The Roulian soldiers stared at the palm-shaped pit on the battlefield in stunned silence.
There was no donut that Karol was powerful. He was comparable to Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong. He was even confident he could defeat the Evil Sky Pavilion Patriarch. His Eight-and-half-leaf stage and the red runes were rather powerful. It was unfortunate that his opponent was an even more terrifying force!
The Roulians had imagined the majestic power of a Nine-leaf cultivator. They had also heard about the Nine-leaf stage from Great Yan. However, to witness it with their own eyes was still shocking. The power of a Nine-leaf cultivator was beyond their imaginations.
After a brief pause, Lu Zhou leisurely stroked his beard and pointed at Karol who was lying inside the pit. He had spent one-third of his extraordinary power in this palm strike. It should be known that this was one-third of his full capacity after obtaining the Open Earth Scroll and the system authority’s upgrade. Clearly, he did not hold back. Since he had completed his objective of taking out the enemies’ leader, he did not feel it was a waste even if he had to use all his extraordinary power. He was even willing to use a Deadly Strike Card to complete his objective.
Lu Zhou descended on the ground, eyes still trained on the pit. He did not hear the system’s notification. This Karol was truly tough and tenacious.
At this moment, Karol suddenly sat up in the deep pit before spitting a mouthful of blood skyward.
Everyone, including the Roulians, took a step back from fright.
Karol seemed as though he had been slightly flattened by the palm strike. His appearance was rather wretched. His eyes were bloodshot as he said in a hoarse voice, “I… don’t believe this.”
“What don’t you believe?”
“I should have… been able to withstand a Nine-leaf palm seal… Why? Why?” Karol had yet to accept the fact that he had lost.
“There’s no reason.” Lu Zhou asked nonchalantly, “Where’s the owner of the red runes?”
Karol lowered his head and said remained silent.
Lu Zhou added, “If you’re unwilling to tell me, I’ll ask each and every one of the Roulians. One of them is bound to know the answer to my question.”
Karol shivered. He understood the implication of Lu Zhou’s words. Lu Zhou was threatening him with the lives of his countrymen!
Karol crawled out of the pit with great difficulty. He flipped over when he reached the top and sat up. He tidied his armor and wiped the blood from his face. Then, he tapped on his dantian’s sea of Qi to seal his meridians. He took a deep breath, colors returning to his face.
“General!” Karol’s three deputies alighted from their horses and fell to their knees. They did not retreat.
Upon seeing this, the Roulian soldiers followed suit and fell to their knees as well. They cried out, “General!”
Karol looked at Lu Zhou and said, “Spare them.”
Lu Zhou shook his head. “You have no right to negotiate.”
How could it be possible to allow the tiger to return to its mountain?
Pan Litian who understood Lu Zhou’s intention shot the others a meaningful look.
The members of the Evil Sky Pavilion took flight immediately and summoned their avatars.
Mingshi Yin had seven leaves.
Similarly, Si Wuya was at the Seven-leaf stage as well.
Little Yuan’er had six leaves.
Pan Litian, Leng Luo who had severed their Golden Lotuses had cultivated five leaves.
Pan Zhong, Zhou Jifeng who had also severed their Golden Lotuses had two leaves.
Upon seeing this, the Fiend Temple’s Duan Xing felt slightly ashamed. However, he could not possibly stand still without doing anything in this situation. He was also without a Golden Lotus and had two leaves.
The Blossom Faction’s Zhang Feng had six leaves.
The Ten Thousand Poison Sect’s Sun Simiao had five leaves.
Huang Shijie had eight leaves!
Jiang Aijian had six leaves!
Li Jingyi had seven leaves!
On the other hand, the remaining disciples who were in the Divine Court realm and below rose in the air and flew toward the Roulians as well.
The Roulians did not dare to recklessly make a move. After all, with so many Nascent Divinity realm elites and such overwhelming force, who would dare to move?
The avatars resembled sky lanterns in the sky as they surrounded the 10,000 Roulian soldiers.
The avatars were like metaphorical slaps that mercilessly hit Karol’s face.
Soon enough, the others retracted their avatars, and the avatars in the sky faded away.
Karol smiled forlornly, hit by a sudden understanding. He finally understood how the Nether Sect managed to successfully invade the Divine Capital and why Yu Zhenghai could laugh at the world. He understood now it was all because Yu Zhenghai’s support, the Evil Sky Pavilion, was so powerful!
Si Wuya seemed to understand Karol’s thoughts. He said, “Karol, what you see now is only a small part of our force… Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother had become Eight-leaf cultivators a long time ago. They’re peerless among Eight-leaf cultivators. My Sixth Senior Sister, Ye Tianxin, is also an Eight-leaf elite… Didn’t you station an assassin outside the Divine Capital? My senior sister will deal with him. We also have Senior Zuo Yushu who was a genius Confucian cultivator 500 years ago on our side. The Ancient Saint Cult’s Master is also aiding us. I hope your Eight-leaf elite will be able to put up a good fight.”
