Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 220 No Reciprocity and the Opening of All Five Temples
On the other side, with the addition of Wang Cheng's elite Imperial Guards, who had been taught the [Thirty-Six Styles of Thunder God's Cloak Mace] and the sword technique [Azure Dragon in the Sleeve], to the battlefield, the battle outside the flintlock factory came to an end.

Clad in rune-inlaid fish-scale armor with defensive capabilities comparable to steel, they wielded heavy maces that stirred up wind and thunder, pushing back the cannon fodder ninjas with overwhelming force.

Most died in battle, and a small number surrendered.

Gangyan Shinobu's four-man assault team was also stopped by Peng Wujiu and Xu Youde, and the two sides charged at each other and closed in quickly.

All four were dressed in "dōmaru," the armor worn by lower-ranking samurai, and wielded various weapons, their bodies enveloped in a flowing aura of blood.

They formed hand seals and chanted in unison:
"Ninja Art: Eight Thousand Flowing Demon Spear!"

The fundamental ninjutsu of the official rank of "Steel Rock Ninja" is the same as that of those cannon fodder genin, only the difference is between the complete version and the censored version.

They can wield more [Demon-Slaying Spears], unleash greater power, and pay less price. Their main weapons are all renowned swords and spears capable of "slaying a hundred men" or higher.

If we can find compatible weapons to combine together, they can resonate with each other and produce an effect that is far greater than the sum of its parts.

Just like these elite ninjas, they were fully equipped with everything from armor to weapons, agile as swallows, and incredibly strong. Their swordsmanship was even comparable to that of the original, ruthless owners of the weapons they wielded.

call out!call out!call out!call out!
The four of them leaped onto the treetops and soared through the air.

The leader, a sixth-rank Chunin named Kouyan Tomohide, comes from a branch of the Kouyan clan and is the strongest among them.

In the blink of an eye, he entered a state of "unity of man and nature" and threw out the [Two Hundred Man Slayer Wind Demon Shuriken] in his hand.

Stab it--!
Countless branches and leaves were broken in the forest, and the strong wind plowed a deep trench in the ground wherever it passed. The hand seals changed, and the Wind Demon Shuriken seemed to be controlled by invisible threads, able to change direction at any time.

Peng Wujiu, however, possessed the ability to foresee the future. A line of sword light moved like a dragon, as if dancing on the tip of a blade, brushing past the Wind Demon Shuriken without causing any harm.

The extraordinary technique, "Selling a Knife on Credit," involves selling a knife on credit using a divination method.

When someone kills someone with a knife, a portion of the victim's spiritual essence and combat experience is transferred to the knife seller.

Finally, when the swordsmen who obtained the swords fulfilled the divination prophecies of the sword sellers, such as "Rice is now eighty coins a liter, and I will come back to collect the sword money when it is eighteen coins a liter," they would have to repay the sword money with interest.

To some extent, itinerant knife sellers truly possessed the ability to foresee the future.

Xu Youde, who was following behind, neither dodged nor avoided, and slammed down two octagonal gold hammers on the shuriken.

collapse! ! !
The precious shuriken that could kill two hundred people exploded on the spot, turning into a storm of shattered metal that riddled the woodland within a fan-shaped area with holes.

Peng Wujiu had already engaged in combat with the first elite genin wielding a samurai sword.

"Kneel down!"

This knife seller, despite his young age, already possessed unparalleled knife skills, incorporating divination techniques into his swordsmanship—his skill was simply divine.

Before the sword could be swung, the opponent had already been stabbed and fallen to the ground.

A ninja's fierce fighting spirit cannot compensate for the gap in combat power.

He moved swiftly amidst the attacks of several ninjas, showing no fear of group battles. Every strike of his sword was accompanied by a burst of blood. Even if he couldn't win, he could at least easily hold them off.

When Xu Youde, who excelled at direct assaults, joined the battle, the elite squad collapsed on the spot.

What followed was a one-sided battle royale.

One by one, the elite genin's armor shattered, and they fell from the treetops, only to be bound hand and foot by the sea monsters and imperial guards below.

Peng Wujiu caught up with the Chunin and was just one strike away from securing the first victory.

Suddenly, he heard Xu Youde call his name from behind:
"Old Peng!"

Xu Youde, whose name is "Youde" but who has no martial virtues, secretly activated the "Longyang Weeping Fish Pendant" given to him by his father, Xu Weixue.

He was already in a state of disarray, his body covered with the words "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness," so you can imagine how astonishing the impact of that trembling scene was.

Peng Wujiu subconsciously turned around and saw this scene, almost spitting blood on the spot, and unsurprisingly missed the last chance to finish off the enemy.

Xu Youde smashed him with a flying hammer, stealing his head.

The ninja's tattered armor was smashed to pieces, and he coughed up blood and lost the ability to resist.

If Xu Weixue knew that his youngest son, on whom he had placed so much hope, was using his treasured possessions in such a way, he would probably be heartbroken too.

