Under One Person, your rebellious life has reached the heavens?

Lu Ci was overwhelmed with emotions, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips. He also longed for his brother Lu Ren to be freed; they were truly similar.

"Mr. Lü, come, let me introduce you. This is my son, Ken Ishikawa, the strongest successor of the Ishikawa school and a master of the Buddha Sword Technique. He will be in charge of challenging the Demon Blade this time."

Ishikawa Shin patted the handsome young man beside him. The young man had a striking face and a tall, slender figure. He stepped forward respectfully and greeted him, "Greetings, Senior Lü."

"Originally, the swordsman to be wielded would be a swordsman from our clan who volunteered, and the trial would begin in the presence of several other swordsmen. If he failed, the others would immediately intervene and slay the demon controlled by the demonic sword until the next challenge. However, time is short, and we haven't had time to prepare anything more. Fortunately, we still have a prisoner of Hira-nin from last night, and we will use him as the swordsman. We will need your help and supervision during the trial. In case of any unforeseen circumstances..."

Before Ishikawa Shin could finish speaking, Lü Ci raised his hand to signal:

"I understand what you mean, but I have a condition: after you fail in the sword test, I will take the demon sword with me and find another solution."

"......"

"Alright, you retrieved the demon sword, so we respect your wishes. May I ask what your plans are?"

Ishikawa Shin also greatly admired some of the most skilled swordsmen on the mainland, but unfortunately he had never had the chance to meet them. He wanted to take this opportunity to follow them and see their true faces.

"Arrange the sword-testing ceremony as soon as possible."

Lu Ci was unwilling to say more. After a brief conversation, he took out his phone and contacted an old acquaintance surnamed Lu, intending to conduct a new transaction.

"Jingle Bell."

Just then, Gao Lian's phone vibrated beside him. He answered his subordinate's report, his expression growing increasingly grave, and deep worry etched between his brows.

"Okay, fine..."

"I see...."

After hanging up the phone, Gao Lian was deep in thought, his head bowed.

Seeing this, Ishikawa Shin guessed what was going on and asked, "Is it about Mr. Zhang? He hasn't been found yet?"

"No... After losing contact with you, Lao Zhang has been missing ever since. The tracking device is broken."

"I'm sorry, if we had been more careful back then, we wouldn't have been broken up by the ravine."

Ishikawa Shin felt deeply ashamed that the man who had escorted them back to their country had suffered such a calamity.

"I've already sent people to search, hopefully we'll get some news soon."

Gao Lian comforted himself in this way, thinking that Lao Zhang was not only his deputy, but also his childhood friend, and they had even worshipped the spirits together. With the protection of the people in the shrine... he should be able to get through this.

However, what he didn't know was that, a few hours later, this old friend he had been longing for would deliver a chilling blow to his back.

noon.

The sword-testing ceremony proceeded as scheduled. A prisoner of the Higanbana was hypnotized and forced to hold the sword. Suddenly, a stream of crimson flame-like energy burst forth from his body. He had no ability to resist and was possessed by the vengeful spirit of the demon sword.

"..."

Lu Ci, Gao Lian, Ishikawa Shin, and the other supernatural employees, along with the swordsmen, kept watch around, prepared to prevent things from getting out of control.

In the dueling arena, Ishikawa Ken steadily moved forward, maintaining his breathing at its optimal level. With a calm mind, he gazed at the demon before him and slowly drew his sword, which gleamed with a cold light.

It's more accurate to call it a knife than a sword. There are cultural differences between the two countries. The Japanese katana is considered a 'sword', and its shape is similar to the 'knife' on the mainland.

"call....."

"It feels so good to be back in the world after so long."

The demon stretched its muscles and let out a long howl. Although its current body was weaker, it was completely under its control. It was still somewhat different from its body hundreds of years ago, but it was enough.

"Senior, your opponent is Ishikawa Ken from the Ishikawa family."

"Please enlighten me."

The young man solemnly introduced himself, only to be met with a sneer from the demon:

"Oh? It's you bunch of boring guys? Make sure I have a good time..."

"call out--!"

Before he finished speaking, the demon's figure suddenly disappeared, and he moved like lightning to the front of Ishikawa Ken, dragging a dense array of overlapping shadows, and slashed down hard with his sword.

"Qiang!"

