Chapter 469 - 459: Moths to a Flame!
Knowing there is a tiger on the mountain, one still marches toward it.
This is a proverb from the thousands of years of Huaxia’s vast cultural history. It is a saying that encapsulates the very essence of wisdom. This principle doesn’t just apply to the people of Huaxia; it seems that all intelligent life in the world is bound by its logic.
Right now, the military police outside the Jingguo Society were trapped in the very state described by this proverb.
They knew a tiger was on the mountain. They knew attacking meant certain death. Yet, at Major Shibita’s command, they still rushed into the Jingguo Society without hesitation, like moths to a flame.
All manner of light and heavy machine guns.
Every kind of cutting-edge military equipment.
Armored vehicles and tanks.
Rocket launchers and RPGs.
All of it was on display under the night sky, facing the ever-growing blaze. Every face bore the grim determination of a hero marching to a fate from which there is no return, a solemnity echoing the ancient tragedy by the icy Yishui River.
None of these military police harbored any hope of survival. If even the Onmyoji couldn’t handle the Butcher, what chance did they, a disorganized rabble, possibly have? Moreover, the thousand officers who had already died from their own ricocheting bullets served as a harrowing precedent. With thousands more laying down a curtain of fire this time, how many could possibly make it out alive?
Will anyone? Will I be one of them?
Including Major Shibita, every officer could not help but ask themselves this question in the depths of their hearts. But it was only a fleeting question. They cast aside such distracting thoughts, each one assuming a mantle of righteous indignation as they inched closer to the Jingguo Society, ready to face death.
"Here they come! Time to serve the main course! Hua, are you confident?"
Inside the Jingguo Society, Qin Fan listened to the approaching commotion and asked Hua Xiaotian, who had just finished setting the explosives, with a jesting smile.
"Back when I was in the Middle Stage of the Transformation Realm, I once annihilated an armed drug trafficking group of several hundred men on the border, leaving no survivors! Now that I’ve entered the Gang Realm, if I were to suffer an embarrassing defeat at the hands of these so-called armed forces, it would be a great disservice to the faith you’ve shown in me, Master Qin! Hehe, while I may not possess your heaven-defying Divine Skills, taking care of these worthless devils is well within my power! Leave them to me!"
With that, Hua Xiaotian let out an arrogant laugh. In the next second, his figure shot outward like a cannonball.
The Transformation Realm has its prideful solitude.
The Gang Realm has its reckless arrogance.
Facing thousands of soldiers armed to the teeth all by himself was admittedly insane. The sheer firepower posed a significant danger, but the indelible pride and arrogance deep in his soul drove Hua Xiaotian to prove himself to Qin Fan.
To prove that Qin Fan had not put his faith in the wrong man.
To prove that he, Hua Xiaotian, was worthy of being uplifted.
Interesting, Qin Fan thought, nodding to himself with a faint smile as he watched Hua Xiaotian’s figure dash away. He then clasped his hands behind his back and turned his nonchalant gaze toward the spectacle of the Sky Lantern.
On the wooden post, Tanaka Nobuo’s body was already nearly half-consumed by the flames. However, supported by his tenacious Life Force, his consciousness remained incredibly clear. This clarity, however, only served to amplify his torment, multiplying it exponentially. He was forced to watch his own body burn, to witness his own flesh being consumed inch by inch.
He endured the agony of this Purgatory while being lucidly aware that his end would be nothing but smoke and ash, without so much as a speck of bone remaining.
What kind of hellish torture was this? No one could possibly comprehend it.
"You damned Chinese! Fuck your ancestors! Fuck all of them! Haha! You bastard, you mongrel, you son of a whore!"
Knowing that begging was useless, Tanaka Nobuo resorted to vicious taunts, screaming wildly in an attempt to provoke a swift end. He wanted nothing more than a quick death.
But how could Qin Fan fall for his ploy? A quick end? Impossible.
"Go on, scream. The more you scream, the more agitated your spirit will become. The more agitated your spirit, the clearer your consciousness will be. You’ll be able to perceive the changes happening to you even more vividly! Come on, keep cursing!" Qin Fan said mockingly, gesturing dismissively at Tanaka Nobuo with the hand he had held behind his back.
"No, no! Give me a quick death, I beg you! Have pity on me, please, just let me die quickly!"
Tanaka Nobuo wept again. Staring pleadingly at Qin Fan, he was overcome with tears of pure agony. Only now did he truly understand how agonizingly painful it was to have such a tenacious Life Force. An ordinary person would have long since succumbed to death. But he was different. He was a Divine Ninja, one with an incredibly powerful Life Force.
"Heh."
Shaking his head derisively, Qin Fan said no more. He slid a hand into his pocket and, with his back to the roaring fires consuming the Jingguo Society, began strolling leisurely toward the outer perimeter.
By now, the sounds of gunfire and cannons thundered through the sky, yet not a single shot could touch Hua Xiaotian.
His opening move, a slash of Qi Force from his hand, carved a path of life and death. Then, moving with a ghostly speed that was impossible to track, he began a spectacular slaughter: a kill with every step, leaving no one standing in his wake.
SQUELCH! SQUELCH! SQUELCH!
SQUELCH! SQUELCH! SQUELCH!
Even though Hua Xiaotian had entered the Gang Realm, facing a barrage from thousands of soldiers was another matter. How could he possibly eliminate thousands of troops without a scratch, as Qin Fan could? As rivers of blood began to flow and corpses littered the ground, the converging web of bullets finally started to strike Hua Xiaotian’s body.
Just as the military police thought they could finally deal with this monster, Hua Xiaotian merely let out a cold snort. With that sound, the bullets that had pierced his flesh were instantly forced out. They had only penetrated three millimeters deep, leaving his muscles and bones unharmed. To Hua Xiaotian, such a superficial wound could hardly even be called an injury.
"It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a satisfying slaughter! The last time was on the border, more than a decade ago. Haha! How exhilarating!"
After expelling the bullets, Hua Xiaotian immediately returned to his peak combat condition—in fact, he seemed even more formidable than before.
With his declaration, he once again began reaping lives as if they were weeds. He didn’t bother seizing a gun to return fire; a Martial Artist prefers cold steel. In Hua Xiaotian’s hand was a Japanese katana. As his unstoppable, phantom-like figure weaved through the soldiers, the blade’s edge flashed with a dazzling light. And with every flash, a spray of crimson mist erupted into the air.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Wave after wave of military police collapsed to the ground, their throats slit by Hua Xiaotian’s blade. It did not take long for the ground to become a mountain of corpses. To the rampaging Hua Xiaotian, these were no longer men.
They were weeds.
And he was the farmer, gleefully wielding his scythe.
"Dammit, dammit! Use the rocket launchers! Use the RPGs! Fire, fire, fire!"
Watching his men fall in droves with every passing second, Major Shibita could no longer control his panicked frenzy. He screamed like a madman in the direction of the slaughter.
"Major Shibita! No, sir! The enemy is too fast; rockets and RPGs can’t lock on! It will only result in friendly fire and more casualties!" his aide, Yonezawa, cried out in alarm at the major’s insane command.