Before this, the conflicts between the Three Sects had already escalated. During the 100 years their patriarch had gone into seclusion, the feud of the Three Sects had veered out of control. The Yun Sect only had itself to blame for the situation it was in.
Although the Three Sects still had a strong foundation, nobody could be certain of surviving in a world full of uncertainties, especially now that it was proven possible to attain the Nine-leaf stage.
Everyone below the Nine-leaf stage was like insects.
Yun Wuji, the Sect Master of the Yun Sect, was dead. The remaining members of the Yun Sect were without a leader now. Chaos would certainly ensue.
If the patriarch, Yun Tianluo, was still around, things might be able to remain under control. However, even the patriarch had departed for the afterlife, who would be able to keep them under control?
Nan Gongwei and Feng Yizhi were of the same rank. None of them could say they were not biased. Hence, the most proper course of action was to have the Evil Sky Pavilion oversee their matters. After all, the patriarch of the Evil Sky Pavilion was the first known Nine-leaf cultivator. With the support of a Nine-leaf cultivator, the Three Sects would have nothing to worry about.
Nan Gongwei was more aware of this than anyone else. Lu Zhou merely proved that it was possible to attain the Nine-leaf stage, nobody knew how perilous or difficult the path to attain the Nine-leaf stage was. If they had a Nine-leaf cultivator guiding them, their path to the Nine-leaf stage would inadvertently be smoother.
The two Sect Masters and the disciples of the Three Sects looked at Lu Zhou expectantly.
Lu Zhou glanced at the dozens of barriers, the disciples in the sky, and the tower on Heaven’s Virtue. Then, he shook his head. “The fates of men are dictated by the heavens. The Evil Sky Pavilion isn’t a charity organization.”
“…” Nan Gongwei looked disappointed. “But, the patriarch…”
“You dare mention Yun Tianluo again?” Lu Zhou glanced at them. There was no need for him to finish his sentence. Perhaps, because he was also a patriarch, he could also empathize with Yun Tianluo. The Yun Sect’s Yun Wuji had tricked his master and denounced his patriarch. If Nan Gongwei and Feng Yizhi had cared more, they could have stopped this from happening. It was just like the siege of Golden Court Mountain by the ten great sects. If only Yu Zhenghai or Yu Shangrong was there, none of the ten great sects would have dared to challenge the Evil Sky Pavilion. At this juncture, it was meaningless to dwell upon these matters.
Lu Zhou turned around and walked toward the cloud-splitting chariot.
Little Yuan’er, Mingshi Yin, and Leng Luo followed suit.
When Hua Wudao saw this, he bowed thrice, expressionlessly, in the direction of Heaven’s Virtue.
“Elder Hua, can you put in a good word or two for us in front of Old Senior Ji?” Nan Gongwei pleaded.
Hua Wudao’s expression remained indifferent. He was still grieving Yun Tianluo’s death and had no mood to entertain this request. He only shook his head and said, “You have to bear the consequences of your own actions.” Then, he quickly left the area. He no longer had any sentiments toward the Three Sects.
Zuo Yushu shook her head. Similarly, she turned around and left as well.
Upon seeing this, Lu Ping, the Second Elder of the Luo Sect, hurried over. “Old senior, old senior… I-I’ll man the helm for you!”
When Shan Yunzheng saw Lu Ping’s behavior, she was annoyed and embarrassed. She was about to reprimand him when Feng Yizhi said in a deep voice, “Shut your mouth.”
Feng Yizhi’s gaze darkened. Shan Yunzheng was so frightened that she dared not speak up. He was the Sect Master of the Luo Sect, after all. The elders from the Luo Sect were, naturally, afraid of him.
The others looked on as the Evil Sky Pavilion’s flying chariot slowly rose into the air. It passed through the barriers and disappeared into the clouds.
Then, Feng Yizhi turned to look at Shan Yunzheng and asked, “Shan Yunzheng, are you tired of living?”
“Huh?”
“If Lu Ping wants to flatter the Evil Sky Pavilion, let him be. Can you bear the consequences of offending a Nine-leaf cultivator?”
“But… but the Evil Sky Pavilion is looking down on us!” Shan Yunzheng cried out self-righteously.
“It’s their freedom to do as they please,” Feng Yizhi retorted.
Nan Gongwei nodded. “To put it more precisely, the Evil Sky Pavilion doesn’t think much of anyone now. Let’s not think too highly of ourselves. This isn’t important… Pass down my order…”
“Yes, sect master.”
“Inform everyone in the Three Sects to stick to this story. The Evil Sky Pavilion has personally visited Heaven’s Virtue and instructed the Three Sects in their cultivation.”
