste of his own medicine. Do you think that is not fair?"

Chen Fan flicked a finger and locked his chilling glare onto Nin Chendong.

Cold sweat trickled down from Nin Chendong's forehead. He managed to put on a smile and said: "Mr. Chen, those are your own presumptions."

"Uncle Nin, that is not a presumption. Yuze had told me and everyone his plan ahead of time. If you don't believe me, you can ask Baofen." Qiao Luoyin put in.

Nin Chendong was suddenly at a loss for words.

He, like everyone else, had seen Zhao Baofen's utmost admiration for Chen Fan. Even if the girl was lying, Zhao Baofen would unequivocally stand with Chen Fan. Plus, Nin Chendong knew that that was something his son would do. Nin Chendong had lived as a spoiled brat ever since he was a child and had done many horrible things such as what he planned to do to Chen Fan. He had always been able to get away with it, but this time, he had picked on the wrong person.

Mr. Qu gave Nin Chendong a knowing glance, willing him to stop arguing.

Nin Chendong had his back against the wall and finally was about to give in.

He was smart enough to pick up the nuance of Mr. Qu's glance: it was a wake up call for him, Mr. Qu was trying to save his life. Qiao Luoyin had said that Chen Fan had killed the Old Man Zheng and robbed him of his wealth yet nothing had happened to him. If Chen Fan could do that to the Zheng family, he could easily do that to Nin Family. The memory of what had happened to the Sheng family also came rushing into Nin Chendong's mind. It had happened only a few months ago and the details were still vivid in his mind.

With that thought in mind, Nin Chendong finally gave in and bowed to Chen Fan

"Mr. Chen, the fault is with the Nin Family. My Son was foolish enough to challenge you and brought his undoing to himself."

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and didn't offer a reply.

Seeing Chen Fan's reaction, he recalled rumors about Chen Fan's unforgiving personality and his ruthless methods. The fear of harming his family's well being spurred him to drop his knee and kowtow to Chen Fan.

"Mr. Chen, please forgive me, forgive the Nin Family. Please let us live."

"Shhh."

Everyone gasped.

The lord of the Nin Family knelt before a twenty years old young man and apologized? This was unheard of. Fear and shock flickered in Su Ze and Su Peng's eyes.

The moment they saw Nin Chendong dropped to his knee, the full extent of Chen Fan's power finally set in. If Chen Fan was able to bring the lord of the Nin Family to his knees, he would never consider the Su Family a worthy foe.

"Your son tried to harm me so I made him remember the lesson for the rest of his life by breaking his legs and arms. Do you think that is fair?" Chen Fan asked slowly.

"Yes. I think it's more than fair."

Nin Chendong pressed his forehead to the ground and said with a shaky voice.

He admitted that he was afraid of Chen Fan. No one would avenge the Nin Family if Chen Fan decided to unleash his fury. He wouldn't count on the Tang Family, that was for sure.

Nin Chendong could not afford to take any risk while facing a terrifying foe who would slaughter an entire family without blinking their eyes. As for his son, the little shit was still alive and might even fully recover given time. Even if his son had died from complications of his wounds, Nin Chendong had still a few bastard sons he could call upon.

"As for you, Tang Jianfen."

Chen Fan switched his gaze from Nin Chendong to Tang Jianfen.

"Master Chen, it's a misunderstanding." Tang Jianfen's body tensed up as he squeezed out a smile.

He regretted ever getting involved in this hot mess. He was here only for Lord Su's birthday but jumped the gun when he heard the Ji Family and the Nin Family's plan against Chen Fan. He aided the two families during the confrontation and tried to get back at Chen Fan for refusing him the sales right of Spirit Water.

Little did he know that one year ago, Chen Fan was just a local force at Jiang Bei, one year later, he had become a mighty figure in entire China. If Tang Jianfen knew in the beginning, he would never even dare to come to Wu Zhou, much less conspire with the other families against Chen Fan.

"A misunderstanding?" Chen Fan narrowed his eyes as a cold light came up in his pupils. "You have shown your vengefulness by trying to get back at me for barring you from joining the business of the Yun Wu Spirit Water. If I let you go today, how would I know that you would never seek revenge again?"

"I..." Tang Jianfen's eyes darted from left to right as he tried to find an excuse.

Chen Fan suddenly rounded his eyes and shouted.

"Kneel!"

Tang Jianfen felt an invisible force on his shoulder, pressing him down. Tang Jianfen was just an ordinary man and could not withstand the unimaginable power of an Immortal Cultivator. his knees buckled under the slightest pressure and dropped to the ground. Tang Jianfen supported his body with both arms and pressed his head close to the floor.

Everyone around Chen Fan could sense overbearing energy emanating from the boy. It weighed heavily on their minds, making their breaths laborious. Chen Fan suddenly no longer looked like a teenage boy, instead, he looked like a powerful deity that could dictate the life and death of mortals.

"How dare you!"

Tang Jianfen kept kneeling on the ground and his face was contorted by anger. He muttered curses to himself, as a poisonous light came up in his eyes.

He was the heir of the Tang Family in Zhong Hai, the equal of Zhu Yuntao and Nin Chendong. He could have anything he wanted in Zhong Hai and never had to endure such insult. Unlike Nin Chendong who was a shrewd middle-age man of great ambition, Tang Jianfen was young and lacked forbearance and patience.

"Chen Beixuan, how dare you ask me such a question?"

Eyes bloodshot, Tang Jianfen shouted in a fit of anger.

"Oh? You don't like kneeling down? Then die." Chen Fan pressed his hand down.

Suddenly, an invisible force Tang Jianfen to the ground until a body shaped impression formed on the floor. There was no more Tang Jianfen, but a mush of rushed bone and flesh that filled up the depression on the ground.

The room suddenly became pin-drop quiet.

No one had expected that Chen Fan would kill Tang Jianfen so suddenly without any warning.

He was the young lord of the Tang Family, one of the Four Young Lords of Zhong Hai. Chen Fan ended his life without a second hesitation in front of all the tycoons of Wu Zhou.

"So this is the true face of the legendary Curmudgeon Chen."

Qiao Luoyin watched Chen Fan's back from behind, her heart nearly skipped a beat.

The Su Family was terrified by the development. Tang Jianfen was good friends with Su Qian and Su Ze, yet Chen Fan had killed him as if butchering an animal. Did that mean Chen Fan would do the same to Su Qian or Su Ze without a second thought as well?

Su Xiao's eyes were lit up with expectation.

She was the princess of the Su Family and was the love interest of many talented young men. Some of them were rich heirs, and some were outstanding researchers. However, none of them could measure up to Chen Fan's decisiveness and dominance.

Martial arts grandmaster and a member of the Dark Roll. He was born to lord over the world.

Chen Fan had finally displayed his dominant side using his unimaginable power.

Ji Shoujuo let out a wry smile.

"Fine..." Ji Shoujuo shook his head, stood up and bowed to Chen Fan. "I ended up loading a gun and shot myself in the foot. Master Chen, I apologize for not recognizing your power and please, forgive my grandson."

Even as he apologized, two-line of tears streaked across his wizened face.

"Brother Ji!" Su Yanghao exclaimed.

People around them gasped. They watched incredulously as a ninety years old grandpa bowed to a teenager to beg for forgiveness.

"Grandpa!" Tears welled in Ji Luochen's eyes. He was ready to throw himself at Chen Fan.

"Shut up! Kneel and apologize now!" Lord Ji turned around and refuted.

Ji Luochen's face turned dark at first, and then all color drained from it until it was as pale as a piece of paper. He lowered his head, bent his knees and kowtowed.

"Master Chen, I am sorry."

A deadly silence fell over the lake. No one spoke a word as they stared at the shocking development.

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and stood haughtily like an immortal.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 331: Su Yanghao's Regret

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Meanwhile, inside the Su Family's residence, everyone watched the development unfold with disbelief.

Just one moment ago, Chen Fan had his back against the wall under the pressure from the alliance of powerful families. Everyone was convinced that not even Li Wuchen was able to prevent his fate of being thrown behind bars. The list of crimes he had committed meant that he would have to spend the rest of his life in jail.

However, a moment later, Nin Chendong was kneeling before Chen Fan, begging for forgiveness. Tang Jianfen was dead and the Ji Family also capitulated to Chen Fan's power. Director Xue hid behind the elders and tried to distance himself from the hot mess as far as possible.

The seemingly unstoppable alliance was destroyed by Chen Fan with ease.

Even then, Su Susu and Fang Mingde still found it hard to come to terms with reality. Meanwhile, the tycoons of Wu Zhou were stupefied by the outcome. Chen Fan had brought three prominent families from Zhong Hai and Jiang Nan Province to their knees. Once the news of what had happened here got out, it would blow everyone's mind.

Some might not even believe it if they didn't hear it from a legitimate source.

A less than twenty years old teenager forced the Ji Family, Nin Family and the Tang Family to bend their knees?

He was only nineteen, a first-year university student. People simply couldn't imagine what he could achieve once he graduated from university. In ten years, there would be no one in entire China that could stop him from doing what he wants.

The thought of Chen Fan's incredible power suddenly evoked a strong sense of regret in Su Yanghao's mind.

When Su Yanghao told him that Chen Fan was Master Chen of Jiang Bei for the first time, he had already considered approving Little Nine's marriage with him. However, the ire of the Ji Family of Zhong Hai made him hesitate a little too long. Before he could make up his mind, he had heard the news of Chen Fan mutilating Nin Yuze and crashing the Su Family's party.

From then on, Su Yanghao had thrown the idea of accepting Chen Fan out of the window.

He had proven himself to be an arrogant, savage and sadistic young man, and the Su Family would never accept him as one of them. When Chen Fan finally showed up with Fang Qiong, he openly insulted the Su Family and pointed out its weakness in front of everyone. Although Su Yanghao conceded that Chen Fan's criticism had hit the mark, he couldn't stomach a youngster dissing his life's work. In a fit of anger, he decided to remain silent when Su Zhengde opened fire at Chen Fan.

He was convinced that as long as the Ji Family, Nin Family, and the Tang Family stuck together, they could eventually force the young man into submission. However, he had grossly underestimated the young man.

"With Chen Fan's help, the Chen family might be able to dominate China in ten years."

"We have lost our opportunity of gaining Chen Fan's support. The Su Family is doomed once I pass away."

Regret and sorrow gnawed at Su Yanghao's mind. He regretted not believing in his intuition, silencing Su Zhengde's hostility and rejecting the Ji Family's request. If he had done all that, the Su Family would have gained the most useful ally.

With Chen Fan's help, the Su Family would remain in the seat of power in Jiang Nan Province for at least a few more decades.

The missed opportunity made Su Yanghao heave a long sigh of regret.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan looked at Ji Shoujuo without paying any attention to Ji Luochen. "I can spare his life as long as you are willing to pay something in exchange. Name your offer now."

Life ebbed away from Ji Luochen's face. The embarrassment from the humiliation was slowly killing him from the inside.

Ji Shoujuo pondered quietly for a moment and then a light came up in his eyes. He took a step forward and whispered something in Chen Fan's ears.

Chen Fan was taken aback at first, and then he locked his eyes with the old man and nodded.

"Deal"

Ji Shoujuo finally let out a sigh of relief.

The exchange filled everyone's mind with questions. What was the price that the Ji Family offered? What could have satisfied the cold-hearted Master Chen's thirst for revenge?

Qiao Luoyin was close to Chen Fan, so she had heard the old man's offer. She gasped under her breath.

"What a sly old fox!"

However, she nodded in approval at the old man's offer. Chen Fan must not care for worldly possessions such as money and fame. After all, he already had an abundance of them. Although the Ji Family was not as strong as the Nin Family or the Tang Family financially, they were much more well connected than most other families with government officials.

That connection was what the Chen family lacked the most at this stage.

Ji Shoujuo's price was too tempting for Chen Fan to refuse. The Chen family desperately needed a benefactor in the appropriate level of government. Li Wuchen was useful but he was overqualified in helping Chen Fan's uncle and father further their careers.

After Chen Fan and Ji family had reached a deal, Mr. Qu finally remembered something.

He turned around and whispered to a man in black. "Inform everyone in that room that Grandmaster Chen's identity is classified information and leaking the information is a criminal act."

"Yes, Mr. Qu." The man in black nodded.

He then gathered a helper to make a list of attendees and issued a warning to each and everyone of them.

After he had finished talking to the man in black, Mr. Qu walked over to Chen Fan with a smile.

"Grandmaster Chen, I have other matters to attend to, please allow me to excuse myself."

"It was nice to see you, Mr. Qu. And Thank you." Chen Fan nodded and cracked a smile.

Although Mr. Qu had said nothing during the entire time, his presence projected immeasurable fear into the other family's hearts, forcing them to concede defeat. Even after Chen Fan had killed Tang Jianfen, the Tang Family still apologized to Chen Fan in part because of Mr. Qu's presence.

Although Mr. Qu's involvement made things smoother, without him, Chen Fan could handle the situation as well.

However, he might have had to resort to violent means to bring down the other families. It was Lord Su's birthday party, and Chen Fan didn't want to let the party end with the loss of people's life fearing that might upset Fang Qiong.

"I am more than happy to help. If Grandmaster ever passes Yan Jin, make sure to stop by my place to share a cup of drinks with me." Mr. Qu let out a peal of laughter.

Then, he turned around to look at Su Yanghao and said heavily: "Lord Su, you have found yourself an outstanding young man. Don't waste this opportunity."

"Thank you, Mr. Qu. We won't." Su Yanghao nodded. Su Yanghao and the other Su family members trailed behind Mr. Qu and nodded their heads ingratiatingly.

After Mr. Qu was gone, Nin Chendong and Ji Shoujuo both excused themselves and left the embarrassing situation. Director Xue followed suit, but before he left the room, he handed over his business card to Chen Fan and apologized.

Chen Fan didn't want to waste his energy in punishing Director Xue since he was sent here to represent his boss. Plus, Director Xue had been cautious in offering his support to the other families and had been quiet ever since he arrived.

Soon all the guests left the party, leaving only the Su Family members and Fang Qiong's family.

"Su Susu, Mingde, I am sorry." Su Yanghao held onto Su Susu and Fang Mingde's hands and lamented wistfully.

"Third uncle, there is no need to say sorry." Su Susu blushed.

However, Fang Mingde's face was lit up with glee. He had been looked down upon by the Su Family for twenty years and finally, he was able to straighten his back, lifting his chin and stand confidently before the other Su Family members.

"The elders of the family, including me have misunderstood you and Little Nine. We nearly made irreversible damage to you and our family. I have to apologize for what you had to go through." Su Yanghao said with a guilty face.

Su Yangzhi and Su Zhengde's faces were flushed red out of embarrassment.

They had always looked down on Su Yangren's branch and Fang Qiong's family. However, today, they were forced to apologize to Su Susu. The thought of their unwarranted disdain and arrogance made them feel ashamed.

However reluctant and embarrassing it was, they had to apologize; there was no other way around it as long as Chen Fan was still with Fang Qiong.

Su Susu felt a warm proud feeling rising inside of her, but it was awkward to feel like that.

Despite her opposition, in the beginning, she eventually accepted Chen Fan as her son in law. After seeing Chen Fan forcing the Su Family to its knees, she felt joy as well as guilt. She blamed herself for not supporting Chen Fan from the very beginning.

"Third Uncle, you should say that to Xiao Qiong instead of me." Su Susu gave Su Yanghao a knowing look and then shifted her gaze onto Fang Qiong.

"Ah, right! Little Nine, thank you for coming to celebrate my birthday. I really appreciate it."

Su Yanghao picked up the cue and looked around at Fang Qiong with a warm smile.

"What?"

Fang Qiong finally gathered herself from shock. When she saw the ingratiating smile on everyone's face, she looked to Chen Fan and then she realized what the Su Family was up to.

They wanted her to placate Chen Fan for them.

The girl pondered a moment.

She came up to Chen Fan and held onto his hand kittenishly, without speaking a word.

Chen Fan patted the top of her head and cracked a smile.

"Do you want to have some dumplings with me?"

"Yes! I want those ones with red bean paste."

The two love birds wrapped each other in their arms and slowly made their way to the door. Everyone made way for them with fear and respect. The Su Family watched in dismay as the two left the room.

"Sigh... I was hoping that Little Nine could save us." Su Yanghao rose to his feet and lamented. "It's too late... too late to say sorry."

Grief and remorse was written all over Su Zhengde and the others' faces.

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Chapter 332: Big News in Jiang Nian

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Inside the Su Family residence's main hall.

Su Yanghao pulled a taut face and was quiet. The other youngsters of the family stood still it the hall and scarcely dared to breathe.

"Third Brother, don't stress out about it too much. Who would have thought that a young man from Jiang Bei could have achieved such greatness? It wasn't Zhende's fault to misjudge his power." Su Yangzhi put in as an attempt to ease the tension.

Su Zhengde let out an ugly grin that made him look like he was crying.

He was the lord of the Su Family of Wu Zhou City and one of the loudest critical voices against Chen Fan. This incident had taken a toll on Su Zhengde's influence and not only his control over the family was eroded, but the old man's opinion of him also downgraded significantly. Most people outside of the Su Family must have also gloated at his mistake

He nearly forced such a true dragon out of his family.

What an idiot.

Seeing that Su Yanghao couldn't even bring himself to look at him, he knew his father was extremely disappointed in him.

"Just so, Third Grandpa. How could we know that Chen Fan has such a complicated background? Who would have thought that he was the General Major of the Cang Dragon, a tycoon from Hong Kong and the Grandmaster on the Heaven roll? We were convinced that he was just a tycoon in Jiang Bei, that's all." Su Qian put in indignantly.

"You didn't expect that, you said? Why didn't you investigate? Why are you all sitting on your ass and doing nothing?"

Su Yanghao slammed the table and let out a cold smile.

Without digging deep and hard, no one in Su Family would easily find out the full extent of Chen Fan's power, however, that was not impossible either. Chen Beixuan was famous among martial artists and was well known to many military personnel. If Su Family tried hard enough, they might have been able to find out his title at the Cang Dragon unit.

However, the Su Family had overlooked Chen Fan's ability due to their arrogance.

Even Chen Fan's dominance over Jiang Bei had caught them by surprise, so they would never even have thought of reconciling the teenage boy to outrageous titles such as Grandmaster and Head Sergeant of Cang Dragon.

Seeing the old man's temper was about to flare again, everyone quickly lowered their heads. Feeling abashed, Su Zhengde wished he could bury his head in the sand. He was in charge of the family and failed everyone because of his incompetence.

"Third Grandpa, what if we just leave Chen Fan alone from now on? Without him, we will still live and are still the number one family of Jiang Nan Province. There is nothing he could do to change that." Su Ze put in indignantly.

Although no one chimed in, they nodded their agreement in silence.

Su Family of Wu Zhou City had strived for centuries and weathered countless storms. The run-in with Chen Fan would just be another one of the bumps in their journey that they would eventually get over like they always did.

"Hehe... you guys still believe that the Su Family is still growing well and strong?" Lord Su coughed and then let out a wry smile. "I am ninety years old and my days are numbered. Once I pass away, who could shoulder the responsibility and guide the Su Family forward in this treacherous world? Can we count on Zhende and his meager title at the Chamber of Commerce?"

The rise of the Su Family in the last few decades was solely because of my contribution to the party during the revolution. The leaders of the country granted me many privileges in appreciation of my support. However, the times have changed and their appreciation is waning. The leaders were going to cut ties with us once I pass away, but I wager that what happened today would make that happen much sooner.

The sharp glint in Lord Su's eyes seemed to shed more light on their situation."Without our privileges and support, we are just a piece of meat on the butcher block, waiting to be carved up. We would lose our edge when competing against other families such as the Ji Family, Qiao Family, and the Zhu family."

The old man's words were a wake-up call to everyone.

They had never thought of their future so far ahead of time.

However, after reflecting on the old man's words, they realized that he had hit the mark. The Su Family appeared to be strong and wealthy but its appearance was on the old man's immense influence and connection. All of Su Family's clients, let it be those in the textile industry or those in the banking system offered Su Family business opportunities because of the old man. As soon as Lord Su passed away, they would disregard the Su family as their business partner and profit from their downfall.

Of all the younger generation of the Su Family, only Su Zhengxun seemed competent enough to barely measure up to Su Yanghao's expectation.

"The leaders would have to evaluate our status if we had Chen Fan joining our ranks. But it's too late now." Su Yanghao shook his head and heaved a sigh. Suddenly, life seemed to have slipped away from his face and his wrinkled face looked even older than it used to be.

Then and only then, the younger generation of the family finally noticed how tired and wizened the old man had gotten.

As the fact that the only backbone of the family had turned ninety years old finally set in, Su Zhengde panicked. He hurried to rise to his feet and announced: "Dad, I will go to apologize to Little Nine right now. I will kowtow to Chen Fan if I have to."

"That's pointless." Su Yanghao heaved a sigh and said: "He is the General Major of Cang Dragon Unit, and a Grandmaster Martial artist. Do you think such a decisive and determined man would be swayed by your pathetic plea?"

"Then... then what should we do?" Su Zhengde was suddenly at a loss.

Su Qian, Su Ze and Su Peng were all unnerved by the development. For the first time, they felt that the fate of their family laid in Little Nine and her seemingly ordinary husbands hands.

Suddenly, Su Xiao broke her silence and put in.

"Grandpa, maybe things are not as bad as you think."

"You might not have noticed it, but I found out that he had protected Little Nine whenever they were together. His attention had always been on Little Nine either at the party last night or today's banquet. I have noticed subtle eye contact between the two and it was obvious that Chen Fan had spared the Ji Family because Little Nine wanted him to."

"What you are getting at is..." Su Yanghao looked to Su Xiao, both hands shaking with excitement.

"Yes, we have been focusing mainly on us and ignored Chen Fan's feelings and what he cared about. It was evident that he cared most about Little Nine and he might have come to Wu Zhou because of Little Nine. Therefore, the key to solving our problem is to win over Little Nine, making sure she is on our side." Su Xiao said tenderly.

Everyone nodded in agreement after pondering on Su Xiao's words for a while.

Su Yanghao looked at Fang Mingde and his wife, willing them to put in their two cents. Su Susu put on a smile and said: "Third Uncle, I am not too familiar with Xiao Fan, but I knew he had fallen head over heels in love with Little Nine. They have been good friends ever since childhood and made a promise to each other to go to the same University, and they did."

After she said that, she paused a second and then said with suspicion: "I wager that even the undoing of the Sheng family was somehow linked to the love competition between Sheng Ronghua's son and Chen Fan over Xiao Qiong."

Although it was just Su Susu's suspicion, no one seemed to have doubted it.

"Yes, I have heard about what had happened to the Sheng family. I have never thought that there were more than what met the eye. Chen Fan was the Head Sergeant of the Cang Dragon unit, a billionaire in Hong Kong and if he wanted to topple the Sheng family, he would only need to make a request to Li Wuchen. Killing everyone in the Sheng family seemed unnecessary unless his love interest is involved." Su Zhengde suddenly slapped his head as realization dawned upon him.

"A powerful young man would often turn into a dangerous beast in the name of love." Su Yanghao said.

After he had said that, he turned around to look at Su Xiao. "You are the closest to Little Nine, so it would fall upon you to help the family mend the relationship with Little Nine. If Little Nine forgives us, so would Chen Fan."

"Plus, from today onward, Little Nine will be our family lord. Treat her as you would treat me." Su Yanghao announced heavily.

"Yes." Everyone nodded their consent.

The birthday banquet was over, but people had just started to feel the implication of what had happened during the banquet.

Although everyone was warned to keep their lips sealed about what they saw, it was impossible to expect the hundred or so guests would keep the secret.

It wasn't long before rumors started to spread.

"Have you heard? Chen Fan is the General Major of the Cang Dragon Unit."

"What are you talking about? Who is Chen Fan?"

"He was the one who wrecked the Sheng family. This time he brought the Ji and the Nin Family to their knees."

"Really? fill me in please!"

Such conversations were carried out all over the Jin City, Wu Zhou, Jiang Zhou City. Even some well-connected elites in Zhong Hai heard of the incident in passing.

Compared to the names such as Grandmaster or the Heaven roll, the title of General Major in Cang Dragon was more relatable to ordinary people. Therefore, it was most prevalent in the rumors.

"A General Major less than twenty years old? That's unheard of!"

"The Chen family is incredibly powerful! No wonder even Gao Tianmin was removed from his position. I think they are soon going to claim supremacy in Jin City."

"I have heard that even Boss Lou's secretary had joined the other families, but he was over trumped by someone even more powerful at the banquet. The Chen family must have deep connections in the government."

Everyone in Jinlin City was impressed by Chen Fan.

Zhou Qinya had heard the story in passing, and it stirred up a mix of complicated feelings.

She had never thought that Chen Fan was not only the Master Chen of JiangBei but also a General Major in the military. A General Major less than twenty years old sounded like the stuff of urban legends.

The Chen family members were elated by the news.

Before they learned the news, only Chen Huaian knew Chen Fan's involvement in the military. He was a cautious old man and therefore he didn't disclose that information with his family, fearing the Chen family would grow content. Therefore, when the other family members learned of Chen Fan's military rank, they were caught by surprise.

Chen Guoguo frolicked joyfully on the sidewalk in front of her house and announced to all of her neighbors that her cousin was a general.

A wave of complicated feelings rose inside of Chen Ning as he watched everything unfold.

Chen Fan was no longer the little brother that he used to be. He had grown into a large tree that could provide shade and shelter to his family.

Meanwhile, Chen fan was facing a much bigger problem. He had to explain to Fang Qiong about Chen Beixuan, about the title of General Major in Cang Dragon and about the Heaven roll.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 333: On The Wu Zhou Bridge

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

As soon as the two love birds left the Su Family's residence, they sampled each and every food truck in downtown. Fang Qiong had decided to let go for the day as she wolfed down greasy street food.

Pork Mooncake, Honey Tofu Curd, Deep Fry Potstickers, Lard Rice Cake, Date and Walnut Loaf.

The downtown area of the city was modeled after the buildings of the Tang and the Song dynasty. Buildings made out of dark walls and green roofs hugged the ancient street. A network of bridges linked the roads across a web of small channels. The streets were filled with tourists who were enamored with the quaint and serene scene.

After the two had eaten enough, they walked along the famous Scholar's Channel to help digest. Fang Qiong pointed at the ancient well-preserved buildings from time to time, telling Chen Fan the stories behind each one of them.

In the end, the two paused on the Wu Zhou Bridge.

"Listen, if you want to ask me about Chen Beixuan, just do it." Chen Beixuan stood against the railing and looked at Fang Qiong with a smile.

"So you have decided to tell me everything?" Fang Qiong batted her lashes at Chen Fan expectantly. "Who are you exactly? Are you Chen Fan, Chen Beixuan or Master Chen? Why do I feel that you are so much more different than the Chen Fan I knew when we were kids."

"I am Chen Fan, Master Chen and also Chen Beixuan."

Chen Fan rested his arm on the stone lion statue at the top of the railing and said slowly.

"So are you that fortune teller I met by the Jin City River?" Fang Qiong wrinkled her nose and said faintly.

The fortune-teller had given Fang Qiong a Dharma Treasure before he disappeared amidst the waves. Fang Qiong had suspected that Professor Chen at the university was that fortune-teller in disguise. However, after seeing Professor Chen in real life, his handsome features and impressive knowledge differed from the overall demeanor of the fortune-teller.

