My disciples are all villains.

The grime covered his entire body, and the peculiar aura seemed to cling to him like a black mist. Wherever he passed, the plants would wither. He slowed to a stop only when he was out of the Mausoleum of Swords.

Several Brahman Sea Eight Meridians cultivators flew over from the distance. When they landed, they bowed simultaneously. "Greetings, sect master! Sect master… w-what happened?"

The remaining disciples were shocked when they saw Zhang Yuanshan's appearance. It was true that the Righteous Sect had been reduced to fleeing for their lives on a daily basis, but surely there was no need to go so far as to look like this? At the very least, he still had a few loyal disciples following him.

Zhang Yuanshan lifted his head slowly. When he opened his eyes, they flashed coldly. He raised his right hand. Purple tendrils emerged from his hand, the tendrils connected to the palm seals as they scattered in all directions.

"Sect master…"

The disciples could not react in time. Their necks were clenched by the peculiar palm seals. They were lifted up into the air, their feet leaving the ground. They regarded Zhang Yuanshan, their sect master, with fear in their eyes. They were all in a state of confusion. As time passed, they found it more and more difficult to breathe. The palm seals seemed to be tightening their grips. Shortly after, they breathed more rapidly.

"Sect master… No, no, don't…"

Unfortunately, Zhang Yuanshan's face was devoid of emotion, and his eyes were cold.

The disciples were lifted higher into the air by the tendrils of energy. The auras from the disciples slowly flowed into Zhang Yuanshan's body.

Finally, Zhang Yuanshan opened his chapped lips and uttered a single word, "Good…"

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The palm seals suddenly clenched even harder. The disciples' necks snapped, and they no longer breathed.

The life energy from their bodies was harvested by the tendrils of energy. The disciples' bodies began to wither and grew more hideous by the second. After the tendrils of energies were withdrawn, the withered corpses fell to the ground.

At this moment, a deep voice rang in Zhang Yuanshan's ears, "Don't waste time on these boring targets."

Zhang Yuanshan lowered his head and nodded. "Alright." He held onto the rope and continued forward with the corpse in tow. He vanished among the trees in just a blink of an eye.

After an unknown period of time, Zhang Yuanshan arrived at the side of a lake, still with the corpse behind him. He stopped as he gazed into the distance. He mumbled, "Golden… Court… Mountain."

The commanding voice rang in Zhang Yuanshan's ears again. "Continue on your way. Golden Court Mountain isn't your target…"

"Alright." Zhang Yuanshan pulled on the corpse and continued on his way. Strangely, the path he walked on was all the withered places. It seemed they were not random and were connected in a line. He eventually vanished at the end of the lake.

...

Meanwhile, in the air above the forest around the lake.

A white-clad figure looked in the direction where Zhang Yuanshan had disappeared and murmured, "A puppet?"

Ye Tianxin looked at the surface of the lake before shifting her eyes to the direction of the Golden Court Mountain. A hint of hesitation could be seen on her face.

…

The next day, gray clouds gathered in the skies. It was a gloomy day.

The green jade altar was quiet and peaceful. A person stood at the center of the green jade altar. His eyes were closed. His hands were placed on the hilt of the sword before himself.

"Mister Second, you shouldn't wait any longer. The Righteous Sect's territories belong to the Nether Sect for a long time now. Zhang Yuanshan is also known for his cowardice. There's no way that he'll show up," a Nether Sect disciple said with a bow.

Yu Shangrong did not open his eyes. He smiled faintly and said, "There's no rush."

"Uh…"

"Thank you for the kind suggestion," Yu Shangrong said politely.

At this moment, black patches began to appear among the huge trees several miles from the green jade altar.

"Mister Second, it looks like it's going to rain. The sect master has asked me to make sure that you have a comfortable stay here." The disciple suddenly felt that the legendary Sword Devil was rather approachable. He decided that he should try to get on Yu Shangrong's good books. Who knew if they might even end up being friends? How proud would he feel being friends with the Sword Devil? The cultivation world would envy him.

All of a sudden, Yu Shangrong said, "Stand back." He did not look at the disciple. A sudden blast of energy suddenly shot out.

"Huh?"

Bam!

The Nether Sect's disciple was sent flying out of the green jade altar. As he was sent flying back, he finally realized his sect master was right. Mister Second was truly a terrifying person with a kindly appearance.

Meanwhile, Yu Shangrong looked at the forest in front of him. His Longevity Sword vibrated slightly in his hand. He was neither worried nor afraid. Instead, a faint smile could be seen on his face. "A strong opponent?"

The Longevity Sword vibrated again. It was as though it had a tacit agreement with its owner.

"Hmm, this is interesting..." Yu Shangrong, naturally, liked a challenge. He would like to face a strong opponent. After crossing so many names off the list, he was getting slightly bored. Many of the so-called elites were so weak.

The emergence of a peculiar energy wave before him had piqued his interest.

The trees slowly withered as their leaves fell.

At this moment, Yu Shangrong finally saw Zhang Yuanshan with his messy hair and dirty face as he pulled on a rope. He moved closer. In an instant, he had arrived near Yu Shangrong. It took him but a few breaths to reach below the green jade altar from the forest.

This scene was peculiar. Imagine seeing a monster who was covered in a layer of grime while it pulled on a corpse.

Yu Shangrong frowned slightly.

At this moment, the person who dragged the corpse looked up. He said haltingly, "Yu, Shang, rong… We… finally... meet…" A hint of energy was laced in his words.

"Zhang Yuanshan?" Yu Shangrong did not expect Zhang Yuanshan to turn out like this. He found it strange.

"You, want, to, kill, me…"

"Anyone whose name is on this list will be killed by my sword." Yu Shangrong was not intimidated by Zhang Yuanshan's appearance. He maintained a nonchalant attitude.

"Alright." Zhang Yuanshan spat the word out with great difficulties. His eyeballs were rolling. After that, he stood motionlessly as though he was preparing for something.

Yu Shangrong sensed the peculiar wave of energies from Zhang Yuanshan. He smiled faintly and said, "Interesting." He raised the Longevity Sword with his right hand and flicked with his thumb.

Zing!

The Longevity Sword left its scabbard. Its sword left no trace in its wake.

Several energy blades formed before Yu Shangrong. They circled around the Longevity Sword and dropped. He was merely testing the water. The sword skill was not at all powerful.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The energy blades gathered together and shot toward Zhang Yuanshan.

Zhang Yuanshan did not move from his spot.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The energy blades struck Zhang Yuanshan's body and dissipated. However, he did not fall.

An elite could learn about many things with just a single strike. Yu Shangrong looked down from his high vantage point and said with a disapproving tone, "Witchcraft?"

"You, have, sharp, eyes…" Zhang Yuanshan felt the mighty power contained within his body. But still, he made no moves yet. He had two to three chances. Therefore, he had to seize the best chance to kill Yu Shangrong.

The Longevity Sword returned and hovered before Yu Shangrong. He glanced at the Longevity Sword and said, "I hope that you'll satisfy my sword." He pushed away from the ground lightly and dove from the green jade altar that towered into the clouds.