My disciples are all villains.

Lu Zhou beckoned Conch over.

Ye Tianxin looked at Conch curiously since she had not met Conch before.

Conch walked up to Ye Tianxin and greeted her. "Greetings, Sixth Senior Sister."

Little Yuan'er chimed in, "Sixth Senior Sister, this is our Little Junior Sister. Master recently recruited her. I'm no longer Little Junior Sister…"

Ye Tianxin nodded and said, "I see, so you're our new Little Junior Sister." As she spoke, she studied Conch intently. She knew her master had strict requirements when recruiting a disciple. Since Conch was accepted by her master, there was no doubt that Conch was outstanding.

"That's all for now. Your Sixth Senior Sister and I have something to talk about."

"Oh, okay"

"Let's play together tomorrow, Sixth Senior Sister."

The two young girls, Little Yuan'er and Conch, held hands and skipped out of the room.

'It'll take some time to tell her about Conch. I'll leave it for another time.' Then, Lu Zhou asked, "When did you attain the Eight-leaf stage?"

Ye Tianxin did not conceal anything and honestly recounted everything to Lu Zhou; from when she left the Evil Sky Pavilion, how she recovered from her wounds and traveled to the north, meeting her Second Senior Brother, Yu Shangrong, then making her way west and south before she reached the Moonlight Woodland, fell into the abyss, encountered Cheng Huang, and focusing on her cultivation. Although she was calm when she spoke, based on her experience, one could tell she did not have an easy time.

Lu Zhou was shocked when he heard about Cheng Huang. He asked, "So Cheng Huang really exists?"

"Yes! I traveled southwest deep into the Moonlight Woodland. I thought that I wouldn't make it out alive. It's a good thing that I ran into Cheng Huang!" Ye Tianxian was usually taciturn. However, when she recounted her experience, she was rather animated. It was as though she had forgotten the pain from her wounds.

Ye Tianxin described Cheng Huang's size and appearance in detail. She told Lu Zhou about the various beasts she had encountered in the abyss, the hardships she faced while cultivating, and the delight she felt when sprouting new leaves.

Lu Zhou listened as he stroked his beard. He nodded, occasionally shocked by her words.

With that, half a day passed in just a blink of an eye...

After listening to Ye Tianxin's story, Lu Zhou said, "I didn't think Cheng Huang actually existed. Looks like the records aren't fake."

Ye Tianxin nodded and said, "It's a shame that Cheng Huang doesn't want to leave the Moonlight Woodland."

"Indeed, with its size, it isn't suitable to leave. If that humongous beast were to appear before men, I'm afraid that the people will only band together and attack it," Lu Zhou said.

"You're right, master."

"The books say that riding Cheng Huang will grant you 2,000 years of life… What's your opinion?" Lu Zhou asked.

"I don't feel any different. I've ridden Cheng Huang many times… Apart from its large size, it didn't feel any different from riding other mounts," Ye Tianxin replied.

As expected, Cheng Huang was not as simple as Lu Zhou had imagined. He found it peculiar that the beast was recorded in the books. This meant that the author of the books knew about Cheng Huang. Why did everyone doubt its existence? It seemed like the Moonlight Woodland was not a place where humans could easily venture deep in.

When Lu Zhou saw that it was getting late, he rose to his feet and said, "You haven't recovered yet. Rest well."

"Master… The Imperial family has challenged the Evil Sky Pavilion…"

Before she could finish, Lu Zhou raised a hand and interjected, "I'll remember what the Imperial family did." After he said this, he turned around and left.

Ye Tianxin bowed as she looked at her master's retreating back. "Rest well, master."

…

At the foot of Golden Court Mountain.

Yu Zhenghai observed the signs of the previous battle. He was in shock and disbelief. He did not enter the barrier. "Was I too late?"

The ground was in a mess. Blood splattered everywhere and pits in the shape of a palm could be seen.

Yu Zhenghai frowned deeply as he continued to survey his surroundings. After a moment, he walked toward the foot of the mountain as he followed the blood splatters. Anger rose in his heart as time passed.

At this moment, a voice rang from nearby. "Eldest Senior Brother?"

"Eldest Senior Brother, I knew you won't abandon the Evil Sky Pavilion…" Mingshi Yin dragged a corpse behind himself as he ran toward Yu Zhenghai.

