Lu Mingfei, who had read Dragon Clan before slaying the dragon

"How are you? Does he think Japan is still the same as it was when he last came here, and that the Snake Eight Clan are still the same as they were sixty years ago?" The head of the Fengmo family had a stern expression. "The Snake Eight Clan doesn't need to look to anyone for favors these days. Angers came here to make a high-profile demonstration, and we'll make him go back in disgrace."

"'I hope you're doing well' is just an interjection to him, not even a greeting," Inuyama He said. "In Ange's eyes, whether it's the Snake Family or Europe, whether it's sixty years or a hundred years, he always has this attitude. Maybe you think he's making a big show of it, but that's because you don't know Ange well enough. He doesn't need to deliberately make a show of it."

"Angers' pride is ingrained in his bones. No other half-blood in the world can match his pride."

Chapter 253 Ange arrives in Tokyo

"Excuse me, although some of the family heads present here were once students of Ange, I dare to assert that you do not know the man who lived for over 130 years."

Inuyama He looked solemn.

"Usually when we describe a legend, we usually commemorate a person's great achievements after his death, but Angers himself is a legend... a living legend."

"He was one of the founders of the Lionheart Society and the last surviving member from the Secret Party era to the Academy era. Since the founding of Kassel Academy, Ange's position as principal has remained unchanged. The school board has attempted to impeach him countless times, but has been unable to find a replacement."

"His former companions in battle included Menek Cassel, 'Chief' Brendan, 'Tiger' Jamal, and Lu Shanyan... His teachers were 'Silver Wing' Charlotte, 'Gravedigger' Gambet, and 'Iron Cross' Mayek..."

"He carries the immense glory of the previous generation of the Secret Party on his shoulders. You could call him proud or conceited, but Ange's strength is universally acknowledged. There's no doubt about that. He even survived the battle against the Dragon King. Hatred is the driving force that drives this old man to live. Until he succeeds in revenge, no one can kill him."

Inuyama He spoke so powerfully that everyone was moved.

The image of an old man emerged in their minds at the same time.

He is dressed in a suit and looks like a cynical playboy, but when the enemy appears, the old man suddenly transforms into a warrior with swords hanging on his body. His swords and knives are sharper than anyone else's, and his eyes are sharper than anyone else's, because he carries the honor and mission of being the last warrior on his shoulders.

"Yeah, unlike thugs like us, Ange is a recognized hero. A hero should act like a hero. He lives under the spotlight, with countless eyes staring at him. He can't just pick up a baseball bat and swing it around like a street thug," said Masamune Tachibana.

"Anger is too old. He's become a fox. In his eyes, the yakuza is just a bunch of bad boys who haven't even graduated from junior high school playing house," Inuyama He said. "An old guy like that is capable of anything, from heroic to thug-like. He'll do whatever it takes to achieve his goals."

"But we didn't kill his students, did we? His students survived the Jiyuan Project," said Tachibana Masamune. "The Eight Snake Clan didn't attack those three. It was the Demonic Clan that was causing trouble for them. Every wrong has its perpetrator, and even if Ange wants revenge, he should go after the Demonic Clan."

"That's why you ordered us not to interfere with the affairs of those three people, right?"

Yuan Zhisheng, who was sitting in the first seat, suddenly spoke.

"We've all received news of the auction, taking place right under our noses in Tokyo Bay. This is a provocation and a declaration of war from the Ghost Tribe, but Daddy doesn't allow us to accept the fight. If those three people were to meet an accident at the hands of the Ghost Tribe, it would escalate into a conflict between the Ghost Tribe and the Secret Party, and Principal Ange would target the Ghost Tribe."

Minamoto no Chisei stared into Tachibana Masamune's eyes.

"I know this is cruel to those three children, but it's the only solution. Standing by and watching is our limit. The eight Snake families can no longer withstand the internal friction." Tachibana Masamune sighed softly and shook his head. "Master Miyamoto, although the research is not yet complete, the crisis is imminent. I have no choice but to announce the conclusions to the other family heads now."

Miyamoto Shio nodded slowly, and he projected several photos and documents onto the huge screen behind him.

The photo is a bit blurry and out of focus, but it is a precious image recorded by the Trieste deep under the sea.

The first photo shows the dreamy, heavenly ecological environment outside the Abyss; the second photo shows a huge mountain ridge. Upon closer inspection, the ridge and a ship are connected to form a huge tumor, with sticky liquid flowing through the thick, dark blue blood vessels; the third photo shows an endless city, the silent ancient city lies on the deserted seabed as if sleeping soundly; the fourth photo shows a statue holding up the sky, the majestic dragon shadow looks like a solitary god.

