Chapter Sixty-Eight: Are You Threatening Me?

Opening the wooden box, he found a four-leaf green lotus displayed inside. Its roots had left the blue rock, yet not only had they not withered, they emanated a rich vitality. This was the purest essence found in all heaven and earth, containing surging spiritual energy capable of saving any person afflicted with a deadly illness. Even those on the brink of death could be pulled back from the gates of the underworld by this lotus.

Tonight, Jiang Yu had waged another bloody campaign, slaughtering the Shadow Kill, all for this single lotus leaf.

“Finally, it’s mine.”

A satisfied smile touched his lips.

That night, Yu Prefecture was shaken, its people restless with fear.

In the manor of Emerald Willow Residence, where willows hung in groves and the evening breeze intoxicated, an elder wearing a loose white robe and cloth shoes opened his eyes and murmured, “That vast ocean of mental power has finally vanished.”

Several middle-aged men stood behind him, exchanging glances full of doubt. The elder had been about to rest earlier, but seemed to sense something, rushing out of the villa in a panic and standing outside for over half an hour, motionless.

On the top floor of Huating Entertainment Company, Chairman Xu Changming was drenched in cold sweat. In front of him stood a thin, bent man less than one meter sixty tall, sporting a goatee.

“Elder Jiang, what exactly happened?” Xu Changming asked cautiously.

Elder Jiang’s voice was hoarse and grating: “Half an hour ago, a boundless mental force instantly enveloped Yu Prefecture. To achieve such a feat—only the one who killed Shen Wan’an in Liusha Town could manage it.”

Xu Changming’s legs nearly gave way, almost dropping him to the floor. “He’s come to Yu Prefecture?”

Two days prior, he’d received word that Jiang the Great was heading for Yu Prefecture to settle old scores with Huating Entertainment. Back then, Xu Changming had boasted of having experts at his side, confident that no matter how formidable the opponent, he could send them away in disgrace.

Elder Jiang nodded. “This man is rumored to be not only a martial arts master but also a true practitioner of mystical arts.”

Xu Changming grew uneasy; now even he felt uncertain.

“Elder Jiang, you…”

Elder Jiang waved his hand. “Don’t worry, President Xu. I have joined forces with four Grandmasters of the Heavenly Masters Sect, together laying the Heavenly Thunder Array here. Even if a master arrives in person, he’ll have no way out.”

Xu Changming breathed easier—Heavenly Masters Sect was famed for their thunder arrays, and it was said they’d used such formations to slay contemporary martial masters.

Meanwhile, across Yu Prefecture, several people withdrew their gaze.

Someone muttered in awe, “Such powerful mental force—perhaps the entire Yu Prefecture was covered by it?”

As time passed, more and more bodies were discovered. From the initial eight, the count rose to nineteen, and by six in the morning, it soared to twenty-five. All the corpses were taken away by mysterious figures clad in special attire.

Despite Yu Prefecture’s efforts to seal the news, by the next morning rumors had swept through high society. Many noble families had already heard of last night’s events.

Twenty-five—all Shadow Kill members, every one slain with a single strike.

Many instantly linked the incident to the young man famed for shaking Liusha Town.

All signs pointed to his arrival in Yu Prefecture.

...

The protagonist of these events was in a hotel in Yu Prefecture.

Jiang Yu was turning a jade bead the size of a quail’s egg in his hand, its surface engraved with immortal sigils. Upon returning last night, he’d immediately taken the turbid jade from Ma Tianzong and spent the whole night refining it into a genuine thunder artifact.

Though it was a single-use item, if detonated, its destructive power would rival a shell.

“If only I had enough mixed thunder jade to craft thousands of these—no matter who I faced, unleashing hundreds at once could fell even an earth immortal. If thousands exploded simultaneously, all of Yu Prefecture would be flattened by thunder.”

Jiang Yu was loath to part with the smooth jade bead.

