My disciples are all villains.

Lu Zhou flew past the pavilion on Whitzard's back. He paused for a brief moment and looked down.

Someone lay on the ground with his bloodied arm raised toward the sky as he mumbled, "Sect master… you're unharmed…"

Lu Zhou did not waste any time on this man and continued on his way. He wondered how Si Wuya managed to make his subordinates unswervingly loyal.

A delicate messenger bird flew toward the man's finger, pecked at peck the blood on the man's fingertips, and flew away.

A moment later, Ye Zhixing moved as swiftly as a phantom as he picked the person up and instantly vanished.

...

In the Obedient Villa.

It was as silent as a graveyard.

After having its Primal Qi restored, Bi An was fuming from its nostrils. It looked as if it was ready to lash out at anyone at a moment's notice.

After witnessing its ferocity, the soldiers, cultivators, and Black Knights in the vicinity did not dare to underestimate this mount.

"There, there, be a good boy." Little Yuan'er patted Bi An.

Bi An obediently lay on the ground. It raised its head proudly and regarded the humans in its surroundings with disdain. It was looking down its nose at them.

Leng Luo, Mingshi Yin, and Jiang Aijian unleashed their avatars. It only took them an instant to do so!

Leng Luo with his Eight-leaf!

Jiang Aijian with his Five-leaf!

And, uh… Mingshi Yin with his… Three-leaf!

Zhao Yue and Little Yuan'er glanced at them before turning the other way as though they did not see anything.

Then, the three avatars vanished.

None of the avatars was as striking as the Eight-leaf Golden Lotus.

Its height and number of leaves were enough to shock everyone.

"Don't give me that look. You must think that you're so great with five leaves, don't you?!" Mingshi Yin rolled his eyes at Jiang Aijian.

"Yes, yes, yes… You're the powerful one here… I'll admit it…" Jiang Aijian nodded. He was not joking. He knew he could never pull off killing a Five-leaf elite if he were at the Three-leaf stage. It was not embarrassing for him to step back at this juncture. Moreover, the Eight-leaf Leng Luo was here. No matter how many leaves they had, they would still pale in comparison.

Leng Luo's cultivation base was not fully recovered, but it was not difficult for him to flash his Eight-leaf Golden Lotus for an instant. He looked at Mo Li who was lying on the ground apathetically. She did not move.

Jiang Aijian walked over to Leng Luo's side. He gave Mo Li a disgusted glance and said, "How tragic…"

"Tragic?"

"Mhm, it's quite tragic…"

Leng Luo raised his hand. The blade was still covered in Mo Li's blood.

Jiang Aijian did not know what Leng Luo was going to do. He took a step back.

Primal Qi emerged from Leng Luo's hand and it condensed into energy. His golden energy wrapped around his saber as he brought it down at Mo Li's body.

"Uh…" Jiang Aijian looked away. 'It's best to not watch. If I did, my f*cking mental state will be in jeopardy!'

Leng Luo was, perhaps, the only person under the heavens who was capable of such a feat.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Several energy blades fell on the corpse.

Leng Luo was hacking Mo Li into pieces and grinding her bones into dust.

The others felt their scalps prickle and their hairs stand on end at this sight.

When they thought about it, Leng Luo and Mo Li were enemies who could not bear to be under the same skies. Mo Li had Leng Luo under her control for many years and made him do countless despicable acts. His grudge might not even be assuaged after he hacked her up.

The Second Prince, Liu Huan's lips trembled at this sight. He stumbled over his words. "You… you… you…" His face was pale. His limbs were weak.

Leng Luo finished his business and put his saber down. Then, he turned around and tidied his clothes as if nothing had happened. Then, he explained, "For a great witch such as herself, we have to proceed with caution. If she's made into a puppet or revived, we'll have our hands full."

'Mhm, you can stop explaining now. I'll believe you, okay?' Jiang Aijian nodded fervently as he moved further away from Leng Luo. He looked at the soldiers around them and the puzzled Black Knights.

Liu Huan could not stand this anymore. He said threateningly, "Fan Xiuwen… If you can't give me a good explanation for this, you'll bear the consequences…"

" Why must I explain my actions to you?" Leng Luo asked.

"You!" Liu Huan was perplexed.

Jiang Aijian picked up an ordinary saber from the ground. He flicked it with his finger, and a crisp sound rang in the air. He smiled in satisfaction before he explained, "Your Highness, don't you know who he is? He's the man whose name once shocked the heavens and was once on the top of the blacklist, Leng Luo."

The others were shocked.

The Black Knights' original members only knew about Fan Xiuwen. They did not know about Leng Luo. After the death of the four Dark Knights, nobody in the Black Knights knew that Fan Xiuwen was Leng Luo.

The remaining Black Knights looked perplexed as well. 'Isn't our leader an impostor promoted by Mo Li? How did he turn into Leng Luo?!'

However, there was no point dwelling on it. The Eight-leaf Avatar was sufficient proof of Leng Luo's identity.

The eyes of the Second Prince, Liu Huan, were ablaze with fury as he stared at Leng Luo and Jiang Aijian. "So what if he's Leng Luo?! He killed Consort Li… He'll have to pay for it with his life!"

Jiang Aijian said with a smile, "You seem to enjoy dictating another person's fate, don't you?"

"That's right! Jiang Aijian… I won't forgive you."

"Oh, please, no… I love my life very much! Your Second Highness, please don't stoop to my level…" Jiang Aijian feigned a frightened expression on his face.

