Chapter 367 : The Most Powerful Man In East Asia
Compared to the actions in China, the Japanese Martial arts community had been deadly silent.
Regardless of where the Martial Artists were from, let it be Hokkaido, Osaka, Nagoya, or Shikoku, none of them could believe what had happened. The Sword Sage who had dominated Japan for decades was killed in a battle? How was that even possible?
The title of Sword Sage held the utmost prestige in Japan.
Even Erika who had made it onto the Dark Roll scarcely dared to provoke Takemiya Hiro. Instead, she had waited patiently, biding her time until the death of Hiro to inherit his title. All the while, she knew that the old man might even outlive herself. Many people claimed that Takemiya Hiro was the last Sword Sage in Japan, and the emperor might never hand out such a title again.
However, such a powerful mighty figure in Japan, the cornerstone of Japan’s martial arts society was killed by Chen Fan. Worse, the symbol of Japan, the Tokyo Tower was trampled on and desecrated by Chen Fan. The Japanese Martial Artists simply couldn’t stomach such an insult.
“Death to Chen Beixuan!”
“The Japanese Martial Artist community has so many talents, we could never be defeated so easily by a Chinese!”
“We request Lord Erika to rally all the Grandmasters in Japan and fight against Chen Beixuan until the last of us! We need to avenge our humiliation! We MUST!”
Many hot-headed young martial artists yelled at the top of their lungs.
Chen Fan’s victory had shattered their fragile egos.
However, many more experienced warriors simply shook their heads sulkily. This battle was a legitimate duel and had many witnesses. If Japan walked back on the promises without considering the consequences, no one would ever trust Japanese Martial Artists ever again. This would be an even bigger loss than losing the battle and a Sword Sage.
Plus, Chen Beixuan was not that easily killed.
It would require at least an army to pull it off. Many lives of Grandmasters would be lost during that process and was Japan really ready for that? So far, five Grandmasters had already been slain, how many more Grandmasters was Japan willing to sacrifice?
Takemiya Hiro, Takemiya, Chizuru Masahiro, Genkaza Takeda, and Kitaniwakawa, wasn’t that enough?
The combined might of these five Grandmasters represented nearly one third of the total power of the Japanese Martial Artist community. It would cost at least another five Grandmasters’ lives in order to kill Chen Beixuan, so even if they succeeded, the cost would be too high to bear and their weakened state would invite unwanted attention from their other rivals such as China, Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, and SouthEast Asia.
The Dragon Hall, Hong Sect and the Square Tower would lash out at Japan, carve it up like a slab of meat on a chopping block.
By then, no one in Japan would have the ability to stop those rivals with a ravenous appetite.
That was the reason why Erika had restrained Ito Imi and other Grandmaster’s impulse for seeking revenge. If they really had to do away with Chen Beixuan, they need to prepare and plan carefully so that the action was swift and clean; any complications or failure would have grave consequences.
The discussion of how to deal with Chen Beixuan was only carried out among a very small circle of people, most men and women were busy with more trivial matters.
“Chen Beixuan must be the most powerful man in East Asia now, don’t you think?”
“I think that’s an understatement. He is the strongest in the world, I say.”
“Not yet. You have no idea what kind of freaks there are out there. The lack of Immortal Level Overlord’s presence doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. That being said, I agree that Chen Beixuan is the most powerful man in East Asia. Chen Beixuan defeated Takemiya Hiro, the number one warrior in Japan, and he was also regarded as the most powerful man in China, which makes Korea the only variable in the equation. But since we all know that the Korean Martial arts community was always inferior to Japan’s, so there you have it: Chen Beixuan is the strongest in East Asia.”
The Japanese Grandmasters felt their fear toward Chen Fan multiplied each time they turned over the question regarding Chen Fan’s true power.
Chen Fan had only risen to power in the last two years, yet he had already claimed the seat of power in East Asia. He did it with ruthless brute force and his throne might as well be a heap of flesh and bones of his victims.
Many grandmasters in China had been convinced that Chen Fan was the most ruthless man they had ever met, however, Chen Fan never ceased to surprise them and proved that his thirst for blood knows no bounds while he was in Japan. He had killed over seven Grandmasters in Japan in less than ten days and butchered Kurokawa Sho before everyone’s eyes simply because the poor Japanese man had spoken up against him.
His ruthlessness and decisiveness were terrifying, and mesmerizing at the same time.
Many underground groups had included Chen Fan in their don’t-touch list. He was a mass murder who knew no limits and worse, he was unpredictable. No one, not even Takemiya Hiro could force him to show his trump card. That was later proven by the dead body of Takemiya Hiro discovered among the rubble.
Takemiya Hiro’s hair fell loose over his face. His shirt was in tatters, and a large hole went straight through his chest as if he was shot by a cannon at close range. His body offered many clues about how difficult it had been for Takemiya Hiro during the battle. The condition of his mangled body was a stark contrast with Chen Fan’s almost leisure demeanor and his spotless shirt while he emerged out of the battlefield. It was evident that he had killed Kurokawa Sho with ease.
Japanese martial artists were a vengeful lot, and if Chen Fan had won the battle with a costly victory, they might as well join forces and do away with Chen Fan while he was weak. However, the fact that Chen Fan had won the battle so easily deterred Erika and others and made them think better of seeking revenge right away.
