No sooner said than done—Evan Chu and Jade headed straight for the City Lord’s Mansion of Serene Nether City.
The streets were packed with people, so they moved slowly, all the while scanning faces for any sign of Chase Chu or Princess Ivy. The odds were slim, but they still wanted to give it a try.
Before long, they arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion. The scale of Serene Nether City’s mansion was truly enormous—almost on par with Frostbane Imperial Palace. The outer walls alone were terrifyingly tall, easily reaching dozens of meters. Evan couldn’t fathom why they built them so high—maybe to stop people from peeking inside?
But honestly, it was pointless. Anyone could just fly up and look over the wall—building it this tall was a total waste. Still, Evan figured Serene Nether City must have its own special rules.
Just like in the lower realms, maybe flying inside the city was forbidden. He wasn’t sure, but it seemed likely. The two of them walked straight up to the main gate of the City Lord’s Mansion.
Guarding the gate were two enormous Netherbeast stone statues—neither Evan nor Jade recognized the species, but they looked vicious, over five meters tall, and their lifelike eyes gave off a creepy, intimidating vibe.
Dozens of guards stood motionless on either side of the entrance, like ancient pine trees rooted in place.
Evan quickly checked their cultivation—every single guard was at the Immortal Lord Realm. Clad in gold armor and wielding long swords, they looked truly imposing.
Evan Chu and the Emerald Immortal Empress headed straight for the mansion, only to be stopped at the entrance. “Who are you? This is the City Lord’s Mansion—no one enters without the City Lord’s permission,” one guard barked.
“We’re friends of King Victor Zhao. If you think we need permission just to visit, that’s a joke. Don’t waste our time, or you’ll regret it,” Evan snapped, his face darkening instantly.
The guard’s face shifted slightly as he scrutinized Evan and Jade. “No one enters without the City Lord’s permission, especially these days. If you’re truly friends of the City Lord, show us his token—every friend of the City Lord has one. He prepared them long ago to keep troublemakers out.”
“Token? We don’t have one. You’d better go report us—otherwise people might get the wrong idea,” Evan said.
Just then, another guard stepped up and said, “You’ve got guts, kid—causing trouble at the City Lord’s Mansion. Looks like the City Lord was right: agents from the other three powers were bound to show up and stir things up during the Royal Talent Recruitment Tournament, and here you are, right on cue.”
“A mere guard dares to talk to me like that? Are you tired of living? Do you even know who I am?” Evan roared, his voice booming so loud it echoed for several li, drawing everyone’s attention.
Serene Nether City was already bursting with people, and now, with all this shouting at the City Lord’s Mansion, crowds began to flood in. In no time, the huge plaza out front was packed with onlookers.
This was exactly what Evan wanted. If he could gather all of Serene Nether City’s people here, even better. Too bad the plaza wasn’t as big as Frostbane Imperial Palace’s martial field—otherwise, he could have packed in even more.
The crowd started buzzing with speculation. Who were these two, daring to make trouble at the City Lord’s Mansion—and acting so cocky about it? Things were about to get interesting.
“Kid, you’ve got nerve causing a scene at the City Lord’s Mansion gate. You must have a death wish! Brothers, grab these two fools and execute them as rebels—kill without mercy!” the guard barked.
“Kill without mercy? Aren’t you afraid the City Lord will blame you? A mere guard, acting so arrogant—looks like you’ve had it too easy for too long. If you’re so bold, don’t blame me for being rude,” Evan shot back.
“No need for you to get angry, Young Master. Leave these guys to Jade—I haven’t fought in ages and I’m feeling a bit rusty!” the Emerald Immortal Empress said.
“Then let’s show them what we’re made of. If you want to kill, then kill—I want to see if this City Lord’s Mansion is really some dragon’s lair that no one can break into,” Evan said coolly.
“Don’t worry, Young Master—I know what I’m doing!” Jade replied, summoning a longsword. The other guards lunged at Evan and Jade, their attacks deadly and vicious, as if they truly meant to kill.
“Who are these two, daring to stir up trouble at the City Lord’s Mansion? They must have a death wish. Judging by their age, maybe they’re here for the Royal Talent Recruitment Tournament—what a stupid way to throw away their lives,” someone in the crowd muttered.
“Don’t underestimate them. I’m telling you, their strength is terrifying—I can’t even see their true cultivation, it’s like they’re hiding it on purpose. You can’t cause trouble here unless you’re truly powerful. Not everyone’s as clueless as you,” another replied.
Just then, the guards launched their attack. Evan dodged with a deft flash, while Jade swept her sword in a flurry of blossoms, blocking every strike.
The sword blossoms carried sword-qi that struck the guards directly—several were wounded, and two collapsed, seriously injured and unable to get up.
The crowd was stunned into silence. No one had expected this young woman to be such a top-tier expert. The commotion here was just as intense as the tournament—everyone was eager to see what happened next.
“How dare you injure the City Lord’s Mansion guards! The two of you are dead!” snarled the first guard—the obvious leader.
“You think you can decide who lives or dies? Who do you think you are? If anyone’s dying today, you’ll be the first,” Evan said with a faint smile.
Jade swept her sword again, a blur slicing toward the guard. With her cultivation, killing these men would take only seconds—but she held back, not taking their lives just yet.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t attract the right kind of attention. Once inside the mansion, things wouldn’t be nearly as fun—so the gate was the perfect stage. She decided to seriously injure the guard instead.
Her sword flashed down—the guard tried to dodge, but found himself unable to move, as if trapped in a spatial domain. The crowd was shocked; wielding a spatial domain mid-attack was unheard of.
“Ah!” The guard screamed like a slaughtered pig as blood spurted—a severed arm hit the ground. Jade’s strike had crippled him, ready to slowly draw out the important people…
(Author’s note: Thanks to all the readers for your support and understanding. My arm is still swollen, but I’m managing three chapters a day. Next update at 6 p.m.!)