A Mysterious Inheritance

"Are you Kashima Chuwa?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Mo Jingxian felt that it was quite a coincidence.

After all the twists and turns, he hadn't expected to run into him in a place like this.

Before Mo Jingxian could ask anything else, the monster—or rather, Kashima Chuwa—hurriedly spoke up:

"Please help me find my daughter. She's in the Land of Rain..."

It turned out that Kashima Chuwa had known all along that Long Yunzhi wouldn't let him go. He had secretly sent his only daughter to somewhere in the Land of Rain long ago.

He had also kept evidence of all the appalling things Long Yunzhi had done over the years, and had his daughter take it with her.

Now, as he lay on the brink of death, he wanted to ask Mo Jingxian to look after his daughter.

He promised that if Mo Jingxian handed the evidence to Lord Mui, he would be guaranteed a life of wealth and honor.

It seemed Kashima Chuwa had entered much earlier than Mo Jingxian.

Kashima Chuwa had no idea that Long Yunzhi, who had framed him, and Mui, whom he had counted on as a fallback, were both trapped inside the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

However, Mo Jingxian had no intention of telling him. This was the perfect opportunity to ask where the secret documents were.

"I can make the trip and help your daughter within my means, but..."

"But what?"

"But I want to know where you hid the secret documents you obtained in Iwayacho Town."

Kashima Chuwa's eyes began to grow unfocused. He looked at Mo Jingxian with a bloodthirsty murderous glare.

Mo Jingxian assumed a defensive stance, ready for a sudden attack.

The monster began to tremble violently. Its two claws dug hard into its own face.

In the blink of an eye,

it had torn away large patches of the fine feathers on its face, leaving streaks of blood behind.

Now Kashima Chuwa looked even more like a monster than before.

Fortunately, he managed to suppress the madness inside him, and some of his humanity returned.

Kashima Chuwa panted heavily, his voice sounding as though it were being forced through clenched teeth.

"The documents... they're with... my daughter..."

"Ah! I want to kill, kill, kill you..."

There was no sign of humanity left in Kashima Chuwa as he lunged at Mo Jingxian.

"Find her for me!"

In the final moment before his humanity vanished, Kashima Chuwa left behind the last five words he would speak as a human.

His claws were as deadly as weapons, slicing through the air with a killing chill as they thrust straight at Mo Jingxian's face.

With nothing left to restrain it, the monster moved at incredible speed, closing the distance between them in an instant.

He dropped low and twisted aside.

The force of his twisting waist traveled into his arm. His short blade cut through the air in a sudden horizontal slash.

The fight began in an instant.

The monster blocked Mo Jingxian's slash with its other claw. Sparks flew from the blade, as though it had struck something other than flesh.

The first strike missed, and the monster attacked again.

Mo Jingxian pushed off with his toes and drifted backward.

The monster's sheer physical strength was already on par with a High Ninja's, and it had a ninjutsu ready as well.

An arrow of condensed flame shot from the monster's wings toward its opponent.

Feeling the water element around him, Mo Jingxian anticipated the attack and moved in time. The arrow skimmed past his right shoulder.

"Water Release: Tidal Vortex!"

Mo Jingxian cast the technique instantly, striking the monster.

A water vortex wrapped around each end of the monster, one at its head and the other at its feet.

High-speed blades of water sprang from their inner walls, continuously cutting into the monster's body.

The repelling force between the two vortices twisted the monster tight like a rope.

The monster curled into a ball and covered its head with its hands, using the wings on its arms to protect its entire body.

Meanwhile,

the fire arrow that had missed exploded in midair, immediately sending Mo Jingxian tumbling backward.

The fiery sparks did not go out. Instead, they turned into lantern-like flames that floated in the air.

Mo Jingxian didn't recognize the technique, but he had no desire to go looking for trouble.

He twisted in midair and planted both feet firmly against the wall, landing there like a gecko.

In the first exchange, neither side had gained an advantage.

The monster had already broken free of the Tidal Vortex Technique.

Its body had suffered little damage. The only marks left by the technique were streaks across the feathers on its wings.

Those feathers were incredibly hard, with a defense comparable to steel.

It beat its wings and floated in midair.

One, two, three...

Several flaming arrows shot toward him in an instant.

Mo Jingxian ran along the wall around the monster in midair, never letting up on forming Hand Seals.

The flaming arrows were always a fraction of a second too slow, each one landing behind him.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Explosion after explosion erupted. The scorching waves of air rolled backward, whipping his long hair around.

"Snake—Serpent—Tiger—Boar—Snake—Monkey!"

He formed six seals in one second, then immediately pressed his palm against the wall.

The flaming arrows exploding behind him turned into countless fire lanterns floating in the air.

They surrounded him from all directions, packed tightly together. Fortunately, the technique was not very fast, giving Mo Jingxian time to cast a ninjutsu.

"Water Style: Fire-State Seal!"

Runes flowed from his palm, rapidly spreading across the entire wall and connecting into a mysterious pattern.

The next moment,

five pillars of water spurted from the wall. Each stood at a measured distance from the others, forming a ring around the monster and the fire lanterns.

The five pillars spun like a washing machine, gradually compressing inward.

Any fire lantern that touched them went out at once, and even the monster couldn't break free for the moment.

