Chapter 306: Chapter 237: The Killing Intent Has Arisen, Refuse to Bow and Lose Your Head (Part 2)

"The Great Demon King Yi Beidou is presumed dead! Dignitaries from all sides have left their doomsday bunkers and reappeared in public!"

"Japan’s Prime Minister has appeared at an important meeting and may soon grant his first media interview since the incident with the Great Demon King!"

"The Great Demon King has been missing for a full seven days! Rumor has it that Japanese officials lured him out over the ocean, where he was annihilated by high-yield missiles, leaving no trace behind!"

"..."

Online, discussions about Yi Beidou were rampant, with some netizens even concocting a hundred different ways he might have died.

Some were astonished at how quickly this rising star of slaughter had fallen, while others refused to believe it was true. But as more time passed without any sign of Yi Beidou, even they grew silent. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Back home, there was an outcry of grief; many of Yi Beidou’s supporters could not accept this outcome.

’Are there really no miracles in this world?’

’An individual’s strength has its limits, after all.’

「Somewhere in the city.」

Yi Beidou held a phone, scrolling through news about himself.

"It seems they all think you’re dead. But that’s to be expected. Japan’s leadership, and even its Royal Family, have long relied on the Alchemist’s covert protection at critical moments."

"For example, during Japan’s Warring States period, the Japanese Imperial Family had declined to the point where they couldn’t even afford a prince’s coming-of-age ceremony. Yet the shoguns who held true power never dared to move against the Royal Family and take their place. Another example is when Japan was defeated in the war; the incredibly powerful Starry Sky Country never put the Japanese Imperial Family on trial, allowing them to retain their high status."

"As far as they’re concerned, this old ancestor of theirs is probably omnipotent."

Cheng Zhihong, who was walking beside Yi Beidou, also saw the news online and couldn’t help but shake his head as he spoke.

To be honest, even he hadn’t believed Yi Beidou could survive. But it was the truth.

And the one on whom the Japanese Imperial Family and its leaders relied was now a cold corpse, his consciousness lost to an endless darkness.

"They’ll find out soon enough. All right, I have some real business to attend to. You don’t need to follow me."

Before his voice had even faded, Demon Flame erupted around him, twisting space and light. With a single step, Yi Beidou’s figure seemed to melt into the fire, vanishing completely.

Watching Yi Beidou disappear, Cheng Zhihong fell silent. He neither followed nor left, but simply waited, as if expecting something.

Soon after, he felt as if he were being watched. He looked over and saw a sparrow perched on a nearby branch, staring at him quietly.

Cheng Zhihong flicked a finger. A brilliant ray of light shot out and entered the sparrow’s body.

The sparrow took flight and vanished. A moment later, footsteps echoed in the distance as a white woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a graceful figure rapidly approached.

It was Yuna.

Upon seeing Cheng Zhihong, her face filled with disbelief.

"You’re... still alive?!"

She couldn’t help but cry out in shock. A short while ago, she’d received a magnetic field signal sent by Cheng Zhihong through a special method. She had almost dismissed it as a trap by the Alchemist, a way to lure them in and wipe them all out. But, clinging to a sliver of hope, she had used her own techniques to investigate.

She never expected it to actually be him. The Power of Fruit Position and his unique mark couldn’t be faked—they were forces that not even an Ancient One could manipulate.

’How is he still alive? Wasn’t he caught in the Immortal Forbidden Technique?!’

"Not only am I alive, but so is *he*."

Cheng Zhihong said with a nod.

"Could it be..."

Hearing this, the incredulity on Yuna’s face deepened.

"That’s right. It’s just as you suspect. He killed the Alchemist, even after the Alchemist used the Immortal Forbidden Technique. His power is now great enough to rank him among the very strongest in the world."

Cheng Zhihong said, his voice full of awe.

When he said the strongest in the world, he wasn’t just referring to the Mortal World. He also meant the Hidden Realm, including figures like the leader of their own Dark Vine and the key members of other organizations that pass down the Fruit Position legacy.

Yuna looked completely stunned.

’How on earth did he do it?’

「Meanwhile.」

「In a manor in the Tokyo Suburbs.」

Inside a lavish, traditional Japanese-style room, beautiful attendants in kimonos smiled as they poured tea and wine for the powerful men seated at the table. As they leaned over, the collars of their robes gaped, revealing the pale white of their skin.

Three men occupied the seats of honor.

One was a man in his fifties or sixties, dressed in casual clothes, his hair streaked with gray.

This was none other than the current Emperor of Japan.

Sitting opposite the Emperor was another man, dressed in traditional Japanese robes. He wore a Tomoe on his chest and a pouch at his waist. Although he wasn’t wearing a mask, the surrounding Death Warriors and attendants found they couldn’t see his face clearly. All they could vaguely discern was the image of a brilliant, golden chrysanthemum in full bloom.

This was Mr. Ju, the current leader of Japan’s Nine Chrysanthemums Sect.

After the battle at Tokyo Tower, Mr. Ju had reacted with incredible speed, immediately fleeing the country to seek refuge. However, upon hearing that their ancient patriarch was going to personally intervene, he had promptly returned to Japan.

Unlike the other four Saint Realm experts from Japan, he couldn’t so easily abandon the country. The Nine Chrysanthemums Sect had spent years laying down foundations here, and the Dao Fields essential for his Cultivation were all within Japan’s borders.

’Besides, with the patriarch himself making a move, what problem could possibly remain unsolved?’

As the leader of a sect with deep ties to the Alchemist’s lineage, he knew better than most just how unfathomably powerful the man was.