“Fuji Ninja Clan? Are they ninjas?”
Chen Fan studied the man trapped in the air with interest. This man had laid flat on the rock and camouflaged with his environment seamlessly. His heart pulse and breath were both faint enough to slip through most Grandmasters detection.
Chen Fan could also feel a pulse of Earth Elemental Energy that was not any weaker than that of Jason the Tree Herder. He was an Earth Elemental Extraordinary One, and therefore, he was able to hide in plain sight.
However, Chen Fan’s Divine Will was omnipresent, and any life form, whether concealed or not, shone like a bright torch in the night with his Divine Will. This Ninja would never avoid his detection.
“Those who stalked me on my way here are all your colleagues, aren’t they?” Chen Fan asked.
The little man didn’t reply. He glared at Chen Fan with the unswerving determination to hold on any information.
“Master, these Ninjas are all extremely loyal to their master, they wouldn’t disclose any information to you. They think their mission is more important than their life.” Yukishiro Sa put in.
“Is that right, I shall oblige then.” Chen Fan waved a hand and summoned an overwhelming force that crushed the little man into a pulp. His compact body exploded and turned into a blooming flower of blood. A gust of wind came up and blew the crimson flower away, leaving a thousand petals in the wind. The little man was gone, it was as if he had never existed in the world.
Even though this was not the first time Yukishiro Sa saw someone die, she was petrified by Chen Fan’s divine indifference toward life.
A question rang in her head. Was her master a mortal or a god? Why did he treat human life as that of an insect?
“Ninjas had long since been forgotten by ordinary people, but they were still around. The Fuji Ninja Clan was one of the biggest Ninja Clans in Kyushu. The leader of the clan was a woman of extraordinary beauty called Violet. Violet had assassinated the former CEO of the Mitsui Group and made a name for herself among other assassins. She was as deadly as any elite assassin working for the Blood Skull.” Yukishiro Sa explained.
Chen Fan snorted derisively and didn’t say a word.
Even when he was at Ethereal Enlightenment level, he killed Blacksnake with ease, and now he had reached the Mid-stage of the Ethereal Enlightenment, it would be a stroll in the park for him to do away with Violet. Much to his disappointment, Violet had only sent her subject after him, and could not give him the satisfaction of killing her.
“Master, please don’t underestimate the power of Ninjas. They were quite a different lot than Samurais in the way that killing was their only goal. They could be quite soulless and would do anything to achieve their goal. Each and every Ninja was a master in the art of assassination. When combining their deadly art with modern technology, they would deploy deadly synthesized poison one drop of which could kill an elephant. The former CEO of the Mitsui Group was killed by them in that fashion.” Yukishiro Sa hesitated for a second before she gave Chen Fan her warning.
Even when she was the family lord of the Yukishiro family, she was wary of the Fuji Ninja Clan.
“OK.”
Chen Fan nodded, without taking the girl’s warning to his heart.
He should be careful with modern weapons, but not poison. After he had gained Azure Thearch Longevity Body, Chen Fan was technically no longer an ordinary human. His body was formed by Essence Qi of Life, instead of cells and molecules.
Therefore, no toxin would affect Chen Fan any longer.
Such was the progression of Cultivation, that the further Chen Fan got, the more advanced of a life form he became.
“Well, since they have already found us, we might as well go to them right now. Let’s go meet the Lord Susano.” Chen Fan Linked his hands behind his back and started up toward the peak of Mount Aso.
Yukishiro Sa followed closely behind Chen Fan.
Mount Aso was made out of five active volcanoes. Peaks big and small jutted around the edge of these volcanoes and formed the outline of Mount Aso. Susano Shrine was situated at the top of one of these mountain peaks.
The path to the mountain peak was busy. Many men and women would hike up to the mountain to pray at the Shrine.
“Although Lord Susano was a Demon God, he had treated the local residents well and therefore was worshiped by the villagers.” Yukishiro Sa said. The two of them were wearing cute outfits that matched each other, making them look like a young couple on their honeymoon.
Chen Fan looked up toward the peak.
In Yukishiro Sa’s eyes, what lay before them was an ordinary mountain peak that was surrounded by trees and bushes. However, Chen Fan could see a large plume of dark smoke that loomed over the top of the mountain where the shrine was at.
Harrowing howlings and ghastly screams drifted down from the mountain top in fits and starts.
The path to the Shrine felt like a corridor to the gate of hell.
“Master, I have heard many scary stories about this place. They say many young and good looking girls had disappeared on their journey to the top. In hindsight, they must be kidnapped by Lord Susano. I thought those were just high tales, but now I believe them.” Yukishiro Sa spoke under her breath.
Lord Susano had used her body as a vessel and there were plenty of reasons for her to believe that Lord Susano was a malevolent Demon God.
“What? No way, the shrine looks pretty decent to me.” A man put in.
Yukishiro Sa was taken aback after realizing that the man was speaking Chinese. She tried to use as much Chinese as she could while speaking to Chen Fan. But even if she had to use Japanese, Chen Fan had no problem understanding her. What surprised her was the fact that there was another Chinese person on the path.
She looked up and saw a young couple making their way down the mountain.
