The House of Yu was a powerhouse that few had the courage to provoke, well-known for their hidden schemes and undeniably vicious. The few cultivators that had clashed with this house in the past were either found massacred or had vanished entirely, never to return again.

In actuality, Young Lord Yu wasn’t much beloved by the other young cultivators. However, when they had received the invite for the celebration, nobody had the guts to reject it. This was after all the new villa of the Young Lord, the future master of one of the most prominent and influential families in the Sky Water Sect.

It was only after the event had started that they realised how they had been worrying for nothing.

The alcohol present was of high-class quality, including the number of delicacies that most attendees haven’t had the chance to taste before. A number of carefully selected servants accommodated the guests with utmost attention, their appearance alone enough to produce a smile on anyone's face. The Young Lord had surely spared no expense in making the guests feel as comfortable as possible.

Alas, nobody present would have ever expected the situation to degenerate into such a state in a span of a few breaths.

The guards had already encircled the intruder as five different auras of the 3rd Qi Seeking Realm pressed over him. In normal circumstances, they would have questioned the man in front of them. But any orders from their master had to be carried out as swiftly as possible.

“I don’t know what type of treasure you have used to defeat our brothers. But if you think you can escape from the five of us, you are simply deluding yourself!”

Jack appeared unfazed and instead kept pointing his sword-less hilt.

“What are you playing at? Are you trying to make fun of us? Brothers, looks like this bastard doesn’t realise the situation he is in. Let’s teach him some basic manners!” The five guards waved their weapons like barbarians as they charged towards Jack.

The observing crowd had their mouths wide open. They had seen their share of bizarre things, but a cultivator defending against a group of cultivators using only a sword-less hilt was something entirely new. From their point of view, no matter how confident he was, only someone with a few screws loose would act this way.

Jack couldn’t help himself but sigh when he noticed his opponents’ savagery. He remained on alert since he knew that there was no room for any mistake, only swaying his sword-less hilt horizontally at the ideal moment.

The guards were about to land their hit when they realised that their weapons were somehow blocked by some kind of force. They quickly recovered however, and charged against Jack over and over again. But no matter from which position they attacked, all of their attacks were obstructed by their target with a swing of a hilt.

Their initial haughty expressions soon made way for embarrassment and confusion.

“Calm down you all. That hilt must be some sort of protective treasure!”

“I don’t know Captain. There is something bizarre about this man…”

Everyone appeared confounded by the struggling guards. Even the azure-clothed man couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.

The only person who seemed at ease was Jack. “Not bad, not bad. I have to admit that you have some qualities in you. Too bad you have decided to follow a douchebag.”

Jack lowered his eyelids as he waved his hilt towards a particular guard. Suddenly, a man’s cry echoed as a large wound appeared on his chest, spewing blood all over the place. The man’s body shook momentary before falling motionlessly.

Upon noticing the strange collapse of their companion, the remaining guards freaked out. They all assumed different positions and were about to unleash their martial arts techniques when an authoritative voice reverberated out.

“Enough! I shall take care of him. For now, retreat and protect the Young Lord.” The azure-clothed man stood up as he summoned a grey talisman and crushed it into tiny fragments.

Young Lord Yu’s eyes followed the falling pieces attentively, frowning. “Was it really necessary to summon that person, Jian Yan?”

“Young Lord, I may be a peak 4th Qi Seeking Realm cultivator, but our opponent has an essence. No wonder he is acting so conceited.”

“Oh?” The Young Lord expressed deep emotion for the first time as he glanced at Jack with suspicion.

Jian Yan didn’t waste time as he floated upwards, his feet landing with a powerful sound, only a couple of steps away from Jack. “Everyone, the party is over. If you don’t leave now, I can’t guarantee that my sword will not cut your body in half by mistake.”

These words were like cold water pouring on the spectators. Although they were excited to watch the resulting match, they were also frightened by the possible consequences. They had no choice but to nod amicably, then hastily hurried themselves out of the villa. In a couple of breaths, the villa was empty of any obstacles.

“My name is Jian Yan,” the azure-clothed man said as he displayed his long weapon. “It is also the name of the man who will be sending you to the underworld.”

Jack wasn’t a bit surprised by the attitude of this cultivator. This man seemed arrogant and impulsive, and Jack’s first impression of him was already in the negative. He also understood where the guards got their arrogance from.

Jack shrugged as he displayed a sad face like a little child. “Sending me to the underworld? What if I had to tell you that I just came from there? Your prayers have reached my soul, so I’ve come back to offer you my gratitude. Alas, it seems you don’t appreciate my visit?”

Jian Yan trembled; he was unsure if his opponent was mentally retarded, being sarcastic or just spouting nonsense. Whatever, it didn’t matter.

He dashed forward like a crazed beast. His sword flickered with rainbow-like lights at random intervals, looking very mysterious as it cut through the air.

Jack could already feel his inner circulation being suppressed by the superior aura, but his unruffled eyes maintained maximum concentration at all times. Just before the enemy was within his reach, he waved his hilt with elegance and completely blocked Jian Yan’s sword, much to the latter’s annoyance.

This absurd defence infuriated Jian Yan as he began swinging his sword in a wave of attacks. However, Jack was a solid rock that could not be broken.

“Damn bastard! What kind of treasure are you using?!”

Jack burst out laughing. “Why should I tell you? People who talk a lot usually have short life spans. If you are that intelligent and mighty, why don’t you try figuring it out yourself?”

“Impudence!” Jian Yan was about to roar in a frenzy when he noticed Young Lord Yu’s angry gaze.

