Immortal

On the dark purple earth, a figure flashed and disappeared, moving at a speed so fast it was almost like teleportation.

Every time he appeared, a crater several meters deep would blast open beneath his feet, and he would charge straight towards the colossal creature in front of him without any fancy moves.

"Arrogant!"

Such a blatant attack is nothing short of a naked provocation.

The Moryo roared, its two dragon heads snapping together from the left and right, while the other dragon head spewed out a thick, purplish-black breath, sealing off all of Taiichi's evasive angles.

Taiichi shone with golden light, its forward momentum undiminished. Just as the breath was about to strike, Taiyi also exhaled a breath.

Sage Art · Wind Style · Vacuum Great Sphere.

The highly compressed Senjutsu Wind Bullet was fired out like a cannonball, colliding with the purplish-black breath and producing a corrosive "sizzling" sound, actually tearing a gap in the breath.

Taiichi darted through the gap like a fish, unharmed, and was already close to the dragon's jaw.

He clenched his right fist, gathering Senjutsu Chakra in his right hand, causing the air to distort at the point of his fist.

Sage Art, Chakra Enhanced Strength, Mountain Collapse!

He slammed a punch into the jawbone covered in thick scales.

Thump!

A dull, deafening roar shook the surrounding area, and a visible shockwave exploded in a ring, mixed with a large amount of shattered Moryo, blood, and scales of the demons.

The Moryo's head was thrown high into the air by the impact, and its two eyeballs burst out due to the immense kinetic energy.

It let out a roar of pain and rage, and the remaining four dragon heads lunged at it.

Taiichi's figure suddenly disappeared in the air, and the enraged Moryo swept its four heads wildly, searching everywhere for Taiichi's trace.

The next moment, Taiichi appeared at the base of the right side of the Moryo's neck, Chakra Light Blade in his hand condensed again, but this time its length reached ten meters.

With a swift stroke, the blade cut as if slicing through solid steel; the Moryo's flesh was terrifyingly tough.

But this was no match for the sharpness of the Light Blade; as it sliced through, a head fell to the ground.

"Aww----!"

A piercing scream echoed across the wilderness; the Moryo's voice contained not only endless pain, but also overwhelming killing intent and a trace of fear.

The remaining four dragon heads opened their mouths wide, and four thick breaths swept wildly.

Taiichi's figure disappeared again, and the next moment he appeared in the sky dozens of meters away, with Chakra wings unfolding on his back, gently flapping as he floated in the air.

Looking at the crazed Moryo in the distance, Taiichi muttered to himself.

After their exchange, he had a rough idea of Moryo's strength. In terms of individual strength, the Moryo was still slightly inferior to the Nine-Tails in its prime.

How could such Moryo become the enemy of the whole world? It should have been torn to pieces long ago and died beyond any hope of survival.

Taiichi surveyed the battlefield, watching the Ghost Legion constantly converging on this side in the distance. He shook his head slightly. These things were at best mere fodder; though numerous, they posed little threat to true experts.

Taiichi's gaze fell on Moryo again, his brows furrowing deeply.

Could it be that he really is unkillable?!

Taiichi raised the Light Blade in his hand, clearing his mind of all distractions. No matter what, he would know once he killed it.

With a slight tremor of his wings and a surge of air around him, Taiichi charged toward the Moryo at high speed, and the battle began once again.

Meanwhile, the Assault Force in the distance were also under attack from all sides by the Ghost Legion, but they held their ground like a rock, blocking wave after wave of attacks.

Currently, everyone still has plenty of Chakra, and they still have the strength to face the endless Ghost Legion. Leaders like Kitsuchi and Dodai even have the strength to observe Taiichi's battle behind them.

Each punch generated a circular shockwave from the impact.

Each slash could slice away half a mountain.

The sight stirred the hearts of the Strike Force, who wished they could take the place of the Moryo and fight it for three hundred rounds.

Of course, these are just the thoughts of some warmongers; people like Chiyo and Dodai have even more ideas.

Could their own ninja village possibly handle such terrifying combat power?

Before they could think any further, the pressure of reality forced them to turn their attention to the enemy at hand.

To Taiichi, these Rock Golem were trash and posed little threat, but for most of the Strike Force, a knife cut into their bodies would still draw blood, even if it was just a crudely made stone knife.

Therefore, it is entirely possible for ants to kill an elephant.

"Bang!"

A knife grazed Chiyo's forehead before slamming heavily into the ground beside her with a dull thud.

"What are you daydreaming about, old woman? Now is not the time to be distracted."

Kitsuchi brandished his Rock Fist, the very one who had just deflected Chiyo's attack that had gone astray.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Chiyo's forehead. She composed herself, but her words were anything but gentle.

"I know what I'm doing, old woman, don't worry about it!" Chiyo looked at the arm covered in Kitsuchi and heavy rocks, a hint of envy in her eyes. Another promising talent.

On the other side, Taiichi was circling around Kuimei, looking for an opportunity to attack.

The Moryo wasn't stupid; having learned its lesson, it naturally didn't want Taiichi to get close again.

