My disciples are all villains.

In the Birth Palace, half of the 36 triangles flashed distinctly. Lu Zhou's six Birth Charts overlapped with each other. He could separate them with just a thought, but he could not seamlessly merge them. They would only seamlessly merge after he completed his Birth Trial.

There were two ways to hide one's Birth Charts. First, one could use the 36 triangles in the Birth Palace to form a barrier just like Lan Xihe did. It was a rather cool technique. Second, one could just let one's Birth Charts overlap. For example, he let his six Birth Charts overlap, although the borders could faintly be seen, it was still difficult to count the number of Birth Charts.

Boom!

A huge rock fell due to the violent tremors.

Lu Zhou frowned and raised one hand.

A palm seal shot out and pushed the rock out of the way.

The rock fell into the lava with a huge splash.

Lu Zhou raised his head and looked at the mouth of the gourd-shaped cave.

If the lava that fell like a fiery waterfall overflowed, he would have to run. Otherwise, there would be no more Old Demon Ji or Old Demon Lu in the future; he would be called the Charred Demon.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The frequency of the rocks falling increased as time passed.

"Golden Buddha's Body."

The Golden Buddha's Body appeared, keeping the falling rocks at bay.

"What's happening outside? Fierce beasts?"

Lu Zhou recalled the three scavenging cultivators he met when he first arrived at this place. The trio had said a special Birth Chart Beast had appeared in the vicinity. Was it possible that someone was now fighting that fierce beast?

The timing was really bad.

Lu Zhou silently recited the mantra for the Heavenly Writing's power of hearing.

The range of his hearing expanded to 1,000 meters. He could hear the rustling of the wind and the bubbling lava. Alas, apart from that, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

It was better for him to focus on his Birth Charts.

...

Near the Sky Wheel Rift Valley.

Many cultivators could be seen flying back and forth.

All kinds of fierce beasts flew in from all directions, engaging in fierce battles with humans.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

There were flying beasts in the sky and beasts on the ground. There were the known beasts such as Shan Gao, and there were other yet-to-be-identified fierce beasts that resembled rhinoceros, pythons, tigers, leopards, and other predators.

"We can't hold on any longer. These fierce beasts suddenly appeared, and there are so many of them as well. It's not just here. There are many fierce beasts that have appeared in the Jiannan Circuit's Land of Shu and the Shanbei Circuit. Let's retreat to the city and wait for the experts to arrive…"

Human corpses were strewn everywhere near the Sky Wheel Mountain Range.

Some flying beasts perched on the corpses, pecking on their flesh and drinking their blood. The scene was incredibly gory.

Most of the surviving cultivators were panting for breath with blood staining their faces.

"The Shanbei Circuit has the Ninth Temple guarding it; the Jiannan Circuit has the Twelve Sects of Cloud Mountain and the Heavenly Fire Sect guarding it. These two places should be fine. The problem is the Sky Wheel Mountain Range."

"Let's give up on the Sky Wheel Mountain Range and retreat. Perhaps, the experts in the capital in the Guannei Circuit will come…"

"The capital? Guannei Circuit? Isn't that where the Evil Sky Pavilion is based? I guess we can only depend on them."

Over a hundred cultivators flew east in unison.

The number of flying beasts in the sky continued to increase at the same time.

Whoosh!

Boom!

A huge figure rushed over from the distant north, causing the earth to tremble. It was a huge wolf-like beast.

"This is bad! Hurry up and hide!"

"It's a beast king!"

The beast king howled.

"It's over! It's a Nether Wolf King!"

The cultivators who recognized this Birth Chart Beast were terrified.

Ordinary wolves traveled in packs, never alone. It was the same for this wolf-like fierce beast. After all, fierce beasts retained many of the characteristics of the beasts they resembled.

As expected, a pack of Nether Wolves appeared in the wake of the Nether Wolf King.

The Nether Wolf King was 400 to 500 feet tall. With one leap, it could reach the clouds. Based on its size and body, there was no doubt it was a beast king. It was equivalent to a Five or Six Chart cultivator.

A voice of reason rang in the air. "Stay calm. Don't worry about the other fierce beasts for now. Think of a way to stop the Nether Wolf King."

Heroes would rise during troubled times, after all.

Under the lead of their king, the pack of Nether Wolves raised their heads to the sky and howled.

Fortunately, there were many towering trees that slowed their speed slightly.

"How strange! These wolves are so bold as to trespass into a human city. Aren't they afraid of being killed by human cultivators?" a cultivator said, puzzled.

