Someone outside the hall replied, "Understood."
About 15 minutes later, Si Wuya arrived at the Preservation Hall. He asked, "Master, were you looking for me?"
"How are your injuries?"Lu Zhou asked.
"Thank you for your concern, master. They're not serious."
"That's good… I've never been heavy-handed when I attack," Lu Zhou said with a straight face.
Si Wuya. "…"
"You're aware of the situation with the black lotus domain. In the past six months, there's been no sign of the Black Guards at all. Currently, your senior brothers are waiting to sprout the tenth leaf. However, if they do that, they'll definitely attract the Birth Chart Beasts? In your opinion, what should we do to get out of this stalemate?"
Si Wuya replied, "In this half a year, there's a possibility that there are others in the red lotus domain who have sprouted the tenth leaf. If that's the case, the Birth Chart Beasts they attracted have probably been taken by the Black Tower Council. Therefore, there won't be any conflict. To get out of this stalemate, someone from the Evil Sky Pavilion needs to sprout the tenth leaf. After all, we won't give up and let the Black Tower Council easily snatch the life heart."
Si Wuya paused for a moment as he brought the map of the points of the stone formations before he continued to say, "In fact, it's better if the Black Guards don't show up. I've joined the Sky Research Court to study formations to deceive them. We can pick the nearest stone formation and use the deceptive formation over the original formation so that it won't be able to transmit information back to the Black Tower Council. At that time, whichever member from the Evil Sky Pavilion can sprout the tenth leaf while master takes down the Birth Chart Beasts."
Was this the meaning of keeping a low profile, not acting recklessly, and not showing off?
Lu Zhou looked at Si Wuya in admiration. It was really different when one was intelligent!
After a beat, Lu Zhou asked, "Can we avoid the stone formation in the forest completely?"
Si Wuya smiled. "There's a risk in avoiding it. After all, it'll expose the presence of the Birth Chart Beasts. It's best to stay next to the stone formation."
Lu Zhou had to admit that Si Wuya's ideas really won over his heart! After a brief moment, he asked again, "Both of your Eldest and Second Senior Brothers are capable of sprouting the tenth leaf. Who do you think it's more suitable to be the first one to sprout the tenth leaf?"
"Both of them should sprout the tenth leaf together," Si Wuya replied.
"Hm?"
"Since we already have a plan, we should carry it out thoroughly. It'd be difficult for us to control the Ten-leaf cultivator in the golden lotus domain when we're here. Therefore, we should just try our best to take down or control the Birth Chart Beasts in the red lotus domain. Whether it's the golden lotus domain, the red lotus domain, or the black lotus domain, ultimately, this is just a struggle over the life hearts of Birth Chart Beasts…" Si Wuya said.
"Continue," Lu Zhou said.
Si Wuya pointed at a point on the map and said, "The Eastern Forest Mountain isn't far from the capital so we should capture the Birth Chart Beasts there."
Lu Zhou briefly mulled over Si Wuya's words before he said, "Very good. You can start making preparations for this matter. We'll set off tomorrow."
"Yes, master." After replying to Lu Zhou, Si Wuya recalled something and said, "Master, I've discovered some clues regarding Senior Sister Zhao Yue's matter."
"Speak."
"I suspect that someone approached Senior Sister Zhaoyue and suppressed her cultivation base, causing her cultivation to stagnate," Si Wuya said.
Lu Zhou stroked his beard and nodded. "Did you find out the culprit's identity?"
"A woman named Lian Xing," Si Wuya said, "I found out about this when I contacted Senior Sister Zhao Yue last month."
Lu Zhou could not tell Si Wuya that he was aware of these matters so he just nodded and said expressionlessly, "Continue to keep an eye on her."
"Yes."
"How's Di Jiang's performance recently?" Lu Zhou asked.
Si Wuya replied confidently, "I've made it acknowledge me…"
Lu Zhou brought Di Jiang's life heart out and tossed it Si Wuya as he said, "Return this life heart to him. When there's a need, I might have to use Di Jiang."
Zhao Yue was far away in the golden lotus domain. If there was a need for Lu Zhou to return, he could only have Di Jiang whose speed was the fastest carry him back.
"Master, you…" Si Wuya's eyes widened imperceptibly when he caught the life heart. He had read Yan Zhenluo's book so he knew what the life heart meant. How could he not be surprised that his master gave up 1,000 years of life for Di Jiang?
Lu Zhou did not comment on the matter. He only said, "Go."
Si Wuya held the life heart with both hands and said respectfully, "Yes, master. You should rest early as well."
…
After leaving the Preservation Hall, it was already dark when Si Wuya returned to his residence.
