Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 525: Let Me Tell You

Everyone present, including Sauron, instinctively became more alert. They had never seen this white-haired man before and couldn't tell if he was a friend or foe.

Seeing their tense attitudes, the white-haired man smirked arrogantly. "Is this the level of the leaders of Zero and the Sea Eagles? It's truly disgraceful."

"What did you say?!" Abdul's eyes instantly sharpened like blades upon hearing the man's provocative words. The others also looked displeased. They knew this man was mysterious and likely difficult to deal with, but they were not afraid of him. Being ridiculed in front of Yang Chen was a huge blow to their pride.

The white-haired man scratched his ear and took another swig of sake. "I'm not interested in arguing with you. I'm just curious if this man is your leader who has been hiding for over two years, the one you call Hades."

These words instantly cast a shadow over the room, filling everyone with murderous intent. It was one thing to look down on them, but openly disrespecting Yang Chen was something they couldn't tolerate.

For many of them, without Yang Chen, they would have been drifting like rootless duckweed, possibly killed by their enemies long ago. They constantly had to worry about being assassinated and didn't dare to have families or children because they had no one to rely on.

Yang Chen's presence allowed these cold and dark figures to stand boldly on the world stage, unafraid of any nation's anger or hatred. They could once again live as human beings. If these warriors, who had fought through life and death, had any faith, it was undoubtedly in Yang Chen.

"You deserve to die!"

Abdul, who had just said he was quitting the assassin business, couldn't hold back. A crimson dagger appeared in his left hand, seemingly stained with blood. In an instant, Abdul flashed from his seat to the sofa where the white-haired man lay. The crimson dagger, like dark red lightning, slashed across the man's throat. Despite not having fought for years, Abdul's efficiency as a top assassin remained impeccable.

A lightning-fast lunge! A throat cut! It was executed in less than half a second without a trace of hesitation or delay.

"Hmph, this is the price of disrespecting Lord Hades," Abdul scoffed, feeling his dagger had definitely cut the white-haired samurai's throat. To him, this man was already dead.

The others also believed the white-haired man was dead. They knew Abdul's skills well, and even the swiftest ninja from the Yaqi clan couldn't have avoided such a sudden attack unless they were at the level of a top ninja, of which only Bōrā remained.

However, Yang Chen merely squinted his eyes, a flicker of surprise passing through them.

The next second, as Abdul prepared to retract his dagger, the "dead" man before him suddenly blurred.

Yes, he blurred, like a moon's reflection in the water disturbed by ripples, becoming unclear and eventually disappearing.

"Big guy, what are you daydreaming about?" The white-haired man's voice suddenly came from behind Abdul.

Abdul's heart skipped a beat. He instinctively turned and stabbed backward, aiming the dagger at the man's heart.

"Got him!"

Abdul felt his dagger pierce a heart. He couldn't be wrong about that feeling; he had pierced too many hearts in his life.

But to his and everyone's shock, the image of the white-haired man with his heart pierced blurred again and vanished once more.

The next moment, the white-haired man was already standing on the sofa in front of Abdul, casually smoking a pipe.

"Not interested in playing with you anymore," he said, uttering words that could infuriate any assassin.

Abdul, about to launch another attack in his anger, suddenly found his jaw hit by the man's heel before he could make a move.

"Ah!"

With a cry of pain, Abdul's body flew in an arc for three meters before crashing heavily to the ground. Although this wouldn't cause much harm to Abdul, the ease with which he was kicked away proved that continuing the fight was pointless.

Seeing this, everyone present recognized the reality. Although they were unwilling to accept it, they realized that the white-haired man's strength was beyond their capability. All eyes turned expectantly to Yang Chen.

Yang Chen, somewhat troubled, rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Although I've never seen you before and don't know why you're provoking us, I guess you must be from Takamagahara in Sakura. Your earlier moves weren't something ordinary ninjutsu or illusions could achieve. Otherwise, Abdul wouldn't have been unable to distinguish between real and fake."

The white-haired man exhaled two smoke rings, looking down with a sidelong glance. "What are you trying to say?"

"You really don't know how to converse," Yang Chen said with a wry smile, standing up. "I initially wanted to ask why you came here and to talk things out peacefully. I'm here for a vacation, not to fight. But since you've already kicked my brother, I feel obliged to stand up for them."

The white-haired man grinned. "I was waiting for you to say that. But before we fight, I can tell you my name and background."

"Oh?"

"My name is Nurarihyon, the General of Takamagahara," Nurarihyon said blandly.

Yang Chen was surprised. As far as he knew, while the Takamagahara organization existed, the yokai within it mostly acted independently, with only a few maintaining close relationships. This man, being the "General" of Takamagahara, indicated that he had unified the yokai under Takamagahara.

The fact that he had managed to unify Takamagahara in the few months since Yang Chen had returned from Sakura to Zhonghai was astounding.

"Daydreaming isn't good..."

While Yang Chen pondered these matters, Nurarihyon's voice suddenly appeared at his ear.

Instinctively, Yang Chen tilted his head back. "Whoosh!"

A sound of air being sliced came from where his head had been moments before.

Nurarihyon's hexagonal wooden-sheathed short sword had just passed through that spot. Yang Chen swiftly dodged, which didn't surprise Nurarihyon much. Retrieving his sword, he casually tapped it on his shoulder as if it were a back scratcher, not a weapon.

"Wow, what incredible speed. As expected, the leader is different," Nurarihyon said lazily.

Yang Chen couldn't help but laugh, a genuine, joyful laugh that puzzled everyone present, including Nurarihyon.

"Hades, what are you laughing at?" Nurarihyon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm laughing because you remind me so much of myself when I'm at work," Yang Chen said, stroking his chin as he scrutinized Nurarihyon. "No wonder my wife always says I lack seriousness. This look, this demeanor, it's not very likable. But since you resemble me, I support you. This style is actually quite nice."

A flicker of surprise crossed Nurarihyon's face, and he rotated his neck before speaking. "Do you know why I sought you out?"

"No, and I'm not really interested in the reason. I've killed many of your Takamagahara members. There are countless people around the world who want to kill me. If I had to find out the reason every time, I'd die of exhaustion before they even lifted a finger," Yang Chen shrugged.

Nurarihyon's eyes turned cold, and he smiled wickedly. "Even if you don't know, I will tell you. Over two years ago, the snow woman you killed on the island was my fiancée."

Yang Chen was taken aback. This guy was also connected to that snow woman?

The Nine-Tailed Fox and the Cat Demon had sought revenge because they were her sisters. And now this man was her fiancé?

Yang Chen felt a pang of regret. His past actions had led to so much trouble—killing the snow woman and others had driven Seventeen away, nearly caused the fall of Nijō Castle into the cycle of reincarnation, and now the General of Takamagahara was seeking him out for revenge.

"Do you know why I insist on telling you this?" Nurarihyon asked.

Yang Chen shook his head. "I can't even guess human intentions, let alone the thoughts of you yokai."

Although no one had ever proven that the members of Takamagahara were yokai—animals, plants, or inanimate objects that had cultivated into spirits—it was a fact that they were not human.

"I'll tell you," Nurarihyon said, raising his unsheathed short sword and pointing it at Yang Chen. "Because I want to fight you openly and honorably."