Under One Person: The Sea Emperor Who Shattered Heaven and Earth

The broken handle slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

He collapsed to the ground, like a boneless lump of mud. His body twitched occasionally, indicating that he was still alive; Jiang Zhen had deliberately kept him alive.

But he's finished. Utterly finished.

His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the shattered blades, and he muttered to himself, "Impossible... I am... invincible..."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the sounds of battle gradually subsided.

Surrounded by the elite of the Canal Gang and various other extraordinary individuals, the crazed Bihe Ninja were slaughtered one by one. The land was stained dark red, and severed limbs were scattered everywhere.

A pale, moon-white phantom drifted over, swaying precariously; it was Fang Dongtian's Yin Spirit.

At this moment, a relieved smile appeared on the haggard face of Fang Dongtian's Yin spirit.

"Jiang... Uncle Jiang." Fang Dongtian weakly cupped his hands in greeting. "Dongtian... has not failed in his mission. The intelligence... has been delivered."

"Thank you very much!" Jiang Zhen bowed deeply to Fang Dongtian's Yin God.

Behind them, two members of the Canal Gang who had been waiting hurriedly carried a soft couch over. The couch was covered with thick cotton mattresses, and lying on it was Fang Dongtian's lifeless body.

"Uncle Jiang... what is this?" Fang Dongtian's Yin spirit was stunned.

“When I passed by that ancient temple, I brought your body with me.” Jiang Zhen’s voice was much gentler. “Although there were people guarding it there, it was still too unsafe. I feel more at ease having it with me.”

Fang Dongtian was stunned for a moment, then looked at Jiang Zhen gratefully. He took a deep breath, and his Yin Spirit transformed into a stream of light, suddenly burrowing into the space between his eyebrows.

A moment later, the body that had been lying on the couch suddenly opened its eyes, sprang up, and gasped for breath. With each breath, the Qi in its body became active again, and the pale face gradually regained a rosy glow.

"Huff...huff...finally...back." Fang Dongtian barely managed to sit up and said with a wry smile to Jiang Zhen and the other strange people who had gathered around him, "Thank you, Uncle-Master...thank you, fellow disciples, for keeping my body safe and my life intact."

Jiang Zhen nodded, patted his shoulder again, signaling him to rest well, then turned around, the gentleness on his face vanishing without a trace.

He strode towards Lü Ren. As he passed the limp Nikaido Eita, Jiang Zhen reached out a hand, grabbed Nikaido Eita by the back of his collar like he was picking up a dead dog, and dragged him on the ground, leaving a long trail of blood.

"Brother Lü."

Jiang Zhen walked up to Lü Ren and casually tossed the mud-like Eita Nikaido at Lü Ren's feet.

At this moment, Lü Ren was soaked in blood, mostly from his enemies, but also from his own wounds that had reopened due to forcibly exerting his strength. He looked at Nikaido Eita on the ground, his eyes flashing with complex emotions—hatred and anger.

The knuckles of the fingers, which were exerting excessive force, had turned blue and white due to overuse.

"Chief Jiang... what's going on?" Lu Ren looked up at Jiang Zhen, somewhat puzzled.

Given the strength Jiang Zhen just displayed, killing Nikaido Eita wouldn't have taken much effort, but he deliberately held back until now, and even brought him right in front of me...

Jiang Zhen noticed his confusion but didn't explain further. He simply said, "You're the most suitable person to deliver this final blow."

Lu Ren took a deep breath, without thinking twice, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes: "Alright. Thank you for your generosity, Chief Jiang!"

Having said that, Lü Ren channeled his inner energy, gathering his Ruyi Force in his palm, producing a sound like wind and thunder. He prepared to deliver the final blow to this so-called demon.

"Hey?! Brother Lü, wait a minute."

Jiang Zhen suddenly reached out and grabbed Lü Ren's wrist.

Lu Ren looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Jiang Zhen didn't speak, but turned his head and his gaze locked onto an old locust tree nearby. If he hadn't kept the vibration sensor on, he wouldn't have noticed that there was such a good thing.

Jiang Zhen walked over, bent down, and pulled something out of a rotten tree stump. When he came back, he was carrying a knife.

But that can't even be called a "weapon".

It was a broken woodcutter's knife that had been stuck there for who knows how many years, covered in rust, and even the blade was bent beyond recognition.

The blade was covered in dark red rust, making it look like a piece of scrap metal that an old farmer had casually thrown away.

"What an incredibly satisfying cause and effect..." Jiang Zhen gently stroked the rusted blade, a relieved smile appearing on his lips.

