novel-bin Chapter 365, the grand finale.
Chapter 365, the grand finale.
Chapter 365, the grand finale.
Queen Seram led the group toward the entrance to a hidden passage deep within the palace.
The heavy stone door slowly opened with the sound of the mechanism turning, revealing a deep staircase extending downwards.
"This is the secret passage leading to the core of the dragon vein." The queen's voice was weary, but even more so resolute. "An Lushan—Centipede, he must be down there."
Tai nodded, signaling Kakashi and Rin to guard the Queen on either side, while he, Yamato, and Naruto formed a triangle formation to clear the way ahead.
Naruto was eager to try, his blue eyes burning with fighting spirit: "Finally, I'm going to find that bastard Centipede! This time, I'm going to beat him to a pulp!"
Yamato patted him on the shoulder, signaling him to stay calm.
However, this peace did not last long.
Just as the group descended to a relatively spacious underground hall, a strange change occurred.
"Snap! Snap! Crack!"
A sickening metallic scraping sound suddenly broke the silence underground.
The palace guard puppets, which had stood like sculptures on both sides of the passage and at the four corners of the hall, suddenly had a scarlet light shining from their eye sockets!
The weapons in their hands were directly aimed at Taiyi and the others.
"Enemy attack! Protect Prince An!"
Kakashi's sharp shout rang out almost simultaneously with the sound of the puppet activating. He instantly drew his short sword, stood in front of the Queen, and watched the puppet's every subtle movement.
Taiyi's eyes sharpened slightly: "He really made a move!" He had long expected that An Lushan would not sit idly by and wait for his death.
The next moment, dozens of puppets were suddenly pulled by invisible threads, rushing towards the crowd from all directions with lightning speed! Their spears gleamed with a cold light, and all the weapon ports on their bodies were open, clearly driven at full power to tear the intruders apart!
Wood escape·Wooden spindle wall.
Yamato reacted swiftly, slamming his hands into the ground in a hand seal. Thick wooden vines burst forth from the earth, instantly weaving together to form a massive semi-circular wooden shield, firmly protecting the Queen and Rin at the center.
"Bang bang bang!"
The puppet's spear and charge slammed heavily against the wooden shield, producing a dull thud and sending splinters flying.
"Damn it! These guys are even stronger than the ones above."
Naruto roared, creating more than a dozen clones. His main body and clones simultaneously formed azure Rasengans and charged towards the horde of puppets surging from the side.
Multiple spiral pills.
With a deafening roar, several puppets were struck in the core by the Rasengan, instantly exploding into countless fragments and twisted metal parts.
Kakashi, on the other hand, moved like a silver lightning bolt through the group of puppets.
His short sword flashed, each parry and thrust precisely hitting the puppet's joints or the connection point of its energy core.
"Sizzle!"
A flash of lightning, a thousand birds' cry! Kakashi's arm, crackling with blinding lightning, pierced the core of a heavy puppet's chest like a hot knife through butter, completely paralyzing it.
Lin stayed close to the Queen, using her sword to deflect incoming arrows, and whispered words of comfort to the pale-faced Queen: "Your Majesty, please trust us!"
Queen Seram witnessed the fierce battle before her, watching as those she once thought were loyal and reliable "guards" now attacked her protectors with madness, and her last shred of hope was completely shattered.
Her nails dug deeply into her palms, her voice trembling with extreme rage, "An Lushan—Centipede! You demon! You usurper! It really was you! You betrayed Loulan, you betrayed everyone who trusted you!"
Taiyi did not immediately join the battle. His figure moved at high speed along the edge of the chaotic battlefield, his senses fully activated, like an invisible radar scanning the entire battlefield.
He not only saw the chakra threads connecting the puppets, but also grasped the overall situation of the battlefield.
He hadn't forgotten that this mission also served the purpose of training Kakashi and Rin.
At this moment, his kunai flew through his hands, precisely severing several chakra threads that were trying to bypass Yamato's defenses and ambush the Queen. He calmly commanded, "Kakashi, three o'clock, three high-speed types! Naruto, coordinate with Yamato to clear the left flank! Rin, be careful! They're trying to divide you up."
"Understood!" Kakashi responded and moved, and the cry of Chidori rang out again.
"Leave it to me!"
Wood Release: Tree Binding for Eternal Burial.
Yamato formed hand seals again, and several thick vines emerged from the ground like giant pythons, instantly entangling the puppets attempting to flank him from the left.
"Oh my god! Watch this!"
Naruto's main body and clone immediately changed direction, and the Rasengan's light shone brightly once again.