Although it was a close call, it was still within manageable limits. Ishikawa Ken raised his hand and swung his sword to parry, using the techniques of Buddhist swordsmanship to try his best to neutralize the opponent's force.

The two blades clashed, producing a crisp metallic clang and sparks. Ishikawa Ken was forced to retreat repeatedly; the opponent's strength was simply terrifying.

"clang!"

"clang!"

The demon's attack was swift and fierce, giving Ishikawa Kenshin no chance to catch his breath. The vengeful spirit within the sword had been dormant underground for many years, and now it was about to unleash all its pent-up fighting desires at once.

Ishikawa Ken fought fiercely with him, but gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. His shoulders, arms, and chest were successively slashed by the demon sword, and bright red blood flowed from the wounds. His strength was being consumed faster and faster, and all his counterattacks were blocked.

The demon held back at every turn, not killing Ishikawa Ken immediately, but instead constantly forcing him to demonstrate even more exquisite swordsmanship to please himself.

"Pfft!!"

Another sharp sword aura tore through Ishikawa Ken's chest, blood gushing out. He staggered back several meters, barely able to stand.

"Strong!!"

The Ishikawa family relatives around gasped in surprise.

With the battle's outcome certain, the demon's killing intent intensified. No longer toying with his prey, he pointed his sword at the swaying youth and struck in an instant.

Everyone who saw this was terrified and wanted to rush to their aid, but it was too late.

"boom!"

Lu Ci, who had been watching from the sidelines, made his move first. He arrived at the demon's side first and threw a punch from below.

The demon could only watch helplessly as his head was blasted into pieces, and the vengeful spirit was trapped inside the demon sword, roaring incessantly.

The attempt to combine the broken swords failed.

The members of the Ishikawa family were terrified and rushed over to check on their young master's injuries.

"This...sigh..."

Ishikawa felt a pang of sadness, but he accepted the outcome. Now, even the strongest swordsman in the clan could not defeat Hirumaru. He chose to keep his promise, put the demon sword back into its sheath, and solemnly entrusted it to Lü Ci.

"If you have any news, please let me know, Mr. Lü."

"Ah."

Lu Ci took the sword case and negotiated with Gao Lian to borrow a helicopter to send him to the Sanyi Gate in the south.

"Where are you going? Okay, I'll arrange it."

Gao Lian agreed without hesitation. He roughly guessed the old man's thoughts and quickly ordered someone to come and meet him.

A moment later, the helicopter took off and disappeared into the distance.

"Jingle Bell!!"

Just then, his phone rang urgently. Gao Lian answered the call and froze upon hearing the message from the other end.

"Brother Gao! Something terrible has happened!"

"Old Zhang is a traitor! He led his men and kidnapped Erzhuang!!"

"He's in cahoots with Higanbana!"

"Wh...what?!"

Gao Lian's face was ashen, and his lips trembled uncontrollably. For him, the sky had fallen at this moment.

Last year, Erzhuang gradually weakened and could not bear the pressure. One night, while drinking with an old friend, he got drunk and inadvertently revealed his troubles. Old Zhang learned of Erzhuang's existence and then suggested that they could ask the wandering Master Zhuge for help.

Through negotiations with the company, the two did indeed secure a chance to save their lives.

Gao Lian never dreamed that his trusted confidant would deliver a fatal blow at this moment.

Chapter 311 Underground Tunnel, The Infiltrated Company

March 24, afternoon.

A coastal city in Northeast China.

In a narrow underground tunnel beneath an abandoned dock, faint yet rapid footsteps could be heard.

The bright white light from a dozen or so swaying flashlights illuminated the dim area ahead, rats scurried about, and bats occasionally flapped their wings and screeched.

The unconscious Gao Erzhuang was carried on the back of a ninja cultivator. Her forehead, arms, and chest were filled with talisman paper, which controlled her blood flow and breathing rhythm. She was in a state of living dead, her consciousness was asleep, and her body could not move.

Leading the group was Lao Zhang, the manager of NaDuTong's Northeast region. He held a yellowed map, carefully analyzing the route and proceeding cautiously.

This tunnel was created long ago through a collaboration between the ancestors of the Biheren and the surrendered faction of Quanxing. It has existed for hundreds of years.

