My disciples are all villains.

Mingshi Yin exclaimed in shock, "Hey! Don't forget you're flying!"

Since Qiong Qi stopped flapping its wing, it was only natural for them to drop.

How could Mingshi Yi stay idle as Qiong Qi plummeted to the ground? Speechless, he circulated Primal Qi and carried himself and the beast.

Woof! Woof! Woof.

Qiong Qi seemed persistent on landing; it did not flap its wings. Its barks were clearly different from before as well; it sounded anxious and slightly fearful.

Mingshi Yin, who had sensed Qiong Qi's abnormalities, asked, "What's wrong?"

Little Qiong Qi barked a few more times as it looked up ahead.

"There's danger there?" Mingshi Yin dove swiftly.

Although little Qiong Qi was young, Mingshi Yin chose to trust its instincts. After landing, he looked up at the treetops and saw a red lotus cultivator flying overhead.

Hot on the red lotus cultivator's heels, Shu Si, which spanned dozens of meters, flapped its wings in wild pursuit. Its sharp talons glowed sinisterly.

"What do you know… Little pup, you actually did something useful!" Mingshi Yin patted the back of little Qiong Qi's head and looked up at the sky. "Hide!"

Although little Qiong Qi was young, it was already the size of a tiger. If it did not hide, it would easily be seen.

Woof.

Little Qiong Qi and Mingshi Yin hid behind a huge boulder.

Boom!

The Shu Si was unbelievably swift as its talons struck the middle-aged man's armor.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

"Livestock!" the middle-aged man cursed loudly as he landed. He had underestimated Su Shi's speed. He had to turn around to deal with it.

For a time, wild blasts of energy and explosions rang from the forest in front of Mingshi Yin.

Mingshi Yin lowered himself further and placed a palm on the boulder, blocking the aftershock with some energy. Then, he looked at little Qiong Qi and sternly said, "I'm warning you; don't move, don't bark, and don't look!"

Woof!

Mingshi Yin was speechless. "I must've been a great sinner in my past life to let you torture me. That's a red lotus cultivator, you know?"

Little Qiong Qi stopped barking and lay down.

…

The middle-aged man and Shu Si fought fiercely for four hours.

The trees within 1,000 meters of the fight were completely destroyed.

Mingshi Yin continued to stay hidden behind the boulder. He did not even try to take a peek. He judged the distance between the battle and them by sound. When he noticed that the noise had gone down slightly, he looked over furtively.

The middle-aged man's arms, face, and legs were completely riddled with wounds. His torso was relatively untouched since it was protected by the red glowing armor.

Then, Mingshi Yin shifted his eyes to the huge Shu Si. Many of its feathers had fallen. Its eyes glowed red, and there were bloodstains on its sharp talons.

Mingshi Yin wondered how much of the blood was from the beast and how much of it was from the red lotus cultivator

The middle-aged man panted heavily, and his face glistened with sweat. He retreated carefully with his eyes trained on Shu Si.

"Livestock, I'm not a Nine-leaf cultivator! See for yourself. It's from the armor. Get lost!" The middle-aged man began to explain himself to the beast in an attempt to make it leave.

However, Shu Si stared at him and lowered its head as though it was preparing to pounce.

Mingshi Yin frowned. 'This place isn't far from the Three Sects. Why is this man from the red lotus domain here? Is he trying to sneak up on Nan Gongwei?' He continued his observation. To prevent any accidents, he turned around and glared at Qiong Qi before placing his index on his finger to shush it.

Qiong Qi did not disappoint him. It remained on the ground and did not move.

'That's more like it.' Mingshi Yin looked to the side and pushed his palm forward. He utilized his Bluewood Heart Technique, plants started growing behind the boulder…

The middle-aged man's battle with Shu Si was fierce. They were unaware that they had an audience close by.

Shu Si ignored the middle-aged man's explanations. It screeched and flapped its wings, stirring up a strong gale. Without the trees blocking it, a hail of pebbles and a storm of sand obscured the view.

The red lotus elite engaged in an intense battle with Shu Si again.

They fought for another two hours until the sun was setting, and they slowly moved to a slope 1,000 meters away.

Mingshi Yin sighed in relief. 'It's a good thing we're far from them now.'

Meanwhile, blood stained the middle-aged man's face. He was clearly an arrow at the end of its flight.

However, Shu Si's body was covered in wounds as well.

"If you want to die… I'll fulfill your wish!" The middle-aged man gritted his teeth and raised a hand to circulate his Primal Qi. He tapped several unique points on his armor.

The red runes on the armor burst forth with red radiance. The web-like red lines spread out from the man. Meanwhile, the red ribbons he prepared beforehand unfurled and activated the red lines' power like flames.

Screech!

Shu Si flapped its wings wildly as it tried to block the red lines with its sharp talons.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The trees were already fell by the blasts of energies, and the explosion of the red lines completely shattered the trees!

Swoosh!