"Of course, that's me. Who else would give you a Dharma Artifact for free?" Chen Fan jabbed a finger at the girl's forehead and said with a smile. "That was the very first Dharma Artifact I had made and it has more than one incredible effect. It might hurt my feelings if you don't wear it all the time."

"Yes, I do." Fang Qiong protested. However, she couldn't help but ask: "Xiao Qiong, how come you suddenly possessed so much magical power, such as walking on water and flying through the air? Are you an immortal now? Did you also make up a story about the North Mystic Celestial Lord and the Zi Qiong Goddess?"

"I am not an immortal yet. But being an immortal is not as big of a deal as you thought. Even a martial artist who had achieved a high enough level of attainment in their internal force cultivation could pull that off." Chen Fan said lightly.

"Internal Force cultivation?" Questions lit up in Fang Qiong's eyes.

She was the heir of the Ming De Group a company that her father had founded when he had nothing. The line of business Fang Mingde was in and his relatively low position at the totem pole means that he had never been exposed to the world of Martial Arts. Therefore, Fang Qiong also knew very little about martial artists and spell casters.

Chen Fan filled in the details for Fang Qiong patiently.

"Underneath the peaceful and harmonious facade of our society exists another world that plays by different rules. Men and women in this society are much more than thugs and outlaws. They are martial artists, Spell caster and Extraordinary Ones."

Chen Fan continued. "a martial artist started to surpass ordinary humans once they gained the power of Internal Force. Even the top Law enforcement units might not be able to bring down these Internal Force users. Most Internal Force users who had reached the peak of their cultivation were able to lord over an entire area."

Chen Fan paused and asked: "Do you know anything about your friend Tang Yifei's father?"

"You mean Sister Yifei? I only know her father Tang Yuanqin is a powerful man in Jiang Nan Province's underground world." Fang Qiong batted her lashes and asked curiously: "Even when I was little, I had heard that the Tang family was as powerful as the Song family and the Qiao Family."

"Then haven't you ever wondered why a seemingly ordinary man could have gained so much prestige and respect among his peers?" Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and asked.

"Do you mean—"Fang Qiong covered her mouth to stifle a cry.

"Yes, Tang Yuanqin is a martial artist, a peak level Internal Force user to be precise. He was able to preside over the Jin City and had a monopoly over the marine transportation businesses." Chen Fan said as he looked over the railing and saw a little Chinese junk boat.

Fang Qiong was taken aback by the revelation.

It was the first time she heard of this entirely different world that coexisted with her own world all the while.

She had thought that Tang Yuanqin was able to lord over Jin City because of his successful business strategies, and she would never have expected him to be a martial artist. No wonder Tang Yuanqin was able to remain in power while other powerful family lords fell like flies. Let it be assassins or criminal investigations, nothing seemed to be able to bring him down.

"So let me guess. Your name is Master Chen, and you have Divine powers. Is that how you pin those tycoons in Jiang Bei under your thumb?" Realization finally dawned upon Fang Qiong. Just like Tang Yuanqin, Chen Fan was able to claim supremacy in Jiang Bei because of the exact same reason as that of Tang Yuanqin's success.

If martial artists were really as powerful as they were portrayed in the movies, they should be able to bring any tycoon to their heels.

"Xiao Qiong, how does your power compare to Tang Yuanqin's?" Fang Qiong asked curiously.

"Haha. Tang Yuanqin?" Chen Fan let out a peal of laughter. "Silly girl, you think too lightly of your husband. I am considered the Greatest pride of our nation. Tang Yuanqin simply couldn't compare. He could maybe be qualified as my butler."

Chen Fan laughed out loud.

Fang Qiong blushed and felt that Chen Fan was laughing at her. She punched Chen Fan's firm chest with two soft fists. Then she asked again: "So you mean Tang Yuanqin is less powerful than you?"

"Much much less powerful than me. There is no comparison." Chen Fan extended a finger and waggled it before Fang Qiong. "You are not a martial artist, but if you were, you would now that Tang Yuanqin would have to bow to me as a disciple would to his master."

"Really?" Fang Qiong exclaimed.

She knew Chen Fan was powerful since he was a General Major of the Cang Dragon praised highly by the nation's leaders. However, she still had no clue as to exactly what had made Chen Fan powerful because of her lack of knowledge in Martial arts.

"Power of Martial arts came in three different stages: External Strength, Internal Force, and Transcendent State. Most martial arts amateurs practiced external strength exercises, and only the experts delved into Internal Force cultivation. Tang Yuanqin has reached the peak of the Internal Force cultivation but he is still far away from the Transcendent State. Only those who had reached Transcendent State would be considered a Grandmaster. There were only a small number of these Grandmasters in China, but each and every one of them presided over their own territory and was a force to be reckoned with. The most popular Grandmasters were Ye Nantian and Hua Yunfeng." Chen Fan let out a smile and continued: "Hua Yunfeng had dominated Zhong Hai for decades and his family, the Hua Family was also a powerful force. You might even have heard of the Hua Family even in Wu Zhou. Meanwhile, Ye Nantian was a General Major, the Head Sergeant of the Special Law enforcement Unit, Dragon's Fang. He was also considered the war god of China."

"So, did Cang Dragon hire you as its Head Sergeant because you are a Martial arts Grandmaster?" Fang Qiong asked as she tried to wrap her mind around the huge amount of information dumped on her.

"Hehe, your husband is not just any Grandmaster. "Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and said: "The Heaven roll ranked all the Grandmasters in China. Hua Yunfeng ranked number four on the list while Ye Nantian ranked number two. Your husband is number one on the list. In addition, I ranked number three on the Dark Roll published globally and have the ability to stop an entire army. Otherwise, Mr. Qu wouldn't be so friendly to me and neither would the leaders of the country praise me so unequivocally!"

"So you are trying to tell me that you are the most powerful man in the world?"

Fang Qiong finally caught the drift.

She batted her lashes as a mix of emotions filled up her eyes. There were surprise, joy and admiration. To be number one in any field was an incredible feat.

Chen Fan ranked number on the Heaven roll, even the sound of it makes one think of the badass martial artist in Movies.

All the martial artists were deeply enamored of the power backing Chen Fan's ranking. With such power, no wonder the leaders of the nation would regard Chen Fan so highly.

The more she thought of Chen Fan's ability, the brighter the light in her eyes grew.

"He is so... badass! Did I just chose a diamond in the rough?"

The thought filled her heart with a warm fuzzy feeling. All girls dreamed of their lover to be a mighty hero, worshipped by everyone.

"Now you know how much of a big deal your husband is, you better listen to me from now on, and do as I say. Are we clear?" Chen Fan poked the girl's nose as he plastered on a condescending face.

Chen Fan bought out his true self only when he was with Fang Qiong. Even when he was talking to his parents, he tried to mask his motion with his usual indifferent smile.

He was the North Mystic Celestial Lord who had witnessed the world change over five hundred years. He had seen enough and nothing could pique his interest anymore.

"Humph! One day, I will catch up with you."Fang Qiong pouted and protested, however, her eyes were lit up with joy.

Chen Fan was lighthearted by the girl's reaction.

Fang Qiong took after Su Susu with her competitive personality, which was part of the reason that made her the manager of the Ming De Group in the future. After she and Chen Fan were taken away by Cangqin to embark on the journey of cultivation, she had always been neck and neck with Chen Fan in terms of the level of attainment. If not because of that terrible incident...

Chen Fan couldn't bring himself to finish his thought. He cuddled the girl in his arm and rested his chin on her head.

"Xiao Qiong, I am back now. Let me protect you until the end of the time. I would go as far as to declare war against the entire universe to make sure that you are safe and happy. "

Fang Qiong felt Chen Fan's warm breath brushing against her ears. She blushed until her face was red as an apple. Chen Fan's words sounded as sweet as honey and melted all of her defense. She couldn't help but mutter yes to him.

The passersby looked at the pair of love birds and was moved by their sweet young love, Meanwhile, many young men who saw the couple felt envious of Chen Fan's extraordinary luck. How did an ordinary-looking man get to hold such a pretty thing in his arms? That's not fair!

The two spent a long time cuddling each other on the bridge. After a while, they walked back while holding hands with each other. Fang Qiong asked kittenishly: "Babe, can we go home now?"

"Sure thing"

"Babe, I want to learn Martial Arts, teach me will you?"

"Sure thing"

"Babe, let's move in together."

"... OK."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 334: Ginza Club

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Although the two had planned to move in together, the new year was coming and the classes were about to wrap up so the two decided to push off their agenda until next year when they were both less busy.

As time flew by, Chen Fan's first semester was over.

"The first snow of 2009."

Chen Fan had just dropped off Fang Qiong at the girl's dorm. He looked up and noticed the fluffy snow that fell from the grey sky wistfully. It had been a year and a half since he woke up on the bus.

A year and a half might seem to be a long period of time for an average person, but to Chen Fan who had already lived five hundred years, it was just a blink of an eye. When he returned, he was a grade twelve student, but now he had reached Ethereal Enlightenment and gained Azure Thearch Longevity Body. He rose to power to become the tycoon of Jiang Bei, General Major in Cang Dragon and the number one Grandmaster on the Heaven roll.

All the elites of in Jin City had heard of his name.

After what had happened at the Su Family of Wu Zhou City, Chen Fan became a household name across Jiang Nan Province. His achievements, such as becoming a General Major, bringing the Tang and Ji Family down to their knees, forcing the Su Family to apologize and ward off the pressure from provincial leaders made him a legend. Although not a lot of people had seen Chen Fan, everyone knew his name.

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and walked on the crunchy snow toward home.

He had been focusing on his cultivation, pushing himself to the limit. By now, he was near another bottleneck. The Green Dragon Grand Array was about to produce its first yield of Spirit Herbs. Once those herbs were made into pills, they should help Chen Fan break the bottleneck and reach the mid-stage of Ethereal Enlightenment. These Spirit Pills would also help him strengthen his Azure Thearch Longevity Body. Since the Azure Thearch Longevity Body was a Divine Body, it was otherwise extremely difficult to make any improvement on it.

"Where should I go for this year's new year? Should I head back to Chu Zhou City or stay in Jin City?"

Chen Fan pondered his options and made his way back to the dorm. As soon as he walked into the room, he saw Qi Wangsun standing alone by one of the bunk beds and he was flanked by another brawny man with a bald head. The two were talking with each other quietly.

The brawny man's shiny head had a huge ugly scar that ran from one side of the head to the other.

"We have guests?"

Chen Fan gave the brawny man a glance.

The business school decided to let the student leave early for the new year, and therefore, both Qiu Yilun and Piggsy had already left the school for home. To Chen Fan's surprise, Qi Wangsun stayed behind. Chen Fan registered flowing energy inside the Brawny man and knew right away that he was a phenomenal success level Internal Force user. However, judging from his servile attitude toward Qi Wangsun, Chen Fan wagered that he was one of the Qi family's employees.

"Young Lord, Miss Yukishiro had already booked a banquet at Ginza Club. Please think about it and don't let your father down." The brawny man bowed to Qi Wangsun and left the room.

He walked past Chen Fan and didn't even spare Chen Fan a glance.

After Qi Wangsun heard the brawny man's words, his face frosted over. After a while, he gathered himself and let out a sigh. He squeezed a smile onto his face and said: "Boss, you are back."

"What's going on? Make sure you tell me if you have any trouble." Chen Fan walked over to Qi Wangsun and padded on his shoulder

"It's nothing, just some stuff at home." Qi Wangsun seemed ready to say more, but he hesitated. "Have I told you that my family had arranged a marriage for me while I was little?"

"Oh?"

Chen Fan's interest was piqued.

Chen Fan had heard of it in his past life, and he knew that the girl's name is Yukishiro Sa. However, he was not aware of the details.

Since Qi Wangsun had started the topic, he decided to no longer hold it back. He smiled wryly and then said: "My father is Qi Dongsheng, the CEO of the Dong Sheng Group. I am his oldest son."

Any businessmen from Northern China would be shocked to hear the name Qi Dongsheng.

He was one of the most successful tycoons presided over Northern Sea Bay. Although Dong Sheng Group was relatively unknown by most people, it was the power hidden behind the scenes, controlling every facet of the society. Its influence in Northern China was not any less than that of the Zheng family in Hong Kong. If Qi Dongsheng flexed his financial muscle, he could easily make it into the top ten rich list in China. Many rumors said that the Qi's had stakes in many government-owned seaports in the Northern Sea Bay as well as the port of Jin Men.

Qi Dongsheng was his oldest son, so he was the heir of the mighty Dong Sheng Group.

However, Chen Fan simply nodded. It was evident to Qi Wangsun that Chen Fan had never heard of the Dong Sheng Group.

Qi Wangsun continued, adding in more detail about his family: "My dad's business was maritime shipping and overseas trade. His trade partners were mostly from Russian and Japan. He had arranged a marriage for me when I was only a kid with the heir of the Yukishiro family in Japan's Kyushu island. Her name is Yukishiro Sa, the same age as us, and very talented. She is already the family lord of the Yukishiro family clan."

"That sounds pretty good to me. Why the long face?" Chen Fan asked lightheartedly.

"You have never met her." Qi Wangsun shook his head and let out a wry smile. "She is cunning, calculating and manipulative. A maneater through and through. Think about it, how else could she become the family lord at the age of twenty? How else could she dominate Kyushu's underground world? I prefer Xiao Jin much better than her. At least she won't stab me in the night while I'm sleeping."

"Women are like horses, with enough skill and patience, you can tame even the wildest mare. Be a man and do the right thing." Chen Fan looked at his friend encouragingly.

Chen Fan had his fair share of dealing with strident and strong women in his life. Let it be the sisters of Lu family, Zheng Anqi or Tang Yifei, any one of them was a force to be reckoned with. Tang Yifei, in particular, was able to claim dominance over Jiang Nan Province's underground world. She had proved her decisiveness and gusto when she ordered the assassins to do away with Chen Fan while she lured the latter into the garden.

However, none of these young women's abilities were remotely threatening to Chen Fan.

All of them ended up laying low with their tails between legs.

"Boss, if I am as powerful as you, of course, she wouldn't be a problem. But..." Qi Wangsun heaved a sigh.

"It's ok, no big deal. If you really don't like her, then just tell her. I can go with you if that makes you feel better." Chen Fan padded his friend's shoulder.

"Thank you, boss." Qi Wangsun gave Chen Fan an appreciative look.

Although he didn't know the full extent of Chen Fan's power, he wagered that Chen Fan's title as the Master Chen of Jiang Bei and his huge wealth in Hong Kong should be able to make Yukishiro Sa turn down her strident demeanor a notch.

The two didn't waste time, they packed up their luggage and went on their way.

When they walked out of the dorm, the Business School was already wrapped in a thick white blanket of snow. Chen Fan called a taxi and headed toward the Ginza Club.

The Ginza Club was a Japanese style private club built by a Japanese businessman in Jin City.

From the elevated entrance, the wooden plank floor, the Bamboo bush, and the paper window, to the manicured garden and the maroon lanterns hanging from the low roof, everything in the club was built according to the Japanese tradition. The moment they entered the club, they felt they had passed through time and space and arrived in Japan during the Edo Period. The waitresses in the club were all from Japan and looked caring and attractive as a typical young Japanese wife would.

The two were lead into the club by a hostess wearing a magnificent kimono.

Chen Fan scanned the club using his Divine Will as he walked on. Suddenly, he registered something was off.

The rooms in the club were heated and therefore despite the snowy weather outside, it was cozy in here. After their guide slid a wooden door open, they were greeted by the back of a girl in white dress half kneeling on the floor, preparing teas for the guests. Although they could only see her back, her breathtaking curves and the porcelain skin on her hands suggested her extraordinary beauty.

Beside the woman sat a middle-aged man in a samurai outfit.

The man's face was serious. He pressed on his wakizashi that was laid sideways across his lap as a deadly light glinted in his eyes from time to time. The man looked at Qi Wangsun and nodded before he looked away and saw Chen Fan. Seeing Chen Fan's unremarkable appearance, a hint of contempt flashed across his face.

The same brawny man who had been taking to Qi Wangsun was sitting across the table from the two Japanese people. He nodded at Qi Wangsun but seemed surprised by Chen Fan's appearance.

"Qi San, you are finally here."

The woman turned around, revealing a cold face with exquisite features.

"Miss Yukishiro, I am here to tell you that our marriage proposal was made by our parents against our will. We are both adults, so we have the right to choose to forfeit the engagement."

Qi Wangsun sat down beside the Brawny man and spoke up.

"Qi San, May I need to remind you that the Yukishiro family had been dominating Kyushu island for over a hundred fifty years. Our first family lord was the Daimyo of Kyushu, highly regarded by the emperor of Japan himself. This marriage is of utmost importance to the Yukishiro family and we will not walk back on our words. It's a shame, to be honest."

The woman said as she poured the tea from a teapot into a couple of small delicate bamboo cups.

"But we are living in the twentieth century now. How do we still need to care about dated tradition?" Qi Wangsun asked impatiently.

"May I ask if Qi San had already fallen in love with another woman? Is that why you want to be gone so badly?" Yukishiro Sa locked her gaze onto Qi Wangsun that gave the latter a cold shiver.

Chen Fan noticed the unwavering calm confidence in Yukishiro Sa ever since the conversation started. Her mind was keen and her will strong. They were unaffected by anything around her. It was evident that she possessed powerful Soul Energy that allowed her to even read people's minds.

"No, I didn't—"

Qi Wangsun's protest was cut short by Yukishiro Sa's sudden clapping of hands. A wooden side door slid open revealing a girl hanging down from the ceiling. Her body was bound by thick ropes that restricted her movement.

"Xiao Jin?"

Qi Wangsun panicked the moment he saw the girl's face.

The girl hanging in the air was Liu Xiaojin. She was supposed to be back at home with her family now. Her mouth was gagged by a piece of white rag and the moment she saw Qi Wangsun, tears started to trickle down from her cheeks, as she let out muffled cries.

"Yukishiro Sa, what is the meaning of this?"

Qi Wangsun slammed the table and glared at Yukishiro Sa hotly.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 335: Kitaniwakawa's One Cut

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Yukishiro Sa sat on a small futon, holding a bamboo cup with a porcelain-skinned hand. The steam rose from the ember colored tea and spread the fragrance of fresh tea leaf to the entire room. She held the teacup with delicate fingers, and handed it over to Qi Wangsun. She then spoke meekly like a typical Japanese housewife.

"Qi San, here is your tea."

"Tea my ass!"

Qi Wangsun waved a hand and nearly knocked the teacup to the ground. The amber-colored tea juice spilled out and down to the hardwood floor.

"Bakayaro!" The middle-aged man in Sumari dress suddenly pulled a taut face and pulled the blade out from its sheath. Cold lights ran down from the body of the blade and seemed to have lowered the temperature in the room. A powerful Blade Qi rushed forward and forced Qi Wangsun to lower his head.

"Kawakami San, please don't!"

If Yukishiro Sa was angry that Qi Wangsun had nearly knocked the teacup out of her hand, she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she ordered the middle-age man to stop acting up. The middle-aged man pushed the blade back into the sheath and returned to his seat. However, his eyes were filled with rancor when he glared at Qi Wangsun.

After she had issued her order, she looked to Qi Wangsun with a cold face.

"Qi San, are you going to refuse the tea I prepared for you?"

"Yukishiro Sa, don't play games with me. It won't work." Qi Wangsun let out a cold smile. "Release Xiao Jin now, or you will never leave China again."

An icy intent rose in Qi Wangsun's eyes. His face was contorted by anger, as he put the overbearing demeanor of a rich heir on full display.

Yukishiro Sa was unfazed by Qi Wangsun's reaction, instead, she rather liked him that way. "Qi San, you finally look like the son of a mighty figure in China. You acted too weak and helpless before, like a sheep that was meant to be devoured by a tiger."

"Cut to the chase, Yukishiro Sa, are you going to release her or not?"

Qi Wangsun said coldly.

Although they were still far from the base of the Qi family's operation in Northern China, Qi Wangsun was much closer to home than Yukishiro Sa. Qi Wangsun was confident that just the bald brawny man alone should be able to handle the threat.

"Qi Wangsun, you think too lightly of Yukishiro family." Yukishiro Sa was unaffected by Qi Wangsun's hot glare. She slowly lifted a cup of tea and sipped it while covering half of her mouth with the other hand, as per the tea-drinking etiquette. A hint of contempt surfaced on her face.

"Humph! Meng Zhong, help Xiao Jin get out of there. Kill anyone who dares to stop you."

Qi Wangsun let out a cold smile as he commanded the bald man with a wave of the hand.

The bald brawny man was called Meng Zhong and he remained seated on the futon as if he didn't hear the order.

Meng Zhong, didn't you hear me?" Qi Wangsun was riled up and so he raised his voice at the man.

Meng Zhong remained as still as a statue.

Qi Wangsun panicked slightly as he realized that the usually obedient Meng Zhong no longer listened to his orders.

"Qi San, what about now? Do you still think the odds are with you?" Yukishiro Sa set the teacup on the table and let out a gloating smile.

"You are in this with them?" Qi Wangsun finally wrapped his mind around what was going on. Meng Zhong wouldn't ignore him without getting the order to do so from Qi Wangsun's father. It was evident that Qi Wangsun's father knew of the kidnapping.

"I can't believe that my father would help you to set me up!"

Qi Wangsun exclaimed incredulously.

Despite the difficult relationship between the father and son, it still seemed unforgiving of the father to help a woman from Japan against the son.

Even Chen Fan was taken aback by the development. The son and father's bickering was getting out of hand.

"Young Lord, Lord Qi wanted you to marry Miss Yukishiro right away. Both Dong Sheng Group and Qi family were counting on this alliance." Meng Zhong finally broke his silence.

"What do you mean?" Qi Wangsun furrowed brows and asked in confusion.

He registered that something was off in the cadence of Meng Zhong. Did anything bad happen to the Qi Family so that they had to turn to the Yukishiro family for help? The Fu Hai Group was the Qi family's only rival, but the two-parties had been at it for decades and the competition had always ended in a stalemate.

Meng Zhong answered him with a heavy voice: "Yang Qinhu has made a move on us."

His words stirred up different reactions on his listener's faces. Chen Fan narrowed his eyes as he felt the name Yang Qinhu sounded very familiar.

"Yang Qinhu?" Qi Dongsheng's brows remained in a knot. He said in bewilderment. "Do you mean that tycoon lives near the China-Russia Border? Our paths never crossed, why would he go out of his way to act against us? But even if he did, so what? It's not like we are afraid of him on our turf. He is not that powerful anyway."

"Young Lord, you think too lightly of Yang Qinhu. He is not only a tycoon that presided near the border, but he is also a powerful Grandmaster listed on the heaven roll." Meng Zhong announced in a serious voice as he shook his head.

"Heaven roll? Grandmaster?" Qi Wangsun was dumbfounded.

He had never heard of those terms. Although he was groomed to be the next lord of the Qi family, and Qi Dongsheng even hired many experts to teach him the art of people reading, he was an outsider when it came down to Martial arts. After all, Qi Dongsheng had never thought that they would have to deal with threats such as Yang Qinhu.

Chen Fan finally remembered that he had seen Yang Qinhu's name on the Heaven roll before.

"I recall that he ranked number twenty on the Heaven roll." Chen Fan rubbed his chin.

"Even if Yang Qinhu is more powerful than Brother Meng, we still have over a few dozen guards in my family's service. Not to mention the hundred or so former employees of my father. They have all kinds of modern weapons in their disposal, and Yang Qinhu would mean nothing to them. Don't tell me that he would lead an army to our doorstep. The Chinese government would never allow him to do that."

"Hehe, what an imbecile!"

Before Meng Zhong spoke up, Kawakami Gensai who had been sitting behind Yukishiro Sa murmured in Japanese.

"Don't talk behind my back. I know Japanese, you know." Qi Wangsun was seized by a fit of anger. He rebutted hotly.

"I say, you are an imbecile!" Kawakami Gensai cracked a smile and spoke coldly: "You don't understand how powerful a Grandmaster is."

"She is right, Young Lord. Yang Qinhu is way out of our league. Grandmasters were mighty figures in China. Each and every one of them are near-invincible warriors. No one could bring them down unless another Grandmaster is involved." even as Meng Zhong explained, a fear filled light flickered in his eyes. It was as if he had seen the unimaginable power of Grandmasters first hand.

"What does any of that have to do with me marrying Yukishiro Sa? Could Yukishiro save us while we can't save ourselves?" Qi Wangsun refused to back down and he asked indignantly.

"Of course we could."

Yukishiro Sa lifted her chin and revealed her smooth skin on her elegant neck. "The Yukishiro family has the support of Grandmaster Kitaniwakawa, one of the four greatest Kendo Grandmasters. If he is willing to lend a hand, Yang Qinhu would be no threat at all."

"Mr. Kawakami Gensai behind me was the proud disciple of Grandmaster Kitaniwakawa. Under his protection, no one would even harm a hair on me."

After Yukishiro Sa said that, Kitaniwakawa lifted his chin and puffed out his chest, eyes brimming with disdain.

"That's right, only Master Kitaniwakawa could save us now." Meng Zhong nodded.

Qi Wangsun's heart suddenly sank to the bottom.

His family was the only thing that Qi Wangsun could fall back to. Without the Qi family on his side, he was no different than any ordinary student such as Liu Xiaojin and had no power against his family's will.

Qi Wangsun was staggered by the development. He managed to hold back the immense sorrow and looked at Yukishiro Sa.

"I really don't get it, you are so young and pretty, there are plenty of fish in the sea, why me?"

"Don't you use family honor as the excuse. You are the family lord now, you bend the family rules. So tell me what you are really after."

"You are very smart." Yukishiro Sa cracked an alluring smile. "There is a reason for my action. Dong Sheng San promised me the right to rule the Qi family after we get married."

"What?"

Qi Wangsun was shocked by the revelation.

Although Qi Wangsun was not interested in taking over the Qi family, he would never allow a girl from Japan to claim the seat of power. If that prospect came to fruition, he would be a lump of meat on the chopping block waiting to be carved up. In other words, Qi Wangsun was just a ticket for her to power. With such a high reward, anyone would jump on the opportunity to marry him. It was a huge blow to his confidence.

"Enough talking Qi San, it's time to make your decision now. Marry me or die!" Yukishiro Sa said matter of factly.

"Dang Dang."

Kawakami Gensai slowly pulled out his wakizashi, the cold light lit up the room again.

"Boohoo."

Liu Xiaojin started to whimper as she slowly lost hope. She looked to Qi Wangsun with tears all over her face.

Qi Wangsun stood with his hands clenched tight in a fist. His nails dug into the cushion of his palm without him even realizing it. This was the first time that Qi Wangsun felt helpless. Without his family's support, he was just an ordinary teenager.

"I… I…"

He had to choose between a hopeless future and his lover's life. Qi Wangsun's lips trembled and unable to form a word.

"You will let go of Liu Xiaojin and fuck off."

Chen Fan suddenly broke the silence.

"What?" Yukishiro Sa furrowed her brows and glared at Chen Fan coldly.

She had taken Chen Fan as Qi Wangsun's servant and was shocked to hear him speak out. The Japanese were fiercely hierarchical and Chen Fan's action was outright disrespectful.

"Bakayaro!" Kawakami Gensai's face was contorted by anger. He slid the blade out and brought it around to hack at Chen Fan's head from above.

The blade sliced through the air and made an ear-piercing whistling sound. It was so powerful that it could cut open a waterfall.

