Chapter 121: Slaughtering Our Way to Goryeo!

The moment Tim died, the six experts battling nearby all noticed.

Almost instinctively, they fell silent for a second, because Tim had died far too quickly. This spatial fold expert had crossed hands with several formidable masters of the Martial Grandmaster’s Third Realm and escaped unscathed every time. Yet after only a brief exchange with Jiang An, he had been defeated and killed.

They did not even know how he had died. How could Jiang An be so powerful?

“The operation has failed. Withdraw separately!”

Augustus suddenly shouted, his face ashen. Tim’s death had not only doomed the mission but also placed them in danger. The situation was hopeless. What reason was there to remain?

The three Western experts immediately thought of retreat and prepared to flee.

“You come and go as you please? Do you really think this old man is harmless?”

The Azure Dragon Envoy spoke coldly from within his Azure Dragon Force Robe. The robe flared brilliantly as he erupted with power, and in an instant he struck out three fierce azure fists. They formed a straight line and arrived before Augustus in the blink of an eye.

Before Augustus could react, the first two blasts shattered his double-layered Water Shield Armor. The final strike slammed directly into his chest.

Pfft!

His breastbone collapsed, and he spat out a spray of blood as his entire body was sent flying. He suffered severe injuries, while the razor-sharp force hidden within the blows continued spreading through his wounds, wreaking destruction and causing unbearable agony.

Augustus immediately cast two Spring Recovery Spells on himself. At last, the pain eased somewhat, but his expression grew even more dreadful. He might very well die here today.

No. He had to risk everything.

Experienced and decisive, he gritted his teeth and suddenly seized his left arm with his right hand, tearing it from his body and hurling it into the air. At the same time, an incantation rang from his lips.

“...Omnipotent Lord, accept the sacrifice of Your loyal servant and grant me strength!”

His severed arm exploded into a dazzling mass of white light, which then poured into Augustus’s body. His aura surged upward in waves. In the next instant, he pressed one hand down upon the surface of the water.

Forbidden Spell: Waterfall!

Boom!

The sea before him suddenly surged upward into a colossal wall of water more than two hundred meters long and over twenty meters thick. Defying gravity, it shot fifty meters into the air, like a waterfall suspended upside down. Carrying terrifying force, it swept in every direction. Its overwhelming momentum even changed the color of the sky and sea, as though a tsunami had arrived.

Rumble!

One horrifying wave after another crashed forward, attacking everything around it indiscriminately. The Azure Dragon Envoy directly ahead was forced to retreat dozens of meters before the water-type forbidden spell, avoiding its full power. Once he relied on his formidable strength to endure the assault, he discovered that Augustus had vanished. Shen San and Alexander had also taken advantage of the chaos to escape the battlefield and flee into the distance.

“Did he escape beneath the water? I refuse to believe you can get away! Search for him!”

The Azure Dragon Envoy muttered to himself before suddenly issuing an order to the approaching manor ship. The people aboard immediately relayed a series of commands, determined to drag Augustus out. The Azure Dragon Envoy could ignore the others, but if Augustus escaped, where would that leave his dignity?

...

Jiang An was somewhat frustrated. Heaven had played two tricks on him.

He had been racing across the water at incredible speed and was almost within reach of the Japanese escape vessel. With his exceptionally keen eyesight, he could even see the terror on Cao Taiheng’s and Nishimura’s faces.

Then the unexpected happened.

First came the eruption of a terrifying aura behind him. A colossal wave carrying boundless force crashed toward him. Jiang An did not want to waste his strength resisting it, so he immediately used the Thousand-Kilogram Drop technique to plunge beneath the surface. Once the wave had passed, he emerged and discovered that the Japanese vessel had not been overturned by the enormous surge. Instead, it had ridden the momentum and drifted far away.

Just as Jiang An was about to give chase, a streak of fire roared over his head. It was Shen San, attempting to flee. For some unknown reason—perhaps Jiang An had offended him—Shen San suddenly halted despite being in a hurry to escape. With a wave of his hand, a vast rain of blazing fireballs descended upon Jiang An.

After launching the attack, Shen San did not even look to see the result before trying to fly away again.

Jiang An was truly angered now. With a single punch, he smashed all the fireballs apart. Then he saw the streak of fire that was Shen San shoot into the sky. Naturally, he had no intention of letting him go. He immediately struck Shen San in the back with the Four-Colored Finger of Heavenly Punishment.

Even if the attack could not kill him, it would at least make him experience a fate worse than death.

Shen San seemed to let out a muffled groan, but in the end, he still managed to fly away.

Those two interruptions had delayed Jiang An long enough for the Japanese vessel to disappear into the distance. The crew had cunningly extinguished every light and, under the cover of night and the surrounding confusion, sped toward the waters of Goryeo.

It was dangerous, but in their eyes, Jiang An—the murderous god—was even more dangerous.

Did they think this was the end?

Jiang An had said he would kill everyone aboard the Japanese ship, and he meant to leave not a single survivor. Anyone who stood in his way would die. Even if they fled to Goryeo, he would pursue them there and kill them there.

