My disciples are all villains.

Back at the eastern pavilion.

Si Wuya had already ordered someone to send the Demon Sword over.

As Lu Zhou looked at the Demon Sword, he recalled the scene of Gong Yuandu's death. In pursuit of the Nine-leaf stage, Gong Yuandu failed to overcome the great limit of his life. In the end, Gong Yuandu was forced into a corner and was reduced to dust.

Although Jiang Aijian did not state his reason for giving up the sword, for someone like who loved swords as much his life to give up this sword, the sword had to either be trash or would bring him great trouble.

'What's wrong with this sword?' Lu Zhou raised his hand before he sent Primal Qi that had been condensed into energy into the Demon Sword.

The Demon Sword thrummed and vibrated. The blade was thick. Unlike conventional swords, there was no sharp edge. It was more like a huge ruler. There were uneven veins on it, making its surface rough like tree bark.

At this moment, Lu Zhou saw a mark on the sword; it was clearly visible under the energy.

"Jiang Aijian has struck this sword before?"

A person who loved swords tried to strike a sword?

Swoosh!

The Demon sword suddenly flew out. It was out of control.

Since Lu Zhou was already a Nine-leaf cultivator, there was no need for him to fear the Demon Sword. When he activated his protective energy, the Demon Sword shot toward him aggressively.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The Demon Sword struck his protective energy. Sparks flew and a ripple spread out. However, it could not do anything to Lu Zhou.

Lu Zhou looked at the Demon Sword, baffled. Weapons could not possibly have a will of their own. 'What's happening? Is someone controlling the sword? Is the reason Jiang Aijian gave the sword up?'

Lu Zhou retracted his protective energy and drew close to the Demon Sword before he grabbed it.

"Ding! Obtained weapon, Dark Night. Rune energy is insufficient and can't be fixed."

At this moment, Lu Zhou remembered a scene in the Mausoleum of Swords. He was puzzled. "Black rune?"

Lu Zhou flipped his hand; Unnamed materialized in his hand.

When Unnamed appeared, the Demon Sword became restless. It seemed to be preparing to attack.

'Since it can't be fixed, I'll just destroy it.'

As he circulated his Primal Qi, he brought Unnamed down on the Demon Sword before it could take flight again.

Bam!

Unnamed drew across the Demon Sword.

The Demon Sword quietened down.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard as he stared at the Demon Sword. He was puzzled. 'Is that all?'

At this moment, the Demon Sword cracked at the spot where Unnamed had struck it. Then, black runes emerged from the inside of the Demon Sword. They resembled exquisite and small words.

An idea appeared in Lu Zhou's mind. He tossed Unnamed out.

Unnamed hovered among the black runes.

Subsequently, the black runes floated toward Unnamed. Soon after, the black runes in the Demon Sword were completely absorbed by Unnamed until there were no more runes left.

Lu Zhou raised his hand; Unnamed flew back to him.

"Disappear." The black runes on the sword faded away. Now, it looked no different from an ordinary sword.

He circulated some Primal Qi.

The sword seemed to have been dyed black by ink. Dense black smoke rose up.

"What's the grade of this sword?" Lu Zhou was curious. It had never been shown on the system dashboard. It merely told him that Unnamed would be upgraded accordingly along with his cultivation base. Now that he was already at the Nine-leaf stage, he wondered if the sword was beyond the desolate-grade.

Lu Zhou did not dwell on Unnamed's grade for long. He put it away and looked at the Demon Sword. It was now completely useless.

Lu Zhou went behind the screen and looked at the old parchment drawing. The outline of the red lotus domain was now clearer than before, but it was still rather blurry.

After Great Yan's nine provinces were taken over by the Nether Sect, his extraordinary power's upper limit had risen again.

Up until now, there were no clues about the Open Scroll yet. Was the appearance of the red lotus domain on the map a hint for him to go over there?

The memory crystal, Conch's secret, and his first and second disciples seemed like hints and reasons for him to go to the red lotus domain.

Lu Zhou paced around with his hands on his back, mulling over this matter.

There were two important matters currently: the invasion of the beasts and the invasion of the red lotus domain. The huge beasts could be kept at bay through Formations and Nine-leaf elites. However, if the people from the red lotus domain were to invade, it would be a huge problem, especially if there was a Nine-leaf red lotus cultivator who had mastered the karmic fire.

…

Meanwhile.

After killing Shu Si, Mingshi Yin went to the Three Sects with little Qiong Qi in tow. He had only understood afterward that the red lotus cultivator tried to sabotage Nan Gongwei. Unfortunately, Nan Gongwei had failed to reach the Nine-leaf stage this time and had to wait for another time.

Before Mingshi Yin left, Nan Gongwei, Feng Yizhi, and the others had invited him to stay a little longer. However, he declined and left on Qiong Qi's back.

During the journey back.