"It's not that simple. Think about it. So many fierce beasts appeared at the same time at various places in the red lotus domain. It's obvious it's premeditated by the beasts."

"Are the beasts so smart?"

"Have you forgotten about the Land of Chaos' Ying Zhao? There's also Pu Yi. I heard the two intelligent beasts, Ying Zhao and Pu Yi, led hordes of beasts to slaughter the humans before they were killed by a mighty figure…"

Boom"

The Nether Wolf King leaped down, looking as big as Mount Tai. Its four legs were like huge pillars, and its head towered in front of everyone. Its dark eyes shone viciously.

"Attack!"

An order rang in the air.

In just an instant, over 100 cultivators launched energy sabers, energy swords, formation seals, and various attacks in the air. Everyone displayed their own abilities at this moment.

Red energy swirled in the sky. With the momentum of a hurricane, it struck toward the Nether Wolf King's head.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion rang in the air.

The Nether Wolf King took a few steps back before it raised its two front legs and howled.

The other Nether Wolves howled as well, shaking the heavens, before they pounced out. Their bodies were much smaller than the Nether Wolf King, but their speed was greater. They pounced into the crowd and began to attack in a frenzy, snapping their jaws ferociously.

The human cultivators and the Nether Wolves engaged in a fierce battle. Bits of flesh and blood flew in the air. Sometimes the human cultivators fell; sometimes the Nether Wolves fell.

Meanwhile, the Nether Wolf King sat at the side. Its eyes glowed sinisterly as it watched from afar.

…

At the same time, many fierce beasts appeared all over Great Tang.

Li Yunzheng led the civil and military officials and rushed to the Sky Martial Court.

As soon as Li Yunzheng saw Si Wuya, he fell to his knees. "Teacher, Great Tang is in danger. I beg you to think of a way. Only you can save us from this situation!"

Si Wuya frowned and said, "I've already heard about what happened. Li Yunzheng, you're the ruler of the country. You can't act so disgracefully."

Li Yunzheng did not have problems dealing with daily national affairs. However, the problem this time concerned the survival of Great Tang, therefore, he could not help but feel overly anxious. After he rose to his feet, he asked, "Teacher, where's grandmaster?"

"Your grandmaster is still cultivating in seclusion. They're just fierce beasts; they're nothing. The real problem is more terrifying than you can imagine," Si Wuya said as he turned around.

"Teacher, what do you mean?" Li Yunzheng asked as a foreboding feeling rose in his heart.

"I've spoken to Ying Zhao. The fierce beasts in the Unknown Land are colluding with the humans to take down Great Tang. I'm waiting for those humans to show themselves…" Si Wuya said.

"Humans?" Li Yunzheng was dumbfounded.

"If I'm not mistaken, the culprit should be Great Yuan's royal court," Si Wuya said.

"The black lotus domain?" Li Yunzheng was in disbelief. "Aren't they afraid of grandmaster?"

"This is a war. How could one person, invincible or not, stop a war? Out of Great Tang's ten circuits, four have been besieged by fierce beasts. If a beast king shows up, we'll be in big trouble," Si Wuya said in a grave tone.

There were not many Thousand Realms Whirling cultivators in the red lotus domain, after all. Since the end of the Black Tower Council's monopoly, there were a few who broke through and became Thousand Realms Whirling cultivators, but the red lotus domain's overall strength was still a far cry from the black lotus domain's overall strength. If a war broke out between both sides, the consequences would be unimaginable.

At this moment, Wang Dachui rushed over from outside and said, "Mister Seventh, a beast king, the Nether Wolf King, has appeared at the Sky Wheel Mountain Range. The cultivation sects in that area have suffered heavy casualties. There are currently more than 100 people trapped in the Sky Wheel Rift Valley, and the others have retreated to Cloud Mountain."

Si Wuya shook his head and sighed. "What should have come, has come in the end. How are things in the Shanbei Circuit?"

"The Shanbei Circuit is guarded by the Ninth Temple. They're still able to hold the beasts back for now. They're only worried a beast king will show up. The Jiangdong Circuit is close to the sea, and there have been some strange movements. I suspect the sea beasts will show up…"

Li Yunzheng. "..."

