"Ryan, your current strength has reached the peak of Transforming Core. Now that you've fused with the Primeval Heavenwood power of Japan, you should try breaking through to Transcending Core. I sensed you wiped out Chiba Shrine—Japan's top-tier powerhouses are converging on us right now!" At this moment, atop Chiba Mountain, the Ghost Elder sat cross-legged beside Ryan. Zoe Zhong was too badly injured and had been sent back to the Netherworld. Though she was Ryan's subordinate, she was also the younger sister of Marshal Zhong Kui, and the Ghost Elder really didn't want anything to happen to her!
"Got it!" Ryan nodded. Advancing so quickly would definitely impact his foundation, but he had no choice right now—he had to break through, and the timing was perfect.
At this point, he'd perfectly fused the Primeval Heavenwood and also absorbed all of Hiroshi Tojo's essence. This power would massively boost Ryan's breakthrough!
Now, Ryan took a deep breath and floated in meditation above the ruins of Chiba Shrine. The shrine was just a pile of rubble now, but because the Primeval Heavenwood had existed here for ages, the land was saturated with Heavenwood aura—perfect for Ryan's cultivation!
"Break through!" Ryan shouted, immediately burning Hiroshi Tojo's essence—the first step in his advancement: fuse the essence, then the Primeval Heavenwood power, and finally draw on the earth of Chiba Shrine itself to push his breakthrough. This three-step plan was basically flawless!
Beside him, the Ghost Elder stood watch with a massive blade, personally guarding Ryan's breakthrough!
The path of the strong is always full of thorns—only by trampling them can you advance step by step and grow stronger!
And here on Japanese soil, if Ryan succeeds in advancing to Transcending Core, he'll be absolutely invincible!
This is the most crucial checkpoint—and for Ryan, the hardest one yet!
Right now, several top-tier powerhouses were closing in on Ryan at high speed. The entire Chiba Prefecture seemed to tremble, and with the destruction of Chiba Shrine, it was like someone had dropped a nuke—everyone was running for their lives, knowing a battle was about to erupt. And it was going to be absolutely devastating.
...
"Lord Orochi, that's Chiba Prefecture up ahead. That brat is still sitting on Chiba Shrine's ruins—he's gotten way too arrogant!" On the outskirts of Chiba Prefecture, a squad of ninjas crawled forward, led by a pale-faced youth whose age was impossible to guess. His aura was chilling, and more terrifying, a giant serpent coiled behind him. No question, this was Victor Orochi, leader of Japan's ninja clan, a Sub-Saint powerhouse on par with Hiroshi Tojo.
"Arrogant for sure. He's just sitting there, and I can sense he's powering up—this guy clearly doesn't care about all of Japan!" Victor Orochi grinned coldly, flicking out a snake's tongue. The chill in the air made people shiver.
"That Huaxia punk isn't just ignoring Japan—he's basically declaring war on the whole country! If we don't cut him down, Japan will lose all face in East Asia!" At that moment, another burly man stepped out, followed by a squad in golden armor.
"So it's Brother Tokugawa. Even you showed up?" Victor Orochi sneered, his expression turning even colder.
"Of course! That punk wiped out all of Chiba Shrine—even the emperor was shaken. He ordered me to lead the entire Tokugawa Clan and capture that brat alive!" The speaker was none other than Masao Tokugawa, patriarch of the Tokugawa Clan. He knew perfectly well it was Ryan who wiped out all Tokugawa interests in Sutherland Province. This grudge was one the clan had to settle.
And right now, Masao Tokugawa's strength was also at Sub-Saint level, and his aura was even more ferocious than Hiroshi Tojo's.
"Haha, Brother Tokugawa, so fierce! Looks like you're definitely leading the charge this time!" Victor Orochi flicked his tongue, cold as ever.
