"Why is there someone blocking the way up here?"
Amidst the speechless gazes of the crowd, Takatsuki stepped on the bow of the boat, bringing the entire small boat to the ground.
While on land, he had paid attention to whether there were any humans ahead, but when he rushed out of the cliff, he didn't specifically pay attention, and as a result, he didn't expect someone to be suspended in mid-air.
"Lord Shion! Lord Tenza!"
Sagiri's sharp eyes noticed three other people on Takatsuki's boat.
"Oh... oh... Sagiri... you... hello."
Tenza greeted Sagiri somewhat weakly.
"What happened to you all!"
Sagiri looked at Takatsuki warily, raising her sword, but Takatsuki just waved his hand.
"Don't look at me like that, I think they're just... seasick?"
"Why is it a question?"
"Don't mind those details. How are things on your end? Have you gathered any intel?"
Although Takatsuki's sudden appearance diverted everyone else's attention, some were still observing the Tensen.
Because Gabimaru didn't believe that monster with such strong regenerative abilities would just die like that.
Upon seeing the anomaly occurring with Zhu Jin, he immediately spoke up to warn the others.
"Oh… I didn't expect there to be others."
Vines grew wildly from the scattered stones on the ground, then connected and reassembled, gradually forming a human shape.
"Another one of these monsters, but this one seems to be able to talk. What exactly are you?"
Takatsuki looked at the completely naked Zhu Jin in front of him, whose body had fully reassembled, and asked with some confusion.
"He is a Tensen, the Tensen of Peonies, Mu Dan."
Although Shion didn't know who Takatsuki was, after briefly recovering and climbing out of the small boat, he didn't show hostility towards Takatsuki, which allowed him to tentatively conclude that Takatsuki was not an enemy.
"Mu Dan? A Tensen…"
Takatsuki looked at the naked woman in front of him, who didn't seem to have any human sense of shame: "Um, Mu Dan, is that right? Do you know about the Elixir of Life?"
Compared to Zhu Jin, who was intent on attacking, Zhu Jin seemed more talkative and willing to converse with others.
"Elixir of Life? If you're referring to the Elixir of Life they speak of, there's no such thing."
Zhu Jin thought for a moment and then added: "However, in terms of concept, the Tao itself is the root of life."
"Tao?"
Something he hadn't heard of again.
"That's right. All things in the world have Tao. Among you, only that ninja girl and these three humans who just arrived have already grasped some of it. You have good talent. How about it? Do you want to learn the application of Tao from me? If your talent is good, I can even teach you bedroom arts…"
Or become a high-quality elixir…
Takatsuki looked at Shion and them, thinking for a moment: "So that's it, the so-called Tao is the 'wave' Shion spoke of?"
"Ah, where we come from, this is called 'Tao'."
Although they have different names, they refer to the same power.
"I see, it seems this Tao might be what I'm looking for. Can this Tao only be cultivated on one's own?"
"Hmm…"
Zhu Jin propped her chin and looked at Takatsuki: "Your life energy is very strong; you're just unconsciously emitting waves of Tao. Perhaps you don't have the talent to master Tao, but if you were made into an elixir, you would definitely be a high-quality one."
"Elixir?"
"Sir, the elixir she speaks of is made from humans."
Senta suddenly spoke loudly to Takatsuki from behind.
"Oh…"
Takatsuki looked at Zhu Jin, who was watching their group with a half-smile: "So, this guy…"
"Is an enemy of humanity, isn't that right?"
As if making an excuse for his actions, even Zhu Jin didn't expect Takatsuki to suddenly say such a thing.
"An enemy… If you must put it that way, our relationship with humans is much like your human relationship with livestock."
Zhu Jin hadn't realized the gravity of the situation and said so without reservation.
Then he felt a huge force rush towards him, sending his body flying backward instantly.
The immense propulsion made him unable to control his limbs as Takatsuki pressed his face, continuously pushing him towards the cliff.
"This… Shion-dono, who is that…"
The others were also shocked by what had just happened in an instant. Sagiri looked at Shion, who was holding his sword, seemingly not very surprised by it.
"That is Takatsuki-sensei, a martial artist who travels the world. He is a… somewhat exaggeratedly strong individual."
Everyone else was speechless upon hearing this. Can he be described with just the word "strong"?
Looking at the deep gully on the ground, merely moving could cause such destruction, and his speed was so fast that not to mention them, even the Tensen couldn't react.
In just the time it took to speak a sentence, a huge roar came from the distant mountain wall, drawing everyone's attention.
You know, the location here is still several kilometers away from the mountain wall. Crossing several kilometers in a few seconds, is that really a human?
"Oh, don't worry, little Sagiri. Since he's a helper, isn't it better for him to be as powerful as possible?"
Yuzuriha patted Sagiri's shoulder with some relief. She didn't like to fight actively; it would be great if others could do the work and she just watched.
"That's true, but…"
In the time it took for two sentences, another huge roar came from the distance.
They even saw Zhu Jin trying the same trick again, flying into mid-air, but the next instant another black dot rapidly leaped into the air, striking him down to the ground with one blow, causing another massive roar.
"Wow~ This big brother is much stronger than Gabimaru."
Yuzuriha sized up Gabimaru beside her.
But he showed no reaction, as if Takatsuki's strength had nothing to do with him, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Meanwhile, on the other battlefield, Zhu Jin continued to laugh loudly.
Although each strike could shatter him, it couldn't truly kill him.
"It's useless. You don't use Tao, so you can't kill me. And even if you could use Tao, your attribute doesn't have the ability to kill me."
Attribute…
Takatsuki realized that this Tao might have deeper implications, and this Tensen in front of him was an existence that studied Tao. Perhaps their special race was also born this way. Initially, when Takatsuki saw the other party, she was in a female form, but after he sent her flying, she immediately transformed into a male form, becoming much stronger. It was clearly not human.
"Is that so? I've probably finished testing your abilities. Now it's time to get down to business."
Upon hearing Takatsuki's words, Zhu Jin immediately moved his feet and left his spot.
But how could his speed be faster than Takatsuki's?
Just as he took to the air, a huge force instantly shattered his body, and then his head was grabbed.
His head wasn't directly crushed; instead, Takatsuki's powerful hand grasped his forehead, as if to tear his skull apart.
"What… are you going to do!"
His response was not Takatsuki's answer, but an invisible arm reaching for his head.