Chapter 467 - 457: Lighting the Sky Lantern!
"It’s just the Gang Realm, nothing to get so excited about. The road ahead is long. To put it bluntly, the so-called Gang Realm merely marks your entry into the ranks of the strong. Besides, just a moment ago, a few Ninja nearly took your life. You have a long way to go before you can truly be called Huaxia’s number one!"
Sensing Hua Xiaotian’s palpable excitement, Qin Fan casually began to deflate his ego. Just as he was reveling in the ecstasy of reaching the Gang Realm, Qin Fan’s words crashed down on him. Hua Xiaotian immediately felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. His elation vanished, replaced by sheepish embarrassment.
Turning his head toward Qin Fan, the usually reserved Hua Xiaotian spoke with the utmost sincerity, "Master Qin, words are not enough to thank you for this great kindness. I, Hua Xiaotian, will remember it always!"
"Don’t be sentimental. The help I can offer is limited; the rest is up to you. Remember my words, the road ahead is long. Don’t fail the prestigious title of Huaxia’s number one!" Qin Fan waved his hand dismissively, his tone serious.
Huaxia’s Number One! He said it again... and again! Every time Qin Fan directed those words at him, all Hua Xiaotian felt was a profound sense of dissonance and embarrassment. Never mind the many hidden dragons and tigers lurking within Huaxia’s borders; in front of a monstrous, divine being like Qin Fan, the title "Huaxia’s Number One" felt like a slap in the face!
A blush of shame crept up his face as Hua Xiaotian said awkwardly, "Master Qin, you know how hollow that title is. Compared to the hidden masters of Huaxia’s Martial Arts World, my strength is nothing but trash! So, could you please not say those words anymore? It’s too embarrassing!"
"No! Even if you aren’t now, you will be in the future!" Qin Fan shook his head, his expression grave.
He had probed Hua Xiaotian’s natural talent. With the right resources and time, he would surely become the true number one in Huaxia! Of course, that’s excluding himself—this freakish, unprecedented reborn anomaly.
"Master Qin, if we were to seriously discuss who deserves the title of Huaxia’s number one, across all the millions of square kilometers of Greater China, I think no one is worthy but you!" Hua Xiaotian declared.
"Me? Heh..." Qin Fan chuckled meaningfully and shook his head without elaborating further.
To him, Huaxia and this mundane world were just a temporary stop. His future could not be confined to this paltry Earth. Even if he couldn’t achieve his Ascension to become an Immortal, he wouldn’t linger here for long.
Listening to Qin Fan’s cryptic chuckle, Hua Xiaotian grew pensive. Unable to puzzle it out, he quickly changed the subject, turning his gaze to Tanaka Nobuo lying on the ground. He had been so focused on his breakthrough in Martial Arts Cultivation that he hadn’t gotten a good look at the man’s face. Now that he did, he froze.
Pointing a shaky finger at the man, he looked at Qin Fan and stammered, "Master Qin, that—he—he’s Tanaka Nobuo!"
"You know him?" Qin Fan raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"He’s a spy secretly wanted by our Martial Arts World! I heard from my master that Tanaka Nobuo should have already become a Divine Ninja! He has always been a great enemy of our Martial Arts World. To think... to think he would stoop so low as to hide within the Jingguo Society!" Hua Xiaotian exclaimed in shock.
A Divine Ninja? An existence that could kill him in an instant! And yet, here he was, lying like a dead dog under Qin Fan’s foot?
"Oh? Then it seems by some twist of fate, I’ve rid the Martial Arts World of a scourge. Hah, I don’t care if he’s a spy or a Divine Ninja. Today, I will light a Sky Lantern here in the Jingguo Society!" Qin Fan shook his head, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips. As he finished speaking, he yanked down the long red silk he had previously taken from the Worship Room and walked over to Tanaka Nobuo.
"Baka! No, don’t! Don’t! NO!" Seeing Qin Fan’s demonic smile, Tanaka Nobuo, who was well-versed in Huaxian history, began to scream as if he were having a complete breakdown. He knew exactly what the words "Sky Lantern" meant and just how inhumanely cruel the torture was.
"During the war, countless Huaxian civilians begged for their lives. Did they receive even a shred of mercy from you devils? Honestly, if the Sky Lantern wasn’t so convenient, I would let you truly experience a fate worse than death," Qin Fan said slowly and noncommittally. Then, with a condescending flick of his wrist, he sent a sweep of Qi Force toward Tanaka. The attack instantly disintegrated Tanaka Nobuo’s clothes into nothing more than scattered fragments.
"Give me a quick death! Please, I beg you, give me a quick death!"
A bone-chilling dread washed over him, and Tanaka Nobuo’s fear mounted endlessly. A mist began to form and swirl in his aging eyes. It was true that at the Divine Ninja Realm, ordinary pain couldn’t faze their incredibly vigorous Life Force. But the Sky Lantern, a death by such an appallingly cruel method, was something even they could not endure, no matter how high their pain tolerance. In fact, their potent Life Force would only prolong the process, forcing them to suffer even greater, more inhumane torment. As the ancient images from Huaxian history flashed through his mind, Tanaka Nobuo, a Divine Ninja, could no longer withstand the mental collapse. Tears streamed down his old face.
But Qin Fan remained unmoved. After stripping him bare, he began to wrap the red silk—already soaked in pungent lamp oil—around Tanaka’s body. In a few deft motions, the wailing Tanaka Nobuo was completely bound, with only his head left exposed.
"Master Qin, what are you doing?" Although he knew Qin Fan’s intent, the sheer horror of the torture made Hua Xiaotian, who had just broken through to the Gang Realm, ask with a shudder in his voice.
"’A Sky Lantern,’ Qin Fan exhaled."
Yanking the other end of the silk, Qin Fan hauled Tanaka Nobuo up from the ground. He started walking, glancing up at the dark, moonless night sky of Japan. Facing the high winds, he curled his lip into an eerie, lighthearted smile and said, "A dark and windy night... perfect for lighting a Sky Lantern. How fitting."
Following behind, Hua Xiaotian stared at Qin Fan’s slender back as Tanaka Nobuo’s pitiful pleas filled the air. Imagining the horror of the torture, he couldn’t help but gulp nervously.
But he said nothing more. He knew he was in no position to interfere with Qin Fan’s actions. Before their trip to Japan, he might have voiced his own opinions. But after experiencing everything here, he had found his place. Whatever Qin Fan said or did, his every word and action was Hua Xiaotian’s new compass. No matter how depraved or brutal, it was not his place to grant mercy.
They left the rear mountain, exited the Worship Room, and arrived at a spacious, open area outside, where Qin Fan came to a halt. He let out a grim, vicious laugh. Turning to Hua Xiaotian, he said, "Old Hua, pick a spot and string him up."
"Alright!" With grim resolve, Hua Xiaotian took the silk-wrapped body of Tanaka Nobuo. The next moment, without a shred of hesitation, he leaped toward a wooden pole several meters high.
Upside down and silhouetted against the dark, windy night, Tanaka Nobuo was tied to the wooden pole.
"Light it!" Qin Fan roared once he was secured.
Hua Xiaotian gave no reply. He pulled out the lighter he had pocketed from the Worship Room, flicked it on against the wind, and with a focused, fiery gaze, tossed the ignited device toward the pole.