The moment he grasped that the Muramasa blade had utterly lost its demonic properties, Igasaki Dōjun hurled the sword to the ground! The most miraculous thing about the demonic Muramasa blade was its ability to boost the strength of a ninja at the Fourth Layer of Inner Force, even allowing them to temporarily wield the power of a Great Perfection realm cultivator.

But now, he couldn't sense any residual energy from the blade whatsoever; this Muramasa was now nothing more than an utterly ordinary Nihon-tō! "What have you done to our national treasure!" Igasaki glared at Zhang Yang, seething with rage!

"The sword has been returned to you. Now, return my people to me!" Zhang Yang watched Igasaki Dōjun with cold indifference, not bothering to offer an explanation.

He intended to slay the man the moment Yan Yefei and Li Juan were released, and he wouldn't spare a single accomplice hiding in this wood either! "I will kill you first, and then these four hostages.

None of you will escape!" Igasaki returned to the ruins, drew the obsidian Nihon-tō stuck in the debris, and fixed his gaze on Zhang Yang. Behind him was the clearing where the Jiang family had once planted poppies.

Near the edge of the sheer cliff, two large tree trunks were planted, and tied to them were Yan Yefei and Li Juan. They hung suspended outside the cliff face, constantly in danger of falling, shattering to pieces upon impact.

Zhang Yang saw them from afar, recognizing this as Igasaki Dōjun’s contingency plan—if anything happened to him, Yan Yefei and Li Juan were his life-saving trump cards. He had to eliminate this Nihon ninja as quickly as possible!

"Do you think the sacred Muramasa of my Great Japanese Empire only comes in one?" At this moment, Igasaki Dōjun roared again, then swiftly drew his blade and lunged toward Zhang Yang! Swish!

The long sword was unsheathed, creating countless shimmering streaks of light! It turned out that his blade was also a Muramasa, though it lacked the demonic aura of the other; this one carried only an aura of relentless sharpness!

The term Muramasa merely refers to swords forged by the famous Nihon swordsmith Muramasa, and many such blades have survived to this day. Zhang Yang was unsurprised to see the opponent draw another Muramasa.

He narrowed his eyes, his Cold Spring Sword already gripped firmly in hand. This opponent's Muramasa was clearly a formidable divine weapon and should not be underestimated!

Since the opponent was also at the Great Perfection level, Zhang Yang held nothing back. His imposing aura swelled instantly, carrying with it a majesty that seemed to look down upon the world.

He advanced to meet the blade, his momentum like a rainbow! A faint, pale white cluster of energy enveloped Zhang Yang, making him appear more ethereal and unrestrained than Igasaki Dōjun.

There was no ground for discussion or pleasantries between them; the clash of sword and blade was their sole language! As the two Great Perfection cultivators began to fight, the ruins instantly seemed caught in a tornado.

Debris and scattered stones were lifted into the air, only to crash down violently. Zhang Yang had to be mindful that Yan Yefei and Li Juan, hanging near the cliff edge, were not affected by their energies.

Thus, he had to divide his attention to control the spread of the power waves. Even under this constraint, he did not fall into a disadvantage during his exchange with Igasaki Dōjun!

Elder Yan and Tang Xiaolan were protected by Pursuit Wind, with the two little ones, Shadowless and Lightning, lurking nearby. The energy fluctuations from Zhang Yang and Igasaki Dōjun’s battle did not reach them at all.

However, this proved disastrous for the black-clad men hiding in the woods! These men were utterly incapable of matching the combatants.

Their main utility was gathering intelligence or performing petty tasks. The energy wave from Zhang Yang and Igasaki Dōjun's first clash alone caused them to vomit blood.

When the two engaged a second time, their faces went ashen, and they promptly lost consciousness, unable to bear any more. Igasaki Dōjun was utterly unconcerned with any of this; his entire focus was solely on Zhang Yang!

"Hah!" Failing to gain an advantage immediately, Igasaki Dōjun swiftly retreated, then split into four separate figures. Four energy clones, all wielding their blades simultaneously, appeared in four cardinal directions, pincer-attacking Zhang Yang.

"Ninjutsu = Shadow Clone!" This time, it wasn't like the Shadow Ninja encountered in the narrow alley of Changjing, whose energy clones were barely powerful thanks to the might of the demonic Muramasa. Igasaki Dōjun's energy clones each carried the essence of his main body’s energy, possessing considerable strength.