"Kitaniwakawa's One Cut"

Rumor had it that Kitaniwakawa made his name by cutting open a ten-meter wide waterfall using this technique. Although Kawakami Gensai's skill was not as proficient as Kitaniwakawa, the power in the attack was remarkable.

"Be careful, boss." Qi Wangsun panicked and shouted out.

However, it was already too late. The blade seemed to be traveling at the speed of light and had reached Chen Fan in a blink.

A sadistic grin appeared on Kawakami Gensai's face as he was ready to paint the floor with Chen Fan's blood. His favorite thing was to watch his victim being carved into two halves. Yukishiro Sa shook her head and lamented Chen Fan's impending death. Liu Xiaojin was terrified by the sight that she even stopping crying altogether. Meng Zhong was also shocked by the power in this attack. To everyone's surprise, Chen Fan shot out a finger and flicked at the incoming blade.

Suddenly, a thunder rumbled across the room.

"The Art of Thunder Finger!"

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 336: Only Three In China

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Chen Fan didn't want to interfere at first.

After all, the whole ordeal seemed like some drama between a disgruntled couple: a family matter. However, Yukishiro Sa's despicable methods didn't sit well with him. She had kidnapped Liu Xiaojin, taking her life hostage in order to claim the wealth of the Qi family.

Based on Qi Wangsun's conversation with the brawny man, it was evident that his father was a mighty figure in Northern China. He must have been struck by some unforeseen event and was forced to accept Yukishiro Sa's blatant blackmailing in order to relieve the immediate danger. With Yukishiro Sa's help, the Qi family could at least last at another twenty or so years. If he refused, they might have to face their undoing right away.

In the end, Chen Fan decided to get involved. He didn't do it just to help Qi Wangsun, he was also deeply curious of the hidden energy coursing through the girl's body and wanted to find out more about it.

"Kaboom!"

The thunderous clamor roared inside the room as a ring of white smoky Qi Energy erupted from the tip of Chen Fan's finger. The Qi Energy quickly spread outward, widening the ring. Qi Wangsun was staggered by the shock wave, losing his balance, he stumbled back a few feet until he fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Meng Zhong was able to remain seated amidst the powerful blast, but he was unable to open his eyes against the flow of energy.

The window screens were made out of paper and the shock wave tore through them, letting energy pass through the holes with hoarse wheezing sound. Kawakami Gensai who had launched himself up in order to land a blow on Chen Fan suddenly froze in the air as if they were in a movie and someone had pressed the pause button.

Buddha used to say: "A flicker of the finger takes sixty fleeting moments, each contained nine hundred fleeting instances of life and death."

Chen Fan had flicked his finger and paused the wheel of time. Time had lost its meaning, people in the room felt an eon had passed until they heard the next movement. A loud clank.

"Clank!"

Under everyone's shocked gaze, Kawakami Gensai, who was still pinned in the air was suddenly dealt a blow that sent his body flying backward for a few meters. He smashed through the wooden wall behind Yukishiro Sa, thudding onto the ground and continued rolling for another twenty meters until he fell into the pond in the garden outside. His renowned wakizashi, the Mahaprajnaparamita was snapped in half.

A deadly silence fell over the room.

No one had ever thought that Chen Fan could defeat the belligerent warrior with only a finger. Qi Wangsun was deeply impressed. He knew that his roommate was a powerful martial artist, but not to such a striking degree.

Meng Zhong's face turned dark. Although he didn't know the full extent to Kawakami Gensai's power, he was sure he wouldn't be able to handle the attack he used on Chen Fan. However, Chen Fan had reflected the attack with a flick of a finger. How powerful exactly was Chen Fan? Peak Internal Force cultivation? Semi transcendent? Or... was he a Grandmaster?

Meng Zhong was dumbfounded.

Yukishiro Sa was shocked by the development.

Kawakami Gensai was Kitaniwakawa's disciple, a renowned Kendo master who was undefeated at Kyushu island. Yet, he was easily crushed by a seemingly ordinary-looking teenage boy with a flick of a finger. What was going on?

"What a shame. We have the best sake and the best Mocha, why couldn't we enjoy them peacefully?" Chen Fan heaved a sigh and walked over to Yukishiro Sa. The tea she had prepared was still steaming hot. Chen Fan picked up a cup and poured its contents down his throat. "I don't know the name of this tea, but it's one of the best I have ever had on earth."

He then closed his eyes as if savoring the sweet aftertaste of the tea. After a while, he finally spoke again.

"Since Lao Qi didn't want to accept this marriage, why don't you just give up."

Yukishiro Sa was the queen of the Kyushu underground world and was not easily scared. She quickly gathered herself, and said in a cold voice: "Sir, I want to remind you that it was his father, Dongsheng San who had proposed this marriage alliance."

"Indeed. My friend, thank you for your help, but you are not really helping. Qi family is in danger. Even as we speak, Yang Qinhu is drooling over himself, preparing to feast on the Qi family. We need Yukishiro family and Grandmaster Kitaniwakawa's help! " Meng Zhong rose to his feet and announced.

Although he was still not sure how powerful Chen Fan was, he was convinced that Chen Fan's power wouldn't exceed that of Yang Qinhu.

At Chen Fan's age, at the most, he could reach the Semi transcendent level. Even that achievement would make him a one in a hundred-year talent.

Qi Wangsun sat on the futon as his face hardened. He finally let out a wry smile and said: "Boss, thank you. But Meng Zhong is right. I am a member of the family, and I can't just sit around while watching my family falls apart. As for Xiao Jin... I am sure she will find someone better than me; someone without a hot mess on his hands."

After Qi Wangsun said that, he walked over to Liu Xiaojin and untied her.

Liu Xiaojin started to cry louder now; her face was drenched in tears. Although she was still grappling with what had happened, she knew that Qi Wangsun was about to leave her.

"Sir, now your friend had already made his decision, would you please stay out of it?" Yukishiro Sa had regained control of the situation. She scanned Chen Fan from head to toe with deep admiration.

Japanese people worshipped power and strength and Yukishiro Sa was not an exception.

Chen Fan was able to knock out Kawakami Gensai with a flick of a finger, he must be a mighty figure in China. Already, Yukishiro Sa envisioned herself starting an affair with Chen Fan and using their intimacy to bring Chen Fan under her service. Her marriage with Qi Wangsun could only be taken at face value, it was just a matter of formality, a contact that held little feelings. Qi Wangsun was weak, and so was his family. Yukishiro Sa would never let him touch her.

"You mentioned Yang Qinhu. Is he the number twenty on the Heaven roll, the so-called Yang Qinhu of North-Eastern China?" Chen Fan ignored the girl's question, instead, he looked over at Meng Zhong and asked.

"Indeed. Do you know him?" Meng Zhong was taken aback and nodded.

He was an internal force user and was familiar with the Heaven roll.

"Tell Yang Qinhu that Qi Wangsun is my friend, and the Qi family is under my protection." Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and stood haughtily.

"You will protect the Qi family?"

Meng Zhong asked with a mocking voice.

Qi family is a prominent family clan in Northern China. If not because they had to face Fu Hai and Yang Qinhu on both fronts, they would never be in such a dire situation. Many of Qi Dongsheng's powerful friends tried to mediate between Qi Dongsheng and Yang Qinhu, but to no avail. What made this teenager think that he could deter Yang Qinhu?

"My friend, I have seen what you could do and I am deeply impressed. Don't get me wrong, but do you know who Yang Qinhu is and what he is capable of? Do you know what a Grandmaster means? There are only a handful of Martial artists who could compete against him in the entire China, and even less who could deter him with just a warning. I can only think of three who could pull that off."

"Oh? Which three are you thinking about?"

Chen Fan asked nonchalantly.

Qi Wangsun had relieved Liu Xiaojin from her bondage. He spoke softly to comfort the girl and looked up at Chen Fan.

He was curious about the secret world of martial arts. Meng Zhong had never mentioned anything to him since he was not a martial artist. He couldn't pass up the rare opportunity to listen to the conversation.

"The first one is Lord Hua, Hua Yunfeng who presides over Zhong Hai." Meng Zhong extended one finger as he started counting.

"Hua Yunfeng of Zhong Hai?" A hint of fear flashed across Yukishiro Sa's face "He is indeed a force to be reckoned with. The Hua Family has been at odds with some factions in Japan for decades, and so far the Hua Family was able to gain an edge in all conflicts."

"That's impressive." Qi Wangsun exclaimed in his mind. He had heard of the Hua Family before and knew that the current family lord was Hua Qinxion. However, Qi Wangsun had never thought that Hua Qinxion was not only a business tycoon like his father but also a deadly warrior. He was even feared by many Japanese clans.

"The second is the so-called God of War, General Major Ye Nantian."

Meng Zhong extended a second finger.

"Ye Nantian?" Yukishiro Sa was suddenly seized by a pang of distress. Ye Nantian and the Dragon's Fang units were famous across the world. They dominated the entire Asia with an unequivocal edge in their might and power. As a Japanese, Yukishiro Sa felt both fear and admiration toward Ye Nantian.

"He was the paragon of power in the Chinese military and used to be the strongest man in China. Even reputable warriors in my home country admir him deeply, some even consider him the incarnation of Oda Nobunaga." Yukishiro Sa said slowly.

"Holy shit!" Qi Wangsun was shocked.

He had already heard of Ye Nantian and knew that he wielded incredible authority and respect in the military. However, little did he know that Ye Nantian was a Martial arts Grandmaster. He must be extremely deadly to be able to deter Ye Nantian with a verbal warning.

"Brother Meng, Who is the third one?"

Gripped by the shocking details, Qi Wangsun asked.

"The last one was number one on the Heaven Roll. His name is Chen Beixuan, the Curmudgeon Chen."

Meng Zhong extended the third finger as he spoke with great measure of respect.

"Master Chen Beixuan. Of course, that's him. He was the strongest man not only in China but also in the entire Asia." Yukishiro Sa said. Her face was serious when she said Chen Beixuan's name as if she was evoking the name of a god.

She had heard of Chen Beixuan's deeds in Japan, that he had killed four Grandmasters in a row, that he had defeated Theseus the Phantom, that he was ranked number three on the Dark Roll. Each and every achievement of Chen Beixuan tugged at the girl's heartstrings.

She dealt with her business in the underground world, and the Dark Roll to her was a list of the most revered men and women, the pride of the underground world. The Dark Roll itself was more authoritative than any other lists, such as the Assassin's List, or the Bounty Hunter List.

Those who could make it onto the Dark Roll were all Super Overlords that dominated the underground world.

Even the most powerful Kendo Grandmaster in Japan, Erika was ranked at the bottom of the Dark Roll. For a while, it was difficult for Yukishiro Sa to wrap her mind around the immeasurable power of Chen Beiyuan.

"What? Chen Beixuan?"

Qi Wangsun was stunned. He turned his head and looked at Chen Fan stupidly.

"Didn't Chen Fan use that name before?"

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 337: The Deadly Waving of A Hand

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Qi Wangsun was first acquainted with the name Chen Beixuan when he was visiting Hong Kong from the mouth of the Hong Kong local tycoons. Chen Fan had also told him once to use his other name Chen Beixuan if he was ever in trouble. Qi Wangsun had never taken that offer too seriously, after all, he had been convinced that Chen Fan was just a tycoon in Hong Kong and would be of no use to his problem. By now, he had nearly forgotten the name.

However, hearing Meng Zhong bringing it up again, Qi Wangsun finally put two and two together and realized that Chen Fan was the number one Grandmaster on the so-called Heaven roll. He gave Chen Fan a confused look and wondered why would he be called Curmudgeon Chen while he was not even twenty years old yet.

"Would you please tell me, young man. Which one of those three mighty warriors are you?" Meng Zhong rubbed his shiny head and asked sarcastically.

Yukishiro Sa was amused by Meng Zhong's question. She sneered at Chen Fan in her mind.

Hua Yunfeng was in his eighties, while Ye Nantian became famous a few decades ago, so Chen Fan could be neither of them. As for Chen Beixuan, he was the most powerful man in China, a true dragon, he would never even show up alongside with no accounts such as Qi Wangsun much less be his friend.

"But wait for a second... Tang Yifei told me that Master Chen was studying at a university in Jin City. She also mentioned that he was around nineteen years old, a similar age as this young man... Could it be?"

The more Yukishiro Sa thought about it, the more convinced she became.

Even as she looked up at Chen Fan with shock and disbelief, she heard an explosion come from outside.

"Boom!"

The decorative pond outside of the wooden house exploded from the middle as if a bomb was detonated from under the water. A dark shadow flew out of the pond into the air and then it landed heavily on the stairs that led to the wooden house, creating two deep depression on the wooden step.

It was Kawakami Gensai who had been knocked out of the room.

He was drenched in water, hair flung tightly on his skin. He glared at Chen Fan with a predatory stare.

"Bakayaro! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Kawakami Gensai's face turned dark with a green undertone as blood vessels popped in his eyes. He let out a deep grunt and spread his feet wide with one foot in front of another. He lifted his palm as deadly energy hardened and sharpened the edge of his hand. With a heavy stomp on the ground, he threw himself at Chen Fan with incredible speed.

He had never endured such humiliation ever since he became the disciple of Kitaniwakawa. Seized by a pang of anger, he jumped out of the pond, trying to avenge his embarrassment.

Kawakami Gensai was a peak level Internal Force user. Japanese Martial artists not only cultivated internal force as Chinese martial artists do, but they also paid a lot of attention to strengthening their Physique. Therefore, some moves were extra deadly when performed by Japanese Martial artists. The burst damage from these Japanese Martial artists would exceed their Chinese counterparts. Their martial arts philosophy was very similar to that of a glass cannon assassin. Kawakami Gensai was not an exception.

His attacks were infused with energy from secret arts.

As energy poured out from each and every meridian, and qi chambers his heart raced to pump huge amounts of blood throughout his body. Muscles on his body burgeoned and stretched out his wet clothes to the point that it was about to rip apart at the seams. He charged at Chen Fan like an unstoppable train. He infused his hand with energy qi, turning it into a blade and used it to unleash the Kitaniwakawa's One Cut once again. This time, he didn't use a blade, but the attack seemed to be even more deadly.

His hand was brimming with Energy Qi and some access qi had reached down to the floor and carved a line on the wooden planks.

Kawakami Gensai had unleashed as much power as a semi transcendent grandmaster could. He was very close to being able to project his Internal Force out of his system.

"Hold on Kawakami san! He is—"

Yukishiro Sa's face paled and even as she warned Kawakami Gensai Chen Fan shouted: "Courting death!"

Chen Fan furrowed his brows and shot out a hand as if he was trying to catch a fly in the air.

"Kaboom!"

This time, Chen Fan no longer held back his power and sent out a wave of energy that was as ancient as time itself. This invisible force stormed forward and pulverized the wooden wall into wood pulp. Then it went on to annihilate the wooden landing, stairs and took out a few pillars until it reached the decorative boulder set beside the pond. This few-meters-tall rock trembled by the impact from the force.

The force rammed through Kawakami Gensai's body like a bulldozer and reduced the Kendo master into a bloody mush on the ground.

A pin-drop silence suddenly fell over the room.

Yukishiro Sa, Meng Zhong, Qi Wangsun, Liu Xiaojin and many other guards who were summoned here by the commotion were stunned by the terrifying sight.

It was as if a heavy semi-truck had plowed through the entire club. It rushed the stone planters, took out wooden pillars, landings, and eventually rammed into the huge boulder, creating a destructive path that extended from under Chen Fan's feet all the way to the decorative pond.

How did Chen Fan cause this with a single wave of his hand?

"Bam!"

Those who rushed into the courtyard to protect Yukishiro Sa dropped to their knees and kowtowed to Chen Fan as they would to a god.

Who else could have possessed such power other than a god?

Yukishiro Sa sat less than a meter away from Chen Fan, and the terrifying turn of events made her shiver with fear. If Chen Fan's attack was slightly off, she would have met the same fate as the Kendo Master. Chen Fan's godly power brought out a pang of fear and panic inside of Yukishiro Sa.

Her heart raced in her chest, feeling as she had just missed a fatal accident.

Meng Zhong was already rendered speechless. He was staring at at Chen Fan shocked.

"You... you..."

Not even the Transcendent Grandmaster he knew possessed such terrifying power. He watched as Chen Fan cast a deadly wave of energy out for nearly thirty meters. Only a handful of Grandmasters in China could have pulled that off.

His age and godly ability, plus the fact that he was studying in Jinlin City confirmed his identity.

"Do you know who I am now?" Chen Fan pulled back both hands and looked at Meng Zhong with a long glance.

Meng Zhong's mind raced as cold sweat trickled down from his face. In a fit a fear, he lengthened his body a little and then bowed ninety degrees to Chen Fan.

"I am junior disciple Meng Zhong. It is my honor to meet you, Grandmaster Chen."

The thought of being in the presence of the number one Grandmaster in China gave Meng Zhong the jitters. He was only a phenomenal success level Internal Force user, a pathetic weakling in the eyes of the mighty Master Chen. Kawakami Gensai was much stronger than him, yet he was killed by Chen Fan with a wave of a hand.

One should never disrespect a Grandmaster. He wondered in fear if Chen Fan would take offense in his sarcastic remarks.

The more Meng Zhong thought about it, the deeper his bow became. He wouldn't rise up until Chen Fan had told him to.

"Tell Yang Qinhu that Qi family is under my protection, and Qi Wangsun will make his own decisions about his marriage." Chen Fan said lightly.

"Yes, Master Chen." Meng Zhong answered while continuing to bow down to Chen Fan.

"Lao Qi, take Xiao Jin and leave here now."

Chen Fan waved a dismissal at Qi Wangsun.

Qi Wangsun gave Chen Fan a look with complicated feelings before he left with a terrified Liu Xiaojin and with Meng Zhong in tow. He knew Chen Fan was powerful and could cast spells, but he never thought that he was any less important than Chen Fan due to the immense wealth he would inherit one day. However, after seeing Chen Fan's display of his godly power, he was deeply shocked.

Qi Wangsun finally understood the unbridgeable gap between him and Chen Fan.

Their difference was not the same as that between the rich and the powerful, it was that of mortal and immortal. At his current level of attainment, Chen Fan might as well be immortal in the eyes of an ordinary person.

With that thought in mind, Qi Wangsun suddenly felt bitterness in him. Even the joy of getting out of Yukishiro Sa's scheme and saving Liu Xiaojin couldn't fill the sudden emptiness left by the disappointing comparison of him and Chen Fan.

Meng Zhong didn't dare to lift his chin up until they were a few hundred meters away from the club.

"That was a close call. Hew!"

He turned around and found Qi Wangsun's sour expression and he knew right away what the boy was thinking about right away. He heaved a long sigh and then patted the young man's shoulder: "Young Master, please don't overthink it. Grandmaster Chen is not an ordinary person like us. You really should count yourself lucky to have met him. Many people in China dream of meeting him in person."

Qi Wangsun managed to put on a smile.

"We have offended the Yukishiro family... what about Yang Qinhu?"

"Yang Qinhu can kiss my ass." Meng Zhong grunted. "The Curmudgeon Chen has given his warning, I wager he would scurry back to North-Eastern China with his tail between his legs. If he ever dares to harm us, whatever happened to Lu Tianfen, Lei Qianjue, Theseus and Park Kyung-hwan would happen to him."

Ever since Grandmaster Chen rose to prominence, he had killed more Grandmasters than Yang Qinhu had ever seen in his entire life. He ranked only twenty on the list and was no match against Grandmaster Chen."

"Really?" Seeing Meng Zhong's relieved expression, Qi Dongsheng also heaved a sigh. However, Meng Zhong's words didn't make him feel any less uneasy. Meng Zhong made it sound like Chen Fan could pin Yang Qinhu under his thumb with ease, while the Dong Sheng Group and the Qi family had to struggle to defend themselves.

How far behind was he compared to Chen Fan?

Qi Wangsun no longer wanted to overstress himself. He hugged Liu Xiaojin and walked home with Meng Zhong trailing behind.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan was studying Yukishiro Sa with great measure of levity.

"Did you know why I kept you alive after you have insulted me?"

Yukishiro Sa shivered a little as the color drained from her face. She kowtowed to Chen Fan, pressing her face against the floor. "Lord Chen Beixuan, please spare my life. You will be my new master from now on. I will satisfy all of your desires."

The girl looked refined and attractive even when she was begging for her life. Her meek and submissive tone and voice would give any man an ego boost. However, Chen Fan was unaffected.

"Humph. You have mistaken my desire for something else." He said heavily as he shot out an arm and grabbed something in the air. Then he shouted: "Come out now!"

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 338: Illusion Form of A Demon God

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Chen Fan seemingly grabbed nothing but the air but the motion caused a ghastly shriek to sweep across the room.

It was evident that the shriek was not any ordinary sound made out of vibrations of air. It seemed to have bypassed the ear and pierced directly into one's soul, like the wild chantings of beasts from hell. Its cadence and tone were imbued with evil and chaos.

"Ah! What the hell is that noise?"

Many of the guards were taken aback by the sudden noise that seemingly came out of nowhere. Many of the guards threw down their weapons and ran away. Even Yukishiro Sa was confused by the strange noise coming from her own body.

"Your tricks are pathetic"

Chen Fan snorted with disdain and stamped the ground with one foot. Suddenly, an azure-colored light shot out from his eyes and formed a hand as it flew at Yukishiro Sa.

"Get out now!"

Chen Fan shouted at the top of his lungs.

Yukishiro Sa's body started to shake uncontrollably. She felt a force was being pulled out of her body.

"Ahrr!"

Yukishiro Sa let out a painful cry as her body convulsed violently. The guards who were brave enough to get close and peeked through the cracks in the wall saw Yukishiro Sa's body was covered with a web of a mysterious tattoos.

The tattoos were nearly invisible at the beginning, but as the hand made out of energy qi clenched the girl, the ink started to surface onto the girl's naked skin, revealing one small patch of a much larger pattern. It looked like an image of a ghost or Demon.

"Arrgh! Arrgh!!"

As Yukishiro Sa's howling became louder and more agonizing, wisps of dark smoke rose from the ink and they converged in the air, forming a vivid image of an Oni. It had a horn on its forehead, two large fangs set on each side of a long slithering green tongue. Scraggly and matted hair hang from its hair, covering the gaping eye at the center of the nightmarish configuration.

As soon as the Oni revealed itself, it struggled to get away.

"Just an Illusion Form, you won't escape me."

Chen Fan snorted as the azure light in his eyes burned more fiercely until it reached out seven meters away from his feet. The azure fire lit up the surrounding area and forced the Oni out of hiding. Soon the Oni had its back against the wall and was forced to reveal itself again in the form of a swirling dark ball of smoke.

"Come over here."

As soon as Chen Fan produced the yellow-skinned gourd from his pocket, the puff of dark smoke flew into the yellow-skinned gourd. The Fruit of the Void Dimension Vine was a precious Dimension Altering Dharma Treasure. It would have no problem containing a Divine Soul. Once the Divine Soul was concealed inside the Dimension Altering Dharma Treasure, not even a Connate Spirit level cultivator could have registered its presence using Divine Will.

Chen Fan had also noticed that the owner of this illusion Form was only at the Divine Sea state. The energy in this illusion Form was much weaker than that which was encased in the golden statue. The divine soul in the golden statue might have belonged to a perfected immortal, but the creator of the Oni was not even remotely close to that state.

"What is going on?"

Yukishiro Sa struggled to get up and asked feebly. Her face was colorless and lips blue. She looked like she had just recovered from a terrible sickness.

Chen Fan didn't reply. He traced a circle in the air using a finger.

A Qi energy shot out from his finger and sliced open Yukishiro Sa's shirt.

The girl was suddenly fully naked in broad daylight. Feeling embarrassed, she shriveled up as her heart raced in her chest.

"Is he going to do me now? It's not that I don't want to, I'm just too tired."

Even as Yukishiro Sa thought wild thoughts, she noticed a tattoo with vibrant colors appeared on her shoulder. She traced the colorful lines and noticed that the ink had covered all over her body.

After a while, she finally noticed the tattoo was a snarling One Horn Oni King

"What is this?"

Yukishiro Sa was seized by shock and surprise and even forgot to cover her body up. Luckily, her guards were disciplined and well trained elite guards. They lowered their heads as soon as the girl was stripped of her clothes, scarcely daring to peek at the girl. Ancient family clans such as the Yukishiro family upheld their tradition fiercely. Whoever dared to lay their gaze on Yukishiro Sa would have his eyes gouged out and fed to the dogs.

"It's a small trick of the Divine Soul, likely that of a Demon God. in order for the demon to possess a human with his illusion form, it first needs to choose a proper vessel, preferably a virgin with pure Yin type body. It needs to tattoo a spell on the chosen one's body using a mix of ink and pigeon blood. This tattoo was invisible most of the time, and would only show up when the host became excited or unhinged. Otherwise, the tattoo is a medium for the demon."

Chen Fan picked out a shirt and a jacket and layered them over Yukishiro Sa's body as he explained slowly.

Although Chen Fan had not reached the required level to possess another human with his Illusion Form, he didn't need to anyway. He could simply attach a divine will onto his target in order to manipulate or monitor the target. This Oni's method was unnecessarily complicated. He had to find a virgin of pure Yin body and had to painstakingly tattoo that huge image of himself onto the host using the correct mixture of blood and pigment. It was too complicated and inefficient.

"Divine Soul Possession? Pure Yin body? Medium?"

Yukishiro Sa was confused by the jargon. However, she had understood one thing from Chen Fan: someone had tattoed that image on her without her ever noticing it.

The thought gave Yukishiro Sa goosebumps.

It was impossible to pull it off without the consent and help of Yukishiro Sa's parents. Did that mean her family was in on this as well?

"Yes, it's exactly like what you think." Chen Fan flicked a finger and said: "Only a person of pure Yin body could withstand being possessed by a Divine Soul. If the demon had possessed other innocent people, he would quickly lose body temperature, and his blood pressure would drop to zero. In the end, he would die of soul energy depletion. Even with a pure Yin body, most hosts would not live past twenty."

Yukishiro Sa was terrified by what she heard.

She was going to turn twenty this year and her birthday was in a few months.

"Then why me?" Yukishiro Sa asked in a shaky voice.

"In China, it's called Divine Soul or Evil Ghost, in Japan its called Shikigami, or Oni the Demon God. Overseas in Europe its called Evil Spirit. They are the different names of the same thing. As soon as a powerful Spirit Body possessed you, it would require a medium to feel what you feel and see what you usee, living vicariously through you. You will become its host that does its biding unwittingly." Chen Fan shrugged and then said: "But it also came with some benefits. Your ability to see through other people's minds, for example, was one of them."

The more he talked about it, the more liveliness drained away from Yukishiro Sa's face.

She was Japanese and had grown up listening to stories of Onmyoji, Shikigami, and Onis. However, the thought of being possessed in real life and the possession initiated while she was only a kid made Yukishiro Sa's stomach churn. Yukishiro Sa was convinced that the leaders of the Yukishiro family were involved in her being possessed by the ghost.

Suddenly, all those strange things that didn't make sense to her before became clear.

However incompetent her father was, her grandfather would never let a sixteen year old girl inherit the seat of power under Japan's fiercely traditional society. She didn't always have the mind-reading ability. When she was five years old, she had a bad fever and passed out for three days. After that, she found out she had gained the incredible ability of mind-reading.

