Chapter 69: The Fierce Battle Against the Ninja Emperor

The man chuckled lightly at those words, then slowly stepped forward a few paces. As his gaze landed on Xiao Yu, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. In an instant, two terrifying auras surged toward Xiao Yu.

Sensing their approach, Xiao Yu allowed a faint smile to appear on his lips. But as the oppressive force of those two powerful presences pressed upon him, he discarded all traces of disdain from his heart. With his current abilities, defeating an elite ninja lord would have been an easy task under ordinary circumstances. Yet the man before him emanated a faint sense of genuine danger. After all, as a member of the Imperial Ninja Corps, there was no way he could be so easily dealt with.

Even as he felt the threat drawing near, Xiao Yu casually swept his broad sleeve through the air. In that moment, a torrent of energy erupted outward.

With a thunderous boom, the powers of the two men collided with explosive force, sending a shockwave rippling outward from their center. As the detonation resounded, wild energies rampaged in every direction.

The ninjas behind the ninja lord rushed to shield Keiko Yamamoto, blocking the fierce blast from reaching her. Meanwhile, having unleashed his technique, Xiao Yu vanished from sight. When he reappeared, he was already at Ye Xuemei’s side.

“Brother-in-law!” Ye Xuemei cried through her tears, twisting her body in distress. Taking advantage of the chaos, Xiao Yu quickly untied the ropes binding her.

Initially, Xiao Yu had planned to ensure Ye Xuemei’s safety before properly settling accounts with the group from Sakura Country. But just then, the ninja lord was already charging at him.

With a gentle palm, Xiao Yu sent a surge of soft power into Ye Xuemei, pushing her safely out of the battle’s range. Then, with a flick of his right hand, a pitch-black longsword appeared. He spun around and, in one fluid motion, slashed at the oncoming ninja lord. A breathtaking arc of sword energy shot toward his foe.

Sensing the might of the attack, the ninja lord was taken aback. In the blink of an eye, a gleaming blade materialized in his hand and was raised high above his head. At that very moment, Xiao Yu’s incredible sword energy crashed onto the blade with a clear, ringing sound.

Because the ninja lord had blocked in haste, whereas Xiao Yu had unleashed a martial skill, the overwhelming force of the sword energy, though deflected, still shattered the samurai armor the ninja lord wore, leaving only pristine skin exposed beneath.

Straining to withstand Xiao Yu’s blow, the ninja lord suddenly let out a fierce shout. His arms moved in wide, powerful arcs, unleashing an aura no weaker than Xiao Yu’s. With a flick of his wrist, the ninja lord knocked the sword energy aside, sending a torrent of savage force surging back toward Xiao Yu.

A harsh screech rang out as Xiao Yu’s sword energy clashed violently with the ninja lord’s blade. Xiao Yu’s expression shifted as he felt the extent of his adversary’s strength.

Suddenly, Xiao Yu slammed his right foot into the ground, launching himself high into the air where he hovered, poised in the void.

As he floated above, the wild energies swirling around him surged like a tidal wave, converging upon him. The ninja lord below, feeling the whirlwind gathering strength, looked on in shock, his pupils shrinking.

“A cultivator from Yanxia!” the ninja lord exclaimed in halting Yanxia tongue. In his understanding, martial artists could not absorb the world’s spiritual energy. Only the so-called angels of the Western winged races and the mysterious cultivators of Yanxia possessed such abilities.

“Sword Rain Across the Skies!” Xiao Yu suddenly thundered from above, thrusting his sword directly at the ninja lord. Instantly, dozens of dazzling white sword lights, conjured from true energy, appeared before him. In moments, their number swelled to a hundred.

“Kill!” Xiao Yu shouted. With a sweeping motion, he sent the hundred spectral blades streaking down like meteors toward the ninja lord.

Realizing the threat, the ninja lord could no longer hold back. He rammed his blade into the ground and swiftly formed hand seals, his speed far exceeding that of the shrine priests encountered at the Imperial Shrine.

Gradually, an immense power arose around the ninja lord, accompanied by a golden halo emanating from his hands. Meanwhile, the spectral blades were already upon him, mere inches away.

“Rin! Pyo! Toh! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Zai! Zen!” he bellowed.

At his cry, the golden radiance in his hands blazed forth, taking form as a vast and intricate sigil that enveloped himself, Keiko Yamamoto, and the other imperial ninjas nearby.

The white sword phantoms crashed onto the golden barrier, triggering a deafening series of explosions. The relentless white blades continued to batter the shield, and the thunderous detonations shook the mountaintop, sending sand and stones flying in all directions beneath the violence of the unleashed energies.

Only after a long moment did Xiao Yu’s assault finally subside. Below, the golden barrier had dimmed somewhat, but the group from Sakura Country remained unharmed.

Xiao Yu had expected his attack to be thwarted. After all, his opponent was a ninja lord, far more formidable than the shrine priests like Muramasa Sakai; he had never presumed that the Sword Rain Across the Skies alone would finish him.

“Interesting. With power like yours, you’re more than just an imperial ninja. After this exchange, I can say for certain you’ve surpassed many of your shrine priests,” Xiao Yu remarked, descending slowly to the ground and fixing his gaze on the ninja lord.

Hearing this, the ninja lord immediately withdrew his energy. With a wave of his right hand, the sword embedded in the earth leapt into his grasp.

“You’re no ordinary foe either. You destroyed the Two-Sword School, leveled the Ise Shrine, and escaped from Sakura Country despite the heavy pursuit. It seems I underestimated you,” the ninja lord replied, his brow furrowed.

“Watanabe, why are you wasting words with him? Kill him now!” Keiko Yamamoto’s face darkened upon seeing the two men engaged in conversation, and she shouted angrily.

“And as for all of you, I don’t need your protection! Join me—together, let us execute this criminal against Sakura Country!”

At her command, the imperial ninjas who had been guarding Keiko Yamamoto’s side narrowed their eyes and drew their blades. In the next instant, their figures vanished into a shroud of white mist.

“The Imperial Ninja Corps? Today, let me see for myself the true strength of Sakura Country’s official warriors—how dare you trespass upon Yanxia’s sacred soil!”