My disciples are all villains.

Lu Zhou's youth was restored to him, and he was back in his prime before regressing to his middle age.

His appearance aged, his hair whitened, and his skin wrinkled again.

The golden lotus was spinning at a normal rate now. The energy rings as thick as a huge tree was traveling down the growing avatar. The lotus leaves' light was almost blindingly bright.

Meanwhile, the golden lotus was still growing.

Lu Zhou stared at the numbers on the interface. 'Almost there.'

Remaining life: 3,503 days.

His appearance aged further as his avatar continued to grow. A cold breeze ruffled his snow-white hair. His robes fluttered in the wind.

Crack!

Another crisp sound rang in the air.

The cultivators looked at the empty spot on the golden lotus that belonged to the ninth leaf. At this moment, they could see a leaf emerging. They were, naturally, delighted to see this.

"It's coming!"

"It's the ninth leaf!"

"Senior Ji's demonstration is truly amazing! It's as though he's really sprouting the ninth leaf for the first time!"

...

In front of the Evil Sky Pavilion's great hall, outside the barrier, in the forest, everyone who witnessed this was elated and excited.

Even the middle-aged man from the red lotus domain could not remain unmoved. He was reminded of his past self when he witnessed this. After all, the process was incredibly difficult.

...

Meanwhile, the golden lotus was still spinning slowly, and it was still absorbing Lu Zhou's life force.

Lu Zhou frowned when he saw his remaining life.

Remaining life: 1,005 days.

Initially, he suspected Luo Shi Yin's record was a trick. However, after mulling over it, he wondered if, perhaps, the error in her record was due to insufficient experimental data. After all, 1,400 years of life did not deviate too much from 1,200 years. Moreover, if he did not somewhat agree with her findings, he would not have blindly attempted this as well.

At this moment, Lu Zhou felt slightly regretful. If he knew this was going to happen, he would have accumulated more Reversal Cards in case of emergencies. This was an error on his part.

He seemed very close to success. All it took was another step. If he gave up now, the almost 100,000 merit points he spent before this would go to waste. He could not afford to lose.

Lu Zhou looked at the dwindling numbers; it was like looking at the countdown to his death. The only thing he felt fortunate about was that the numbers were not dwindling rapidly anymore. It was dwindling slowly.

At this moment, many of the cultivators bowed.

"I learned a lot from watching this demonstration!"

"Indeed, I'm enlightened!"

Lu Zhou slowly turned to look at the cultivators. He was not rewarded with merit points. As he had expected, planning these events in advance would not give him merit points. Moreover, this could not be counted as an act of worship.

Remaining life: 562 days.

The golden lotus continued to grow.

Only a short while had passed, but Lu Zhou felt as though a century had passed.

The ninth leaf seemed to be stuck. Only half of it had emerged. It had not sprouted completely.

Meanwhile, the members of the Evil Sky Pavilion were baffled by this.

The four elders who had once witnessed Lu Zhou leveling up found this strange. Although this was just a demonstration, the amount of vitality the pavilion master gathered this time far surpassed the previous times in the eastern pavilion. Was this not too high a price to pay just for a demonstration?

At this moment, Leng Luo barked, "Silence! The pavilion master might overexert himself from this demonstration."

The others were shocked. If in the past they merely respected Lu Zhou out of fear, currently, they sincerely held him in high regard.

Nan Gongwei and Feng Yizhi frowned as they said, "What's happening? It's so close to sprouting."

Pan Litian shook his head. "The pavilion master is aging."

Some old men could not care less about the longevity of their lives, but some were exceptionally sensitive about it.

Lu Zhou's white hair had blackened earlier, but now, it had whitened again

"Master!" Lu Zhou's disciples were all staring at him intently.

Lu Zhou ignored the others. He was staring at the numbers on the interface.

Remaining life: 132 days.

'Should I stop?' Lu Zhou moved his arms. He could feel a suppression on his cultivation base due to the aging process. The sensation that his great limit was approaching was here again.

The scenes of Ji Tiandao attempting the Nine-leaf stage in the past suddenly appeared in his mind. He recalled the powerlessness Ji Tiandao had felt due to the golden lotus' ability to absorb life.

Regardless if the ninth leaf was half out or just a quarter of it was out, as long as it was not completely sprouted, he was just an Eight-leaf and a half cultivator.

Remaining life: 99 days.

Lu Zhou was starting to feel the toll from old age.

At this moment, someone in front of the hall exclaimed, "What's that?"