Jian Yan felt a slight shiver coming down his spine, quickly calming his mind and instead carefully analysed the situation. Moments later, he raised his sword horizontally at his eyes’ elevation, then muttered slowly.

“Qualitative Sword Scripture, 1st Art: Images of the Light!”

Jian Yan’s sword flashed with flickering lights. Slowly, two more identical swords began emerging from the sword, hovering in the air next to the original. He graciously let go of his unique sword, and after making several movements with his palms, the sword and the two images hurled towards his opponent.

Jack frowned as he sheathed his hilt, instead extending both of his palms and braced himself for the impact.

When Jian Yan noticed this, he mocked Jack while he directed the three swords towards him with ever-increasing speed. When they eventually came into contact with Jack, the three swords bizarrely exploded with powerful waves of qi that sent Jack flying in the opposite direction.

The severe impact forced Jack to cough up blood. However, he soon regained his footwork. He had suffered some internal injuries, and his breathing had increased, but he was in much better shape than his opponent had predicted.

On the other hand, Jian Yan couldn’t believe his eyes and thought that they were trying to deceive him.

This attack was his ultimate trump card, enough to slice an ordinary 3rd Qi Seeking Realm cultivator in three parts! What exactly happened? How was his opponent still brimming with life, almost uninjured?

A terrifying silence occupied the villa. Everyone stared at Jack like he was some kind of sovereign in complete control, ready to vanquish anyone who dared to oppose him.

Taking his time, Jack went ahead and picked up Jian Yan’s sword, and after some inspection, he stored it on himself. “Cool sword. I’ll be taking it as rental payment. I hope nobody has any objections?”

Jack appeared more than satisfied as he kept walking towards the shuddering Jian Yan, who had already fallen on his knees, heavily panting due to the large consumption of Qi from his previous attack.

“No matter how strong you are, our House—”

Jack didn’t give Jian Yan any time to finish his sentence as he sent him flying with a kick, his body crashing through several tables until finally resting on a dented bench. The poor-looking Jian Yan struggled to utter something, but no words could come out, falling unconscious few moments later.

Jack then turned his attention over the remaining guards. Although he didn’t say anything, his eyes were seemingly inviting them to come forward.

The guards had no choice but to attack in unison. However, the defeat of their Master had shattered their moral, and although they all utilised their martial arts to the best of their abilities, they were no match for Jack who easily disposed of them with a couple of moves.

With nobody left to defend him, beads of sweat began forming on Young Lord Yu’s face as he searched for a way of retreat. He indeed was the first child of the House Yu, but his cultivation was only at the 3rd Qi seeking realm. He knew he stood no chance against Jack.

“Who are you? Why are you doing this? I am the future leader of House Yu! If you harm me, my entire house will hunt you down!”

Jack shook his head. “I think your House will hunt me down regardless if I kill you or not. However, I am not some bastard who enjoys killing others for fun. You can thank the heavens that I am yet to turn into a crook like the lot of you. Otherwise, I would have killed you all today. I suggest you take your friends and leave this place before I change my mind.”

Young Lord Yu shivered at the emphasised words. “Leave? Are you crazy! This is my villa! Why should I leave? Not only you dared to attack us, but you also want to steal our property?”

“Oh, your property? Are you sure about that? Observe well, does this medallion ring a bell? Do you know who I am, you dumb hypocrite? Let me tell you, Dai Jun had bought this area and the pagoda for myself. Now, who is the one stealing?”

Lord Yu appeared dumbfounded. “Impossible! Who are you trying to fool by impersonating him?! There is no way you can be that mortal! You have killed him, and you are now using his identity to slander our house! This is theft under the pretence of justice!”

Jack felt disgusted by this man’s behaviour. His internal core was already churning with energy when an overwhelming aura suddenly pressured over him. An instinct of danger flooded Jack’s mind as he urgently dashed a couple of steps.

In his previous position, much to his shock, Jack could see a new face smiling back at him. He had a placid face, his grey hair bound into a simple ponytail which leaned against his shoulder. But what alerted Jack the most was that this man wore a similar robe as him.

“Hui Lang… you could have easily killed him right now…” The insides of Young Lord Yu were fuming at the missed opportunity. However, he quickly understood the crux of the problem.“Fine, fine! If you get rid of this pest, I promise you two essence attractor pills and three young maidens.”

Hui Lang chuckled. “What? Don’t tell me your life is only worth this much? Four essence attractor pills and five young maidens. Any less, I’m leaving.”

“Ridiculous! Do you think those pills grow on trees? This is daylight robbery!” Young Lord Yu couldn’t suppress his fury anymore.

He began regretting not bringing his family’s notification talisman with him. However, he never would have guessed that some freak cultivator would appear and defeat all his personal guards!

He found himself in an impossible situation, so in the end, he had no other choice but to reluctantly accept.

Hui Lang nodded with gratification. “Now, that’s more like it. I was sure that House Yu would adhere to its reputation. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have risen this much.”

These words sounded complimentary, but Young Lord Yu knew that they were full of sarcasm. “Cut the crap, get rid of him already!”

Jack frowned. “This is a private matter between myself and this guy over the ownership of this area. There is no need for you to meddle into our affairs. It shouldn't concern you.”

Hui Lang surprisingly agreed with Jack. “True, so true. My connections with House Yu don’t run deep at all. But, who can say no to some free stuff? I bet you would have done the same in my stead. Besides, there is another reason why I have decided to stay here today.”

Jack felt uneasy as he produced his hilt and stood on guard, carefully observing the movements of his opponent.