The battle was intense but brief. Although these guarding golems were numerous and fearless, they were quickly dismantled into pieces under the relentless attacks.
"Is everyone alright?" Taiyi quickly scanned the crowd.
Kakashi was slightly out of breath; the repeated use of Chidori had depleted his chakra, and his breathing under the mask was somewhat rapid.
Naruto wiped the sweat from his face, but was full of energy: "Absolutely no problem! This is a piece of cake!"
Yamato withdrew his Wood Release technique, and Rin and the Queen were unharmed.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Lin asked with concern.
Seram took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. The fear in his eyes had been replaced by a burning rage. "I'm alright. Thank you. Now, more than ever, I know I must stop him! The Dragon Vein must not fall into the hands of this madman! We must move on!"
Without further delay, the group, guided by the Queen, sped down the secret passage.
They encountered several more waves of puppets along the way, but they posed little threat to the well-prepared group and were quickly eliminated.
Finally, they passed through the last narrow passageway, and a bright and open space appeared before them!
An unimaginably vast underground space unfolded before them. At the center of the space stood a tall altar, with a stone statue standing at each of the four corners.
They together guarded a half-open eye-shaped protrusion in the center of the altar.
Inside, a vast yet tranquil energy flows silently—this is the Dragon Vein! The ultimate convergence of the earth's power and natural energy!
At the edge of the altar, on a complex control console constructed of countless metal pipes and platforms, stood a figure.
It was An Lushan, or rather, the Sand Village's rebellious ninja, Centipede!
At this moment, the feigned humility and kindness on his face had completely vanished, replaced by undisguised greed and smugness.
He opened his arms wide, as if embracing the vast dragon vein energy, laughing wildly: "Hahahaha! Seram! And the insects of Konoha! You've finally arrived! Too bad, it's too late!"
His gaze swept over the Queen and the others, finally settling on Naruto and Yamato, a hint of surprise flashing across his face, but it was quickly masked by a deeper madness.
"Oh? Another unexpected surprise? The little mice from the future have also come along? Perfect! Saves me the trouble of searching for you! Today, I'll let you all witness how I, Lord An Lushan, wield this power of creation!"
"Centipede! Cease your madness immediately! Releasing the power of the dragon vein will only bring destruction!"
Yamato shouted sternly, his hands already prepared to form hand seals.
"Destruction? No! It's rebirth!" An Lushan roared fanatically.
"Look at this power! How vast it is! With it, I can create an endless army of puppets that can sweep across the ninja world—the Five Great Nations, the Kage-level shinobi, will all tremble at my feet! Loulan? This is just the beginning! The entire world will prostrate itself before my will!"
"Wishful thinking!" Naruto roared, pointing at An Lushan, "You bastard! You killed so many people for your own ambition! Today I'm going to beat you to a pulp!"
"You?!" An Lushan grinned maliciously. "Before the Dragon Vein, your power is as insignificant as ants!"
"Let me show you what true power is!"
He suddenly pressed a huge button on the console!
hum!
The entire underground space trembled violently, and the power of the dragon vein became unusually active.
From within the dragon vein, tangible chakra was drawn out, twisting, extending, and reorganizing in the air like a giant python!
Finally, they frantically coiled around An Lushan's body, as if recharging him.
"Aaaaaahh ...
Amidst An Lushan's agonizing roars or excited bellows, his body rapidly expanded as if inflated! Metal components covered his limbs and bones, and chakra channels became his new blood vessels and energy sources.
In just a few seconds, a gigantic monster puppet, tens of meters tall and composed of countless metal pipes, armor plates, rotating blades, and menacing cannon muzzles, appeared before everyone!
At its core, one can still vaguely see An Lushan's twisted and crazed face!
"Feel despair, you ants!"
The giant puppet An Lushan let out a deafening roar, raised its huge metal arm high, and fired countless books down at the crowd below.
"Scatter!" Taiyi's pupils shrank sharply as he shouted!
The battle instantly intensified!
Kakashi's Chidori Cry transformed into a bolt of lightning that tore through space, piercing straight into the puppet's weakest point in its joints!
Naruto's Rasengan roared and slammed into the puppet's other supporting leg.
The enormous puppet's legs broke off, its upper body lost its balance, and it fell heavily to the ground.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yamato formed hand seals, and the Tree Binding Killer summoned several thick branches that tightly bound and squeezed the puppet.
Lin stood at a safe distance, protecting the Queen, and nervously observed the battle, ready to provide support and treatment at any time.
Queen Seram gripped Lin's arm tightly, her eyes filled with grief, anger, and despair as she looked at the minister she had once trusted, now a terrifying monster.
