"Fine!" Jason Duke nodded; his patience with Ian Song had reached its limit.
In the next instant, Azure Dragon slashed with his saber, Black Tortoise stabbed with his sword, White Tiger punched out with a roar, and Vermilion Bird, though not yet attacking, had already locked her gaze onto Ian Song, ready to unleash a deadly strike at any moment.
Azure Dragon’s saber cut away all excess—utterly simple, brought to the extreme.
Black Tortoise’s sword thrust forward without hesitation, leaving himself no retreat.
White Tiger’s punch was grand and overwhelming—where he stood, there was no room for anyone else.
Vermilion Bird’s throwing knife was nowhere to be seen, but she was poised to strike at any moment.
This was the first time the Four Secret Guards had joined forces against a single person, yet their coordination was flawless, as if they had practiced together hundreds of times.
Ian Song felt a hint of pressure—and a touch of surprise. He realized that if he attacked Azure Dragon’s saber or Black Tortoise’s sword, the other three would immediately join forces against him.
“It’s said that when the Four Secret Guards join forces, they can battle a Heaven-Man Unity Realm master. Looks like that’s true!” Since attacking any one of them would trigger a joint assault by the other three, Ian Song simply gave up resisting, standing there with a smile.
"He’s giving up resistance?"
Even the Four Secret Guards were surprised.
“Die!”
But instead of holding back because Ian Song had given up, they actually unleashed even greater destructive power.
Boom!
Azure Dragon’s saber struck above Ian Song’s head, but was stopped three inches away by his zhenyuan barrier (a dense shield of true energy).
Black Tortoise’s sword stabbed at Ian Song’s chest, but again was blocked three inches away by the floating zhenyuan barrier.
White Tiger’s fist hammered into Ian Song’s abdomen, but was stopped three inches short, unable to advance any farther.
A flash of silver light streaked past.
It was a throwing knife, charged with Vermilion Bird’s spirit energy (spirit qi).
Clang!
With a soft sound, the throwing knife hit Ian Song squarely—but was instantly bounced away by his zhenyuan barrier.
"You really can battle a Heaven-Man Unity Realm master, but you still can’t break a Heaven-Man’s defense. So, being able to fight one is only half a joke!"
Ian Song’s voice rang out again. Then, he casually slapped out three palms—Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger were all knocked backward, crashing to the ground.
Ian Song hadn’t hit them hard—just enough to send the three flying, not even leaving them with minor injuries. Yet their faces turned pale, eyes vacant, their minds echoing with the word "joke."
The Four Secret Guards were the idols every Thousand-Mechanism Guard aspired to become.
That’s why the Four Secret Guards were extraordinary, proud, and rarely took action—but whenever they did, it was earth-shattering.
Last time, Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise joined forces and still lost to Ian Song.
This time, even with all four joining forces, they still lost.
It wasn’t just their bodies that lost—it was their proud, undefeated hearts.
Jason Duke barked at the three, "Snap out of it! Heroes aren’t judged by victory or defeat—has one small loss really crushed your fighting spirit?"
Jason Duke’s voice exploded in their minds, snapping the three out of their daze.
Each of them shot Ian Song a deep look, then bowed to Jason Duke: "Thank you for the reminder, Commander!"
If Jason Duke hadn’t snapped them out of it, they might have been trapped in their own mental knots forever.
"No worries. You three stand aside and watch—this fight’s mine!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jason Duke strode forward. His eyes, already bright as stars, grew even brighter. Staring at Ian Song, he spoke slowly, his voice deep and calm: "Ten years ago, after mastering my cultivation, I haven’t fought anyone—because none were worthy. But you… you finally make me want to fight. No, to kill!"
Ian Song curled his lip, unimpressed: "Would you die if you didn’t act cool? If you wanna fight, just do it—why waste time with all this pointless blabber?"
"Fine, I’ll grant your wish! Take my Heaven-Breaking Hand!"
As soon as he spoke, Jason Duke’s star-bright eyes suddenly dimmed. The next instant, Ian Song felt a palm press against his chest.
Ian Song was sent flying, crashing heavily dozens of meters away.
Sudden—far too sudden!
Jason Duke’s attack was so fast and unexpected, he had no time to prepare.
Slowly, Ian Song got up from the ground, wiped the blood from his lips, and activated his Life Divine Light. His injuries healed at a miraculous speed.
He looked at Jason Duke. "I was careless. I didn’t expect your martial technique to reach such a level—enough to briefly freeze time!"
That’s right—Jason Duke had wounded him by manipulating time. Otherwise, his speed would never have fooled Ian Song’s eyes.
Jason Duke nodded. "I didn’t expect you to survive my full-powered strike, let alone recover so quickly. You’re stronger than I thought! So this time, I won’t just wound you—I’ll cut you to pieces!"
"You won’t get the chance!"
Ian Song smiled slyly and instantly activated spatial stasis. A miniature world of suspended space appeared, and he saw Jason Duke already in front of him, black iron dagger in hand.
"It’s a pity for such a master to die!"
In the next instant, Ian Song raised his hand and sent three Puppet Divine Abilities into Jason Duke’s brow.
Three seconds later.
When spatial stasis vanished, Jason Duke regained his freedom—but found himself with a sudden urge to submit to Ian Song.
"No! How could I have such a thought!"
He roared in his heart, but his face twisted with rage.
Ian Song had been wise to hit him with three Puppet Divine Abilities at once—even so, Jason Duke still had the power to resist.
The struggle lasted ten seconds.
In the end, Jason Duke succumbed to the Puppet Divine Ability and was enslaved by Ian Song.
"Jason Duke, hand over your money and get lost!" Ian Song suddenly demanded.
"Alright!"
Jason Duke nodded, then pulled out a stack of silver notes from his robe—each worth ten thousand taels, totaling three hundred seventy thousand taels.
Pocketing the notes, Ian Song turned to the Four Secret Guards: "You four, I’ll let you off today. But if you dare come looking for trouble on Sunrise Peak again, I’ll make sure not even a hair of you is left. Now get lost!"
The Four Secret Guards were defeated together, and Jason Duke was also defeated.
Within less than an hour, word of the incident spread throughout the entire Blackwind Mountains. Until new sects arrived, no one dared to covet Sunrise Peak again.
But the very next day—
The Three Great Holy Lands and Nine Great Sects arrived together, taking over the remaining sixty-four peaks.
At the same time, Jade Pool Holy Land sent an invitation, inviting Ian Song to a banquet at Kunlun Peak the next evening. Kunlun Peak was originally called Black Ox Peak, but after Jade Pool Holy Land arrived, it was renamed Kunlun Peak.
"Chief, are you really going to attend this banquet? I’m worried the Three Great Holy Lands have ulterior motives," Eve Autumn asked anxiously.
"Heh, of course I’m going! The title of World's Number One Bandit is thanks to them. Since they’re inviting me to rob them, why shouldn’t I go?" Ian Song grinned, his smile carrying a sharp edge.
Eve Autumn was left dizzy by his words—was the Chief really going to rob the Three Great Holy Lands?