The guards came from all corners of Clearwater City. Fear and anticipation filled their faces as they were about to face a situation that they had only been practicing for.
They took to the skies and managed to locate their target swiftly.
The target was extremely eye catching.
A black hole lurked in the northwestern corner of the city. It was frantically sucking in elemental energy from all directions.
Elemental energy suffocation!
Clearwater City’s guards were of the highest calibre. Elementalists who joined their ranks had to be powerful, skillful, and rich in combat experience. Clearwater City only recruited guards with superior qualities, and applicants were mostly of a certain calibre. Those who eventually rose above the competition to become guards of Clearwater City were definitely among the very best.
However, colour drained from these elite guards’ faces when they saw their target.
They knew what elemental energy suffocation was, and many of them had already mastered it. But the chaotic way in which the black hole before them expanded made them slightly afraid.
This range…
Only a Master was capable of something like that!
On any other ordinary day, they wouldn’t be this flustered, since Clearwater City had consecrated two Masters for protection. Unfortunately, today was one of those rare occasions when both Masters were away.
There was usually at least one Master keeping watch over the city.
It appeared that the enemy knew exactly when to strike.
Everyone looked pale, but they gritted their teeth and flew towards the area of emergency. The present situation did not look good, but a prestigious job like this was hard to come by. They had achieved their standing today by emerging victorious in a fierce competition. Fleeing instead of fighting would definitely cost them their job, and there won’t be any second chances.
A guard with a tarnished reputation would never be employed by any city. No man would put his life and wealth in the hands of a coward.
Inside the tavern, Yang Wuchang’s face turned ashen. He knew that this was the end.
He had been extremely cautious all this while, and had effortfully avoided the big shots. He had a clear understanding of the law of the jungle, which dictated that only the strong survive. Even having an uncle who was a Master couldn’t guarantee anything. In the eyes of most people, Yang Wuchang was arrogant and defiant. What they didn’t notice was that he never set foot in the richer districts and never provoked sectors that were thriving. He only ever targeted corners that these people probably didn’t even know existed.
Cotton Tree Tavern was a nearby budget tavern. Only the poorest of people would stay in such a place.
When he learnt that the target was staying there, he couldn’t control his greed any longer.
Even so, he did not let his guard down. Yang Wuchang had gone after Zhao Boan only after he was sure that the guy was a servant.
He had it all thought out.
What’s a little extra suffering to a servant?
If the other party was someone remarkable, he would simply lower himself and apologize. He was sure that the other party would let the matter go out of respect to his uncle.
Nobody would risk offending a Master over a mere servant.
However, it seemed like he had miscalculated. He did not expect the other party to react so fiercely, going so far as to give him a tight slap.
Yang Wuchang had never been so humiliated before. Infuriated, he had responded with even greater force.
He soon realized his folly. As he lost control over his own elemental energy, Yang Wuchang became filled with fear.
His eyes were focused on his adversary’s palm. It grew brighter by the second and was now almost as bright as the sun, making his eyes tear involuntarily.
Yang Wuchang’s body instinctively tried to turn around. Like an agile cat, he immediately shifted his stance.
Escape!
A strong suction force suddenly grabbed him from behind. It felt like an invisible palm was gripping him hard,
A Master!
Fear was swiftly spreading through Yang Wuchang’s body. He was no stranger to this feeling, it was the same kind of fear that he experienced whenever he went up against his uncle. A casual attack by his uncle was enough to send his mind racing, making him feel like there was nowhere to run.
Yang Wuchang bit down on his tongue. The severe pain, along with the strong taste of blood, gave him a moment of clarity. He ripped the blue water droplet off his neck and crushed it with all his might.
With a pop, the blue water droplet turned into a large bubble that encased Yang Wuchang within. The bubble was very thin and almost imperceptible to the naked eye. No one would have noticed it if not for the ripples that occasionally appeared on the bubble’s surface.
Yang Wuchang finally managed to break free from the immense suction. Given to him by his uncle, the Mist Cage could last for up to four hours upon activation.
Bang!
An explosive sound blasted through the air as a streak of dazzling light whipped at the bubble. The impact sent the bubble flying through the tavern’s front doors at an insane speed.
Yang Wuchang felt the world around him spin and lost all control of his body.
Loud ringing filled his ears while he slumped in a daze. It was quite a while later before he realized that the bubble had become embedded in a wall. Realizing he was still alive, Yang Wuchang felt a wave of happiness rush through his body.
Shi Xueman was slightly shocked by the bubble’s durability. Taking a second look at it, she realized that it was the work of a Master.
She calmly strolled out of the tavern and headed towards the bubble.
