With each tremor, Tamura Naoki's entire skeleton resonated with Jiang Liu's fist, seemingly on the verge of falling apart. If one could see inside his body, they would discover that his bones were riddled with cracks! If he hadn't already successfully formed his core and perfected his body refinement, the force of this attack would have shattered his entire skeleton.
At the same time, his blood surged and churned, like waves crashing against rocks, causing immense damage to his heart and other organs. His ears rang, like thousands of bees buzzing—a sound caused by the imbalance of blood and qi, resulting in damage to his auditory nerves. His vision suddenly went black, and his head spun…
Well!
Tamura Naoyoshi, a grandmaster of Japanese martial arts, had devoted most of his life to studying the art of "Baodan" (抱丹, a specific martial art technique), achieving unparalleled control over his body. He immediately realized something was wrong; his vital energy had been scattered and disrupted. He abruptly took a step back, a thunderous sound emanating from his lower abdomen. He sat back, trying to gather his vital energy and composure, attempting to calm himself with all his might. However, he could not control the chaotic energy within his body, and his heart pounded uncontrollably.
At that moment, he knew he was truly old! Faced with Jiang Liu's immense destructive power, he also felt death calling.
He felt that he was about to wither away!
Cherry blossoms will wither, but before they wither, they want to bloom more beautifully, so that even when they fall from the branches, they can still trace a graceful arc in the north wind.
This assassination was against the principles of martial arts, but I have a clear conscience!
Ito Oto was a ninja, following the path of an assassin; dying in an assassination was his fate. Tamura Naoyoshi was a warrior; a warrior's way is not about assassination, but about killing one's opponent in a fair fight, or being killed by one's opponent.
However, when the martial arts of the entire nation were being crushed by Jiang Liu and Ba Liming, he still made a move. He knew that he could never defeat any of them in a head-on battle, not even if the five old guys joined forces. Thus, this assassination attempt took place.
It's all or nothing! No regrets, no complaints!
Jiang Liu had intended to deliver another punch to kill this martial arts master who combined martial arts and agriculture, but he had already missed his chance. A fist suddenly appeared below his left throat!
A huge black fist suddenly appeared, and another martial artist of equal strength to Tamura Naoyoshi attacked.
This was another thin, small Japanese old man, one of the five surviving masters of Dan Jin (a type of martial arts) from the older generation in Japan, a famous martial artist who participated in the invasion of China. In that turbulent era, countless Chinese boxers died at his hands. His name was Kikume Ennosuke. This man was thin and small, with very long arms, looking exactly like an old ape.
Kikume Ennosuke's fighting style was completely disproportionate to his physique. He was small in stature, but his fighting style was incredibly fierce. He had just unleashed two punches, each one generating a powerful gust of wind. The distance between them was extremely long, his arms were like large iron rods, and his fists were like a pair of large iron hammers.
A punch came, the wind from the punch arriving first, like an awl, tearing Jiang Liu's clothes apart.
Jiang Liu snorted coldly, a surge of pure yang energy erupting from his chest, followed by an extremely violent sonic boom from his mouth. His internal organs had already reached the pinnacle of perfection, and the power of this sonic boom was by no means weak, moreover, it was sudden and unexpected, making it impossible to defend against.
Immediately, two streams of blood flowed from Kikume Ennosuke's ears, clearly indicating that his eardrums had been ruptured.
Jiang Liu gripped Kikume Ennosuke's fists with his hands in a claw-like shape, and then, like a crocodile that had caught its prey, used the force of his body to tear off both of his arms.
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Decline (Part Two)
Jiang Liu carried the lives of three martial arts masters toward Ba Liming, not caring about Ba Liming's safety.
Without using his vital energy, Ba Liming is stronger than Jiang Liu. Since Jiang Liu managed to escape the assassination attempt, Ba Liming is naturally not afraid.
At this moment, the small house where Baliming lived was like a ruin after an earthquake, collapsed and shattered. Baliming stood on the ruins, his fists covered in blood, with two corpses lying in front of him.
"You're faster than me; it seems your skills have improved again."
