My disciples are all villains.

When the sun shone on the black coffin, it stopped moving as though it was hesitating. Perhaps, it had been in the dark for too long and felt out of place after coming out into the world again. After a moment, a heavy sigh could be heard from the coffin.

…

The secluded hut.

Si Wuya was resting his spirits with his eyes closed.

Ye Zhixing finished reading the letter in his hands, bowed, and said, "Sect master, the Five Mice are dead. Their bodies were placed at the foot of Golden Court Mountain."

Si Wuya seemed calm as he asked, "Who killed them?"

"A white lady… There isn't any other information."

At this moment, Si Wuya opened his eyes and said, "Sixth Senior Sister…"

When Ye Zhixing heard this, he was stunned and said, "This is the work of the Evil Sky Pavilion's Miss Sixth?"

Si Wuya smiled and said, "Find out where she is. I'd like to meet her."

"Understood."

Ye Zhixing continued, "I have another matter to report."

"What is it?"

"After the disturbance in Upper Prime City, the Divine Capital has sent out some troops to quell it. General Shang of the Imperial guard is dead. Sect Master Yu was greatly delighted when he learned about this. A month ago, he led 10,000 men from the Nether Sect and attacked the Righteous Sect. The Righteous Sect fell, and its sect master, buckled, Zhang Yuanshan, is currently missing. As of now, the Righteous Sect's territories have been assimilated into the Nether Sect's territories," Ye Zhixing reported.

Upon hearing this, Si Wuya said with a sigh, "Eldest Senior Brother is too impatient… There's no need to do that. According to my original plan, Zhang Yuanshan could never get away anyway."

"Sect Master Yu doesn't care about the life or death of Zhang Yuanshan," Ye Zhixing said.

"You must remove the roots of the weed as well… Eldest Senior Brother isn't thorough enough."

"You're wise, sect master." Ye Zhixing did not leave even after he finished speaking.

Si Wuya asked in confusion, "Is there something else?"

"Sect Master, for you to support Sect Master Yu like this, what if Mister Second is offended…"

"I'll explain this to Second Senior Brother. There's no need to worry."

Ye Zhixing nodded and said, "The Nether Sect's faction is growing by the day… I'm worried that your achievements will make Sect Master Yu feel insecure."

Since the beginning of time, making one's superior feel insecure because of one's own achievements never boded well. At the moment, Si Wuya was this character. He had been helping the Nether Sect behind the scenes unconditionally. That was how the Nether Sect grew to where it was right now. Although Yu Zhenghai offered to reward him greatly, he had turned Yu Zhenghai down.

Indeed, they were fellow disciples, and the relationship between them was stronger than most. The problem was Yu Zhenghai had the grand ambition of ruling the world. Such a person would not be able to dominate the world without the calculative mentality of a monarch.

Si Wuya turned to look at Ye Zhixing and said, "Zhixing, why do you think cultivators exist?"

Ye Zhixing was slightly taken aback. He did not expect such a sudden question from his sect master. It was not a simple question. If he answered dishonestly, he would seem insincere, if he answered simply, his reply would seem superficial.

"Just speak your mind," Si Wuya said.

"Sect master, I think that a person steps onto the path of cultivation to improve their strength. I also think that a person's appetite should be proportional to their strength," Ye Zhixing answered.

Si Wuya nodded. He slowly sat down and said, "It's not wrong for you to understand it that way. When there's a chance… I'll tell you something else."

"As you wish, sect master."

…

The next day, at the foot of Golden Court Mountain.

Under Hua Wudao's orders, the female cultivators in the Evil Sky Pavilion were patrolling the area.

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!

The female cultivators' attention was caught by a noise from the barrier. They looked up and saw the blue barrier visibly fluctuating, causing them to feel uneasy.

Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng stood on different branches on different trees as they cast their eyes into the distance.

"The pavilion master is cultivating in seclusion. Is he planning to absorb the remaining power from the barrier?" Zhou Jifeng wondered aloud.

"That's difficult to say…"

Zhou Jifeng sighed. "I hope the barrier's power can last for a few more days."

Pan Zhong looked at Zhou Jifeng and said, "Are you regretting this?"

"Never," Zhou Jifeng replied.

Pan Zhong looked at the female cultivators nearby. He looked at Zhou Jifeng again and said, "Will you die if you're told to?"

"Brother Pan, what are you trying to make me say…" Zhou Jifeng rolled his eyes.

At this moment, a female cultivator cried out, "What's that?"

Zing!

The female cultivators of the Evil Sky Pavilion drew their swords as though they had seen a formidable enemy when they looked at a black spot in the distance.

Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng looked in the same direction. A black mass was slowly flying toward them from the distant sky.

When it got closer, they could see the shape of the mass was square. When it got closer, they could finally see that it was a black coffin.

Zhou Jifeng's eyes widened. "Brother Pan, this is my first time seeing someone arriving in such a manner. Have you ever seen anything like this?"

Pan Zhong seemed bewildered as well. He swallowed and said, "No… I've never."

"How's he moving? Did he make a hole under the coffin?" Zhou Jifeng gradually calmed down. He looked at the coffin with a frown on his face.

Pan Zhong seemed unaffected. "Beats me…"

The female cultivators stepped back into the entrance of Golden Court Mountain and arranged themselves in three rows.

Zhou Jifeng leaped down in front of them. Then, he turned his head and said, "You, notify the elders."

"Understood."

Pan Zhong leaped down at this moment as well. He stood by Zhou Jifeng's side.

The coffin lowered its altitude and flew toward them. It seemed to be wrapped in some special energy. It was emitting a strange black Qi. As it flew, it left the black Qi in its wake. All in all, it looked quite unsettling and eerie.

Swoosh!

The coffin suddenly picked up speed as it approached them before it finally came to halt before them.

The others did not even dare to breathe heavily. They stared at the coffin with widened eyes. They had never seen such an entrance in their lives. It was only natural that they felt nervous and frightened. Perhaps, humans were inherently averse to coffins. When they saw this coffin, they were flustered, at a loss over what to do.

The atmosphere was extremely heavy.

After some time, a hoarse voice rang from the coffin. "Golden Court Mountain."

The coffin adjusted its angle slightly.

Zhou Jifeng suppressed his nerves as best he could as he cupped his fists and said, "May… May I know if you're Senior Gong?"

"You're nervous." A deep and mocking voice rang from the coffin.

"Well…" How could he not feel nervous?

Gong Yuandu sighed and said, "Even after all these years, I still haven't earned the right to be greeted by Brother Ji himself. What a shame, what a shame!"

"…" Zhou Jifeng and Pan Zhong wore a stiff expression on their faces.

"Lead the way…" Gong Yuandu finally said.

"Old Senior Gong… The Pavilion Master isn't feeling well. Can you come again another day?" Pan Zhong said after mustering up all his courage.

"Hm?" The coffin floated over the tops of their heads.

The Primal Qi's fluctuation around it was also much more intense than before. A deep and muffled laughter could be heard from within.

Everyone felt chills running up their spines when they heard it.