The man was in his thirties and was wearing thin golden-rimmed glasses, looking like a successful banker. The woman was tall in stature, and her long dark hair was flowing with the wind. Even the large sunglasses on her face could not hide her beauty.
They were the couple Chen Fan had met on the airplane: Ai Jinqi and Ren Hao.
“Ah-ha! It’s you again.”
Ai Jinqi batted her lashes at Chen Fan as she called out to them joyfully.
“Small world.”
Chen Fan nodded a greeting. Kyushu was the third largest island in Japan and was roughly the size of the entire Jiang Nan Province. Over ten million people lived on this island and so Chen Fan didn’t expect to meet the two again.
“Did you guys just finish your tour?” Chen Fan asked.
“Yes. We heard the god in this shrine is very generous in offering his blessings, so we decided to come here and take a look. Unfortunately, the shrine was closed because they were preparing a ritual for an important guest. So we had to head back.” Ai Jinqi explained as disappointment flashed in her eyes.
Ai Jinqi then gave Chen Fan a look and asked: “Are you two heading there as well? It’s closed. Why don’t we head down together? I know a terrific open hot spring nearby. It’s all-natural and stuff. They used groundwater from under the mountain directly, it’s full of minerals. Oh did I mention that it’s all-natural?”
“Thank you but no. I think they are waiting for us at the top there.” Chen Fan let out a meaningful smile as he glanced in the direction of the shrine. He then turned around toward Ai Jinqi and said: “For the sake of your own safety, leave here now, and don’t ever come back.”
After he said that, Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and started up the path.
Yukishiro Sa hurried to catch up with him and didn’t even have time to bid farewell.
Ai Jinqi and Ren Hao were left on the mountain path confused and dazed.
“What a nut job. We already told him that the shrine is closed, why would he keep going? He said they are waiting for him? Does he think he is some kind of hotshot?” Ren Hao sniggered.
To his surprise, Ai Jinqi didn’t say anything.
She could sense there was a sense of foreboding Chen Fan’s glance toward the shrine. Something big and terrible was about to happen.
Ai Jinqi was an ordinary person, but she believed that she was clairvoyant ever since she was a little girl. Many years ago, when she was crossing an intersection, something inexplicable made her pause in her tracks right before she was about to walk into traffic. A fraction of a second later, a semi-truck ran the red light and vroomed past her. Without that second of hesitation, she would have been dead.
After that incident, Ai Jinqi always believed in her sixth sense.
“Let’s head back to Kumamoto.” Ai Jinqi started off the mountain without looking back.
“Hold on a second, I thought we were going to the hot spring at Mount Aso. Are we skipping that?” Ren Hao asked in confusion.
“Shut up and come with me if you want to. Otherwise, just buzz off! It’s not like I want to travel with you.” Ai Jinqi didn’t even look back. She shouted as she continued descending.
Ren Hao’s face changed colors. He gritted his teeth, stamped his feet and followed the girl.
He had been following her all the way from China to Japan. It’s too late to give up now.
Chen Fan walked toward the top with Yukishiro Sa in tow.
The closer they got to the top, the thicker the mist became and there were fewer and fewer travelers on the path. In the end, they were the only two hikers on the path and not even a chirping of a bird could be heard. They could see the outline of the shrine appearing and disappearing behind the thick mist.
Yukishiro Sa felt the temperature seemed to have dropped significantly. She shivered a little and then inched closer to Chen Fan for warmth.
Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and stood right before the shrine’s entrance. He shouted: “I am Chen Beixuan from China, I want to see the Godfiend Susano.”
His voice sounded normal when he first started speaking, but his pitch and volume quickly surged and mid-way through the sentence, each word hurt Yukishiro Sa’s ears. The girl covered her ears with both hands. When the sentence finished with the name of the Demon God, the blaring timbre of Chen Fan’s voice threatened to cause an earthquake.
It was as if a hundred thunder sounds rumbled across the mountain peak at the same time.
Even with her ears covered, Yukishiro Sa was staggered by the blaring noise and nearly fell to the ground. The sound somehow dissipated the mist and revealed the full facade of the Susano Shrine.
“creak”
The heavy wooden gate cracked open.
A group of men and women filed out of the gate. Three of the group’s leaders were walking at the front. One was an old man wearing an Onmyoji outfit, the other man was a stately looking middle-aged man. The last leader, a woman was a purple-haired middle-aged woman with an alluring body.
They came over to Chen Fan until they were thirty paces away. The old man bowed and said:
“We welcome you, Master Chen. I am the servant of Lord Susano, Chizuru Masahiro. I, on behalf of the Susano Shrine, welcome our visit.”
His voice was hoarse, but he spoke with fluent Chinese as if he had lived in China for decades. He was genuinely respectful toward Chen Fan as if he had already forgotten that it was Chen Fan who had destroyed Lord Susano’s Illusion Form and it was also Chen Fan who had slaughtered the Yukishiro family.
“We know what you seek, Master Chen. Lord Susano is very happy to see you and to answer your questions. Please.” Chizuru Masahiro guested Chen Fan to enter the Shrine as the crowd stood behind him backed away to form a path.
Chen Fan glanced at the heavy gate at the entrance and let out a meaningful smile.
“Sure thing”