I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1128 The Pressure of Ōtakemaru! The Standoff Between Aoto and Ōtakemaru! [4800]

The fat man... that is, Yamata no Orochi, carefully examined Ōshio Heihachirō's entire body with great interest.

"Ōshio Heihachirō... I've finally met you. You look older than I expected."

Ōshio Heihachirō responded with a sharp and uncompromising reply:

"Yamata no Orochi, you are even less remarkable than I imagined."

Orochi laughed loudly:

"I tried to lose weight to make myself more noticeable, and I tried several times, but unfortunately, I failed each time."

Qing Deng glanced at Heihachiro Ooshio beside him, then at the Yamata no Orochi on the opposite bank...

Heihachiro Ooshio's "resurrection" certainly shocked him.

But what Qing Deng is most concerned about right now is the sudden appearance of the Yamata no Orochi.

—Is he the leader of the Party that punishes the law?

Qing Deng narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the Yamata no Orochi on the opposite bank.

The others present, including Sanako, Ama, and Shiyo, were also astonished.

Ziyang reacted the most strongly—as the intelligence chief of the Great Salt Party, one of her main tasks was to collect intelligence on the Fazhu Party, especially the true form and whereabouts of the Yamata no Orochi.

The leader of the Fa-Zhu Party, whom they had been searching for so long without success, suddenly appeared so brazenly... This dramatic scene was truly bewildering.

Mael's earlier information was correct; the Yamata no Orochi's appearance was indeed quite ordinary.

To put it bluntly, he looks no different from any other passerby.

Judging from his appearance alone, he was just an average, overweight man you could see anywhere.

It's hard to believe that this unassuming, overweight man was actually the leader of the "Law-Extermination Party," the source of so many troubles...

Of course, putting aside his appearance, his aura certainly fits the identity of "leader of the Party who punishes the law".

Because Qing Deng was also a powerful figure, he could keenly sense that the aura of the Yamata no Orochi was somewhat similar to his own.

This is the aura that only those in power who frequently control the life and death of others possess!

"It seems I guessed right. The ones who attacked us were indeed the bandits of the Fa-Zhu Party."

As he spoke, Ōshio Heihachirō furrowed his brows, his disdain and disgust reaching an unparalleled level:

Orochi smiled slightly:

"I had planned to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to eliminate you in one fell swoop."

“You are the absolute core of the Great Salt Party. If you perish, the Great Salt Party will definitely fall apart.”

"Unexpectedly, despite all the careful planning, a few things were still overlooked."

At this point, Orochi turned its gaze to Qingdeng.

"You must be 'Niou' Tachibana Aoto? To be able to meet the two people I most wanted to see tonight is quite a stroke of luck."

Meeting the gaze cast by the Yamata no Orochi, Qing Deng spoke indifferently:

"...Yamata no Orochi, I have imagined countless possibilities regarding our meeting."

"Perhaps this is what they call 'fate playing tricks on us,' I never expected that our first meeting would take place in such an ordinary place."

Orochi smiled:

"You never know what will happen in an hour, and that's part of the fun of living."

"To hold talks in the deep mountains, far from the world, across a rushing river—don't you think that scene is quite picturesque?"

"Thanks to this river, we are able to have this peaceful conversation like we do now."

Qing Deng coldly picked up the conversation:

"Yes, otherwise I would have drawn my sword and chopped you down without hesitation."

At this moment, Sanako quietly moved behind Qingdeng, lowered her voice, and said in a low, focused tone:

"Qingdeng, why don't we take this opportunity to kill him?"

As she spoke, she gripped the naginata in her hand, a faint murderous glint appearing in her eyes.

Sanako had been witnessing the brutality and tyranny of the Party that was being persecuted by the law.

The demon that had brought suffering to countless lives was right before her eyes... Under such circumstances, it was hard not to feel murderous intent.

Ah Wu, standing to the side, also looked eager to try.

Without a word, she reached her right hand behind her waist and grasped the wakizashi tucked into her waistband.

Although he remained outwardly calm, Sanako's proposal did indeed stir something in Aoto's heart.

He had recently received intelligence that "the Fa-Zhu Party was colluding with the 'Southern Dynasty'."

Although he was unclear about the organizational structure of the Fazhu Party, killing the Yamata no Orochi would cause some chaos within the Fazhu Party, thereby weakening the strength of the "Southern Dynasty".

Such a highly profitable venture is truly tempting!