Jiang Zhen handed the rusty woodcutter's knife to Lü Ren.

Lu Ren was stunned, and the other strange people around him were also stunned.

"Chief Jiang... use this?" Lu Ren asked doubtfully, weighing the light, even slightly prickly, piece of broken iron in his hand.

“Use this.” Jiang Zhen pointed to Nikaido Eita on the ground, his tone calm but filled with a chilling coldness. “Those Japanese always like to talk about the ‘samurai’s final resting place’ when they kill or are killed. That’s their reward.”

“This beast who has trespassed on other people’s land, wantonly slaughtered my compatriots, and even takes pride in such crimes, does not deserve to die under the Ruyi Jingu Bang of your Lü family, nor does he deserve to die under any dignified blade.”

“Use this piece of scrap iron that farmers use to chop and split firewood to kill him, just like slaughtering the lowest of animals. This is the end he deserved.”

Looking at the heavy, rusty machete in his hand, and hearing Jiang Zhen's words, Lü Ren immediately understood.

“I understand… Chief Jiang, you’re absolutely right. People like them, people who have tainted our land, truly deserve to die by this kind of blade.”

Lu Ren, carrying a machete, walked step by step to Nikaido Eita.

At this moment, Eita Nikaido, though his consciousness was hazy, was aware of what was about to happen. He looked at the dirty, rusty, and mud-covered broken wood-chopping knife, and his previously dull eyes erupted with unprecedented humiliation and terror.

For someone like him who considered dignity the entirety of his life, this way of dying was utterly humiliating.

"No...no...I am Nikaido Eidai...a demon...the successor of the demon sword...kill me! Use your...strength to kill me!" He roared and struggled, but could only writhe in the snow like a maggot.

Lü Ren didn't waste any words.

He raised the woodcutter's knife, without using any Qi, relying solely on the strength of his muscles to slash downwards fiercely.

"Pfft!"

Because the blade was so dull, the cut wasn't as clean and crisp as I'd imagined; instead, it produced a teeth-grinding tearing sound.

Eita let out a beast-like scream, and blood spurted out as he was squeezed.

Lu Ren remained expressionless, his eyes as cold as iron. He raised his knife again.

The second cut went into the muscle.

The third cut struck the cervical vertebrae.

……

Blood splattered across half his face, and his severed head, bearing the marks of extreme terror, resentment, and humiliation, finally rolled into the muddy water beside him after repeated cuts by the rusty machete.

After letting out a long sigh, Lü Ren looked up at the sky.

"Brothers... watch closely, I've avenged you."

Chapter 45 Poisonous Sting Pierced Flesh

As Eita Nikaido's head, its eyes wide open in death, rolled into the muddy water beside him.

Within the valley, the last screams of the Hieiyama ninja subsided.

The elite members of the Canal Gang and the surviving members of various sects began to silently clean up the battlefield. The Putuo monks were performing rituals for the dead, and occasionally a few low groans from the wounded could be heard.

Fang Dongtian had finished meditating on the spot. His pale face finally regained some color. After withdrawing his Yin spirit, the feeling of separation brought about by the divine consciousness entering his body made him stagger at first, but he still managed to stand up and slowly walked to Jiang Zhen.

His tone was full of relief after the ordeal and heartfelt respect: "Uncle-Master."

Upon hearing the sound, Jiang Zhen rushed over and helped him up.

"How are you feeling? Don't push yourself too hard," Jiang Zhen asked in a deep voice.

Fang Dongtian gave a wry smile and waved his hand: "It's nothing... It's just that the journey was too rushed, and besides... this is the first time I've tried astral projection, and I even traveled thirty miles in one go. When I came back just now, I felt that this body could hardly recognize its own soul. It's really a bit uncomfortable."

At this moment, Lü Ren also came over.

The blood on his face wasn't completely dry; it had been splattered there when he killed Eita. He had been standing not far away, his gaze constantly shifting between Jiang Zhen and Fang Dongtian.

"Brother Lü, is your wound alright?" Jiang Zhen asked Lü Ren in a friendly tone.

Lu Ren shook his head and pointed to the blood-soaked fabric on his chest: "It's a minor injury, I'll recover in a few days. But just now..."

He paused, his tone tinged with barely suppressed curiosity, and looked at Fang Dongtian: "Daoist Dongtian, I've been wondering about this since earlier. You just called Jiang Gang Leader... Martial Uncle? I remember you're from the Quanzhen Sect, and your master is that famous hermit. How come you're with Jiang Gang Leader of the Canal Gang..."