Ba Liming flicked his hand, wiping away the blood, and said, "These two were at the Core Formation stage, but unfortunately they ran into me. Judging from their age, they must have been boxers who participated in the invasion of China. Now they are dying at our hands; it is fate. My boxing intent is 'The Imperial Star Shakes, the World Rebels, Mountains and Rivers Tremble.' If I had been born in that era, my boxing intent would have been even stronger. Unfortunately, now the world is at peace, and my boxing intent has not improved for thirty years."
Jiang Liu said, "Old Ba, your skills have almost reached their peak. One more step and you'll be 'indestructible to gods,' making you one of the strongest in the world!"
"Within one hand? That's not even the strongest. Are you sure there's someone stronger than me?"
Ba Liming was not arrogant, but he was still very confident in his abilities.
"Yes, there is a Tang Zichen in Southeast Asia who has reached the realm of 'the Way of Sincerity, which allows one to foresee the future.' Perhaps her physical strength is not as good as yours, but it is impossible for you to defeat her!"
Ba Liming nodded and said, "I've heard of this woman. She avoids danger and is naturally invincible. Moreover, she's only in her thirties, and her strength has the potential to increase significantly."
"There's a large, organized group on the international black market that specializes in assassinations and sniping. Their leader is currently the most powerful person in the world!"
"The strongest right now? So, you're confident you can surpass him in a short time?"
Jiang Liu smiled and said, "Besides me, there is another person who will definitely surpass him within three years, including you, Ba Liming."
"Oh!" Upon hearing Jiang Liu's words, Ba Liming immediately became very interested and asked, "Who is this person?"
“Wang Chao!” Jiang Liu said very seriously.
"It's him?!" Ba Liming clearly knew Wang Chao. Although he had been in prison for thirty years and had never stepped out, he still had access to a lot of information. He continued, "This man is around twenty years old now. I heard he only has the cultivation level of Transformation Realm and hasn't reached the Core Formation Realm yet. Are you sure?"
Jiang Liu glanced at the approaching figure and said, "I've fought him before. Although he's still weak, his heart is as pure as a child's and his will as strong as steel. He's only risen to prominence in the last few years. Moreover, the fist technique he's mastered, 'Dragon Fights in the Wild, Its Blood is Black and Yellow,' is extremely powerful in actual combat, even though he's slightly weaker. He's the best at defeating the strong with the weak!"
"To receive such high praise from you, I'll have to see for myself when I get back to China!"
At this moment, Pai Hsien-yung and others arrived. Looking at the ruins and several corpses on the ground, they frowned deeply.
Then, looking at Ba Liming and Jiang Liu, he said, "Grandmaster Uncle, news has come from back home, requiring you to return immediately..."
"What? Afraid we'll cause an international dispute?" Ba Liming sneered and said, "Martial arts are martial arts, and politics are politics... Those who eat meat are base and lack foresight. I am just a commoner; you can't control me, and neither can those sitting on the throne!"
Jiang Liu flicked his finger and laughed, the sound of his fingernail vibrating like a sword, demonstrating its incredible strength, almost like steel. He said, "Brother Bai, even a towering mountain can be ruined by a single step. No one can stop my martial arts. If they want to stand in my way, they should be prepared to be crushed to death. Yan Qing, tell Wu Wenhui that if he doesn't want me to betray him, he should withstand the pressure from above."
Pai Hsien-yung gave a bitter smile; Chiang Hai stared blankly at the several corpses in front of him, expressionless; Yan Qing didn't say much either, picked up her phone and dialed a number.
Immediately afterwards, a group of Japanese people surrounded him, led by Gen Iga, and the rest were some young Japanese martial artists.
"Ito-senpai, Tamura-senpai, Kikumae-senpai, Takeyama-senpai, Takeda-senpai..."
"Baka yarou..."
"..."
The group was speaking Japanese, which Jiang Liu couldn't understand, but he could feel their overwhelming anger, almost like a volcanic eruption, emanating from their ferocious faces.