Yu Zhenghai cleared his throat as he straightened his back. He glanced at the corpse. His expression was stern as he placed his hands on his back and asked, "Old Fourth? What are you doing here?"

Mingshi Yin said, "This? This is the body of Liu Ge's Imperial bodyguard. I grew annoyed while thinking of something, and I killed him."

"…" Yu Zhenghai's eyelid twitched. He did not know what to say.

"Eldest Senior Brother, let's go… Come and see master on the mountain," Mingshi Yin said.

"I'm only passing by. I won't go up," Yu Zhenghai replied.

'Passing by? That's quite the detour you took…' Mingshi Yin looked to his left and right before he furtively said, "Eldest Senior Brother, you're late. Master has come out of his cultivation in seclusion with great success. That old man, Liu Ge, has already been blown to smithereens!"

"…"

"Also, there's this guy, Su Sheng. There! That's his corpse. How tragic! He was stabbed with a sword. Eh, Eldest Senior Brother, why are you sweating?" Mingshi Yin asked.

"Is that so? It's getting warm."

"Is it? About the Brahman Sea Eight Meridians…"

"It's warm because I say so…" Yu Zhenghai raised his voice.

Mingshi Yin scratched his head and fanned himself with his hand. "You know what? It does seem to be getting warmer."

Yu Zhenghai asked, "Old Fourth, is Second Junior Brother in the Evil Sky Pavilion?"

With Yu Shangrong's strength, if he was in the Evil Sky Pavilion, even with Su Sheng around, Liu Ge would not have been much of a threat. Moreover, Huang Shijie was here as well.

Mingshi Yin said, "Isn't he in Yu Province?"

"Yu Province?" Something stirred within Yu Zhenghai.

"Eldest Senior Brother, why don't you come and see master on the mountain and speak with him? It won't do for you to stay away from the mountain," Mingshi Yin said.

"Let me think about it."

"Mhm. Eldest Senior Brother, I'll leave you to your thoughts, then. I'll get back to my business."

Yu Zhenghai remained silent as he looked up at the Evil Sky Pavilion. He stood still, not leaving. When he saw Huang Shijie flying toward him from afar, he maintained his silence. Instead, he gestured with his hand to tell Huang Shijie that he could go up the mountain.

Huang Shijie was also stunned by the signs of battle before him. He wanted to say something, but when he noticed the unnatural expression on Yu Zhenghai's face, he kept quiet and made his way up to the Evil Sky Pavilion.

...

The sun was setting...

Inside the eastern pavilion of the Evil Sky Pavilion...

Lu Zhou looked at the system's dashboard.

Name: Lu Zhou

Race: Human

Cultivation base: Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm, the Chaotic Primal

Merit points: 112,233

Avatar: Hundred Tribulations Insight

Remaining life: 20,596 days

Item: Deadly Strike Card x1, Critical Block Card x62 (passive), Binding Cage Card x4, Whitzard, Bi An, Ji Liang, Critical Heal Card x2, Strengthened Critical Heal Card x1, Thunderblast x1, Disguise Card x2, Golden Taixu Mirror, Appearance Alteration Card x4, Reversal Card x49

Weapon: Unnamed, Life Cutter, Jade Horsetail Whisk

Cultivation method: Three Scrolls of Heavenly Writing

The greatest reward he received from his recent meditation was the activation of the Earth Scroll of the Three Scrolls of Heavenly Writing. The other rewards were nothing to brag about.

Lu Zhou checked the prices of the item cards. As he expected, they had increased again.

The Deadly Strike Card and Impeccable Card were now sold at 10,000 merit points. However, when he considered the Heavenly Writing's extraordinary powers, he thought he did not need to use the two cards frequently. With this thought in mind, he felt much better. Moreover, if it was a matter of life and death, he would not be considering their cost-performance ratio, anyway.

'In that case… where's the improvement of the system's permission?' Lu Zhou was still thinking about this when a voice reached him from outside the pavilion.

"Greetings, master."

"What is it?"

"Island Master Huang has returned safely. Fortunately, Eldest Senior Brother made it in time and killed Gu Yiran," Mingshi Yin said.

"I see. Where is he now?"

"I've arranged for Island Master Huang to rest in the southern pavilion. As for Eldest Senior Brother… he's at the foot of the mountain. He dare… won't come up," Mingshi Yin replied.