Even the mighty Grandmaster Kitaniwakawa had always supported her unequivocally with a great measure of respect. That had always puzzled her. Why would someone much more powerful hold her in such high regard?

The thought of her grandpa's knowing glance and Kitaniwakawa's rarely calm expression gave Yukishiro Sa goosebumps.

After years of experience in leading a powerful family, she had strengthened her will and sharpened her focus. Therefore, she managed to quickly gather herself. She turned around and kneeled before Chen Fan.

"Master, your most loyal servant at your service."

Yukishiro Sa finally had a moment of epiphany. Let it be her grandpa, her father or Kitaniwakawa, they had only used her as a tool to their own benefit. Her family was no longer a safe haven for her, instead, it was the source of her nightmare. Chen Fan was the only person she could fall back on now.

Chen Fan was the number one Grandmaster in China and was the third most powerful warrior on the Dark Roll. As long as she has his support, no one would dare to harm a hair on her.

"Very well, you are smarter than I thought."

Chen Fan had seen through her mind and nodded.

He felt the hidden energy inside of Yukishiro Sa the moment he walked into the Ginza Club. He probed the energy with Divine Will and realized that it was an illusion Form of a Demon inside the girl. The owner of the Illusion Form was a powerful being of the Divine Sea level. However, judging by the feeble power of the Illusion Form, Chen Fan wagered that the owner of the Illusion Form was badly injured. The Illusion form was so weak that it lacked means of breaking out of Yukishiro Sa's body and had to rely on the tattoo to perceive its surroundings.

That being said, Chen Fan couldn't pass up the opportunity of capturing a Divine Sea level Demon God Oni.

Chen Fan recalled that he had obtained the Primordial Ghost Flute from the Young Master of the Ghost Witch Sect, and at that time, he couldn't refine it into a Dharma Treasure because he lacked proper material. But there was no better material for this job than this Demon Spirit.

"Master, I have seen a picture with the same pattern as my tattoo. It was a painting in the Yukishiro family's Shrine." Yukishiro Sa gritted her teeth as vengeful light flickered in her eyes.

"Very well, I will go to Japan with you. But you need to come with me before we leave."

Chen Fan waved a hand and said. He was not even remotely scared of a Divine Sea level Demon God, but he still needed to prepare for the battle. Although the Demon God was weakened by a serious injury, it was of Divine Sea level and could not be trifled with.

"The Spirit Herbs in the Green Dragon Grand Array are ready for harvest. It's about time for me to reach the mid-stage of Ethereal Enlightenment."

Chen Fan thought to himself as his eyes shined an expectant light.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 339: Godfiend of Dark Mist

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

As soon as Chen Fan captured the Illusion Form into the yellow-skinned gourd,

An angry and pained scream shot out from a shrine in Kyushu island. This scream didn't seem to pass through air, instead, it shot right into the mind of people nearby.

"Oh no. Lord Susano has awakened. What is going on?"

An old man was meditating in a deep recess of the shrine, wearing an Onmyoji outfit that was completed with a tall black hat. His hair and beard were all as white as snow, face lined with wrinkles.

"Bam!"

The wooden door swung open and a middle-aged man barged in: "Father, Lord Susano is angry, he has already killed three priestesses."

"Don't panic!"

The old man slowly rose up and refuted the middle-aged man.

The old man was enlightened by the way of nature and it showed in every movement he made and every syllable he spoke. His eyes were as deep as the deepest ocean in the world, full of wisdom and mystery. If any Chinese cultivator was here, he would be surprised to see a Perfected Cultivator of Dharma Cultivation standing before him.

"Yes, father, I apologize." The middle-aged man quickly lowered his head and apologized.

Although he was the son of the old man, he had to tread carefully before the leader of the Chizuru family, a renowned Onmyoji master of Japan. He has the ability to commune with the Ghost Spirits, talk to the deceased and control souls and spirits. Even the cabinet ministers in Japan had to talk to him with the greatest respect.

"Follow me."

Chizuru Masahiro waved his large loose sleeve, motioning his son to follow him. He then walked off toward the center of the shrine where the statue of their god was placed. The middle-aged man trailed behind the old man fearfully.

As soon as they made it to the main hall, they were greeted by a bloody scene.

A large statue was set at the center of the somber and dark hall of the shrine. This statue depicted an image that was nothing like that of a Bodhisattva or Celestial Lord, instead, it was a hideous Oni. Its face contorted with a devious grin and its body was covered in dark glinting scales. He looked like a demon that crawled right out of hell.

This was the Demon God of the Susano Shrine: Lord Susano.

On a normal day, this main hall was a sacred ground where priests and priestess tended the incense and sacrifices on the altar. However, there and then, the hall was a bloody mess. A large shadowy figure three-meters tall, filled up the empty space of the hall. The figure had only one eye with a twisted horn on its forehead. Its body was covered from head to toe in black scales just as the statue was.

The large dark shadow held a priestess in both hands, and with a slight jerk, it had torn the girl's body in half. Blood spilled out from the body, raining down onto the already bloody floor. Body parts mixed with shattered furniture that was strewn all over the ground.

Despite the horrid sight, Chizuru Masahiro only furrowed his brows slightly and bowed.

"Lord Susano, what has made you so angry?"

The Godfiend turned around its misty form and snarled at Chizuru Masahiro. Then a booming voice came up in the old man's mind: "I can see it... My Illusion Form is no more... China... Someone in China had ruined my Illusion Form... find him... SMASH him..."

A tsunami of roiling Soul Energy filled up the large hall.

The middle-aged man behind Chizuru Masahiro was suddenly attacked by a bout of headache and dizziness. He staggered and almost fell to the ground.

Chizuru Masahiro narrowed his glinting eyes and asked: "Do you mean the little girl from Yukishiro family? Yes, she departed for China a few days ago. That being said, it would take at least a Perfected Cultivator, if not one in the God Reining State to detect and destroy your Illusion Form"

"Could there be a God Reining State Immortal Master in China? That's impossible."

The Onmyoji Master shook his head.

"I don't care... fine him and smash! NOW!" The Godfiend roared out his anger.

Although he was nothing but a ball of dark smoke, he had the ability to manipulate physical objects with incredible strength. He smashed the altar made out of a hunk of solid oak into wood pulp. The dark mist froze the air around it, making icicles form on the frosted ground.

"Yes, my Lord." Chizuru Masahiro lowered his head obediently.

Satisfied, the Godfiend of Dark Mist lost its form and became a plume of dark smoke before it returned to the statue.

An envious light flashed in Chizuru Masahiro's eyes.

Although he was a mighty Onmyoji Master, he couldn't help but feel jealous of the Godfiends Dark Mist's power. The Godfiend of Dark Mist was gravely injured before, but his power was still extraordinary.

"This is the power of the Immortal State. Even if his flesh had perished, he could survive in the physical realm as a Ghost Spirit." Chizuru Masahiro lamented in his mind. He was already in his eighties, but this Demon God of Dark Mist had existed even when his ancestors were still alive. By now, the Demon God of Dark Mist had survived over a few hundred years.

Based on his family records, this Demon God used to be the first Onmyoji to have reached God Reining State. He quickly dominated Japan with an iron fist, and even the emperor himself feared him. Before he was killed, he ordered the construction of the Susano Shrine to host his Ghost Spirit. After he passed away, his Ghost Spirit fed on the faith and worship of priests in the shrine. Chizuru Masahiro's ancestor was one of this Onmyoji master's disciples and he and his descendants were ordered to guard the shrine.

Other than his family, many other families sought protection under the powerful blessings of the Lord Susano.

After Chizuru Masahiro walked out of the main hall, he turned around and ordered his son: "Contact the Yukishiro family ask them what has happened to Yukishiro Sa. Also Bring the message to Lord Kitaniwakawa, tell him I need to see him."

"Yes, father." The middle-aged man answered with a shaky voice.

He knew better than anyone the power at Chizuru Masahiro's disposal. As long as he was in charge of the Shrine, he could lord over the Kyushu island like a king.

After the middle-aged man left, Chizuru Masahiro paced back and forth in the lobby and turned his thoughts inward.

"Who did it? Who could destroy Lord Susano's Illusion Form? Could there really be an Immortal State cultivator in China? The only one I know has been living in seclusion for over a decade. Or was it another Demon God just like Lord Susano?"

Chizuru Masahiro pondered.

However, he didn't feel threatened by the potential opponent. With the power of Lord Susano and the resources in Kyushu under his disposal, he could easily handle an Immortal State cultivator.

This was the twenty-first century now, and there were many more ways to deal with a cultivator than before.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan had returned East Mountain and started to prepare for his leveling up.

It had been half a year since the time he reached Ethereal Enlightenment. Within these six months, he had been consuming Essence Qi every waking moment. The Azure Thearch Longevity Art was one of the most sacred Divine Arts from the Five Elements Immortal Sect. It allowed Chen Fan to absorb Spirit Qi from any living plant or tree. Therefore, even though Chen Fan couldn't carry the Spirit Gathering Array with him, his cultivation went on unhindered.

In other words, he was a walking Spirit Gathering Array, channeling Spirit Qi from his surroundings all the time.

Ideally, Chen Fan would find a virgin forest that had no distractions and cultivate there. However, Chen Fan couldn't simply give up his life and hide in seclusion for years on end.

Therefore, the easiest way to go about it was to construct the Green Dragon Grand Array. Once he harvested the spirit herbs, he would turn them into spirit pills that would further his cultivation.

"Clack-Clank, Clack-Clank."

Yukishiro Sa had changed into a white samurai outfit and wore her hair in a short ponytail. Her pristine beauty made her look like an anime character. She followed Chen Fan as the two started up the mountain.

Yukishiro Sa was curious why Chen Fan brought her here before they left for Japan.

However, she kept her questions to herself. She knew that she had to rely on Chen Fan to survive. The Demon God and her family wouldn't let her get away with escaping the grip of the Illusion Form.

"We are here."

Chen Fan paused after they made it to the top.

The mountain range around here was surrounded by heavy mist.

Yukishiro Sa looked around and could vaguely trace out the outlines of mountains. They formed a circle and at the center was a flat low ground that was covered by an even thicker mist. However, from time to time she could see the low valley was filled with wild grass and dead trees.

Why are we here? Was there a hidden base somewhere?

Yukishiro Sa was confused.

"What do you see?"

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and asked lightly.

"Master, I see only an empty valley." Yukishiro Sa answered with great respect.

"Oh? What about now?" Chen Fan let out a smile and stomped the ground as he shouted under his breath: "Clear!"

Suddenly, an incredible sight revealed before Yukishiro Sa.

The clouds and the misty started to churn and roil and from the middle, it was split into half by an invisible force. Chen Fan shouted again, and the two sections of the clouds parted revealing a broad path seemingly made out of the mist.

This misty avenue stretched over a few hundred meters from under their feet to the low lying valley.

The girl looked down at the valley from the lip of the path and she was stunned to realize the valley was far from empty. It was filled to the brim with all kinds of exotic plants and trees. Around her, the mist had condensed into fine rain droplets with a faint azure undertone. The rain and the moisture hanging in the air above the valley like a giant cotton blanket.

At the end of the path, deep in the valley was a mansion of exquisite design and exceptional craftsmanship.

"Is.. is this where the Sages live?"

Yukishiro Sa was shocked.

Sages were a common element in Japanese folklore. They all said to live in otherworldly places that were isolated from the mortal world. Without the stress and clamor of the real world, they could cultivate a few hundred years without aging the slightest.

Yukishiro Sa had always thought sages were the stuff of legends, but what she was seeing right now had proven her wrong.

shock and disbelief had rendered her speechless.

"Don't be silly, this is my man-cave, not the Immortal abode of Sages." Chen Fan was amused but the girl's reaction. Then he ordered her: "Follow me this way."

Chen Fan took a step forward and landed on the misty path.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 340: Power Surge

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Chen Fan walked on the path made out of mist against the wind, looking like a transcendental sage who walked among the clouds. Yukishiro Sa felt conflicted to take the first step. The path was made out of flowy mist and looked insubstantial. No ordinary person would dare to walk on it.

However, Yukishiro Sa was not just anyone, she was the Queen of Kyushu island's underground world.

She gritted her teeth as determination flashed in her eyes. She extended one foot to tap the mist. To her surprise, despite the soft and fluffiness of the mist, the path was very sturdy. It was formed by water elemental Spirit Qi harnessed by the Green Dragon Grand Array. It was similar to the misty web of Lei Qianjue's Qi Net of the Thousand Trickeries. It might appear to be soft, but it was tough and solid in reality.

Yukishiro Sa felt relieved after having confirmed the path was solid. She hurried to catch up with Chen Fan.

Then, she embarked on the most inexplicable journey in her life.

While walking a few hundred meters above the ground, she couldn't see anything but a sea of clouds beneath the path. There was no railing on either side of the path so she had to walk cautiously to avoid falling off. Yukishiro could see that in the distance, the valley was filled with planted herbs. Even from this far, she could smell the fragrance of fresh herbs.

As she inhaled the herbal scent, she felt a warm and relaxing sensation sweep across her body as if she was in a hot tub.

Suddenly, she heard a beast's roaring came up from the valley.

Yukishiro Sa rounded her eyes in disbelief as she saw a few hundred-meter long azure dragon rise from the cloud sea. The dragon had long flowy whiskers and strong powerful talons on its feet. A pair of horns similar to that of an antler erected from its forehead. Its round eyes opened widely and its body was about as thick as a water tank. It writhed in the air, tossing its body around as it let out a peal of roars that sounded like a bell chime.

"Is this... really a dragon?"

Yukishiro Sa was stunned by what she saw. She pointed a finger at the Azure dragon and asked.

"That's just a White Drake, the Array Spirit of the Green Dragon Grand Array." Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and walked ahead of the girl. "It is not a dragon, not yet. Think of it as a baby dragon. However, it's much stronger than the Demon God that possessed you."

White Drake used to be the soul of the Yin Snake. Chen Fan had adopted it and nurtured it in the Misty Cloud Array. Over time, it had reached the Divine Sea level and transformed from a Yin Snake into a Naga. At that level, it was already able to rival grandmasters. After Chen Fan had moved it to the Green Dragon Grand Array, its power had improved by leaps and bounds and started the second transformation to become a White Drake.

By then, the White Drake had become a Divine Sea level Divine Soul. It was not only deadly but was also just a step away from reaching the Connate Spirit level. Once it had done that, he could finally live outside of the Green Dragon Grand Array and became a free-roaming Connate Spirit Being. Even Chen Fan was not confident that he could subjugate the White Drake if he had to fight it inside the Green Dragon Grand Array, much less the Demon God of Dark Mist.

If the Demon God of Dark Mist ever appeared near the array, the White Drake would be able to gobble it down as a Qi supplement.

"If I don't really need the White Drake here to guard the Green Dragon Grand Array, I would have turned it into a Primordial Spirit for a Dharma Artifact. That would save me a trip to Japan." Chen Fan lamented.

Under White Drake's curious watch, Yukishiro Sa hurried to catch up with Chen Fan and reached the end of the path.

They were deep inside the valley now and saw an intricate pavilion surrounded by a wash of azure light. They were at the center of the Green Dragon Grand Array where the Spirit Qi was the most concentrated. Chen Fan had planned to build an Immortal abode for his parents and Xiao Qiong.

"North Qiong Pavilion."

Yukishiro Sa saw read out loud the three large characters etched on the sign hanging above the entrance.

Chen Fan didn't say anything. He cracked open the door and walked into the main hall. He had decorated the rooms the exact same as his Immortal abode while he was cultivating in the True Martial Celestial Sect. The hall was large and empty. It had only a few pieces of furniture including a futon set before a painting of a girl.

Yukishiro Sa studied the painting and was enamored by the image of a girl.

Her beauty was beyond description: words such as pristine, sublime and gorgeous failed to do her beauty justice. She was in a purple coat and looked as serene as a goddess from heaven. Yukishiro Sa was convinced that the girl in the painting did not exist in the real world.

"Master, who is this?" Yukishiro Sa asked quietly.

"That's none of your concern." Chen Fan wave a dismissal and ordered: "Tong Shan, take her to the guest room. I need it to be quiet and do now allow anyone to disturb me."

"Yes, master."

Tong Shan answered obediently.

Tong Shan's voice caught Yukishiro Sa by surprise, she didn't notice that there was a hulking frame in the corner. The man was over two-meters and fifty centimeters tall, over a few heads taller than Yukishiro Sa. His skin had a metallic sheen as if the man's body was made out of bronze. Yukishiro Sa also noticed a strange light shining in the big man's unblinking eyes. As he made his way toward Yukishiro Sa, she felt the floor tremble after each step he took. His looming presence unnerved the girl.

Yukishiro Sa followed Tank Class to the guest room. Chen Fan was not worried that the girl would double-cross him. The Array Spirit aside, just Tong Shan alone could ward off enemies as powerful as Lei Qianjue. He had submerged himself in the Qi rich environment for so long that he had strengthened his physique condition to an unimaginable degree.

Yukishiro Sa wouldn't be able to stir any trouble even if she had the audacity to do so.

Chen Fan sat on the futon, facing the painting of the goddess in purple.

"It's about time."

He produced a pile of Spirit Medicine from the yellow-skinned gourd. He had produced these using the first batch of harvest. The Green Dragon Grand Array and the Vitality Serum worked in lockstep and boosted the herbs' growth by a few hundred times.

In three months, the herbs had matured as if they had grown for thirty years.

These thirty-year-old herbs were a far cry from thousand years old Ginseng, but these herbs excelled in quantity. There were plenty of them in the meadow, ready to be harvested.

"Ruellia, Silver Beard Ginseng, some slices of Red Drake Fruit and some more Grass Essence. These should suffice for making the True Essence Pills, the best supplement for Ethereal Enlightenment level cultivators. "

The herbs lay before him mainly come in three categories.

He had found the saplings of these herbs in the vault of the Medicine Valley Sect. They happened to be the essential ingredients for the True Essence Pills. Chen Fan had conversed these saplings and planted them after the Green Dragon Grand Array was in use. The first batch of these herbs had just been harvested and could be turned into spirit pills. Although there were plenty of other herb saplings in the vault, these three kinds were the most suitable for Ethereal Enlightenment level cultivators.

"Arise!"

Chen Fan waved a hand and summoned a golden flame lancing out of his eyes.

As the golden flames floated in the air, the three piles of Spirit Medicine were stirred by an unseen force and formed then flew up toward the fire in three trickles of herbs. Chen Fan's earth fire technique was exceptional, therefore, he didn't need any beakers or containers, all he needed was the fire from the Li Fire Golden Eyes and the herbs.

"PeeleePaaa..."

The Li Fire Golden Eyes was much hotter than any conventional flame. As soon as those spirit herbs came to contact with the ball of golden fire, green juice dripped out from their leaves and converged together. Chen Fan started an art to infuse his Dharmic Powers and True Essence with the herbal extract. Suddenly, the extract changed its liquid form and started to solidify, forming a few dozen green pills that fell from the air. They dropped squarely into a jade bottle.

Chen Fan paused his art to consume the pills he had just created.

True Essence Pills was a mid-level Spirit Medicine and were much more potent than Essence Enhancing Pill and the Essence Gathering Pill. Although the relatively inferior quality in the herbs meant that he could only create Lesser True Essence Pills, its supply was nearly unlimited.

After Chen Fan finished all the pills, he ordered Tong Shan to harvest another batch and then he created more pills, rinse, and repeat.

After he had gone through the cycle many times, he could feel his True Essence was getting stronger and his Qi energy was getting agitated. His skin gained a greenish undertone and the azure light burned brighter by the second.

Chen Fa could feel that he was finally going to breach the bottleneck.

Three days later, Yukishiro Sa sat idly on a stone step and looked into the distant valley.

"When will master finish his cultivation? That big guy talked as much as a rock. I have been spending my days before the Tv and the computer screen, and it's getting boring. There is no internet signal here either. That's so dumb."

Yukishiro Sa swayed her leg that hung from the step and yawned.

Boredom aside, this place really was comfortable to live in.

With that thought in mind, Yukishiro Sa felt a relaxing joy in her body. She would live this life every day for the next hundred years. She was fed spirit fruits and she only needed to eat one of those magical fruits to feel full for the whole day. However, she was eager to return to Japan and get back to those who had done her wrong.

The thought of her grandpa offering her to the Demon God like an object filled Yukishiro Sa's mind with venomous thoughts. She couldn't wait to taste the sweetness of revenge. However, without Chen Fan's permission, she couldn't even leave this Cave Abode.

"Are you talking about me?"

A cold voice drifted toward the girl.

Yukishiro Sa turned around and saw a tall handsome young man wearing loose hair and a long black robe stood at the entrance. The man's handsome features were breathtaking. An Azure flame burned in his eyes, like the righteous fire of a god.

"M... master?"

Yukishiro Sa stammered.

The man looked similar to Chen Fan but was much more attractive, so much so that his face looked almost otherworldly, just like the girl in the painting.

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and said nothing.

The energy inside of him had increased its breadth and depth significantly. By now, it was as heavy as a mountain and as vast as the ocean. Chen Fan projected his Divine Will out of the system and found out that he could easily cover the entire valley and beyond. The effective range of Chen Fan's Divine Will used to be around three kilometers, but now it could go as far as five kilometers. The True Essence in his system had practically doubled. Chen Fan was confident that if a foe as powerful as Lei Qianjue came to challenge him right now, he should be able to crush him using just spells.

However, that was not the only benefit of leveling up.

He reached out a palm and underneath his porcelain-like skin, azure light flashed faintly, making his hand look like it was carved out of a chunk of green jade. This was a sign that he was very close to the initial success of the Azure Thearch Longevity Body. When he finally achieved initial success, his entire body would let out an azure glow.

"My body wasn't strong enough to use the hypersonic punch more than two times in a row, but now, I think I can use that technique repetitively with no problem. Even if Lei Qianjue and Theseus ganged up on me, I should kill all of them with ease. I wager that not even an Immortal State being could withstand my new-gained abilities."

The thought brought a smug smirk on Chen Fan's face. He looked to the east where the sun was rising.

"I guess I will try my new power on you..."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 341: To Japan, We Go

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

January 2009. Inside the Zhong Hai International AirPort...

The Chinese New Year was just around the corner and the airport was packed with throngs of people traveling in and out of China to be reunited with their families. There was no direct flight from Jin City to Fukuoka, therefore, Chen Fan and Yukishiro Sa had to catch a flight to Zhong Hai first and transfer from there to their final destination.

"Hi, can you move over a little please?"

Chen Fan and Yukishiro Sa had booked first-class seats with ample leg room. It didn't take Chen Fan long to find his seat.

Next to him was a young couple. The man was in his thirties and he was wearing golden rim glasses and a spiffy business suit, looking like a successful manager at a large firm. The girl was fashionably dressed. She wore a large pair of sunglasses and wore her shoulder-length hair down. Below the waist, she wore K-pop style jeans that wrapped tightly around her breathtaking curves. However, one of her crossed legs extended all the way to the aisle and blocked Chen Fan's path.

The girl heard Chen Fan's voice, she looked up from her sunglasses at Chen Fan, her eyes were brimming.

Chen Fan didn't change his appearance back to the usual college no account, instead, he went to Japan as Chen Beixuan. He knew he would get his hands dirty in Japan and there was no point in hiding his identity. Plus, he wanted everyone to know that it was he, Chen Beixuan, who did everything.

"OK."

The girl let out a sweet smile and pulled back her legs to make way.

The young man wasn't quite pleased by their interaction. However, he kept his annoyance to himself. Chen Fan and Yukishiro Sa found their seats and they sat right across from the couple.

Seeing Chen Fan had traveled with a young girl with pristine beauty, the girl seemed disappointed.

The air stewardess honey-coated voice drifted out of the intercom, signaling that the airplane was about to take off.

Chen Fan sat still with his eyes half-closed as he reflected his past cultivation. The early-stage and mid-stage of the Ethereal Enlightenment level were two worlds apart when it came down to power. At mid-stage, only Chen Fan would have much more Qi Energy at his disposal, but he was also much more proficient in using divine powers. By then, Chen Fan should be able to use some large scale Dharma Spells.

These large Dharma Spells took a long time to cast, but they were as powerful as weapons of mass destruction. Chen Fan would use these spells to deter the assault of the Japanese army if he had to. However, that was unlikely to happen since Chen Fan's improved Azure Thearch Longevity Body should be able to help him get out of any hairy situation.

Before his recent leveling up, Chen Fan had a very rudimentary form of the Azure Thearch Longevity Body. Even using the hypersonic punch just once would be taxing for his body. However, the new Azure Thearch Longevity Body was greatly improved. Not only could he use the hypersonic punch as frequently as he wanted, but the endurance and toughness of his body had also surged to an absurd amount. By then, not even a cannon firing at him at point-blank could have harmed him, much less normal caliber weapons.

"The Demon God must have sensed his Illusion Form being shattered by me. Yukishiro Sa had told me that both the Yukishiro family and the Susano Shrine were located at Fukuoka. I might have to face the Japanese police and military as soon as I arrive there." Chen Fan tapped the armrest with a finger.

He would not be deterred by a Demon God in his prime, much less an injured one.

This Demon God had existed over a few hundred years in Japan and must have more than just the Yukishiro family under his command. Therefore, Chen Fan was convinced that in order to bring the Demon God to his heels, he would have to first deal with the tycoons of Kyushu island and the Japanese government. To make sure of his victory, he had decided to embark on his journey after he had leveled up.

Plus, he was already so close to the mid-stage of Ethereal Enlightenment, all he needed was that final dash before the finishing line.

By then, Chen Fan had finally breached the bottleneck and improved his physique condition. It gave him a level of protection against firearms.

Suddenly, a clear and musical voice wrenched his thoughts out of his reverie. "Hi, my name is Ai Jinqi. I am from Zhong Hai. Are you guys going on a vacation to Fukuoka?"

Chen Fan cracked open her eyes and saw the fashionably dressed girl was staring at him with a warm smile. Her long and slender legs were wrapped tightly in her jeans, she looked as hot as a supermodel.

"My name is Chen Beixuan, from Jin City." Chen Fan answered distractedly.

Sensing the coldness in Chen Fan's voice, Ai Jinqi's smile faded a little. However, she was an outgoing social butterfly and was not easily deterred. She inched closer to Chen Fan and asked under her breath.

"That hottie there, is she your girlfriend?"

She was so close to Chen Fan that he could smell the intoxicating fragrance of her lipstick. It was evident that she was getting a little bit too familiar.

The girl's intimate action didn't sit well with the young man beside her. He pulled a tight face and grumbled.

"Xiao Qi!"

"Can you get off my back? I didn't ask you to come with me! I am just asking him a question, you got a problem with that?" Ai Jinqi rolled her eyes at the young man and said: "Plus, I don't know you that well, don't call me Xiao Qi."

The young man blushed and grew quiet. His glare became increasingly hostile toward Chen Fan.

Chen Fan glanced over the couple and gauged the dynamic between them. The man must have fallen head over heels for the girl while the girl didn't seem to be interested. However, Chen Fan didn't want to waste his time on them, so he furrowed his brows and replied:

"No, she is my servant girl."

"servant girl?" Ai Jinqi was taken aback.

The girl was expecting to hear a lover, mistress or wife, but not a servant girl. Who still keeps servant girls in the 21st century?

"Nonsense, no one has servent anymore. So you mean she is a domestic worker from the Philippines?" The young man sneered at Chen Fan and said.

