Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 258 Yu Bu Jiu Ling Dou Gang!

The artillery bombardment, echoing through the city, instantly made people think that war was about to break out.

Startled, Yu Zhihao disregarded the surveillance outside and drove straight to the police station.

Not only him, but all the Northeast Army generals in Dongcheng were startled.

Zhang Haipeng immediately summoned the guards to inquire.

The guards, unaware of the situation, sent someone out to investigate. A chill ran down his spine; he thought, "Damn it, I'm inside the city, how did they open fire? Wasn't it supposed to be..."
Some time ago, he was enraged when his request for a high-ranking position in Heilongjiang Province from Zhang Xueliang was rejected, and he then contacted the Japanese.

The Japanese have stated that they will not open fire for the time being.
How could it happen so suddenly?
However, the guards soon reported that the shooting occurred within the Japanese consular district and had not spread throughout the city.

Zhang Haipeng felt relieved, but his heart soon jumped into his throat again, because another guard reported that a madman wielding two knives had appeared in the Japanese consular district, killing anyone he saw, from the main road all the way to the Black Dragon Society.

Countless people died along the way.

The guard spoke with excitement, expressing his deep hatred for the Japanese and his joy at seeing them killed.

But when Zhang Haipeng heard this, his heart pounded wildly.

Because this scene feels very familiar.
A year and a half ago, Chen Zhan was also in the Japanese consular district, fighting his way from south to north, and no one could stop him along the way.

This will
They even used artillery?

Those who know Chen Zhan understand that he not only killed Japanese, but also traitors and collaborators.

Zhang Haipeng went out and walked towards the neighboring house.

Almost all the people of Fengtian went down to the cellars.

This is how it is when there is turmoil. Running away is impossible. The city gates are not open, and where can you run to on two legs?
The artillery fire stopped.

The Black Dragon Society's four-story wooden building was razed to the ground, leaving only charred ruins.

Japanese soldiers had already surrounded the area, forming layers upon layers, and the surrounding Japanese had also been evacuated.

Under Kawashima Hirako's orders, gunmen were everywhere and experts gathered, all eyeing the Black Dragon Society ruins.

"Tsukishima-kun, did anyone escape?" Kawashima Hirako asked.

But when she spoke, none of the adjutants behind her answered; they knew she wasn't talking to them.

"No, not a single bug crawled out."

"But killing him won't be easy."

A sound came from the void, but its exact location was unclear.

Hirako Kawashima was silent for a moment, then said, "Put out the fire, search!"

The smell of coke mixed with gunpowder smoke lingered over the ruins.

Japanese soldiers entered the charred ground, their bayonets piercing through severed limbs, most of which were charred beyond recognition, but the characteristics of Black Dragon Society samurai and ninjas were still very clear.

He has a black dragon tattoo on his body, and his sword and clothes are also special. As long as he is not completely blown up, we can tell the difference.

However, after a long search, most of the bodies have been found, including Takeuchi Ryohei and the two people who had been killed by Chen Zhan upon entering the house.

"Colonel, we didn't find that person's body!" the adjutant reported to Hirako Kawashima.

Hirako Kawashima stepped forward.

Her adjutant and samurai guards followed closely behind. Kawashima Hirako's identity was extraordinary, and Chen Zhan had a history of assassinating Japanese officials, so they naturally had to be careful.

"Keep searching, search every inch of the ground, find the body!" Kawashima Hirako never expected that, just two months into his new post, he would have the opportunity to catch Chen Zhan, such a big fish. The deaths of Ding Lianshan and Wanhua Escort Agency had actually drawn him here.

She studied Chen Zhan's information for a long time and discovered that Chen Zhan was different from ordinary martial artists, warlords, and anyone else.

Not only are their martial arts skills exceptionally high, but their ideas are also quite different.

He disregarded ordinary people, the martial arts world, and warlords; Chen Zhan simply followed his own path.

They are vengeful and hate evil as if it were their enemy.

They would never sacrifice themselves to save others; they would only retaliate with blood and teeth. This is completely different from the normal Chinese people.

Therefore, when Kawashima Hirako arrested Ding Lianshan and others, she did not require them to be left alive.

Keeping it is pointless.

If Chen Zhan dares to come, he won't come to save people, but to kill them.

Now it is indeed so.

As the Japanese soldiers searched, Chen Zhan crouched deep inside a hole carved out by his twin swords. His gray shirt was covered in charcoal dust, but it did not affect his breathing at all.

The Qi and blood of those in the Embracing the Core Realm have already been gathered back into their Dantian, and they no longer need to breathe.

Holding the hilt of the Embroidered Spring Blade, fingertips pressed against the cold blade, I listened to the "crashing" sound coming from above—the sound of Japanese soldiers using shovels to dig through broken wood, getting closer and closer.

Hearing Kawashima Hirako's words, he judged the approximate location and distance by the sound. "Hurry up! Lord Kawashima said we must find him even if we have to dig three feet into the ground!" A sergeant's shout fell, and the tip of his shovel struck the burning charcoal on Chen Zhan's head with a "clang," sending bits of soil falling down.

Chen Zhan slightly raised his eyelashes, and his right hand suddenly flicked the Tang sword upwards with a "whoosh," the blade breaking through the soil and striking the soldier's wrist. The iron shovel flew out of his hand, and before it hit the ground, the long sword pierced through his chest.

Chen Zhan had already darted out of the cave like a cheetah.