Upon seeing this, Liu Huan felt disdain for Jiang Aijian. His fear toward Leng Luo's Eight-leaf avatar greatly lessened as well. He pointed at Jiang Aijian and said domineeringly, "Kneel before your prince!"

Jiang Aijian did not seem angry. Instead, an amused expression appeared on his face.

Upon seeing this, Mingshi Yin said, "Why are we wasting words with him? Let's beat him up! When master returns, he'll be further punished!"

Jiang Aijian walked up to Liu Huan.

Liu Huan flicked a speck of dust off his sleeve and said, "Kneel."

"Right away."

Splurch!

The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang in the air again. The sound was unique and easily recognizable.

The soldiers' eyes lit up. They finally understood Jiang Aijian had picked up the blade and flicked it earlier… It was all for this moment…

IThe saber was completely embedded in the Second Prince's chest. The tip of the saber had exited through his back and was exposed in the air.

Liu Huan's eyes widened. He glared at Jiang Aijian with a look of disbelief in his eyes.

Jiang Aijian's smiled back at Liu Huan. His hand was tightly gripping the hilt of the saber as he continued to push it into Liu Huan's chest.

Drip.

Drip.

The blade was drenched in blood. Drops of blood slid off the blade's edge. The droplets fell on the stone floor and splattered into the shapes of scarlet plum blossoms.

The Obedient Villa was so quiet that the sound of the blood dripping was so clear.

When Leng Luo saw this, he was only mildly surprised. He raised his hand and said threateningly, "Whoever moves will die by my hands."

The remaining survivors did not dare to move.

Jiang Aijian was still smiling as he looked at Liu Huan. After a long pause, he chuckled. It sounded indifferent laced with a hint of sadness

At the corner, Liu Bing, the Fourth Prince, did not dare to make a sound at all. He tried to speak but found his voice stuck in his throat. In the end, he helplessly shook his head and lowered his arms.

The fates of humans were determined by the heavens. A person would have to finish the path he had undertaken no matter the circumstances. Even unto death, there should be no complaints.

A short cough rang in the air as Liu Huan's final breath escaped from his mouth. Blood was gushing from the edges of his lips as well. With his remaining strength, Liu Huan reached forward and grabbed Jiang Aijian's hands.

Jiang Aijian did not flinch. Instead, he leaned forward and whispered into Liu Huan's ear, "The 1,000 lives in Jing He Palace is looking at you as you pay for your sins!"

Liu Huan's eyes widened in shock!

Jiang Aijian shook his head. His palm released some energy…

Bam!

Liu Huan reeled before he dropped to the ground with the saber protruding from his chest. The Second Prince, Liu Huan, was dead!

He dropped to the ground.

Jiang Aijian chuckled. Once again, he had returned to his usual lazy and flippant self. He returned to Bi An's side and sheepishly said, "I didn't do that on purpose… Heh, I didn't know he was so weak!"

Mingshi Yin, Little Yuan'er, and Zhao Yue looked at Jiang Aijian speechlessly.

Although Zhao Yue was closely related to them in name, they had never spent much time together. Hence, she did not feel sad at all. Moreover, Liu Huan had gone overboard. She felt relieved that he was dead.

"What do we do about the rest?" Mingshi Yin was getting excited. For some reason, he found himself pumped up as he looked at the proud Bi An. He loved bullying others by taking advantage of the situation. Oh, to be more precise, taking advantage of the… beast!

…

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou rode on Whitzard as they flew above the forest. He wondered how much time had passed. The only thing he knew was that he was getting closer. At the same time, he weighed his options in his mind.

With Yu Shangrong and Si Wuya's speed, they were definitely no match for Whitzard.

'I'll continue giving chase this way! Rascals, where can you run to now?'

Whitzard understood its master's will. It shot past the mountain peaks and the forest.

Lu Zhou suddenly said, "Wait a minute!"

Whitzard stopped and let out a loud cry, the soundwave spread out at a terrifying speed.

Yu Shangrong and Si Wuya were caught off guard. They quickly dropped down.

Fortunately, Yu Shangrong had very good control over his cultivation base. After the initial shock, he quickly adjusted his condition and landed slowly.

"Second Senior Brother, stay calm!" Si Wuya landed and looked up. He scanned the skies with widened eyes.

Yu Shangrong appeared calm. "I am calm."

"It doesn't look like he's coming after us."

"There's no need to fear even if he is." Yu Shangrong remained composed.

Si Wuya. "…" After giving it some thought, he felt something was amiss. He said, "Your cultivation base is profound, Second Senior Brother. It's only natural that you're unafraid. However, I've just been freed of the mantra, and I'm not in my best condition. I'd have to trouble you to bring me along as we leave this place as quickly as possible, senior brother."

"Sure," Yu Shangrong replied without any hesitation.

Before Si Wuya could say another word, Yu Shangrong's energy was already wrapped around him.

The two of them flew toward Radiant Cloud Forest. They looked back occasionally as they flew forward.

Si Wuya said, "It looks like master's not coming after us."

Yu Shangrong nodded and inquired, "Your mantra has been removed?"

"I don't know what happened as well…" Si Wuya recalled what he saw in the pavilion. Fear still lingered in his heart.

"In any case, it's good that it's undone," Yu Shangrong said nonchalantly.

The two of them sped on.

Si Wuya looked straight ahead. Puzzled, he asked, "Where are we going, Second Senior Brother?"

"Radiant Cloud Forest," Yu Shangrong calmly replied.

"Now?"

"Now."