A sudden gust of wind swept through, catching a fallen leaf and carrying it from outside the pavilion right to the feet of Pu Yongjun inside.

From the moment Zhang Yang appeared, the three ninjas guarding Ishino Kotaro had focused their entire attention on him. Consequently, Pu Yongjun, who had been struggling for breath moments before, hadn't even registered that the oppressive pressure stifling the air in the pavilion had quietly dissipated.

The leaf, light as a feather landing by Pu Yongjun's foot, felt instead like a boulder weighing a thousand catties, causing the young man to spring up instantly!

"Master, it's a Spirit Beast, a Spirit Beast!" Pu Yongjun jumped up excitedly, bounding high within the pavilion!

Kim Hyun-shin's heart gave a violent lurch, and on the other side, Pu Yongjun's sudden outburst shattered the tense silence in the pavilion completely!

The three ninjas, who had been barely holding back under Zhang Yang's intense pressure, were like overfilled balloons suddenly punctured by a needle; they couldn't restrain themselves any longer and struck first!

The three ninjas vanished from Ishino Kotaro’s side almost simultaneously, reappearing next to Zhang Yang in the following instant!

Three gleaming, razor-sharp Nihontō swords swung down toward Zhang Yang in perfect unison!

A slight curve played on Zhang Yang’s lips, revealing a cold sneer of disdain. He merely lifted a hand gently, and a surge of powerful Heaven and Earth energy instantly enveloped him. Those four Nihontō seemed caught mid-air, unable to descend even a fraction of an inch further.

The emotionless faces of the three ninjas registered shock and disbelief for the first time; they were utterly unprepared for such a sight.

Before the three ninjas could react in any way, three streaks of white light arrived instantaneously!

Puff! Puff! Puff!

These three beams of white light erupted into splashes of crimson, snowflake-like blood across the chests of the three men. The ninjas tumbled backward, their blades clattering to the ground near Zhang Yang’s feet, alongside several severed heads.

Ishino Kotaro watched, aghast, as his three ninjas failed to withstand even a single move from Zhang Yang. His legs instantly buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. He had already been retreating toward the edge of the pavilion steps, and now he simply rolled right off them.

Looking up, Ishino Kotaro saw Zhang Yang standing before him, looking down with a cold smile. As if beholding a demon, Ishino Kotaro let out a piercing scream, spun around, and fled, his speed surpassing that of a rabbit!

"Mr. Kim Hyun-shin, I trust you haven't conspired with these Zhinaren! You must protect me! If you keep me alive, I promise I will offer you immense assistance in the future!"

Ishino Kotaro scrambled and crawled to Kim Hyun-shin’s side, grabbing hold of one of his legs with both hands and shouting loudly.

Kim Hyun-shin ignored Ishino Kotaro, who resembled a stray dog, and stared blankly at Zhang Yang, his expression shifting rapidly between cold and warm, lost in thought.

"Bring out everyone you had hidden in ambush. Stop skulking around," Zhang Yang said softly to the three figures inside the pavilion, having effortlessly dispatched Ishino Kotaro's three ninja bodyguards with minimal effort.

With only Ishino Kotaro, Kim Hyun-shin, and Pu Yongjun left in the pavilion, Zhang Yang’s words clearly implied that other masters were lying in wait nearby.

A chilling glint flashed in Ishino Kotaro’s eyes, but since his head was bowed while clinging to Kim Hyun-shin's leg, no one noticed that flicker of malice.

Kim Hyun-shin and Pu Yongjun remained still inside the pavilion. Zhang Yang glanced at them, sighed, and said, "Are you still holding back your strength? In that case, I suppose I’ll have to get serious."

Saying this, Zhang Yang drew the Hanquan Sword and took a step forward, standing just below the pavilion steps. Behind him, Zhuifeng suddenly tilted its head back and let out a long howl toward the sky!

"That is a Divine Weapon of Huaxia!"

Ishino Kotaro, who had been clinging to Kim Hyun-shin’s leg like a desperate mongrel, froze the instant Zhang Yang produced the Hanquan Sword, shouting out the weapon’s provenance reflexively!

The Hanquan Sword was already a renowned blade on the Divine Weapon Rankings of Huaxia. Ishino Kotaro’s ability to recognize it at a glance clearly indicated he possessed deep knowledge of it.

Kim Hyun-shin’s pupils contracted sharply. He didn't doubt Ishino Kotaro’s words for a moment, because according to his intelligence, the Japanese delegation’s purpose in coming to Huaxia was almost identical to that of the Koreans—except the Japanese were primarily here to plunder a few of Huaxia’s divine armors and weapons.

But he hadn't expected Zhang Yang to possess not only three powerful Spirit Beasts in his entourage but also such a formidable divine weapon.

Kim Hyun-shin was once again staggered by the treasures surrounding Zhang Yang, and now he had no room left for deliberation. The three Spirit Beasts alone had made Kim Hyun-shin covetous, but the appearance of the Hanquan Sword added an entirely different level of significance!