"Protect the colonel!" Just as the two soldiers next to him raised their guns, Chen Zhan stepped forward with his Bagua steps, hooked one man's ankle with his left toe, and slashed horizontally with his embroidered spring knife in his right hand, causing the other man to fall to the ground with blood spurting from his neck.

Before the soldier who had been tripped could get up, Tang Hengdao had already driven his sword into his heart.

In less than two breaths, the three soldiers fell silent.

The surrounding Japanese soldiers were instantly thrown into chaos, gunshots rang out, and bullets scattered debris in the ruins.

Chen Zhan did not dodge, his figure weaving among the broken wood and ruins with ghostly steps, each step landing in the gaps between gunshots.

He headed straight for Hirako Kawashima, who was on the outskirts of the crowd.

Chen Zhan was surprised that the woman was so young, but age didn't matter; people of all ages were going to die anyway.

The woman, wearing military boots, was shrinking back, while two warriors with long swords stood in front of her to protect her.

"Grab him! Don't let him get near Lord Kawashima!" Five sword-wielding samurai roared as they rushed forward. Their clothes were different from those of the Black Dragon Society; instead, they were embroidered with blade patterns.

A samurai from the Hokushin Itto-ryu Dojo, whose dojo has always cooperated closely with the military, it is not surprising that he serves as Kawashima Hirako's bodyguard.

The samurai's longsword whistled through the air as he met Chen Zhan. Chen Zhan flicked his wrist, and his embroidered spring knife swung out a silver circle, knocking the three swords away with a series of clangs.

At the same time, he kicked backward with his left foot, the force of his monkey-like kick penetrating through the sole of his boot, striking the knee of the foremost warrior. The warrior fell to his knees, and Tang Hengdao swiftly slashed across his throat.

With the remaining four katana still in mid-air, Chen Zhan used the force of his back kick to dodge them.

Four streams of blood spurted out, but before he fell to the ground, Chen Zhan had already approached Kawashima Hirako, with only two Hokushin Itto-ryu samurai remaining in front of him.

The two men had calm expressions and long sword marks embroidered on their chests. Each of them carried two swords, one more than the five who had just died.

As soon as Chen Zhan arrived, they all drew their swords, the blades flashing.

"Draw your sword and kill!"

The classic signature move of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū style requires charging up power before unleashing it. It concentrates all the force and sharpness in one strike, and if it fails to kill the enemy, it means defeat and death.

This move evolved from duels and is usually very effective in one-on-one combat, but now it's two people, each with a sword, slashing at Chen Zhan with all their might.

Chen Zhan didn't stop walking, still talking: "Colonel, why are you running? Aren't you looking for me?"

Hirako Kawashima kept backing away, but upon hearing Chen Zhan's flippant words, she paused, turned her head, and said, "You're asking for death!"

Chen Zhan didn't answer, because the knife was about to strike him.

But an incomprehensible scene unfolded: the knife clearly struck Chen Zhan at incredible speed, leaving a white shadow in the air, yet there was no sense of force, as if it had struck thin air.

In the eyes of the two Hokushin-kan warriors.

With a mysterious gait, Chen Zhan took a step, as if transforming into a different world, shifting back and forth between illusion and reality.

Yu Bu Jiu Ling Dou Gang!

Also known as "Stepping the Dipper and Treading the Stars," Chen Zhan drew inspiration from the Taoist texts "Dong Shen Ba Di Yuan Bian Jing" and Ge Hong's "Bao Pu Zi Nei Pian."

Taoism focuses on the origin of Yu's Steps in the "Dong Shen Ba Di Yuan Bian Jing". It is said that when Yu the Great was controlling the floods and reached the shore of the South China Sea, he saw a divine bird performing a spell. The strange steps he took could turn over huge rocks, regardless of their size and weight, as if he were cycling between illusion and reality.

He then imitated his movements and created the Yu Step.

In the context of Taoism, this "bird prohibition" is given sacred meaning. Birds are regarded as a medium for communicating with the gods, and their gait contains secrets of heaven.

The "Dong Shen Ba Di Yuan Bian Jing" emphasizes that the Yu Step is "the root of all arts".

Ge Hong's "Baopuzi Neipian" further combined the Yu Step with the function of exorcising evil spirits, recording that when Taoist priests entered the mountains and forests, they used the Yu Step in conjunction with talismans to ward off tigers and wolves, thus elevating the Yu Step from a simple footwork to a kind of magic.

Legend has it that the Gangdan is composed of the Four Spirits, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Nine Palaces and the Eight Trigrams, transforming footwork and incantations into immortal arts and Taoist techniques. Taoists use the Yu Step to "tread the heavenly net and tread the earth's order" to achieve communication between humans and gods.

Chen Zhan's "Yu Steps" naturally lacked the power of the ancient mythological "Bird Forbidden" technique and could not communicate with immortals and gods.

However, by using footwork composed of the Twenty-Eight Mansions and the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, the opponent is made to have an illusion by the irregular footwork, which has already shown a trace of divine power.

Chen Zhan took three more steps, shifting back and forth between illusion and reality, and had already passed by the two warriors.

The two seemed to be hallucinating and blinked hard.

But I found that my eyes were not under my control.

Only when their heads hit the ground did they realize that Chen Zhan was not in a dream, but rather that they were hallucinating and thought they had hit Chen Zhan.

Chen Zhan's Yu Step can only go this far at most. If he could truly communicate with the immortals and gods and realize the method of "being the root of all arts", he would not need to personally take action and be in deep danger.

The Japanese could have been annihilated by a direct, far-reaching lightning strike, without such effort.
(End of this chapter)