Chapter 311: Huangtian Gate

Chapter 311 The Yellow Heaven Gate

"Lord Yuanjiang, you must understand that this dead-end road we have chosen was destined from the very beginning to be blazed with our lives and paved with our corpses."

Tokugawa Hiroshi turned to look at Toyotomi Yuanjiang, whose face was grim and ashen. "If we choose to shrink back today because of a few minor sacrifices, it will not be long before the New Policy of the Great Ming Empire becomes a razor-sharp blade, severing the heads of our Four Great Families."

"When that time comes, no one will lament for us, no one will grieve for us, because by that day, they will have all become citizens of Ming."

"I understand all the reasoning you speak of. But even if we ultimately succeed in opening 'Takamagahara', is success truly guaranteed?"

Toyotomi Yuanjiang spoke in a raspy, strained voice. "If we still fail in the end, not only will our current sacrifices be in vain, but the enraged Daoist Sequence will use flying swords and talismans to plow through every inch of the Yamato district, sacrificing us all as computational tribute to the 'Three Pure Ones'!"

"If such a day truly comes..."

Tokugawa Hiroshi enunciated each word with heavy emphasis, "I will lead the sequential adherents of the entire Tokugawa clan and be the first to raise my blade against the gods."

"The unyielding morning sun will eventually pierce the darkness, and the desolate world will eventually welcome the spring."

Akechi Haruhide bowed slowly, "The Black Dragon Capital and the Akechi clan will forever follow in your footsteps, steadfast in our resolve, dying without regret."

Having reached this point in the conversation, Toyotomi Yuanjiang knew perfectly well that whatever else he might say would be futile.

"I understand. Mishima Heavy Industries will defer to your arrangements."

He let out a long, sorrowful sigh, and then closed his mouth firmly.

Just like the 'Speak-No-Evil Ape' painted on the wall of the room above his head, its mouth zipped shut once more.

"Though the Daoist Sequence is currently harboring suspicions, the District of the Banished has always been governed by the Confucian Sequence. Without concrete evidence, they will not easily venture into the district."

Tokugawa Hiroshi declared in a resonant voice, "Therefore, we must seize this final opportunity, bypass the provinces where the forces of the Daoist Sequence are heavily concentrated, and make our move from Liaodong and Guangxi."

"In truth, the Yin-Yang Sequence is our finest choice at this moment. Though their numbers are scarce, they prefer to fight individual battles; moreover, their Huangliang permissions are concentrated, meaning low risk and high return."

Akechi Haruhide suddenly interjected, speaking in a deliberate cadence, "Furthermore, our Black Dragon Capital has already mastered a method to reverse-locate these 'giant rats' from within the Huangliang dreamscape."

As soon as these words were uttered, not only Toyotomi Yuanjiang but even Tokugawa Hiroshi was momentarily startled, their expressions quickly shifting to one of pleasant surprise.

"That is magnificent..."

"Who goes there?"

Right at that moment, Toyotomi Yuanjiang’s eyes suddenly widened as he let out a sharp, angry growl.

Under the bewildered gazes of the other two, his figure flickered and trembled violently before vanishing from this Huangliang dreamscape.

"What happened?"

On the top floor of the 'Forging Hall'—the headquarters of Mishima Heavy Industries located in the Minato ward of Edo Castle—Toyotomi Yuanjiang’s tightly shut eyes snapped open, and he rose sharply from a vast, luxurious sofa.

"Chairman, an outsider has infiltrated the headquarters!" His personal secretary pushed the door open and entered, standing rigidly with a deep bow before him, reporting in an anxious voice.

"An outsider infiltration?"

Toyotomi Yuanjiang’s brow furrowed tightly all at once. "Do we know what the target is?"

"It is our Huangliang mainframe where the archival records and documents are stored. However, the intruder did not succeed; they were discovered by security and are currently being pursued!"

Boom!

No sooner had the secretary finished speaking than a deafening explosion suddenly rang out.

A violent tremor reverberated through the entirety of the 'Forging Hall', as a piercing alarm blared in tandem with the flashing red glow of the warning lights.

Faced with this sudden assault, Toyotomi Yuanjiang’s countenance remained entirely unruffled and calm.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he paced slowly toward a floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window, flames were already surging, and thick billows of black smoke drifted upward from the lower floors.

Even through the glass, one could smell a pungent, scorching stench, and beneath it, the faint, metallic scent of blood.

Bang!

Another explosive blast echoed, and countless shattered shards of glass showered down toward the ground below.

A silhouette suddenly burst through the dense smoke, leaping straight down from the middle floors of the 'Forging Hall'.

Amidst a chorus of curses and shouting, dark shadows rapidly approached from a distance, their sword-blades tearing through the air with terrifying, howling screeches.

The figure could be seen twisting his body mid-air, facing upward, and reaching out to grasp forward, catching the high-speed, passing black flying sword with perfect precision.

The brilliant tail-flame erupting from the hilt of the sword illuminated a young and handsome countenance.

It was none other than the Heavenly Master of the Daoist Dragon-Tiger Mountain Corporation, Chen Qisheng!

Dragged along in a desperate escape by the flying sword 'Longevity', Chen Qisheng suddenly felt a premonition and looked up toward the highest peak of the 'Forging Hall'.

Through the rolling black smoke, he caught sight of a pair of eyes, bright and sharp as blades.

Chen Qisheng grinned broadly and flashed his favorite greeting gesture at the figure.

"Toyotomi Yuanjiang, this Daoist master will come looking for you again."