"Little pup, you're flying better now. Not bad," Mingshi Yin praised.

Woof! Woof! Woof.

Little Qiong Qi seemed to enjoy being helpful. It was clearly delighted.

Indeed, Qiong Qi's ability to learn and adapt was rather high. During the journey back, Mingshi Yin did not have to release Primal Qi to stabilize it.

Mingshi Yin stood in the wind and fished out Shu Si's Heart. He could feel the powerful vitality leaking out of it.

"Little pup, can this really extend my life?" Mingshi Yin was skeptical.

Woof!

"Eldest Senior Brother extended his life by eating Chi Yao's Heart so I think Shu Si's Heart should work, right? The problem is my limit is only 1,000…"

"Sever my lotus?" Mingshi Yin shuddered when he thought about this. He did not possess his Second and Third Senior Brother's courage.

"I think that being an Eight-leaf cultivator is enough… Should I give this to another person? Or perhaps, I can mimic master and use to on my golden lotus when I attempt the Nine-leaf stage?"

He kept thinking about the matter but could not make up his mind.

He muttered to himself, "That's not right… There will be many Nine-leaf cultivators in Great Yan sooner or later. When that time comes, isn't it going to be more dangerous for me?"

Woof! Woof! Woof! 

Little Qiong Qi suddenly dove before it rose again. Its speed seemed to be picking up as well.

The mountains and the lands sped past them in a blur.

He saw the beasts hovering above the forest before him. There were loud explosions ringing from the forest. It seemed like huge beasts were fighting fiercely in the forest. Although these beasts were not as huge as Shu Si, how were ordinary humans supposed to fight them off without a high enough cultivation base?

Qiong Qi charged toward the sun fearlessly, flying over mountains, rivers, and forests.

Mingshi Yin sighed. The tides of time could not be stopped. Was he destined to go with the flow?

…

In the Evil Sky Pavilion.

As soon as Mingshi Yin returned, he made his way to the eastern pavilion immediately. He bowed outside the door. "Greetings, master."

"Enter."

Mingshi Yin opened the door and entered. He stood in front of his master and bowed again before he said, "Master, Nan Gongwei failed to reach the Nine-leaf stage."

Lu Zhou opened his eyes when he heard this. With a slightly regretful tone, he said, "He failed?"

The second Nine-leaf cultivator did appear, after all. This meant his journey to the red lotus domain would have to wait.

"A red lotus elite interrupted him. Also, there's this beast, Shu Si…" Mingshi Yin said.

"Shu Si?" Lu Zhou rose to his feet with hands on his back and stared at Mingshi Yin. He recalled the notifications of merit points before this. He looked at Mingshi Yin intently as he asked, "Did you kill Shu Si?" If someone else had killed Shu Si, he would not have obtained the merit points.

Mingshi Yin scratched his head and said, "It was just a stroke of luck. How could I have killed Shu Si with my strength? After all, even the Eight-and-a-half-leaf red lotus cultivator could not kill it." As he spoke, he brought out Shu Si's Heart.

Lu Zhou's gaze fell on the glinting crystal that was leaking vitality energy. He took the crystal and appraised it.

"Ding! Obtained the heart of Shu Si. Provides 800 years of life."

"Shu Si's Heart provides 800 years of life," Lu Zhou said before tossing the crystal back to Mingshi Yin.

Mingshi Yin caught it and said in slight confusion, "Master, this is for you."

"I'm already at the Nine-leaf stage. I don't need this," Lu Zhou said.

"Oh." Mingshi Yin bowed before he said, "In that case, I won't disturb your cultivation, master. I'll take my leave."

"Stop." Lu Zhou's voice turned stern.

Mingshi Yin turned around and bowed again before he asked, "Your orders, Master?"

"Your cultivation base is already at the Eight-leaf stage, right?"

The room was as silent as a graveyard at this moment, and the atmosphere was heavy as well.

Mingshi Yin answered honestly, "Yes, master."

"Show me your avatar."

"Master… I'm shy… Alright, here I go." Mingshi Yin extended his right hand and pushed his palm forward. A miniature Eight-leaf avatar appeared before him. The eight leaves were dazzling as they shone around the full golden lotus.

Eight leaves.

Lu Zhou was slightly surprised at Mingshi Yin's speed.

After a moment's silence, Lu Zhou asked, "Have you attempted the Nine-leaf stage?"

Mingshi Yin hastily shook his head and said, "No, never…"

"Everyone in Great Yan's cultivation world is trying to reach the Nine-leaf stage. I've been waiting for the second Nine-leaf cultivator to appear. You're already a peak Eight-leaf cultivator, and you have Shu Si's Heart. Haven't you thought about breaking through to the Nine-leaf stage?" Lu Zhou looked at Mingshi Yin.

"Uh…" Before this day, Mingshi Yin honestly never thought of attempting to reach the Nine-leaf stage.