"Hahaha, I won! I, Gongyang Ru, am invincible!"

Xu Youde transformed back to normal, laughing heartily while carrying the unconscious Chunin, which drew a flying kick from Peng Wujiu.

After the commotion, these Iwa ninja from the Otomo clan were brought before Wang Cheng.

The ninjas of Yingzhou, who have been through many battles, have their own merits. It would be a pity to kill them all, so Wang Cheng gave them all a chance.

He saw through their obsessions at a glance and quickly completed the "fair trade".

"Your name is Kidomaru, right? Your sister failed her mission and fell into the hands of the Otomo family. I allow you to personally avenge her in the upcoming war. If your sister is still alive, I will personally return her to you."

The young demon ninja prostrated himself in deep worship:
"Thank you, Your Highness. From now on, you will be my only master."

The other injured Steel Rock Ninjas also knelt on the ground.

"Greetings to Your Highness!"

After the military reform, outstanding talents among the Japanese, the Haizhu Gui, and former nobles were all incorporated into the Outer Five Banners by Wang Cheng.

The five outer banners did not have their own banner leaders; they were all directly managed by Wang Cheng.

These ninja were incorporated into the Black Peak Banner, one of the Five Outer Banners, and successfully obtained second-class status in the East Sea Kingdom.

After paying his respects to the new lord, he poured out all the information he knew, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

Wang Cheng learned from them that the Mori and Otomo families had not truly formed an alliance, but had simply regarded the East Sea Kingdom as an adversary, and the situation had not yet reached its worst point.

After a moment's thought:

"Although Mori Motonari's navy is far inferior to that of the Franks, it would be a headache if he took advantage of the great war to cause trouble. We can't let him be idle."

It's only polite to reciprocate; we should give him something in return.

Light the incense sticks that symbolize good fortune and reach the heavens.

Senior Brother
You ask me how the suffering has been? Don't even mention it. I've experienced both extreme heat and cold; anyone who's tried it knows. This kind of suffering isn't something everyone can just bear.

By the way, Senior Brother, are you short of money? I have a route on the main island of Yingzhou. It's a bit risky, but the profits are substantial.

As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. If you're interested, I can provide you with intelligence and logistical support.

"Once this deal is done, I'll help you ship the goods here. You get 80% and I get 20%, how about that?"

Zhang Quan: "I'll do it! I'll do it! You're still the best brother who cares about your senior brother."

You're going to Yingzhou to get intelligence from your best buddy, Prince Jinghai, right? I'm leaving right away!

Then contact Lin Daoqian, who is known as "Gao Xue Zao Zhou".

"Brother Lin, you can't go to Borneo in Southeast Asia to propose marriage empty-handed. Have you prepared all the betrothal gifts?"

Yes, yes, I have a deal. "Let's pull off a heist, you get 70%, I get 30%."

They also contacted Xu Weixue and Peng Laosheng:

"You all go to the Seto Inland Sea and raid the Otomo and Mori families."

In just a few words.

Three of the four Great Generals appointed by the Great Zhao Dynasty to guard the seas, along with a group of other Great Generals who tread the seas, went to the territories of the Otomo and Mori families for team building activities.

Previously, it was always the Japanese pirates who raided Dazhao every day; now it's time to give Japan a shock from the Dazhao pirates.

The subdued Iwa ninja and Seki ninja naturally returned to their respective homes. They were originally intelligence agents for the Otomo and Mori clans, so serving as their eyes and ears was a good use of them.

After the surprise attack that day, both sides of the ninja forces that had penetrated deep into the East Sea Kingdom suffered heavy losses, and failed to complete a single mission objective.

During this period, both the Otomo and Mori families, enraged and humiliated, intensified their infiltration efforts into the Tokai Kingdom.

However, the main force was replaced by ordinary human intelligence personnel.

Until they figured out why their secret operation had been met with such a crushing defeat, they were unwilling to send out even the most worthless low-ranking ninjas.

However, with the frequent relocation of intelligence personnel, many people on Kowloon Island could clearly feel that the war was drawing ever closer.

Wang Cheng also stopped going out casually, focusing on his cultivation while preparing for war.

Starting from inhaling a breath of spleen flower to open the spleen temple, he inhaled a breath of lung flower every other day. On the seventh day, when he inhaled the last breath, a loud explosion suddenly came from his body.

Snapped!
At this point, the Lung Temple manifested, and all five temples opened simultaneously!

This is not over yet.

His immense wealth manifested in the golden light floating above his head, revealing his vast territory covering most of Jiufan Island, hundreds of thousands of Wufeng Banner soldiers and civilians, and other assets, especially a royal seal that was known throughout the world.

This proves just how profound his "all-encompassing" nature truly is as a Water Balance Commandant.

clang!clang!clang!
Immediately, a celestial sound rang out, and the immense Heavenly Water Toad Qi above his head poured down into the Yin-Yang Transformation Talisman within his body.

(End of this chapter)