At last, amid the monster's desperate howls, the pillars of water transformed into mysterious runes and seeped into its body, completely sealing away its fire-style Chakra.

Without the boost from Chakra, the monster was like a tiger with its teeth pulled.

It lasted only two rounds against Mo Jingxian's blade before he cut off its head.

The headless monster did not turn back into a human. It seemed the mutation was irreversible.

[+100 Reputation from Pseudo-Satori]

So the monster was called "Satori." The "Pseudo" in Pseudo-Satori meant it hadn't fully transformed.

He still had half his Chakra left, and his condition was decent.

The familiar rule seeped into his body, lifting another part of the restriction on his Chakra.

He felt that the rule was just a little short of completion. There was no explanation, but he trusted his instincts.

The same shift through space and time.

When Mo Jingxian emerged, the world before him had changed.

The familiar corridor was gone, replaced by...

He froze for a second. The scene before him was completely beyond his expectations.

It was as if a chunk had been forcibly gouged out of time and space... He stood on a floor made of an unknown material, hundreds of meters across.

There was nothing around him. It was an absolute void; even his gaze seemed to fade into it.

Several corpses lay scattered across the floor, yet none had decayed. They looked almost exactly as they had when they first died.

Mo Jingxian judged by their clothes. The styles looked like those from many years ago.

The space was bare. Apart from him and the corpses, there was nothing else.

He went to the nearest corpse and crouched down to examine it.

There were no valuable treasures, but the body showed traces of turning into a "Satori," though they were not very pronounced.

When he examined the third corpse, he finally confirmed his suspicion. It was the Grass Ninja he had personally executed.

At last, luck was on his side. He found a treasure on the fourth corpse.

It was an exquisite jade pendant, a blend of pale green and white, decorated with a design of clouds and pine trees.

The pendant felt warm in his hand. Unfortunately, it had three cracks, as if it might break at any moment.

Looking at the jade pendant in his palm, he suspected it was the inheritance Long Yunzhi had mentioned.

Yes, that was very likely.

Mo Jingxian examined it for a while but couldn't find a way to access the inheritance.

And since the pendant looked ready to fall apart at any moment, he didn't dare use more forceful methods.

He tried slowly feeding water elements into it.

The pendant glowed with a hazy green light, as if he were holding a faint green orb in his palm.

At least it had reacted. If he kept trying, he would find a way eventually.

Suddenly!

A shadow shot out, its scale-covered hand reaching for the pendant.

Mo Jingxian had just finished checking the area. There had clearly been no one else here.

That made him react half a beat too slowly.

With the treasure about to be snatched away, he simply struck out with the pendant still in hand.

If he couldn't have it, then neither could anyone else. They might as well both lose out.

The newcomer was clearly wary. He twisted his wrist and struck Mo Jingxian's wrist instead.

The jade pendant flew away.

The man darted after it, but a Water Flood Dragon followed close behind.

Hearing the movement, the enemy pivoted on his left foot, his body nearly parallel to the ground.

With a wide spin, he deftly dodged the Water Flood Dragon's attack. His scale-covered hand blade struck right at the dragon's neck.

That was the Water Flood Dragon's weak point.

"Crash!"

The Water Flood Dragon turned into pure water elements and vanished into the air.

Mo Jingxian narrowed his eyes. The enemy was far stronger than he had expected.

He had never encountered such a Taijutsu expert. His attacks were as graceful as a gazelle leaping past a tree branch, yet immensely powerful.

The Water Dragon Technique was a ninjutsu he had gained through Water Element Mastery.

It was flexible, could be activated at any time, and could repair itself.

In previous fights, the Water Flood Dragon had always repaired itself immediately, even when damaged. That was because the technique's essential function did not depend on a Chakra connection.

Instead, it relied on sealing runes made from water elements—a sort of language that elements could understand.

Now, the Water Flood Dragon had been scattered with a single strike. That meant the enemy had not only pinpointed its weakness but had also used a method far beyond ordinary ninjutsu.

The thought flashed through his mind, but only an instant passed in reality.

The jade pendant fell.

"Clink." It rolled a few times, then came to rest on the ground.

Only then did Mo Jingxian have a chance to get a good look at the person before him.

His palms, neck, and all exposed skin were covered in scales. They looked quite hard.

His legs in particular...

No, they were a pair of bird's talons. He seemed to have already begun turning into a "Satori."

"Long Yunzhi..."

Mo Jingxian recognized the man by the few strips of cloth hanging from him.

The material and color were almost the same as before he entered the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

"Hahaha..."

The man had not lost his sanity. He looked at Mo Jingxian with amusement.

"Who would've thought that a spare move could bring you this far? You've got quite a bit of luck..."

Mo Jingxian had no patience for his posturing. Right now, all he wanted was more information about the box.

"Cut the crap. Haven't you noticed what you've become? Even if you got out, people would take you for a monster in that state."

"A monster! Hahaha..." Long Yunzhi threw back his head and laughed.

"You really don't know anything. Only by becoming a 'Satori' can I rule this world. I'm going to make you all..."

As he spoke, Long Yunzhi suddenly glared at Mo Jingxian with hatred.

"No, not just you. I'm going to crush the Five Great Shinobi Nations... No, the whole world beneath my feet. I will become the ruler of the world!"