My disciples are all villains.

In truth, Lu Zhou had been in the vicinity since a while ago. There were ten minutes left of the cooldown so it would be meaningless for him to reveal himself too early.

Lu Zhou had strolled around the area, looking for Si Wuya. However, he could not find Si Wuya. He was cursing that rascal inwardly when he saw Luo Changqing attacking Yu Shangrong. He had witnessed the entire scene so he knew what had transpired.

Yu Shangrong and Luo Changqing were stunned.

Luo Changqing looked up with a frown on his face when he saw Whitzard that was shrouded in Auspicious Qi. 'Which elite is it this time?'

Yu Shangrong turned around slowly and looked up. His body trembled involuntarily, and his mind turned blank. Although he was the Sword Devil, whose name struck fear into those who heard it, had challenged countless elites in the past, and was fearless, his heart felt as though it was going to jump out of his ribcage when he saw the old man. His lips trembled slightly. "Ma… master?"

Luo Changqing had been cultivating in seclusion for many years in the Yun Sect. He had been to the Evil Sky Pavilion once and had a chance to see Ji Tiandao face to face, albeit at a distance. Moreover, that had been many years ago. Apart from that, this old man had one hand placed on his back as the other hand stroked his beard. The old man looked like an erudite man, he did not look like he was from the Fiend Path. Therefore, when he heard Yu Shangrong's words, he was thoroughly shocked. More importantly, an ominous feeling rose in his heart. 'He's the Evil Sky Pavilion's master? The greatest villain under the heavens?'

Lu Zhou glanced at the remaining time on the system dashboard, feeling satisfied. There were only a few seconds left of the cooldown. He looked down at Luo Changqing from his high vantage point. "You're striking a man when he's down, and yet, you speak so righteously… How can I let someone like you go?"

Lu Zhou tapped Whitzard's back with the tips of his feet and shot into the air. He lifted his hand, and Unnamed materialized in his grasp. The sunlight glinted off Unnamed's blade.

Luo Changqing and Yu Shangrong held their breaths. For a moment, they seemed to have forgotten they were in the midst of a battle. Both of their eyes were locked on Lu Zhou who was diving down.

Lu Zhou waved Unnamed. Although he only recovered two-fifth of his extraordinary power, it was enough for him to unleash this skill. He referred to the Guiyuan Sword Technique in his memories as he chanted to release the Heavenly Writing's power…

'Originating from nothing and everything. Living in samsara and learning from it. This is the power of past lives.'

Spectral figures appeared. Left, middle, and right.

This was Yu Shangrong's famous move, the Guiyuan Sword Technique, the Return and Enter Three Souls.

Luo Changqing was completely flustered as he retreated in haste. The sword in his hand gathered power. The thousands of energy blades turned to stab at the incoming Lu Zhou.

Luo Changqing felt his vision blur as though he was in a dream.

Zing!

The three figures merged into one.

Everything ended abruptly.

Unnamed swept past the thousands of energy blades and slashed past Luo Changqing's hand and sword before it slashed at his chest.

Lu Zhou's movements were as smooth as flowing water. There were no flashy moves nor violent bursts of Primal Qi. All it took was a single stroke from a sword.

It was over.

Lu Zhou appeared behind Luo Changqing.

Luo Changqing's eyes widened. When his energy blades vanished, his eyes and expression turned blank. He lowered his head to look at the sword in his hand before his sword broke and he fell to the ground. He looked at his chest. A huge cut could be seen on his chest as blood gushed out. His life was slipping away at a terrifying pace. He did his best to keep his eyes open. He turned to look at Yu Shangrong who was standing a few meters away from him.

Yu Shangrong's brows were tightly knitted together. His eyes were filled with suppressed fear.

Luo Changqing raised his left hand and pointed at Yu Shangrong. "Save…"

Thud!

Luo Changqing's hand fell to his side.

"Ding! Killed a target. Reward: 1,500 merit points."

Lu Zhou stroked his beard and turned around. He looked at Yu Shangrong again. He had used up all of the Heavenly Writing's extraordinary power. However, his item cards were no longer on cooldown. His cards shone with a hint of golden light. This was a sign that they were ready to be used.

"Ma-master?" An incredulous expression appeared on his face. He did not understand how or why his master was in Radiant Cloud Forest.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard and looked at Yu Shangrong sternly. He cursed in a low voice, "Rascal."

"Wh… what?" Yu Shangrong registered some fluctuations in his emotions.

"What did I teach you in the past? Do you still remember?" Lu Zhou said as he walked toward Yu Shangrong.

The sound of the rhythmic steps flustered Yu Shangrong. He took a step back before he took several steps back again.

"You defected from the Evil Sky Pavilion. Fought your brother…" Lu Zhou said through gritted teeth.

Zing!

Yu Shangrong's Longevity Sword flew out from his back. He asked, "Master… are you trying to kill me again?"

'Again?' Lu Zhou stopped in his tracks. He looked at Yu Shangrong and said, "Shouldn't I kill you?"

Yu Shangrong gauged the severity of his injuries. A forlorn smile appeared on his face. He straightened his back so that he would not cut a sorry figure. "In my hometown, there's a kind of plant called the Beckoning Fragrance. It blooms during the day and dies at night. You can smell it in the morning, but by dusk, it would wither… Sometimes, I wonder, since we know that it will surely die, why do we still take care of the plants?"

Birth, life, sickness, and death were parts of the natural cycle of life.

When Lu Zhou heard this, he shook his head slightly. A rascal was a rascal, after all. Everyone in the world would die eventually. If everyone followed his second disciple's logic, would they not have ended their lives the moment they were born? Where did his second disciple learn such nonsense reasoning?

Lu Zhou stepped forward and said, "Living is the reason."

"Everyone wants to live a long life… but none can escape the shackles of mortality." Yu Shangrong's gaze was complicated.

Lu Zhou frowned slightly. "Nonsense! Are you going to surrender and admit that you're wrong?"

Yu Shangrong shook his head. "Master… You'll always be like a father to me, but forgive this disciple for not being able to follow you back." This time, he addressed himself as a disciple.

"You think you can get away?"

"You underestimate me… Even if you did nothing, that Luo Changqing wouldn't have been my match." Yu Shangrong leaped onto his Longevity Sword with light movements. He flew on his sword. Relying on his high affinity with the Longevity Sword, he could greatly reduce the use of his Primal Qi while he increased the speed of his flight.

Unfortunately, not many could manage this. After all, heaven-grade weapons were rare and precious to begin with. On top of that, they would have to be in perfect harmony with it.

Lu Zhou's expression was indifferent. He raised a hand and shouted, "Running away, rascal?"

An improved Cage Binding Card shattered in his palm with a burst of golden light. A vortex that was spinning anti-clockwise appeared immediately.

Yu Shangrong flew on his sword toward the deeper parts of Radiant Cloud Forest at top speed.

Whoosh!

The shining golden energy formed a huge 'Bind' character. Like a meteor streaking across the sky, it landed on Yu Shangrong squarely.

Bam!

Yu Shangrong gave a muffled grunt. His Primal Qi was instantly restricted. He staggered and fell. The Longevity Sword plunged to the ground. He exclaimed in surprise, "Hm? A binding mantra?" His dantian's sea of Qi was empty so he could no longer maintain flight. He fell to the ground immediately.

From the shadows of the trees, Duan Xing led the Fiend Temple's disciples and slowly surrounded Yu Shangrong.

"Don't get too close! This is the Sword Devil… Wait for the old senior!" Duan Xing raised a hand and ordered the others to stop.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

With his hands on his back, Lu Zhou walked over.