Breaking Through Amid Slaughter

Boom! Boom!

The sudden explosions shattered Kyoto’s morning tranquility.

Kyoto’s night markets were bustling, but they also left many people groggy in the morning.

Though the explosions came from outside the city, Hirohito was still startled awake.

He sprang up at once. His personal guards were already standing watch around him.

"What was that?!"

A man in a modified military uniform entered from outside and said to Hirohito,

"Your Highness, the ninja on lookout reported that the railway tracks outside the city were blown up. The culprit has not yet been found."

Hirohito kneaded his temples, trying to ease the pain of his hangover.

Kyoto was a prosperous place, filled with geishas. Though he could not have Muzan, he would not hang himself from a single tree. He could still indulge in pleasure.

He pushed away the woman in his arms and let his guards dress him. Then he walked outside and gazed from afar at the place where smoke and flames were rising.

It was quite far from where he was, so he did not take it to heart.

The Meiji Restoration had been progressing well, but there would always be stubborn, old-fashioned fools who believed those roaring trains had robbed them of their land and rule.

They seemed to think that as long as the railway tracks were blown up and those roaring trains were gone, life could return to what it had been.

Heh. Idiots.

Whether Hirohito was indulging in sensual pleasures or obsessing over Muzan’s beauty, at heart, he was actually very "progressive." He would spare no effort to embrace more advanced, more powerful forces and beings.

Whether it was Western innovation or Muzan’s "Blood Demon Art," those were the powers he desired!

"Your Highness, it seems the Tsuchimikado family has sent someone to request an audience."

The Tsuchimikado were also an old clan with a long lineage.

They had once been a prestigious family that ruled an era through Onmyōdō.

Unfortunately, Onmyōdō, along with the ghosts and monsters of the Heian Period, Jujutsu Kaisen, and dark arts, had declined into obscurity.

Hirohito had no desire to see them. He guessed that people like them merely wanted another share of the pie.

Unfortunately, this was now the age of warlords. Only military power truly mattered.

Hirohito did not even think highly of the new industrial magnates who had risen alongside the Restoration, much less would he pay attention to remnants of the old era.

He waved a hand, about to have them sent away.

But suddenly, a small black object was hurled over from a great distance.

Hirohito watched it fly in from somewhere beyond the courtyard, land at the base of his four-story building, and roll several times.

"Careful, it’s an explosive!"

A figure instantly appeared behind Hirohito, grabbed him, and stomped down hard. The man carried Hirohito flying backward.

Boom!

The destructive power of a High-Explosive Grenade was far beyond any weapon of this era. A single one instantly blew apart the exquisite wooden building.

Outside the courtyard some two hundred meters away, a group of people stared blankly at Bai Cangshu, who had thrown the grenade. Because they were so far away, none of them initially realized Bai Cangshu had hurled an explosive at the prince’s residence.

When the massive explosion erupted, everyone’s faces changed.

The next moment, the official who had brought Bai Cangshu in turned deathly pale.

"Tsuchimikado, how dare you…"

Splurt!

Bai Cangshu moved with incredible speed. His recovered right hand flicked like an afterimage.

The official’s throat was instantly crushed, and he stumbled backward and fell.

"Bastard!"

Amid the furious shouts, some raised their guns while others drew their swords.

But Bai Cangshu suddenly stomped down, unleashing a terrifying burst of force.

Bang!

Niko Style: Fire Heaven Form – Blazing Fire!

The stone slabs beneath him cracked apart in an instant, and countless fragments shot in every direction.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

"Ah!"

As if swept by shrapnel, the group’s bodies were instantly sliced open with countless wounds, blood streaming everywhere.

Bai Cangshu could not yet condense his force for dozens of meters without it dispersing like Mercenary Tao, but with his terrifying innate physique, he could explosively release his force in battle. Not only was his burst speed far greater than Clown Evans’s, he could also injure enemies around him.

Bang!

Bai Cangshu shot forward with the fury of blazing fire.

