My disciples are all villains.

The Six Compatible Seal expanded and contracted.

The cultivators were repelled by it. Upon seeing this, the cultivators on the ground were shocked. They did not have time to feel amazed by the Evil Sky Pavilion's strength and were doing everything they could to leave the Lotus Dais as soon as they could.

Alas, the towering pillars around the Lotus Dais had been shrouded by a black chain-like energy that seemed to bar them from escaping. It seemed as though they had been trapped in an extremely big cage.

Hua Wudao looked at the shining black energy chains and said, "Don't worry, Pavilion Master, as long as I'm here, I can guarantee the flying chariot's safety."

Lu Zhou nodded slightly. With Hua Wudao's strength and cultivation base, it would not be a problem for Hua Wudao to protect the flying chariot. He found it puzzling that the opponent was only using witchcraft to control weak puppets despite the grand display. It was obvious this would not be able to take down the Evil Sky Pavilion. As he looked around, he discovered nothing was left of Lu Xingkong's body except for a puddle. Lu Xingkong who was a cultivation elite had sacrificed himself and offered up a huge amount of energy.

Meanwhile, Duanmu Sheng, Mingshi Yin, and Little Yuan'er took out many puppets.

As for the low-level cultivators who were fleeing on the ground, they looked like sheeps awaiting slaughter. The only thing they could do was to keep trying and dodging the attacks. Fortunately, cultivators were much more resilient, physically and mentally, compared to mere mortals.

Bzz!

The black energy chains crackled as though electric currents ran through them. A dark blue light glinted on their surfaces.

Hua Wudao exclaimed in surprise, "They're trying to kill everyone in the compound in one fell swoop… How vicious!"

More dead cultivators who were controlled by the witchcraft spell continued to lunge at Lu Zhou's three disciples in a frenzy.

One of the puppets roared, "You won't get away!"

Lu Zhou was not worried about his disciples' safety.

The puppets would occasionally charge at the cloud-splitting chariot as well. However, none of them could breach the Six Compatible Seal.

"What's that?" Zhao Yue suddenly cried out. Since she was manning the helm, she had the best view. She had seen something flashing at the point where the black energy chains intersected

"A power convergence point… It's where the power is the strongest and weakest at the same time," Lu Zhou said.

Hua Wudao nodded. "Indeed. The other party intends to destroy all of us with that power."

"Is it really that powerful?" Zhao Yue could see the puppets were not strong at all.

"The terrifying thing about witchcraft isn't its might, but the corrosion to one's will and body…"

"What should we do now?"

Bzzt!

The sounds of the black chains crackling grew louder.

Hua Wudao said with a sigh, "The Buddhist Great Meditation Dharani, the Daoist Heart Cleansing Mantra, or the Confucian Expansive Heavenly Energy can suppress this. Although the Yun Sect has Daoist roots, I've only studied the Six Compatible Seal and have never learned mantras. I truly regret it now…"

The Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian schools had split into many branches after all. It was impossible to master everything.

Zhao Yue surveyed the scene before she said to the female cultivators onboard who were helping to keep the flying chariot afloat, "Don't be afraid. Since master is here, there's no need for us to fear witchcraft."

Lu Zhou's expression did not change. However, he thought to himself inwardly, 'I can't do anything if I don't see the spellcaster…' Was it possible that everyone, along with him, would get caught up in this?

Bzzt!

The sound of crackling from the black energy chains was even louder than before.

The low-level cultivators on the ground seemed to have noticed this as well. They felt a greater sense of danger at this moment. They began to group up to fend off the endless stream of puppets.

At this moment, the point where the chains intersected shone dazzlingly.

Everyone's attention was immediately focused on it. The light was as bright as the sun, and it hurt to keep their eyes opened.

All of a sudden, the puppets stopped moving. They stood ramrod straight as black gas rose up. The shadow of a figure flitted past the energy that shone as bright as the sun before a thunderous and forceful roar rang in the air.

Rarrghh!

"The lion's roar sound technique! It's not a grand shaman?" Hua Wudao immediately activated his Nine Cuts Six Compatible Seal.

The nine huge scripts shone with a golden radiance and blocked the soundwave.

Mingshi Yin and Duanmu Sheng activated their protective energies and retreated until they were near the pillars. On the other hand, Little Yuan'er seemed to be unaffected. Her Cloud Feather Raiment was shining faintly as it negated the sound technique.

Mingshi Yin was filled with envy as he looked at Little Yuan'er.

Logically, an elite at this level would not stop at just one sound technique. However, the figure did not unleash any more techniques.

Lu Zhou said apathetically, "It's not human." When he looked at the figure, he did not see any information at all from the system that suggested the figure was human.

Mysterious and peculiar beasts could be found everywhere in Great Yan, the Misty Forest, and Rongbei. Although humans came up with an encyclopedia of wild beasts, no one would dare to claim that it contained all the beasts under the heavens.

