My disciples are all villains.

Zhao Yue did not know about her master's relationship with the Cloud Shine Nunnery. After the incident on the Lotus Dais, her impression of Cloud Shine Nunnery was not favorable even though Xuan Jing was polite and had even criticized Wu Nian. Moreover, the Evil Sky Pavilion was not somewhere Xuan Jing should be.

Xuan Jing straightened her fingers and said, "I have something else to say."

"What is it?"

"The Jade Horsetail Whisk is the foundation of Cloud Shine Nunnery's foundation. If it's possible, I hope the old benefactor can…"

Lu Zhou interrupted her and said indifferently, "I gave the Jade Horsetail Whisk to Jing Yan. Did she not tell you this?"

"Well…"

"If I can give her the Jade Horsetail Whisk, then, I can take it back," Lu Zhou said.

Since Lu Zhou had made his intention clear, Xuan Jing no longer dared to make any request. A helpless expression appeared on her face as she sighed. She could not blame the Evil Sky Pavilion for this. If Wu Nian did not act recklessly, they would not have been in this situation in the first place. Finally, she straightened her pam again and bowed before she said, "Do take care, old benefactor. I'll be taking my leave now." After that, she left the pavilion.

"I'll be taking my leave as well, master." Zhao Yue left right after the nun.

The east pavilion was silent again.

Lu Zhou went into the pavilion and saw the box in the corner. He waved his arm. The box flew toward him. He took out the key from the scarlet box. When his fingers touched the key, a cold sensation seeped into his skin. It seemed like the key was forged from extraordinary materials. No wonder it remained the same in the outside world without being corroded.

The keyhole on the box was not huge.

Lu Zhou held the slim box in his hand before he inserted the key and turned it.

Click!

A clicking noise sounded. It sounded like the noise of someone's neck being snapped.

Shortly after, the veins on the surface of the box shone brightly. The dark radiance that seemed like an electric current shot out from the keyhole and traveled through the veins on the box's surfaces.

"What a masterful design!" Lu Zhou praised.

When the electric-like radiance faded, another clicking noise rang in the air.

The box opened along the veins on the top side and split in half. Perhaps, it had been sealed for too long, a rotting smell wafted out of the box.

Lu Zhou waved his hands to fan away the stench.

"Ding! Obtained Open Heavenly Writing remnant sheet x1."

"Ding! Obtained old parchment drawing."

"Hm?" Lu Zhou touched the Open Heavenly Writing remnant sheet… The sheet dissolved into spots of light and vanished.

He looked at the system dashboard. On his item inventory, there was a new addition; Open Heavenly Writing remnant sheet (part one). He remembered that he obtained an Open Heavenly Writing from the Sky Fragments before this. In other words, these were pieces that would allow him to activate the next technique. He was greatly motivated by this.

"Old parchment drawing." Lu Zhou turned his attention to the old parchment drawing at the bottom of the box and picked it up. He placed it on the table carefully. The outer layer was already rotting away.

Lu Zhou removed the outer layer and slowly unfurled it… just to find a blurry drawing. The old drawing was huge. It covered the entire surface of the table.

Lu Zhou wondered if it was a treasure map.

"A map?" Although it was blurry, Lu Zhou could still tell it was a map. It seemed to be a map of one of the central regions of Great Yan. The outline of the area resembled Great Yan so greatly that he knew he was right.

Lu Zhou paced with his hands on his back. He studied the map and pondered over it. He knew about the functions of the Open Heavenly Writing… However, he did not know what this map was for. He could not even see it clearly, and there were no markings on it… There was nothing to indicate mountains or rivers… After observing it for a short while, he found nothing special about this map. He placed the old drawing back on the table.

Then, he returned to his usual spot and sat cross-legged. He opened the system dashboard.

Merit points: 20,230 points.

There was an excess of 230 points.

Lu Zhou did four lucky draws… As he expected, he got four thank-you messages. It was fortunate that he had 20,000 merit points left. He did not feel much spending his merit points.

'Should I continue to draw or buy the Eight Methods Connected? No, no, I can't think like a gambler.' Lu Zhou considered it briefly. He was safe in the Evil Sky Pavilion for now… Moreover, he had enough item cards. Even if the Noble Path were to attack Golden Court Mountain at this moment, he could easily repel them.

The avatar could be bought at any moment. After all, he did not have any bottlenecks in regard to his cultivation base. If he achieved a breakthrough, his strength would increase rapidly. He was in no hurry. He decided to check the price of the items.

…

Meanwhile, inside the secluded hut.

Si Wuya opened his eyes and muttered, "Fortunately, the Peacock Plume is safe."

He lowered his head and parted his robes. He looked at the 'bind' character on his chest. The blood-red script showed no signs of fading. He frowned deeply. "Why is this mantra so peculiar?"

Up until now, he had tried several methods, and yet, he was not able to break the mantra.

At this moment, a grey-robed subordinate flew in and kneeled on one knee before he said, "Sect master, Mister First is here,"

"Bring him in." Si Wuya was about to rise to his feet when he heard Yu Zhenghai's hearty laughter. "Seventh Junior Brother, we meet again…"

Si Wuya cupped his fists and said, "Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother."

"We're both brothers. There's no need for formalities. Look who I brought with me." Yu Zhenghai turned to face the entrance.

An old man in a Daoist hat and robes walked in with a horsetail whisk in his hand.

Si Wuya looked at him and exclaimed in surprise, "Daoist priest Yun Shan?"

"Daoist priest Yunshan is one of the Celestial Masters Sect's experts in mantras. I went through many troubles to invite him here," Yu Zhenghai said.

"Thank you for going through the trouble for me, Eldest Senior Brother."

The Daoist priest, Zhang Yunshan cupped his fists and said, "I know Mister First personally. Due to the recent conflicts between the ten great sects and the Evil Sky Pavilion, I couldn't simply leave the mountain. Please forgive me for the delay, Mister Seventh." Although he said he knew Yu Zhenghai personally, who knew if it was the truth? However, Si Wuya did not think it was necessary to dwell into this matter. He finally said, "Thank you for coming."

Yu Zhenghai turned to ask him, "Are you confident, Daoist priest Yunshan?"

Zhang Yunshan said, "I've been studying mantras for nearly a century. I won't go so far as to speak about my expertise, but there's always a way to break mantras."

"That's great!"

"Do show us."

Daoist priest Zhang Yunshan and Yu Zhenghai walked into the secluded hut.

Si Wuya removed the clothes from his upper body, and the 'bind' character appeared before Zhang Yunshan's eyes.

Zhang Yunshan inspected the 'bind' character. He nodded as though he knew what was going on. "I'm quite sure I can break this mantra in just a moment."

"I'm relieved to hear that." Yu Zhenghai stood with his hands on his back.

Zhang Yunshan stood behind Si Wuya.

Si Wuya understood what he wanted to do, and he sat down with his legs crossed.

Zhang Yunshan raised his right hand. A golden energy seal that resembled a script appeared on his palm before he brought his palm down on Si Wuya's back.