Meanwhile, the man who had been at the center of everyone’s attention was sitting in a high-end Coffee Shop at Tokyo’s Ginza district.
Ginza district was one of the most famous nexus for shopping in the world. It was located at the center of downtown Tokyo and was well known for the numerous luxury outlets. Its street was flanked by all kinds of shopping malls with squeaky clean windows and artsy decorations. It was also a hub for food all around the world. A visitor might find an Italian restaurant right next to an Arabic one that was across the street from a French Cafe.
Red Sparrow sat across the table from Chen Fan and was scrolling through some documents on her computer. She asked: “Chen Beixuan, do you know what they call you now? The most powerful man in East Asia.”
Red Sparrow fixed her gaze on Chen Fan, her eyes were filled with admiration and disbelief.
She knew the beleaguered path of Martial arts at first hand. Ye Nantian, Azure dragon, and Takemiya Hiro, each one of them were powerful warriors in their own right, but none of them were able to reach Immortal State.
What had made Chen Fan so special?
The first person to claim supremacy in East Asia was not Ye Nantian, neither was it Azure dragon or Takemiya Hiro, much less Erika or Lei Qianjue. It was Chen Beixuan, a teenager not even twenty years old.
She wagered that she had to look hard and deep to find anyone in the entire planet who could deal with Chen Fan.
Red Sparrow had wracked her brain to find a reason for the young man’s extraordinary power but failed. She wondered if Chen Fan was the legendary one in a hundred-year genius who was born with the ability to master any martial arts that he came across.
“Oh? really?” Chen Fan replied quietly. He didn’t seem to mind whatever people were calling him.
These titles, let it be number one in China or Number one in East Asia, meant little to nothing to Chen Fan. He used to be the North Mystic Celestial Lord who presided over the top of the universe. He had crushed countless celestial beings and brought a slew of immortals to their knees.
What did the title of “Number One in East Asia” mean to someone as mighty as him?
“Chen Beixuan, have you really reached Immortal State? I’m just curious. And what about Takemiya Hiro? Did he make it to the Immortal State during the battle?” Red Sparrow couldn’t hold back her curiosity, so she asked Chen Fan.
Violet had been cutting up the steak for Chen Fan, but she also paused and looked at Chen Fan curiously.
This was the most contentious question in the world. People had waged a war of words over each other for this one.
Although no one had seen the battle up close, the ruined Tokyo Tower was a telltale sign of what had happened. Plus, they had seen the Blade Qi that surged a few hundred meters above the tower, the otherworldly phenomenon of Sun and Moon hanging in the grey sky, and the utterly catastrophic damage the two warriors had done to the steel giant, the Tokyo Tower.
All signs pointed to one conclusion: the destructive energy unleashed by the two combatants were way beyond that of Transcendent State.
However, some people were still not convinced. After all, the last Immortal State warrior had only disappeared a few decades ago and many nations and organizations kept detailed descriptions of an Immortal State cultivator’s power. Chen Fan’s ability to levitate himself could count as one, but that was far from enough to be convincing.
“An Immortal State cultivator could control the power of heaven and earth, merge the Dharma Spell and Martial Arts cultivation. He was able to read minds, levitate, controlling natural elements, and many other clairvoyant abilities. In other words, they were no longer mortals, but demi-gods. That was why it was called Immortal State.” Red Sparrow murmured to herself.
“You have shown some of those abilities but not all of them. However, if you have not yet reached Immortal State, how could you kill Takemiya Hiro and destroy Tokyo Tower?”
Red Sparrow continued. It appeared that the enigma was starting to get on her nerves.
Ever since her power has awakened, she always bragged about herself being the youngest member of the department and a genius. However, She felt so insignificant after she met Chen Fan. He had made her abilities look like a joke.
Me? Of course, I am not at Immortal State.” Chen Fan shrugged. “But Takemiya Hiro was, for a while at least. He had reached Immortal State during the battle, but his injury had prevented him from taking full control of his new power.”
Despite the airy way Chen Fan had offered the answer, Red Sparrow and Violet couldn’t help but feel terrified.
If Takemiya Hiro had reached Immortal State—however unstable his power was—how powerful exactly was Chen Fan to be able to bring him down? What would happen if Chen Fan had to face a seasoned Immortal State cultivator?
Even as they pondered on the questions, a group of men in black suits filed into the coffee shop, scaring other guests away. They came closer to Chen Fan in two neat rows.
A well dressed, stately looking middle age man walked over to Chen Fan with a mechanical smile.
“Nice to see you again, Mr. Chen Beixuan. ”
“You are Mitsui Yuto?” Chen Fan nodded as he recognized the leader of the Mitsui Group. “Are you here to fulfill the payment? ”
“Yes, of course. Japanese people are honorable people. We have already wired ten billion US dollars to this account.” So saying, Mitsui Yuto handed over Chen Fan a debit card. The middle-aged man then paused a second and said: “Mr. Chen, I also have a message for you from a... certain individual.”
“Japan does not welcome you, please leave, or else...”
Chen Fan narrowed his glinting eyes and hissed: “Or else what?”