"Arrogant! Today, with martial arts heroes from all walks of life gathered, how can we allow a villain like you to run rampant!"
Yu Zhentian roared, his hair bristling. With a grab, he seized the long sword from his eldest disciple Zhu Fang's waist. His seemingly aged body surged with vital energy, emitting white mist. The long sword in his hand radiated a sharp sword aura, slashing upwards.
Scum Three sneered, his body remaining still. He raised his saber and slashed horizontally, meeting the sword aura head-on.
The clash of saber light and sword aura exploded with a deafening clang of metal. Powerful shockwaves dispersed, tearing up roof tiles and beams.
In the courtyard, Yu Zhentian retreated several steps before dispersing the force, being supported by his disciples.
With a "crack," the beam under Scum Three's feet broke. He used the momentum to leap into the air, landing on another section of the roof.
"Old fossil, your skills aren't entirely废 (廢 - wasted) yet," Scum Three's eyes were filled with chilling killing intent.
Below, seeing that Yu Zhentian and his opponent were evenly matched, many of the guests temporarily halted their departure. The Yu family martial arts school was one of the strongest in Shun'an City, and Old Master Yu Zhentian had been famous for decades; his martial arts prowess was well-known in the region. If he could handle this villain, there would be no need for them to flee.
However, just then, a series of muffled whooshing sounds approached from a distance. Five masked figures in black leaped onto the rooftops on all four sides of the residence in a few bounds, forming a pincer movement to surround the people in the courtyard.
Seeing this, the martial arts guests who had come to witness the ceremony were greatly alarmed. Without a doubt, these newcomers were the other five members of the Zhahe Seven Thieves.
"Second Brother, you're late." Scum Three said in a muffled voice. Among the newcomers, one black-clothed man with wrinkles on his forehead and greying temples spoke with a slightly hoarse voice: "No rush, we still have the time of one stick of incense."
Hearing this, Scum Three slowly nodded, then looked at the many guests in the courtyard and chuckled leisurely: "Time is running out. You have six breaths left!"
Upon hearing this, the guests in the courtyard no longer hesitated and fled frantically outwards. They were only here today to visit and offer gifts, not to die. The Zhahe Seven Thieves were notoriously brutal; just one of them was not weaker than Yu Zhentian, and the Yu family martial arts school simply couldn't withstand six of them.
"Hall Master Yu, something urgent has come up at home; I must take my leave first."
"My strength is low, Brother Yu, please take care of yourself!"
"Brother Yu, if you can eliminate this evil today, Shun'an City will remember you."
...
Some prominent figures in the martial arts world and Shun'an City hastily left a few polite words and then hurried away. Each was terrified of being too slow, being caught in the crossfire, and losing their head.
Yu Zhentian's face was grim. He watched the rapidly disappearing guests, his expression dark and silent. He couldn't speak to stop them, nor did he believe he could. Moreover, ever since Scum Two and the others arrived, the intimidating internal energy radiating from these villains, no weaker than his own, made Yu Zhentian acutely aware that these disorganized individuals would be of little use even if they stayed.
"Zhang Ge, if you want to leave, just go. No one is stopping you." Li Musheng was squeezed to the side by the surging crowd. He looked back at the muscular big man, whose face was full of indecision.
Zhang Dazhuang gripped and released his staff repeatedly. Seeing fewer and fewer people in the courtyard, he felt anxious but couldn't make up his mind. "We're all from the Yu family martial arts school, will these villains let us go?" Zhang Dazhuang asked hesitantly in a low voice. The oppressive aura inadvertently emanating from the six figures on the surrounding rooftops made him feel breathless.
"I think it's fine. Your surname is Zhang, not Yu." Li Musheng rubbed his chin, glanced at the Zhahe Seven Thieves standing on the roof with sabers, and chuckled: "If you're really not sure, just ask them if they'll let you leave?"
Hearing this, Zhang Dazhuang was startled and quickly grabbed Li Musheng, exclaiming in horror: "You're really reckless, kid! You dare to talk to these villains? Are you in a hurry to die?"
As the two spoke, more than half of the guests in the courtyard had already fled. Some even escaped so hurriedly that they left behind shoes, hairpins, jade pendants, scattered silver, and other small items on the ground.
The disciples, apprentices, and servants of the Yu family martial arts school, although not yet fleeing, were all extremely hesitant. Everyone clearly knew that the Zhahe Seven Thieves were infamous and incomparably ruthless, leaving no survivors in their wake; staying meant almost certain death. However, Yu Zhentian's usual prestige was immense, and they genuinely dared not desert him. Furthermore, they had the same concern as Zhang Dazhuang: would the Zhahe Seven Thieves let them go?
"Brother Hao, these villains are brazenly committing evil in Shun'an City in broad daylight, it's utterly outrageous! Today, let us two join forces to eliminate this scourge from the martial arts world!" Yu Zhentian gripped his long sword, turned, and spoke in a deep voice, his powerful internal energy causing his silver hair to flutter.
Hao Shen, who had not yet left, glanced at Yu Zhentian and slowly nodded: "Brother Yu is absolutely right. As the City Lord of Shun'an City, I naturally cannot allow these villains to commit evil within the city."
Hearing this, Yu Zhentian felt a slight relief. Hao Shen's martial arts were profound, and with his assistance, his own pressure would be significantly reduced.
However, Hao Shen's next words sent a chill through his heart. "However, the Zhahe Seven Thieves possess astonishing martial arts. Relying on just the two of us, we probably won't be able to deal with them. I ask Brother Yu to hold on for a moment while I go gather the city guards, then we can capture these villains in one fell swoop."
With that, Hao Shen moved with great speed, his figure leaping quickly out of the courtyard. The Zhahe Seven Thieves on the rooftops merely watched indifferently, showing no intention of stopping him.
"Pfft!"
Seeing this scene, Li Musheng couldn't help but laugh out loud. He turned and said: "I told you Old Man Yu was too stingy. Look, at a crucial moment, there's no one willing to help him. I reckon he's about to be deserted by everyone."
Zhang Dazhuang, his large frame leaning on his staff, instinctively shrunk his head as he saw others casting glances their way. He patted Li Musheng: "Speak quieter, they'll all hear you! Besides... the old hall master isn't always stingy, sometimes he can be generous."
Hearing this, Yu Zhentian, whose face was extremely grim, suddenly turned and glared fiercely at Li Musheng and Zhang Dazhuang. However, he currently had no energy to deal with these two martial arts apprentices who only knew rudimentary skills. He turned to his disciples and said:
"What are you all staring at? Pick up your weapons and fight back! My Yu family martial arts school has no cowards!"
Hearing this, the disciples instinctively moved to act, but when they saw the three figures beside Yu Zhentian remain completely still, they slowly stopped their actions. These three were Yu Zhentian's most favored disciples, and also the three strongest martial artists in the entire school, apart from Yu Zhentian himself and his eldest son.