My disciples are all villains.

Yu Zhenghai suddenly punched out with his left hand. A fist-shaped ball of energy shot out and pierced the huge and towering tree in front of him. He suppressed his boiling emotions and said, "No matter. You Hongyi and the Seven Clarity Sons are no threat now. Currently, the Clarity Sect merely exists in name. We've basically achieved our objective. There's no need to be concerned over this, junior brother… If I didn't have your help, the seven peaks wouldn't have been taken down so swiftly."

Si Wuya coughed.

Yu Zhenghai turned to look at Si Wuya and said, perplexed, "The Binding Mantra, the cloud-splitting chariot, the mount, Bi An… Master is as impressive as always. However, why is he stubbornly meddling in our affairs at his age?!" He started out his sentence calmly, but his tone gradually turned gloomy at the latter part of his sentence. It was obvious he was not too happy about this.

Si Wuya said, "Perhaps, the old man is trying to combine the advantages of various cultivation methods to prolong his life?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhenghai clenched his left hand and said, "If it's possible to prolong one's life, why hasn't anyone succeeded yet?"

The cultivation world had existed for a long time. There were many prodigies and elites who wanted to defy the heavens and the unchanging truth since time immemorial. However, it had proven to be an impossible task thus far.

"Stay your anger, Eldest Senior Brother. Don't hold this against master." Although Si Wuya was bound by the Binding Mantra, he did not seem to be angered in the least.

Yu Zhenghai slowly rose to his feet. He looked at the sky and sighed. "Fortunately, you're here, junior brother."

Si Wuya shook his head. He recalled the earlier situation in the forest and said, "Don't mention it… If you didn't bring me along, using your essence and blood, I would've been captured by master."

Yu Zhenghai frowned slightly and said, "I'm curious. Master had always refrained from using the Great Dark Heaven Memorial… Why did he suddenly unleash the Dark Heaven Starlight? The fluctuations of his aura didn't seem that impressive, but his control is much superior compared to mine."

Si Wuya propped his body up with difficulty. He pointed at the mantra on his body and said, "He even used a mantra… I think he's just trying to warn us with the Dark Heaven Starlight."

Yu Zhenghai looked at the Binding Mantra on Si Wuya again. The huge 'bind' script was dazzling and eye-catching.

"Don't worry, junior brother. I'll think of a way to free you from this Binding Mantra no matter what," Yu Zhenghai said.

"All in good time… It doesn't matter if I have my cultivation base or not." Si Wuya smiled confidently. He did not mind the mantra that bound him.

Yu Zhenghai nodded and said, "It's no wonder you can manage the Darknet with how open-minded you are, Junior Brother Wuya…"

"You flatter me, Senior Brother."

"In any case, since you're bound by this mantra because of me, I'll send someone to the Celestial Masters Sect. I believe you can handle the Darknet but not having your cultivation base is a cause for concern no matter what," Yu Zhenghai said.

It was safer for Si Wuya if he had his cultivation base. After all, who could tell if the members of the Darknet were all loyal?

"Let's return to Pingdu Mountain first."

"You're the boss, senior brother."

…

In the great hall of the Evil Sky Pavilion.

Hua Wudao, Leng Luo, Pan Litian, and several other disciples looked at Lu Zhou who seemed to be deep in his thoughts. They were puzzled, wondering what he was thinking about.

At this moment, Lu Zhou was looking at his remaining merit points on the system dashboard.

10,220 points.

Lu Zhou bought four Thunderblast Cards earlier but did not use them. He only earned some merit points for Mo Qi. He decided to try his luck on the lucky draws again later.

Lu Zhou waved his sleeve. The menu vanished. When he thought about Yu Zhenghai, he said out loud, "How did he manage to get away?" He had been thinking about this during the journey back but still could not figure it out.

The Binding Mantra had clearly landed, he was even rewarded with merit points. 'Where did it go wrong?'

Hua Wudao looked at the baffled Lu Zhou, cupped his fists, and said, "You don't have to concern yourself with this, Pavilion Master. The person who frequents the riverbank can hardly keep his shoes dry… Moreover…" He trailed off suddenly. It seemed like his words had come out wrongly. His words could be mistaken as saying Lu Zhou was getting old, and it was only logical that his powerful disciple managed to escape from him.