That night, all of Japan's older generation of alchemy masters died. In addition, the dozen or so masters killed by Jiang Liu and Ba Liming in the past three days were severely damaged. Japan's martial arts world was hit hard.
These master-level boxers have passed away one after another, and the martial arts lineage has almost been severed. Practicing boxing is not something that can be achieved simply by being given a manual. As the saying goes, a good teacher produces a good student. Only with the master's hands-on guidance can one achieve something. Practicing blindly on one's own will not only fail to improve, but will also lead to incorrect training and even qi deviation.
This battle will mean that Japanese martial arts will never be able to rise again in the next thirty years, and dojos of judo, karate, and other martial arts worldwide will suffer a total blow.
The decline of martial arts is irreversible.
Iga Gen knelt on the ground, silently tidying up the appearance of the five masters. His slightly trembling hands revealed that his heart was far from calm.
At this moment, a woman with fair skin, appearing to be in her thirties, stepped out from the crowd. Her hair was piled high, giving her a noble and elegant appearance. Her eyes were fixed on Jiang Liu, and then she pulled a long white ribbon from her bosom. On the ribbon was a fiery red sun, the symbol of the Japanese flag. The moment she tied the white ribbon around her head, a chilling and murderous aura suddenly emanated from her, just like the members of the Japanese Kamikaze suicide squads of yesteryear.
"Ueshiba Maruko, President of the Aikido Imperial Martial Arts Association, accepts..." The woman spoke in fluent Mandarin.
Iga Gen suddenly turned around, shouted, and said, "Shut up, Maruko!"
"Iga-kun..." Maruko shouted, her fists clenching so tightly they cracked.
"For the sake of our nation and our martial arts, we have no choice but to live a life of ignominy. I do not want our martial arts to be lost... Someone has to sacrifice, someone has to endure humiliation. Only through endurance can we rise again... Gentlemen, please remember this!"
Iga Gen took a white sun scarf from his pocket and tied it around his head. Then, calm as still water, he looked at Jiang Liu and said, "Your strength far surpasses mine. I am no match for you... After dawn, I will announce to the whole world that no one in Japan is your match..."
Jiang Liu remained unfazed by the angry stares of dozens of eyes and said, "No, there's more. I've heard there's a man named Xuan Yang who's rebuilding the Black Dragon Society. Can I see his martial arts skills?"
“There is no such person!” Iga Gen said firmly.
Chapter Forty: The Storm Is Brewing
On the very night that Jiang Liu and Ba Liming killed five top Japanese Dan Jin masters, in the same secret military region of Beijing, in the same conference room, "King of Decapitations" Wu Wenhui was furious.
"What is he trying to do? What exactly is he trying to do? Who does he think he is? The monkey who wreaked havoc in Heaven? Even Sun Wukong can't escape my grasp! Betrayal?! He makes it sound so easy. If he dares, I'll make him kneel down in a heartbeat..."
"Commander..."
Major General Zhou Liang gave a wry smile and said, "He's currently abroad, and his boxing skills have reached an unimaginable level. If he joins forces with that Red Guard leader Ba Liming, no one in Japan can stop them. Unless heavy weapons are used, there's really nothing that can kill them. Otherwise, the Japanese political circles wouldn't have gotten involved and forced us."
After venting his anger, Wu Wenhui calmed down: "How could I not know? The Japanese martial arts world was utterly defeated by those two, and the whole country is in mourning. I spoke with several experts in Zhongnanhai, and they said that for the next thirty years, Japanese martial arts will be completely in decline. To crush a nation's martial arts, especially a nation like Japan that reveres martial arts. If I weren't in this position, I would applaud them too. Unfortunately, compared to personal feelings, national interests come first. They recklessly slaughtered in Japan, leaving us in a very passive position, and the country has become the target of everyone's criticism..."
Zhou Liang turned on his computer, and the screen was filled with information about Jiang Liu. Forums, social media, Weibo, and Tieba were all dominated by news about Jiang Liu and Ba Liming's trip to Japan.
