My disciples are all villains.

Conch focused her attention.

Everyone looked at her, hoping she would successfully condense her energy.

The flute's song sounded agitated now, no longer in harmony like it was earlier.

The others thought Conch was going to fail when they heard a buzz in the air.

Soon enough, energy seals appeared in the air. Conch had successfully converted her Primal Qi into energy!

"That's amazing, Little Junior Sister!" Mingshi Yin said as he looked at the energy seals in the air.

Sound, or music in this instance, was different from the Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist sects. There were no special runes, script seals, and Formation veins. Hence, the shape of the energy seal formed by sound was like the wind. If the rhythm was slow, it would be like the seed of the willow tree. If it was fast, it would become a storm.

Everyone else exclaimed in shock. They were amazed by Conch's extraordinary talent and ability to understand things. She managed to improve just by exploring on her own every day. Under their master's guidance, she had easily and quickly converted her Qi into energy.

The energy flowing in the air spread into the surroundings like seeds of a willow. Although it was fast, it was not very effective as wind blades. Nevertheless, it was shocking enough that she could pull this off.

"Just kill me, please."

"I'm impressed. I think Miss Tenth is the most talented one in the Evil Sky Pavilion."

Even Little Yuan'er, who had been acknowledged as being highly talented, was shocked when she witnessed this. However, she did not seem jealous. On the contrary, she clapped her hands in delight and said, "Keep up the good work, Little Junior Sister! You can do it!"

Conch was clearly motivated by Little Yuan'er's encouragement. Not only did she continue trying, but she increased the input of Primal Qi as well. She was in the Brahman Sea realm with five connected meridian vessels. When her Primal Qi surged, it seemed as though eight screens were erected around her. Her melody rose to a higher pitch and sounded more rapid.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The others were shocked. They immediately activated their protective energies and blocked the energy sounds from their surroundings.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Everyone else was shocked.

Lu Zhou was the only one who frowned. This was because he was the only one who caught a glimpse of red energy among the surging energy. In other words… what Conch condensed was red energy.

Red energy was rare in the cultivation world… It was commonly perceived that the color of one's energy would only change when one cultivated certain arcane arts or if there was some mutation in one's cultivation method. For example, Fiend zen made energy seals turn black, barriers made from air were blue, and healing powers from nature were green. Apart from these colors, no other colors were heard of in Great Yan's cultivation world.

This was Lu Zhou's first time seeing red energy. He placed his hand on the Lantian Jade Flute and pressed on it lightly. "Stop."

The music stopped abruptly.

Before the energy could take its full form, Lu Zhou did not want too many people to know about the existence of red energy.

The eastern pavilion fell silent.

Ji Liang returned to the forests of Golden Court Mountain and vanished from sight.

"Master?" Conch looked up.

The others wanted to see how much potential Conch had. The sudden interruption left them puzzled.

Why was Conch's appraisal suddenly interrupted?

Lu Zhou said, "Let's call it a day… Nobody is to breathe a word about Conch to anyone. If anyone goes against this order, I won't forgive them."

The others immediately realized the gravity of the situation. They bowed immediately.

"Yes, Pavilion Master."

"Yes, master."

What did a genius fear the most? It was being killed in the cradle before their wings had fully sprouted.

As expected of the pavilion master. They were impressed by his foresight. Naturally, they were unaware that Lu Zhou only did that because he did not want anyone to know about Conch's red energy.

Now that the appraisal ended, everyone left.

Lu Zhou returned to the eastern pavilion and thought about Conch.

...

At dusk.

Lu Zhou looked at High Void and felt slightly troubled.

The person inside the coffin, a red lotus, the diary, and a woman with the surname Luo. They were all related to the Nine-leaf stage. All these clues pointed in the same direction, and that was to not attempt the Nine-leaf stage.

He could employ the help of others to investigate these matters, but who could investigate Conch's red energy?

"Red lotus, red energy… Could it be that there are people cultivating red energy and forming red lotuses in the world? Did Conch come from the same place as the coffin's owner?"

…

Inside the Evergreen Palace in the Imperial City, the Divine Capital.

The study was heavily guarded.

The internal attendant came to the study as always.

"Your Majesty, the results are out." The internal attendant did not sound confident.

"Come in."

When the door was opened, the internal attendant felt a peculiar surge of heatwave. He nearly choked from it.

Liu Gu sat on the floor with his legs crossed. Hot air was surging out of his body at this moment.

The internal attendant dared not look at the emperor. He lowered his head at once and respectfully kneeled on the floor.

