My disciples are all villains.

Mingshi Yin said indignantly, "We don't know who's stronger."

Duanmu Sheng said, "You're different from before, Fourth Junior Brother. During our recent sparring sessions, I noticed you're able to endure much more compared to before."

"…" Mingshi Yin turned and glanced at Duanmu Sheng. 'That sounded wrong somehow.'

Lu Zhou ignored the duo. He looked at the bound Darknet members and said, "Go and tell your sect master that if he knows he has done wrong, come and see me personally." After he finished speaking, he leaped onto Whitzard's back.

Mingshi Yin found this strange. He bowed and said, "Master, is this it?"

"Do you have a good plan?"

"I feel it's better to tie them all up on the mountain and kill one of them each day. If Seventh Junior Brother values them, he might show up," Mingshi Yin said.

Lu Zhou ignored him. If things were so simple, he would have disciplined his disciples long ago. Would there be a need for him to drag it out until today?

The Darknet members fell to their knees in fear and cried out for their parents.

Mingshi Yin was annoyed to no end by the noises they made.

"Have mercy! We're only paid to do this… We've never even seen the sect master's face…. Please spare us, old senior!"

"You're paid?" Duanmu Sheng was puzzled.

Mingshi Yin nodded and said, "The real Darknet isn't a group of set individuals. They're people spread out in all sects and corners of the world. They might be fishermen, mess cooks, or some grand official in the palace… The Darknet has offended many people since its founding. They would not gather all their members in a place. It'll only make it easier for their enemies to wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"Seventh Senior Brother is truly smart… I mean, cunning!" Little Yuan'er exclaimed.

Lu Zhou leaped onto Whitzard's back.

When Little Yuan'er saw this, she recalled her Nirvana Sash and leaped onto Whitzard's back as well.

"In that case, I'll leave this to you." Lu Zhou looked at Mingshi Yin. He ordered Whizard to leave the forest, and they continued on their way to Anyang.

"Huh?" Mingshi Yin was perplexed.

Duanmu Sheng walked over and patted his shoulder before sincerely saying, "Old Fourth, it's all up to you now. I believe in you." After that, he flew away as well.

The moment Duanmu Sheng left, Mingshi Yin immediately gave himself a slap. "Me and my big mouth!"

Mingshi Yin looked at the Darknet members. "I'm in a bad mood today… I can only vent my frustrations on you."

There was a flurry of movements. Bluewood grew, and wails were heard.

Hua Yuexing, who was observing from a distance, frowned and mumbled, "Is His Highness the Third Prince lying to me? Didn't His Highness say the villains of the Evil Sky Pavilion aren't terrifying?" She did not dare to go any closer. After her experience in Skylark Temple, she had become wary of Mingshi Yin. Not only did he have mood swings, but he had a tendency of losing his temper as well.

After giving it some thought, Hua Yuexing looked at Duanmu Sheng's back. "Mister Third is the most normal one…" She quickly gave chase to him.

…

Meanwhile, in the Nether Sect's base on Pingdu Mountain.

"Seventh Junior Brother… aren't you worried about master's wrath by doing this?" Yu Zhenghai asked.

Si Wuya cupped his fists at Yu Zhenghai who was sitting on the throne and said, "Eldest Senior Brother, the disturbance in Anyang City has nothing to do with me. All I did was pass the message along. If master's going to get angry about this, then so be it."

Yu Zhenghai rose from his seat. He placed his hands on his back as he said, "I'm curious… What sound technique was it that was capable of pushing all four of my Great Protectors back in just an instant?"

"How would I know if even you don't know what it was, Eldest Senior Brother." Si Wuya paused slightly before continuing, "However, master has been alive for a millennium. It's no surprise that he has a trick or two up his sleeve. After all, even the ten great elites couldn't do anything to him after surrounding him twice."

"You have a point." Yu Zhenghai paced back and forth. "I heard the cloud-splitting chariot is flying again, and the Ten Shamans' Great Predecessor Formation in Tangzi Town was completely broken… In your opinion, why did master do that?"

