My disciples are all villains.

The number of cultivators, which proved many people were keeping an eye on the Fire Phoenix, surprised Lu Zhou.

Lu Zhou looked at the dark mountain crevice where the Fire Phoenix was hiding.

The 49 swordsmen hovered above the mountain crevice. Their vague outlines as they flashed back and forth and sometimes interweaving could be seen from afar. It was as though they were setting up a formation. Sometimes, they would send some men down to observe the situation. All in all, they ignored the cultivators in the surroundings.

Such things were common in the Unknown Land. There was no lack of cultivators who fought to death over treasures. Naturally, the smartest move was to retreat before a strong opponent.

At this time, Kong Wen moved to Lu Zhou's side and said in a hushed tone, "Old sir, there are many people around. Please watch out for thieves."

"Thieves?"

"Thieves are common in the Unknown Land. They often take advantage of the chaos to steal…" Kong Wen explained.

Mingshi Yin, who was standing nearby, chimed in, "Don't worry. Qiong Qi isn't that stupid…"

Woof!

Qiong Qi wagged its tail happily, as though delighted by its master's praise.

"..."

Kong Wen said, "The Fire Phoenix probably wants to look for the land of Nirvana. However, it's hiding in the mountain crevice now…"

Mingshi Yin asked, "With the Fire Phoenix's level, it should be capable of human speech, right?"

Kong Wen shook his head. "Not necessarily. It depends on the fierce beasts themselves. The Fire Phoenixes are noble so they disdain learning the human language…"

Mingshi Yin did not expect discrimination and a sense of superiority to exist among fierce beasts as well. "This turkey is so arrogant?"

'Turkey…"

Kong Wen did not know what kind of expression he should wear on his face. It was not too good to call the noble Fire Phoenix a turkey, right?

The surrounding cultivators drew closer to look at the 40 Swordsmen in the sky.

"With Venerable Master Qin around, the others can only watch the show…"

"I heard Venerable Master Ye is rushing here as well… Maybe we'll be able to witness a magnificent battle between the Venerable Masters?"

"Didn't they fight when they were discussing the Dao on Clear Sky Mountain?"

"I heard it was a draw; they won't be satisfied until there's a victor. Now that the divine bird has appeared, there'll definitely be a clear winner today."

With the arrival and presence of the Venerable Masters, many cultivators had lost the desire to fight. It was better for them to watch the show. If they were lucky, perhaps, they would be able to pick up some treasures.

Rumor had it that the feathers of a phoenix could be used to forge special weapons and were highly impervious to fire. Moreover, the Fire Phoenix's resting place was also said to hold many treasures.

Screech!

A sharp cry rang from the mountain crevice.

The 49 Swordsmen stopped moving and looked down at the same time.

Lu Zhou turned around and called out, "Old Fourth."

"What are your orders, master?"

"Look after your junior sisters."

"Understood." Mingshi Yin and Qiong Qi drew closer to his two junior sisters.

Meanwhile, Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong stood on the left and the right respectively, unmoving. Both of them wore solemn expressions on their faces as they looked ahead.

Yan Zhenluo, Lu Li, Kong Wen, and his three brothers stood together and looked at the mountain crevice anxiously.

As expected, the movement in the mountain crevice grew more and more intense. Soon enough, a streak of flames shot up into the sky from the pitch-black mountain crevice. It was hundreds of feet wide, and its long red tail was hundreds of feet long.

When the Fire Phoenix rushed to the sky, it flapped its wings 49 times. Then, it spun, causing the violent flames to dance wildly in the sky.

"It's going to attack!"

The cultivators were all shocked.

The flames were dancing wildly in the air when Lu Zhou heard a creaking sound like that of something being frozen. When he turned around, he saw that everyone, except for him, seemed to be frozen.

Lu Zhou's heart moved. He looked around and saw a figure appearing above the 49 Swordsmen of the Northern Mountain Range. His long robe fluttered as he hovered in the air. He knew that person was none other than Qin Renyue, a Venerable Master who had passed three Birth Trials. Was the fleeting pause Qin Renyue's power?

The cultivators recovered very quickly; they seemed none the wiser. All of them looked at Qin Renyue in surprise. Due to the time stop, it seemed as though he had appeared out of thin air.

Qin Renyue's indifferent voice rang from the sky at this moment. "Those who have no business here, retreat."

The 49 Swordsmen gathered around Qin Renyue.

At this moment, as though they had just regained their senses, over 1,000 cultivators, regardless of where they were from, bowed.

"Greetings, Venerable Master Qin."

Lu Zhou looked at Qin Renyue; this was his first time seeing a Venerable Master. He wondered why a Venerable Master was so powerful and what was the power of the Dao that Venerable Masters possessed.

In the sky, the 49 Swordsmen flashed around, forming a huge circle in the air and surrounded the mountain crevice.

"The Fire Phoenix is known as the Immortal Birth. It's said that it'll be reborn every once in a while to break free of the heaven and earth shackles. This mountain crevice is probably where it'll be reborn. At the time when it's being reborn is also when it's at its weakest…"

"This is the first time I've seen a Fire Phoenix in real life. I've only seen it in ancient books before this. Alas, the Venerable Masters are here so we can't stay…"

Someone retorted, "Why are you speaking as though you can take the Fire Phoenix down if the Venerable Masters aren't around… It's enough to just watch…"

The thousand cultivators were watching intently, eager to satisfy their curiosity.

Back in the sky, the 49 Swordsmen seemed to have all gotten into their positions.

At this time, a figure appeared out of thin air in the middle of the 49 Swordsmen and said in a clear voice, "Swords and sabers have no eyes. It's best if all of you retreat far away…"

This time, a gentle wave of energy rolled out, pushing the cultivators back.

Qin Renyue's attitude seemed rather mild, and his strength was not overbearing.

"Thank you for your reminder, Venerable Master Qin."

Everyone retreated again.

With that, Lu Zhou and the others who were standing at the back were now standing in front.

Kong Wen hurriedly said, "Old sir, let's retreat."

Lu Zhou ignored Kong Wen and continued to look at Qin Renyue.

Name: Qin Renyue

Identity: Human from Great Qin

Cultivation base: Thousand Realms Whirling

The information was rather useless. Everyone could be at the Thousand Realms Whirling stage, but their strength could be as different as heaven and earth.

Suddenly…

A burst of hearty laughter rang from the sky. It was so loud that it caused some cultivators' eardrums to hurt.

Everyone instinctively looked toward the source of the sound.

At this moment, dozens of cultivators could be seen rushing over from the southwestern direction. They flew in a square formation and arrived in just a blink of an eye.

"Qin Renyue, you old thing, you plan to take it for yourself?"

Someone exclaimed, "It's Venerable Master Ye from Yannan's Blessed Land…"

The cultivators bowed again.

"Greetings, Venerable Master Ye."

Standing in the lead of thirty-odd cultivators dressed in scholarly robes was Ye Zheng, otherwise known as Venerable Master Ye.

Qin Renyue said coldly, "Ye Zheng, must you follow me everywhere? The Unknown Land is so vast, and yet, you insist on following me here…"

Ye Zheng shook his head and smiled. "What do you own this place?"

Qin Renyue said, "I'm not going to bicker with you. A hundred miles northwest of this place, there's a beast emperor…"

"Oh, will you really be so kind as to tell me this information?" Ye Zheng cocked an eyebrow.