The combined assault of the four clones multiplied their power several times, increasing the pressure exponentially. Zhang Yang had previously sparred with cultivators like Hua Feitian and Huang Longshi, both at the Great Perfection level, and was already familiar with coordinated attacks from energy clones.

In fact, Zhang Yang now possessed a deep understanding of dealing with these Great Perfection-level energy doubles! "Clang-clang-clang-clang—" The Cold Spring Sword was instantly drawn, channeling the Heaven and Earth energy Zhang Yang had accumulated for a long time, slicing countless pale white sword lights across the air, weaving them into a massive protective barrier.

No matter which direction Igasaki Dōjun’s blade struck from, it was blocked by the Cold Spring Sword, unable to advance even an inch! Heaven-Shattering Sword Technique, First Form!

Seizing a fleeting opportunity, the momentum of Zhang Yang’s Cold Spring Sword shifted abruptly, turning defense into offense. A vastly greater surge of Heaven and Earth energy attached itself to the sword's edge and shot skyward!

A piercing sword intent immediately saturated the space, bearing down upon Igasaki Dōjun's four energy clones! The subtlety of the Heaven-Shattering Sword Technique was such that even a genius cultivator like Hua Feitian and a powerhouse like Huang Longshi could not withstand it; Igasaki Dōjun understood nothing of it.

Only sensing the danger, instinct compelled Igasaki Dōjun to withdraw from the reach of Zhang Yang’s sword light! Puff, puff, puff!

Bang, bang, bang! Once Igasaki Dōjun’s true body retreated beyond the sword light’s radius, the three energy clones were even less capable of resisting Zhang Yang’s sword energy.

Three sword lights tore through Igasaki Dōjun’s energy duplicates, causing them to shatter instantly into puffs of white smoke! Igasaki stood ten paces away, gripping his Muramasa tightly.

The sharp edge of his Muramasa now bore a tiny nick, invisible to the naked eye, which also caused the blade to lose that initial sharp aura. The combination of the Cold Spring Sword and the Fifth Layer of sword mastery, the Heaven-Shattering Sword Technique, inflicted damage that most ordinary divine weapons could not withstand.

A mere chip in that demonic blade was enough to demonstrate the preciousness of this Muramasa, which was certainly no less valuable than the other demonic Muramasa. When Igasaki realized all this, his gaze upon Zhang Yang became profoundly complex, filled with envy and jealousy, but also an even more intense greed and madness.

He not only intended to kill Zhang Yang, feeding the demonic Muramasa, which had lost its evil energy, with the blood of a Great Perfection expert, but he also coveted the divine weapon in Zhang Yang's hand! If such a divine weapon were brought back to Nihon and reforged using their special techniques, it would undoubtedly become an even more potent divine weapon, capable of making its wielder immensely stronger!

"Ninjutsu = Thousand Blade Slash!" Igasaki Dōjun bellowed, unleashing his ultimate, most guarded secret technique. To deal with Zhang Yang, he had to use his strongest move, giving the opponent no chance to breathe and defeating him immediately!

As his shout faded, Igasaki Dōjun’s figure vanished mid-air! Suddenly, a sharp Muramasa appeared from nowhere in front, behind, left, right, above, and below Zhang Yang, attacking him with slashes, stabs, and chops from every direction!

The offensive style was almost equivalent to a Fifth Layer attack, subtly able to contend with the might of the Heaven-Shattering Sword. Zhang Yang remained unruffled in the face of danger.

He instantly recognized this as a mere deception. In reality, Igasaki Dōjun was still relying on his speed to create the illusion of the Thousand Blade Slash; if it were truly a Fifth Layer offensive method, he wouldn't be so composed!

Igasaki Dōjun’s attack methods were even more brutal than before, with every strike aimed at Zhang Yang’s vital points, each one imbued with the absolute intent to kill. Zhang Yang could easily have evaded the range of the Thousand Blade Slash with equal, extreme speed, but his feet remained rooted, holding his stance firm.

He met the assault head-on with the Cold Spring Sword! Between Igasaki Dōjun and Zhang Yang, there was only room for one victor; either Zhang Yang died, or Igasaki Dōjun died.

This was not the first time Zhang Yang had faced a battle of life and death. Back on the Long Family Plains, to resolve a thousand-year crisis for the Long family, he fought a life-or-death battle against the Great Perfection expert from the Demonic Sect's Zhou family, gaining invaluable practical experience.

Therefore, facing the attack directly, Zhang Yang was brimming with confidence! Conversely, Igasaki Dōjun, having achieved cultivation success in Nihon, rarely encountered true rivals.