In Yu Zheng Hai's opinion, an elderly person like his master should stay in Evil Sky Pavilion, conserve his strength, and live out the rest of his life comfortably. It was not logical to attract this much attention.

Si Wuya stroked his chin as he mulled over this. His Darknet, indeed, covered the lands. However, the Evil Sky Pavilion was the only place that he could not reach. He remembered Zhu Honggong, Old Eighth, and said, "I don't have an informant in the Evil Sky Pavilion so it's hard for me to say… However, there's no need to worry, Eldest Senior Brother. I think master didn't deliberately meddle in the rebellion in Anyang City. His actual target must've been Yunsan."

Yu Zhenghai was slightly puzzled by Si Wuya's words. "Junior Brother Wuya, do you think I'd acted against Wei Zhuoyan as well?"

Si Wuya shook his head and said, "You misunderstand me, senior brother… It's true that you have the motive to act against Wei Zhuoyan. If Wei Zhuoyan dies, even if Great Yan isn't plunged into chaos, there would certainly be an upheaval in the Imperial family as the power struggles erupt. However, with the Emperor around, the five princes can't do anything substantial. You've always been cautious and steady, Eldest Senior Brother, and you would never make such a low-level mistake."

When Yu Zhenghai heard this, he smiled brightly. "I like the sound of your words…"

"You flatter me, Eldest Senior Brother."

"Junior brother, master left the Evil Sky Pavilion for the Sky Fragments… Do you know how special they are?" Yu Zhenghai asked.

"Sky Fragments can easily slice through energy shields. They are also the best materials for forging heaven-grade weapons… Apart from that, there's nothing special about them," Si Wuya said. However, it did not make sense to him. If the fragments were nothing special, why would the Evil Sky Pavilion expend so much effort just to look for them? Alas, he had no way of obtaining information from the Evil Sky Pavilion. All he could do was make wild guesses.

Yu Zhenghai looked in the direction of the Evil Sky Pavilion. He sighed softly. 'We're doing this for your own good.' At this moment, he seemed to remember something and summoned his subordinate.

"Yes, sect master."

"This is my order. All those who harassed the Ci family during the Anyang rebellion will be executed according to the Nether Sect's rules."

"Yes, sect master."

Si Wuya said with a smile, "Little junior sister is truly fortunate to enjoy such care from you, Eldest Senior Brother."

Yu Zhenghai smiled. "Little junior sister's cultivation base isn't profound, and yet, she was brave enough to fight Second Junior Brother. She deserves a compliment for her show of courage."

"You have a point, Eldest Senior Brother!"

At this moment, a voice rang from outside. "The Azure Dragon Hall's First Seat requests an audience."

"Let him in."

A short while later, the Azure Dragon Hall's First Seat, Hua Chongyang, entered the Nether Sect's great hall. When he saw Si Wuya, he cupped his fists toward him before he turned to face Yu Zhenghai and said, "Sect Master, I have information about the incident in Anyang."

"What is it?"

"The one who impersonated the Nether Sect is Clarity Sect's Mo Qi."

Upon hearing this, Si Wuya rose to his feet immediately. He did not seem surprised. Instead, a knowing smile appeared on his face.

Yu Zhenghai reacted in the same manner.

Si Wuya cupped his fists and said, "Congratulations, Eldest Senior Brother… This is a great opportunity from the heavens."

Yu Zhenghai spoke with a deep voice, "This is my order. Take down the Clarity Sect within a month."

When Hua Chongyang heard this, he was greatly invigorated and said, "Understood! We won't let you down, sect master. We'll take down the Clarity Sect within a month!"

Si Wuya said, "The Clarity Sect's Mo Qi is already injured… The Clarity Sect's elite, Pan Litian, is nowhere to be found. All that's left is the Seven-leaf elite, You Hongyi. With the Four Great Protectors' strength, taking down the Clarity Sect is only a matter of time."

Yu Zhenghai had been waiting for this great opportunity. The Nether Sect could have forcibly taken down the Clarity Sect. However, the price he would have to pay was too great. He was not a reckless person who would act without a plan. He said, "Pan Litian… I hope he'll show up."