It was someone from the Daoist Sequence!

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Toyotomi Yuanjiang took in the entire scene.

Without a moment's hesitation, he shattered the window before him with a single punch and leapt down from the 'Forging Hall', which stood dozens of fathoms high.

Hum!

The drone of a mechanical heart instantaneously drowned out the howling of the flying sword.

Chen Qisheng, who had been mocking his foe just a moment ago, watched the terrifying figure rapidly closing the distance behind him, his face turning pale in an instant as his soul nearly departed his body!

"Grand Pure Ancestor above, why does this old geezer show absolutely no regard for martial decorum?"

"Rest assured, Mr. Tokugawa, the Arasei Corporation will resolutely execute your orders. We will begin with the Liaodong region and complete the mission within the designated time."

"Very well. The people of the Yamato district will forever remember the sacrifices of your Arasei family!"

Following this concise conversation, the projection depicting the Divine Stable slowly dissolved before Arasei Retsu’s eyes.

Unable to be implanted with a brain-computer spiritual aperture, he could not connect to the Huangliang dreamscape, leaving him with no choice but to participate in the meetings convened within the dream in this manner.

The lights flickered on, illuminating a room piled high with various weapons and training equipment.

Every single piece of apparatus bore prominent signs of heavy use, reflecting the diligent and tireless nature of the training room's master.

Arasei Retsu’s extraordinarily imposing and massive frame stood in the center of the training room, and behind him, countless piercing lights flashed.

Those turned out to be 'people', standing frozen and motionless, their entire bodies gleaming with the luster of glass.

Yet if anyone were to approach and inspect them closely at this moment, they would be horrified to discover that these so-called 'people' were actually formed by over a hundred glass slices placed flush against one another, stacked and overlapping.

Each slice was a mere half-inch thick, and within that extremely confined space were contained hair, skin, flesh, bone, and even clothing.

The colors were vivid and lifelike.

On the very first slice that held the face, a small label was affixed.

"Northern Zhili, Daming Prefecture; Pilgrimage Gate; Martial Rank Nine, Quan Gongpu."

"Shandong, Dongchang Prefecture; Great Ape Society; Martial Rank Eight, Ran Bohe."

"Shaanxi, Xi'an Prefecture; Martial Fist Regiment; Martial Rank Seven, Jin Yulei."

These 'sliced people' hailed precisely from various provinces across the Empire, and every single one of them belonged to the Martial Dao Sequence of sectarian origin!

Chaos Madness turned slowly, moving through these terrifying 'sliced people,' his fingertips gliding over each piece one by one.

In his slightly squinted eyes, his eyeballs trembled relentlessly, a look of overwhelming joy etched on his face.

Only by being among these 'treasures' could he calm his raging emotions.

"Tokugawa Konami, you damned old thing. One day, I'll beat you into a meat paste and eat you piece by piece!"

Chaos Madness's smile twisted into a grotesque grin.

"Oh, by the way, there's also my beautiful and lovely Aiko. I don't know why, but every time I think of you, I can't control my desires."

Chaos Madness's gaze became distant as he muttered, "Why do I always feel your purpose isn't as simple as it seems? Is that statement truly about believing the risk of capturing Yin-Yang sequences is lower? Or do you need more Yin-Yang sequences than Dao sequences?"

"Akira Hoshizora, what do you truly want?"

Gurgle.

A sudden, hungry growl echoed.

"Every time I think about these complex questions, I feel so hungry."

Chaos Madness pressed his hand to his stomach, his steps suddenly halting.

"That's today's meal."

Before him stood a martial man of striking appearance.

Though his eyes were divided into countless slices, they still concealed no trace of his wild nature.

A label affixed prominently read in bold, powerful strokes: "Guangdong Guangzhou Prefecture, Wild Martial Arts, Wu Li Heguang."

Splash!

Chaos Madness flicked his finger, shattering a slice, his eyes radiating a piercing glow.

At the same time, the lights in the martial room dimmed gradually.

Only the wind outside the open window howled, the moonlight cautiously moving through the pitch-black space, casting an eerie shadow on the ground.

A spine-chilling sound persisted for about a minute.

When the lights flickered back on, Chaos Madness's face returned to calm, as if the madman from before had never existed.

He stared at the glass shards scattered across the floor, standing still, only the fists hanging at his feet tightened relentlessly, their bones cracking with a rattling sound.

"The backlash is becoming more frequent."

Chaos Madness expelled a mouthful of mist, suddenly turning and leaving the martial room.

Soon, his figure appeared before a door of modern design.

As he pushed it open, a dim corridor revealed itself.

The corridor on either side was lined with various weapons—swords, guns, spears, axes, halberds, hooks, and forks, endless in variety.

The only commonality was the black and red blood clinging to the blades, exuding a cold, killing aura.

No one would have imagined that within the Desolate World Group's headquarters in Edo City, such a hidden structure existed.

Chaos Madness clearly wasn't the first to arrive here, his expression calm as he took deliberate steps forward.

In no time, he reached the end of the corridor.

Here was a circular platform with five chairs arranged.

Several black-clad warriors sat there, the central figure a white-haired man with a thick beard, a grotesque scar running from his brow to his jaw, splitting his face in two.

Behind the mighty old man stood a towering flagpole, bearing a red-patterned golden flag inscribed with three large characters: Yellow Heaven Gate.

"Disciples Huang Lei, I've seen the master and the senior brothers."

Before the platform, Chaos Madness spoke in standard imperial language, kneeling on both knees, bowing deeply.