71

Chapter 71: Ripple Breathing?

  The atmosphere in Japan during the Taisho period was similar to that of the British Industrial Revolution. This familiar scene brought back a sense of nostalgia in Dior's heart.

  This remembrance is not directed at his father who once disappointed him, but is dedicated to his mother who worked hard to raise him.

  In this strange land, Dio's majestic figure of 1.85 meters tall is like a mountain standing out from the crowd in this country where the average height is less than 1.6 meters. No matter where he goes, he becomes the focus of everyone's attention.

  His arrival was like a majestic lion inadvertently breaking into the territory of the dwarf animals. Wherever he passed, he caused waves of exclamations and onlookers from the civilians.

  However, Dio hated the feeling of being watched like a rare animal.

  Dio moved his fingers slightly, and an evil spirit understood what Dio meant, roaring and rushing towards the civilians around him.

  Amid the crowd's screams of astonishment, two civilians were chopped into eight pieces by the evil spirit, and large amounts of blood splattered on people's clothes.

  This sudden terrorist attack plunged the entire street into unprecedented panic.

  People ran around in panic, trying to escape from this horrible hell.

  Driven by panic, the crowd became more and more chaotic, and countless people fell to the ground injured as they trampled on each other.

  The streets were filled with the sounds of painful groans and scattered items. The bustling streets became as miserable as hell on earth.

  As the noise and chaos on the streets gradually subsided, Dio stood there alone.

  He looked around and his signature smile appeared on his face. His exaggerated laughter echoed in the empty streets, full of arrogance and complacency, as if announcing to the world: He is the real ruler of this world.

  After a few seconds, Dio's laughter suddenly stopped. He narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly turned his head, his eyes fixed on a half-open window on the second floor of a prosperous restaurant.

  From that window, Dio sensed a faint breath fluctuation, which was the life energy of human beings.

  What interested him even more was that this breath was mixed with the flavor of the ripple breathing technique that he was familiar with.

  On the second floor of the restaurant, Taisho Furuta, a Class A member of the Demon Slayer Corps, was holding his breath and carefully hiding behind a window.

  His eyes were fixed on the street below, keeping a close eye on Dio Brando and the demon below.

  Taizheng Gutian originally just planned to come here to enjoy a midnight snack, but he never expected to be involved in this sudden storm.

  Just as Tai Zheng Gutian once again looked through the window and observed the situation below with the faint light of the street lamp, a trace of astonishment suddenly flashed in his eyes.

  Dio Brando, who was still standing there, suddenly disappeared from the street without him noticing.

  The evil ghost seemed unaware of all this.

  It still hunched over, greedily tearing at the corpse on the ground, each bite accompanied by a creepy chewing sound.

  Tai Zheng Gutian could clearly see that blood was dripping from the corner of the evil ghost's mouth, and his face was full of cruelty and satisfaction.

  This sudden change made the battle-hardened Tai Zheng Gu Tian feel inexplicably nervous.

  He gripped the weapon tightly in his hand, his nerves tense to the extreme, fearing that something unpredictable would happen in the next second.

  "Boy, where did you learn that breathing technique?" The sudden voice made Tai Zheng Gutian's heart beat faster.

  He turned around quickly and saw Dio squatting on a small table in an extremely strange posture, his eyes like a wolf's pupils in the dark night, fixed on him tightly.  

  Dio was unusually tall, and even as he crouched on the table, he was almost at eye level with Taizheng Gutian when he stood.

  This feeling of oppression made Tai Zheng Gu Tian unconsciously tighten the Nichirin Sword in his hand.

  As an A-class member of the Demon Slayer Corps, Taisho Furuta would naturally not be frightened by this situation. Almost at the same time as Dio finished speaking, he had already drawn the Nichirin Sword in his hand.

  "Breathing of Fire Form II: Rising Flame Sky!" Tai Zheng Gu Tian shouted in a deep voice, and the Sun Wheel Sword he was holding tightly burst into dazzling flames in an instant.

  The blade suddenly slashed from bottom to top, leaving a trail of hot flames.

  The flames tore through the air, making a whistling sound, accompanied by a strong smell of burning.

  Tai Zheng Gutian stared at Dio's neck, as if he had foreseen the victory that this knife would bring.

  Just as the blade was about to touch Dio's neck, Dio simply waved his hand lightly.

  Taizheng Gutian only felt an invisible resistance suddenly coming, and the Sun Blade, which was originally as powerful as a bamboo, was suddenly fixed in the air, only three centimeters away from Dio's neck.

  At this moment, time seemed to freeze. Tai Zheng Gutian widened his eyes, looking at the scene in disbelief.

  Dio gently placed his fingers on the flaming blade, and the flame made a sizzling sound when it came into contact with Dio's fingers.

  Dio closed his eyes, a look of concentration on his face.

  "A familiar energy, it seems to be a variation of the Ripple Breathing Technique."

  The principle of ripple breathing is to generate ripple-like energy in the human body through a special breathing rhythm, thereby stimulating powerful vitality.

  This power was originally created for the purpose of self-cultivation and the pursuit of immortality.

  Although the outward manifestation of the Breathing of Flame demonstrated by Taizheng Gutian was very different from the Ripple Breathing Method, Dio was able to keenly capture their inner commonalities.

  Dio withdrew his fingers, and the burned wound healed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye under the astonished gaze of Taizheng Gutian.

  Dio slowly stood up from the table, like a giant beast awakening from sleep, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

  His height and physique formed an insurmountable barrier in front of Taizheng Gutian. The nearly 30-centimeter height difference and the sculpture-like majestic muscles made Taizheng Gutian feel unprecedented oppression.

  In the face of this powerful momentum, Taizheng Gutian's hands, which were tightly gripping the Nichirin Sword, trembled constantly, as if telling of his inner panic and anxiety.

  Taizheng Gutian felt like a lone boat on the raging ocean. The raging storm made him shaky and he could be swallowed up by the huge waves at any time.

  Dio spoke again: "Tell me, boy, where did you learn the ripple breathing method?"

  Taizheng Gutian clenched his teeth, took a deep breath, and used the Fire Breathing Technique to gather all the strength of his body into the Sun Blade in his hand.

  The flames on the blade grew more and more intense, as if trying to break free and engulf the entire restaurant in flames.

  "Evil ghost! Die!" Taizheng Furuta roared and swung the burning Sun Blade towards Dio.

  (End of this chapter)