Chapter 519: Ambush

Hashimoto Mako’s heart was in turmoil, a battle raging between her desires and her fears. The admiration of strength was an intrinsic trait of the Jiepeng people. Even she, a female gang leader who had clawed her way through storms of blood and chaos, could not escape this reality.

When someone stronger appeared, someone who could bring her greater benefits, she would not hesitate to offer up everything she had. Her fame, her status, even her body. So she carefully weighed her options.

Would serving Shinzu Genshi provoke Tsukiha Yaiba’s jealousy and retaliation? That was crucial to consider. But Li Xiaofei didn’t give her much time to dwell on it.

He stood up, patted the dust off himself, and said lightly, “Get to work.”

Two hours later, the Hashi Town Dojo and the Screw Association were erased from Sakura District in Urawa Base City. The heads of the two factions’ leaders were nailed to the gates of their respective headquarters.

Drip, drip.

Fresh blood trickled down, painting a terrifying picture. Countless other experts within the factions lay dead or gravely injured. The message was clear. Opposition was death.

News of the events spread like wildfire. The nearby freemen and slaves erupted in joy. The two tumors that had plagued their lives had been eradicated in a single day.

Is this the work of the Supreme Gods who had heard their prayers and sent a messenger of justice?

At this moment, however, the so-called messenger of justice, Li Xiaofei, was seated at the Yamai Gang's headquarters. He was in a meeting with the leaders of the Wind Chime Tavern, the Flying Dragon Group, and the White Suits to discuss their future.

The three leaders were visibly trembling. The news of the destruction of Hashi Town Dojo and the Screw Association had already reached them before they arrived. Unlike the general public, they knew the truth. These two dominant factions had been annihilated by the clean and harmless looking young man in front of them. He had singlehandedly slaughtered his way through both organizations with a single blade.

The entire process had taken less than ten minutes. Ten minutes, and two factions that had ruled over the Sakura District for decades were now nothing more than history.

The Yagyu Blade of Hashi Town Dojo and the Thousand-Faced Armor of the Screw Association were both peak Dao Union Realm experts. Yet, in front of this youth named Shinzu Genshi, neither of them had managed to last even a single move before being violently crushed.

The three leaders knew that their own fates would be no different if they resisted.

“Do you still have any objections to the idea of joining me?” Li Xiaofei asked softly, as though they were simply friends having a casual conversation.

“Of course not!”

“It is an honor to serve Lord Shinzu,” said Senbee, one of the leaders, his voice shaking slightly.

“I feel the same,” echoed another leader, bowing deeply.

The third quickly added, “It is our privilege.”

The leaders of Wind Chime Tavern, Cho Yanagi Gensei, Flying Dragon Group, Senbee, and White Suits, Umegawa Kuniko, all expressed their submission in unison. They were too scared to defy the messenger of destruction before them.

Li Xiaofei’s infamous declaration—“I never give my enemies a second chance”—had already been passed on to them through Hashimoto Mako.

It was not just a saying. After all, Hashi Town Dojo and the Screw Association had received no second opportunity after refusing him. They had been completely reduced to ashes.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

“Very good.” Li Xiaofei nodded in satisfaction and said, “Now gather your people. We’ll march together and attack the headquarters of the Flying Blade Stream.”

What?!

This time, it wasn’t just Senbee, Cho Yanagi Gensei, and Umegawa Kuniko who were shocked. Even Hashimoto Mako was stunned. Attack the Flying Blade Stream’s headquarters? That was the direct martial sect of the Tsukiha Family. It was the true martial pillar of the Sanshang Group.

Even though they had lost Tsukiha Tensō, the Martial Saint who had once been their backbone, the sect’s heritage and strength were still formidable. At the very least, the combined strength and influence of everyone in the room fell far short of the Flying Blade Stream.

But when Li Xiaofei stood up and strode straight toward the door, they all realized that this battle was inevitable. Should they follow Shinzu Genshi into the fight? With this young man’s overwhelming, explosive strength, and the knowledge that Tsukiha Yaiba, the powerful noble, stood behind him, they still had a chance to survive.

But if they refused to fight? Then they would immediately become enemies of Shinzu Genshi. Their heads would soon be nailed to the gates of their own headquarters.

***

Headquarters of the Flying Blade Stream.

