Volume 1, Chapter 141: The Journey Home.

Looking up at the Yamata no Orochi, which stood several stories high, Jiang Chen could not help but click his tongue in disdain. "It has been a long time since I last visited your island nation, yet you have made absolutely no progress; you still only know how to rely on others."

The island nation had relied on its coastlines since ancient times. He had expected them to display some inherent merit, but instead, they had merely squandered their heritage. A creature like the Yamata no Orochi could hardly be considered powerful. It might pass for an ancient deity in that small corner of the world, but in the Great Xia, where countless mythical beings existed, such a thing was not even worth mentioning.

However, since it had come, it would be eradicated.

Jiang Chen raised his hand. "Suppress!"

The single word, spoken without preamble, caused the Yamata no Orochi to feel an overwhelming pressure. Jiang Chen did not want to waste time; the safety of the Great Xia dragon vein was paramount, and not even the slightest risk could be tolerated.

He reached out and pressed down on the body of the great serpent. Simultaneously, a phantom image of Jiang Chen materialized in the sky, mirroring his movements.

Yamamoto Isoroku watched in horror as the Yamata no Orochi he had summoned began to crumble. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Before the serpent could even unleash its power, it was already on the verge of collapse.

"Hiss..."

The Yamata no Orochi tried to roar, but no sound escaped its throat; it felt as if it had been strangled. For a long time, it remained silent.

Jiang Chen pressed down with force, and the remnant soul of the serpent could no longer hold on, teetering on the brink of disintegration.

Yamamoto Isoroku rushed to the side of the creature. "Great God Orochi! Take my body! I lend it to you!"

Following his cry, the Yamata no Orochi exploded into a cloud of black mist, which surged into Yamamoto's body.

"Ah!!"

"Ah!"

The serpent seized control of Yamamoto's body at a terrifying speed. Opening his eyes once more, Yamamoto's pupils had become those of a snake. His voice was hoarse, sounding as if he had not spoken in centuries. "Boy, you are strong. If this were in the Empire, I wouldn't mind sparring with you. But I have a mission; I must stall you for five minutes."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen looked up. "You want to stall me for five minutes?"

"Although I have not walked the mortal realm for a long time," the serpent replied, "stalling you for five minutes will be quite easy."

Easy?

Jiang Chen chuckled, leaving only a blur of motion behind.

"Easy?!"

*Boom!*

A thunderous explosion rang out. The Yamata no Orochi was sent flying like a kite with a broken string. At the same time, fist imprints began to appear repeatedly across its chest. Jiang Chen struck with such speed that the air erupted in sonic booms.

The serpent was stunned. It had not even realized what was happening before half of its body was blasted away by a single punch. The power stored within Yamamoto's body vanished by half. It could not react, nor could it unleash its strength. After a few of Jiang Chen’s strikes, all resistance was shattered, and the creature was left to endure the relentless barrage.

Helplessness—absolute, extreme helplessness.

Yamamoto's soul remained trapped in his own body, and he could feel every ounce of pain from the destruction of his torso. But because the serpent held control, he could neither fight back nor perform any action. He and the serpent were forced to take a beating, unable to retaliate. It was not just physical pain; it was a profound sense of humiliation.

He had thought that being possessed by the Yamata no Orochi would make him invincible, allowing him to experience powers he had never known. But it was not as simple as he had imagined. If this continued, his body would collapse in ten seconds, let alone five minutes. If his body were destroyed, he would die, while the serpent would merely lose a portion of its soul and remain unharmed.

For a moment, he wondered if his loyalty to the Empire had been worth it. He had dreamed that after killing Jiang Chen, he would use the serpent’s power to reach a new level of strength—there had been precedents for such things, after all. But he was wrong.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

After the final punch, Yamamoto could no longer think of anything else, for his consciousness had been completely shattered by Jiang Chen's assault. Had it not been for the resilience of the serpent's soul, it would have vanished along with him.

Occupying Yamamoto's body, the serpent now felt its own soul nearing dissipation. "Who are you?! Not even the Sun Goddess Amaterasu could shatter my soul with mere fists. Are you one of the gods of the Great Xia?"

The Yamata no Orochi asked this question at the final moment of its life, but Jiang Chen did not answer. It was not only unnecessary; the creature was simply unworthy. From the moment it had claimed it would stall him for five minutes, it had forfeited any chance of survival.

In the current state of the world, even the most powerful individuals would try to hide their true strength, fearing exposure. But Jiang Chen did not care. If he were truly angered, he would not hesitate to sink the entire planet.

Jiang Chen did not linger and ran directly toward the dragon vein. At that moment, the entire mountain ridge was rigged with explosives.

Corporal Ozawa stood on the peak. "You are too late. Any..."

Ozawa knew he had to press the button now. They had originally intended to wait until they had evacuated, but since the person who had come to stop them was already here, they had no other choice. He knew that if he did not press it now, there would be no chance left. He did not hesitate and pressed down, but he did not feel the familiar tactile response.

He looked down and realized that the remote control had turned into a tree branch.

Jiang Chen walked up to Corporal Ozawa with a smile that was chilling to behold. Ozawa had not expected that the moment he saw his intruder, he had already failed.

Ozawa slumped to the ground, dead beyond repair. Simultaneously, the surrounding island nation commandos who had intended to flee were also dispatched by Jiang Chen.

After finishing, Jiang Chen looked at the explosives along the path and felt a jolt of alarm. Had he not arrived in time, this entire mountain range would have been ruined.