The disciples were taken aback. One of them looked up and asked, “That’s it?”
“That will be enough.” Feng Yizhi nodded.
Nan Gongwei and Feng Yizhi exchanged a glance and smiled.
The core elders near them quickly understood their intentions.
All they needed was to send one message to the outside world; the relationship between the Evil Sky Pavilion and the Three Sects was special. They would leave the rest up to the imagination of the outside world. As the saying went, ‘the less one was told, the more mysterious one would seem’. With this, who would dare underestimate the Three Sects?
…
On the cloud-splitting chariot.
Lu Ping steered the flying chariot past the final barrier. He did this with ease of familiarity. The flight was smooth and stable.
Mingshi Yin praised him. “Not bad. Are you interested in joining the Evil Sky Pavilion?”
When Lu Ping heard this, he asked excitedly, “R-really? C-can I?”
Currently, was there anyone who did not want to join the Evil Sky Pavilion?
“No,” Mingshi Yin replied mercilessly.
“…”
If this were in the past, Mingshi Yin might have tried to persuade Lu Zhou to accept Lu Ping. However, the current Evil Sky Pavilion was different. They would only recruit those who were truly strong.
Zuo Yushi frowned when she saw this. ‘The Evil Sky Pavilion won’t even consider a Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm cultivator?’ She turned to look at Lu Zhou and discovered him deep in thought.
Lu Zhou was staring at the sea of clouds and the mountain ranges, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. “Luo…”
‘What’s her full name? Who is she? What secrets is she keeping?’ If she was someone capable of making the mediocre Yun Tianluo reach such heights in such a short time, she should have been famous 300 years ago. How was it that nobody had heard of her? Yun Tianluo did not know, Leng Luo did not know, and Hua Wudao did not know as well.
When Zuo Yushu heard the word ‘Luo’, she asked, “Are you thinking about that mysterious person, Brother Ji?”
“She’s someone who holds the secrets of the Nine-leaf, and possibly, the Ten-leaf stage… Aren’t you interested?”
“Alas, I have never heard of such a person,” Zuo Yushu replied.
Upon hearing this, Mingshi Yin asked, “Isn’t it normal for an elite like that to stay hidden from the world?”
“If what Yun Tianluo said is true, this person must possess an extremely profound cultivation base,” Leng Luo added.
“That’s right… A random cultivation method from her turned him into the chief of the Three Sects. Compared to my master, she seems…” Mingshi Yin swallowed his words halfway. He had almost said that person seemed stronger than his master. However, when he recalled, his master had to instruct nine disciples while the mysterious woman only taught one person, he felt he could not compare the two.
Zuo Yushu suddenly turned around and placed her walking stick on the floor. She fell to one knee, lowered her head, and said, “I had no intention of offending the Evil Sky Pavilion before this. I wish to apologize to you, big brother. I’ll have no complaints, no matter the punishment.” Based on how she addressed Lu Zhou as big brother, it seemed she was not completely tactless even if her tone was awkward.
Lu Zhou looked at her and said, “I can let bygones be bygones.”
Zuo Yushu was overjoyed to hear this. She was about to thank Lu Zhou when Lu Zhou said, “But… I have one condition.”
“Whatever it is, big brother, just say it. I’ll agree to ten conditions, let alone one,” Zuo Yushu said.
“Hear me out.” Lu Zhou’s expression was extremely gentle. He did not seem as frightening and stern as he did earlier. At this moment, he resembled an amiable old man. “My condition is simple. Join the Evil Sky Pavilion and serve me… Don’t agree to this hastily. Think about it carefully. When you’ve made up your mind, you can tell me your answer…”
Zuo Yushu was stunned.
The others looked at Zuo Yushu as well.
Little Yuan’er looked up. She found this tactic familiar. She instinctively said, “Master, should I count down from ten? Here goes.”
“…” Lu Zhou remained silent, but his eyes were trained on Zuo Yushu, clearly waiting for her answer. Despite his words, it was clear she had no other choice but to accept.
Zuo Yushu wondered what was there to think about? It was obvious she had no choice.
Meanwhile, Lu Ping who was standing at the side looked so envious that it seemed like he was about to cry. He could not blame the Evil Sky Pavilion for not accepting him. How could he compare to Zuo Yushu? He was just like an insignificant sesame seed stuck in the crack on the ground compared to her.
After mulling over it for a beat, Zuo Yushu answered, “Alright.”
“Ding! Gained a subordinate. Reward: 1,000 merit points.”
