My disciples are all villains.

An excited expression appeared on the middle-aged man's face immediately. However, he muttered to himself in a slightly regretful tone, "Alas, I'm out of talismans. Otherwise… I could've lured the huge beasts here to attack them. I can only think of some way to interrupt the leaf-sprouting process and wait for the Sky Chariot to arrive."

He kept staring at the barriers of the Three Sects' ten holy hands. There were more elites in the Three Sects. He knew that he could drag the battle out. 

He would retreat after interrupting the leaf-sprouting and sprint in the other direction as fast as he could.

...

Meanwhile, in the Tian Sect's holy land.

Nan Gongwei sat cross-legged in the middle of the holy land.

The disciples of the Three Sects hovered around him and kept watch.

"Stay alert. There are more and more beasts appearing."

The Eight-leaf Feng Yizhi, Chu Nan, the other elders, and the elites were keeping watch. Among the current sects, the Three Sects were the only ones who possessed this kind of strength and power.

"What beast is that?" Chu Nan was puzzled.

"It's not a manman, and it's not a northern goshawk… I've never seen it before."

Whizz!

Nan Gongwei summoned his Eight-leaf avatar. His golden lotus-less avatar shone with a golden energy ring. As usual, the radiant rings slid down.

…

In the Evil Sky Pavilion's eastern pavilion.

After Lu Zhou did a round of Taiji, Mingshi Yin hurried over. He bowed and said, "Master, the Three Sects have sent a letter. It says that Nan Gongwei of the Tian Sect is attempting the Nine-leaf stage at the moment."

"Nan Gongwei?" Lu Zhou stroked his beard. "Any word on Ji Qingqing?"

"Ji Qingqing has gone missing after the battle in Yu Province started. There's nothing about her. She might be talented, but she might not be as fast as Nan Gongwei…" Mingshi Yin replied.

"Why would you say that?" Lu Zhou's interest was piqued by Mingshi Yin and Si Wuya's different opinions.

"That's because she was absent when you were demonstrating, master!"

"…"

Lu Zhou frowned. With a slightly annoyed tone, he said, "Be serious."

Mingshi Yin's smile faltered. He bowed and said, "I've made a mistake."

"Where's Si Wuya?"

"He has been studying the Sky Shuttle over the past few days… He's almost obsessed with it," Mingshi Yin said, "Master, the Tian Sect is trying to make you their supporter. Just ignore them. They have enough elites in their sect."

Although the Three Sects were powerful, it was only normal for Lu Zhou to feel slightly worried since he had witnessed Fa Kong, with his red lotus karmic fire, attacking him.

After giving it some thought, Lu Zhou said, "Old Fourth."

"Yes, master?"

"Go and take a look at the Three Sects," Lu Zhou said.

"Huh? Master… I'm only a Seven-leaf cultivator. You're sending me to aid someone who's sprouting the ninth leaf?" Mingshi Yin was puzzled.

Lu Zhou regarded Mingshi Yin with a deep gaze. He remained silent as he continued to look at Mingshi Yin knowingly.

Mingshi Yin wiped off the look of confusion from his face before he bowed and said, "Understood. I'll head out right away…" He was about to turn and leave when he looked back with a flattering smile and said, "Master, may I ride Ji Liang there?"

Lu Zhou was about to nod and summon Ji Liang when little Qiong Qi, with its small wings, ran over to the eastern pavilion and grabbed Mingshi Yin's foot.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

"Shoo!" Mingshi Yin raised his leg, intending to shake Qiong Qi off.

However, Qiong Qi held on even tighter.

Lu Zhou glanced at little Qiong Qi. It had only been a few days, but its fur had almost completely covered its body. The feathers on its wings were almost fully grown as well. This beast seemed to be adapting to its environments quicker than the humans. It had intelligence on par with humans, but it was much weaker than other beasts at birth.

"It's too clingy! Master, should I cut this Qiong Qi up?" Mingshi Yin asked.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

Qiong Qi barked thrice before it pulled back and lunged forward.

Mingshi Yin was swept off balance and fell accurately on Qiong Qi's back.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Little Qiong Qi flapped its wings and took flight.

Mingshi Yin was shocked and curious.

Lu Zhou looked at little Qiong Qi, seeming to understand its intention. He asked, "You want to go?"

Woof!

"Go, then."

Woof! Woof!

Mingshi Yin had completely no say in this.

Little Qiong Qi carried Mingshi Yin away up in the air.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Mingshi Yin felt his body sway on the bumpy ride. He felt his brain spinning, and he had to circulate his Primal Qi to help little Qiong Qi stabilize itself.

When they were out of Golden Court Mountain's range, little Qiong Qi seemed even more jubilant. This was its first flight. Since it was young, it was fearless. It dove without any hesitation.

"Are you kidding me? Are you riding me, or am I riding you?" Mingshi Yin increased his input of Primal Qi to form an energy barrier.

Woof!

Qiong Qi sped forward and barked as it flew. It seemed to be bragging about its speed.

Mingshi Yin rolled its eyes. "Go away. I'm better off flying on my own." After saying this, he placed one foot down in the air.

Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!

Qiong Qi flapped its wings more quickly now. Although it was not as fast as Ji Liang, its speed was acceptable. However, the instability of the ride was not acceptable to Mingshi Yin.

Mingshi Yin smacked his forehead and muttered to himself, "What did I do to deserve this?"

The pair of man and 'dog' seemed to bicker back and forth in their respective languages as they flew toward the Three Sects.

…

Meanwhile, in the center of the Tian Sect's holy land.