"It's not human? How's that possible?" Zhao Yue was puzzled. 'Even if it's not human, it can't have materialized out of thin air, right?'

Lu Zhou looked at the shadow in the ball of light and said, "It's a projection."

Hua Wudao nodded, "A kind of witchcraft… This spellcaster is surely a rare genius cultivator."

The Formation on the Lotus Dais and the sacrificial and offering Formations that were laid down beforehand using the nine towering pillars, and the precise control was perfect. These suggested the mastermind was a genius.

The shadow's deep voice rang in everyone's ears. The figure spoke slowly, and its voice was muffled as though the speaker was underwater. "Are you the Evil Sky Pavilion's master?"

Lu Zhou replied, "Who are you?"

The shadow did not answer the question. Instead, it said, "I hope you'll be able to break through this Formation."

If this had been a normal battle, the cultivators would not have given the witchcraft spell this much time to activate. Although witchcraft was powerful, its flaw was glaringly obvious. It needed a long casting time. However, once it was successfully cast, it was absolutely terrifying.

The energy chains began to shake, and the buzzing noise intensified at this moment.

The shadow figure said confidently, "It seems like I'm going to defeat the greatest elite in Great Yan today."

Several clusters of purple energy flew toward the flying chariot.

"I'll block them!" Duanmu Sheng, Mingshi Yin, and Little Yuan'er moved at the same time. Meanwhile, the puppets made their move as well, holding three of them back. They had no choice but to deal with the puppets.

Faced with the incoming balls of energy, Lu Zhou flew toward them head-on.

"Pavilion Master!"

"Master!"

"Old senior!"

The shadow figure exclaimed in shock, "What?"

To gain the power to silence everything, to maintain and manifest samadhi.

As soon as Lu Zhou left the flying chariot, the Heavenly Writing's extraordinary power activated just as he had willed it. His body seemed to glow with a faint bluish light at this moment, and an azure lotus appeared under his feet and carried him forward.

"This…"

Although Hua Wudao was experienced and knowledgeable, he was still baffled by this sight. 'Who would manifest their lotus but not their avatar?' This was his second time seeing this azure lotus. The first time he had seen it was when Lu Zhou was cultivating in seclusion. When the azure lotus' power surged out, it had shattered his Nine Cuts Seal immediately. How could he not feel shocked upon seeing it again? "Is this the power of the barrier?" This was the only explanation he could come up with.

Dozens of purple energy beams shot toward Lu Zhou, but they were all kept at bay by the azure lotus and light.

Like light and shadow, permeating everywhere, while staying still in samadhi.

The shadow sounded slightly agitated as it commanded, "Stop him!"

The puppets rose into the sky immediately and charged at Lu Zhou.

When Hua Wudao saw this, he could already guess the outcome when he recalled the scene when the hidden chamber exploded and the terrifying blast that erupted when the azure lotus bloomed.

Little Yuan'er, Mingshi Yin, Zhao Yue, and Duanmu Sheng's attention was focused on the azure lotus beneath their master's feet.

Meanwhile, the brightness of the point where the black energy chains intersected peaked.

Dozens of puppets lunged at Lu Zhou when the azure lotus bloomed. Its petals unfurled as an energy rippled into the surroundings like a great wave. This was the power of muting!

All the puppets fell to the ground and were destroyed in just an instant!

The shadow in the ball of light said in a frightened and trembling voice, "Th… This power…" Before it could finish its sentence, the intersection point was overwhelmed by the azure lotus and disappeared.

The black energy chains snapped and shattered like glass. At the same time, the blue light shone on the Lotus Dais, causing the black energy to fade into nothingness.

Lu Zhou did not look down at the situation below. Instead, he was looking straight ahead. After a while, he still did not hear any notifications from the system.

The blue lotus' light gradually disappeared, and silence gradually descended on the Lotus Dais.

'Is it possible that this power isn't enough to kill the grand shaman with a strike?' Lu Zhou remembered Hua Wudao and the others had suffered minor injuries back in the hidden chamber. However, his power, at that time, was not nearly as strong as it was now. This time, he had unleashed everything he had. Logically, the grand shaman should have been killed.

At this moment, Lu Zhou suddenly sensed that most of his Primal Qi had been depleted. 'Hm? Hold it, stay in the air! Don't f*cking fall! There's a huge crowd here, I can't fall!' 

Lu Zhou turned around slowly with his hands on his back to survey the surroundings 'Hm? Where are the others?'

Mingshi Yin was thrown back on a pillar with his limbs spread apart.

Duanmu Sheng had stabbed the Overlord Spear into the ground and was holding onto it for support.

Even Little Yuan'er, with her Cloud Feather Raiment, was hiding behind a pillar as though she was frightened.

The flying chariot…

Lu Zhou frowned slightly. The flying chariot did not seem to be in good shape. It was teetering, and there were a few cracks on it.