Nobody knew where Pan Litian went. It was rumored that Pan Litian was of the same generation as the Black Knights' Fan Xiuwen. It was said that he left the Clarity Sect for some reason and decided to roam the lands. There were accounts of his sighting at Misty Sea and Rongbei. There was no doubt that Pan Litian was the oldest elite from the Clarity Sect.

Ever since Yu Zhenghai made a name for himself, he had longed for a worthy opponent like his Second Junior Brother, Yu Shangrong… He hoped that Pan Litian would be a worthy opponent as well. Naturally, he never considered his master at all.

…

Lu Zhou did not stay in Anyang. He allowed Little Yuan'er to say goodbye to the Ci family before they returned to the Evil Sky Pavilion.

The rebellion in Anyang had already happened. As for where the Ci family would be moving to… nobody knew.

They arrived at the Evil Sky Pavilion in the afternoon.

Lu Zhou had no time to deal with the trivial matters in the Evil Sky Pavilion. He went straight into the hidden chamber to comprehend the Heavenly Writing. When he was in Anyang, he had used all of the Heavenly Writing's extraordinary power. Hence, he decided to cultivate in seclusion and comprehend the Heavenly Writing.

Lu Zhou glanced at the dashboard. He had 14,170 merit points left.

If Mingshi Yin and Duanmu Sheng did not kill the four impostors in Anyang, he would have lost much more merit points during this trip. After considering the Thunderblast Card he used on the flying chariot, he felt the loss was acceptable.

'Let's stock up on some cards!' He would be incurring a huge loss if their prices rose again after he comprehended the Heavenly Writing.

Lu Zhou called up the system dashboard. He bought three Deadly Strike Cards, which cost him 2,400 merit points. As expected, the Deadly Strike Cards' price rose to 1,000 points per card. In other words, he would not be earning anything by killing Four-leaf cultivators or those who were weaker.

He bought three Impeccable Cards, which cost him 1,800 points. He used the Impeccable Cards less frequently so their prices remained the same for now.

After that, he bought three Binding Cage Cards, which cost him 1,500 merit points. The price rose to 600 points apiece after his purchase.

The strange thing was, there were no discernible patterns in the price hikes.

The margin of increase of the Binding Cage Cards' price was lower. Purchasing three of them should offer him a certain degree of safety.

Lu Zhou looked at the Thunderblast Card and shook his head. He did not plan on buying Thunderblast Cards.

He bought three Critical Heal Cards, which cost him 1,500 merit points, and the price remained the same.

After he finished stocking up, Lu Zhou glanced at his remaining merit points again. He was left with 6,970 points. It would only be wishful thinking for him to buy the Eight Methods Connected avatar that cost 20,000 points with the merit points he currently had.

Item: Deadly Strike Card x4, Impeccable Card x4, Critical Block Card x7 (passive), Binding Cage Card x4, Refining Talisman x2, Ji Tiandao's Peak Trial Card x1, Whitzard, Bi An, Sky Fragment x7, Critical Heal Card x3.

Lu Zhou felt at ease. At the very least, he did not have to worry about any threats in the near future with this stack of cards. Moreover, he did not have to worry about the price increment for now.

Lu Zhou closed the system dashboard and entered his Heavenly Writing comprehension state.

...

Two days passed in just a blink of an eye.

At the foot of Golden Court Mountain.

An old man who was dressed like a beggar carried a gourd of wine. He swayed as he walked toward Golden Court Mountain's barrier. He looked at the barrier and chuckled. As though he was drunk, he muttered, "So… so bright…"

The old man continued walking until he was dozens of meters away from the barrier. He chuckled foolishly as he took a swig from his wine gourd and burped. "Eh, young lady… why are you… kneeling here?"

The young lady was none other than Hua Yuexing, one of the Divine Capital's Three Godly Archers.

Hua Yuexing looked at him expressionlessly and said, "Old man, this is not a place to be begging… This is the Evil Sky Pavilion. If you value your life, you should leave as quickly as you can."

When the old beggar heard this, he chuckled. "This… is the Evil Sky Pavilion? You, why aren't you afraid?"