"This is the situation beneath the Abyss. Based on these photos and related information, we have come up with a rather terrifying guess."

Miyamoto Shio pointed to the first photo and related information.

"According to the Imperial Chronicles, ten thousand years ago, the god, along with the entire Takamagahara, sank to the bottom of the ocean, completely entombed there. However, we can see that the ecological environment near the Abyss has been completely altered. The genes of the creatures here have all been rewritten, transforming them into a subspecies of dragons... However, a dead being cannot influence the world of the living."

"We therefore hypothesize that the gods are not truly dead, but are in a state of 'suspended animation,' equivalent to an indefinite sleep."

"Fake death?" Ryoma Genichirō was stunned.

"Yes." Miyamoto Shio moved to the second photo.

"The medical community recognized that a state of suspended animation required some kind of stimulation to awaken. So, someone stole a precious embryo from an unnamed port in northern Siberia, and sank the embryo and the entire Lenin into the Abyss as a sacrifice. A bloody and grand sacrifice awakened the god."

"But, didn't we completely destroy the God's Burial Ground?" Sakurai Nanami said, "Even if the God is still alive, it can't survive a nuclear explosion of that power, right?"

"No." Miyamoto Shio shook his head. He walked over to the last two photos and said, "Look at this empty city, then look at that godless statue... What's your first impression?"

"Dead silence... utter silence, not a living thing at all," Fuma Kotaro said. "The only living thing is the embryo, but it doesn't belong in this city. This city is too quiet, devoid of any trace of life. Even though the statue might appear alive at first glance, it only adds to the loneliness of this dead city."

"Yes, this is a dead city, without a trace of life. When the nuclear explosion that destroyed the city came, the statue absorbed most of the embryo's life energy in one breath. The corpse guards drilled out from the ground and rushed to the sea surface. But whether they were corpse guards or statues, they were all dead..."

Miyamoto Shio paused.

"Even dead things have the instinct to flee, so what about sleeping gods?"

When Miyamoto Shio asked this question, everyone was stunned.

"Everyone, please think about this...why hasn't a single Shizoku awakened in the past twenty years? Who stole the embryo's nutrients during this time?"

"Who was the man who sank the Lenin into the God's Burial Ground? What did he want from God after calling Him back from the underworld?"

"If God has awakened, where would it be now?"

Every time Miyamoto Shio asked a question, the faces of the family heads became uglier, until finally, everyone shuddered slowly.

"Without a doubt, it's the Fierce Demons! Besides them and us, who else knows the secrets buried in the Divine Burial Ground?" Tachibana Masamune said in a deep voice, "They are simply a group of fanatical believers in God. With the power of God, they can evolve from unstable demons into pure-blooded dragons."

"These lunatics! This is pure fantasy. How could God be controlled by humans?" Fuma Kotaro's face changed drastically. "Once awakened, God will destroy everything, Japan... and even the entire world! They have released demons from hell!"

"So, Chisheng, do you understand my intention?" Tachibana Masamune looked at Minamoto Chisheng. "We must eradicate the Demonic Clan with lightning speed. Only then will we have a chance to prevent the awakening of God. But even the Eight Snake Families don't have the ability to fight both the Secret Party and the Demonic Clan at the same time. Our best option right now is to watch the fire from the other side and divert Ange's wrath to the Demonic Clan. As for those three children... they'll be the perfect fuse."

Gen Chisei was silent for a long time. He kept his head down, deliberately avoiding Tachibana Masamune's gaze, and slowly spoke:

"Dad, you once asked me a clichéd question: a train running on a forked track with different numbers of children tied to each side. You could control which way the train went. I still remember you saying you would choose to save the greater number of children, even if it meant sacrificing one hundred for ninety-nine. You would still make that choice. This was what you considered 'absolute' justice."

"So now, letting the train run over those three children is your choice, right?" After saying this, Minamoto no Chisei looked up and looked directly into Tachibana Masamune's eyes.

"That's right, Chisheng." Tachibana Masamune met Minamoto Chisheng's gaze without hesitation. "This is a huge war, and war always involves bloodshed. As the head of the family, I used to think about how to reduce the bloodshed. This is the decision I made after much thought. Now that you have succeeded me as the head of the family, you have the right to withdraw my decision."