"Shannan Circuit seems to be okay at the moment. Perhaps, it's because Pavilion Master Lu had previously massacred the fierce beasts there, they're traumatized and left that place alone," Wang Dachui continued to say, "I also have another piece of news. Runic passages from the black lotus domain have been found in the Shannan Circuit and the Jiangdong Circuit…"

Li Yunzheng exclaimed in shock, "It's just as you said, Teacher! The black lotus domain is stirring up trouble from behind the scenes…"

This was a double disaster.

Si Wuya said, "If I'm not mistaken, Great Yuan's royal court must have been planning this for a long time." He walked to the table next to him and pointed at the ancient goatskin map before he continued to say, "The places where they appeared are Jiannan Circuit, Shanbei Circuit, Jiangdong Circuit, and Jiangbei Circuit. These places are all close to the borders of Great Tang. It would be difficult for a large number of beasts to travel through the runic passages so they can only attack from the outside. The black lotus domain's runic passages will certainly appear in all these places as well to form a siege with the fierce beasts…"

After a beat, Si Wuya said grimly, "Three land beasts and one sea beast from the east. If nothing unexpected happens, I foresee there will be four beast kings…"

Li Yunzheng said, "Teacher, how can you be so sure?" With Si Wuya's accurate predictions, sometimes he felt like Si Wuya was like a spy.

Si Wuya said expressionlessly, "You don't need to know that. The most important thing now is to send experts to these places. In order to confuse the opponent, send experts from ten sects. These experts must be carefully selected, and their names must be kept a secret. All you need to do is deal with this task."

Li Yunzheng said, "But… But Great Tang's cultivators aren't strong enough..."

"Just do as I say," Si Wuya said.

"Understood. I'll listen to you." Following that, Li Yunzheng no longer wasted time and left to complete his task.

Wang Dachui moved next to Si Wuya and asked, "Mister Seventh, do you plan to use the Evil Sky Pavilion's strength?"

Si Wuya smiled slightly. "Perhaps, that's not necessary."

...

The Sky Wheel Mountain Range.

The Nether Wolf King and the Nether Wolves forced more than 100 cultivators back.

Almost all the cultivators who were still alive were bleeding, injured in one way or another.

"Retreat into the valley. This is our only way out." Someone pointed at the Sky Wheel Rift Valley.

"There's lava in the valley. If we go in, we'll die from the heat!"

"It's better to die from the heat than being mauled to death! Let's go!"

Only half of the original number of cultivators was left at this moment. They flew toward the Sky Wheel Rift Valley. As they flew, they saw corpses of both humans and fierce beasts alike strewn everywhere.

The ancient sages one said the conflict between humans and beasts could never be reconciled. However, the ancient sages did not give an explanation for those words.

At this moment, the Nether Wolf King leaped up to one of the mountains in the Sky Wheel Mountain Range. It caught several cultivators off guard; they did not have time to manifest their avatars and were sent flying.

Compared to the Nether Wolf King, humans were really too small.

It was not only at the Sky Wheel Mountain Range, similar scenes were playing out in four of Great Tang's circuits. However, it had to be said that the cultivators in the Sky Wheel Mountain Range were the most miserable.

The group of cultivators flew desperately toward the valley.

The pack of Nether Wolves gave chase, climbing up the mountains. Along the way, they would maul the stragglers.

Energy sabers and energy swords filled the air as the cultivators tried to fend the wolves off. The cultivators fought and retreated to the valley.

"Wait. It should be safe here. Don't go into the cave first. It's hot and dangerous inside. Let's hide here for now."

As soon as these words were spoken, the sound of howling rang in the air as the pack of Nether Wolves appeared at the entrance of the valley. Their heads were raised up high as they howled as though they were declaring their victory.

The cultivators were so frightened that they retreated into the cave at the same time.

"Don't be afraid! There's a river of lava here, and the entrance is too small for the Nether Wolf King to enter. All we have to do is kill those Nether Wolves…"

Just like before, as soon as these words were spoken…

Boom!

Rocks began to roll down.

Everyone looked up with horrified expressions on their faces.

"The Nether Wolf King is up there!"

"These wolves are more cunning than we imagined."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Nether Wolf King kept slamming the ground above the cave, causing huge rocks to tumble down.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Everyone hurriedly activated their protective energies to keep the falling rocks at bay. Nevertheless, there were still many who got injured. Some could not withstand the weight of the rocks and almost fell into the lava. Although they were only near the entrance of the cave, the heat was still unbearable.

"We can't continue like this. We have to think of a way to ask for help," one of the cultivators said. He took out a talisman and lit it up. Following that, he waved his hand, forming a ring of energy.

