Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 272 - 220: The Person in the Shadows: One Man Suppresses a Nation (Part 2)

"But if I have to choose, I lean toward the latter."

Beichuan Tian took a deep breath. He didn’t cut a very respectable figure at the moment—his face was haggard, dark circles ringed his eyes, and his hair was a mess.

The events of the past few days had placed him under immense pressure; the string of bad news had nearly broken his spirit.

"Elaborate."

At Beichuan Tian’s words, the many high-ranking Japanese officials in attendance began to whisper among themselves.

What happened tonight had truly made them feel terror.

Over thirty thousand soldiers was nearly the limit of what Tokyo could mobilize. Yet even so, Mr. Tengsen and the rest of the high command had been wiped out in one fell swoop.

The firearms they valued so highly were like useless fire pokers before that man.

"According to our intelligence, this Yi Beidou’s methods are aggressive and extreme. He always follows through on his word and is known to be vengeful over the smallest slight. Back when he was in Donghua, he was attacked by the Pioneer Group’s Super Warriors in Yunhai Province. After killing five Super Warriors, he immediately crossed the Donghua border on foot, entered another country, and massacred the entire armed contingent in a Pioneer Group skyscraper."

"On his way back to Donghua, he survived an assassination attempt by the Great Vow Master. He immediately changed course, stormed into Siam, destroyed the Master’s Dao Field, and captured one of Siam’s Saint Realm experts. If Siam hadn’t backed down in the end and treated him with the highest honors, the situation likely wouldn’t have ended peacefully."

"While I can’t estimate his true power, I can get a decent read on his personality from this intelligence. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if, at this very moment, the door to this conference hall were pushed open and that man was standing right there."

Beichuan Tian said with a wry smile.

The events of the past few days had made him completely abandon any hostility toward Yi Beidou.

It wasn’t just ineffective; it courted disaster.

Upon hearing Beichuan Tian’s words, many of the VIPs present instinctively glanced toward the conference hall doors, a bone-chilling sensation creeping into their hearts.

Beichuan Tian’s words sounded absurd, but on second thought, they realized he was simply stating a fact.

Mr. Tengsen and his men had probably thought it was absurd, too. Then that man simply pushed open their door.

The images from the scene were deeply seared into the minds of every dignitary present.

"I believe this operation was indeed too reckless. The situation was originally confined to the Martial Arts Realm; the conflict should never have been escalated to this degree."

"Although his actions are tantamount to an invasion, he is, after all, no ordinary person. He might represent a new era and cannot be measured by ordinary laws or logic. In a way, the fact that he hasn’t harmed any civilians is perhaps the greatest courtesy he could have shown us."

"This matter must end. Continuing this will only lead to greater losses. The most important thing for us to do now is to appease his anger and get him out of Japan as quickly as possible."

"He wants someone to be held accountable, so let’s give him that. Whoever was in charge of this affair should be the one to step forward and take responsibility."

"..."

With one official speaking after another, the high-ranking officials seemed to have set the tone for how to proceed.

They no longer wanted to oppose Yi Beidou.

To put it bluntly, it was just a matter of reputation. Even if they managed to kill Yi Beidou, they stood to gain very little, and their own safety would be at risk.

Besides, this was a golden opportunity to purge political rivals. Certain high-level factions could use this incident as an excuse to conduct a major reshuffle.

And providing accountability was simple enough—just find someone to take the fall.

That night, a vice-minister of the Ministry of Defense, Japan, took his own life with a gun in his office. The guards who arrived found a blood-spattered suicide note on his desk.

In the note, the vice-minister claimed he had once been indebted to several veteran Saint Realm masters from the Japan Martial Arts Realm. Therefore, to deal with Yi Beidou, he had mobilized the army without authorization. He wrote that he had made a grave error, had failed the Japanese People, and thus took his own life under immense psychological pressure.

The Japanese government also held a press conference, claiming the operation was a misunderstanding. They stated that the government would not interfere in the affairs of the Martial Arts Realm, and as long as civilians and important public facilities remained unharmed, they would not interfere with Yi Beidou’s activities.

During the press conference, the Japanese government spokesperson also heavily emphasized the trend of the new era. He called upon the Japanese People to embrace this development, learn from advanced Martial Arts Dao experience to strengthen the nation, and even publicly thanked Yi Beidou for coming. The spokesperson claimed it was his arrival that shattered the stagnant, self-imposed isolation of the Japan Martial Arts Realm and allowed them to see the dawn of a new epoch for human life...

As for the Martial Artists who had died, the Japanese government stated they had been defeated and killed in fair duels. It was their own choice, a form of honor befitting a Warrior, and did not fall under the category of murder or terrorism.

As for figures like Divine Ninja Sen Dizang, who was killed while trying to escape, the Japanese government conveniently chose to ignore him.

This news spread rapidly among the upper echelons of every nation.

Anyone with a discerning eye knew that there was no way a single vice-minister could have authorized such a large-scale operation on his own. He was clearly a scapegoat put forward by Japan’s top leadership.

But this also clearly demonstrated the Japanese leadership’s attitude of capitulation.

They were afraid.

This left all the world leaders who were following the situation in awe.

One person had actually forced an entire nation’s government to bow its head. It was nothing short of a miracle!

It was like when the two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, changing the tide of the world war. Since then, there has never been another large-scale, all-out global conflict.

And now, again in Japan, the being known as the Great Demon King had, by his own power, confronted a nation and forced the leadership of a developed country to bow. This, too, would change all of human society.

The power of an individual had once again shattered the dominion of firearms, revealing itself to the entire world.

Leaders of many nations convened emergency meetings overnight. Countries that had been bogged down by internal bickering and power struggles over Cultivation reforms now scrambled to pass the relevant legislation at top speed and began implementing it with the greatest haste.

Without a doubt, Yi Beidou’s battle in Japan did not just change Japan; it spurred the revival of life Cultivation throughout the entire world.

After calamity comes new life.

「The next morning.」

After "borrowing" a set of clothes and a considerable sum of money from the local underworld, Yi Beidou, having slightly recovered from his injuries, stopped hiding. He appeared in public and began to stroll through the streets of Japan, causing a massive commotion.

Wherever he went, some people shrank back in terror, but even more gathered to watch in excitement.

"MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY!"

Suddenly, Japanese police officers cleared a path through the crowd. A group of men in sharp suits, flanked by heavily armed soldiers, walked toward Yi Beidou.

"Is that... the cabinet’s Minister of Defense?!"

"What?! You’re not seeing things, are you?!"

"Didn’t you see yesterday’s press conference? How could I get it wrong?"

"..."

Shocked whispers rippled through the crowd.

"Mr. Yi, I am Daquan Yi, Japan’s Minister of Defense. Last night’s incident was a misunderstanding. We have already dealt with the personnel involved. On behalf of the government of Japan, I apologize. Furthermore, we are honored to welcome you to our country to guide us on the path of Cultivation and demonstrate the greatness of humanity."

The middle-aged man leading the group gave Yi Beidou a full ninety-degree bow. Yi Beidou could hear the man’s heart hammering violently in his chest.

He was extremely reluctant to face Yi Beidou, but as the one with primary responsibility for the incident, he could not shirk his duty.

In that moment, he felt as if he were staring Death right in the face.