"It's too late now. No one knows what kind of conflict they had with the demons. Whether they were killed, injured, or kidnapped, we've lost track of them." Yuan Zhisheng shook his head slightly. "I'm wondering... is this method really feasible? Will Principal Ange really not vent his anger on the Eight Snake Clans?"

When Gen Chisheng asked this question, his eyes were fixed on Inuyama He, and the other family heads also looked at the head of the Inuyama family, because among the eight families of Sheqi, only Inuyama He and Ange were closest, and he was the person who knew Ange best among all the people present.

Inuyama He slowly shook his head under everyone's gaze. "If anything happened to his three students, Ange wouldn't let the Oni Clan off, nor would he let us off. He entrusted his students to us, only to lose them in our hands. The entire Japanese branch resigned, which he considered a betrayal. With that man's aloof and iron fist, he wouldn't let anyone who betrayed him off."

"Betrayal? The Snake Eight Clan never owed him anything!" Fuma Kotaro roared. "We have lived peacefully in Japan and never participated in the disputes of European half-bloods. But since the appearance of that man named Gilbert Jean Ange, everything has changed. He forced us to cooperate with him and turned the Snake Eight Clan into a Japanese branch. He is the greatest dragon slayer and conqueror of our time. He not only conquered dragons, but also conquered us. The Snake Eight Clan has risen rapidly in recent years, but Ange's shadow has always shrouded us. We have become powerful, but we live without dignity. Now we just want to regain our lost dignity. What right does Ange have to stop us?"

"Because Ange is strong." Unlike the indignant head of the Fuma family, Inuyama He remained calm as ever, as if he was simply expounding on a truth that even a child would understand. "The world of mixed-bloods is one where the strong prey on the weak. In the eyes of the strong, the weak are born to be trampled upon. If the weak want to survive, they must give up certain things. If they choose peace, they must give up their dignity. If they choose dignity, they must give up their lives..."

"Inuyama-kun," Tachibana Masamune interrupted Inuyama He's narration. "Sixty years have passed, and our family has grown strong. Sixty years ago, the Snake Family was a loose sand, but now we have outstanding young leaders like Chisheng. The days when we showed weakness to the secret party are gone forever. Inuyama-kun, you have become an old man, but are you still brooding over the weak child you were sixty years ago?"

Inuyama He was stunned.

"Don't over-mythologize Ange. He only defeated us when we were weakest. What we feared was the shadow in our hearts. Now that we're strong, it's time to say goodbye to our past selves!"

"Only by breaking through the haze can the Eight Clans of Sheqi be reborn!" Tachibana Masamune slammed the table and stood up.

"Yes!" The family heads also stood up one after another.

"No matter how powerful Ange is, he can't face the Snake Eight Clan and the Oni Clan all by himself. This is a good opportunity to negotiate with him and take back what we've lost from the plunderers." Tachibana Masamune came behind Inuyama He's chair and said, "Inuyama-kun, you probably left something with Ange too, right? Don't you want to take it back? Let him see how much we've changed, and let him know that the Snake Eight Clan... were never his, Ange's, Snake Eight Clan!"

There was a dead silence in the Awakening Temple. The smoke from the incense and candles in front of the Buddhist shrine dissipated, leaving only ashes. There was silence for a very long time, so long that the old man with white hair and beard seemed to have lived the past sixty years again... Inuyama He nodded slowly.

……

4:40 pm.

Tokyo, Narita Airport.

Ayako Komatsu stood behind the counter, facing the immigration port, maintaining a professional service smile.

This is her job. She likes to scan the crowd while working. If she sees a handsome guy, she will stay on him for a few seconds. When people are out of her direct line of sight, she will stop looking at them, and no more than five seconds at most. There are all kinds of people in the airport, and she often tries to guess their relationship based on their behavior. Otherwise, this boring job can easily drive people crazy.

But today was an exception. Ayako's eyes kept following the movement of a figure, as if she was attracted by a magnet.

He was an old man with a British style and a gentlemanly air. His arm was held by a hot woman. Judging from their ages, they were probably a great-grandfather and granddaughter. What a young old man... Ayako thought.

Chapter 254: The Master of the Underworld, the Cowherd Shop of Destiny

But the next second, the old man and the woman's behavior was completely beyond Komatsu Ayako's expectations.

The woman, whose figure rivaled that of a supermodel, stood on tiptoe in her high heels and gently touched the old man's face with her red lips. While doing so, she also stuffed a business card with a lip print on it into the old man's coat pocket.