"Ren Hao, Did I tell you to speak up?" Ai Jinqi glared at the young man. Ren Hao's face grew even redder. Although he managed to hold back his anger, he glared at Chen Fan with a ball of fire in his eyes.

"I am Chen San's servant girl, a slave if you will." Yukishiro Sa said readily.

She looked distant and aloof but was extraordinarily beautiful. Adding on her white peacoat and slim fit pants, she looked as adorable as a princess.

Despite her gorgeous appearance, she admitted that she was a lowly servant. The revelation was shocking.

"Wait, are you Japanese?" Ai Jinqi noticed Yukishiro Sa used the term "San" when she spoke. Only Japanese people use that in lieu of Mr. or Mis.

A drop-dead gorgeous girl from Japan claimed to be Chen Fan's servant girl. It was unbelievable.

Ai Jinqi batted her lashes as her eyes shifted from Chen Fan to Yukishiro Sa and then back at Chen Fan as she trying to make sense of their relationship. Meanwhile, Ren Hao was seized by a pang of jealousy when he heard Yukishiro Sa's confirmation of her servitude to Chen Fan. He murmured with a sour tone: "Is it some kind of sick role-playing?"

This time, he kept his voice low but the others heard him nonetheless.

Chen Fan didn't seem to mind the man's insult, but Yukishiro Sa gave him a hot glare and chided: "One more word of disrespect, I will throw you off the plane. Do you understand?"

Although she was just an ordinary mortal, years of experience of running the underground world in Kyushu island created a ruthlessness and belligerence in her voice. Ren Hao was startled by the girl's tone and decided to keep to himself from then on.

"Why do you call him Master, if I may ask??"

Ai Jinqi asked curiously.

"Because Master is strong enough to save my life. I have sworn to follow the master." Yukishiro Sa looked to Chen Fan, her eyes were filled with respect and admiration.

In the beginning, she only felt fear toward Chen Fan, and the fear had also kept her in check. However, after Chen Fan killed the Illusion Form and took her into the Green Dragon Grand Array, the fear in Yukishiro Sa was replaced with veneration.

He could command not only a dragon but also the elements in nature. If he was not an immortal, who was?

"Really?" Ai Jinqi's eyes were lit up with interest and excitement.

She felt that she was listening to a plot of a soap drama. The mighty hero saved the girl who then offered herself to her savior. The hero appeared to be cold and distant, but was an extremely passionate lover, especially in the night—It was the story arc of most Qidian Novels that have "Handsome CEO" in its title.

Chen Fan looked cold and distant and fit the stereotype perfectly.

She pressed on and asked more questions. Although neither Chen Fan nor Yukishiro Sa wanted to entertain her, Ai Jinqi prattled on. Chen Fan offered a brief reply from time to time, and slowly he got a pretty good picture of the chatty girl's trouble.

Ai Jinqi was forced to go through many dates arranged by her family and eventually she got fed up and decided to go on a vacation.

Much to her dismay, one of her arranged dates, Ren Hao, decided to travel with her. She was infuriated but couldn't find a way to get rid of Ren Hao.

Before the plane landed, Ai Jinqi held onto Chen Fan and Yukishiro Sa's hand and was reluctant to part with them. She asked: "Are you here to tour the city? Maybe we can meet again? Can we exchange numbers?"

"Let's leave it to our fate."

Chen Fan waved a dismissal and left the plane with Yukishiro Sa.

The disappointment was written all over Ai Jinqi's face. Ren Hao could no longer hold back his bitterness. "What a jerk! He thinks he is prince charming because he looks slightly better than most people. Humph! Servant girl, I think he is bluffing. Who does that any more? It's against human rights!"

"Shut up, you!"

Ai Jinqi rolled her eyes at him and after walking to Chen Fan, Ren Hao seemed even more disappointing.

In 2009, Japan was no longer the economic superpower that she once was in the 80s, but the country was much more developed than China. Life in Fukuoka was much better than that in Chinese cities of a similar tier. Walking on the street, Chen Fan was impressed by how clean the streets were and how orderly the people behaved. That being said, In the years that followed in 2009, China had quickly caught up with Japan in nearly all aspects of city development.

"Master, are we going to the hotel now?"

Yukishiro Sa asked respectfully.

"No, they are already here."

Chen Fan answered readily.

"They?" Yukishiro Sa was taken aback at first. Before she wrapped her mind around Chen Fan's words, a black Mercedes-Benz pulled over beside them. A menacing-looking young man got out of the car and came over to them.

"My sister, why didn't you tell us that you are coming back to Japan?"

The man studied Chen Fan with a scheming glare as he greeted Yukishiro Sa. Behind the young man stood a group of brawny men with compact muscles.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 342: Storm The Yukishiro Family

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Yukishiro family had been thriving on Kyushu island for over a hundred and fifty years. They were the descendants of an even more ancient family that presided over northern Kyushu. Being a large and blue-blooded family, it had many branches and countless offspring. Yukishiro Sa's rise to power had rubbed against the misogynistic grain of many male heirs. Prejudice and discrimination against women were still quite prevalent in Japanese traditional society.

The status of Japanese women in society was much lower than men's. There were only a very few females among the ranks of business tycoons and politicians. Nowadays, it wasn't uncommon to have a woman being one of the nation's leaders, but that was not the case in Japan.

Without the support of her grandpa and Kitaniwakawa, Yukishiro Sa wouldn't be able to hold on to the power for more than a month. Her grandpa's unequivocal support gave her the illusion that she was the most competent member of the family, destined to rule the clan. However, it had become clear to her that grandpa had her back simply because of the dark spell cast onto her by the Susano Shrine. Worse, her days would have been numbered if Chen Fan didn't break the spell and the power of the family would return to one of the male members.

Not a lot of people in the family knew that Yukishiro Sa was part of the family's darkest secret. When they heard the old man was hunting for Yukishiro Sa, they were elated. The family sent their men to wait at the airports in Fukuoka and Kitakyushu. As soon as Yukishiro Sa landed, Yukishiro Yasuo hurried to the airport with his men.

"Yasuo, what are you doing here?"

Yukishiro Sa furrowed her brows as she put on the mask of a dominating family lord.

"My dear sister, do you really think you are still the head of the Yukishiro family? Grandpa ordered us to hunt you down and take you back home." Yukishiro Yasuo let out a cold smile. and said: "Please don't make this more difficult than it needs to. I don't want to be rude to a former family lord. "

Even as he said that the group of buff men in black suits inched forward with serious faces.

"How dare you!" Yukishiro Sa flung back at him, not backing down the slightest.

She had always been the pride of the family and no one, not even her elders dared to openly flout her, much less a groveling toad such as Yukishiro Yasuo.

"Of course I do!" Yukishiro Yasuo let out a peal of laughter. "You are knee-deep in trouble, sister. You have riled up grandpa and Master Kitaniwakawa. Plus, Kawakami Gensai was not with you. Are you planning to count on that pretty boy from China? You—"

Before he could finish, he heard a cold voice come up beside him.

"Courting death!"

Everyone watched as Chen Fan's body became a blurred shadow for a very brief moment and regained its solid form. Meanwhile, Yukishiro Yasuo was dealt a blow on the face, the force sending the man flying out.

Chen Fan slapped Yukishiro Yasuo's face using only a fraction of his strength, yet the impact had crushed the man's head, shattering his cheekbones. Looking from the side, Yukishiro Yasuo's head was as flat as dough.

"Bam!"

Yukishiro Yasuo's body thudded lifelessly on the street half a dozen meters away.

An heir of the Yukishiro family, a force to be reckoned with in the underground world was slapped to death by Chen Fan.

"What?"

Yukishiro Yasuo's guards reached toward their burgeoning waist belts out of instinct. It was evident that they had all brought guns with them. However, they were stunned by the horrid scene. Skulls were the toughest bones in the Human body and the guards found themselves grappling with the exact strength of Chen Fan.

"Master, do you speak Japanese?"

Yukishiro Sa was shocked, albeit for an entirely different reason.

She had been conversing with Yukishiro Yasuo in Japanese and thought that she would need to translate to Chen Fan in Chinese later. To her surprise, Chen Fan seemed to have picked up the drift of the conversation and rained down his rage on Yukishiro Yasuo.

"It's a walk in the park for an Immortal Cultivator to master a language."

Chen Fan said slowly in Japanese.

His Japanese pronunciation sounded a little off when he spoke out the first few words, however, when he finally finished the sentence, he was speaking Japanese as if he had been living in Japan for many years.

Ever since Chen Fan reached the Foundation Establishment level, he gained photographic memory. Before he came to Japan, he read and memorized an entire Japanese dictionary. It only took him a few minutes since all he had to do was quickly scan the book with his Divine Will. He practiced Japanese in his head while he was on the plane, and mastered it in less than half a day.

Chen Fan turned around and looked at those stunned guards. "Is this what the Yukishiro family sent to deal with me? What a joke."

He waved a hand and started an art, sending out a few dozen wind blades. These wind blades cut all guards into pieces in a blink. Ever since Chen Fan had reached the Ethereal Enlightenment, he could cast small spells like this on a whim. He infused the air with energy and turned the wind into sharp blades that could cut through steel. Human flesh didn't stand a chance against these wind blades and those guards were reduced into a pile of chopped up body parts soaked in blood.

Although these elite guards carried firearms, they didn't have the chance to discharge them even once.

"Master."

Yukishiro Sa's face colored a little. She reckoned that Chen Fan had let go of the shackles of conscientious over his indifference toward human life as soon as he landed in Japan. If he was in China, he would think twice before killing a dozen men.

"The Yukishiro family has already sent men after you, that means the so-called Lord Susano had already noticed that he had lost his Illusion Form. Let's go to your family first and ask your grandpa nicely about the details of Lord Susano. "

So saying, Chen Fan summoned a few fireballs and threw them onto the pile of bodies. The fire quickly ate away the flesh but was unable to clean the blood, leaving a stomach-churning black path on the pavement.

"Let's go, I hope you have your driver's license."

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and walked toward Yukishiro Yasuo's car. Yukishiro Sa followed Chen Fan obediently, her heart was filled to the brim with righteous fear toward Chen Fan, leaving no room for doubts.

Chen Fan sat in the passenger seat and watched as Yukishiro Sa hurried to start the car, revved up the engine and drive on.

Chen Fan closed his eyes and started to reflect on his mission.

Although Japan's economy was on par with China, Chen Fan felt much less restricted in his actions in Japan due to the island nation's meager military force.

Japan was not allowed to have regular military after their defeat in WW2. They were only allowed to keep a regiment of meager two hundred thousand men and women as the Japan Self-Defense Forces. It included a hundred and fifty thousand in the army and a hundred thousand in the navy. This was only a fraction of the military force currently under service in China.

It would take at least a million-strong army to stop Chen Fan and Japan would never be able to pull that off. Although the two nations' size of economy was very close, China had the upper hand in military preparedness. It has over two million regular soldiers, and even more in the reserves. Therefore, Chen Fan was much more wary of the Chinese forces than the Japanese. Plus, Chen Fan's family were all in China as well, and that was a major concern for him.

The only force he had to be careful about while he was in Japan was the American troops stationed there. They represented the most powerful nation on earth and should be avoided at this stage of Chen Fan's cultivation. That being said, the American troops were likely to leave him alone and would not care about the damage he did to Japan as long as Chen Fan stayed out of their interests.

Chen Fan tapped the armrest with a finger as he pondered on.

As time passed, Yukishiro Sa was getting more confident behind the wheel. They were soon out of Fukuoka and headed toward the base of the Yukishiro family in a small village nearby.

Meanwhile, in a quiet village on the outskirts of Fukuoka, a group of Yukishiro family leaders gathered in a small wooden house and were deliberating with each other.

"Yasuo has headed toward the airport to bring that traitor back. "

A servant of the family reported. He knelt on the ground, bending down from the waist until his chest was flat against the floor.

At the head of the table sat a scrawny old man in his nineties. The old man was bald and toothless. Despite his shriveled form, no one dared to speak up against him. The old man's eyes gleamed with wisdom and evoked deepest respect and reverence in the others.

He was the backbone of the Yukishiro family, Yukishiro Chio. He was Yukishiro Sa's grandpa.

A middle-aged man wearing a plain samurai outfit sat beside the old man. He sat on his folded legs with his eyes half-closed. A cold Wakizashi laid flat on his lap sideways. Despite the ordinary look of the man, no one dared to overlook his presence. He was Kitaniwakawa, the most powerful Kendo Grandmaster in Kyushu. Because of him, Yukishiro's family was able to claim the seat of power in Kyushu.

"Good on Yasuo. Order him to bring the traitor straight home." Yukishiro Chio said.

"Hai!" The servant nodded.

Even as the servant was going to leave the room. Kitaniwakawa suddenly opened his eyes, and asked: "Did the message mention anyone traveling with Yukishiro Sa?"

"Er... yes. I think it mentioned a young Chinese man traveling with him." The servant thought for a second and replied.

"What's the matter Lord Kitaniwakawa?" Yukishiro Chio asked in confusion.

"I got news from the Susano Shrine saying the man who destroyed our Lord's Illusion Form must be a Grand Onmyoji or Perfected Cultivator in China. So I wager that this man would be traveling with Yukishiro Sa. But... " Kitaniwakawa furrowed his brows and said: "But you said he was a young man? It would take at least fifty years to become a Grand Onmyoji. I wonder what made this young man so powerful? Or was I wrong from the outset?"

"Lord Kitaniwakawa, we should have answers when Yasuo bring them both back. "

Yukishiro Chio said with a confident smile.

All of Yukishiro Yasuo's guards were equipped with guns, and not even a Kendo master could survive a dozen gunmen.

Even as he said that a loud bang came up from the entrance. A servant barged into the room and shouted: "My Lord, someone is trying to bash through our gate."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 343: A Slaughter

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Konoyarou! Who dares to trespass on our land?"

Before the family lord Yukishiro Chio and Kitaniwakawa reacted, one of the lesser leaders of the Yukishiro family slammed the table and shouted furiously.

Among the thousand or so residents of the quiet village, only a small portion of that population were members of the Yukishiro family. However, nearly all the other villagers worked for the family. Some of them were servants, and some were guards. The Yukishiro family also kept an armory in the village in case of violence. Yukishiro family had lorded over this village for over a few hundred years and had accumulated over time many weapons, including heavy firearms.

It would be difficult if not outright impossible for the Japanese police to enter the village by force since they would have to get past the villagers first. Such was the accumulation of power and influence of the Yukishiro family that they dominated the Kyushu's underground world. It was absurd to think that anyone would try to barge into the village by force.

"It was Yukishiro Sa and a young Chinese man." The servant hurried to put in.

"This is... Impossible!"

Swells of exclamations rose in the room, and even Yukishiro Chio's face colored a little.

They were just talking about Yukishiro Sa and thought that she must have succumbed to Yukishiro Yasuo and his guards. However, Yukishiro Sa had turned the situation around and come to hunt them down instead.

"It seems that the mighty fighter from China is with her. "

Kitaniwakawa spoke out as he slowly rose to his feet and started off toward the entrance. His hand clenched tightly around the handle of the infamous Uchigatana called "Edge of Thousand Peaks"

"Fret not, with Kitaniwakawa on our side, no one from China would harm us." The leaders of the Yukishiro family calmed themselves down and filed out of the room behind Kitaniwakawa.

Kitaniwakawa was one of the four greatest Kendo Grandmasters in Japan. He was the protector of the Yukishiro family. As long as he was still alive, so would the Yukishiro family.

The development even stirred Yukishiro Chio. He struggled to stand up and with the help of a young servant girl, he caught up with the big group.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan stood in front of the village entrance, linking his hands behind his back as he watched the group of distressed young men.

The Yukishiro village was built like a fortress. Large wooden stakes and fences marked the perimeter of the village. Signs of ancient earthen ramparts were still visible here and there. The tall wooden fences were either cracked or chipped and had definitely seen better days.

When Chen Fan and Yukishiro Sa first showed up, no one seemed to take notice of them.

The small village was the Yukishiro family's base of operation and it was not uncommon for the villagers to find strangers walking about. Some of those visitors were politicians from the cities, some were lords of other great families.

However, when Chen Fan smashed open the gate, the loud noise stirred up everyone.

Countless young and able hands rushed out of their humble village houses, carrying all kinds of weapons: kitchen knives, blades, baseball bats, pitchforks, you name it. The Yukishiro family had built this village and had the most fervent support of the ardent villagers.

"Master."

Yukishiro Sa was made uneasy by the sight of a few hundred strong mob carrying all kinds of weapons.

She knew Chen Fan was a Grandmaster, but she was not sure if Chen Fan could hold himself before so many attackers. Some of them even wielded guns. Even if the situation was safe for Chen Fan, it was perilous for a girl like her.

"Follow me."

Chen Fan waved hand and walked forward. Having exhausted any other options, Yukishiro Sa dug in and followed Chen Fan closely.

"Attack!"

A man who looked like a leader made a gesture and a throng of young men with menacing tattoos on their arms came at Chen Fan. These men were cannon fodder even when Chen Fan had just reached Foundation Establishment level. They were doubly-dead since Chen Fan had reached the Ethereal Enlightenment.

"Clank!"

Chen Fan flicked a finger cursorily and sent out an azure-colored Blade Auras from the tip of his finger. The Blade Aura was charged with True Essence and grew in length until it was a few meters long. Chen Fan shot out two fingers, where the Blade Auras launched out and made a slicing motion in the air.

The Azure Blade Aura traced a ten-meter long semi-circle.

The Azure Wood Qi Blade was so sharp that it could cut through metal as if it were butter. Not even the deadly Blacksnake could survive its attack much less these ordinary humans. In a blink, a few dozen attackers who got caught by the Qi Blade had their bodies severed in half from the waist.

"Ah!" "Ah!"

A peal of heart wrenching wails come from the village entrance.

These Yukishiro family's henchmen didn't die immediately and they howled in agonizing pain as they struggled to hold on to the ebbing life.

Those mobs who had acted slow and weren't caught in the deadly Qi Blade froze in their tracks, cold sweat sliding down their backs, and faces looking horrified.

Did they see a lightsaber coming out of this young man's fingers? Was he a Jedi? He had killed a few dozen men with a single sweep of the hand, was he a human or a superman? Although these men served a powerful family and had their fair share of dealing with deadly fighters, they had never seen anyone so terrifying.

"Captain, what should we do?"

The remaining henchman looked to their leader.

Bead-sized sweat seeped out of Taro Nakagawa's forehead as he faltered. He was the captain of the village guard and was responsible for the security of the family lords. All these men were under his command.

Even as the guard captain, it was the first time he had ever seen anyone as mighty as Chen Fan. He was certain that the only person he knew who could hold off Chen Fan was Grandmaster Kitaniwakawa. But how was that even possible? The young man's age was probably less than half of Kitaniwakawa's.

"Clank!"

Even as the rest of the villagers hesitated, Chen Fan took a step forward and hacked at the crowd using Blade Qi.

The scintillating Blade Qi looked like an Uchigatana and its azure incandescent glow turned into a blurry smear of shadow. The Blade Qi had severed the air and created a vacuum behind. As the air rushed back into the vacuum, it created a violent explosion. The Blade Qi didn't stop, it sliced through the rest of the villagers as if cutting through butter.

Chen Fan concluded the confrontation with two short and swift attacks and killed nearly forty elite guards of the Yukishiro family. These villagers had all undergone intense training at Kendo Dojos. Some of them were Karate black belts and some were Aikido masters. Any one of them would have held themselves while facing attacks from multiple fronts. However, Chen Fan had only effortlessly flicked his fingers twice and ended all of their lives.

Even after being used twice, the Blade Aura was still glowing like a flame in the night sky.

While Chen Fan was in the Foundation Establishment level, Chen Fan had to struggle to kill Linbao by casting out his True Essence. However, now he had reached the Ethereal Enlightenment level and his True Essence had grown as vast as an ocean. The Blade Aura would sustain a hundred if not a thousand times of repetitive use.

"Fire! Fire at him!"

The Yukishiro family members who caught the terrifying sight could no longer remain calm. There was no time to wait for the guard captain's orders, so they took the matter into their own hands and pulled the trigger.

Suddenly, bullets came toward Chen Fan from all directions like a metal downpour. He was surrounded by at least a dozen firearms, and other than smaller handguns, there were many submachine guns and heavy machine guns. Many of these guns were made in America and were well known for their devastating damage output.

These American made machine guns could cut down a large tree, and sever a man in half from the waist. Most ordinary Grandmasters would not be able to escape their death when they were surrounded by these heavy weapons.

"Ah!"

Yukishiro Sa covered her eyes and crouched.

Everyone knew how deadly modern firearms were and therefore the girl was convinced that Chen Fan's fate was sealed.

Yukishiro Sa's conviction was shared by everyone in the Yukishiro family. They kept pulling the triggers as a fit of violent thrill seized their minds.

"Die, you freak!"

Many people expected to see a dead Chen Fan on the ground, body covered with bullet holes.

To their surprise, what greeted them was a stunning sight.

Chen Fan's body was glowing incandescent azure and the light was turning brighter by the second. Soon, the light illuminated the area surrounding Chen Fan, forming a protective shield. Countless bullets landed on the shield and simply bounced off. At each impact, the shield shimmered a little but remained intact.

"How is that possible?"

Everyone, including Taro Nakagawa, was stupefied by what they saw. Sensing there was no longer danger about, Yukishiro Sa opened her eyes and was shocked to see countless bullets lodged in the field of glowing light. It was as if the shield was embellished by many bronze flowers.

"Master really is a sage!"

Yukishiro Sa exclaimed in her mind as a wave of veneration and reverence rose in her.

If not for the inconvenient circumstance, she would kneel before Chen Fan and beg to follow him for the rest of her life.

Meanwhile, the villagers and the Yukishiro family members were stupefied by the turn of the event. Many even let go of their triggers and stood idly, trying to make sense of the situation.

"BaaDa!"

Chen Fan took a step forward.

His movement startled his opponents. They cried out for help and ran away, throwing away their weapons to run faster. Try as he might, Taro Nakagawa could no longer rally the routed fighters.

The young man must be a monster, otherwise, how come he was bulletproof?

It was already too late for them to run away. Chen Fan flicked his finger with each step he took, sending out wind blades from the tip of his fingers. These wind blades ripped open the air and whizzed toward the backs of the deserters.

These Wind blades were formed by Essence Qi and was hard enough to cut through metal. They cut into the deserter's bodies and sliced them into halves from the middle.

One step, two steps, three steps.

After Chen Fan unleashed the seventh wind blade after he took the seventh step, the body count in the village had reached the hundreds. The rest of the villagers who looked at the disaster unfold turned tail and ran for home.

Chen Fan had squelched Yukishiro Chio's impenetrable fortress as he would to a piece of tofu.

By then, Kitaniwakawa and the leaders of the Yukishiro family had finally made their way to the village entrance. Kitaniwakawa was shocked by how bad the situation was. He then looked at the young man warily, digging in for a tough fight.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 344: Kill With One Move

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"You are a powerful individual in China, why do you kill these innocent people? Do you have any shred of conscience in you?" Seeing the results of Chen Fan's brutality, even Kitaniwakawa couldn't hold back his anger.

The faces of the Yukishiro family leaders were flushed red. Over a hundred dead bodies piled before them and each one of them was an elite guard that took a lot of time and resources to produce. The family leaders would even moan the loss of any one of them, much less so many of them at once.

"Grandmaster Kitaniwakawa, please help us get rid of this vile criminal!"

Yukishiro Sa's uncle, Yukishiro Kōichirō shouted vehemently.

"And kill Yukishiro Sa as well. She is a despicable traitor who had lead this man to us. I want her dead!"

Another uncle of Yukishiro Sa, Yukishiro Takeshi snorted derisively.

Chen Fan didn't answer Kitaniwakawa's question, just simply flicked his finger again to shoot out a gust of wind blades.

Chen Beixuan was the North Mystic Celestial Lord, a mighty figure that stood at the peak of this universe. No one shall question his motives, and neither did he answer to anyone.

Kitaniwakawa watched as the two-meter wide energy wave glowing with incandescent azure whizzed across the village with enough force to cut through metal. The old man slowly pulled out his blade, from the old and beat up looking sheath. Although he didn't arrive in time to save any lives, he saw Chen Fan unleash his attack and the gruesome aftermath. The dead bodies and firearms abandoned by their users told Kitaniwakawa that there was going to be an uphill battle ahead of him.

Kitaniwakawa dared not to let his guard down after sensing the immense power of his opponent.

The handle of his blade had already faded due to repetitive use and the lacquer on the sheath also flaked off here and there. However, no one dared to overlook its deadliness. Because it was the infamous Edge of Thousand Peaks.

It was one of the best blades in present-day Japan

Kitaniwakawa had traveled the entire Japan with this blade and eventually made his name at the Kyushu and Shikoku region. He was a mighty Kendo Grandmaster who was feared even by Chinese Martial arts Grandmasters and Thailand Mixed Martial Arts Masters.

"Clank!"

Kitaniwakawa completely unsheathed the blade in a smooth and steady fashion.

Suddenly, a sharp silvery flash shot out from the blade, nearly blinding everyone around it. The leaders of the Yukishiro family who had stood right next to the Kendo master felt a wave of icy Blade Qi bite into their faces like a sharp knife.

"Such power! No wonder he is the most powerful Kendo master in Japan."

The leaders of the Yukishiro family exclaimed.

"Humph! Yukishiro Sa, get ready for your punishment." Yukishiro Takeshi's lecherous look sank its sharp hook into Yukishiro Sa's elegant face.

Yukishiro Takeshi had been eyeing his niece for a long time, but never put his lewd incestual thoughts into action due to the girl's position in the family.

Yukishiro Sa's face paled after seeing the involvement of the Kendo Master.

Although Chen Fan had proven his unimaginable abilities numerous times, including blocking the bullets of a dozen guns firing at point-blank, he had to face the invincible Kitaniwakawa. Could Chen Fan really survive his attack? If Chen Fan was killed, she might as well end her life before she could be treated as a plaything.

As a member of the Yukishiro family, she knew the vile nature of her uncles and elders.

They were a bunch of sadistic savages.

"Kacha!"

Kitaniwakawa's One Cut, the same move executed by Kawakami Gensai appeared before Chen Fan once again. However, Kitaniwakawa's execution was much more powerful. The silvery Blade Aura lanced upward and then bore down on the Wind blades from above.

The Wind blades shattered the Blade Auras and the shock wave from the impact swept across the room, taking a few more innocent souls before it finally subsided.

"Bravo!"

Leaders of the Yukishiro family shouted out in elation.

They had just seen Kitaniwakawa's attack melted Chen Fan's Wind blades. It was evident that Kitaniwakawa had the upper hand in this fight. Already, many leaders had started to think of ways they would torture Chen Fan. They wished they could chop Chen Fan into pieces and feed this arrogant fool to the dogs.

Meanwhile, in Yukishiro Takeshi's mind's eyes, he saw himself straddling on top of his beautiful niece as he did unspeakable things to her. The thought gave him euphory.

However, no one seemed to have noticed the gloomy expression on Kitaniwakawa's face.

His palm was still numb after the impact with the Wind blades. What unnerved him the most was the fact that the Blade Auras still had a huge amount of energy left in them after traveling such a long distance. He couldn't bring himself to think what would happen to him if he had to take the brunt of the force at close range.