He said helplessly, "Information is so readily available now. If we could block it before, we can't now. With 1.3 billion people in China, their names are already household names. With 6 billion people in the world, their fame has spread far and wide. They've already established their dominance! Any force in the country that wants to touch them will have to think twice, unless someone defeats them head-on... But... alas!"
"Indeed, the tide has turned. They've become Huo Yuanjia and Huang Feihong, national heroes. Even if they return to China, we'll treat them like ancestors... Let's get ready! Since we can't change it, let's create momentum for them and strive to gain the greatest benefit for the country!"
...
Meanwhile, in a quiet courtyard house in Beijing, two young people were exchanging martial arts techniques.
The younger one was Wang Chao, who had been injured by Jiang Liu. He seemed to be breathing in the moonlight, and countless soft, muffled sounds could be heard from his chest, like the croaking of frogs. Then, he pressed his hands to his chest and slowly moved them down to massage his abdomen, where his large and small intestines also made soft rumbling sounds.
This is the "Toad-Catching Strength," a method of cultivating internal energy and refining the body, a health-preserving technique for strengthening the internal organs. As his palms moved, the internal organs slowly writhed, one sound after another, from top to bottom, from bottom to top, from inside to outside. The continuous croaking of toads was like the arrival of spring, with countless toads croaking in the fields and ponds, full of vitality and joy.
The man next to him practicing Xingyi Quan's "Dragon and Snake Combination Strike" was none other than Chen Aiyang, a Tai Chi master from Southeast Asia. After Wang Chao's internal organs were injured by Jiang Liu's shock, Chen Aiyang gave Wang Chao acupuncture every day, massaged him with hidden strength and soft kung fu to promote blood circulation and regulate his internal organs, and even accepted all of Wang Chao's challengers.
Wang Chao did offend quite a few people during his fight at the Italian boxing gym.
"Have you heard?" Chen Aiyang suddenly put away the "Dragon and Snake Combination Attack" stance and said.
"What did you hear?" Wang Chao asked.
"He went to Japan and challenged all the top fighters in Japan; no one could stop him."
Wang Chao naturally knew who "he" Chen Aiyang was referring to, and said, "So, he's gotten stronger again?"
Chen Aiyang looked up at the crescent moon in the sky and said, "It's not that he's become stronger, it's that he's become extremely strong. In this world, his strength is within his grasp... According to the experts I know, perhaps only your sister Tang Zichen can fight him."
Wang Chao showed little expression, not even a change in his heartbeat, and uttered four words: "My path is not lonely!"
I am not alone on this path!
What a wonderful statement: I am not alone on this path!
Although Wang Chao suffered a defeat, it did not dampen his martial arts spirit in the slightest. On the contrary, with Jiang Liu leading the way, his desire to win was further activated, and his martial arts beliefs became even stronger because of Jiang Liu.
...
In the Nanyang Tang Clan, facing the sea, stood a woman in purple robes. Her age was impossible to discern; her face seemed perpetually youthful. The passage of time, bit by bit, had left no trace of wear and tear on her face or body.
This woman is Tang Zichen!
"This country is truly full of hidden talents. I originally thought that my younger brother should be the strongest among the younger generation, but suddenly Jiang Liu appeared. He's only seventeen years old and possesses the Outer Strength skill! His martial arts are so powerful that he can crush an entire nation. His strength will definitely increase greatly after this trip to Japan. Next, he'll probably head to Southeast Asia!"
"Baliming, you've finally made it through!"
"I'm waiting for you!"
After saying this, she rode away on the waves, like a goddess descending to earth.
...
In the capital, many people couldn't sleep that night. Yan Yuanyi, the instructor of "Changfeng," one of the three major special forces in the country, Wu Yunlong, the top martial arts master of Wu-style Tai Chi, and Wu Kongxuan, Yue Peng, and Chen Taiyi, all strong practitioners of traditional Chinese martial arts and Daoist alchemy, were all looking eastward, waiting for new news from that place.
Even Feng Cai, the successor of the Sanhuang Paochui (a type of martial arts) tradition who has been living in seclusion for twenty years, has been frequently gazing eastward these past few days.
...