Inside the room.
Lu Zhou opened his eyes slowly. He looked at the scenery outside the window. The sun was bright.
He felt as though he had slept through a generation.
He looked at the setting sun as though he was sitting under the pavilion halfway up Golden Court Mountain. It had only been a short while, but he felt as though it had been a long time.
He opened his palms and looked at them. After reversing his life, his mind and spirits felt much better.
Based on the voice and the words, Lu Zhou knew Yu Zhenghai was kneeling outside… Yu Zhenghai’s voice, words, and his senses told him the adult Yu Zhenghai had returned.
“Come in.”
When Yu Zhenghai heard his master’s gruff voice, he was inwardly delighted. He rose to his feet immediately and entered the room.
Zhu Honggong wanted to follow Yu Zhenghai into the room, but he never liked such situations in the first place. The atmosphere was usually heavy and stifling. He thought about gathering everyone here to make it a merrier occasion. That way, his Eldest Senior Brother might even forget those unhappy incidents. With this thought in mind, he said, “Eldest Senior Brother, I’ll notify the others.”
Yu Zhenghai entered the room. It was spacious and brightly lit. His master was sitting in a stately manner inside. He walked up to his master and kneeled again. “Greetings, master.”
Lu Zhou studied Yu Zhenghai; he was not in a hurry to speak. He was inwardly shocked when he saw Yu Zhenghai’s appearance, physique, and build were restored to how they were before he came back to life. Although he expected this to happen sooner or later, he did not expect Yu Zhenghai would revert to his adult self overnight. In any case, it was a good thing.
Apart from that, Lu Zhou also noticed Yu Zhenghai’s loyalty had risen to 85%. He had expected as much. After a long silence, he said, “I’m glad that you’re back.”
There were no words of admonishment nor did he bring up past grudges. Even his tone was not as severe as Yu Zhenghai had expected.
Yu Zhenghai had even prepared himself to be punished. Regardless of what punishment his master meted out, he would obediently accept it.
“Master.”
“Stand up and talk.”
“Understood.” Yu Zhenghai rose to his feet.
Lu Zhou stood up as well. He said, “As you wished, the Nether Sect has conquered the empire.”
Yu Zhenghai said sheepishly, “It’s all thanks to you, master.”
“I’m going to ask you something, and you’re going to answer me truthfully.” Lu Zhou looked at Yu Zhenghai.
“Ask away, master. I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“Currently, the nine provinces are under the Nether Sect’s control. I have gravely injured the 12 allied nations. The Imperial tutor, Jiang Wenxu is dead. The empire can’t do without a ruler. Have you ever thought about becoming the emperor?” Lu Zhou asked.
Upon hearing this, Yu Zhenghai hastily fell to one knee and said, “I dare not! The entire Nether Sect is willing to support you for the throne, master!”
Lu Zhou shook his head and said, “Do you think that I want that?”
Yu Zhenghai was taken aback. Then, he thought it was obvious. If his master had truly wanted that position, was there a need for his master to wait until now?
“Just tell me if you want to become the emperor or not?”
Under the heavens, who would dare say no?
Yu Zhenghai gave it some thought before shaking his head and said, “If this was before my resurrection, I might have said yes. However, now… Pingan is dead, and my wish has been fulfilled. Dying three times has taught me much.”
“It’s good that you’ve thought things through,” Lu Zhou said.
At this moment, the members of the Evil Sky Pavilion walked into the room. When they saw the adult Yu Zhenghai, they looked surprised.
It was customary for the juniors to greet their seniors. Duanmu Sheng, Mingshi Yin, Zhao Yue, Ye Tianxin, Si Wuya, Zhu Honggong, Ci Yuan’er, and Conch greeted Yu Zhenghai in unison. “Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother.”
If the throne had lost its allure to him before this, the current situation made him feel even more certain he did not want to become emperor. Life was a series of giving and taking. There were many things that could not be possessed at the same time.
“Sect Master!” The Four Great Protectors rushed over when they heard the news. When they saw the adult Yu Zhenghai, they kneeled with tears brimming in their eyes.
These were Yu Zhenghai’s comrades who went through thick and thin on the battlefield with him. He walked to them and helped them to their feet before patting their shoulders.
The others greeted him as well. “Welcome back, Mister First.”
Yu Zhenghai was not someone who loved to put on airs. He cupped his fists at the elders.
Everyone who should be here was here. The only one missing was Yu Shangrong.
Yu Zhenghai turned to face his master and said, “Second Junior Brother fell into the 100,000-foot-deep abyss to save me. Master… I request for permission to enter the abyss and rescue Second Junior Brother.”
Lu Zhou shook his head and said, “It’s extremely dangerous in the abyss. With your abilities, I’m afraid you won’t make it back.”