The four dragon heads breathed almost incessantly, relentlessly attacking Taiichi from all sides.

Taiichi always narrowly avoided the barrage of breath attacks.

That's not all; the Moryo also conjured ten fake dragon heads. These dragon heads could not breathe, but they could charge and attack like real dragon heads.

Due to their massive size and heavy weight, even Taiichi had to try to avoid direct confrontation with these "false dragon heads." The key issue was that these "false dragon heads" could be reassembled after being cut off, which gave Taiichi huge headache.

Fortunately, Taiichi still had the Flying Thunder God. If he couldn't dodge in time, he would use the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape, then regroup and launch another attack.

It is said that prolonged defense inevitably leads to defeat, and this saying applies equally to Moryo.

Despite the Moryo's best efforts, it was no use in keeping its four heads from Taiichi's relentless attacks. Taiichi chopped them off one by one.

As the last head fell to the ground, in the realm of consciousness, the Moryo, which had been roaring madly throughout the battle, became unusually calm.

"Human, you think you can kill me like this? Just you wait—"

The voice grew softer and softer until it disappeared completely, without uttering a single word.

Taiichi hovered in mid-air, his pale blue Chakra wings trembling slightly, stirring up subtle air currents.

Below, the corpse of the Moryo lay across the purplish-black earth, resembling a destroyed mountain.

Five ferocious dragon heads were scattered around the corpse, and a viscous, purplish-black liquid, like asphalt, gushed from the severed wounds.

These liquids pooled on the ground, gradually forming a foul-smelling "pond." Bubbles constantly rose from the surface of the pond, evaporating and emitting a nauseating stench.

The purplish-black Negative Energy emanating from the corpse drifted into the air like tangible mist.

The mist gradually thinned and dissipated after rising to a certain height, merging into the sky and earth.

Taiichi was slightly out of breath. Maintaining high-intensity combat in his Sage Mode until now had taken a toll on him.

Sweat trickled down his forehead and down his cheeks, beading on his chin before finally dripping down.

But there was no joy of victory between his brows; instead, his brow furrowed even more deeply.

Moryo's words were like a sharp thorn, deeply piercing his heart, constantly reminding him that this matter was not over yet.

As the one who personally slew the Moryo, Taiichi sensed the changes in the corpse more clearly than anyone else.

The enormous body was dissipating at a visible speed, not from decay, but like ice melting into water, transforming from a physical form into energy, and then merging into the world.

This way of dissipating is remarkably similar to how Tailed Beast behave after they die.

"It really is an energy aggregate—" Taiichi thought to himself, but it's even more troublesome than Tailed Beast. After Tailed Beast dies, it will re-coalesce under specific conditions, taking a year or even several years. But...

His beam of light locked onto the dissipating corpse below. In just a few minutes, the colossal object, originally a hundred meters tall, had shrunk to nearly a third of its original size, and its dissipation was accelerating.

At this rate, the corpse will completely disappear in less than an hour. At that time, in what form will it be?

Where will we be reborn?

Taiichi deep breath, trying to glean clues from the changes in the air.

Negative Energy is the essence of Moryo, and it is also the key to their rebirth.

But now, the Land of Swamps, the Land of Demons, and even the entire Ninja World that has just ended a great war, are not lacking in Negative Energy at all.

Just then, the Assault Force in the distance erupted in an astonishing cheer.

"Success! Taiichi has killed the Moryo!"

"We won!"

Cheers swept across the battlefield like a tidal wave.

A thousand elite ninjas from various countries, after a long march and a bloody battle, finally witnessed the terrifying monster collapse.

At this moment, all fatigue and pain were washed away by the joy of victory.

Kitsuchi raised his Rock Fist high and smashed a charging Rock Golem to pieces, a relieved smile spreading across his face, "Finally—"

Chiyo controlled the Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets, and all ten Puppet stopped moving simultaneously. She let out a long sigh, a complex light flashing in her eyes. "The ancient demons, in the end, are no match for the ninjas of today."

Dodai withdrew his Lightning Style Chakra and wiped the sweat from his brow. "In that case, the Ghost Legion should—"

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred.

"Careful!"

A piercing scream came from the outermost edge of the formation.

A Cloud Village Jonin lowered his guard due to victory, was struck in the shoulder by a stone sword that suddenly came crashing down.

The blade embedded itself deeply into the shoulder blade, and blood instantly stained the combat suit.

"Damn it! Why are these Puppet still moving?!"

Exclamations of surprise rose and fell.

In the brief seconds that everyone was celebrating their victory, the Ghost Legion did not stop their offensive.

The Rock Golem brandished crude weapons, and the Resentful Spirit emitted piercing shrieks as they surged like a tide toward the defensive lines that had become vulnerable due to their laxity.

"Maintain formation! Don't let your guard down!" Kitsuchi's roar echoed across the battlefield.

But the warning came too late.

A brief lapse in vigilance can be fatal.

Multiple gaps appeared in the outer defense perimeter, and the Ghost Legion slithered in like venomous snakes. Amidst the flashing blades and the clash of swords, screams rang out one after another.