"I have never heard of anyone in China at this age could have possessed the same amount of power as an S-Level Overlord or a Perfected Cultivator. Does he work for the Special Case Departments? I know Red Sparrow is a woman and White Tiger is a Physical Refinement master, so he must be either Azure dragon or Black Tortoise. Or is he neither?"

Kitaniwakawa's mind raced and he became more and more agitated.

He was misled by Chen Fan's ability to unleash Wind blades to think that Chen Fan was an Extraordinary One such as Zoro the Thunder King.

Kitaniwakawa's heart sank to the bottom. The warriors of the Special Case Department in China were all forces to be reckoned with. Azure Dragon, in particular, ranked top ten on the Dark Roll. The other three were all more powerful than late-stage Grandmasters.

Kitaniwakawa wagered that if his opponent was really that powerful, his priority should be to successfully disengage and flee.

"Huh?"

Chen Fan suddenly found something was amiss. He turned around to look at the old man.

Although the Wind Blades were of minor strength compared to other spells up his sleeve, even an early-stage Grandmaster such as Lu Tianfen would have to avoid direct contact with the attack. Even if Lu Tianfen was able to hold his ground, the impact would take a heavy toll on his system.

The fact that Kitaniwakawa was able to take the brunt of the force unscathed meant that his level of attainment was not less than Lin Tatian, a mid-stage Grandmaster.

"Are you Kitaniwakawa?"

Chen Fan asked lightly.

"Yes, may I ask your name?"

Kitaniwakawa asked politely.

Japanese culture worshipped the strength and therefore, the old man couldn't help but respect this young man because of his incredible abilities. Kitaniwakawa had only seen one person in his life who might be this young man's equal and she was Erika, the deadliest Kendo Grandmaster in Japan.

"You are not worthy of knowing my name."

Chen Fan said matter-of-factly.

Kitaniwakawa might have been a headache for Chen Fan before he reached the Ethereal Enlightenment. When he had to deal with Lin Tatian, he was forced to use the costly art of Yi Wood Connate Spirit Grand Qin Na Hand. However, by now, Chen Beixuan was already at mid-stage of Ethereal Enlightenment and therefore, defeating a mid-stage Transcendent State martial artists was just a stroll in the park

Kitaniwakawa remained silent and vigilant, but the Yukishiro family members were miffed by Chen Fan's remark. In their minds, Chen Fan's fate was already sealed.

"I will tell you my name if you can survive one of my attacks."

So saying, Chen Fan shot out a smooth-skinned arm and grabbed something with his fingers that glowed a faint azure light.

"Form!"

The wind came up and countless wind blades appeared in the thin air and converged around Chen Fan, forming a long twisty dragon. The dragon was a few meters long was made out of a few dozen Wind blades. After its form solidified in the air, it charged down at Kitaniwakawa and the people around him.

"Shit!"

The color drained from Kitaniwakawa's face. He had never thought that Chen Fan's Dharma Spells could be so deadly. Kitaniwakawa was stunned as this was the first time he had ever seen anyone casting a powerful spell without taking any time to prepare.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the Yukishiro family were stunned.

Chen Fan had summoned a dragon that was made out of Wind blades. This was unheard of.

"I bet that not even the Grand Onmyoji, Chizuru Masahiro could have pulled it off."

Yukishiro Kōichirō murmured to himself. His face was pale and lifeless.

Kitaniwakawa realized that it was already too late to evade the attack, so he hunkered down and charged up his True Qi. Invisible energy blew out from his body, puffing up his sleeves. Meanwhile, he inserted his feet a few inches deep into the ground. With a solemn and heavy expression on his face, he lifted the Uchigatana and raised it high above his head.

Standing before the snarling dragon of wind blades sweeping across the village toward him, Kitaniwakawa felt he was back at the bottom of the waterfall again with the Edge of Thousand Peaks in his hand. On that day, he had severed the gushing water and became a renowned Kendo master.

"Kitaniwakawa's One Cut!"

Kitaniwakawa shouted at the top of his lungs as he brought down the Uchigatana.

Blade Aura surged from the body of the Uchigatana as the blade bore down on its target like a bolt of silver lightning. The blinding light threatened to pierce through the very fabric of space

Kitaniwakawa attacked with abandon. He was confident that his attack should be able to sever an armored vehicle in half. However, halfway through his execution, he faltered as he was stupefied by the terrifying sight of the flying dragon of death before him.

"Kaboom!"

The Blade Aura and the Wind Dragon collided again.

The explosion was ten times louder than the last one and the impact sent out countless Wind blades in all directions, killing more bystanders. These wind blades went through their bodies as if they were butter. Rough energy pierced through Yukishiro Takeshi's chest, leaving a large gaping hole in the middle of his body.

"Why.. why?"

Yukishiro Takeshi collapsed to the ground, his eyes were filled with disbelief.

He was the leader of the Yukishiro family and the manager of the multi-billion corporation. He dictated the local affairs, and brushed shoulders with only the most influential bureaucrats never had he thought that his life would end in such violence.

Finally, before his death, he realized how insignificant and vulnerable he was in the world.

After a few exchanges of attacks, only a lucky few remained in the village. The terrifying sight had stupefied them, rendering them motionless.

"Is he dead?"

Yukishiro Sa looked into the distance.

Ever since she was a child, she was convinced that Kitaniwakawa was practically invincible. She might openly defy her father and grandfather, but never Kitaniwakawa. She shivered a little as she imagined what would happen if she came back without Chen Fan. She would have already knelt before Kitaniwakawa, asking for forgiveness.

After the dust had settled, she saw a man drenched in his own blood while standing rigidly.

"I know who you are now... but it's too late."

Kitaniwakawa managed a final smile before his head lolled to one side as he collapsed to the ground.

Kitaniwakawa, one of the four deadliest Kendo Grandmaster in Japan was dead.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 345: Bring Down The Yukishiro Family

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

At the last moment of his life, the old men knew that there could only be one person in China who could summon a Dragon with a wave of the hand and kill a Kendo Grandmaster in one strike. He must be the most powerful Grandmaster in China, the third deadliest person on the Dark Roll: Chen Beixuan.

However, the moment of epiphany came too late for Kitaniwakawa.

Although he stood his ground before the whirling blade dragon for a few seconds, the Wind blades quickly gnawed through his Four Righteousness Protection Aura and into his flesh.

Kitaniwakawa excelled in blade techniques and possessed powerful internal force. However, Physique Refinement was not his strong suit and he was no match against the onslaught of a dozen or so wind blades. The sharp edges easily sliced through his flesh, bones and churned his entrails around like a grinder. He had to muster all the remaining True Energy inside of him to utter his last words.

Kitaniwakawa was dead!

The Kendo master who had presided over the Kyushu and Shikoku area was killed by Grandmaster Chen Fan with one strike. A few top leaders of the Yukishiro family who were lucky enough to survive the ordeal stood like statues in utter disbelief and shock.

"How is that possible?" Yukishiro Kōichirō murmured to himself.

He was one of the leaders of the Yukishiro family who had survived. People around him were all sliced and diced into pieces. Yukishiro Kōichirō wished that he could have died like his brother, Yukishiro Takeshi so that he wouldn't have to bear the weight of defeat.

Chen Fan possessed such terrifying power that he might as well be the devil himself. Who would have thought that such a godly power could exist in the real world? The Yukishiro family didn't, and they had to pay the price for their oversight.

By then, Yukishiro Chio had finally shambled his way to the scene of the aftermath. He was staggered by what he saw and if not for the assistant of the servant, he would collapse to the ground.

"Grandpa, nice to see you again."

Yukishiro Sa inched forward, passing the dead body of Kitaniwakawa. She dislodged the Edge of Thousand Peaks from the ground and examined it.

The edge of the Uchigatana was ruined by countless chips. The body of the blade was covered with dried blood coated with fresh blood. Yukishiro Sa didn't mind the messiness and she carried the Uchigatana with both hands, as she walked toward her grandpa, eyes burning with hatred and vengefulness.

"Yukishiro Sa, what are you doing? I am your Grandpa."

Yukishiro Chio chided with a booming voice. However, he couldn't hide the panic and fear in his eyes.

If it was a few years ago, Yukishiro Sa would have already knelt on the ground obediently to let her Grandpa's rain castigation and preaching on her. However, most elites in the Yukishiro family were dead, and Yukishiro Sa no longer feared the old man.

"You offered me to a Demon God, and let it possess me. Didn't you?"

Yukishiro Sa brought the Uchigatana around and tilted it upright. It was the starting stance of a Kendo attack, most Japanese, including Yukishiro Sa, had learned it during Kendo classes.

Seeing the girl had learned the dark secret about herself, Yukishiro Chio gave up the condescending timbre of his voice. "Yukishiro Sa, my granddaughter, we had no choice. Grand Onmyoji Chizuru had demanded our offering personally, we couldn't defy Lord Susano's order."

Yukishiro Sa's face was hard and cold. The old man's words seemed to have passed through her with no effect. She slowly brought the Uchigatana above her head.

Yukishiro Chio trembled in fear and started to beg for his life. However, his pleading couldn't mollify the roiling anger inside of Yukishiro Sa. The old man was the Lord of the Yukishiro family, yet he was seen as insignificant as an insect.

"Yukishiro Sa, spare his life, I have a question for him."

A voice came up behind the girl.

"Yes, Master." Yukishiro Sa lowered the Uchigatana and bowed to Chen Fan.

Yukishiro Chio finally registered Chen Fan's presence. He looked at Chen Fan with great trepidation. This was the man who had broken Lord Susano's spell and killed everyone in the Yukishiro family, including Kitaniwakawa. Messing with him was the biggest and the last mistake of the Yukishiro family.

"Honorable Lord, ask whatever you wish, I will tell everything." Yukishiro Chio put on a pitiful face and he looked up at the young man while kneeling before him. He then said humbly and hopefully at the same time: "My lord, my family's assets are worth over trillions of Yen, and our influence spread over the entire Kyushu underground world. We have branches in both Fukuoka and Kumamoto Prefecture. I will offer all those to you for free. Tell me, do you desire young fresh starlets or classy hot-wives of politicians? One word from me, I can order them to crawl under your sheets and warm your bed."

Yukishiro Chio was a cunning old fox, and he quickly realized that he would be safe if he could placate Chen Fan.

Yukishiro Sa was not a threat to him if he was under Chen Fan's protection. Chen Fan must have helped Yukishiro Sa because of her beautiful charm, but it wouldn't be difficult for the Yukishiro family to find someone even more attractive than Yukishiro Sa as her replacement. He could even force the most popular actress in Japan to spend an intimate night with Chen Fan if the old man wanted to.

"No need, I have better options. "

Chen Fan cracked a smile and lowered his hand until it was an inch away from Yukishiro Chio's head. Suddenly, an azure light shot out from Chen Fan's eyes as he channeled Divine Will into the mind of Yukishiro Chio. The groveling smile on Yukishiro Chio froze on his face, as his body went into a seizure. As the old man's body struggled to hold the sudden assault of Divine Will, he felt immense pressure in his brain, as if it was about to explode from inside.

Yukishiro Sa lowered her head in awe with Chen Fan's power.

Her heart was filled with veneration and reverence towards Chen Fan and had no room for any other thoughts.

Using the Mystic Art of Soul Searching, Chen Fan learned the details of the Susano Shrine. The Divine Will had overloaded the old man's system and frayed his mind, turning him into a mindless husk. He left the old man to Yukishiro Sa for her to dispose of him.

"So that's the secret of Susano Shrine. It was an Immortal State Overlord's Divine Soul that they tended every day." Chen Fan rubbed his chin as he mulled over the information he extracted from Yukishiro Chio's mind.

All the while, he was laying comfortably in a luxurious hot spring.

He was flanked by two attractive young women, both wearing only a thin layer of cloth. Their luscious bodies appeared behind the heavy mist in fits and starts. They were very young, almost too young, but their budding beauty was intoxicating. Chen Fan wagered that both of them were popular girls like Jiang Churan.

They kneeled on a flat stone and massaged Chen Fan's shoulders. Fear flickered in their eyes every time they looked at Chen Fan's face. It was as if they were serving an Oni.

Chen Fan didn't pay much attention to the girls, he closed his eyes, trying to focus on planning his next step.

He was the North Mystic Celestial Lord and had seen the most sublime beauty in the universe. These girls' appearances were of below-average among all the girls he knew so they weren't able to pique his interest.

"Without reaching the Connate Spirit Level, Divine Sea cultivators could live only a hundred and fifty years on average. Even with the help of Spirit Pills that could prolong life, a hundred eighty years was the max. However, after the flesh had perished, the Divine Soul could remain in this world for another few hundred years. The life of the Divine Soul could even be longer if it was supported by the Devotion Energy from his followers. That being said, I am still very disappointed at the power of this particular Immortal State Cultivator. "

Chen Fan smiled derisively.

The other Immortal State Cultivators Chen Fan had met in his past life all possessed incredible Physique and powerful Dharma Artifacts and secret Arts. They would be a headache for Chen Fan at his current level of attainment. However, this so-called Lord Susano's body had long since perished, and only his Divine Soul remained. Chen Fan had over a dozen arts up his sleeve that he could think of to quash the Divine Soul of an Immortal State cultivator.

"Internal Force cultivation strengthens one's force, Transcendent State cultivates Qi, and the Immortal State was all about Divine Soul. At the Divine Sea level, the Divine Soul would fly out of the body and live on its own for a few days. With proper support and nourishment, such as what Lord Susano had, the Divine Soul could live decades if not centuries. However, without a host, the Divine Soul would never exist in the physical realm: that was not real immortality. Therefore, the Connate Spirit level was considered the real starting point of cultivating immortality." Chen Fan thought to himself as he shook his head.

Other than the Lord Susano, no one posed a threat to Chen Fan. If not because he wanted to help Yukishiro Sa consolidate her influence in the Yukishiro family, he would have already done away with the Susano Shrine and went back to China.

Even as he pondered on, soft wet footsteps came drifting through the mist.

He watched as Yukishiro Sa entered the hot spring. She wrapped in a white towel, revealing her round and soft shoulder, long elegant legs and a breathtaking cleavage.

She dipped herself into the warm water and waded toward Chen Fan.

"Master, do you require my assistance?" Yukishiro Sa's tantalizing body appeared and disappeared behind the heavy mist. She blushed and looked to Chen Fan with a soft gaze.

By now, Chen Fan was her god. She would even give up her life for Chen Fan, much less serving him.

"I have never done this before." Yukishiro Sa lowered her head and said coquettishly.

Her coy expression and the classy hairdo lend her the enchanting charm equal to that of the concubines of the emperor.

"How is the family business?" Chen Fan barely spared the girl a glace. He asked indifferently as he tapped a piece of stone.

Yukishiro Sa was slightly disappointed by Chen Fan's reply. She answered nonetheless. "No one protested my taking over, thanks to you. My Uncle Yukishiro Kōichirō was the first to voice his support and I have already dispatched men that I trust to rally the other branches. In no time, you will have full control over the Yukishiro family."

"Very well. With the Yukishiro family helping me keep an eye on things, I wouldn't have to worry about that Demon God's escape." Chen Fan nodded.

He was in Japan by himself and needed a local assistant. He didn't even know where to find the Susano Shrine. Therefore, he had decided to help Yukishiro Sa take over his family in order to leverage the resources of the Yukishiro family.

"Master, you are a godly existence, Lord Susano is no match against you." Yukishiro Sa said obediently.

Chen Fan didn't offer a reply. He already closed his eyes and started his cultivation.

The journey of cultivation was long. It took the North Mystic Celestial Lord five hundred years to almost reach the peak, and it would take an ordinary man a hundred times longer. Clarity of the mind and unswerving determination were the two cornerstones of cultivation. Yukishiro Sa waited for a reply that never come, so she looked up at Chen Fan to soak up his godly presence while he was not paying attention to her. Her eyes were filled with admiration mixed with a tinge of infatuation.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 346: Fi Ji Ninja Clan

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

When Chen Fan entered the Yukishiro family, he didn't care to cover up his tracks, instead, he swaggered through the main entrance and killed over a few hundred villagers including Kitaniwakawa. No one could cover up such a brazen crime while there were hundreds of witnesses.

he shocking development didn't stop there as more surprising events transpired. Yukishiro Chio was dead, and Yukishiro Sa returned and reclaimed the seat of power in the Yukishiro family. It might not convey any meaningful message to a stranger, but members of the Yukishiro family knew that it was a telltale sign that the powerful man who had destroyed Lord Susano's Illusion Form was behind all these developments.

Meanwhile, inside a deep recess of the Shrine, three men sat in a circle.

"Who is he?" Yukishiro's family didn't last more than one day.

Chizuru Masahiro sat at the head of the table with a pair of glinting eyes.

This Grand Onmyoji was in his nineties, and already, his body started to wear out. However, his Dharmic power was still strengthening each day. His eyes were two deep pools of darkness, that were filled with mystery and perspicacity.

"The Yukishiro family had over a hundred fully armed guards and even we couldn't just barge into the village directly without weakening the guards first. However, he was able to annihilate the Yukishiro family and even killed Kitaniwakawa with a spell. I heard that he is a Perfected Cultivator from China. Could he be from the Heavenly Master Sect or the Wu Dang Sect?"

A man in a samurai outfit said with furrowed brows.

He sat on his folded legs, keeping his back tight and straight. His body projected a great measure of impetus and resolution that made him comparable to Chizuru Masahiro

Any Japanese martial artist would know that the two sitting in the small alcove were two of the most powerful overlords in Japan. The middle-aged man was even more reputable than the late Kitaniwakawa.

"Heavenly Master Sect? Wu Dang Sect?" The two names not only stunned Chizuru Masahiro but also awakened memories of a bygone age.

"Impossible. Ever since Kunlun's rise in power, these ancient sects all retreated into seclusion. The Chinese government wouldn't allow them to make an appearance among the public again."

Chizuru Masahiro shook his head and said.

"Who is he then? Over thirty years, I have never heard any powerful Dharma Spells master in China. The only one I could think of was Zhou Daoji, but he was killed in a battle." The middle-aged man said with his brows furrowed.

"Lord Chizuru, Lord Takeda, based on my information, I dare say that you are both wrong."

The third attendee of the secret meeting was a middle-aged woman wearing tight black overalls. She had a spinner body with curves at the right places, they were wrapped tightly in her outfit like a ripened fruit, waiting to be picked. Her long violet hair tumbled down beside her cheeks, and her eyes were cold but incandescent at the same time.

"Oh? Violet, who do you think it is then?"

Chizuru Masahiro was taken aback and he asked.

There was a hint of salaciousness in the middle-aged man's eyes, making his gaze almost an ogle.

Violet's appearance was not top-notch, but she was foxy and seductive. Even the cloying scent from her body was sexually charged and would stir the most pious man's wildest imagination.

However, both middle-aged men knew that she was a black widow and would murder any man who dares to open up to her with her venom. Although the middle-aged man was a powerful martial artist, he did not dare to risk his life for a taste of her alluring but deadly beauty. At his level, there were plenty of fish for him in the sea.

Violet cracked a faint smile and produced a picture which she laid on the table.

On the picture was a black-haired young man of extraordinary appearance who stood derisively with his hands behind his back. He was surrounded by a bloody scene of strewn around body party and weapons. The picture was taken when Chen Fan stormed into the Yukishiro family complex.

"My little spider had risked his life to take this image. He told me that his young man killed over a hundred people in the Yukishiro family; nearly all the elite forces of the Yukishiro family were killed, including Kitaniwakawa. That old fool was killed by him with one strike."

Violet explained.

The timbre of her voice was pleasant to the ear, like the soft purring of a kitten.

"He is so young." Chizuru Masahiro and the other middle-aged man grimaced.

Although they had heard from their sources that the perpetrator was a young man, they didn't expect to see a teenager. The man in the picture was not even twenty.

"Curiouser and curiouser! Since when did China produce such a young and powerful Perfected Cultivator? Something is off." The middle-aged man's face turned into a heavy anvil as he shook his head.

"Maybe he was not a Dharma Spell user at all." Violet cracked a seductive smile.

Her smile filled the entire room with a sexually charged energy that robbed the two men of their attention.

"Not a Dharma Spell user?" Chizuru Masahiro asked in surprise. "He is young, powerful and is from China. Do you mean—"

Chizuru Masahiro paused and his face blanched. His wizened face colored a little before he blurted out a name.

"Chen Beixuan?"

The name seemed to have cast a spell on the room, turning it pin-drop quiet. The other middle-aged man was disheveled by the revelation as his face turned pale.

They both looked to Violet apprehensively. Violet nodded her confirmation, which didn't help to ease their nerves.

Chen Beixuan?

The most powerful Grandmaster in China, and also the youngest Overlord to have reached the peak of power.

Ever since he had risen to power, he had killed a slew of powerful men: Lu Tianfen, Lu Tianfen, Blacksnake, Zhou Daoji, Buck, Zoro, Park Kyung-hwan and Theseus, just to name a few.

He ranked number one on the Heaven roll in China and number three on the Dark Roll. Even If he was not yet an Immortal State cultivator, he was not very far from it. Only a well-equipped army could bring him to heel.

Neither of the two men in the room had expected such a turn of the event.

"How is that possible? Chen Beixuan didn't start to come under everyone's radar up until a year ago. The Susano Shrine had never dealt with him before, so why would he travel all the way to Japan to mess with us?" The middle-aged man murmured to himself.

"Genkaza, did you forget that Chen Beixuan was very close to reaching the Immortal State? What do you think he is after?" Chizuru Masahiro narrowed his eyes as they glinted.

"You mean... he wanted to gain more power to reach the immortal state?" Genkaza Takeda asked incredulously.

"What else could have attracted Chen Beixuan here?" Chizuru Masahiro said slowly. "Most Immortal State cultivators in China had hidden from the public. Ever since Kunlun's rise to power, we haven't heard a single Immortal State cultivator making an appearance. Therefore, the best way for Chen Beixuan to gain more insight into the power of the Immortal State was to fight the Lords of Japan. This time, he had chosen our Lord Susano. "

Chizuru Masahiro suddenly let out a cold laughter. A powerful wave of energy come up and swirled around him. In a blink, these invisible energies seemed to take on physical forms.

"But Chen Beixuan has picked the wrong opponent. He is not Immortal State yet, so he is no match against Lord Susano."

Genkaza Takeda nodded in agreement.

Although Chen Fan had made a name for himself, they were very confident in Lord Susano's power. Lord Susano's power was only a fraction of what it used to be, but he was an Immortal State being nonetheless and would never be defeated by an opponent of an inferior level.

If Lord Susano was not restricted to the Susano Shrine, he would have already claimed dominance over Japan if not entire East Asia. However, he had to be confined to the Shrine, licking his wounds as he bides his time.

"Violet, order your man to keep a close eye on Chen Beixuan. I will inform Lord Susano of the threat right away so that he will be prepared. If Chen Beixuan dares to make a move on us, we will teach him a hard lesson." Chizuru Masahiro said heavily.

"Yes, Lord Chizuru."

Violet bowed.

From where Genkaza Takeda was sitting, he had a great view of Violet's breathtaking curves. He couldn't help but ogle at her for a moment as he lamented the lack of opportunity to dominate such a lovely thing. He, Kitaniwakawa and Violet all work for Lord Susano and with Lord Susano's approval, he could only watch and keep his lewd thoughts to himself.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan was touring the country with Yukishiro Sa as they made their way to the Susano Shrine.

The Susano Shrine was located at the top of the Mount Aso quite some distances away from Fukuoka.

Mount Aso was the largest active volcano in Japan and also a tourist destination for natural hot springs. Many tourists from all over the world flocked to Kyushu just to enjoy the hot spring here. The Mount was situated at the central part of Kyushu in a prefecture called Kumamoto.

Although Chen Fan was not here for sightseeing, the company of a gorgeous local guide and the breathtaking sight was a refreshing change to his daily routine of cultivation.

Soon the two arrived at the foothill of Mount Aso. Chen Fan looked up and cracked a smile.

"What a pathetic worm. He is still following us."

He then shot out a hand and grasped the air before him.

Suddenly, an invisible energy flew out from his hand and landed on a boulder to their left. A puff of yellow mist rose from the rock where the force had landed, and then a dark shadow appeared out of nowhere. It was backing away from Chen Fan.

However, it was already too late for the stalker to run away. The shadowy figure was stopped in his tracks as a powerful gush of energy trapped him inside. The energy picked him off the ground and moved him toward Chen Fan.

They two finally got to take a good look at the stalker when he was close.

It was a midget in a black overall. Despite his childish body, his face looked like a sixty-year-old man. The little figure struggled to break free but to no avail.

Yukishiro Sa's face darkened as soon as she saw the man.

"A ninja from the Fuji Ninja Clan! Why are they here?"

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 347: Susano Shrine

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Fuji Ninja Clan? Are they ninjas?"

Chen Fan studied the man trapped in the air with interest. This man had laid flat on the rock and camouflaged with his environment seamlessly. His heart pulse and breath were both faint enough to slip through most Grandmasters detection.

Chen Fan could also feel a pulse of Earth Elemental Energy that was not any weaker than that of Jason the Tree Herder. He was an Earth Elemental Extraordinary One, and therefore, he was able to hide in plain sight.

However, Chen Fan's Divine Will was omnipresent, and any life form, whether concealed or not, shone like a bright torch in the night with his Divine Will. This Ninja would never avoid his detection.

"Those who stalked me on my way here are all your colleagues, aren't they?" Chen Fan asked.

The little man didn't reply. He glared at Chen Fan with the unswerving determination to hold on any information.

"Master, these Ninjas are all extremely loyal to their master, they wouldn't disclose any information to you. They think their mission is more important than their life." Yukishiro Sa put in.

"Is that right, I shall oblige then." Chen Fan waved a hand and summoned an overwhelming force that crushed the little man into a pulp. His compact body exploded and turned into a blooming flower of blood. A gust of wind came up and blew the crimson flower away, leaving a thousand petals in the wind. The little man was gone, it was as if he had never existed in the world.

Even though this was not the first time Yukishiro Sa saw someone die, she was petrified by Chen Fan's divine indifference toward life.

A question rang in her head. Was her master a mortal or a god? Why did he treat human life as that of an insect?

"Ninjas had long since been forgotten by ordinary people, but they were still around. The Fuji Ninja Clan was one of the biggest Ninja Clans in Kyushu. The leader of the clan was a woman of extraordinary beauty called Violet. Violet had assassinated the former CEO of the Mitsui Group and made a name for herself among other assassins. She was as deadly as any elite assassin working for the Blood Skull." Yukishiro Sa explained.

Chen Fan snorted derisively and didn't say a word.

Even when he was at Ethereal Enlightenment level, he killed Blacksnake with ease, and now he had reached the Mid-stage of the Ethereal Enlightenment, it would be a stroll in the park for him to do away with Violet. Much to his disappointment, Violet had only sent her subject after him, and could not give him the satisfaction of killing her.

"Master, please don't underestimate the power of Ninjas. They were quite a different lot than Samurais in the way that killing was their only goal. They could be quite soulless and would do anything to achieve their goal. Each and every Ninja was a master in the art of assassination. When combining their deadly art with modern technology, they would deploy deadly synthesized poison one drop of which could kill an elephant. The former CEO of the Mitsui Group was killed by them in that fashion." Yukishiro Sa hesitated for a second before she gave Chen Fan her warning.

Even when she was the family lord of the Yukishiro family, she was wary of the Fuji Ninja Clan.

"OK."

Chen Fan nodded, without taking the girl's warning to his heart.