The guards stationed around the residence were still staring at the collapsed building when they heard the violent footsteps behind them. As they turned around, all they saw was an utterly twisted palm spiraling toward them.

Fox Shadow Style: Rakshasa Palm!

Splurt!

Bai Cangshu’s strength was terrifying now. With a single palm strike, the guard’s breastbone shattered instantly. Bai Cangshu could feel the man’s organs and muscles twisting together beneath his palm before violently bursting apart.

Boom!

The guard’s corpse spiraled through the air, smashing several soldiers who had just crawled out of the rubble away.

Bai Cangshu did not pause for even an instant. He charged straight into the smoke, stomped down hard, and moved as lightly as a crane. He lightly stepped on the ruins of the collapsed wooden building, less than three meters high, and instantly leaped out of the smoke. Behind it, he saw several people protecting Hirohito as they retreated.

The ninja dragging Hirohito with one hand was wrapped from head to toe in black night clothes. He was exceptionally alert. Even Bai Cangshu’s light step had been detected by him, and he turned, flicking one hand.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of projectiles tearing through the air rang out at once.

Bai Cangshu had nowhere to push off in midair, but he twisted his waist and spun several times at high speed, changing direction in the air before landing on the ground.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

The Shuriken buried themselves in the wooden ruins with considerable force.

This man was an expert.

The ninja paid no attention to Bai Cangshu. After one strike to obstruct him, he swiftly continued retreating with Hirohito. He knew very well that since the Tsuchimikado family dared cooperate with assassins to do this, Kyoto’s several old-established powers were likely no longer trustworthy.

He had to bring Prince Hirohito to that woman!

Behind them, two men in Black Noir military uniforms stopped and drew the katanas at their waists.

As personal guards, they trusted their swords more in close combat.

When Bai Cangshu spun down onto the ground, his force flowed smoothly and naturally. Using his aerial rotation, he had already dispersed the violent forward momentum of Blazing Fire Footwork. He made no sound at all when he landed.

Both swordsmen frowned at the sight.

"Careful. He’s an expert!"

Bai Cangshu’s toes touched down while his heels remained raised. At the same time, his knees bent, and his body leaped high again like an Immortal Crane spreading its wings.

The two men were both stunned. In close combat, the greatest taboo was leaping into the air, because there was nowhere to exert force.

One of them immediately stepped forward, gripping his sword in both hands and raising it high as he let out a shout.

"Ha!"

This was the Lion Manifestation Style: relying on terrifying strength and momentum, completely disregarding all of the opponent’s techniques.

My sword exists only to cut!

He fiercely slashed at Bai Cangshu as he drifted lightly down from the air!

The sword’s momentum was terrifying, and the air wailed and howled.

But Bai Cangshu’s heart was racing, his pupils dilated. He was clearly in a state of extreme excitement.

He did not enjoy dull, rigid fights. He often challenged himself in battle.

For instance, at this moment, after several leaps, he suddenly felt that he had grasped some of the essence behind Mercenary Tao’s movements.

A Martial Artist was not an ordinary fighter.

A Martial Artist could accomplish all manner of things impossible for ordinary people.

Bai Cangshu continued breathing through his nose and mouth as Hamon circulated rapidly.

In midair, he saw that grand, imposing slash. Suddenly, he twisted his waist and abdomen, flipped in the air, and stepped forward with his left foot.

Not a fraction too fast, not an instant too slow.

Bai Cangshu stepped on the tip of the Lion Manifestation swordsman’s blade just as the force of his slash had been spent. He spread both arms like an Immortal Crane Spreads Wings.

Itō Hiroyuki’s pupils contracted sharply. Feeling the weight transmitted through his sword, he could scarcely believe his eyes.

"How… is that… possible…"

How could a tall human being spread his wings in midair and stand upon the sword he had slashed out with?

How could a human being change his own weight?

You have gained insight. Your martial arts have improved.

Martial Arts Mastery increased. Current: Lv3

Martial Arts Mastery Lv3—Lifting heavy as though light, center of gravity like mercury, force released smoothly and naturally