Hua Wudao was kneeling on one knee near the helm. He held the helm with one hand while he maintained the Six Compatible Seal with the other. His face glistened with sweat.

Lu Zhou felt helpless. This grand technique did not discriminate between friends and foes! He looked down. The low-level cultivators, on the other hand, were unscathed. They had hidden among the lotus petals and were spared from the impact.

Now that things seemed to have calmed down, they walked out of their hiding places and looked up into the sky. They saw the nonchalant Evil Sky Pavilion's master hovering in the air.

"Thank you for saving us, patriarch!"

"Thank you for saving us, patriarch!"

The crowd fell to their knees in unison.

"Ding! Received genuine praise from 225 people. Reward: 2,250 merit points."

It was better than nothing. Lu Zhou treated this as compensation for taking out the grand shaman. Finally, he looked at the kneeling crowd and said with a flick of his sleeve, "Well? Get lost!"

The crowd dispersed without any hesitation, in a hurry to leave this perilous place.

"Thank you so much!"

"Who said that the Evil Sky Pavilion's patriarch is a person who commits all sorts of crimes?! From this day on, the patriarch is the person I respect the most!"

The disciples were stunned by these words.

All of a sudden, the sound of an explosion rang from one of the pavilions near one of the Lotus Dais' pillars. How strange…

Lu Zhou looked in the direction of the sound.

"A flying chariot?" The Nether Sect's flying chariot swayed and teetered as it flew away!

"Master, the Nether Sect's flying chariot has been hit by your almighty strength… I'll go after it!" Duanmu Sheng moved quickly. With two steps, he leaped into the air.

Lu Zhou did not speak. In his current condition, he could not possibly give chase.

…

Behind a tree near another pavilion.

Si Wuya frowned. His eyes were filled with disbelief. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "The power of the barrier? As expected, master has absorbed the power of the barrier!"

"Sect master, the old senior is still strong. The factions from the Noble Path have deserted this place. Isn't this the outcome you want?"

"No…" Si Wuya raised his hand and said, "Quite the opposite. Once the power of the barrier is depleted, what's going to happen then?"

"Understood! I'll send someone to continue monitoring the movements of those from the Noble Path."

…

On the Lotus Dais

Lu Zhou slowly moved to the cloud-splitting chariot. Outwardly, he seemed to be in perfect condition. He said, "Man the helm."

Mingshi Yin leaped up and moved to the chariot's helm. He did not waste any time and began to channel his Primal Qi to stabilize the flying chariot.

Hua Wudao exhaled in relief. He removed his palm from the helm and cupped his fists at Lu Zhou without saying anything.

Meanwhile, an expression of reverence could be seen on Hua Yuexing's face. If she did not personally witness it, she would not have believed the Evil Sky Pavilion's master was so powerful! It was completely beyond her imagination.

"Master, the Formation veins on the flying chariot's left side are slightly damaged. We might experience some turbulence during our flight."

Lu Zhou nodded. "No matter."

"I'll try to control the speed… It won't be a problem for us to return to the Evil Sky Pavilion."

Little Yuan'er said, "Third Senior Brother isn't back yet!"

"We don't have to wait for him!" Mingshi Yin knew in the depth of his heart that his Eldest Senior Brother would not act viciously toward his Third Senior Brother even though his Eldest Senior Brother had left the Evil Sky Pavilion. For this reason, he decided there was no need to wait for Duanmu Sheng.

Hua Wudao cupped his fists. "Pavilion Master, may I ask… that azure lotus…"

Lu Zhou raised a hand and interjected, "All the techniques under the heavens share certain similarities… Whether it's from the Daoist sects, the Buddhist sects, or the Confucian school… they're all a means to the same end. The predecessors compiled books and discovered cultivation paths. The successors learn, achieve breakthroughs, and invent new things…"

Hua Wudao bowed. "I've learned something new today. I thought I was merely unlucky for losing to you 20 years ago… Now, it's clear to me that the difference between us isn't only in our cultivation bases… I truly regret my past attitude."

Lu Zhou stroked his beard and did not say anything. He walked up to the helm and saw the towering pillars growing smaller and smaller behind the chariot.

It was a grand shaman who had created the sacrificial offering Formation with the towering pillars… However, it seemed like this was all the so-called genius could do.

...

The towering pillars were completely destroyed. The power of the technique had destroyed everything on the Lotus Dais.

Fortunately, the cloud-splitting chariot had been behind Lu Zhou and was protected by the Nine Cuts Six Compatible Seal.

On the contrary, the Nether Sect's flying chariot was not that fortunate. It was not spared from the impact even though it was far away. Moreover, it did not have the protection of someone like Hua Wudao who specialized in tortoiseshell techniques. The further it flew, the greater the cracks on its hull grew.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

"Sect master, the flying chariot's about to break!"

"Don't stop!" Yu Zhenghai ordered with a grim expression on his face, "Don't you dare stop!"