Tyrannical Might, All Retreat

Roar!

An even more violent roar exploded through the air, shaking Yang Yan beneath the ground so badly that he nearly lost control of his ninjutsu.

This sound wave was absolutely abnormal. It was no longer a roar that any creature in nature could produce.

You have been attacked by a Desire Curse Infected (Early Stage). Based on the difference in Mental Power between both parties, you have obtained the following information:

You have suffered a sound-wave attack from an infected individual. Your vestibular organs have been damaged, and your eardrums ruptured...

Yang Yan held his breath and glanced at the panel.

A Desire Curse Infected?

What the hell was that?!

There was no information indicating it was a Reincarnator. Either its Mental Power completely crushed his, or this monster truly was not under the control of a Reincarnator.

Yang Yan’s nerves tightened once more.

Moreover, he noticed that the lightning that had descended from the sky earlier did not appear this time.

Had His Excellency Mercenary Tao failed to notice this monster?

No, that was unlikely. His call for help had immediately received a response from His Excellency Mercenary Tao, which meant he had already entered the man’s range of perception.

After escaping Yun Wujiu’s pursuit, Yang Yan’s thoughts had instead calmed considerably. Though he was somewhat dizzy at the moment, he quickly grasped the heart of the issue.

These monsters were permitted to exist by His Excellency Mercenary Tao!

Or perhaps these monsters had even been created by Mercenary Tao, all to prevent ordinary people from approaching this Paradise reserved solely for Reincarnators!

Yang Yan also held some belief in the supremacy of Reincarnators. Thus, upon seeing the monsters "surrounding" Paradise City, he instinctively assumed that His Excellency Mercenary Tao had deliberately used this method to keep ordinary people out.

Although Bai Cangshu had not considered such a thing, the Meme Curse (Desire) would indeed become a barrier of isolation to a certain extent, if these mutants were not cleared away.

Yang Yan traveled more than two hundred meters underground using Earth Release. Only after sensing that the foundation beneath him had become increasingly solid did he emerge onto the surface.

Behind him, the monster let out an even more frenzied roar, its decibels already beyond what humans could endure.

Yang Yan turned and threw dozens of Shuriken, which whistled into the monster’s body.

Pfft, pfft, pfft…

The monster howled and collapsed.

Yang Yan’s heart stirred. Though this monster looked terrifying and possessed sound-wave attacks, its defense was quite weak.

He considered whether to go over and inspect it, only to see the monster sway a few times before standing back up. The wound in its neck, torn open by his Shuriken, rapidly healed as well.

"This is… High-Speed Regeneration?!"

"Perhaps it even has immortality!"

His eyes lit up, and his hands formed seals.

Shadow Clone Technique!

Yang Yan was a relatively pure "ninja"-enhanced Reincarnator. Aside from the Chakra energy system and the ninjutsu from Naruto, he had previously enhanced himself with some ninjutsu from other systems as well.

His combat power was not particularly formidable, but his scouting and escape abilities were quite good.

The Shadow Clones rushed at the monster from both sides, their hands hanging behind them.

Crash!

Freezing Qi erupted explosively from the distant forest. The small river, which was not particularly wide, now seemed to have burst its banks as vast quantities of river water surged out of the woods alongside the Freezing Qi.

It even carried the momentum of a rushing glacier melt.

Before the two Shadow Clones could reach it, the monster was swallowed by the icy river. The next moment, after dodging several times, the two Shadow Clones still fell into the river due to having nowhere to step.

They burst into smoke and vanished in an instant.

Yang Yan’s true body turned and ran without hesitation. Within that Freezing Qi was an aura he recognized and feared. Yet compared to before, Yun Wujiu’s power now seemed even more violent!

Yang Yan sprinted toward the city in a ninja run, while the icy river surged wildly behind him.

The Freezing Qi drew closer and closer like a parasite clinging to the bone.

Fortunately, the ancient and imposing Paradise was not far away. His body shot through a collapsed section of wall like lightning. He landed atop the shops and leapt continuously between them, then turned to watch the icy river rush over, ready to climb the Black Tower if necessary.

Crackle!