Lu Zhou was annoyed by Hua Wudao who attempted to console him.

Hua Wudao instantly stopped talking when he felt Lu Zhou's gaze on him. After thinking about it for a moment, he said, "I heard that Yu Zhenghai was hit by your mantra. He'll certainly look for ways to break the mantra. There are only two ways to do that. The first way is to find a more powerful mantra caster. The Celestial Masters Sect has many cultivators who are skilled in mantras. The second way is to come to the Evil Sky Pavilion."

Duanmu Sheng nodded and said, "Elder Hua has a point. Master, let's seize this opportunity and wait for the hare to hit the stump at the Celestial Masters Sect."

"…" The others looked at Duanmu Sheng.

The Celestial Masters Sect was not the Clarity Sect. It did not have many elites such as Pan Litian, but the Celestial Masters Sect specialized in mantras and Formations. No one would dare to underestimate the Celestial Masters Sect in their own territory.

What good would a bunch of misfits do by going there? They would just be serving their heads on silver platters. Leng Luo and Pan Litian would be considered as doing a good job if they did not hold the others back. A tortoise technique cultivator like Hua Wudao who had cultivated his defense to almost-perfection was more suited to stay back to guard their home base…

Lu Zhou shook his head and said, "The Celestial Masters Sect might not be able to undo my mantra. The rascal has nowhere to go. He's bound to come here one day."

"Understood," Duanmu Sheng said.

Lu Zhou looked at Zhao Yue and asked, "How's Pan Zhong doing?"

Zhao Yue replied, "His injuries are stabilizing, he's out of the woods. He'll recover once he gets enough rest."

"Thank you." Pan Litian cupped his fists. His attitude on this matter was a clear indication of their relationship.

Leng Luo asked, "I'm curious. What relationship do you have with Pan Zhong?"

Pan Zhong was in his forties at most. In the cultivation world, he was considered a young man. Pan Litian and Leng Luo were of the same generation, and Pan Litian left the Clarity Sect several centuries ago. No matter how one looked at it, he was definitely way too old to be Pan Zhong's grandfather.

Pan Litian asked, "What does it have to do with you?"

At this moment, Lu Zhou waved his arm. A black brocade box flew into Pan Litian's hands. "I've always kept my words…"

When Pan Litian received the black box, his old hands were visibly shaking. He bowed at Lu Zhou but remained silent. However, his silence was enough to convey his thoughts and feelings. In the past years, although he was presented with the opportunities to obtain sable magnolias, how could he do it without his cultivation base? It was easier for him to ascend to heaven than to obtain a sable magnolia.

Leng Luo was puzzled when he saw Pan Litian's excitement.

Leng Luo said, "With your identity and status, it shouldn't be difficult for you to ask the Clarity Sect to find you a sable magnolia…"

Pan Litian shook his head and said, "Leng Luo, if Mo Li disabled your cultivation base, would she have given you a sable magnolia?"

Leng Luo was silent. The others were silent as well.

Pan Litian cupped his fists and said, "I'll take my leave now."

Leng Luo cupped his fists as well, a sign of him excusing himself.

"Go on." Lu Zhou waved his arm.

Those two needed a long time to recover their cultivation bases. Before they did, they were of little use to the Evil Sky Pavilion.

After the duo left, Lu Zhou asked, "Any news from Mingshi Yin?"

"Master… Fourth Senior Brother has overdone it this time. He's been out playing for so long and has yet to return!"

Lu Zhou found this strange as well. However, the system mentioned nothing about Mingshi Yin. Well, he was not worried that Mingshi Yin would come to harm since he trusted Mingshi Yin's survival skills.

At this moment, Zhou Jifeng walked into the hall with a peculiar expression on his face.

"What's the matter?" Lu Zhou asked.

"Hua Yuexing is back!" Zhou Jifeng's expression was tense. He paused for a brief moment before he said, "She came with the head of Ye Chengzhi from the Heavenly Sword Sect."