After doing all this, she threw a wink at the old man and left amid the cheers and support of the people who came to greet her.

The old man smiled, took out a brand new white handkerchief and gently wiped the red lipstick marks on his cheek, then walked to the counter facing Ayako Komatsu's surprised gaze.

"Hello, beautiful lady." The old man smiled and handed over a passport.

"Oh, okay." Ayako Komatsu was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses and quickly took the passport book with both hands.

She couldn't help but think that the old man was indeed a gentleman. He had just said goodbye to such a stunning female companion. Compared with a beauty of that level, he was like an ugly duckling that had rolled around in the mud. However, the old man did not hesitate to use the word "beautiful" to describe himself. Looking at his faint smile, Ayako felt like she was floating in the clouds for a moment.

Ayako opened the leather-wrapped passport and absentmindedly checked the photo and other important information. She quickly scanned the first page and found nothing wrong. All the information was legal and compliant. It was not until she turned to the second page that Ayako was stunned. She suddenly recalled a strange detail and hurriedly turned back to the first page, wondering if she had seen it wrong.

Ayako took a deep breath until she was sure that she was not seeing things.

"Is there something wrong? My information." The old man asked politely.

"No...no." Komatsu Ayako subconsciously looked up, met the old man's bright eyes, and said involuntarily, "Um...your passport says that your date of birth is 18..."

When Ayako Komatsu scanned the birth date information for the first time, she was dazzled by the old man's elegant and handsome smile, but when she came to her senses, she instinctively realized that something was wrong.

She's 25 years old and has been working in the airport immigration hall since graduation. For four years, she's met all sorts of people and reviewed tens of thousands of passports. Without exception, the birthdate column always starts with "19," and most are older than "1940." Airlines require health certificates within the last six months for those over 70, as flying is risky.

Ayako was frightened when she suddenly saw the birth year starting with "18". After calculating the old man's age several times in her mind, she still couldn't believe it and wondered if there was a mistake in the passport.

"October 28, 1878, this is my birthday. I was born in 1878," the old man said nostalgically. "Thinking about it, 10 isn't that old after all. After all, I can still attract young girls to give me kisses and leave my name cards. One of my students once told me that as long as your heart is still beating, you're still young. So I can be considered a young person too."

One hundred and thirty-two years old. The old man in front of me is actually one hundred and thirty-two years old!

At first glance, Ayako Komatsu even thought that the old man was only half his real age. Thinking that she had just been infatuated with a man of her great-great-great-grandfather's age, Ayako Komatsu couldn't help but blush with embarrassment.

"You just mentioned your students... Are you a professor or lecturer?" Ayako Komatsu asked casually as she stamped the "entry permitted" stamp on her passport and handed it back.

"I've had many careers, but being an educator is my favorite. What could be more moving than seeing your students blossom?" The old man smiled as he put his passport into his wallet. "Of course, I've taught some very smart students, some not. Coincidentally, three of my most proud students are now in Japan. That was one of them who told me that. He's the best there. If you'd met him, you'd know he's absolutely amazing!"

"Are you coming to Japan this time to find your favorite student?" Ayako asked subconsciously following the old man's words.

"No, I'm not here to see them." The old man shook his head. "Remember, ma'am, I just told you that there are smart students and stupid students. Some students haven't finished a lesson in decades. They're so old and still can't learn well. I, a teacher, have to come all the way here to teach them the lesson."

"You are really a responsible educator!" Although Ayako Komatsu didn't quite understand what the old man said, like what he hadn't learned in decades, she still bowed deeply to the old man to say goodbye.

At this moment, there was a sudden commotion in the hall. The panicked crowd tried to get up from their seats but were ordered to stay where they were and no one was allowed to leave. Men in black suits poured in from various exits of the immigration hall, blocking the airport residents in the waiting hall like a black tide.

"It's the mafia!" Komatsu Ayako warned in a low voice. "They've been gathering at the airport since half an hour ago, but since they didn't cause any trouble, we couldn't call the police. Now they've suddenly started making noise for some unknown reason. Please listen to them and stay where you are. It might take a little time, but it's safer to leave after they've left."

"Hmm? Has the Japanese mafia become so rampant?" The old man frowned slightly, seeming to be lost in thought. "I remember the last time I came to Japan, the mafia here were just a bunch of thugs wielding baseball bats and fighting each other on the streets. The worst were even street pimps, and the more respectable ones were just dealers of military-grade guns and ammunition. Now they even dare to block the country's borders? Times have really changed."