Nan Gongwei's avatar rose into the air. He was now at the crucial stage.

"All disciples should be on high alert. Increase the patrols."

Nan Gongwei's eight leaves spun with increasing speed as energy rings kept sliding down his avatar.

Nan Gongwei was delighted when he heard a crisp sound. "Senior Ji's method of sprouting the leaf is useful!"

The way everyone sprouted their leaves was more or less the same, but it was different as well. The elites could always pinpoint the details.

A shining energy shot up from the avatar's feet.

At this moment…

Beyond the dozens of barriers, an Eight-an-a-half-leaf red lotus avatar appeared.

"Incoming!"

The Three Sects' disciples felt their hairs stand on end. They did not expect there would be an actual invasion by a red lotus cultivator just like what happened at the Evil Sky Pavilion.

The red lotus avatar unleashed two bursts of grand technique and appeared above the Tian Sect.

"Oh, no… He's skilled in Formations. He managed to skirt around the Restrictions."

The Eight-and-a-half-leaf red lotus avatar suddenly disappeared. The middle-aged man turned around and prepared himself to break the final barrier.

"Stop him!"

The Nascent Divinity realm elites took flight.

Feng Yizhi and Chu Nan arrived on the scene first.

The red lotus elite launched dozens of palm seals.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Aside from Feng Yizhi and Chu Nan, the others reeled back.

The middle-aged man had a grim expression on his face as he looked at the beasts in the sky. He had to hurry! He was worried about the Evil Sky Pavilion's Nine-leaf cultivator coming to the rescue.

After the Three Sects' disciples reeled back, the flying beasts suddenly gathered in throngs and flew toward Tian Sect.

The middle-aged man frowned. "What's happening?"

Meanwhile, Nan Gongwei was at the crucial stage of a breakthrough. He was sweating from the effort he expended.

At this moment, a sharp cry resounded in the sky.

At the southernmost part of the Three Sects, an extremely huge flying beast lunged at the middle-aged man.

He glanced at the flying beast and exclaimed in shock, "Shu Si? Who drew this beast here?"

Shu Si resembled an owl, but its size… was thousands of times larger.

The little Shu Sis seemed to be agitated when they heard the cry of the gigantic Shu Si.

The Three Sects' disciples took flight again in an attempt to stop the beasts.

The middle-aged man gave it some thought before he decided to make this a short battle. He quickly launched palm seals into the surroundings.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

He was an Eight-and-a-half-leaf cultivator after all. The Six-leaf and Seven-leaf cultivators were no match for him.

Feng Yizhi and Chu Nan were the only ones who could give him trouble. However, their palm seals were blocked by his armor.

He suddenly charged downward!

Bam!

The barrier shattered.

He launched a palm seal downward.

At this moment, Shu Si bared its talons and lunged at the middle-aged man.

Bam!

Shu Si pushed the red lotus cultivator away from the holy land. Its huge wings stirred up a huge gale in the area. Its talons glinted as it struck the middle-aged man.

The man grunted and summoned his avatar!

Whizz!

Huge amounts of Primal Qi power leaked out of the red lotus.

Boom!

Shu Si flew upward. It was clearly in pain as its feathers dropped to the ground. It was clearly angered by this. Its eyes were as sharp as a falcon, and they glinted fiercely in the light. It charged at the middle-aged man again.

The man looked in Nan Gongwei's direction. He noticed that Nan Gongwei was still trying to sprout his leaf. He wondered inwardly, 'This man has drawn the beast here. If he carries on with the process, how am I supposed to deal with this beast?!'

He immediately left with a burst of movement!

The huge owl-like Shu Si flapped its wings that were as huge as the sky curtains and pursued him.

"Hm?" The middle-aged man flew to the highest point with a frown on his face. 'It's not here for that man, but me?' He looked down. The red veins on his armor were emitting power. 'Crap, the armor has activated its Nine-leaf power.'

This armor had been modified to give him combat strength comparable to an early-stage Nine-leaf cultivator. It was only now that he realized Shu Si's target was not Nan Gongwei, but himself!

His hair stood on end immediately. Without any hesitation, he turned around and fled with a flurry of movements. With this, the red veins on his armor shone again!

The Three Sects' disciples stared at this scene with their mouths agape. His speed was comparable to that of a Nine-leaf cultivator! Initially, they were thinking of ways to deal with the beast. Who knew, in the end, the beasts would end up helping them?

Nan Gongwei looked up at the countless Shu Sis in the sky and said, "Listen up, everyone. The disturbance of Primal Qi is slightly intense. I'm going to stop my leaf-sprouting process! Stand back!"

"Stop? Are you out of your mind?"

"Let him stop." Feng Yizhi levitated in the air. "Chu Nan, stay here. I'll go after him."

"Don't! There might be an ambush," Nan Gongwei said as he looked at the avatar.

Feng Yizhi sighed and had no choice but to order, "Everyone, stand guard within the Restrictions!"

What would they do if the leaf was sprouted, and it attracted the beast? Nobody knew why the beast went after the red lotus cultivator, but the appearance of Shu Si had stricken fear in their hearts. Even an Eight-and-a-half-leaf cultivator had to run away from it, let alone them.

…

A moment later.

Mingshi Yin half-carried Qiong Qi as they flew. They rose and fell in the air.

Mingshi Yin was speechless. "I have the worst luck! If master didn't forbid me, I would've slain you a long time ago."

Screech!

A sharp cry rang from ahead.

Little Qiong Qi spread its wings as its fur stood on end.