"The Retired Emperor brought Su Sheng and Gu Yiran to the Evil Sky Pavilion. It's been confirmed that they have all fallen in battle." After the internal attendant finished speaking, he prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to move.

A moment later, Liu Gu opened his eyes. Contrary to expectations, he did not lash out furiously. He merely said tonelessly, "I see."

The internal attendant was confused. Were they not father and son? How could the emperor remain unaffected by the Retired Emperor's demise in battle? He could only entertain these thoughts in his mind. He would not be so bold as to give voice to them. Seeing that the emperor was not angry, he said tentatively, "Your Majesty, the officials have presented a collective memorial. Currently, only Yan Province and Ji Province haven't been conquered by the Nether Sect. It seems likely that the Nether Sect's forces will surround the Divine Capital soon. The officials wish to invite Your Majesty to the Imperial court and discuss countermeasures."

Upon hearing this, Liu Gu said indifferently, "What do I have to discuss with a bunch of trash about the things I want to do? This is my decree. The Crown Prince will lead an army. He may pick anyone from the eight great generals. Tell Wei Zhuoyan to give up on the border's garrison and attack Liang Province. Tell the Divine Capital's Imperial guard to strengthen their defenses. Nobody else is to be allowed into the Imperial city. If there are uninvited guests, they are to be killed without exception."

The internal attendant shuddered and dared not ask any more questions. He hastily said, "Understood." Then, he rose to his feet and respectfully left the study.

At this moment, Liu Gu opened his eyes again. He flipped his palm.

Whizz!

An avatar materialized above his palm. There was no Golden Lotus. Only seven blades of leaves could be seen spinning around it. The seven leaves were bright and lush. He clenched his fist.

Liu Gu nodded in satisfaction. "I'm almost back at the Eight-leaf stage, and the Nine-leaf stage is almost at hand… Why would I need to fear the Nether Sect or the Evil Sky Pavilion?"

He raised his hand. The Magistrate Brush hovered in the air. The hair of the brush was white, but the tips were red. The red looked extremely glaring under the illumination from his Primal Qi. Soon enough, the hairs of the brush sank into the ink and turned black.

…

The General's Mansion in Yu Province.

Hua Chongyang carried sheets of information and entered.

"Sect Master, Mister Seventh, the results of the investigation are out… Yan Province's main city is guarded by General Ma Luping. He's one of the eight great generals of the Imperial guard, the general of the southeastern gate…"

Yu Zhenghai laughed when he heard this. "Indeed, the Imperial family is out of options. Your plan of surrounding the Divine Capital is splendid, wise brother!"

Si Wuya said, "The Imperial family has no other choice. If they didn't send anyone to defend the city, it would only expedite their demise. Even if they did, without its eight great generals, the Divine Capital doesn't amount to much."

Hua Chongyang said, "You're right, Mister Seventh. Of the eight great generals, Han Yuyuan, Xiang Lie, Gu Yiran, Wen Shu, and Su Sheng have died in battle. Ji Qingqing, who was Han Yuyuan's replacement, has disappeared. As of now, only Wang Yue, Xuan Jingyun, and Ma Luping are left."

"She fled?" Si Wuya frowned. He had always thought about things differently than Yu Zhenghai. He viewed these seemingly insignificant details with more importance.

"Ji Qingqing is the only female general of the eight great generals. It's rumored that she was on the mysterious elite's hitlist and fled overnight out of fear."

Yu Zhenghai and Si Wuya remembered the sight they saw when they attacked Yu Province on the flying chariot.

"The mysterious elite is only at the Five-leaf stage… How could he do anything to Ji Qingqing?" Yu Zhenghai wondered out loud.

"I don't know."

"Wise brother, could this mysterious elite come from the Imperial family?"

"Unlikely. This elite is elusive… He doesn't behave like a Five-leaf cultivator. Perhaps, he lowered his avatar's strength on purpose the other day," Si Wuya replied.

Yu Zhenghai frowned slightly. He remembered what Mingshi Yin had said; Yu Shangrong was in Yu Province. 'If that's true… Why is he helping me? Old Second, oh, Old Second. My archenemy for life is giving me a hand? Impossible!'

At this moment, the Nether Sect disciples rushed into the palace and said, "Sect Master, Mister Seventh, things are not looking good! Yan Province's main city has activated its main Formation and closed itself off!"

"What's the reason for this?" Si Wuya asked.

"To capture someone! It's said that... they've found the mysterious elite!"