Outside the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters, fifty meters away, disciples from the ten major syndicates stood guard, their vigilance palpable.
They were on alert for any intrusion by outside forces, while simultaneously watching each other, their gazes locked in a silent display of strength, unwilling to be outdone in presence.
Their leaders were inside negotiating, and they, the subordinates, had to uphold their bosses' honor!
However, the meeting hall doors had been closed for over two hours with no sign of activity.
Several high-ranking members from various syndicates outside began to feel uneasy. They conferred amongst themselves and decided to send representatives to check on the progress of the meeting.
Although this action might disturb those inside and could be seen as an affront to the leaders, they chose to proceed for the sake of safety.
Around ten individuals cautiously approached the meeting hall doors. Just as they were about to knock, they heard heavy impact sounds from within.
"Boom... Boom..."
The thuds were muffled, occurring several seconds apart. A sense of foreboding washed over them, and their hearts sank.
They immediately tried to contact their respective leaders, but without exception, none of the calls went through.
They then rushed out to call for help. Soon after, Yamaguchi-gumi members arrived with demolition tools.
With chainsaws, battering rams, and the desperate efforts of the syndicate members to break down the door, it took over ten minutes before the oak doors finally collapsed. At that moment, a pungent gas spewed out from the mist, causing everyone to weep uncontrollably.
After a while, as the smoke cleared, people looked towards the meeting hall. The scene that greeted them petrified everyone; it was like looking into hell.
At the entrance lay a powerfully built man, unconscious. His white martial arts uniform was stained red.
Everyone immediately recognized him as the head of the Storm Jujutsu Style, Daikado Kenbei!
To their astonishment, this master of judo had lost both his arms.
It turned out that although he had been kicked unconscious by Ling Tian during their fight, as a martial artist in his prime, he had quickly regained consciousness.
Upon waking, he was horrified by the scene before him. He then laboriously crawled to the door and used his body to ram against it. The muffled sounds heard from outside were him attempting to break down the door.
The syndicate disciples immediately sensed something was wrong and rushed in. However, what met their eyes nearly made them wet themselves in fear.
On the floor of the meeting hall lay ten men in disarray. These were the leaders of the ten major syndicates.
Some were unconscious and unresponsive, their conditions unknown. Others were barely clinging to life on the ground, seemingly on the verge of collapsing.
Worse still, their bodies were covered in blood and filth, and their arms had all been severed. The severed arms were piled together in the center of the meeting hall, forming a small mound, a grim monument.
Witnessing this, the hearts of everyone present grew cold. They all knew that the Japanese underworld was about to be plunged into a bloody storm; this was no mere exaggeration.
The people inside were the leaders of the ten major syndicates, yet now, every single one of them had their arms severed, reduced to "human sticks."
A "human stick," no matter how powerful, could no longer lead a syndicate or command respect.
The succession of leadership in these syndicates was always accompanied by bloodshed, slaughter, and treachery! Many would die before a new leader could ascend.
In some cases, power transitions led to unrest, with syndicates being wiped out by rivals or enemies.
At this point, someone suddenly recalled what had happened.
Everyone stepped forward, found their respective leaders, and tried to ask what had occurred. Just then, Yamaguchi Shigeo regained consciousness.
Initially, the disciples from other syndicates suspected that Yamaguchi Shigeo had orchestrated this "Hongmen Banquet," luring the leaders of other factions to their deaths.
However, upon seeing Yamaguchi Shigeo's condition, also reduced to a "human stick," they were spared a bloody confrontation.
"Sir, what exactly happened!"
As Yamaguchi Shigeo regained consciousness, he saw the horrific scene before him and his vision went black, nearly causing him to faint again. Gritting his teeth, he managed to utter a few words: "It... it was the Human Stick Immortal..." With that, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted once more!
It turned out that just moments ago, Ling Tian had released several smoke bombs, which he had confiscated from syndicate members during his recent activities.
With the release of a few smoke bombs, the entire meeting hall was enveloped in thick, multi-colored smoke.
However, this smoke could not hinder Ling Tian's vision. With his Heavenly Eye divine ability, it was as if he had a cheat code.
The syndicate leaders, on the other hand, were like headless flies. Before they could even find an escape route, Ling Tian's Muramasa demon blade descended.
Alas, these ten syndicate leaders, who had once wielded immense power in Japan, capable of shaking the ground with a stomp, were all reduced to "human sticks" by Ling Tian!
After finishing his work, Ling Tian piled their severed arms into a monument. He then administered basic wound treatment to stop the bleeding, otherwise, the sheer loss of blood would have been fatal.
This was not an act of Ling Tian's mercy. Ling Tian believed that letting them die would be too easy. By keeping them alive, armless and humbled, the impact on their syndicates would be even greater.
No syndicate would tolerate a leader who was a "human stick" without arms. Ambitious individuals would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to replace them.
These leaders, being formidable figures, would also not willingly relinquish their positions, leading to inevitable bloody conflicts.
This internal strife would be enough to cripple these syndicates, proving far more effective than Ling Tian personally dismembering them.
Having accomplished all this, Ling Tian, using the smoke as cover, cast an invisibility talisman upon himself and made a stylish departure!
Although the syndicate high-ranking members present unanimously agreed to keep the matter confidential, the incident quickly spread throughout the entire Japanese underworld.
After all, too many people were present at the scene, and the events were too horrific to conceal.
This single incident threw the entire Japanese underworld into chaos. The major syndicates began fighting amongst themselves for power transitions, while members of smaller syndicates widely retired from their criminal activities.