My disciples are all villains.

The green jade altar had always been a tranquil place. However, at this moment, all tranquility was lost as the place was destroyed. The rock slabs on the altar were cracked, and the area under the altar was wrecked. If the two opponents did not move their battle further away, the green jade altar would have been completely destroyed. 

The Nether Sect's disciples had difficulties calming down witnessing this. Although they could see the battle between Yu Shangrong and the monster. Based on the sound that rang from afar, they could tell the battle was fierce and terrifying.

After a long while, the cacophony of noises finally died down.

The Nether Sect's disciples leaped off the green jade altar. The altar was messy and chaotic. There were holes riddled on the ground as far as the eyes could see. They flew to the distance, following the trail of wreckage that was left in the wake of the battle. Shortly after, they arrived at the epicenter of the battle where the fighting had been the fiercest. Apart from a huge and deep area on the uneven ground, they did not see ant bodies. The trees, grasses, and plants in the vicinity that were full of life had all withered.

"What happened here?"

Everyone looked around their surroundings fearfully.

"There's more than one monster… I saw that person fling another person who was tied to a rope. It looked like a dried corpse," someone said before a retching noise could be heard.

"It seems like a puppeteering and witchcraft technique… This bodes ill for Mister Second, I'm afraid."

"No way… Mister Second's cultivation base is profound. There's no way he'd be defeated so easily."

"In this world, there's bound to be someone who's stronger than you. There's nothing certain in the world. The sect master once said that the power of an individual will always be inferior to the power of a group."

When the disciples recalled the black avatar and the purple and black tentacles they saw on the green jade altar, they shuddered despite the warm temperature.

The disciples were still busy speculating among themselves when a small purple circle rose into the sky nearby. It seemed like a cloud of purple smoke that resembled the shape of Ba Wu, the mount. It looked like a fox. Upon seeing this, the disciples immediately retreated in shock.

The seemingly formed from energy Ba Wu said with a deep voice, "Yu Shangrong must die." Then, the witchcraft circle disappeared along with the purple energy. "Return."

"What do we do now? Do we just leave the green jade altar as it is?"

"We should report this to the sect master first!"

…

"Ding! Killed a target. Reward: 2,000 merit points."

Lu Zhou was in the midst of contemplating something when the notification sounded, causing him to frown slightly. Based on his previous experience, he knew killing a One- to Five-leaf target was worth 1,000 merit points. Killing a Six or Eight-leaf target was worth 1,500 merit points. Why was he suddenly rewarded with 2,000 merit points?

Lu Zhou slowly rose to his feet, remembering Yu Shangrong. Yu Zhenghai and SI Wuya had not been captured yet. It was far too early to consider their return to the pavilion, therefore, their actions would not give him any rewards. Moreover, his current disciples were not capable of this. The only person capable of killing such an elite target could only be Yu Shangrong.

A frown could be seen on Lu Zhou's face as he continued thinking to himself. 'Nine-leaf?' Then, he shook his head, dismissing his thoughts. Although Yu Shangrong was strong and profound, it was impossible for him to kill a Nine-leaf target. Moreover, where could Yu Shangrong find a Nine-leaf target?

'Is it possible that someone came to the same conclusion as I did? Did someone also think about severing the Golden Lotus to defeat an Eight-leaf cultivator?' Lu Zhou recalled Jiang Aijian's words about his experience about reading about this matter during their discussion about the Nine-leaf stage with Leng Luo and Pan Litian the other day. He knew he was not the only one in the world who was trying to figure out the Nine-leaf state. Whether it was Yun Tianluo, Gong Yuandu, or the Great Yan's Imperial family, they were all trying to figure out the Nine-leaf stage. Moreover, apart from Great Yan, there were Lou Lan, Rouli, Qigong, and the other nations. There were plenty of cultivators in the world. It was impossible that nobody had thought about or tried to figure out the Nine-leaf stage.

All of a sudden, Lu Zhou said, "Is anyone here?"