Lu Ren felt like he was being scratched by a cat. He remembered that back in the Lu family compound, Jiang Zhen didn't seem to have any connection with Quanzhen.

But now Fang Dongtian is addressing him so respectfully, could there be some secret behind this? Is Jiang Zhen actually a member of the Quanzhen Sect, even though he is in the Cao Gang?

Fang Dongtian glanced at Jiang Zhen and then formally introduced him to Lü Ren.

“Young Master Lü, it’s my fault for not explaining this to you sooner. Uncle Jiang’s name is already on our Quanzhen lineage.”

Fang Dongtian said solemnly, "Uncle Jiang is still the leader of the Canal Gang, but he practiced the Inner Alchemy Method of my Quanzhen School in his early years. Now that the world is in chaos and the country is in danger, and we have heard of the order to kill the Japanese, the elders of the sect recently decided to pass on the complete version of the Inner Alchemy Method to Uncle Jiang for the purpose of killing the enemy."

"My uncle-master was also willing to become a lay disciple of my Quanzhen lineage, so my master accepted him on my behalf. Therefore, in terms of seniority within the sect, he is indeed my uncle-master."

"Accepting disciples on behalf of the master? A title from the Quanzhen School?"

Lu Ren froze on the spot, completely dumbfounded.

What kind of place is the Quanzhen School? It's the pinnacle of the supernatural world. For an elder of Quanzhen to "accept a disciple on behalf of his master" means that Jiang Zhen not only received their teachings, but also their deep-seated recognition.

He stared at Jiang Zhen's excessively youthful face, his mind racing. If Fang Dongtian addressed Jiang Zhen as "Uncle-Master," then according to the mixed seniority system of various families, Lü Ren... seemed to also be...

"This..." Lü Ren opened his mouth, hesitated for a long time, and finally awkwardly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Jiang Zhen, blurting out, "Greetings, Senior Jiang?"

Jiang Zhen waved his hands repeatedly, smiling helplessly: "Brother Lü, please don't flatter me. What seniority? Let's treat each other as our own. Here, you are the young master Lü who led the charge, and I am Jiang Zhen who brought reinforcements. This seniority is just for show, please don't take it seriously."

After the laughter subsided, Jiang Zhen's expression quickly turned cold. He looked towards the valley entrance, where the bodies of the captured and killed ninjas were being piled up one by one.

“Brother Lü, there’s something I need to tell you first.” Jiang Zhen’s voice was low, but it carried an undeniable seriousness. “We need to keep the news that the ninja leader, Ono Noriyoshi, is dead a secret. Not only can we not spread it around, but we also need to find a way to make outsiders think that the old man is still alive.”

Lu Ren was still thinking about how to write the post-war victory report when he heard this. He suddenly looked up, his face full of confusion.

“Brother Jiang… why is that?” Lu Ren asked with a frown. “In this battle, we annihilated the elite of Bihe Mountain and even killed the ninja leader. Once this news gets out, morale will definitely soar! Moreover, the remaining ninjas scattered in various places will surely be thrown into chaos when they hear that their leader is dead. Wouldn’t it be better for us to take the opportunity to wipe them out?”

Jiang Zhen shook his head. He walked to the half-corpse of Ono Noriyoshi and nudged the tattered gray robe with his toe.

“Brother Lü, you must have heard what the old man said before he died.” Jiang Zhen’s eyes were deep. “He told all the ninjas to escape and tell the other ninjas to leave, so there should still be some ninjas remaining in other places.”

He turned his head and stared intently into Lü Ren's eyes.

"Do you think the other ninjas will completely obey and leave? Only the living have the final say. Think about it: if you were killed today and your family didn't seek revenge but instead hid as far away as possible, would your family listen to you?"

Lu Ren immediately thought of Lu Ci's face, shook his head helplessly, and said, "Impossible."

Jiang Zhen continued:

"So what I'm worried about is that once they confirm the death of the ninja leader, they'll go underground because they can't win in a direct confrontation. They won't show up again; instead, they'll settle down and hide their identities, taking root in our county and villages. At that time, they'll be completely invisible killers. What I'm afraid of is that in the future, we'll know there's a poisonous thorn hidden under our own bed, but we just can't find it no matter what we do."

Lu Ren broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.

“I understand…” Lu Ren swallowed hard. “It’s easy to hide from outsiders, but hard to guard against internal traitors. Once they become lurkers, they are like hidden knives that could be stabbed at any time.”