On the mountain path leading to Sunrise Peak, five people were walking slowly. These five were none other than the commander of the Thousand-Mechanism Guard and the Four Secret Guards.
Jason Duke was about forty years old, neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin, with a face so ordinary it bordered on forgettable—but his eyes were bright, like stars.
If not for those eyes, he would have been just another face in the crowd. But those eyes gave him a unique, convincing presence.
The Four Secret Guards consisted of three men and one woman.
Azure Dragon wielded a saber, Black Tortoise a sword, White Tiger fought with his fists, and Vermilion Bird used flying daggers—and she was the only woman among them.
Within the Thousand-Mechanism Guard, there was a saying: if the Four Secret Guards joined forces, they could battle Celestial beings. Yet no one had ever seen them truly fight together—until today, when they all appeared on Sunrise Peak.
This shocked martial artists across the land and made everyone even more curious about the person atop Sunrise Peak.
News of the Blackwind Mountains' 108 peaks transforming into Spiritual Mountains and blessed lands had already spread across the world. Countless sects were gathering their top experts and rushing to the range.
Dozens of sects had already arrived over the past few days.
Plenty had their eyes on Sunrise Peak, but every expert who tried to go up the mountain never returned. One sect even came in full force—the sect master led over thirty Innate experts up the peak, and the result was still the same...
With the cultivation of Jason Duke and the Four Secret Guards, they could have reached the summit in less than fifteen minutes if they used their lightness skill. Yet they walked up like ordinary people.
It took them a full half hour to reach the top.
The gate to Clearwind Stronghold stood wide open. In front of it was a table, around which four people sat. On the table was a copper cauldron, its chili oil bubbling and sending out waves of mouthwatering aroma.
Around the cauldron were more than ten plates piled with vegetables and thinly sliced meat. The men and women at the table kept dipping nearly transparent slices of meat and vegetables into the pot, eating with obvious delight.
Jason Duke stopped, smiling as he watched. "Chief Ian, you really are in a good mood today."
Ian Song picked up a slice of beef, swirled it in the cauldron, then popped it into his mouth and chewed. "Wrong. You're only half right. I was enjoying myself, but now that you all showed up, I'm not so happy anymore!"
"So, it seems I've disturbed you, Chief Ian?" Jason Duke wasn't the least bit annoyed, his smile unwavering.
Ian glanced up, fixing his gaze on Jason Duke. "You're such a hypocrite. You came here to cause trouble, but you have to put on this friendly act. Honestly, it's nauseating!"
"Is that so?" Jason's face twitched ever so slightly.
Ian curled his lip, tossing another slice of beef into his mouth. "And that's not all. You could've come up here much faster, but you chose to walk up like a regular person. Are you showing off, or trying to mess with my head? So not only are you a hypocrite, you're also a schemer."
Jason Duke's face twitched again.
"It seems nothing escapes Chief Ian's sharp eyes!"
Ian curled his lip again. "No, it's not that I'm so sharp—it's that you picked the wrong target. In front of absolute strength, all your schemes are worthless!"
"Chief Ian, well said!" Jason Duke nodded as if in agreement.
Ian burst out laughing, set down his chopsticks, and stood up. "Ha! You really are something. I insult you like this and you don't even get mad. What if I curse you out?" He pointed at Jason Duke and unleashed a torrent of abuse: "Jason Duke, you bastard, listen up—I'm about to start cursing you. You're not handsome, not charming, not loved by all, you're the scum of the scum, the beast among beasts. Look at you, so ugly you shouldn't even be out in public, but here you are, wearing that stupid grin that makes everyone want to punch you. You're the kind of guy who wastes food and air just by living, and if I were your father, I'd have shot you onto the wall that night instead of letting you be born...!"
Ian's mouth was like a machine gun, firing insults nonstop. At first, Jason Duke managed to keep his composure and smile, but gradually, the smile faded, a coldness crept onto his face, and finally he couldn't take it anymore. He roared at Ian, "Shut up!"
Ian actually did shut up, watching Jason Duke with amusement. "What's wrong, Commander? Aren't you supposed to be a master of psychological games? Aren't you good at making others feel pressured? How come you lose your cool just because I curse you out? I thought you were some kind of high-level expert, able to face disaster without blinking. Turns out you can't even handle a few insults!"
Jason Duke took a deep breath and forced a smile back onto his face. "Lost my composure. Chief Ian, you must think me ridiculous!"
Ian looked genuinely surprised. "Wow, you got over it that fast? Your mentality really is impressive. Mind if I curse you a few more times?"
At that, Jason Duke's face instantly darkened. He couldn't understand how someone with such sky-reaching cultivation could be so shameless and without a shred of dignity. Wasn't he supposed to act like a true master?
Ian laughed. "Just kidding. Since your face is already black with rage, I’ll let you off and stop cursing—for now."
Jason Duke took a deep breath and stared at Ian. "Chief Ian, do you really find these childish tricks amusing?"
Ian grinned shamelessly and nodded. "Of course I do! Since you’re technically a guest, I’ve prepared a welcome ceremony for you. Boys, get out here and show the commander of the Thousand-Mechanism Guard what you’ve got!"
As soon as Ian finished speaking, a hundred bandit underlings rushed out from the stronghold and lined up in a square formation.
"All right, begin!" Ian called out to the bandits.
The next moment, one bandit stepped forward, glared at Jason Duke, and yelled, "Jason Duke, screw your grandpa!"
After cursing, that bandit stepped back into formation. The next bandit stepped up: "Jason Duke, may your sons be born without—uh—eyes!"
The third bandit came forward: "Jason Duke, I swear you’re impotent!"
The fourth bandit stepped up: "Jason Duke, I’m your old man!"
The fifth bandit: "Jason Duke, you grew up eating shit!"
The sixth bandit...
The seventh bandit...
One after another, the bandits' insults got nastier and more vulgar. No matter how good Jason Duke's self-control was, he was completely enraged.
"Enough, Ian Song! Make them shut up!"
Ian grinned smugly. "Ha! Looks like Commander Duke didn't appreciate my arrangement. In that case, let's get down to business. Since you've watched the show I prepared, you have to pay the price. I'm robbing you! Hand over everything valuable you're carrying, right now!"
At the word 'robbery,' Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise both twitched violently.
Clang! Shing!
Both drew their saber and sword, pointing them at Ian Song. "Commander, we can't stand it any longer. Allow us four to cut down this shameless scoundrel!"