He should be careful with modern weapons, but not poison. After he had gained Azure Thearch Longevity Body, Chen Fan was technically no longer an ordinary human. His body was formed by Essence Qi of Life, instead of cells and molecules.

Therefore, no toxin would affect Chen Fan any longer.

Such was the progression of Cultivation, that the further Chen Fan got, the more advanced of a life form he became.

"Well, since they have already found us, we might as well go to them right now. Let's go meet the Lord Susano." Chen Fan Linked his hands behind his back and started up toward the peak of Mount Aso.

Yukishiro Sa followed closely behind Chen Fan.

Mount Aso was made out of five active volcanoes. Peaks big and small jutted around the edge of these volcanoes and formed the outline of Mount Aso. Susano Shrine was situated at the top of one of these mountain peaks.

The path to the mountain peak was busy. Many men and women would hike up to the mountain to pray at the Shrine.

"Although Lord Susano was a Demon God, he had treated the local residents well and therefore was worshiped by the villagers." Yukishiro Sa said. The two of them were wearing cute outfits that matched each other, making them look like a young couple on their honeymoon.

Chen Fan looked up toward the peak.

In Yukishiro Sa's eyes, what lay before them was an ordinary mountain peak that was surrounded by trees and bushes. However, Chen Fan could see a large plume of dark smoke that loomed over the top of the mountain where the shrine was at.

Harrowing howlings and ghastly screams drifted down from the mountain top in fits and starts.

The path to the Shrine felt like a corridor to the gate of hell.

"Master, I have heard many scary stories about this place. They say many young and good looking girls had disappeared on their journey to the top. In hindsight, they must be kidnapped by Lord Susano. I thought those were just high tales, but now I believe them." Yukishiro Sa spoke under her breath.

Lord Susano had used her body as a vessel and there were plenty of reasons for her to believe that Lord Susano was a malevolent Demon God.

"What? No way, the shrine looks pretty decent to me." A man put in.

Yukishiro Sa was taken aback after realizing that the man was speaking Chinese. She tried to use as much Chinese as she could while speaking to Chen Fan. But even if she had to use Japanese, Chen Fan had no problem understanding her. What surprised her was the fact that there was another Chinese person on the path.

She looked up and saw a young couple making their way down the mountain.

The man was in his thirties and was wearing thin golden-rimmed glasses, looking like a successful banker. The woman was tall in stature, and her long dark hair was flowing with the wind. Even the large sunglasses on her face could not hide her beauty.

They were the couple Chen Fan had met on the airplane: Ai Jinqi and Ren Hao.

"Ah-ha! It's you again."

Ai Jinqi batted her lashes at Chen Fan as she called out to them joyfully.

"Small world."

Chen Fan nodded a greeting. Kyushu was the third largest island in Japan and was roughly the size of the entire Jiang Nan Province. Over ten million people lived on this island and so Chen Fan didn't expect to meet the two again.

"Did you guys just finish your tour?" Chen Fan asked.

"Yes. We heard the god in this shrine is very generous in offering his blessings, so we decided to come here and take a look. Unfortunately, the shrine was closed because they were preparing a ritual for an important guest. So we had to head back." Ai Jinqi explained as disappointment flashed in her eyes.

Ai Jinqi then gave Chen Fan a look and asked: "Are you two heading there as well? It's closed. Why don't we head down together? I know a terrific open hot spring nearby. It's all-natural and stuff. They used groundwater from under the mountain directly, it's full of minerals. Oh did I mention that it's all-natural?"

"Thank you but no. I think they are waiting for us at the top there." Chen Fan let out a meaningful smile as he glanced in the direction of the shrine. He then turned around toward Ai Jinqi and said: "For the sake of your own safety, leave here now, and don't ever come back."

After he said that, Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and started up the path.

Yukishiro Sa hurried to catch up with him and didn't even have time to bid farewell.

Ai Jinqi and Ren Hao were left on the mountain path confused and dazed.

"What a nut job. We already told him that the shrine is closed, why would he keep going? He said they are waiting for him? Does he think he is some kind of hotshot?" Ren Hao sniggered.

To his surprise, Ai Jinqi didn't say anything.

She could sense there was a sense of foreboding Chen Fan's glance toward the shrine. Something big and terrible was about to happen.

Ai Jinqi was an ordinary person, but she believed that she was clairvoyant ever since she was a little girl. Many years ago, when she was crossing an intersection, something inexplicable made her pause in her tracks right before she was about to walk into traffic. A fraction of a second later, a semi-truck ran the red light and vroomed past her. Without that second of hesitation, she would have been dead.

After that incident, Ai Jinqi always believed in her sixth sense.

"Let's head back to Kumamoto." Ai Jinqi started off the mountain without looking back.

"Hold on a second, I thought we were going to the hot spring at Mount Aso. Are we skipping that?" Ren Hao asked in confusion.

"Shut up and come with me if you want to. Otherwise, just buzz off! It's not like I want to travel with you." Ai Jinqi didn't even look back. She shouted as she continued descending.

Ren Hao's face changed colors. He gritted his teeth, stamped his feet and followed the girl.

He had been following her all the way from China to Japan. It's too late to give up now.

Chen Fan walked toward the top with Yukishiro Sa in tow.

The closer they got to the top, the thicker the mist became and there were fewer and fewer travelers on the path. In the end, they were the only two hikers on the path and not even a chirping of a bird could be heard. They could see the outline of the shrine appearing and disappearing behind the thick mist.

Yukishiro Sa felt the temperature seemed to have dropped significantly. She shivered a little and then inched closer to Chen Fan for warmth.

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and stood right before the shrine's entrance. He shouted: "I am Chen Beixuan from China, I want to see the Godfiend Susano."

His voice sounded normal when he first started speaking, but his pitch and volume quickly surged and mid-way through the sentence, each word hurt Yukishiro Sa's ears. The girl covered her ears with both hands. When the sentence finished with the name of the Demon God, the blaring timbre of Chen Fan's voice threatened to cause an earthquake.

It was as if a hundred thunder sounds rumbled across the mountain peak at the same time.

Even with her ears covered, Yukishiro Sa was staggered by the blaring noise and nearly fell to the ground. The sound somehow dissipated the mist and revealed the full facade of the Susano Shrine.

"creak"

The heavy wooden gate cracked open.

A group of men and women filed out of the gate. Three of the group's leaders were walking at the front. One was an old man wearing an Onmyoji outfit, the other man was a stately looking middle-aged man. The last leader, a woman was a purple-haired middle-aged woman with an alluring body.

They came over to Chen Fan until they were thirty paces away. The old man bowed and said:

"We welcome you, Master Chen. I am the servant of Lord Susano, Chizuru Masahiro. I, on behalf of the Susano Shrine, welcome our visit."

His voice was hoarse, but he spoke with fluent Chinese as if he had lived in China for decades. He was genuinely respectful toward Chen Fan as if he had already forgotten that it was Chen Fan who had destroyed Lord Susano's Illusion Form and it was also Chen Fan who had slaughtered the Yukishiro family.

"We know what you seek, Master Chen. Lord Susano is very happy to see you and to answer your questions. Please." Chizuru Masahiro guested Chen Fan to enter the Shrine as the crowd stood behind him backed away to form a path.

Chen Fan glanced at the heavy gate at the entrance and let out a meaningful smile.

"Sure thing"

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 348: Secrets of The Devine Dap

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Under everyone's respectful gaze, Chen Fan sauntered through the Susano Shrine's gate with his hands behind his back. A hint of snicker flashed in Chizuru Masahiro's eyes, but he quickly masked it with a solemn expression.

"Master Chen Beixuan, this is the main hall where we worshiped Lord Susano."

Chen Fan and Yukishiro Sa followed Chizuru Masahiro and arrived at a large hall with no one in it. Despite its seeming emptiness, Chen Fan's Divine Will would sense many furtive presences around the dark corners. These men lurking in the darkness controlled their breath to a minimum and camouflaged themselves against their environment just as the Ninja of the Fuji clan had done.

They might have avoided the detection of an ordinary Grandmaster, but not Chen Fan. Chen Fan's Divine Will had already flooded the entire hall and could detect even the smallest movement.

Chen Fan didn't much mind these furtive lurkers. He followed Chizuru Masahiro and arrived before a tall and the entrance of and an inner sanctum. Despite the shrine's reverential facade, there was a cold menacing quality hang in the air.

"Master, Lord Susano is waiting for you in there."

Chizuru Masahiro bowed.

Chen Fan still hung the smile on his face even as he studied the entrance. Seeing Chen Fan was about to take a step into the inner sanctum, Yukishiro Sa hurried to put a restraining hand on him.

"Don't worry, just wait for me here."

Chen Fan gave her a comforting smile and disappeared behind the threshold.

At the corner of Yukishiro Sa's eyes, she caught the glint of joy in the eyes of Chizuru Masahiro. She suddenly felt afraid. Although Chen Fan had already removed the Illusion Form from her body, she retained the keen perspicacity. Ever since Yukishiro Sa saw these priests, she knew they were up to something. However, her master was so confident in himself that he wouldn't listen to her warning.

"This girl is as tantalizing as Violet. I say after I do away with Chen Beixuan, I should take her for myself, and turn her into my little bird." The hook of Genkaza Takeda's lewd gaze caught Yukishiro Sa and unnerved her.

"Bam!"

Even as Yukishiro Sa moved a few inches away from the group of priests, a curvaceous figure appeared right behind her, pressing her warm soft body to the back of Yukishiro Sa.

"Yukishiro Sa, where are you going?" Violet asked with a smile, breathing down on her neck.

Yukishiro Sa turned around and saw the ugly grin on Chizuru Masahiro's face. It gave her a chill down her spine.

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and walked into the inner sanctum.

The inner sanctum was spacious and its floor was paved with handcrafted tiles. Its large recessed roof was supported by a few columns made out of a hundred-year-old sandalwood. Even from a distance, Chen Fan could smell the pleasant fragrance of the in the air. All the furniture and items on the altar were exquisitely made.

The most stunning feature of the inner sanctum was a three-meter tall statue.

The statue was a hellish depiction of an Oni. It has a green face with two long fangs jutting out from its gaping mouth. It was covered with dark scales from head to toe. Underneath the statue, an old man with a glowing face sat on his folded legs on a futon.

"Welcome, my honored guest. Please, grab a seat."

The old man's face was thin and hard. He was wearing traditional attire from the Edo period. His long hair and beard were as white as snow, making him look like a Clairvoyant Onmyoji.

Chen Fan was unfazed by the old man, he walked casually to a futon and sat down across from the old man, face to face.

"I am Susano Nihon. Thou cometh to seek me?" The thin old man said with a faint smile.

His Chinese was fluent, but a few words he used were obsolete and ancient. Chen Fan felt like he was talking to someone who had lived over a few hundred years.

Susano Nihon was a God Reining State Grand Onmyoji. He was the protector of the realm during the Edo Period and was active even in the nineteenth century. He used to be the teacher of a Japanese Emperor and oversaw the Ise Grand Shrine. During that time, he had incredible influence over the politics of Japan and was feared even by the Shogun of the time: the thirteenth Daimyo of the Tokugawa clan.

His name appeared in many historical records as the most influential Grand Onmyoji in Japanese history. However, after his death, he had fallen from grace and became a Demon God.

"Yes, I am here to look for you. I am disappointed to see that you have chosen this pathetic form after death." Chen Fan shook his head.

In any ordinary man's eyes, Susano Nihon was a thin old man wearing a dated outfit. However, Chen Fan knew exactly what he was. His flesh had long since perished and left nothing but a Divine Soul. However, due to Susano Nihon's level of attainment, he was able to make his Divine Soul appear in the real world.

"The Gate to Heavenly Dao was shut for me, what choice do I have but to exist as a Ghost Spirit using my devotee's faith." Susano Nihon heaved a sigh. Already, his vocabulary sounded much more modern. "Even in your home country, the middle kingdom, the last Immortal Master who achieved Immortality, the Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator was seen a thousand years ago."

"Oh? You have been to the middle kingdom?" Chen Fan asked curiously.

Chen Fan thought he would start the conversation with a Thunder Art: his typical opening gambit. However, seeing the calm and unhurried demeanor of the old man, Chen Fan changed his mind.

Ever since Chen Fan was reborn, he had figured that let it be Martial arts or Dharma Spells on the earth, they could all trace their lineage to Immortal Cultivation. However, due to the depletion of Spirit Qi on earth, the Immortal Cultivator had all but left here. Therefore, the mentioning of other Connate Cultivators piqued his interest.

"Two hundred years ago, I traveled west to China. It was the Manchurians who ruled the land then. The first place I visited was the most powerful Chinese sect, the Heavenly Master Sect at Dragon Tiger Mountain. I then visited and had a pleasant conversation with Grand Magus from the Dark Witch Sect. I was also a guest at the Wu Dang Sect, and witnessed their ingenious duel Cultivation of Dharma Spell and Martial Arts."

A wistful light came up in his eyes as old memories came back to him. He used to be one of the most powerful men on earth a stark contrast to what he had been reduced to.

"So, after Immortal State, a cultivator can become a so-called Earth Level Deity?" Chen Fan asked.

"So says the ancient scrolls. However, even in China where talents were abundant, I have never heard of anyone who had become a Earth Level Deity." Susano Nihon shook his head and said: "I was so disappointed and started to lose faith in these ancient teachings. Over time, I started to think that not even the wise ancients had seen an Earth Level Deity and therefore what they wrote down for us were just their conjecture."

Chen Fan fell into deep thought.

He disagreed with Susano Nihon who had disregarded the existence of Deities on earth. Little did he know that the so-called deities were simply Connate Spirit Level Cultivators, it was one of the eight stages of the immortal cultivation: Qi Refinement, Connate Spirit, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Void Refinement, Dao Reunion, and Tribulation.

Connate Spirit was the second stage, yet, those who had reached this level could live up to five hundred years. They were able to travel great distances in a blink of an eye, move mountains and oceans. In the eyes of ordinary people, they were no different than deities and gods.

Earth wasn't always depleted of Spirit Qi, so Chen Fan believed that there had been once-powerful Connate Spirit Cultivators walked the earth. However, as the Spirit Qi starting running out, they either left the planet or hid somewhere, biding their time.

Susano Nihon had cultivated for hundreds of years, yet could not take the leap of faith, neither could his peers. Over time, he started to doubt the path he was one and gave up.

"So you have given up on yourself and became a Demon God ?" Chen Fan asked

"Haha, that's right! The main road was blocked, but I have found my own path. After I turned myself into a Demon God, I could survive hundreds of years while feeding on my devotee's faith. It's much easier than cultivation." The thin old man let out a peal of laughter. He then fixed his gaze on Chen Fan and said in a soft coaxing voice:

"Don't you want to reach the Immortal State? That's why you are here after all, isn't it?"

"I can show you the ropes, and I can even tell you my secret method of turning into a Demon God. You can be just like me, and live hundreds of years."

There was deadly poison in Susano Nihon's honey-coated words.

Chen Fan was convinced that any other Grandmaster or Perfected Cultivator would fall for Susano Nihon's trap. The temptation would even make Ye Nantian or Lei Qianjue waver.

After all, who wouldn't be affected by the promise of Immortal State?

There hasn't been an Immortal State cultivator for decades and those who had already reached the Immortal State had all gone silent. Any new rising Immortal State cultivator could have dominated the world.

Not to mention that the old man had also offered a way to achieve immortality.

"Oh? What do you need in exchange?" Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and asked with a half-smile.

"Nothing." Lord Susano shook his head and said: "I am very impressed by you after Chizuru told me that you are the most powerful Grandmaster in China, that you are only a half-step away from Immortal State. I want to sow a seed of mutual understanding between us and maybe later, you could offer me some help as well."

He said with a drawl that was typical of elders when they talk to youngsters.

To his surprise, Chen Fan let out a peal of laughter.

"Lord Susano, your trick can fool anyone else, but me."

Then the smile on Chen Fan's face faded, as his eyes grew cold.

"It's just a matter of time for me to reach Immortal State. As for your method of turning into Demon God, it's worthless to me. You call yourself a Demon God, but in reality, you are just an Oni. Without reaching the Soul Formation state, and without the ability to keep your Primordial Essence alive in the Void Dimension, how dare you call yourself a god?"

"And I know exactly what you want from me. You want my body."

A silence fell over the shrine as soon as Chen Fan finished his words.

A dark but incandescent light came up in Lord Susano's eyes.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 349: You Are Too Weak

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"How did you know?"

Lord Susano questioned as a dark light played in his eyes.

Chen Fan smiled derisively: "Did you expect to fall for your pathetic tricks?"

"Yes, you can live a few hundred years as a Demon God, but it also came at a heavy cost. Your devotees worship you as a god, you need to be responsible for their well being. Yes, you could feed on your soul energy while they pray to you, but it is a double-edged sword. Sooner or later, your own soul energy would be corrupted and you will become deranged as your soul slowly crumbles."

"It's a foolish move to survive solely on devotee's faith without entering Soul Formation state. Without gaining Primordial Essence, you are only a false prophet, but not a real Immortal."

Chen Fan refuted.

The method of cultivating using devote's faith was called Divine Dao. It was a very common cultivation method among Immortal cultivators due to its convenience. By amassing as many devotees as possible and harnessing their Devotion Energy, one could reach divinity without even putting too much effort into cultivation.

However, in reality, the most powerful cultivators all human who followed the Immortal Dao instead of deities who practiced Divine Dao.

Divine Dao was a double-edged sword with a huge downside along with its advantages. Over time, the Devotion Energy would start to corrupt the Soul Energy of divine entities, or deities. When the corruption reached a point of no return, the cultivator would become deranged like a schizophrenic patient. The downside could be alleviated only after a cultivator had gained indestructible Primordial Essence. Therefore, Chen Fan would never consider that path at his current stage despite the obvious advantage of the Divine Dao: he wouldn't even need to cultivate, and all he had to do was to gain as many devotees as possible, as a religious pyramid scheme would.

"You have planned to order your subjects to swarm at me and kill me, but you have changed your mind and tried to persuade me to join you. I believe you are eyeing my body, aren't you?" Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and asked with a half-smile.

Chen Fan's body was an Azure Thearch Longevity Body.

In the eyes of an ordinary person, the only thing that set Chen Fan apart from most people was his pristine appearance. However, in the eyes of a Demon God such as Lord Susano, he saw Chen Fan as a precious holy grail of cultivation. His body emanated a strong pulse of Spirit Qi that was common with enlighted monks who had reached nirvana.

Azure Thearch Longevity Body was one of the most powerful Connate Spirit Bodies. Although Chen Fan was still at the introductory level of the art, one drop of his blood was able to bring a man to life from the verge of death. It contained more Spirit Qi than that in an Essence Gathering Pill. For most cultivators on earth, they would consider Chen Fan an Earth Level Deity and Lord Susano simply couldn't pass up such an opportunity.

The thin old man's face darkened as Chen Fan exposed his scheme. In the end, his face turned into a contorted laughter.

"Very good! You are right. However, it's already too late!"

He paused and then he glowered.

"Your body is mine the moment you entered the Shrine. I don't know, nor do I care how you have gained such a wonderful Spirit Body, I guess I will find out as soon as I possess you and look into your memory. Wverything of yours will be mine."

"If I could have such a wonderful Divine Body, I might even complete the final step of my cultivation and became an Earth Level Deity, much less regain my lost power."

Lord Susano smirked.

Even now, Lord Susano didn't take Chen Fan as a serious threat. After all, he used to be a mighty Immortal State cultivator in Japan. In his mind, those who haven't achieved the Immortal State were lowly insects. Even though his form was reduced to just a Divine Soul, while in his own Shrine, he should be able to unleash as much power as an Immortal State cultivator would. Otherwise, he would not lure Chen Fan into the Shrine. He had initially planned to make a move on Chen Fan as soon as he fell for his trap, but to his amazement, Chen Fan had a Treasure Body of the Earth Level Deity

At first, Lord Susano was stunned by his discovery.

Earth Level Deities were the stuff of legends. However, Chen Fan's body had all the signature signs of an Earth Level Deity: Ice Skin, Jade Bones and a constant exchange of energy with nature. Chen Fan was a paragon of the Union of Mortal and Heaven. Only a cultivator with Earth Level Deity Body could have pulled it off.

Greed besting caution, Lord Susano made up his mind to claim Chen Fan's body for himself without a second thought. If he was able to use Chen Fan's body, he should be at least completed half of the requirement to become an Earth Level Deity. By then, he could live for another hundred or so years freely outside his current confinement. It would be his dream come true.

"If you kneel before me, I might spare your life. I might even take you in as my chief priest."

Seeing his conspiracy had been blown, Lord Susano no longer tried to hide his real intentions. He announced confidently as if the victory was already in the bag for him.

Before an Immortal State Overlord, even the title of the most powerful Grandmaster in China seemed pale in comparison.

"That is too bad because I can't say the same about you. Even if you knelt down before me, I still will not spare your life." Chen Fan shook his head and heaved a sigh.

"Such arrogance, Chinese boy!"

The dark light in Lord Susano's eyes surged and a wind gust across the room, making a harrowing scream.

The old man charged up the energy inside of him and caused the dust around him to seemingly start levitating upward. The entire shrine turned pitch black as bouts of agonizing screams came up. A dark mist fell over the room like a thick blanket, within it was otherworldly energy that could corrupt Soul Energy. These deadly mists would make any ordinary Grandmaster's face turn pale.

"No one, not even the Great Magus of the Dark Witch Sect and the Heavenly Master Sect Master would dare to talk to me like that!" Lord Susano growled as he slowly rose to his feet and extended one arm to grasp something in the air.

"Now, I will show you the real power of Immortal State!"

"Kaboom!"

A large black paw, lined with sharp glinting claws swooped down at Chen Fan. The paw was covered with black shining scales like that of a primordial dragon. Even the thought of peering into the darkness to look at the beast in its full glory would fray an ordinary mortal's mind.

The paw wheezed in the air, light ran down from the large claw and traced a silvery line in the air. Not even an armored vehicle could endure this attack, much less human's flesh.

"Humph! Pathetic."

Chen Fan let out a derisive smirk as Blade Aura surged out from between his fingers.

In a blink, a bright scintillating Azure Blade Aura flashed into view like a lightning. It expelled the darkness of the room and landed squarely on the dark paw.

"Clank!"

The impact of the Blade Qi and the dark scaly paw sounded like metal against metal and spilled sparks into the air. The Azure Wood Qi Blade had a decisive edge and it sliced through the scale into the flesh of the beast and carved a long ugly wound on the paw, nearly cutting it in half.

"uh?"

The thin old man was discouraged a little and staggered back.

The paw was made out of his Divine Soul and was as strong as steel. However, it was nearly cut in half by the True Essence shot out from Chen Fan's system. How deadly was Chen Fan's True Essence? It was evident to the old man that Chen Fan's True Essence was even more powerful than when he was at his prime.

"Humph. I have underestimated you. No wonder you are the most powerful master in China and China is indeed a mighty nation with brilliant talents. Japan simply couldn't compare." The thin old man said as his eyes grew darker.

"However, you never entered Immortal State, and therefore, you have no idea how powerful an Immortal State cultivator is."

So saying, the remaining dark mist drawn toward the wounded paw and filled in the open wound, healing it in a blink of an eye. It looked like the paw had never got injured in the first place.

"I am invincible when I am inside of this shrine. There is nothing you could do to harm me." The thin old man cracked a menacing smile.

"Really? One cut might not do, what about a thousand cuts?"

Chen Fan jumped himself into the air as the Blade Auras surged again from his hand. He brought the Blade Auras around and hacked at the old man with abandon.

Meanwhile, Chizuru Masahiro and the others were waiting patiently outside of the shrine.

"Looks like Lord Susano is finally at it."

Seeing the dark mist coming up from inside of the shrine, Chizuru Masahiro narrowed his eyes and said.

"He told us that he would do away with Chen Beixuan as soon as we lured him in there, why did it take Lord Susano so long to take action? Was he talking to him all the while? Why would Lord Susano spent so much time on a little boy?" Genkaza Takeda shook his head and laughed.

As one of the most powerful Overlords in Japan, he was bitter about Chen Fan's claim as the most powerful Grandmaster in China. He wished he could throw his gloves off and fight Chen Fan face to face.

However, without Lord Susano's approval, he scarcely dared to defy his master's orders and act on a whim.

"Our Lord is a mighty Demon God, so don't you worry your pretty head about it." Chizuru Masahiro waved displeased and said: "I think Lord Susano is interested in that boy's body and wanted to possess him. Once Lord Susano is finally free from this confinement, so would we be. With power and freedom, we could easily bring the Ise Grand Shrine to its heels."

"That would be terrific!" Genkaza Takeda beamed from side to side. "What a shame that I wouldn't have a chance of beating up Chen Beixuan myself. Otherwise, I am going to show him the might of a real Japanese warrior."

Genkaza Takeda shook his head and heaved a sigh as he lamented the lack of opportunity to teach the boy a lesson.

Yukishiro Sa's heart raced as she heard the exchange. These vile men and women pretended she was not there as they talked about their devious plans. She looked to the shrine and prayed that Chen Fan would be victorious.

"Don't keep your hopes too high, little bird. The shrine is under Lord Susano's spell that allows him to dictate the life and death of anyone inside. Chen Beixuan is such a gullible dimwit. He walked into the trap without any hesitation. Tell me, little bird, are all Chinese men this stupid?" Violet let out a deadly tantalizing smile.

As Lord Susano's subject, she was convinced that Lord Susano was invincible. Chen Fan's fate was sealed unless he was an Immortal State cultivator.

Hearing the words, Yukishiro Sa's heart sank to the bottom

"Is master really going to die?"

Even as Genkaza Takeda and the others were enjoying the quiet moment before victory, a loud blare erupted.

"Kaboom!"

The gate of the shrine blew open from inside.

A man wrapped in dark mist flew out from the hole and rammed through a dozen structures before it landed on the ground, skidding for another ten meters. It eventually smashed into a large rock and stopped.

"What?."

Everyone was rendered speechless by the turn of the event.

They watched as a young man with sublime features emerged out from the Shine. He shook his head and lamented: "I told that you are too weak for me."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 350: Kill With One Punch

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Outside of the inner sanctum, everyone was shocked.

They had thought that it was Chen Fan who got kicked out from inside, however, after seeing Chen Fan sauntering over the threshold linking his hands behind his back, they knew they were wrong.

"This is... Impossible!"

Genkaza Takeda could only stare.

Lord Susano had survived over hundreds of years and had unimaginable power at his disposal. Even though Genkaza Takeda was a mighty warrior himself, even the thought of rising up against Lord Susano gave him a sense of dread.

However, Chen Fan had knocked him out of the sanctum. How powerful exactly was Chen Fan?

"So this is why he is the most powerful martial artist in China?" Genkaza Takeda murmured in astonishment.

Violet trembled uncontrollably. If Chen Fan was able to defeat Lord Susano, who was a god to Violet, he should be able to do away with the rest of them with greater ease.

Chizuru Masahiro's face grew dark and heavy, but calm.

"Don't worry, Lord Susano could unleash 120% of his power as long as he stayed within the perimeter of the shrine. He is invincible here." Chizuru Masahiro said.

Despite his words, his voice lacked confidence.

Even if Lord Susano was invincible, Chen Fan's power had caught him by surprise. For the first time, he doubted that Lord Susano was able to gain Chen Fan's body. It had become evident that they couldn't let Chen Fan out of the shrine since no one out there could stop him but Lord Susano who was bound to the shrine.