Alas, nothing happened.

Upon seeing this, that person shook his head and said, "I guess we can only depend on ourselves now…"

At this moment, a cultivator who seemed to be the leader of the group said, "Those at the Thousand Realms Whirling stage, step forward!"

Only one person stepped forward.

This person was from a large sect in the Southern Mountain City in the Shannan Circuit. He was from the Heavenly Ministers Sect, a sect that had risen in recent years. It was unfortunate that he had only recently formed the Thousand Realms Whirling avatar; he was a rookie. This was not surprising since the Black Tower Council had only stopped monopolizing the Birth Chart Beasts not too long ago.

The Heavenly Ministers Sect seized the opportunity when the Black Tower Council's relinquished their monopoly of the red lotus domain and gathered their sect's Nine-leaf and Ten-leaf cultivators to gather life hearts in hopes to cultivate their members into Thousand Realms Whirling cultivators. When they received news that fierce beasts had appeared in the Sky Wheel Mountain Range, they did not hesitate to send people over. Alas, they did not expect such a thing would happen.

"Block the small wolves."

As soon as the leader of the group finished speaking, more than ten Nether Wolves charged into the cave, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws as they pounced toward the cultivators.

The Thousand Realms Whirling cultivator used his energy swords to push the wolves back one after another.

After pushing back the first wave of wolves, they continued guarding near the entrance of the cave.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Nether Wolf King seemed agitated. It pounded with four legs with much more force than before.

Accordingly, the rocks fell at a faster speed in the cave.

A male cultivator and a female cultivator could no longer withstand the pressure and began to cry.

Upon seeing this, the leader of the group cursed, "Trash! What are you crying for?"

Crying not only would not solve the problem, but it would bring down everyone's morale as well. In the eyes of the wolves, perhaps, weak and crying prey was more delicious.

The two cultivators stopped crying immediately.

Rumble!

Huge rocks continued to fall from above.

At this time…

Boom!

As though a lid had been opened, the Nether Wolf King punched a hole through the top of the cave.

"Sh*t! We need to go deeper in..." the leader said before he led the others deeper into the cave.

At this time, no one cared about the high temperature anymore.

The Nether Wolf King stuck its head into the hole and bared its fangs.

The two cowardly cultivators who had cried earlier did not react in time. Before they could even cry out, they were already between the fangs of the Nether Wolf King.

The others flew deeper into the cave in the valley.

The Nether Wolf King let out another howl.

The pack of Nether Wolves instantly swarmed into the cave.

The Nether Wolf King had absolute control over its pack. With its command, regardless of how dangerous it was, the wolves in the pack would charge in fearlessly and would not hesitate to give up their lives. It was as though their king's command overrode their survival instincts.

These wolves were extremely ferocious. When they entered the magma cave, due to their speed, several of them fell into the lava. They were instantly swallowed by the lava.

The remaining wolves gathered at the edge of the trench as they stared at the human cultivators hungrily.

"Look. It seems like they don't dare to come in because of the high temperature."

"The problem is we can't hold on for long in here. If this drags on, we'll definitely die from the heat…"

"Just hold on. As long as we don't die, there'll always be hope."

No matter if it was a time of peace or war, there would always be optimists and pessimists.

"Gather around, everyone. You, the one at the Thousand Realms Whirling stage, stand in front of the group. Everyone, activate your energies!"

Buzz!

Everyone hurriedly activated their energies to resist the heat.

Boom!

A rumbling noise rang from above again.

This time, luck was not on their side.

It only took a moment for the Nether Wolf King to create another opening at the top.

"Damn it! It's really trying to push us to our deaths! I'll fight it out with you!" the Thousand Realms Whirling cultivator said angrily. He stomped his feet and flew up through the newly-created opening.

Over 10,000 energy swords shot toward the eye of the Nether Wolf King in just an instant.

The Nether Wolf King swung its head around.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Nether Wolf King easily sent all energy swords flying.

The Thousand Realms Whirling cultivator was no match for the Nether Wolf King. He fell from the sky; below him was the lava.

"Save him!"

"It's too late!"

The cultivators could only watch helplessly as the cultivator fell toward the lava.

All of a sudden, a streak of fire flew out of the lava like a fiery meteor.

"What's that?"

Soon enough, the cultivators saw a handsome shirtless young man with a fiery lotus under his feet. He easily pushed the man away, saving the man from falling into the lava. He did not stop moving and shot up to the opening at the top.