Lu Zhou had expected this notification. He wondered again if he should mass recruit people on Golden Court Mountain since gaining subordinates earned him merit points. After all, Golden Court Moutain was huge, and its inhabitants were few. It was barely manageable for the female cultivators of Derived Moon Palace to look after the place. However, he was worried that the rewards would be too low to justify the cost of feeding so many people. He could not turn the Evil Sky Pavilion into a charity house just because he wanted to earn merit points.
After a moment, Lu Zhou said, “Rise and speak.”
Zuo Yushu rose to her feet.
Leng Luo cupped his hands as a form of greeting.
Hua Wudao said, “Greetings, Elder Zuo.”
Lu Zhou said, “You’ve been staying in the valley all these years and are unaware of the matters of the world. You should be at the Eight-leaf stage, why did you choose to live in seclusion in the valley?”
Zuo Yushu was also a legend of her time, after all.
Zuo Yushu shook her head and sighed. “There’s no need to revisit the past.”
“Since you’re now part of the Evil Sky Pavilion, there’s something I have to say,” Lu Zhou said.
“Feel free to speak, big brother.”
“I have no intention of looking for trouble with Great Yan’s Imperial family. However, the Imperial family has challenged the Evil Sky Pavilion repeatedly on several occasions. There are many Confucian sect elites living in the Divine Capital, and many of them hold positions of power. If the time comes… it’d do you good to remain unswayed,” Lu Zhou said tonelessly.
Zuo Yushu was shocked when she heard Lu Zhou’s words. It was common knowledge that many Confucian sect elites were officials. The Imperial family had always been the most powerful faction in the empire. It would not have been able to maintain peace and order otherwise. How was the Evil Sky Pavilion supposed to fight against the Divine Capital? She suddenly felt as though she had been tricked to join the Evil Sky Pavilion. However, the feeling did not last long when she remembered they had a Nine-leaf cultivator in their ranks.
…
Meanwhile, in the Evil Sky Pavilion.
Yu Shangrong stood before the Cave of Reflection.
There were many female cultivators in the vicinity.
Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng were there as well. They regarded Yu Shangrong with looks of admiration.
The Sword Devil’s return filled them with excitement and shock. The Sword Devil, whose name struck fear in those who heard it, was still alive!
“The rumors in the cultivation world say that you’re gravely injured and possibly dead, Second Senior Brother.” Si Wuya’s rang from the cave.
Yu Shangrong smiled faintly. “They are merely rumors. Pay no heed to them.”
“Do you know that master is already at the Nine-leaf stage, Second Senior Brother?” Si Wuya asked.
“I do.” His reply was light and calm as well.
“Aren’t you worried?”
“Worried?” Yu Shangrong looked at Si Wuya from the corners of his eyes. “The ones who should be worried are our enemies.”
Si Wuya was at a loss for words. After a moment, he said, “I’m worried for Eldest Senior Brother.”
Yu Shangrong frowned slightly and said, “Well, he brought it upon himself.”
“Eldest Senior Brother…”
“Seventh Junior Brother, I’ve always thought highly of you. If it weren’t out of consideration for you, I would’ve fought with all my might at Radiant Cloud Forest back then,” Yu Shangrong said.
Si Wuya shook his head helplessly. He could not understand why his Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother behaved like nemeses. To his knowledge, there should be no deep-rooted grudge between both of them. They only had minor conflicts, at most. Since they were fellow disciples, was it not better for them to sit down, talk it over, and let bygones be bygones? Despite his thoughts, he said, “You’re right, Second Senior Brother.”
“As long as you understand,” Yu Shangrong said, “Reflect on yourself in the cave. I know what to do about Eldest Senior Brother.”
“…”
When Si Wuya sensed that Yu Shangrong was about to leave, he hastily called out, “Second Senior Brother!”
Yu Shangrong stopped in his tracks.
Si Wuya continued to say, “Master has taken a personal letter from me. If you have the chance, I wish for you to read it.”
“Alright.” Yu Shangrong’s reply was direct and simple. He turned and walked toward the southern pavilion.
Zhao Yue appeared nearby. She was clearly anxious. She looked around, and when she saw Yu Shangrong, she hastily walked up to him. “Second Senior Brother!”
“Why are you so anxious?” Yu Shangrong asked, puzzled.
“It’s an emergency! An important matter!” Zhao Yue pointed at the letter in her hand.
“There’s no need to panic. Master isn’t around, but I’m here.”
Yu Shangrong received the letter from her. It read: “Old senior, some good news for you. The cultivation world is entering the Lotus Severing Era. The Big Dipper Academy and Core Yang Sect collaborated and developed the lotus-severing survival pills and leaf-sprouting pills. The lotus-severing survival pills can prevent cultivators from being fatally wounded while the leaf-sprouting pills guarantee that the cultivator will be able to sprout leaves again. I’m truly witnessing history in the making here!”
