My disciples are all villains.

Yu Shangrong looked at the Golden Lotus with a frown. However, the frown disappeared quickly. He was neither afraid, nervous, or worried. He sighed and shook his head. "I've been careless."

The scenes of his battle with Zhang Yuanshan surfaced in his mind again. The only instance his Golden Lotus was exposed to a spell was during his final attack where he had used his sword, avatar, and Golden Lotus to crush the tentacles. He tried to determine the time. In half a month, one-third of his Golden Lotus was tainted… In other words, he had another month left before his Golden Lotus would be completely tainted by the spell. If it came to that, there would be no saving his life.

He moved his hand. The Hundred Tribulations Insight avatar vanished. He continued flying ahead to the center of the plain. His expression was calm as he swung his arm and shot into the sky.

Whizz!

His avatar reappeared! His 100-foot-tall avatar released a blast of hot air. Although one-third of his Golden Lotus was tainted purple, he was still able to release this terrifying burst of power. With this surge of power, the snow around him melted away rapidly and the moisture evaporated. In just a short time, the snow within several thousand meters of him was melted by his Primal Qi.

With the snow gone, the original appearance of the land was exposed. Stalks of melilot could be seen. They grew resilient despite the wind and the snow.

Two fallen stone statues could be seen at the entrance where Yu Shangrong passed by. It seemed to be that of tigers. Due to the damage, only half of their bodies were left.

The trees and grass covered the ground.

Apart from the melilots, there were almost no buildings in sight. Everything from the past seemed to be buried deeply.

A pack of wolves howled nearby.

The birds seemed to be affected by the avatar, and they fled.

The low-rank beasts felt Yu Shangrong's presence and did not dare to approach him.

Yu Shangrong shook his head. With the passage of time, things might remain, but the people have changed.

At this moment, Yu Shangrong saw a pack of wild wolves standing at the top of a mountain as they stared at him.

'They aren't afraid? Interesting!' Yu Shangrong smiled. He dove toward the wolves. Although they were average of wild wolves in the cultivation world, they were not beasts that their counterparts near human settlements could compare to. These wild wolves seemed to be emitting a faint Primal Qi. In terms of speed, they were much faster than ordinary wolves.

When the wild wolves saw Yu Shangrong diving toward them, they turned tail and sprinted toward the distance.

Yu Shangrong's body was practically parallel to the ground as he flew. His energy formed a barrier around himself. He passed by a valley and a patch of forest.

Finally, the pack of wolves came to halt under a mountain peak. It was a 90-degree cliff that was covered with snow.

The pack of wolves howled as they sat on their hindquarters on the snow. They looked at Yu Shangrong who was hovering in the air.

Yu Shangrong chuckled and said, "Is this where you wanted to bring me to?"

The wolves howled as though they were responding to Yu Shangrong.

"Alright. I'll take that as a yes."

The pack of wolves howled again.

"Mhm, thank you for showing the way. We'll meet again in the future."

The wolf pack turned around and left, led by the alpha wolf.

Yu Shangrong looked at the cliff wall before he slammed one hand against it.

Boom!

His energy landed on the cliff face, causing the snow to slide off. The original appearance of the cliff face was revealed in just an instant.

"A stone door?" Yu Shangrong was slightly surprised. He walked closer and saw three huge words on the rock face; The Melilot Graveyard.

'The Melilot Graveyard?' Although Yu Shangrong was strong mentally and spiritually, he could not help but feel shaken when he saw these words. He, naturally, knew what these words meant.

With fuzzy memories as guidance, he raised his right hand and flicked two fingers. A drop of blood shot from the tip of his index finger toward the cliff face.

Splat!

The veins engraved on the cliff face shone. The light spread from the spot where the drop of blood landed into the surroundings.

With this, Yu Shangrong was certain this was indeed a graveyard left behind by the Noblemen.

Whoosh!

The rock door slid open.

Yu Shangrong walked into the graveyard without hesitation.

The moment he entered the Melilot Graveyard.

Whoosh!

The rock door shut swiftly.

He found himself in a dimly lit environment. However, he seemed unafraid and kept his eyes trained up ahead. The scene that greeted his eyes shocked him slightly. Piles of white bones lay on the floor in neat formations.

The melilot bloomed in the day and withered at night. The inhabitants rather stay and hide in a utopia until they die.

Yu Shangrong walked further into the graveyard. When he was in the innermost section, there were finally no bones to be seen.

At the center of the graveyard was a round dais. He looked up but saw nothing apart from a script that was carved on the rock wall. It was the word 'longevity'.

Yu Shangrong shook his head.

The short-lived Noblemen never gave up in their pursuit of a long life… However, reality was often harsh. On average, Noblemen who did not cultivate could only live up to 30 or 40 years, at most. If they cultivated, they would be able to prolong their lifespans slightly. Even an Eight-leaf expert such as Yu Shangrong could only add 500 years to his own life with the help of the Longevity Sword.

In the cultivation world, it was the survival of the fittest. Without sufficient time to cultivate, how could they even think of becoming powerful? This was a vicious cycle in the long run… Each generation was worse than the one that preceded them. The demise of the Nobleman Country was inevitable.

Yu Shangrong was a member of the new generation who did not give up nor submit to his fate…

…

The Evil Sky Pavilion, Golden Court Mountain.

Night was starting to descend on the lands…

A black carriage pulled by two figures flew just above the tops of the trees.

The black mass of bodies was approaching Golden Court Mountain.

"Stop." The black figure's deep voice rang from above the black carriage and spread into the surroundings.

The masses of bodies obeyed his order strictly as they stopped moving instantly.

He glanced at the crowd below and spoke casually, "Hengqu Branch's Grand Elder, Zhang Jin…"

Thud! Thud!

One of the figures on the ground turned around slowly and faced the black carriage. His eyes were lifeless, his face stiff. A scar could be seen on his neck.

Ba Ma produced a talisman, drew a few strokes on it with his hand, and tossed it out. The talisman stuck on Zhang Jin's body.

"Go."

Zhang Jin replied mechanically, "Understood." Then, like a rabid dog, he sprinted toward Golden Court Mountain.

The current Golden Court Mountain was no longer protected by a barrier. These newcomers were, naturally, not hindered.

Zhang Jin had been Hengqu Branch's Grand Elder when he was still alive. He had a Six-leaf cultivation base. In no time at all, he had arrived at the foot of the Golden Court Mountain. He looked up indifferently before he continued to sprint up the mountain, stirring up a gust of wind as he moved.

"Who dares trespass upon Golden Court Mountain?"

Zhou Jifeng flew past on his sword. He glanced at the intruder and was frightened. He had never seen such a peculiar person.

Zhang Jin did not reply as he continued sprinting.

Zhou Jifeng attacked from the skies. Several energy blades shot toward Zhang Jin.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The energy blades could not even pierce Zhang Jin's tough body.

"What…" Zhou Jifeng realized that this was not a monster that he could kill. He hastily flew back to the pavilion on his sword as Zhang Jin continued sprinting up.