A spark of interest lit up in her cold eyes. She was excited to see a master water elementalist’s creation up close.
Yang Wuchang had just recovered from his daze when he noticed Shi Xueman walking towards him. The curiosity in her eyes gave him a bad feeling. Trembling, he hastily said, "Misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding!"
Shi Xueman ignored him. She looked up and noticed that there were many elementalists advancing to their position.
Out of nowhere, Ai Hui appeared behind her, "These are guards from Clearwater City."
"It’s a misunderstanding, really!" Yang Wuchang mopped his face and whimpered. "My uncle is Master Yang Xiaodong, you can ask around to verify. I deserve to die for offending you, but please give my uncle some face and let me repay you for my transgression!"
He had seized the slightest opportunity to bring up his uncle’s name.
He was truly frightened this time.
Ai Hui saw Shi Xueman brush her hand against Cirrus that was strapped against her back. He said, "Go finish him off, I’ll handle these guys."
Shi Xueman retracted her palm. Acknowledging Ai Hui’s words, she continued to walk towards Yang Wuchang.
Yang Wuchang cried out in despair, "Spare me please Madam! Mercy! Surely a great person like you won’t bother with a lowlife like me! I must have been blind…"
Shi Xueman completely ignored him. She stood silently in front of the bubble, her beautiful eyes unusually bright. She was intrigued by the Mist Cage and very much wanted to explore its capabilities.
"Identify yourselves! Stop whatever you are doing!"
One of the guards shouted down at them. Their sheer numbers gave them courage.
Ai Hui stroked his chin as he rolled the Wintry Jade Blade in his palm. He had no intention to attack, but the day’s events reminded him of something. The A-grade fire liquid was highly coveted, and others would jump at any chance to rush them. The only way to deter these greedy people was to scare them back with a display of pure power.
A show this big was going to be a pain.
Ai Hui was motivated by the thought of earning some more money. He called for Lou Lan, "Lou Lan, grass sword!"
"Coming, Ai Hui."
Lou Lan answered loudly and threw a bundle of grass swords to him.
Ai Hui grabbed the bundle, separated them and methodically inserted them into the ground.
Thump!
The earth trembled and the mountains swayed.
Shi Xueman suddenly gave the bubble a good, solid punch. Yang Wuchang, who was still inside, felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
The guards who had rushed over were furious when they found Shi Xueman continuing with her assault. They glanced at each other before diving towards her.
Shrill howls resounded throughout Clearwater City. More than a dozen streaking lights sped towards Shi Xueman like unstoppable arrows.
Ai Hui was completely immersed in placing the grass swords in the ground and was blissfully unaware of the approaching guards.
Ai Hui put the last sword in place just as the guards were right above his head. Surrounding him were thirty or so grass swords that were sticking out of the ground at all angles.
Ai Hui stood in the middle of the swords and looked up at the sky.
His eyes shone faintly, like stars in the night. He solemnly mumbled to himself.
"My dear swords, please let us make more money."
In the mayor’s residence, Qiao Meiqi’s face turned ghastly pale when he heard the alarm wailing.
He felt embarrassed that his guests had to witness this unpleasant situation.
There were two guests sitting in front of him, an old man and a young lady. The young lady was about eighteen or nineteen, naive and innocent. The elderly man was lying on a long couch, eating snacks non stop while humming a tune.
The mayor’s residence entered defensive mode.
The river that surrounded the mayor’s residence created a water screen that enveloped the entire place.
Qiao Meiqi gloomily asked, "What’s happening? Who sounded the alarm?"
His subordinate quickly reported, "It was from the cloud defense layer, Tu Xiaojun is on duty today."
Qiao Meiqi calmed down slightly. He remembered Tu Xiaojun as a steadfast individual.
Further updates came two minutes later, "A fight broke out in the northeast corner. We have detected elemental energy suffocation across a large area, its range is about 150 meters. Our troops are rushing over as we speak."
The old man who was busy snacking paused and sat up. An elemental energy suffocation of such a scale implied that someone who was almost as strong as a master was involved.
Qiao Meiqi felt a chill running down his spine. He asked, "Is it Han Li?"
His subordinate reported, "No, not Han Li. It’s a lady who we have yet to identify."
The young lady became excited upon hearing that the other party was a woman. "Uncle Qiao, let’s go check it out!"
Qiao Meiqi looked at the old man, who nodded. "I would like to take a look as well."
Qiao Meiqi felt relieved. With them around, things shouldn’t get too out of hand.
He stood up and sneered, "Let’s go and take a good look at these ‘heroes’!"