Chen Fan could take his time to dismantle Lord Susano's operation outside of the shrine, picking off his associates one after another, causing a huge headache for Lord Susano.

In contrary to the other's reaction, Yukishiro Sa's face was lit up with glee.

"Master, SUGOI!"

"Urrhhh!"

A maddening howl came up from behind the large rock, it sounded like a roar of some hellish demon.

From the crushed rubble, the outline of a man emerged from the ball of mist. The thin old man's face was contorted with anger and two balls of flames burned in his eyes. He shouted in a deep hoarse voice: "Chen Beixuan! You are making me MAD!"

"I will cast your soul in the fire after I am done away with you, and let it burn for a hundred years!"

So saying, the thin old man took a step forward.

"Sthla!"

A force ripped open his flesh like tearing open a paper bag. Everyone watched as the thin old man grew a head taller until he was about two meters tall.

"Pa!"

The old man took another step.

This time, muscles on the old man's body burgeoned, making his body bloated. A layer of dark scales appeared on his body.

Third Step, fourth...

When he finished the seventh step, the white-haired hunched-over senior was gone. In his place stood a three-meter tall, green face monster. It had one horn on his forehead and one eye below it. Two large fangs jutted out from under his lip and were as sharp as the glinting black claws on his paws. His entire body was covered from head to toe in thick scales.

This was the true form of "Lord Susano".

"Clank!"

Lord Susano threw both paws together, making them clank while spilling sparks in the air. A dark mist loomed around him, and his single eye glowed with an orange incandescent light as if there was larvae inside.

"Chinese boy, do you really think that old shriveled up man was my true form? Now I am going to teach you a lesson, and show you the power of a Demon God." Lord Susano's lips didn't move, but his voice reverberated across space and lodged itself into everyone's mind.

Ever since he had shown his true form, he started to use soul energy to communicate.

All the people around him, except for Chizuru Masahiro and Genkaza Takeda could not remain unaffected by the sound in their head, the others all doubled up due to the pain in their brain.

"Is that so?"

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and cracked a slight smile.

The Azure light in his eyes surged as a flood of Divine Will rushed out of his body, clashing with Lord Susano's soul energy. This was the first time Chen Fan unleashed all of his Divine Will at once.

"Kaboom!"

The two great forces collided and created a huge blare in the Void Dimension. It was like two rough waves in the ocean crashed into each other. As soon as the dark mist came into contact with Chen Fan's gleaming Azure-colored energy, it let out a screech that sounded worse than nails on a chalkboard.

Under everyone's watch, the dark mist rose up and threatened to swallow Chen Fan. Chen Fan shot out an Azure Qi Blade and hacked at the dark wave. The Qi blade chewed through the dark mist with some effort, but it was able to slice the dark mist into half in the end.

"What an impressive Soul Energy!"

Lord Susano almost blanched.

He prided himself on his soul energy which he had been strengthening over the hundred years. However, Chen Fan's Divine Will was even more potent than his Soul Energy. The comparison of the soul energy of an ordinary martial artist, Lord Susano and Chen Fan would be that of Tofu, a block of wood and a sharp dagger.

It might take some effort to hack a block of wood with a dagger, but it was doable. However, a block of wood wouldn't do anything to a dagger.

That was exactly the case when Lord Susano's Soul energy collided with Chen Fan's Divine Will.

"What a powerful soul energy." Chen Fan exclaimed as greed flashed across his face.

Even though Chen Fan had absorbed the Devotion Energy in the golden statue, he could project his Divine Will five kilometers outward at the most. However, Lord Susano's soul energy could cover at least three times more area than his Divine Will. If Lord Susano knew the art of converting soul energy into Divine Will, he might be able to defeat Chen Fan using his Divine Will alone.

"It was a waste to let you have such power."

Chen Fan grunted and then summoned a dozen Wind blades. These wind blades formed a whirlwind and flew toward Lord Susano.

"That's the move he used to kill Kitaniwakawa."

Violet's face changed color as she shouted out.

"Fret not. Lord Susano is not Kitaniwakawa." Chizuru Masahiro narrowed his eyes and replied calmly.

Despite Chen Fan's extraordinary power, he believed in Lord Susano. As long as the fight was contained within the Shrine, Lord Susano could never be defeated. The worse case would be Chen Fan escaping here alive.

Lo and behold, Lord Susano let out a smirk and thrust his arms into the air.

The dark mist surrounded him converged toward space in between his out-reaching arms, until they formed a small swirling packet of air. This swirling bundle of air was small in size at first, but as the dark mist was sucked into it, it quickly grew in size until it was as wide as a round table. Lord Susano gave it a push, sending it out on a collision course with Chen Fan's tornado.

"Boom!"

The impact felt like two mountains had smashed into each other. The earth trembled as loose pebbles fell from overhanging rocks on the mountain slopes; a shock wave quickly followed suit. Chizuru Masahiro and the others started the Four Righteousness Protection Aura to ward off the shock wave. However, those who didn't have the protection were blown into pieces by the shock wave.

"Bam!"

Violet pulled out her Kodachi and sliced through the incoming energy wave. After a slight hesitation, she deflected another wave of energy for Yukishiro Sa. She was not entirely sure why she did that, perhaps it was because of the nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen to Lord Susano.

Yukishiro Sa gave Violet a long glance and then looked toward the battlefield.

The outcome of this fight will determine her fate.

Meanwhile, the heat was turning up on the battlefield. Chen Fan cast numerous spells at his opponent: Thunder Art, Wind blades, Fire Balls, Green Vines, and Giant Woods. He unleashed his attacks with amazing efficiency and ease, turning him into a tireless turret that showered Lord Susano with deadly attacks.

"That's unbelievable! This is the true power of a Perfected Cultivator!"

Chizuru Masahiro watched on, heart filled with admiration.

Chen Fan cast these spells with incredible speed and proficiency, yet his movement was unhurried and smooth. Even the most powerful Arcane Finger master of the Southern Sect, Zhou Daoji would be impressed by Chen Fan's performance. The spell casters on earth needed to undergo drawn-out preparations before they could cast a single spell. Even though the Arcane Finger branch of the Southern Sect was able to cast an array using just hand signs, the casting process still took a while. However, the energy came to Chen Fan so readily and smoothly, that casting spells seemed as easy as breathing to him.

In contrast, Lord Susano's movement was becoming sluggish.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Dharma Spells ceaselessly landed on the dark mist one after another.

Each impact would send out a shock wave that tossed everything into the air and strewn them around the ground.

Lord Susano was able to counter-attack once or twice, but most of the time, he struggled to defend against Chen Fan's onslaught. A few times, Chen Fan's attack made it through his defense and landed on his body. Lord Susano's body was made out of Divine Soul and Devotion Energy and was nearly indestructible. Even though Chen Fan's Wind blades were able to make a few ugly gashes on his scaly body, those wounds were quickly healed by the mist.

Despite his incredible defense, Lord Susano seemed finally fed up with being on the defense side. He roared a few times, and shouted at Chen Fan belligerently:

"Chen Beixuan, stop your spells and let's fight like men!"

"Your energy is limited anyway, and sooner or later it will deplete. But as long as I am in the Shrine, you won't harm me at all."

Chen Fan paused and cracked a smile.

"Fine, Let's fight like men. Try to defend this, pussy!"

Chen Fan stomped the ground with one foot.

"Kacha!"

He made a large crater on the floor paved by thick stones. This crater was about a meter wide and had the shape of a giant's foot, even the outlines of his toes were clearly visible.

Chen Fan bent backward, turning his body into a loaded spring. Then he let his body bounce back, creating a huge force that propelled him up and forward. A loud blare sounded out and it was accompanied by a plume of white air in front of Chen Fan. He had reached sonic speed.

In a blink of an eye, Chen Fan covered the distance between him and Lord Susano. His fist reached Lord Susano's chest and easily went through the scale, into the flesh until it rammed into the chest cavity.

Lord Susano, still stunned by what had happened, stumbled back to dislodge Chen Fan's fist from his chest. Suddenly, his chest exploded from inside, spitting watery substance in all directions. The explosion kicked off a chain reaction and his belly, arms, neck all exploded.

A deadly silence fell over the shrine. Everyone was stunned by the turn of events. Chizuru Masahiro glared at Chen Fan as if he was looking at a devil.

Lord Susano was killed by Chen Fan with one punch?

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Chapter 351: Invincible?

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Lord Susano is dead?"

Violet recoiled and murmured to herself.

The turn of events was a devastating blow to the priests. Lord Susano was their god. Their devotion had driven them to serve Lord Susano while Lord Susano also reciprocated their servitude by making his subjects a formidable force on Kyushu Island.

So powerful was Lord Susano, that not even Chizuru Masahiro nor Genkaza Takeda dared to defy the Demon God. He had unimaginable power at his disposal and was as deadly as an Immortal State cultivator. Yet, such a godly existence was killed by Chen Fan with one punch. They found it hard to come to terms with such reality.

"He broke the hypersonic barrier, he broke the hypersonic barrier! I have finally seen it with my own eyes." Genkaza Takeda 's eyes lit up with surprise and excitement. It was as if he had discovered a new god.

He has heard that the most powerful Grandmaster in China, Master Chen Beixuan, had used the same technique to kill Buck the Diamond and Lei Qianjue and rose to fame. He was soon ranked number three on the Dark Roll and was thought to be able to rival an entire army.

Genkaza Takeda had believed none of that.

Breaking the hypersonic barrier would be too taxing on a mortal's body. It was absurd to think that Che Beixuan's flesh was as tough and durable as fighter jets.

However, after seeing the incredible move with his own eyes, his previous doubts evaporated.

If this belligerent blow landed on him, he might as well be dead.

The plume of white mist didn't dissipate until Chen Fan had pulled his hand back. Then, and only then, a deafening squall swept across the shrine. It sounded like an enormous sheet of paper being ripped in two, and the soundwave blew away anything that wasn't nailed down to the ground and shredded them into pieces.

He killed Lord Susano with one punch.

Chen Fan's power, such as it was, as proof that he was the most powerful man in China.

Already, Yukishiro Sa was beaming from side to side and cheering for Chen Fan's victory. Chizuru Masahiro let out a grunt and disagreed: "No, this can't be. Lord Susano shouldn't be so easily defeated. "

Lo and behold, as soon as the old man finished his words, something inexplicable happened.

A flurry of dark mist rolled toward Lord Susano's severed head like the dark clouds before a thunderstorm. The mist propped Lord Susano's head and lifted it into the air. Below the severed head, darkness swirled and turned until the outline of a body slowly formed.

It started with a rough-hewn outline of a torso, then limbs and neck. In the end, a layer of glinting scales appeared over the boy.

In a few brief moments, Lord Susano's body reappeared in its full glory. He didn't look like he was injured at all. It was as if Chen Fan's deadly attack had no effect on him whatsoever.

Yukishiro Sa's voice froze in her throat as the cheering of the priests came up all around her. A broad smile broke over Genkaza Takeda's face. Violet also smiled, faintly if not perfunctorily as a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes.

Chizuru Masahiro ran his fingers through his long white beard and said: "Chen Beixuan celebrated too early. Lord Susano's power was built on hundreds of years of cultivation. He will not be easily defeated. As I said, he is invincible within this shrine."

"Invincible?"

Seeing the fully recovered Lord Susano, Yukishiro Sa was gripped by despair.

anyone would despair when faced against an invincible opponent.

"Lord Susano, Chen Beixuan can only use the hypersonic punch once." Genkaza Takeda shouted a tip at Lord Susano.

Lord Susano spoke with a hoarse voice.

"Chen Beixuan, I shouldn't have overlooked your ability. I had never thought that you were capable of delivering so much damage. You have outranked all the Martial Artists I have ever met when I visited China. What an impressive physique, no wonder they call it the Treasure Body of the Earth Level Deity."

The Demon God chortled as he fixed his hot gaze on Chen Fan's body. His eyes burned with the fire of greed like an ember.

Lord Susano was convinced that Chen Fan possessed the Treasure Body of the Earth Level Deity after seeing Chen Fan's unbelievable power.

The body of a normal person would be crushed by its own speed and momentum while reaching Hypersonic speed, and only the body of an Immortal could have withstood such pressure.

"However deadly your attack is, I can not be defeated as long as we are within the confines of the shrine. Sure, your punch is powerful, but how many of those punches can you use on me?" Lord Susano asked menacingly.

He had gone over Chen Fan's profile countless times and knew that Hypersonic punch was one of Chen Fan's most powerful moves. In addition, he also knew that the usage of such taxing attacks were very limited.

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and furrowed his brows as he regarded the new body of Lord Susano.

He had used the hypersonic attack and killed both Lei Qianjue and Diamond Buck with ease, so he didn't expect the Demon God to recover from the blow so thoroughly and quickly.

Unlike Lei Qianjiue, Lord Susano didn't exist physically in this world. He existed solely as a combination of Soul Energy and Divine Soul. This energy could be reshaped after being fragmented with only very small losses. Lord Susano had harnessed a great amount of Soul Energy over the centuries, and therefore he could regenerate his body almost indefinitely.

"Humph! Even a Mighty figure of a Soul Formation state who had nearly indestructible Primordial Essence in the void dimension could be killed, much less a Ghost Spirit of Divine Sea level. You are too full of yourself." Chen Fan's brows unfurrowed as he let out a sneer."I want to find out exactly how many times can you regenerate your body."

After Chen Fan had said that, he shot out a fist as his body flickered in and out of view.

"Kaboom!"

Another crack of thunder came up in the void dimension. It turned the air into fluid and ripped it apart from the middle. From the gap of vacuum, a plume of white cloud rose and was blown in all directions by a wild gale. Trees and rocks that came into contact with the white mist exploded violently.

In a blink, Chen Fan had covered the ten-meter distance between him and Lord Susano.

This time, Lord Susano was prepared. He let out a booming snarl as he thrust both paws forward at Chen Fan, trying to grab him and rip him into pieces using the sharp claws. However, Lord Susano was a wee bit too slow.

The speed of sound is 340 meters per second, and Chen Fan had come up to his target in less than 0.1 seconds. Before the dark claws had time to close in on Chen Fan, Chen Fan's fist had already made its way through Lord Susano's chest.

The impact caused a huge explosion right from Lord Susano's chest. Just like last time, the Demon God was blown into pieces, save the head that was still intact.

The mighty Lord Susano was killed twice by Chen Fan.

"The second punch!"

Chen Fan pulled his hand back and watched as dark mists converged toward Lord Susano's head and in a heartbeat, regenerated Lord Susano's body without a scratch. Lord Susano asked haughtily: "Chen Beixuan, you can't kill me. How many times do I need to tell you that?"

Chen Fan did not pay any attention to Sunano's words. He narrowed his eyes and thought to himself:

"If my guess is right, both the speed of regeneration and the solidity of the body was inferior to last time. Although he has powerful Devotion Energy, he could not regenerate indefinitely as he had claimed. "

Although Lord Susano looked just like how he used to in the eye of Yukishiro Sa and others, Chen Fan and picked up the signs of slowing down in the rate of regeneration. Plus, the new body of Lord Susano was ever so slightly fainter, and less substantial. It was evident to Chen Fan that Lord Susano was not invincible.

When Lord Susano was still fuming and blustering, Chen Fan thrust out a hand and stomped the ground again.

"Third Punch!"

A deep thunderous rumbled across the shrine and there was more coming.

"Forth!"

"Fifth!"

...

"Ninth!"

After Chen Fan had unleashed the ninth Hypersonic punch, the entire shrine became pin-drop silent. Those who shouted out their victory earlier gaped at Chen Fan with astonishment. Genkaza Takeda shuddered in fear and said: "Impossible! The information I gathered showed that Chen Beixuan could only use Hypersonic Punch once. How come he used it so many times in a row and still no sign of exhaustion?"

Using the Hypersonic punch once was one thing, using it non-stop many times in a row was another.

Just like a hypersonic fighter jet, after operating under hypersonic speed once in a mission, it would have to return to the hanger and to be examined. The hypersonic speed would put great strain on the structure of the jet and increase its chance of failure. However, Chen Fan had already reached mid-stage of Ethereal Enlightenment and had further improved his physique by leaps and bounds from his already impressive condition. By then, reaching hypersonic speed was a walk in the park.

Chizuru Masahiro's face paled the most compared to the others.

Even those who lacked the most basic training in Dharma Spells could register the palpable decrease in Lord Susano's rate of regeneration. When his form was shattered by the ninth punch, it took Lord Susano a few minutes to put himself together again. Worse, Lord Susano's body seemed to have lost its substance and looked almost translucent.

By now, it was evident to everyone that Lord Susano's claim of invincibility was just a bluff. He would eventually perish the moment his Essence Qi was finally spent.

Lord Susano realized that his ruse was blown so he snarled out his desperation and anger.

He tried to counter Chen Fan's attack, but Chen Fan's movement was simply too fast for him. As soon as his body was reformed, Chen Fan's next fist would have already landed on him. Although Lord Susano knew many powerful spells, without the time to cast them, those spells might as well be useless.

"How many more punches can you take?" Chen Fan looked at Lord Susano contemptuously. "You are merely a lowly Divine Soul. Invincible? Humph. I want to hear you say that after I take you as the Primordial Spirit of my Dharma Treasure."

Lord Susano finally gave in. He turned into a puff of dark cloud and flew into the inner sanctum.

Even as he ran away, he shouted out a command: "Swarm him! Kill him!"

Chizuru Masahiro hesitated a second but eventually threw himself at Chen Fan unwillingly. Suddenly, the entire shrine was filled with hundreds of assassins and warriors alike. Some of them even had guns.

Yukishiro Sa's face darkened and looked at Chen Fan.

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back, his face was glacial.

He was going to turn this place into a blood bath.

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Chapter 352: Turning The Shrine Into a Bloodbath

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Lord Susano had presided at Kyushu for hundreds of years. His influence far exceeded that of the Yukishiro family.

In other words, the Yukishiro family was just one of Lord Susano's subjects.

A few swordsmen brandishing sharp Uchigatanas swarmed at Chen Fan. Their expression heavy, eyes focused and darted toward Chen Fan like gusts of winds. It was evident that all of them were Internal Force users.

Anyone of these men were mighty figures in their own right. Not even the Lu family in China—also a hundred-year-old faction—could have rallied so many deadly warriors at once. Chen Fan wagered that Lord Susano had summoned all of his subjects from all over Kyushu island to deal with him.

"Hooo!"

Men wielding Uchigatanas let out deep grunts almost in unison as they threw themselves at Chen Fan when they were still half a dozen meters away. They launched themselves into the air and hacked at Chen Fan.

Suddenly, lights ran down from the body of their blades, turning into streaks of silvery light in the air. Although these men were not nearly as powerful as Kawakami Gensai, their combined might nonetheless posed a significant threat. Even a Grandmaster might be chopped and diced into pieces by them, much less any internal force master.

However, Chen Fan was much more powerful than any Grandmaster. He proved it by killing a few of them with ease.

Chen Fan waved a hand, sending a wave of powerful energy that smashed into the half a dozen warriors who led the group. Those men were reduced into piles of bloody body parts in an instant. It was as if a large semi-truck had plowed through them. The energy wave didn't stop and kept knocking many more warriors to the ground, killing a few.

"Hurr!"

As a dozen warriors were laid low, two dozen more appeared behind their formation, ready to join their ranks.

These two dozen warriors unsheathed their blades and sprung forward to hew the Uchigatana at Chen Fan. They acted out every movement in perfect unison as if they were synchronized robots.

Their Uchigatana were made out of steel that had been held and hammered a hundred times until they were extremely sharp and ductile. These deadly blades come at Chen Fan's protective True Essence that surrounded him.

"Clank!"

Their attack landed on Chen Fan and made a loud metal-on-metal sound. Blood spilled out from many warriors' mouth and a few Uchigatanas were snapped in half. However, their joined attack and finally broke Chen Fan's True Essence with causing any casualties to themselves.

"uh?"

Chen Fan was slightly impressed.

He thought that the energy he shot out should have killed at least a hundred of them, and it did. However, the remaining twenty or so warriors that survived his attack were able to fight back with considerable results.

Such was the difference between the martial artists in China and Japan. In China, only the military would have put together such a deadly team who were not only powerful by themselves but were also extraordinary team players.

Chen Fan didn't much mind the minor set back. If he put in slightly more effort, all these warriors were fodders. Chen Fan shot out two fingers as azure Blade Auras lanced out from the top of his fingers.

He slashed air with the Blade Auras in a flat backhand sweep to covered a large swath of area.

Those twenty or so warriors were no match against the Blade Aura. They were severed in half; entrails, along with blood spilled out from their belly to the ground. The twenty or so deadly warriors were dead.

However, these warriors were only the beginning of the attack. A dozen or so warriors emerged from the dark corners as soon as the first twenty were dead.

So powerful was Lord Susano that he had the entire Kyushu island under his tight grip. Only the Susano Shrine could rally hundreds of deadly warriors at the same time.

"Shooshooooshooo."

When the warriors threw themselves at Chen Fan, the Onmyojis and priests of the Susano Shrine didn't stand idly. They started to prepare for deadly spells.

These Onmyojis stood in a carefully arranged formation. This was a spell that they had practiced by rote. Chizuru Masahiro was the leader of the formation and he was in charge of the threads of energy that came out from each and every Onmyoji into his own system.

A squall suddenly came up behind Chizuru Masahiro as roiling Dharmic powers gathered in his system.

The Grand Onmyoji of Japan slowly produced a Dharma Artifact from his robe and held it out with both hands. The artifact looked ancient. It was a small bell made out of bronze. At the front of the bell was an engraving of an Oni's face that mimicked the face of Lord Susano.

This was the most prized Dharma Artifact of Susano Shrine.

"Bell of Five Onis"

Chizuru Masahiro jingled the bell as he poured all of his Dharmic powers into it. He pointed to Chen Fan with one hand and shouted:

"Hold!"

The Dharmic powers in all seventeen Onmyojis surged and sent seventeen pulses of energy through Chizuru Masahiro and into the Bell of Five Onis. The sudden swelling of energy stretched the powerful Grand Onmyoji's ability to the limit. His face was flushed red and the body trembled uncontrollably, trying to contain the surging power.

In the end, all the energies were sucked into the bell. The bell jiggled a little with even being moved and let out a crisp chime. Suddenly, an invisible force, ten times stronger than Lei Qianjue's Qi Net of the Thousand Trickeries, surrounded Chen Fan. Its potency was on par with that Zhou Daoji's Dharma Array of Jiu Long.

"Kotodama—Hold!"

This was one of the most popular spells among Japanese Onmyojis.

Onmyojis in Japan was well known for their abilities to drive out the evil spirits and bringing wild ghosts under control. Their practice was very similar to that of the Ghost Witch Sect in China. However, even Lord Susano, their most powerful Shikigami—a revered Ghost Spirit—could not best Chen Fan, much less the weaker Shikigami that Chizuru Masahiro could turn to. Instead, Chizuru Masahiro had decided to form a Dharma Array to distract Chen Fan while the latter fought his deadly opponents.

His plan had worked, at least for now. Chen Fan was stopped cold in his tracks, turning into an easy target.

In a blink, a dozen Uchigatana landed on Chen Fan. These attacks all carried deadly Internal Force.

"Courting death!"

Chen Fan was miffed by the development. These Uchigatanas sliced through his clothing but caused no harm to his body. If they had accomplished anything, it would be Chen Fan's gaining anger.

Chen Fan shook his body and easily shook off the constraining force. He then thrust a punch toward, shattering the very fabric of reality. As a wave of energy rippled through space, it turned the air into liquid.

Those warriors who had landed blows on Chen Fan didn't even have time to celebrate before they were shattered into pieces once the energy wave reached them. Even the extremely durable Uchigatana shivered into few pieces.

"True Martial Thirty-Six Forms, Void Dimension Shockwave!"

The development gave his opponents chills down their spines.

There was no doubt now that their attacks were futile, however, it was already too late for them to pull back. Hundreds and thousands of warriors were coming from behind them, if they turned back, they might be stampeded to death. There was only one way.

Ordinary men with firearms and warriors with weapons swarmed at Chen Fan from all sides, all the while, the Onmyojis rained deadly spells onto Chen Fan from above or below ground. From time to time, a hidden Ninja would jump out of his cover and sneak up on Chen Fan. Worse, there were snipers on the roof that tried to land a good shot.

"One slash, two, three..."

Chen Fan brandished the Azure Wood Qi Blade and turned his surroundings into a bloody hell. Men threw themselves to Chen Fan, only to be sliced into a few chunks while they were still in the air; more men came at Chen Fan, rinse and repeat.

The influence of Susano Shrine was incredible.

Nearly all the elite fighters of Kyushu's underground world had gathered here. Chen Fan had sensed that men had lined up on the mountain path all the way to the foothill. Their numbers were in the thousands.

As Chen Fan revealed in the visceral slaughter, he decided to give up the Azure Wood Qi Blade and used his body instead. He rammed at the crowd like a large semi-truck and plowed through them, making a bloody path. Anyone who came to contact with Chen Fan's body would immediately turn into pulp.

Let it be blade-wielding warriors, trained gunners, or Ninjas, no one could survive Chen Fan's attacks. He threw one punch and killed a dozen warriors; he kicked in front of him, killing a few dozens more. Worst was then he barged through the crowd, no one in his way would live to see the bloody path Chen Fan had made.

In a few minutes, Chen Fan had slaughtered over three hundred men.

suddenly, an attack sneaked up on Chen Fan from behind. The energy carried from the attack remained concealed until it was only an inch away from Chen Fan. Then it exploded, unleashing as much energy as a ballistic cannon.

"Kaboom!"

Chen Fan returned the attack with a backhand sweep. The two powerful forces collided in the air and caused a deadly shockwave that crushed a few men who stood too close.

The impact staggered the attack and he hurried to back away.

"Huh?"

Chen Fan furrowed his brows was surprised to find out that the attacker didn't die after taking the brunt of his force. Chen Fan couldn't even register any injury in the attacker.

"Peak Level of Transcendent State?"

Chen Fan looked to the attacker and saw a disturbed Genkaza Takeda looking back at him with apprehension.

Genkaza Takeda was one of the most powerful warriors in Japan. He lorded over the Kyushu island on behalf of Susano. The Takeda Family was a renowned Martial Arts family in Japan, similar to the Lu family and the Gu family in China.

However, as deadly as Genkaza Takeda was, Chen Fan had countered his attack with one half-minded sweep of the hand. Genkaza Takeda was shocked to the core and realized that only people like him could have a chance in slowing Chen Fan down. The rest of the warriors were all cannon fodder.

"Humph!!"

Chen Fan smiled derisively. He fanged out both arms and closed them like scissors. A deadly wave of energy slashed through the air and sliced a dozen men in half. Chen Fan's body flickered a little and then disappeared; in less than half a heartbeat, he descended upon Genkaza Takeda. Genkaza Takeda was terrified and scrambled to get out of harm's way.

Chen Fan chased after him and kept the pressure on him.

If not because of Chizuru Masahiro's spells and the suicidal warriors that kept on coming at Chen Fan, he had already caught up with Genkaza Takeda and tore him into pieces.

"Uh? Something is not right."

Chen Fan suddenly paused.

By now, he had killed at least five hundred men, including all of the most powerful warriors and Onmyojis. The remaining fighters were ordinary in their abilities, and why didn't they run away? Why were they keep on coming at me knowing they would die?

"Something is off."

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and unleashed his Divine Sense.

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