Seeing that An Lushan's legs had been dislocated as soon as he appeared, and that he was now entangled and unable to move, it seemed that victory was in sight.
Before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the giant puppet, disregarding its own injuries, forcibly tore its own body off and broke free from the tree's binding spell.
Parts were scattered everywhere, and severed limbs flew about.
However, all of this was reversed by a strange force, as if time had flown backward. The damaged parts flew back to the body and were pieced together again by the power of the dragon vein.
Not only that, its already enormous body grew even larger, becoming twice as tall as before.
Its original two feet became six feet, and its two arms became four arms, with sharp blades inlaid at the tip of each arm.
The battle has begun again.
The giant puppet's strength and defense have been further enhanced. The Chidori and Rasengan, which could previously inflict heavy damage on it, can now only leave slight marks, and these wounds can be quickly healed.
"Taiyi, this can't go on! Its energy is practically limitless!"
Kakashi used Chidori to cut open another metal arm, but the severed limb reattached in no time, and he shouted, panting heavily.
"You hold this monster back, and I, as the Queen of Loulan, can sever the power of the dragon vein."
Seram then displayed her queenly aura, shouting to Kakashi and the others on the battlefield.
The Queen's move clearly provoked An Lushan, who ignored Kakashi and the others and went straight for Seram.
Kakashi and the others were not about to let him have his way.
Wood Release: Tree Binding for Eternal Burial.
Lightning Release: Lightning Blade.
Dayama Rasengan.
Three deadly moves, some entangled, some attacked, firmly bound An Lushan to the spot. Although they couldn't kill him, they made it impossible for him to move an inch.
Just as Seram was about to step onto the altar, An Lushan let out a deafening roar.
"Serahm, look!"
Its chest armor suddenly split open to the sides, revealing a core compartment that was protected by layers of armor!
Inside that cramped cabin, a young girl dressed in Loulan royal attire, unconscious and bound, was being held captive.
"Sarah!" Queen Seram screamed in anguish.
"Hahahaha!" An Lushan's frenzied voice echoed throughout the space.
"See that? Seram! Your precious daughter is right here! If you take another step, I will kill this noble princess."
As she spoke, a sharp blade reached out towards Sarah, pressing its edge firmly against her fair neck, a trickle of blood slowly flowing down the blade.
We must be careful not to harm the innocent!
The immense threat brought Kakashi, Naruto, and Yamato's attacks to an instant halt. Rin's heart leaped into her throat. The Queen nearly fainted.
"Sarah—my daughter—no—" the Queen whispered in despair.
The atmosphere in the entire underground space froze. Only the cracking sounds of the puppets struggling to break free of their restraints remained.
An Lushan's twisted smile looked exceptionally ferocious on the puppet, but he didn't care at all, as if he had already taken control of the whole situation.
At this critical moment, everyone's eyes were on Sarah, who was being held hostage.
A figure appeared inside the giant puppet without warning.
It's Taiyi!
In the previous battle, many parts of the puppet were scattered everywhere. He secretly imprinted the Flying Thunder God mark on many of these parts, and now his mark has spread all over the inside of the puppet.
"What?!"
The sinister smile on An Lushan's face instantly turned into utter horror and disbelief! He didn't even have time to react!
Taiyi's speed is at its absolute limit!
He condensed chakra in one hand, transforming it into a giant chakra blade, and directly severed the blade that was across Sara's neck.
With his other hand, he tore off the chains binding him and picked up the unconscious princess.
Painful kicks start.
With a crack, the giant puppet's chest shattered into pieces, and Taiyi, using the recoil, carried the princess away from the puppet.
"Rescue successful! Now!"
Taiyi's voice clearly reached the ears of his companions below. His figure, carrying Sara, vanished in mid-air in a flash, and the next moment appeared beside Lin and the Queen.
"Lin!" Taichi handed Sarah to Lin. "Check her out!"
"Understood!" Lin immediately began first aid.
"A perfect opportunity!" Kakashi's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his long-suppressed killing intent and lightning chakra erupted without reservation!
Raiche.
He transformed into a blazing white lightning spear that pierced through the heavens and earth, his target aimed directly at the large hole that Taiyi had trampled out.
Naruto was not to be outdone. He condensed an unprecedentedly huge Rasengan with both hands, and with the will to destroy everything, he followed closely behind Kakashi and smashed it hard into the puppet's head!
Yamato exerted his power once again, with a large number of trees extending to tightly restrict the puppet's movements, creating the perfect opportunity for Kakashi and Naruto to deliver a fatal blow!