Several red lines left gruesome wounds on Shu Si's body. Its right wing was severed by the red lines with a squelching sound. It screeched at an even higher pitch!

The birds within several miles scattered.

Little Qiong Qi's fur stood on end again.

Due to the distance, Mingshi Yin could not see what was happening. He said, "You're quite the coward."

Woof!

Qiong Qi's expression seemed to say: Aren't you one as well?

At this moment, the sounds of the battle died down. Their surroundings became quiet again.

"Little pup, do you think I should take a look, or should I run away?" Mingshi Yin asked.

Woof! Woof! Woof.

"I think running away is more important. What do you think?"

Woof! Woof! Woof!

"Alright… We've agreed on a decision. Let's run then." Mingshi Yin pushed away from the ground and shot into the air. He waited for Qiong Qi to come to him. He turned to look and realized Qiong Qi did not follow after him. Instead, it was running toward the location of the battle between Shu Si and the man.

Mingshi Yin said, "You're in the rebellious phase now, aren't you?" He shook his head; he had no choice but to go after it. He kept a low altitude as he flew.

It seemed like Qiong Qi's sharp senses and stubborn genes to battle had been triggered at this moment. It came to a halt when it was near its destination.

Mingshi Yin landed as well.

Amidst the rubble and debris, Mingshi Yin saw Shu Si had lost a wing. Meanwhile, the red lotus elite leaned against a bloodied boulder and did not move.

"Neither side won?" Mingshi Yin felt slightly incredulous.

"Who..." The red lotus cultivator looked up. His wretched expression disappeared immediately and was replaced by a fierce one. He looked at Mingshi Yin who was slowly walking toward him.

Mingshi Yin raised his hands. "This is a misunderstanding. I'm just passing by… Comrade, I think you're in quite a bad state!"

The red lotus cultivator glanced at Shu Si opposite him. Something stirred in him as he said, "This beast is Shu Si… It's… comparable to an early Nine-leaf cultivator. It's hurt… Kill... kill it, and… Shu Si's heart… is yours…"

"Shu Shi's Heart?" Mingshi Yin was puzzled.

The middle-aged man said in between coughing fits, "Most beasts… survive on the vitality energy in the world. That's… t-that's how they grow to become so fierce. When… when humans reach the Nine-leaf stage… the… vitality will surge strongly. The huge… beasts… like… food like this… the most… Its heart can supply you with longevity… If you obtain it, you'll be able to prolong your life…" At the end of his words, his breathing seemed to weaken.

Prolong lives?

Mingshi Yin was shocked when he heard this. "That means, you're a Nine-leaf cultivator, senior?"

The man looked at Mingshi Yin meaningfully and did not deny it. Instead, he urged Mingshi Yin, "Quick, kill Shu Si! Its heart will be yours for the taking!"

At this moment, although Shu Si was heavily injured, it was drawing closer and closer.

Bam!

Shu Si shattered a rock.

"Oh, no! I better run!" Mingshi Yin turned around and ran.

This time, Qiong Qi understood Mingshi Yin's intention and ran with him.

"Oh, no, you don't…"

Bam!

The middle-aged man slammed his palm on the ground. He used all his power to launch himself toward Mingshi Yin. His only hope of surviving was to make Shu Si change its target.

As the middle-aged man shot toward Mingshi Yin at lightning speed…

Whizz!

An avatar appeared.

The Seven-leaf golden lotus instantly blocked the middle-aged man.

Bam!

The man's face bloodied as he turned back to look at Shu Si. He removed the armor from himself and said, " Only seven leaves?"

"What… Are you offended by a Seven-leaf cultivator?"

The golden lotus swirled as the power surged.

The instant the man was sent flying, he summoned his avatar as well!

Eight-and-a-half-leaf red lotus avatar.

Mingshi Yin suddenly came to a halt. He turned around and faced the man. A faint smile flashed past his lips. He wielded the Separation Hook in a reverse grip, and his avatar suddenly grew taller.

100-foot avatar!

Seven leaves became eight leaves. The seven, slightly withered golden leaves, instantly became luscious and succulent. The eight leaves shone brightly and spun around the golden lotus.

Mingshi Yin no longer retreated. Like a fired arrow, he charged forward with his avatar at a lightning speed.

Boom!

Mingshi Yin landed. His back facing the man.

The Eight-and-a-half-leaf red lotus avatar had been greatly weakened, to begin with. The Separation Hook easily sliced through it, shattering it.

Mingshi Yin retracted his avatar. He wiped his Separation Hook as though nothing had happened.

The man's eyes widened. It looked as though his eyeballs were going to pop out of their sockets. He turned around slowly and pointed at Mingshi Yin's back. "You…"

Mingshi Yin narrowed his eyes slightly as he said, "That scared the hell out of me. To think that you're a crippled Eight-and-a-half-leaf cultivator…"

Thud!

The man fell down.

Mingshi Yin did not have the time to revel in his victory when he saw Shu Si moving toward him.