He called out as soon as he arrived, "Di Jiang!"
Quack!
Di Jiang quacked like a duck as it obediently ran out from a corner.
"Master is benevolent. He gave up 1,000 years of life just to spare your life heart. I'll return this to you," Si Wuya said as he tossed the life heart to Di Jiang.
Squawk!
Di Jing opened its mouth and swallowed the life heart. The life heart moved in its abdomen for a moment before it returned to its original position in its body.
Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!
Following that, Di Jiang seemed to be prostrating itself on the ground to express its gratitude. At the same time, its energy was changing. With the return of its life heart, it meant he had regained his ability to fly.
"You're a Birth Chart Beast so you can't show off like before. This is a pill especially made for you by the Sky Research Court to hide your life heart," Si Wuya said before he brought a pill out.
Quack!
Di Jiang quacked and shook its head from side to side, showing its reluctance to eat the pill.
Si Wuya said with a smile, "Either you eat it or you spit out half of your life heart. Otherwise, it'd be just a matter of time before you're taken away and killed.."
"…" Di Jiang was terrified by Si Wuya's words. It hastily ate the pill. Then, it flapped its wings and circled around the residence a few times before it landed on the ground again.
Si Wuya nodded in satisfaction. Then, he touched the bruises on his face and said, "Sleep early today. Don't disturb me. It's been half a year, it's about time I get a good night's sleep… Master's still as heavy-handed as he was in the past…"
…
The next day.
The Sky Shuttle left the royal palace for the Eastern Forest Mountain.
The Sky Shuttle's speed was fast so it took less than an hour before it slowly landed next to the stone forest formation in the Eastern Forest Mountain.
The four elders and Guardian Meng of the Evil Sky Pavilion leaped out of the Sky Shuttle together.
"Master, this is the place," Si Wuya said.
Lu Zhou looked down at the stone forest formation. It was the same as the one where he first met Yan Zhenluo.
Yu Shangrong also noticed the resemblance of this stone forest formation to the one he had broken previously. "Indeed. It's the same…"
Following that, the others alighted from the Sky Shuttle.
Lu Zhou said, "Si Wuya, set up the formation with the Sky Research Court's He Zhong and Huang Yu."
"Understood." Si Wuya led He Zhong and Huang Yu toward the stone forest formation.
"As for the rest of you, keep a lookout on things. Report to me immediately if you discover anything out of the ordinary," Lu Zhou calmly instructed the others.
"Understood."
Subsequently, everyone left in different directions, surrounding the stone forest formation.
…
About an hour later, Si Wuya returned. He said, "Master, we've already set up the formation."
Lu Zhou did not reply immediately. Instead, he stroked his beard and looked around the Eastern Forest Mountain. He wondered where the Birth Chart Beasts came from again. The Eastern Forest Mountain was far from the Endless Ocean so where did they come from? Where was the unknown land or the Great Void?
After a moment, he collected his thoughts and nodded. "Alright."
After that, Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong made their way to the stone forest formation before they manifested their avatars.
Both avatars were in their miniature size. The difference was one had a lotus while the other did not.
After that, the duo began to sprout the tenth leaf.
In fact, the Nine-leaf stage was just a transition point to the Ten-leaf stage. If the black lotus domain did not monopolize the Birth Chart Beasts, no one would stay long at the Nine-leaf stage.
After reaching the Ten-leaf stage, one would attract Birth Chart Beasts. If one was strong enough or had the support of a strong sect, one would be able to kill Birth Chart Beasts like how Lu Zhou killed the Yong on Cloud Mountain. Once the Ten-leaf stage had stabilized, one would be able to use the life heart to activate one's Birth Chart.
It felt like the heavens were playing with the people, making people from different domains compete over life hearts of Birth Chart Beasts.
'I want to see where these Birth Chart Beasts come from…' With this thought in mind, Lu Zhou flashed to the top of a towering tree and looked around the Eastern Forest Mountain.
Where were the fierce beasts hiding? From which hole did they fly out?
Lu Zhou flashed again from the west to the east. He stood on a rock and observed Mingshi Yin who was riding Qiong Qi. Since he had the Purple Glazed Ceramic with him, it was difficult for others to discover his presence. After confirming there was nothing unusual, he flashed in the northern direction.
After that, Lu Zhou flashed to the south before he finally returned to the stone forest formation.
Little Yuan 'er, Conch, Xia Changqiu, and the others looked around vigilantly. Nothing was out of the ordinary.
Lu Zhou's gaze fell on Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong who were in the process of sprouting their tenth leaf.. At this moment, they were at the critical part of the leaf-sprouting process.