When Karol heard this, his blood essence surged. He grunted as blood trickled out of his mouth. He clenched his fists! He had thoroughly lost!
Karol took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and exhaled before he said, “The red runes were left behind in a red coffin. Great General Lanni who guarded the north discovered it at the northern borders. The red runes’ power was contained in the red coffin. General Lanni gave the coffin to me.”
Goosebumps rose on everyone’s skin when they heard this,
Lu Zhou, naturally, knew about the red coffin. “Lanni has already met me with the red coffin a long time ago… Were you and Grand Shaman Bazir trying to verify if I’m truly at the Nine-leaf stage?”
Lu Zhou recalled the time when Tiangou attacked the Evil Sky Pavilion. Tiangou had lost control all too suddenly. Also, with Lanni’s brains, he would not have rashly attacked the Evil Sky Pavilion. However, if it was all plot by the grand shaman, then, everything made sense.
“Yes,” Karol admitted. He opened his eyes and said, “Lanni’s ambition was too great. The existence of the red coffin made him lose himself for a time. He firmly believed in the Nine-leaf stage. He resorted to unscrupulous methods to reach the Nine-leaf stage. There was no place for personal gains while we work for the good of our nation. He deserved to die on foreign lands. At least that way he would make his ancestors proud.”
Lu Zhou could not have cared less. He continued, “What else was in the red coffin?”
Karol mustered up his courage to say, “Losers have no right to negotiate, but if you want me to answer your question, I hope that you’ll spare the others, senior.”
The Roulian warriors’ eyes were wet upon hearing this.
Lu Zhou said indifferently, “It’s not my style to allow the tiger to return to its mountain… but I’m not a person who massacres unnecessarily as well. They’ll become captives in Great Yan. If you refuse to answer my questions honestly, they’ll be executed right here.”
Karol clenched his fists again; his knuckles whitened. After a moment of consideration, he said, “The Bonar Family.”
Lu Zhou nodded and asked, “My second disciple, Yu Shangrong. Have you seen him around?”
Karol shook his head. “Lou Lan’s Grand Shaman Bazir laid traps for him. He ordered his men to disguise themselves as Roulians to frame Rouli. Nothing remained of him after his death. Only a five-mile stretch of witchcraft trap was left near the abyss… I’ve dispatched my men to investigate. There were faint traces of witchcraft in the air above the abyss. They must’ve fought there. With Bazir’s ability, I’m afraid they must’ve fallen into the abyss.”
The members of the Evil Sky Pavilion looked worried upon hearing this.
Lu Zhou continued. “If Yu Shangrong fought with all his might, not even you could defeat him, let alone Bazir. Do you think he’ll fall?”
“Bazir isn’t an ordinary grand shaman,” Karol said, “My men have searched 100 miles around the abyss up to the western side of Heaven’s Moat. There’s no sign of the Sword Devil Yu Shangrong. Bazir’s troop of several hundred shamans were all dead as well… Their corpses should’ve been strewn on the ground. So, there’s one possibility…” He did not say the one possibility was they had fallen into the abyss.
Lu Zhou stroked his beard as he looked at Karol. Then, he waved his sleeve and said, “Lock them in prison. Evil Sky Pavilion disciples, stay.”
“Understood!”
The disciples from the Blossom Faction, the Fiend Temple, the Penglai Sect, and the Ten Thousand Poison Sect started moving.
The 10,000 captives were being sent to Liang Province.
Lu Zhou returned his gaze to Karo, but he said nothing.
One would wonder what Karol felt as he looked at the 10,000 Roulian warriors being led away.
After being in a daze for a long time, a contented expression appeared on Karol’s face. He turned around with great difficulty and faced Rouli. Then, he raised his left hand and tapped his dantian’s sea of Qi. His remaining Primal Qi and damaged dantian’s sea of Qi were drained. His body deflated swiftly as blood gushed out. During the entire process of his life leaking away, he kept his back straight as he looked in the direction of Heaven’s Moat. Then, he hastily extended his arm and held the armor up. In just a blink of an eye, his body stiffened.
“Ding! Killed a target. Reward: 2,000 merit points.”
Lu Zhou no longer looked at Karol. He called out, “Bi An.”
Bi An came running.
Lu Zhou rose into the air and looked at Heaven’s Moat.
The others understood Lu Zhou’s intention. They rose into the air as well.
Mingshi Yin said, “With Bi An here, we’ll find Second Senior Brother in no time.”
“Mhm… I believe that Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother are fine.” Little Yuan’er nodded.