The violently churning thunderclouds had nearly connected with the top of the Black Tower. Suddenly, a blue-white flash of lightning burst forth from within them.

The front of the icy river exploded, revealing the white-haired man hidden within.

At this moment, Yun Wujiu’s eyes were pitch-black, and intense Freezing Qi and Mental Power radiated from his entire body.

Yang Yan frowned. That state was definitely abnormal.

Sure enough, after being stopped by the lightning strike, Yun Wujiu did not halt. Freezing Qi spread out again, sweeping toward the city.

Yang Yan tensed up as well. Yun Wujiu was also a Title-level Reincarnator, and his strength seemed to have increased once more. Although His Excellency Mercenary Tao was certainly stronger than him, His Excellency Mercenary Tao had yet to appear…

Yang Yan prepared to keep running first.

Crackle—boom!

Like a bolt from the blue, the sky suddenly lit up, followed only then by a terrifying boom exploding through the air.

Yang Yan’s already ruptured eardrums felt as though countless needles had stabbed into them. The intense ringing left him unable to control his balance, and he fell straight from the rooftop to the ground.

When his vision returned to normal, he saw only that the icy river had been severed and the Freezing Qi had completely dispersed. A charred Yun Wujiu knelt outside Paradise.

Smoke curled from his blackened body. His right arm had been blown off, and countless flesh buds wriggled at the wound. Yet his recovery speed was clearly far slower than that monster’s.

Yang Yan had encountered quite a few Reincarnators from mission worlds and usually paid close attention to information from various works.

At this moment, he realized that Yun Wujiu, like that monster, was likely in some sort of infected state and had acquired a special regenerative ability.

But that regeneration had not reached the level of immortality. He could not negate damage from fire or lightning, so after the lightning strike, his severed limb had not regenerated and his flesh healed extremely slowly.

He licked his lips as greed arose within him.

If he used Fire Release: Dragon Flame Technique now, he was very likely to kill Yun Wujiu in this state!

Given the gap in strength between himself and Yun Wujiu, and since this would be a kill in the real world, there was a high chance that a Scarlet Drop Card would appear!

Greed surged within Yang Yan. He raised both hands, about to form seals in an instant, but then—

Boom!

It was like the eruption of a hurricane.

A ferocious aura swept down from the Black Tower behind him like a mountain cry and tsunami.

That aura was more terrifying than a Category 12 hurricane. For a moment, he almost felt as though he were standing naked upon the sea, facing a towering Tatsumaki.

That supremely domineering aura instantly flooded his mind.

Yang Yan trembled all over, his eyes rolling white. Forget forming seals—he could not even move. If not for the terrible pain constantly stabbing through his eardrums, he suspected he would have fainted on the spot.

You have been affected by a special ability. Based on the difference in Mental Power between both parties, you have obtained the following information:

You have been affected by Conqueror's Haki. You have entered a trembling state. Your movement speed and casting ability have been greatly impaired...

Conqueror’s Haki…

Black-red lightning constantly swept down from the top of the tower. The instant it brushed across Yang Yan’s body, he collapsed.

Outside the city, the countless bizarre howls instantly turned frantic. Even those monsters sensed the terror of that tyrannical aura and began to retreat.

Closest to it, Yun Wujiu’s hair scattered and whipped backward. The Freezing Qi vanished in an instant. After his eyes trembled several times, the blackness faded, and a lingering look of alarm returned to his face.

No one knew how long that intense Conqueror’s Haki lasted. Perhaps it had been only an instant, or perhaps it had lasted a long time. Yang Yan only knew that he remained rigid in place for a long while, until Yun Wujiu’s voice sounded beside him and jolted him back to his senses.

"Consider yourself lucky. Since His Excellency Mercenary Tao has promised to provide shelter for Reincarnators entering Paradise, we’ll settle our score in the next mission world."

Yun Wujiu did not use his abilities again. He merely froze his wound, turned, and entered an empty shop to rest on his own.

At the same time, he began contacting the others by phone.

"That guy escaped into Paradise. Yes, Mercenary Tao… His Excellency’s city…"

"I understand. I’ll wait for you to come."