Here we have Sanako, Mai, the members of the "Zero Squad", and more importantly, "Niou" is here.

On the other hand, the Yamata no Orochi was accompanied by only two samurai.

In terms of combat strength, it is undoubtedly very sufficient!

Even if you just use sheer numbers, you can overwhelm and kill the Yamata no Orochi!

With favorable timing, location, and human factors, this is the best time to kill Yamata no Orochi from any perspective!

However, at that moment, Qing Deng suddenly remembered what Ma'er had said—that Orochi and Ootengu were inseparable.

Where there is Yamata no Orochi, there is Ōtakemaru; where there is Ōtakemaru, there is Yamata no Orochi.

Almost at the same moment that Qing Deng recalled this important information, the handsome samurai beside Yamata no Orochi moved.

He had been keeping his head down, observing the ants at his feet with a blank expression.

Suddenly—almost at the moment when Sanako's eyes flashed with murderous intent—he seemed to sense something, slowly raised his head, and looked straight at Sanako.

In an instant, Sanako's expression changed!

Without any warning... she suddenly felt an immense weight on her shoulders, as if two giant rocks were pressing down on her!

It was as if I had encountered my natural enemy, and a strong sense of crisis welled up in my heart! My body instinctively took two steps back, and even my breathing became erratic!

Fortunately, this change did not last long—Qingdeng moved his body in time, took a half step to the side, and stood in front of Sanako to block Ootakemaru's view for her.

With Qing Deng blocking her way, Sanako immediately felt the "giant boulder" on her shoulders disappear, and she was able to breathe freely again.

"Zanako? Are you alright?"

A-Mai noticed Sanako's unusual behavior and quickly came forward to help her, her face showing concern.

"I...I'm fine..."

At that moment, Sanako belatedly realized that her back was covered in sticky, cold sweat!

Qing Deng had no time to pay attention to Sanako behind him.

His entire focus was on Ōtakemaru opposite him.

He had just seen clearly that the other party had not released any "power" or done anything else—he was simply staring at Sanako!

With just a glance, the formidable Sanako lost her composure to this extent...

"...Are you Ōtakemaru?"

Although it was in the form of a question, Qing Deng was already certain that this person was none other than the top combatant of the Fazhu Party, Ōtakemaru!

"..."

The handsome samurai... or rather, Ōtakemaru, remained silent.

With Qing Deng standing in front of Sanako, he naturally turned his gaze to Qing Deng.

His first impression of Qingdeng was that he had very beautiful eyes.

His eyes were like those of a newborn baby, shining brightly as if untouched by the filth of the world.

However, despite having a pair of beautiful eyes, his gaze and expression were completely devoid of any emotion, making him appear like a doll.

This is not a natural indifference, but rather an extreme indifference that seems to show no interest in the people and things of the world!

Qingdeng stared at Ōtakemaru without fear, their eyes clearly reflecting each other's figures.

After meeting Ōtakemaru's gaze, Aoto finally understood why Sanako was intimidated by his eyes.

His eyes held a peculiar, indescribable pressure!

It's like being hit by a powerful "momentum"... However, it's clear that Ōtakemaru didn't release a single bit of "momentum".

To be able to exert such a level of pressure in one's eyes without even releasing any "momentum"... This was the first time Qing Deng had ever experienced such a thing!

Even Qingdeng himself felt his heart pound violently a few times when he met Ootakemaru's gaze, sensing the pressure and danger.

As if by conditioned reflex, Qingdeng unconsciously tightened his grip on the Vairocana at his waist, adjusting his body to a state of "ready to fight at any time".

Surprisingly, at this moment, the expression on Ōtakemaru's face underwent a very subtle change.

Qingdeng met his gaze without fear—which seemed to pique Ōtakemaru's curiosity.

A flicker of curiosity crossed her eyes, which had been devoid of any emotion... though it was only fleeting.

He took half a step forward and raised his hand to grasp the sword at his waist.

This small movement caused Qing Deng to lower his eyelids, squint his eyes, and with a "clang," pull the Vairocana sword out of its sheath by more than an inch.

At the same time, Sanako, Mai, and the members of the Zero Squad all prepared for battle.

In the blink of an eye, a tense atmosphere permeated both sides of the strait!

Sanako made a gesture to the members of the "Zero Squad".

Upon seeing this, the latter immediately and nimbly unslung the musket from his back.

The two sides were separated by a river several meters wide.

No matter how capable Ōtakemaru is, if he wants to attack, he will have to find a way to cross this turbulent river.