The hall was dead silent, and everyone could hear each other's heavy breathing and heartbeats, so the old man's muttering seemed particularly clear.

Ayako Komatsu was dumbfounded. She didn't understand how the old man dared to say such things in front of the gangsters. Even if you are old and a respected teacher, those fierce guys have guns in their hands.

No wonder there is a saying that a scholar cannot explain his reason when he meets a soldier. You tell them that we are now in a society ruled by law and young people should not be impulsive and put down their butcher knives to turn back. He raises his hand and shoots you in the forehead, saying that what he has in his hand is a gun, not a knife... Ayako Komatsu no longer dares to think about the scene of blood and brain matter flying everywhere.

The gang members seemed to be attracted by the old man's words and suddenly surrounded here.

Komatsu Ayako was terrified. She had never seen such a scene before. As she trembled, she picked up the phone to notify the airport security team and whispered to the old man, "Go! Go quickly!"

Two leaders walked out quickly from the crowd of people in black clothes. If you got close, you could even see their tattoos.

One of them had five ferocious cobra heads tattooed on his hand, with the snake heads wrapped around his fingers. That was the Buddhist demon "Naga"; another had a high-raised horse head tattooed on his neck, and the horse was spewing lightning and flames... The moment she saw these two figures approaching, Ayako felt her blood run cold.

The two men came to the old man with the sound of the wind and stood in front of him, their expressions serious as if they were ready to pull out a knife or a gun at any time... Then, in front of Ayako's astonished eyes, they bowed deeply.

"Welcome to Japan, President Ange! I am Miyamoto Hideshi of the Miyamoto family."

"Inuyama Hasegawa Yoshitaka, Principal, thank you for your hard work! You still look so young! The three heads of the family, Inuyama, Ryoma, and Miyamoto, have prepared a banquet to welcome the principal!"

"Hasegawa Yoshitaka, I remember that name." The old man nodded calmly. "You seemed to have a baby face when you were young. It must be because you have been in the underworld for so long that you always have a stern face and pretend to be sophisticated, so you look so old now."

The elder was not angry at all when the old man teased him in public. Instead, his face was full of glory, saying, "I am so lucky to be remembered by you."

The old man looked at the younger one and asked, "Your last name is Miyamoto? Who is Miyamoto Shio to you?"

"Yes, Principal!" Miyamoto Eiji was like a primary school student who had suddenly been asked a question by the teacher. "The head of the family is my cousin. I also studied at Kassel Academy for a year, enrolled in 1995, but dropped out due to family changes. I regret not being able to complete my studies!"

"Dropping out of school to become a gangster? Young people in Japan nowadays really have no future." The old man shook his head, as if he felt deeply sorry for the student who dropped out of school and turned to gangsters.

The old man turned to look at Komatsu Ayako and placed a clean white handkerchief on the counter in front of her, indicating that she could wipe the sweat from her forehead. "Excuse me, those stupid students I mentioned are here to pick me up. They seemed to have scared you a little. I feel sorry for them."

"We are so sorry!" Hasegawa Yoshitaka and Miyamoto Hideshi bowed deeply to Komatsu Ayako.

"We are so sorry!" The vast group of men in black said in unison. They bent down collectively, like a huge black tide surging up. The huge sound made Ayako Komatsu's head buzz.

As Ayako and everyone else at the airport watched in astonishment, the old man walked toward the exit surrounded by a group of men in black, got into the black Maybach GLS in the center of the Mercedes-Benz fleet, and drove away.

……

Caesar struggled to squint his eyes. The sunlight above his head was too dazzling, shining golden. The surging waves, carrying the noisy voices of people, rushed towards him. Caesar felt like he was lying on Jimbaran Beach, the most beautiful beach in Bali, with the warm sea water lapping against his stone body.

A moment of confusion flashed through his mind.

Wasn't he in Tokyo Bay's underground auction house? They were fighting an ambush by a gang. He still remembered the gang's name, a bastard gang called the Ten Fists Society. Then, Chu Zihang fired a few volleys of flames, like Vulcan cannons, and the entire underground building collapsed.

The last thing Caesar remembered was that little gangster named Noda Hisashi was guarding Aso Makoto tightly. Caesar smiled with relief and was about to loudly praise that good-for-nothing little gangster... but he was knocked unconscious by a huge falling rock.