On the horizon to the north, a red rectangular object that resembled a paperweight or a short ruler was flying toward their direction.

…

Inside the forest outside the barrier.

The middle-aged red lotus cultivator looked up at the sky. An excited expression appeared on his face as he exclaimed, "The Sky Shuttle is here!"

...

The red box-like object, naturally, caught everyone's attention.

Lu Zhou had seen it as well.

Its speed was incredibly fast. It was moving toward the top of the Evil Sky Pavilion.

Nobody knew what it was. It was not a mount or a flying beast. It was something completely alien to them.

In just a blink of an eye, it was 1,000 meters away from where everyone gathered. When they blinked again, the red box was already upon them.

Swoosh!

Red flames burst forth, engulfing the box in flames.

A hoarse voice rang in the air. "Just in time. Die!"

Lu Zhou pushed away with his feet. With a flurry of movements, he appeared in front of his avatar and pushed forward with a single palm.

The red box shot toward him.

The power of past lives!

Originating from nothing, from it comes everything. Living in samsara and learning from it.

The palm strike and the Sky Shuttle collided!

Both parties retreated.

Lu Zhou recalled with his avatar.

Who could push Lu Zhou back in this world?

"Master!"

"Pavilion Master!"

The first person to move from the Evil Sky Pavilion was the Eight-leaf elite, Ye Tianxin, who was dressed in all white, matching her white hair. She instantly unleashed her grand technique.

The four elders took to the sky as well.

The leaf-sprouting process had always been the most crucial part…

The five Eight-leaf cultivators, Nan Gongwei, Feng Yizhi, Chu Nan, Zhu Tianyuan, and Huang Shijie, did not hesitate as they summoned their avatars at the same time and flew out of the barrier.

"Senior Ji, let us help you!"

Their shouts resounded across the skies.

…

This was probably the most glorious and flamboyant day in the Evil Sky Pavilion since its inception.

Nobody had ever witnessed so many Eight-leaf cultivators summoning their avatars at the same time.

Apart from Lu Zhou's 140-foot avatar, many 100-foot golden avatars lunged at the red box. Meanwhile, 70-foot avatars and 80-foot avatars rose into the sky as well.

Energy seals filled the air.

The Sky Shuttle spun in its spot as it repelled the attacks from the Eight-leaf cultivators.

Si Wuya could not help but feel amazed. He exclaimed, "It's an improved version of the red coffin transporter! Look out, there's a red lotus cultivator!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Energies sailed everywhere in the sky.

The Eight and Seven-leaf cultivators were sent flying as they spat out blood.

The flames on the Sky Shuttle burned brightly!

The other cultivators were frightened by this.

"It's an elite beyond the Nine-leaf stage!" Si Wuya cried out in warning.

An elite beyond the Nine-leaf stage? No wonder that person was so powerful!

…

Outside the barrier, the middle-aged man, who was watching from the forest, felt a surge of emotions in his heart. He said in a hoarse voice, "An elite who has control over karmic fire! Senior, you're finally here!"

…

Zhu Tianyuan shouted, "Those under the Eight-leaf stage retreat back into the barrier!"

The four elders of the Evil Sky Pavilion had no choice but to retreat. Acting recklessly now would only get them killed.

Lu Zhou checked the interface.

Remaining life: 66 days.

'What an auspicious number! This is a sign that everything will go well. That Nine-leaf red lotus cultivator came just in time… I'll kill him and restock my Reversal Cards.'

Lu Zhou stroked his beard and calmly said, "I won't kill someone whose name I don't know. State your name."

A deep voice rang from the Sky Shuttle. "I'm Fa Kong, the First Seat of the Blood Sun Temple's Monastic Discipline Hall. I'm from the red lotus domain. Today, I'll take your blood and offer it as a sacrifice to my karmic fire!"

Swoosh!

The flames surged again.

Lu Zhou looked at the transporter that resembled a red coffin. The flames did not harm the red lotus cultivator. Was this skill unique to the red lotus domain?

"Senior Ji, please retract your avatar. The demonstration is enough." Nan Gongwei said as he stood in front of Lu Zhou.

'I'd like to retract it as well, but how can I withdraw it when I'm in the middle of sprouting the ninth leaf?'

Lu Zhou looked at the interface again.

Remaining life: 55 days.

'If my life goes down to zero in one go, I'm done for.' Lu Zhou forced himself to remain calm. He said, "I've killed countless bald donkeys throughout my life… Are you man enough to come out and fight me?"