Si Wuya chimed in, “The black water at the bottom of the abyss is home to high-rank beasts. From what master described, these beasts aren’t weaker than Cheng Huang. Even with Senior Sister Tianxin’s Eight-leaf cultivation base, she could do nothing about Cheng Huang. Going down the abyss without a proper plan is equivalent to rushing to your death.”
The others nodded.
Humans had a natural tendency to fear and avoid darkness.
Yu Zhenghai said, “What do you think we should do now?” Yu Shangrong was now in the red lotus domain. He could not sit back and do nothing.
Si Wuya said, “There’s no need to be anxious, Eldest Senior Brother. The red coffin is a kind of transporter. It can pass enter the abyss… I’ve dispatched some men to retrieve the red runes scattered by Jiang Wenxu when he lost. I believe that we might be able to build the same red coffin.”
“That’s good.” Yu Zhenghai nodded.
Zhao Yue stepped forward. She bowed and said, “Eldest Senior Brother, you should take control of the Divine Capital…”
Before she could finish, Yu Zhenghai shook his head and said, “You do it.”
Zhao Yue. “…”
Jiang Aijian immediately chimed in, “I concur! Nobody said that women can’t take the throne!”
Even the great Third Prince of Great Yan had given his support. The others would not have anything else to say about this. Besides, Zhao Yue was of the Imperial family, and she had the favor of the Empress Dowager. In terms of acceptance, the officials would be more willing to accept her being on the throne.
The others smiled.
“But…” Zhao Yue stammered.
“No buts. Don’t even think about declining. I have only one request,” Yu Zhenghai said.
“What is it, Eldest Senior Brother?”
“Treat my comrades well!” Yu Zhenghai said.
“You don’t have to worry about that, Eldest Senior Brother. They’re indispensable to Great Yan,” Zhao Yue said with a smile.
“I’m relieved to hear that.”
Perhaps, they did not expect this simple conversation to result in the election of an empress. When Hua Chongyang and the others heard this, they wanted to speak up.
However, Yu Zhenghai raised his hand to stop them. He said, “I know what you’re going to say. I’ve made up my mind. There’s no need to persuade me.”
The Four Great Protectors bowed and said nothing.
Lu Zhou nodded. He was pleased. He could see they had let go of their obsessions. This was not an easy thing to do. This would also be useful to their cultivation in the future as well. In the end, he said, “If there’s nothing else, let’s call it a day.”
The next stage of his cultivation was extremely important.
The others bowed and left.
…
The nine provinces had settled down. They needed more time to build the red coffin.
Yu Zhenghai suddenly felt bored. He had just stepped outside the room when he called out, “Fourth Junior Brother.”
“Yes, Eldest Senior Brother?” Mingshi Yin responded.
“I heard your cultivation base has improved tremendously. I’ve just recovered. Train with me.”
Mingshi Yin. “…”
“You don’t look so good,” Yu Zhenghai said, puzzled.
“Eldest Senior Brother, I’m no match for you,” Mingshi Yin said in an aggrieved tone.
Yu Zhenghai nodded before he shifted his gaze to Duanmu Sheng and said, “Third Senior Brother, let’s do it.”
Duanmu Sheng agreed without any hesitation. “Sure.”
“You, too, Old Eighth…” Yu Zhenghai pointed at Zhu Honggong.
“Huh?”
Yu Zhenghai did not even wait for Zhu Honggong’s answer. He placed his hands on his back and proceeded to the plaza.
The three of them had no choice but to follow him.
Soon after, there were cries from three opponents being beaten up by a single opponent rang in the air.
The others could only sigh.
…
Meanwhile.
In the Thousand Willow Monastery in the red lotus domain.
Yu Shangrong leaned on the rail and looked at the scenery.
“Senior, I’ve gathered the information you wanted… The person who killed the luan was Ye Zhen. He’s the elder with the highest status from the Flying Star House. After that feat, Ye Zhen’s fame skyrocketed. The luan was guarding a place called the Black Water Mystic Cave. That’s not a place where cultivators dare get close to. Every year, the Sky Martial Court would send dozens of cultivators into the cave, and none of them ever came back,” Ji Fengxing said.
“Nobody survived?” Yu Shangrong was puzzled.
“You might not know this, senior, but the Black Water Mystic Cave is extremely vast. You can’t see anything in there. It’s also rumored that there are many high-rank beasts in the cave. It’s too dark inside, and it’s far too easy to lose your way. Even Nine-leaf cultivators won’t simply enter that place. Nobody knows where it leads to.”
Such was the workings of fate. Not even Nine-leaf cultivators would underestimate the Black Water Mystic Cave, and yet, Yu Shangrong survived it.
“Thank you,” Yu Shangrong said, “In exchange for that, I’ll teach you a basic sword technique.”
Ji Fengxing was overjoyed when he heard this.
