Just as Takada Naoto’s frantic, trembling shout died out, two figures descended from the sky, one after the other.

"Well, well, quite the gathering we have here," Qin Fan said with a grin, brushing the dust from his clothes as he looked at Matsubara Santai and the others.

"Damn you! W-what are you going to do?" the cowardly Takada Naoto stammered, backing away as he stared at Qin Fan in terror.

"Besides killing you, what else do you think I would do?" Qin Fan replied mockingly, his gaze drifting toward several giant Crystal Stones. Upon seeing the images flowing across their surfaces, the corners of his lips curved upward into a smile. Ignoring Matsubara Santai and the others, he slowly walked toward the massive crystals.

"Huaxia man, aren’t you afraid to die?"

Although fear was mounting in his heart, Matsubara Santai managed to control his expression. He didn’t let the humiliating panic show on his face, feigning composure as he frowned at Qin Fan. He knew that he and his men stood no chance against this monstrous youth. The lesson from Chihiro’s fate and the outcome of the thirty-two Divine Ninjas before them had made the strength of their enemy terrifyingly clear. Right now, the only thing he could do was stall for time. Stall until Orochi emerges from its cave. Stall until the Elders come out.

"Whether I’m afraid or not is irrelevant. What’s important is that you can’t kill me," Qin Fan said dismissively as he continued to walk. "And stop with the forced calm. Your heart rate is already over 140, which proves you’re terrified. I also know you’re trying to stall for time, waiting for that thing in the cave to come out. But do you really think you have a chance?"

To be honest, he wasn’t even interested in lifting a finger against a mere High-Level Onmyoji. Besides, with Hua Xiaotian around, he usually didn’t bother taking out the trash anyway.

As Qin Fan advanced, all of the High-Level Onmyoji, including Matsubara Santai, whose true feelings had been so easily laid bare, chose to retreat.

"This thing must have quite a bit of your Life Source invested in it, huh?" Qin Fan said playfully, walking up to a Crystal Stone Ball and eyeing the retreating Onmyoji.

High-Level Onmyoji, whether in Japan, Huaxia, or anywhere else in the world, were undoubtedly beings that people would give a wide berth. After all, no one wanted to get entangled with these masters of illusion. While it was true that an Onmyoji’s physical abilities were limited, many of their victims died in the illusions they created before ever seeing their face. This fact explained why their combat skills were so poor. It was like the balance of the Heavenly Dao: when one door opens, a window is often closed. For the Onmyoji, physical strength was of little concern. They considered brawling a vulgar matter for the lower class. To cast a few illusions and watch their enemies die by their own hands—that was their source of pride.

But now, facing a youth so young he still seemed naive, they felt an unprecedented craving for physical strength! If they fought, they might be able to stall. If they didn’t, surrendering would only mean a quicker death. The problem was, what could they even fight with?

Sinking deeper into despair, Takada Naoto was so stunned by Qin Fan’s question that he blurted out without thinking, "How did you know?"

"Oh! If your Life Source is implanted in it, then this will be easy," Qin Fan said with a faint smile. As the words fell, he suddenly extended his palm, holding it up before the Crystal Stone Ball.

As if they already knew what Qin Fan was about to do, the High-Level Onmyoji’s faces went pale. "Damn you! No! No! Don’t!" they screamed in panic.

Don’t?

Qin Fan sneered and shook his head. Without a second thought, his palm slapped down on the Crystal Stone Ball.

SLAP!

The Crystal Stone Ball showed no outward sign of change, but the faces of Matsubara Santai and the others turned deathly pale. Their faces, their limbs, their entire bodies began to tremble violently.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

In the next instant, as the initial sound faded, countless fissures spiderwebbed across the Crystal Stone Ball’s surface, spreading at an incredible speed. Matsubara Santai and the others had no time to react.

The next moment, as the fissures covered every inch of the orb, there was nowhere left for them to spread.

BANG!

The Crystal Stone Ball, which could supposedly withstand an RPG attack, erupted with a deafening explosion! There was no spray of shrapnel because, under Qin Fan’s palm, it had disintegrated into fine powder.

PTHOO!

As the Crystal Stone Ball containing a portion of their Life Source shattered, Matsubara Santai and his men all spat out a mouthful of blood in unison.

"Interesting." Seeing this, Qin Fan smiled and walked toward another Crystal Stone Ball.

"Damn you! Condensing Illusion Array!" Driven into a corner with no escape, a pale Matsubara Santai roared in a frenzy. Although he knew illusions were likely useless against these two, they had no other options left. They had to at least try.

Hearing their strange tongue, Hua Xiaotian snorted coldly from the side. He flicked his wrist, and the Hemp Vine Whip shot out, lashing toward the Onmyoji without hesitation. Before they could even finish the incantation, the terrifying Soft Whip was already upon them. Acting on pure instinct, none of them dared to meet the whip head-on; they all dodged to the side. Although an Onmyoji’s Combat Power was not high, their reflexes when it came to dodging were unquestionable. Incredibly, Hua Xiaotian’s full-force whip strike missed every single one of them!

However, in that brief opening, Qin Fan raised and lowered his hand, smashing another Crystal Stone Ball.

PTHOO!

Matsubara Santai and his men coughed up blood again, gushing from their mouths as if it were limitless. With their connection to their Life Source shattered twice, this repeated loss of Essence Blood left the Onmyoji incredibly weak. Not a trace of color remained on their faces.

"Damn you, damn you, damn you! Long live Japan! Long live the Yamato! For ten thousand years, and ten thousand more!" Seeing no way out and facing his own impending doom, Matsubara Santai strained his weakened Primordial Spirit, his face twisting into a ferocious roar.

"One more to go. I hope you still have some strength left," Qin Fan remarked with a nonchalant smile, seemingly accustomed to such slogans. He walked toward the final Water Spirit Stone Ball, which was radiating a red glow.

"No, don’t, please don’t!" The inherently cowardly Takada Naoto couldn’t take it anymore. The moment he saw Qin Fan raise his hand, he dropped to his knees without a second thought, pleading desperately in broken Huaxia.

If that palm falls, they’ll be dead or crippled! He refused to accept such a fate. He hadn’t seen enough of this world’s splendors yet!

"Takada, you’re... you’re kneeling to a Huaxia man? You’re on your knees, begging for mercy from the bastard who burned down the Jingguo Society?" Matsubara Santai roared, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Takada Naoto’s kneeling form. He knew Takada Naoto feared death, but he never imagined his fear ran this deep.

Takada Naoto ignored Matsubara Santai, his eyes fixed on Qin Fan, filled with nothing but desperate pleading.