Chapter 1022

Boom!!

A terrifying aura, like a volcanic eruption, exploded violently within the Tienyu Dojo compound.

"It's the Chief Supervisor's aura!"

"What happened to Lord Taku?"

"I don't know, but something huge must've happened!"

"......"

Murmurs erupted throughout the compound as Kitahara Sohkei appeared above it.

He was powerfully built, his muscles slightly bulging, his terrifying blood qi seemingly ready to cover the entire sky.

Just moments ago, his smartwatch had suddenly received a red alert, notifying him that his son Kitahara Taku's communication watch had gone offline.

He immediately knew his son was in trouble!

"Who?! Come out right now!"

Kitahara Sohkei's eyes were bloodshot, fixed fiercely on the headquarters building; his crimson blood qi instantly coalesced into a massive sword, which he then slashed down upon the building!

Boom——!!!

The building was cleanly severed at the fourth floor; amid the screams of the crowd, the upper portion collapsed entirely, revealing Xu Jingming and the other two inside the fourth-floor office.

Oh, no, four people.

But Kitahara Taku had already turned to ash.

"Taku! My son!"

Kitahara Sohkei instantly recognized the pile of ash on the ground and his eyes bulged with rage.

Yet the moment he saw Xu Jingming, his fury vanished, replaced by stunned disbelief: "Xu Jingming? How are you here?"

"What? You don't welcome me?" Xu Jingming regarded him with a faint, mocking smile.

"It's Xu Jingming! How did he come to our Sakura Nation?"

"Heh, Sakura Nation doesn't welcome him!"

"He slaughtered so many of our civilians with the Lord Xue Jian—we'll never accept Da Xia people!"

"......"

The crowd around him, recognizing Xu Jingming's identity, grew increasingly indignant.

When the Lord Xue Jian descended, a single slash obliterated the Tienyu Dojo branch.

It indiscriminately killed all psychics within a kilometer radius, leaving them with a deeply traumatic memory.

Yet as Chief Supervisor of the Tienyu Dojo, Kitahara Sohkei swiftly descended from the sky to the ground.

His face beamed with a smile, even one of sycophancy, as he spoke:

"Of course we welcome you, greatly welcome you! What business brings His Excellency Xu here?"

"You didn't notice I just killed your son?"

Xu Jingming's expression turned peculiar; even Sakuragi Rin, who had just changed clothes and stood beside him, looked surprised.

Why was this old man's reaction so different from what he expected?

"I noticed. My son was always poorly disciplined—he must've offended His Excellency. You did well to kill him. I had no affection for him to begin with."

Kitahara Sohkei spoke quickly, his face showing not a trace of sorrow, as if the man who had just roared in fury moments ago wasn't him at all.

He then immediately noticed Sakuragi Rin standing beside Xu Jingming and realized the truth: "His Excellency Xu came here for Sakuragi Rin, didn't you? Good, good—she was originally our Tienyu Dojo's Sacred Maiden. Serving His Excellency is her honor."

"Sakuragi Rin? No, I came here for your life!"

Xu Jingming had no patience to waste further; Chaos Doushen Shenlei erupted violently, coalescing into a jet-black thunder dragon that slammed toward him!

Xu Jingming rarely bothered to waste more words on him; the Chaos Doushen Shenlei erupted violently, coalescing into a jet-black thunder dragon that slammed into him!

A scream rang out; even as Kitahara Sohkei unleashed his full psychic power and his blood qi surged wildly, he could not resist the thunder dragon.

The immense immortal substance of his Ninth-Rank Mid-Level Wu Sheng vanished instantly; his body turned charred black, leaving only a final breath.

"You... why... kill me?" he gasped.

He had seen Xu Jingming's battle record after returning to Da Xia yesterday—he knew he was no match.

That's why he suppressed his rage over his son's death, bowed so low, hoping to buy time until the Ninth-Rank from America arrived.

But he never imagined Xu Jingming would act so ruthlessly—no warning, no hesitation.

"Because your Tienyu Dojo once tried to eliminate me in the Secret Realm."

Xu Jingming stared at him expressionlessly. "Also, this is what your Sacred Maiden wants."

Xu Jingming looked at him expressionlessly. "Also, this is the Holy Maiden's wish."

Kitahara Sohkei whirled his head toward Sakuragi Rin, his face like charred coal, filled with disbelief:

"Why?! You were raised by the Tienyu Dojo! Without my full support, you would never have reached this level!"

"Why?! You are the Holy Maiden cultivated by my Tianyu Daochang! Without my full support, you could never have reached this point!"

Sakuragi Rin locked eyes with him, her suppressed emotions of over a decade exploding at once:

"Fourteen years ago, to please the American Ninth-Rank, you recklessly withdrew the psychics stationed in Fukuoka without any warning."

"Fukuoka fell to the beast tide; over ten thousand died in the assault."

"Among them—my poor parents!"

"Is that true?"

Kitahara Sohkei still looked confused, then quickly recalled—he pleaded: "Yes, it was my fault! But I raised you for all these years!"

"In gratitude, you owe me! Please, ask His Excellency to stop—I'll pay any price!"

Yes, it was indeed my fault! But I have also raised you for all these years!

Morally and rationally, you ought to repay me. I beg you, make my lord stop— I am willing to pay any price for this.

"Spare you?"

Sakuragi Rin nearly laughed from sheer fury, her aura erupting explosively as her long black hair whipped about wildly.

Over ten thousand shikigami and ghosts of every description appeared all around her.

"Kitahara beast, pay the price for everything you did back then!"

Whoosh—

Under Sakuragi Rin's S-rank ability 'Shikigami Summoning', the ten thousand-plus shikigami crowded together, forming a black hurricane that surged toward Kitahara Sōsuke and swallowed him whole.

Let him endure the torment of being torn apart by ten thousand ghosts!!

After all, Kitahara Sōsuke was a mid-tier ninth-rank Wu Sheng, with an immensely sturdy body.

Under normal circumstances, even heavily wounded he was not someone a seventh-rank like Sakuragi Rin could shake.

But Xu Jingming's Doushen Shenlei had been far too vicious, completely draining his indestructible substance, and his body was on the very brink of collapse.

One could say that now, any ordinary person with a dagger could kill Kitahara Sōsuke, let alone a seventh-rank like Sakuragi Rin.

The screams lasted a full half-minute plus, and another minute later, when the ten thousand-plus shikigami dispersed, no trace of Kitahara Sōsuke's corpse could be seen on the spot.

His corpse had already been devoured completely by those shikigami.

"Dad, Mom, I've finally avenged you…"

Tears welling in her eyes, Sakuragi Rin knelt once more before Xu Jingming without a care for the others present:

"Thank you, Master, for avenging this servant. I, Sakuragi Rin, am willing to serve you for all of my lives!"

The onlookers had long since been stunned dumb, never having imagined that the lofty, untouchable Holy Maiden would willingly become a servant!

And even Lord Sōsuke, who had seemed like a god, had died at her hands.

"Not bad." Xu Jingming nodded in satisfaction.

At that moment, two phantoms streaked in from the distant sky and descended to the ground.

"Oh! My God! Xu Jingming, what on earth have you done?!"

These were two ninth-rank Martial Saints from the United States; one of them stared in shock at the devastation all around.

The other Wu Sheng spoke with a solemn expression:

"Great Xia ninth-rank Wu Sheng Xu Jingming, if you cannot give a reasonable explanation for this matter, it will be regarded as a grave provocation against our United States!"

"Provocation?"

Xu Jingming arched his sword-like brows and said casually, "Then go back and tell your Congress — the Sakura Nation, I, Xu Jingming, want it."