As long as they follow the correct route, they can descend into a natural cave system. The caves inside are intricate and stretch for dozens of kilometers, making it a veritable labyrinth of death. The water is filled with pitch-black seawater, and ordinary people simply cannot reach it. However, as extraordinary beings, they have the guidance of the blueprints. As long as they reach the destination and break the restrictions set by their ancestors, they can safely escape the country.

"Wow!"

Just then, Old Zhang, who was walking ahead, slowly stopped. A jade pendant in his arms was vibrating slightly, shimmering with a dark purple light. This was a sign that a partner far away in his homeland, who was preparing to meet him, was sending a message.

"Stop."

Old Zhang gave the order, and more than ten ninjas waited in place.

He took out the jade pendant, performed a secret technique, chanted obscure incantations, closed his eyes slightly, and used his spiritual perception to capture every bit of information from the ripples inside the jade pendant.

"Did you succeed?" A magnetic voice faintly echoed in my ears.

"We are evacuating. The journey is expected to take 5 hours. It will take 2 hours to break the seal. The old tunnel is still usable and is not within their territorial waters. Please arrange for a ship to come and pick us up as soon as possible, otherwise things may change."

Old Zhang briefly explained the evacuation plan to the owner of the jade pendant. He had given up all his identities in the country and kidnapped the company's valuable equipment. If discovered, it would be a capital offense. Although he was extremely cautious, he was still incredibly nervous at the moment.

"Alright... I'll arrange for a ship to go there now. Make sure the target survives. Once we bring her back, we have plenty of ways to copy her memories and then take control of her."

"Ah."

After a brief exchange, the jade pendant's light gradually dimmed. Old Zhang carefully put it away again and led the ninjas to continue their mission.

........

At the headquarters of NaDuTong, an emergency meeting was held. All eight directors were terrified when they heard the report from Gao Lian.

"Erzhuang has been kidnapped by my deputy!"

“He is a member of the Higanbana gang. The situation is urgent. I have deployed all available staff in the area to search for him.”

"Six of the employees responsible for protecting Erzhuang have died, and three are still being treated. Old Zhang's rank in our group is second only to mine. He even forged my orders; those employees couldn't have predicted that..."

"what?!"

Zhao Fangxu's face was extremely grim. If Erzhuang's memories and abilities were seized by Bihe Ren, then all the secrets in the company's database would be exposed.

At that moment, he felt a dull ache in his chest and a terrible headache.

Before Zhao Fangxu could even voice his opinion, a director slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Investigate!!!"

"No matter the cost, find out the truth and bring the person back alive."

"The current coastal defense forces are all our personnel and those of other sects. As long as they are still within our territory, they can forget about leaving."

Regarding his idea, Chairman Liang, who had been transferred from another department and had been in the position for more than six months, was not optimistic. Instead, he pointed out incisively:

"What if... they have their own tunnels?"

"We could smuggle ourselves out to sea, or venture deep into the mainland to the borders of various places. In those desolate areas, we can't search every corner thoroughly. What we fear most is..."

"They don't even need to leave the mainland. Just killing Erzhuang would be an irreparable loss for us. The only question we need to consider now is whether they have any way to extract Erzhuang's memories."

The board members present felt particularly heavy-hearted upon hearing this cruel and cold truth.

"As for you, Gao Lian, your dereliction of duty will be dealt with later."

"Other directors, if I may be so bold, before Lao Cheng and I arrived, your companies had been infiltrated to this extent. Don't you find that terrifying?"

"In seven or eight years, when you retire, even if his high-ranking deputy doesn't have a chance of becoming a new director, there's a high probability that he'll become the head of the Northeast region. A remnant of Bihe Ren has become a high-ranking executive in the company?! You all know what this means. You really have an inescapable responsibility in this matter."

Chairman Liang's tone was extremely displeased, and he showed no respect to anyone, directly reprimanding all six directors.

He was originally a frontline combatant in another department, and he was ruthless in his actions. Since he came to the company six months ago, he has been very dissatisfied with some of the perfunctory and stability-maintaining practices of these directors.

He anticipated that such management would inevitably lead to problems sooner or later, but he never expected the collapse to be so severe; it was like playing with fire next to a powder keg.

"Sigh... Brother Liang, calm down."

"The most urgent task is to find Erzhuang. The hidden danger you mentioned is also a problem we need to deal with. Afterwards, all senior executives of the company will be thoroughly investigated, and we will try to find out if there are any traitors or moles."