Unfortunately, in this era, mixed thunder jade had long vanished. To chance upon even one was luck itself. Living as a cultivator in modern times, he was like a skilled woman with no rice to cook—his abilities were useless without materials.

In the room were Gu Feifei, Du Yanran, Ma Tianzong, Li Hao, Lin Wangtian, and Young Master Liu.

Ma Tianzong glanced at the wooden box beside Jiang Yu, which held the snow lotus. Thinking of the news that swept Yu Prefecture that morning, his lips moved but he said nothing.

“This time, Shadow Kill will truly be furious—twenty-five members, fifteen of them secular experts, all left behind in Yu Prefecture. Along with Arno and Shen Wan’an, the top assassins, Shadow Kill has lost half its strength.”

A century of accumulated assets, all lost to a single young master.

Ma Tianzong was unsure if he felt pity or schadenfreude; his emotions were complex.

Suddenly, the sharp sound of high heels on the floor approached, stopping at the door. The locked door was opened from outside, evidently with a spare key.

A tall, beautiful woman in leather jacket and pants entered, her delicate face cold as ice, slamming the door behind her.

“Everyone out,” Jiang Yu waved, finally receiving his expected visitor.

Since last night’s massacre, with the bodies left unhandled, he knew someone would come knocking. The uproar was too great—ordinary citizens witnessed several incidents.

This woman, in her thirties, was a stunning beauty, her figure voluptuous and seductive. Most importantly, her cultivation was at the peak of the Transformation Stage, only a step from mastery. Stronger even than Shen Wan’an.

“You don’t seem surprised at all?” Her expression was colder than frost.

Jiang Yu replied calmly, “Given China’s capabilities, they’d surely trace the clues back to me. Why should I be surprised? Or do you want justice for those twenty-five Shadow Kill members?”

The woman was furious. For years, since the founding of China’s Hidden Realm, martial artists hadn’t openly slaughtered in the secular world. Martial artists were powerful, but that didn’t mean they could override all laws.

Even a master, if disobedient to the Hidden Realm, would be hunted to the ends of the earth.

She said coldly, “Are you not afraid that China will take action against you?”

Jiang Yu, encountering China’s special organizations for the first time, was testing their limits—how much would they tolerate from a secular master?

He smiled, “If the Hidden Realm truly wanted to act, it wouldn’t just be you. Your skills are impressive, but to kill you, I’d need only three steps.”

“And before acting, you’d best consider the consequences of angering a master.”

She met his gaze, unwilling to yield.

After a moment, she sighed and conceded, “Jiang Yu, though China grants masters great authority, you must remember—there are lines that must not be crossed. The Hidden Realm does not wish to see such things again. Next time you’ll face two or more masters.”

Jiang Yu was silent; in such a vast country, finding a few masters was effortless.

“I heard you want Huating Entertainment involved. As a representative of the Hidden Realm, I tell you directly: this cannot happen.”

She crossed her arms, her demeanor imposing.

At thirty-something, already a grandmaster at her peak, she had reason to be proud.

Jiang Yu remained composed. “Huating Entertainment—I will have it.”

His determination made the atmosphere tense.

The woman nearly fumed, having already spoken so plainly, yet the young man before her was impervious. She longed to rush forward, grab him by the head, slap him hard, and remind him she represented the Hidden Realm of all China.

“Jiang Yu, are you truly unafraid of the Hidden Realm? The Hidden Realm has killed disobedient masters before. No matter how strong you are, can you really defy China? Do you know why Gu Changsheng exists? He’s there to kill people like you.”

Jiang Yu’s eyes chilled. “Is that a threat?”

She snorted, saying no more.

This young man, famous since his youth, was so arrogant—if not checked, he’d cause havoc.

Yet in her heart, she was deeply shocked. If not for repeatedly confirming his identity, she wouldn’t believe the youth before her, not yet twenty, had slain Shen Wan’an.

Jiang Yu stood, speaking calmly, “Before the Hidden Realm acts, it should consider whether it’s prepared for a protracted war among masters!”