Even when facing opponents of comparable strength, they were either sliced into countless pieces before they could flee the Thousand Blade Slash, or they were severely wounded and rendered incapable of fighting. No one had ever managed to withstand the entirety of the blade storm head-on, maintaining flawless defense while occasionally counter-attacking with his sword!

Even the veteran Great Perfection expert from the Demonic Sect, Di Wanfang, was no match for Zhang Yang, let alone this newly ascended Great Perfection Nihon ninja! "Break for me!" Zhang Yang suddenly leaped upward, hanging suspended in mid-air, and roared.

An even vaster torrent of Heaven and Earth energy rapidly coalesced around the Cold Spring Sword clutched in his hands, visible to the eye. This energy was purer, wrapping the Cold Spring Sword in a white mist that obscured the sword’s true form.

Innumerable Muramasa blades continued to appear around Zhang Yang as he leaped, constantly attacking, but at this moment, every blade seemed to strike an energy shield, unable to approach Zhang Yang even slightly. Igasaki Dōjun's Thousand Blade Slash was thus effortlessly shattered.

As he revealed his true form while retreating rapidly, he looked up at Zhang Yang suspended in the air. His eyes widened in disbelief, his rapid retreat momentarily freezing in shock!

The momentum of Zhang Yang’s upward surge continued to grow, showing no sign of stopping! "Rise!" Zhang Yang uttered a low command, raising the Cold Spring Sword slightly upwards as energy was continuously compressed within it.

The scope of the white mist surrounding the sword did not expand, but the color turned whiter, almost like a solid object rather than something ethereal and illusory. The purity of this energy had been compressed even further.

Zhang Yang silently chanted the incantations of the Heaven-Shattering Sword Technique, constantly perfecting it according to the sword form’s movements. He was under immense pressure himself at this moment.

Heaven-Shattering Sword Technique, Second Form! Having mastered this powerful sword skill during the previous battle at the Long family, executing this move again made him even more proficient and powerful than the last time.

In a battle between Great Perfection experts, victory depended not only on strength but also on mindset. By placing Yan Yefei and Li Juan at the edge of the cliff behind him from the start, Igasaki Dōjun had prepared for his final gambit.

This meant he had mentally prepared himself to lose from the beginning; lacking the absolute determination to win, his defeat by Zhang Yang was hardly surprising. But it was also understandable.

Igasaki Dōjun had estimated Zhang Yang's strength to the maximum, yet he had not expected Zhang Yang to be so terrifyingly powerful—so much so that even after achieving complete mastery, he lacked the ability to truly threaten Zhang Yang! The energy fluctuations Zhang Yang was currently gathering far exceeded his imagination.

Locked in by the Cold Spring Sword, Igasaki could sense that terrifying coldness, the feeling that he could be annihilated in the next second. Igasaki Dōjun's expression grew grave, a faint sheen of sweat appearing on his brow, and his heart hammered rapidly.

He had a clear premonition that the divine sword in Zhang Yang’s hand had locked onto him entirely; escape was impossible. His only chance was to flee to the cliff edge before Zhang Yang’s sword descended.

Once he reached Yan Yefei and Li Juan, he doubted Zhang Yang would rashly attack him, risking the lives of the hostages! Igasaki Dōjun suddenly felt an overwhelming certainty: "Baka!" Igasaki Dōjun's face changed drastically, and he roared, turning tail and sprinting toward the location of the couple on the cliff edge!

"Zhang Yang, if you want to kill me, then kill these two along with me!" Igasaki Dōjun had treated Yan Yefei and Li Juan as his final hostages from the very beginning. "Mr.

Zhang, don't worry about us! Kill him!" "Mr.

Zhang, we won't be a burden to you! Don't worry about us—kill him!" Yan Yefei and Li Juan saw through Igasaki Dōjun's plan.

They exchanged a look, their expressions resolute, and shouted loudly toward Zhang Yang suspended in the air. They utterly refused to be Zhang Yang's liability, which was why they yelled their defiance.

Unbeknownst to them, their loyalty to Zhang Yang surged dramatically in that instant. In that moment, time seemed to slow down.

The Cold Spring Sword was enveloped in energy of supreme purity, but for Zhang Yang, who had leaped into the air, time still felt protracted! He had to make his decision within this fleeting moment!

Although Igasaki Dōjun had not reached the cliff edge when this strike landed, Zhang Yang’s impending sword attack would still cause the cliff to collapse, sending Yan Yefei and Li Juan tumbling down the thousand-foot abyss of Yanming Mountain, ensuring their certain demise.