Chapter 40: Lord Shan Jun, Lu Wu!

Jiang Xia suddenly smiled, a laugh so light it was like wind, yet it sent a chill down the spine.

He slowly released his grip on the Kusanagi sword, his fingertips brushing lightly along the blade, and the Chidori instantly clung to it.

"Itachi're surprisingly adorable in your stupidity," he took one step forward, the pressure of the fifth-rank beast vanishing before him as if it didn't exist.

“Perfect—I’d also like to test how many moves it takes me to kill a fifth-rank now!”

Cang Hu was forced back half a step by his aura, then flushed with rage: “Arrogant! I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

It lunged forward, its tiger paw slashing through the air with a stench of blood, delivering a full-force strike capable of shattering boulders.

But Jiang Xia stood motionless, until the claw was merely half a foot from his face, then activated the Mangekyo Sharingan and phased through.

“Too slow!” The words still hung in the air when Jiang Xia’s figure vanished beyond the claw’s reach.

The Mangekyo Sharingan’s pattern spun rapidly in his eyes, his phasing body darting straight to Cang Hu’s side.

“Wood Release—Thorn Insertion Technique!”

The Chidori on the Kusanagi exploded, blue-white lightning piercing Cang Hu’s body, while the wooden thorn plunged deep inside and split apart.

“Aaaagh—” Cang Hu screamed as it collapsed, blood gushing from its wounds.

It struggled to rise, but found its limbs already pierced through by wooden thorns, rendering them useless.

“Fifth-rank speed and reflexes? Too slow.”

Jiang Xia gently pressed the ball of his left foot against Cang Hu’s neck fur—not much force, yet heavy as a mountain, pinning it down.

Cang Hu let out a bestial roar, its tail lashing through the air toward Jiang Xia’s waist.

“Chidori Stream!”

The moment the tail touched his sleeve, Chidori’s current surged up it, paralyzing the entire limb instantly, leaving it hanging like a dead iron rod.

“What kind of monster are Itachi!” Cang Hu’s voice finally carried fear.

It could sense Jiang Xia’s aura was clearly only fourth-rank, yet the oppression from his eyes was colder than even Lord Lu Wu’s.

Jiang Xia’s toe ground lightly against Cang Hu’s fur, the Kusanagi’s blade reflecting Cang Hu’s despair.

“Monster?” He chuckled softly, then suddenly twisted his wrist—the wooden thorns inside Cang Hu detonated.

Countless sharp wooden branches erupted from its limbs and torso, pinning the fifth-rank beast’s body to the stone road.

Blood seeped along the gaps between the branches, pooling into a dark red stain. “I’m just a bit stronger than Itachi—by a billionfold.”

Cang Hu didn’t even let out a final scream; its massive body went limp, utterly lifeless.

“Itachi human brat, how bold!”

From within Cang Hu’s body, its spiritual core coalesced into a colossal phantom—ten zhang tall, a nine-tailed tiger seated upon a throne.

“I am Shan Jun, Lu Wu!”

A pair of golden vertical pupils fixed on Jiang Xia, every hair radiating primal ferocity.

“Lu Wu?” Jiang Xia looked up at the phantom, his voice devoid of any fear. “Didn’t Itachi want me to kill it?”

Lu Wu’s golden pupils narrowed slightly; its nine tails flicked, summoning a gale that condensed into a barrier enclosing Jiang Xia.

“What I wanted?” Its voice rumbled like thunder, losing some of its primal savagery, gaining a hint of amusement.

“Little one, Itachi’re smarter than I imagined.”

It raised a claw toward the still-present wooden thorns on Cang Hu’s corpse. “This fool, sent to infiltrate Zhu Yan’s ranks, actually defected to him.”

“He disobeyed my orders, forgot who his true master is.”

Jiang Xia’s Mangekyo pattern spun in his eyes. “It said if I didn’t cooperate, it would kill me and claim credit with Itachi.”

“Claim credit?” Lu Wu laughed, the sound shaking the surrounding stone slabs.

“It couldn’t even perceive the power radiating from Itachi—how dare it speak of claiming credit?”

Its golden pupils locked onto Jiang Xia, as if trying to dissect him inside and out.

“A fourth-rank facade, yet hiding strength capable of effortlessly crushing fifth-ranks—and these eyes… that can warp reality. Who, exactly, are Itachi?”

Jiang Xia slowly raised his head, a cold, age-inappropriate smirk curling at his lips.

He didn’t answer, but countered: “Lord Lu Wu, Itachi sent Cang Hu here—not just to sow discord between me and the Night Watchers, right?”

Lu Wu’s nine tails froze instantly; the pressure around it plummeted to an extreme.

But the next second, its golden pupils shifted from scrutiny to unhidden admiration. “Fascinating. Extremely fascinating.”

It rose from its throne, its ten-zhang body causing the barrier to tremble under its oppressive aura.

“Cang Hu betrayed me—that’s its stupidity. Itachi saw through its foolishness and eliminated it cleanly—that’s your ability.”

It stepped forward, its massive form shrinking before Jiang Xia until it became a stern-faced man clad in tiger hide.

He walked beside Jiang Xia, looking down at Cang Hu’s corpse, his tone tinged with regret—but mostly disdain.

“This tiger followed me for a thousand years, yet never learned the meaning of reverence.”

“It thought Zhu Yan’s backing gave it license to act as it pleased, forgetting that before true power, it’s merely a pawn.”

Jiang Xia said nothing, only tightened his grip on the Kusanagi.

He could feel Lu Wu’s aura—far exceeding Cang Hu’s—true, top-tier beastly pressure.

Yet within that overwhelming force, there was no malice, only excitement.

Lu Wu turned to Jiang Xia, admiration nearly spilling from his eyes. “Little one, Itachi’re impressive. Cang Hu is your welcome gift.”

He paused, lowering his voice slightly, adding a note of mystery. “Now, would Itachi like to make a deal with me?”

“A deal?” Jiang Xia’s Chidori flickered slightly as he studied Lu Wu’s stern, amused expression.

He didn’t immediately agree; instead, he stepped back half a pace, the Mangekyo pattern slowly spinning in his eyes.

Every subtle expression of the beast before him was captured in his vision.

Seeing this, Lu Wu didn’t grow annoyed—he burst into loud laughter. “Itachi’re cautious, little one—I like that!”

He waved his hand; the wooden thorns and blood on Cang Hu’s corpse vanished instantly, leaving only a fifth-rank spiritual core hovering in midair.

“Cang Hu betrayed me, sided with Zhu Yan, and ruined many of my plans.”

Lu Wu’s voice grew heavy, a flash of sharpness in his golden pupils.

“I want Itachi to help me eliminate Zhu Yan. In return, I’ll reveal to Itachi the secret of the Battle of Fate—and this fifth-rank beast’s spiritual core. What do Itachi say?”

Jiang Xia stared at the spiritual core, his fingers tapping lightly against the Kusanagi’s hilt.

Zhu Yan was a top-tier beast, equal to Lu Wu, with unfathomable power—Lu Wu’s proposal clearly aimed to use him to weaken Zhu Yan.

And the “secret” Lu Wu mentioned struck precisely at the heart of Jiang Xia’s long-standing doubts.

“I need Itachi to tell me the secret of the Battle of Fate first.”

Jiang Xia spoke slowly, his tone calm and unshaken. “It’s vital to me.”