A Chunin from Iwagakure Chunin attacked simultaneously by three Puppet and was pierced through the abdomen by a stone spear before he could even Hand Seals;

A Mist Village Jonin attempted to defend himself with Water Style, but was ambushed from behind by Resentful Spirit. The purplish-black energy corroded his back, and his skin rapidly festered.

In just over ten seconds, the Assault Force suffered its heaviest casualties since the start of the battle. Thirty ninjas were injured to varying degrees, seven of whom were in life-threatening condition, and three died on the spot.

"Medical Ninja! Quick!"

Chiyo gave the order sternly, and the Medical Ninja from Sunagakure quickly stepped forward, their pale green Chakra glowing on the injured.

But most could only grit their teeth and continue fighting, as the Ghost Legion's offensive showed no signs of abating.

Kitsuchi smashed the charging Rock Golem with a single punch, his face ashen as he stared at Taiichi in the distance, shouting, "Taiichi! What's going on? Wasn't Moryo dead?!"

The sound traveled hundreds of meters and reached Taiichi's ears.

Taiichi did not answer immediately. He shifted his gaze from the dissipating corpses below and scanned the entire battlefield.

The Ghost Legion is still moving, still attacking, its movements unwavering, its offensive undiminished.

It was as if the death of the Moryo had no effect on them.

As expected, Taiichi's last shred of hope was completely shattered.

He vanished into thin air in a flash.

The next moment, Taiichi appeared at the forefront of the Assault Force's defensive line, his Chakra Light Blade coalescing once more.

This time, the Light Blade was fifteen meters long, its entire body flowing with platinum-gold Senjutsu Chakra.

"Step back!"

Taiichi low shout, and his Light Blade swept horizontally.

There were no fancy moves, just a simple horizontal slash, and a crescent-shaped shockwave spread out in a fan-shaped area in front.

"Boom--!"

All Ghost Legion units within fifty meters in front, whether Rock Golem or Resentful Spirit, were reduced to dust by this attack.

A trench several meters deep was plowed into the ground, and the purplish-black soil was blown away, revealing the grayish-white rock layer underneath.

This attack bought the Assault Force a precious respite.

Taiichi One-Handed Seal.

Shadow Clone Technique!

White smoke exploded, and a Shadow Clone appeared beside him.

"You stay here and assist with the defense," Taiichi instructed his Shadow Clone, then looked at the approaching figures: Kitsuchi, Chiyo, and...

Dodai and the others said, "Follow me."

The five quickly retreated to a relatively safe area in the center of their formation. Here, Konoha and Sunagakure ninjas had constructed a double layer of defense, temporarily isolating them from the sounds of battle outside.

"How is the situation?" Chiyo spoke first, her aged face full of solemnity.

Taiichi pointed to the dissipating corpses of the Moryo in the distance. "See for yourselves."

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing.

Nearly ten minutes had passed since Taiichi slew the Moryo. The hundred-meter-tall corpse was now less than forty meters tall, and its dissipation was accelerating.

Dark purple energy gushed out of the corpse like a waterfall, gathering on the ground to form an ever-growing "pond." The liquid in the pond churned and boiled, emitting a suffocatingly evil aura.

"It's disappearing?" Dodai squinted.

"It's not disappearance, it's transformation," Taiichi voice. "The essence of the Moryo is an aggregate of Negative Energy, similar to the Tailed Beast. I killed its 'body,' but the energy that constitutes that body is returning to the world—"

"It will be reborn somewhere," Kitsuchi continued, his face extremely grim. "So the Ghost Legion is still moving because they are not connected to the bodies of the Moryo," but to their very essence.

Taiichi nodded. "That's right. Plan A has failed. We need to consider Plan B now."

99

"Seal?" Dodai frowned. "But how do we seal a target whose corpse is even dissipating?"

Chiyo snorted and pointed to the distant battlefield, "More importantly, we need to know where it will resurrect from. We can't just stand here and wait like idiots under the siege of these Puppet, can we?"

These words expressed what everyone felt.

Although the Assault Force is elite, it only numbers a thousand. The Ghost Legion, on the other hand, is endless and tireless. Holding out here for too long will eventually exhaust their Chakra and stamina.

"Taiichi." Kitsuchi looked at the young Konoha Ninja with a complex expression. "You are the commander of this battle. What do you suggest we do next?"

All eyes were on Taiichi.

Kakashi had arrived at some point. He glanced at the dissipating corpses in the distance, then looked at Taiichi, awaiting his decision.

Taiichi fell silent.

As commander, every decision he made concerned the lives of a thousand ninjas.

Continuing to hold out might result in being overwhelmed by the Ghost Legion before the rebirth location of the Moryo is found; retreating immediately would mean the complete failure of this all-out decapitation operation, and there might never be another chance like this.

His mind raced, rapidly considering all the possibilities.

The speed at which the corpse of the Moryo dissipates, the range of its Negative Energy spread, the time it might take for rebirth, and the intensity of the Ghost Legion's offensive—

Finally, Taiichi deep breath and made a decision.

"Leave----.