"You're unworthy!"

Whizz!

The flames grew larger as the Sky Shuttle sped toward Lu Zhou.

"Stop it!"

The Eight-leaf cultivators worked together again.

Ye Tianxin took the vanguard. She unleashed her strength with her Blue Waves Technique and her Amorous Hoop.

The other Eight-leaf cultivators were all fighting with all their might as well. However, none of them was as fierce as Ye Tianxin.

"You don't know your own strength!"

Boom!

The karmic fire unleashed its power!

The Eight-leaf cultivators reeled back again.

Ye Tianxin took the brunt of the attack. She grunted as blood trickled out from the edge of her lips and dripped onto her body. Her snow-white garments were dotted with red spots. The red from her blood made for a stark contrast on her white robes.

The others felt their blood essences surge. They were no match for this person.

"Sixth Senior Sister!"

"Sixth Junior Sister!"

Ye Tianxin fell from the sky.

The other disciples flew up to catch her.

Little Yuan'er unleashed her Supreme Purity Jade Slip with the utmost skill. She was a Seven-leaf cultivator, to begin with, so she quickly caught Ye Tianxin.

"Sixth Senior Sister!" Little Yuan'er was distraught when she saw the blood on Ye Tianxin's white robes.

"I'm fine… Stop them. Protect Master!"

At this moment, everyone's attention was on the Sky Shuttle.

The Sky Shuttle that was burning with karmic fire shot toward Lu Zhou again.

Lu Zhou had seen Ye Tianxin dropping from the sky as well, causing him to frown slightly. He knew it was important that he remained composed. He was everyone's pillar. If he were to lose his composure, everyone would follow suit.

After Lu Zhou quickly calmed down, he slowly raised his hand. Once again, he used the power of past lives.

Bam!

Blue light shone from his fingers. The scripts from Abandon Wisdom hovered around his hand.

The Heavenly Writing power collided with the Sky Shuttle.

Lu Zhou sped back with his avatar.

The Sky Shuttle was pushing against his blue palm!

In just a blink of an eye, they flew away from Golden Court Mountain. They passed the forest and were now several thousand meters away.

The Heavenly Writing's extraordinary power kept surging out, but the Sky Shuttle showed no signs of damage.

Lu Zhou had infused a quarter of his extraordinary power into this attack. And yet, he failed to do anything to the red coffin. Obviously, the red coffin had been fortified.

…

Meanwhile, the cultivators before the great hall exclaimed in shock.

Beyond Golden Court Mountain, the cultivators watched with widened eyes as Lu Zhou and the Sky Shuttle flew further and further away.

"After them!" Si Wuya ordered, "Conch, Yuan'er, stay here and look after Sixth Senior Sister."

The injured Eight-leaf cultivators entered the barrier; they were in no condition to give chase.

The cultivators who were watching outside the barrier gave chase with all their might. Alas, their speed was not enough.

The elders from the Evil Sky Pavilion decided to take action as well.

"Hua Wudao, stay here! I'll go after them!"

"I'll go as well!"

"I won't be left behind!"

The three elders summoned their avatars and flew south in pursuit of Lu Zhou and the Sky Shuttle.

…

Meanwhile.

Lu Zhou pressed his palm against the Sky Shuttle as he was being pushed back at a high speed. His expression was dark as he stared at the red Sky Shuttle.

At this moment, his extraordinary power was keeping the karmic fire at bay.

"The greatest and only Nine-leaf cultivator in the golden lotus domain… You certainly live up to your name. I didn't expect you'd be able to block my red lotus karmic fire!"

"If you dare to show yourself, I'll show you what a true Nine-leaf cultivator is like."

"I'd love to see that."

Bam!

The red lotus karmic fire burned more brightly.

Lu Zhou fisted his hand and unleashed another surge of the Heavenly Writing power.

The power to silence everything!

To maintain and manifest samadhi. Like light and shadow, permeating everywhere while staying still in samadhi.

Similarly, Lu Zhou used a quarter of his extraordinary power in this attack.

Boom!

The Sky Shuttle froze before it spun.

Lu Zhou hovered in the air. Perhaps, it was due to his dwindling life. His senses and reactions seemed slower.

Crack!

'Hm?' Lu Zhou glanced at his golden lotus from the corners of his eyes. He saw the ninth leaf that was only sprouted earlier had fully sprouted. It was a complete ninth leaf! At this moment, nine leaves spun around his shining golden lotus.

At the same time, his avatar had grown to 150-foot tall.