"Me, leading the charge? Orochi, are you trying to get the Tokugawa Clan to bleed out in the vanguard so your ninja clan can swoop in and become the emperor's main pillar?" Masao Tokugawa glared, clearly hinting at deep rivalry between the Tokugawas and the ninja clan.
"You're overthinking it. I don't have any such plans!" Victor Orochi snorted, baring his fangs. He obviously didn't think much of Masao Tokugawa either.
"You two—at a time like this, you're still bickering? The enemy is at the gates! We should be united, or Japan will lose all face. Letting a Huaxia brat cause this much chaos without us even noticing—it's a disgrace!" Just as the two were arguing, a swordsman strode in, heroic and sharp, literally 'walking on the waves.' He was also a Sub-Saint.
"Sword King Miyamoto, greetings!"
"Sword King Miyamoto, even you showed up? Did this punk's rampage reach the Sword Saint himself?"
When Victor Orochi and Masao Tokugawa saw the middle-aged swordsman arrive, they instantly stopped quarreling and their tone became much more respectful.
"He wiped out all of Chiba Shrine—of course my master knows. He ordered me to work with you two and kill that brat!" Sword King Miyamoto finished and bowed politely.
"Sword King Miyamoto, you're too polite. We'll cooperate as you wish—just tell us what needs doing!"
"Exactly! Since the Sword Saint himself gave the order, of course we'll cooperate!"
Victor Orochi and Masao Tokugawa hurriedly bowed, suddenly all politeness.
Right now, the three Sub-Saints joined forces, and all of Chiba Prefecture trembled. Such a lineup was almost unheard of in Japan—only when the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb did the Saints shake like this. But that was ages ago, and now a Huaxia teenager had stirred up this kind of chaos!
...
"Captain, Chiba Prefecture is just ahead. We've confirmed three Japanese Sub-Saints have surrounded the whole region. They're willing to destroy the entire prefecture just to kill Ryan—he's right at the eye of the storm and could be wiped out any second!" Meanwhile, the Huaxia Dragon Group had arrived at Chiba Prefecture. Sophia Long heard the situation and shuddered—Japan was basically throwing its entire national power at killing Ryan.
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"We have to break through at all costs—no way can we let that kid die! He destroyed Chiba Shrine, which makes him Huaxia's greatest hero!" Sophia Long gritted her teeth and charged in, followed by the rest of the Huaxia Dragon Group elites.
Their mission in Japan was intel-gathering—recently, Japan had been stirring up trouble in Jiangnan. Even though Huaxia's higher-ups hadn't acted openly, they couldn't swallow their anger. Sending the Dragon Group was a way to show Japan some attitude behind the scenes. But now, with Chiba Shrine suddenly destroyed, all eyes in Huaxia's leadership were on Ryan, which left Sophia Long feeling a bit annoyed.
After all, they're the Huaxia Dragon Group—the strongest official team in Huaxia. And now Ryan was hogging all the spotlight!
Right now, Sophia Long had only one goal: help Ryan break out, and at the same time, make sure her own squad took out a few Japanese punks. That way, the Dragon Group could save face—she wasn't about to let Ryan outshine her.
In that instant, three Japanese Sub-Saints and the entire Huaxia Dragon Group squad converged—basically every major power in Japan was charging toward Chiba Peak. Suddenly, all eyes in Japan, and even top East Asian experts, were locked on the region. Even the U.S. troops stationed in Japan focused on Chiba Prefecture. After years of peace, Ryan had blown Japan sky-high!
Japan had pulled all kinds of tricks in Huaxia over the years—today, it looked like it was finally payback time!
...
"Ryan, the top dogs are almost here. Japan's counterattack is even fiercer than we expected—are you ready?" At the base of Chiba Peak, the Ghost Elder's robes whipped in the wind, and the whole mountain trembled.
"Give me a little more time—almost there!" Ryan steadied himself. But even though he said that, he could feel a hidden gulf inside: from Transforming Core to Transcending Core, he still hadn't truly crossed the line...