As if having made a firm decision, Kim Hyun-shin finally broke his silence. He took a small step forward, pointed at Zhang Yang, and said in a deep voice, "It seems you were aware we had backups prepared. Dare I ask if your decision to charge in here warrants praise for your skill and audacity?"

"Too much nonsense..."

Zhang Yang mumbled softly. He looked up toward the pavilion and called out lightly, "Zhuifeng, Wuying."

Hearing Zhang Yang’s call, the two little ones, Zhuifeng and Wuying, who could barely contain themselves, chirped and darted out of the pavilion again.

Seeing the two creatures leave, Kim Hyun-shin showed a look of desperate anxiety. Fearing the Spirit Beasts would escape, he immediately roared, "Form up!"

Silence followed.

Zhang Yang smiled at Kim Hyun-shin, merely shaking his head, as if in pity.

When Kim Hyun-shin finished his shout, he noticed absolutely no change outside the pavilion, which startled him greatly. His heart leaped, and then, refusing to believe it, he roared again, "Form up!"

Still no response.

"Jiji ji!"

"Zhizhi zi!"

At that moment, out of the dark night, Shandian and Wuying reappeared beside Zhang Yang, chirping proudly at him.

Zhang Yang nodded. In that brief moment, Shandian and Wuying had already neutralized Kim Hyun-shin's intended ambush.

"Did you think that merely learning the superficialities of Huaxia’s Qimen Dunjia would allow you to act wantonly on Huaxia's soil?" Zhang Yang mocked Kim Hyun-shin with utter contempt.

It was obvious Zhang Yang was fully aware of the countermeasures Kim Hyun-shin had secretly prepared, which is why his backup forces were dealt with in the darkness by Wuying and Shandian before they could even show themselves.

Kim Hyun-shin seemed unwilling to accept Zhang Yang’s words, urgently shouting "Form up!" over a dozen times, but without exception, received no reply!

At this point, Kim Hyun-shin could no longer maintain his previous composure.

"No, impossible! How could you be this powerful!" Kim Hyun-shin began to tremble slightly, even his voice laced with a tremor.

Zhang Yang stopped paying attention to Kim Hyun-shin and turned toward the other young man, Pu Yongjun.

"I heard you went specifically to Jinghe Hospital to find me, just to spar," Zhang Yang said to Pu Yongjun with an expression of sincere focus. "I truly don't know whether to praise your courage or your foolishness."

"Bastard!"

How could Pu Yongjun fail to catch the ridicule in Zhang Yang's words? As the most outstanding young man in Korea today, he could not tolerate such contempt. His pride instantly overcame his reason!

"Don't!"

Kim Hyun-shin sensed imminent disaster and tried to reach out and stop Pu Yongjun, but alas, it was too late. Pu Yongjun leaped up and charged directly at Zhang Yang!

"It's not just medicine that I wanted to spar with you over!"

Pu Yongjun's handsome face was now contorted in ferocity. As he charged Zhang Yang, all his internal Neijin surged within his body!

He thought his speed was impressive, but he had no idea that in Zhang Yang's eyes, his movements were infinitely slower than a film slowed down ten times.

Pat.

Zhang Yang disdained to even lift a hand. Zhuifeng behind him let out a cold snort, and a bolt of energy shot out of its nostril like lightning. Before Pu Yongjun could react, he fell unconscious midway through his charge, collapsing onto the pavilion steps and rolling down to the ground below, completely knocked out.

"So weak, and yet you dare come to Huaxia to make a fool of yourself?"

Zhang Yang looked ahead in disappointment, finally heaving a heavy sigh. He truly couldn't fathom how such a group of clowns dared to covet Huaxia's Spirit Beasts and Divine Weapons?

"If you have no other tricks left, then today, I will have to leave all of you here, to save me the trouble of you continuing to plague our vast Huaxia!"

Zhang Yang shook his head, deciding not to waste any more time.

But just then, Ishino Kotaro, who had been acting like a stray dog moments before, slowly stood up.

Bang!

With a swift hand-chop, Ishino Kotaro, whose strength was so minimal it was practically negligible, actually managed to knock out Kim Hyun-shin, who possessed the power of the third layer of Neijin.

At this moment, only Zhang Yang and Ishino Kotaro remained inside the pavilion.

Outside Changjing City, on a barren, high slope, stood three figures. One of them was the mysterious figure in the black robe whom Zhang Yang had previously encountered outside the Jiang family villa on Yanming Mountain in the northern suburbs. The other two were draped in flowing, silvery-white cloaks. They gazed silently toward a brightly lit area within Changjing City.

"Is this the one?" one of the silver-robed mysterious figures suddenly broke the silence.

Hearing the silver-robed figure's question, the other silver-robed figure nodded gently and replied with satisfaction, "Indeed."

"No, we still need to wait," the mysterious figure in the black robe said, frowning.

This statement was final. As soon as it was uttered, the other two silver-robed figures opened their mouths as if to speak, but then they remained silent, saying nothing more.