Upon seeing this, the man who had just been saved cried out to his savior, "Don't be rash!"

Everyone shook their heads.

They watched as an energy sword that 1,000 feet long appeared in the handsome young man's hand before he rushed up.

Bang!

The energy sword pierced the Nether Wolf King's jaw from below.

The Nether Wolf King let out a miserable cry as drops of blood fell from the top.

The drops of blood had yet to fall to the ground when they were vaporized by the heat in midair.

Everyone was shocked by this scene. Who was this young man who was capable of injuring the Nether Wolf King with just one sword strike?

They watched with their mouths agape as the young man roared, "Vile creature! How dare you disturb my cultivation? I won't forgive you!"

The young man lifted his hand with his palm facing upward before countless golden palm seals flew out.

"The Daoists' Nine Cuts Hand Seals?! Golden palm seals? He's a golden lotus expert? B-but… but he has a fire lotus!?"

Fire lotuses were commonly seen in the red lotus domain and were considered to be attributes unique to red lotus cultivators, due to the fiery-red flames. However, if the purity of the fire was high, the color would turn golden, and if the purity of the fire was even higher, it would be blue.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Nine Cuts Hand Seals pushed the Nether Wolf King away. It no longer dared to stand guard above. Nevertheless, it did not forget to order the pack of wolves to attack.

Upon seeing this, the Thousand Realms Whirling cultivator cried out, "Watch out!"

Lu Zhou did not even look at the Nether Wolves. He stomped his feet before a dazzling scene appeared in front of everyone's eyes.

The flaming lotus under Lu Zhou's feet began to spin as palm-sized fiery lotuses flew out one after another in the air.

All the Netherworld Wolves that came in contact with the fiery lotuses were instantly killed.

Following that, the flaming lotus under Lu Zhou's feet flew toward the entrance of the cave, destroying everything in its path and killing the Nether Wolves that stood guard at the entrance.

Following that, the flaming lotus rose up into the air before it released small fiery lotuses again. Soon enough, dazzling fire lotuses filled the entire Sky Wheel Rift Valley, easily reaping the lives of the fierce beasts.

At this moment, Lu Zhou turned back and asked, "What are you standing there for?"

"Yes, yes, yes... Hurry up and get out!"

Everyone followed Lu Zhou and flew through the opening on top of the cave. When they exited, they saw the fire lotuses spinning and killing all the Nether Wolves.

"T-this… This… What kind of f*cking move is this?!"

With their limited knowledge, how could they know what move it was?

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou did not have time to pay attention to the cultivators. He decided to test his first Birth Trial's ability, which he had named the Flaming Golden Lotus, on the pack of wolves. The Flaming Golden Lotus allowed his lotus to release small golden lotuses that burned with karmic fire; they were incredibly powerful.

Lu Zhou's figure flashed and appeared on top of the original flaming lotus.

"Avatar."

A 650-foot-tall golden avatar appeared above the flaming lotus.

Everyone raised their heads and cried out in surprise when they saw the towering golden avatar. Its dazzling light illuminated the entire Sky Wheel Mountain Range.

At this moment, the man whom Lu Zhou saved suddenly fell to his knees in the air. "As it turns out, it's Old Senior! Please forgive us for not recognizing Mount Tai."

Following that, everyone bowed in unison.

Upon hearing these words, Lu Zhou, who had not manifested his avatar for a long time, turned to look at his avatar.

The avatar's appearance was that of an old man with the air of a celestial. Although its expression was indifferent, its aura was imposing and fearsome.

Lu Zhou's avatar had his appearance when he was old. He shrugged; this was acceptable.

Meanwhile, the flaming lotus under Lu Zhou's feet began to pick up speed again as it spun.

Small fire lotuses covered the sky as they flew in all directions.

Even the flying beasts in the sky were not spared. Their lives were all reaped by the small fire lotuses.

The pack of Nether Wolves could not escape death. Those that were not reduced to ashes were dismembered by the fire lotuses.

Upon seeing this, the Nether Wolf King grew scared. It howled at the sky before it turned tail and fled.

When Lu Zhou saw the fleeing Nether Wolf King, he said, "All of you stay and extinguish the fire. I'll be back soon."

"Old Senior, be careful!"

Lu Zhou, who only had the Nether Wolf King in his eyes at this moment, said in a deep voice, "Livestock! Let's see what you're capable of!"

Following that, he withdrew his avatar and flew away on his flaming avatar like a shooting star toward the Nether Wolf King.