Jiang An gave a cold snort. His normally calm, jade-like bearing had vanished, replaced by a murderous presence. He surveyed the dark waters around him, where all kinds of ships threaded back and forth, then headed expressionlessly toward Goryeo waters.

“We finally escaped with our lives. It seems Heaven is still on our side.”

Aboard the Japanese vessel in the darkness of night, Cao Taiheng spoke with lingering fear.

“The enemy may still pursue us. We cannot relax. At the very least, we must reach Goryeo territory first,” Nishimura said, exhaling as his face remained deathly pale.

“I know. But do not worry. We escaped in the confusion. Even if that man comes after us, it will be difficult for him to determine our position. And even if he does find us, we will already be in Goryeo waters by then. I have made arrangements there. The coastal patrol tonight is at least twice as strong as usual—practically a small fleet. With that force, we can return home safely.”

Cao Taiheng forced a smile.

In fact, he even hoped Jiang An would run into the Goryeo coast guard. Then he might still have a chance to turn defeat into victory.

Nishimura nodded, somewhat reassured. Then he gritted his teeth and said, “Once I return to Japan, I will make sure Lord Kamitani emerges from seclusion. I will also unite every other force available. No matter what it takes, we must destroy this Jiang An. That golden whip technique of his is the nightmare and natural enemy of our entire onmyoji lineage. Until he is eliminated, I will never be at ease!”

He had truly been frightened out of his wits. The spiritual bodies of onmyoji were not invincible; being defeated was one thing. But encountering someone who was their natural nemesis was another matter entirely.

The True Man Kamitani’s fused spiritual body had been nearly equivalent to a Martial Grandmaster of the Third Realm in that battle, yet Jiang An had killed it effortlessly with three strikes of his whip. The casual ease with which he had done so was terrifying. Nishimura, who had witnessed it all with his own eyes, had even developed a psychological barrier. He had begun to lose confidence in the spiritual body he cultivated.

For a practitioner, that was a fatal blow. If Jiang An did not die, Nishimura feared he would never advance another step in this life.

Cao Taiheng was similarly shaken. Jiang An’s strength had replaced his hatred with fear. Would he ever be able to avenge himself? Even Tim, the renowned spatial fold expert, had died. How much weight did Cao Taiheng himself carry?

“Nishimura, do you think that boy’s strength has surpassed that of a top-tier expert?” Cao Taiheng asked grimly.

Nishimura, however, suddenly calmed down. The two of them could not possibly bolster the enemy’s prestige while undermining their own morale.

“I know you are referring to the fact that he killed Tim. Thinking back on it now, perhaps we frightened ourselves,” Nishimura said slowly, stroking his chin.

“What do you mean?” Cao Taiheng immediately became interested.

“Tim was merely comparable to a Martial Grandmaster of the Third Realm. That does not mean his actual strength was equal to one. His past record consisted of escaping safely from several top-tier experts. As for the Grandmasters of the First and Second Realms who died by his hand, there were only a few. It seems he only used his killing move against people he was certain he could defeat. In other words, his strength was still inferior to that of a Third-Realm master. He simply possessed a unique technique unknown to others.”

“You mean that boy Jiang may not actually be very strong? He was merely lucky enough to find a way to counter Tim’s killing move—or perhaps he happened to be Tim’s natural counter?”

“Yes. That is exactly what I mean.”

“Now that you put it that way, it really does seem so. Nishimura, you truly are clever. A few words from you have put my mind at ease.”

Cao Taiheng broke into a broad grin.

Nishimura smiled without replying, appearing profound and inscrutable. He felt a trace of intellectual superiority after receiving Cao Taiheng’s admiration.

“How fortunate. Our nation already has Xingzi. If China produced another freakish genius even more monstrous than Xingzi, wouldn’t our great Goryeo be crushed beneath them?”

Tsk!

Hearing this, disdain rose in Nishimura’s heart.

Even if Goryeo were not being held down by China, was it not still being held down by Japan? They had produced one Park Uiseong and praised him to the heavens, but Kikuchi of Japan was leagues beyond him.

Cao Taiheng remained unaware of Nishimura’s contempt. He was just about to speak when a powerful beam of light swept over them, accompanied by the blare of a loudspeaker:

“This is the territorial waters of Great Goryeo. This is the territorial waters of Great Goryeo. You have entered illegally. Present your identification or leave immediately, or we will take action.”

The warning was first given in the Goryeo language, then repeated in clumsy Chinese. It continued over and over.

Cao Taiheng was delighted rather than angry.

“It is our Goryeo coast guard! We have reached Goryeo waters. Turn on every light and make our identities clear!”

Upon hearing this, Nishimura immediately ordered the crew to comply. Soon, the yacht blazed with light, appearing magnificent amid the darkness.

Cao Taiheng seemed eager to show off. He pulled Nishimura toward the bow and looked at the enormous coast-guard vessel not far ahead. He was just about to gather his inner energy and loudly announce his identity.

“I am—”

He had only just begun shouting in a booming voice when Nishimura shoved him aside, cutting him off.

“Nishimura, you—”

Cao Taiheng turned toward him angrily, only to see Nishimura’s face drenched in cold sweat, his expression filled with terror.