A female disciple appeared inside the great hall. "Pavilion Master."

"Summon Jiang Aijian over."

"Understood."

Recently, Jiang Aijian had been hiding in the Evil Sky Pavilion. News of his death had spread far and wide. Naturally, there were many in the palace who were skeptical of this news, it did not matter.

Jiang Aijian had an extensive information network. Lu Zhou thought it was time to make Jiang Aijian earn his keep.

Currently, news of Jiang Aijian's death had spread all around the place.

…

On a peak 100 miles north of the green jade altar.

The sun shone through the clouds on the forest, painting the forest with a golden light.

"Greetings, Second Senior Brother." Ye Tianxing respectfully and formally greeted Yu Shangrong as she stood behind him.

"There's no need for such formalities, Sixth Junior Sister." Yu Shangrong was carrying his Longevity Sword. He did not turn around. Instead, he was looking at the setting sun. Strangely, the setting sun looked more beautiful and captivating to him than it ever did before. After all, Great Yan was never short of such idyllic sceneries and mountains.

"Second Senior Brother… are-are you alright?" Ye Tianxin was still having difficulty wrapping her mind around what she had seen.

The rays of the setting sun fell on Yu Shangrong's body. He did not move as he softly said, "I'm alright."

"Your sword path has widened my horizons, Second Senior Brother." Ye Tianxin praised him.

However, upon recalling the earlier scene, Yu Shangrong shook his head. "It's too insignificant to mention."

"I heard that you've rejoined the Evil Sky Pavilion, Second Senior Brother. I wonder if it's true." Ye Tianxin rarely bothered herself with the cultivation world. She had been cultivating in isolation all this while. She would only go out to run the occasional errand. When she had first heard about this news, she was skeptical.

Yu Shangrong smiled faintly and said, "Mhm."

"So, the hit list... It's true as well?" Ye Tianxin asked in surprise.

At this moment, Yu Shangrong finally turned around. His gaze fell on Ye Tianxin.

Yu Shangrong's gaze made Ye Tianxin feel nervous and tense. Ever since she left the Evil Sky Pavilion and became the Derived Moon Palace Master whom everyone revered, the sixth elite on the black roll, and the Jadeface Shura whose name alone struck fear in those who heard it, she had never felt as nervous as this.

"Mhm." Yu Shangrong nodded again.

Ye Tianxin was in awe. The hit list that was circulating in the cultivation was filled with elites. They were all impressive people, and yet, they all died by her Second Senior Brother's Sword. Just how strong was he and his techniques?

A gentle smile could be seen on Yu Shangrong's face as he asked, "Sixth Junior Sister… Didn't Master forgive you?"

Ye Tianxin was taken aback, speechless. Her expression turned unnatural. She did not know how to answer the question.

Yu Shangrong had no intention of forcing an answer out of her. "You don't have to answer me if you don't want to…"

In the end, Ye Tianxin replied, "I'm afraid that I won't be able to return to the Evil Sky Pavilion ever again."

Yu Shangrong said, "You have a long life ahead of you. Just be yourself."

"You're right, Second Senior Brother." Ye Tianxin nodded.

"What plans do you have after this?" Yu Shangrong asked.

Ye Tianxin did not answer immediately. Instead, she walked to the edge of the peak and looked down at the forest. She sighed softly with a lost look in her eyes. "I don't know… I'm like a headless fly…" She suddenly felt that she had said too much so she stopped talking.

Yu Shangrong said, "If you don't have a goal now, just find a new one."

Ye Tianxin was stunned. Her thoughts were not as simple as her Second Senior Brother's… However, life was often not complicated. The more one worried, the more one would be restricted. Moreover, it was not like she had no goals. She was just not determined enough to pursue her goals. After a while, she asked, "Are you returning to the Evil Sky Pavilion after this, Second Senior Brother?"

"No." Yu Shangrong shook his head. "After I'm done with the hit list, I'll head north."

"Where are you going?"

"Brackish Mountain."