The towering building that once symbolized the peak of martial strength in Urawa Base City suddenly looked old under the last traces of the sunset’s glow on the horizon. The enormous horizontal blade that pointed skyward, representing the glory of the city’s strongest martial sect, stood tall and unyielding. The sunset bathed the massive blade as though the long knife itself wept blood.

Inside the office, Tsukiha Tokuhito reclined in his chair, his feet propped arrogantly on the desk, with a defiant and disdainful expression.

“Sister, you think you can take over the Flying Blade Stream? What do you have to rely on? That pretty face of yours, or the so-called unmatched talent that hasn’t been seen in a century? You ran off to study New Martial Arts abroad in Great Xia. What a disgrace to the Tsukiha family. Do you think you deserve to take the sect’s leadership from me?”

He laughed contemptuously as he looked at the girl in the black dress standing before him. Anyone who had any connection to the low-born wretches of Great Xia was an enemy in Tsukiha Tokuhito’s eyes. Such sentiments were mainstream in the Jiepeng Empire.

“You seem to have misunderstood something.” Tsukiha Yaiba replied indifferently, “I’m not here to ask you to hand over control of the sect. I’m here under the orders of our grandparents. It’s their decision and I’m ordering you to comply.”

Tsukiha Tokuhito snorted coldly. He slowly straightened, his expression hardening. “ Grandfather and grandmother must have lost their minds to let themselves be swayed by someone like you, a disgrace who set foot in Great Xia. But I refuse to accept such a ridiculous order.”

Tsukiha Yaiba looked at her cousin with faint surprise. She wondered who had given him such courage. But she had no intention of wasting her breath.

“I hope you won’t regret what you’ve just said,” she replied calmly.

She turned on her heel to leave. She had no desire to escalate internal family matters into physical conflict. That would only weaken the already precarious position of the Tsukiha family.

“Wait a moment.” Tsukiha Tokuhito suddenly stood up.

He walked over, his gaze fixed on the long blade at Tsukiha Yaiba’s waist. Then, he smiled. “That’s the blade you used to cut off Okamoto Takeyuki’s head, isn’t it?”

Tsukiha Yaiba stared at him silently, saying nothing.

Tsukiha Tokuhito continued, “The Tsukiha family’s famed blade, Tiger’s Deficiency. You don’t deserve to wield it. Hand it over.”

Tsukiha Yaiba’s slender hand pressed against the hilt of the sword. Her patience was not infinite. But in the very next instant...

Boom!

A palm struck heavily against her back. It was Okamoto Jiro, the loyal Tsukiha steward, who had suddenly betrayed her and attacked without warning. Caught completely off guard, Tsukiha Yaiba spat out a mouthful of blood. Her body was thrown violently forward.

Already prepared, Tsukiha Tokuhito swung his fist. His fists, long modified into titanium weapons, erupted with sharp spikes as they smashed heavily into Tsukiha Yaiba’s shoulders. Blood sprayed through the air. Tsukiha Yaiba’s shoulders were instantly reduced to a pulp of shattered flesh and bone.

Almost simultaneously, Tsukiha Tokuhito lowered his head. He viciously rammed it forward and a brutal headbutt collided with Tsukiha Yaiba’s forehead. A needle had burst out from between his brows. His skull had also been transformed into a metallic weapon. In an instant, the needle pierced into Tsukiha Yaiba’s forehead. A single drop of a hallucinogen was injected straight into her brain.

Shing!

Tsukiha Yaiba drew the Tiger’s Deficiency Blade and slashed outward. Tsukiha Tokuhito’s body was sliced cleanly in two at the waist, sending sparks in all directions. Beneath his artificial skin, bundles of cables snapped, and three thick tubes spewed a pale but viscous blue liquid. But that was all.

The hallucinogen quickly took effect as Tsukiha Yaiba’s resistance vanished almost immediately. Meanwhile, quicksilver-like metal fluids began to wriggle and flow at Tokuhito’s severed waist, rapidly repairing the damage.

A cyborg! And not just any cyborg! He’s an advanced, extreme mechanical augmentation. When did this happen?

As Tsukiha Yaiba slowly collapsed, she realized that the information she had retrieved from the family’s internal network had been completely false. The Tsukiha family’s internal problems ran far deeper than she had ever imagined.

“Hahaha! It’s done!” Tsukiha Tokuhito burst into triumphant laughter.