My disciples are all villains.

Ye Tianxin made her way south. She flew for a day and a night, traversing countless mountains and snow-covered plains before she saw the first signs of a human settlement. She came to halt and hovered in the sky. Her black hair was white from the snow, and she was dressed in all white. If one did not pay close attention, one would not be able to see her. She did not continue flying. A world of black lay before her while a world of white was behind her. The cold place was not always black while the warm place was not always white. After taking in the snowy scenery for a while, she finally continued on her journey. She circulated her Primal Qi and shot like a meteor toward the human settlement that was faintly discernible in the snow.

…

At this moment, the cultivation theory of severing one's own Golden Lotus to attain the Nine-leaf stage had spread throughout Great Yan's cultivation world. It had also spread to the Other Tribes in Rongxi and Rongbei.

The Other Tribes had always worshipped the fist. When they learned of this cultivation theory, the 12 nations gathered their Nascent Divinity cultivators and began experimenting.

...

At a certain relay station in Great Yan.

Several cultivators were chatting over wine. After three rounds of drinks, they were running out of conversational topics.

"Comrade, you're saying that severing one's Golden Lotus is the way to attain the Nine-leaf stage? However, you're claiming that it's a pseudo-Nine-leaf stage. What do you mean by that?" One of the cultivators asked a man who was dressed in bizarre clothes.

"What else could it be other than a pseudo-Nine-leaf stage? How can an avatar be an avatar without a Golden Lotus? Who knows if one can form a Golden Lotus again after severing it? Perhaps, if it's possible, then, one could be considered as attaining the true Nine-leaf stage," the man in the bizarre clothes replied.

"You have a point… However, the problem is, can anyone survive after severing their Golden Lotuses?"

"There must be a way around that… There are many who will die regardless if they sever their Golden Lotuses or not. If it were you, you'd give it a try as well, no?"

"You have a point." At this moment, a man on the side cupped his fists at the man in bizarre clothes and said, "You're knowledgeable, comrade. May I know your name?"

"Well, my name's of no significance, but my surname is Ri…"

"Comrade Ri, listening to your speech is better than reading for a decade."

"…" Mingshi Yin shook his head. He had no choice but to accept the compliment. He said, "You mentioned that the ten great sects have rallied together and formed the Fiend Extermination Alliance?"

"Well, technically, it's only seven great sects right now. The Righteous Sect, Clarity Sect, and Heavenly Sword Sect have been annihilated a long time ago," someone said.

Mingshi Yin said disapprovingly, "Aren't the seven great sects actively seeking deaths by challenging the Evil Sky Pavilion?"

Upon hearing Mingshi Yin's words, the others turned to look at him. They did not agree with Mingshi Yin's words.

The moment his voice faded.

"Comrade Ri, the Evil Sky Pavilion's Patriarch's great limit aside, the seven great sects aren't what they used to be."

"Oh?" Mingshi Yin behaved as though he was willing to listen to him speak.

"Think about it… The ten great sects had failed numerous times in their attempts to defeat the Evil Sky Pavilion. They had failed terribly twice. This time, they'll surely be more cautious. I'm sure they would be better prepared as well."

Mingshi Yin nodded. "You have a point."

"The other sects aside, two days ago, the disciples of the Duanlin Branch managed to invite their Patriarch out of seclusion.

"Patriarch?"

"The Sword Devil, Yu Shangrong, killed their sect master, Chang Jian. Their patriarch, Chang Yan, has no choice but to make a move… The senior will surely not let this matter slide, not when his young heir was killed."

Mingshi Yin laughed when he heard this. He said mockingly, "He has one foot in the coffin, how is he going to oppose the Evil Sky Pavilion? I remember that Chang Yan's cultivation base has already deteriorated, right?"

The man sitting opposite Mingshi Yin furtively looked to his left and right before he said, "Those are different times. Do you know why nobody is giving the Duanlin Branch trouble although it isn't protected by any barriers?"

"Isn't it because of the heavenly moat?"

"What good would a moat do? It's because…" The man lowered his voice and said, "The Duanlin Branch is in possession of many Primal Fiend Potions!"

"…" Mingshi Yin widened his eyes as he looked at the man and said, "The Duanlin Branch isn't a major branch. The ten great sects are but a joke. Where did they get the Primal Fiend Potions from?"

"I don't know, but that's what I heard, anyway," the man said with a chuckle.

"Do you know about the other members of the Fiend Extermination Alliance, then?" Mingshi Yin asked.

"The others are minor sects that are too insignificant to mention. The larger sects are busy studying the theory of severing the Golden Lotus."

At this point, Mingshi Yin finally rose to his feet and said, "Thanks."

The man grinned and said, "Comrade Ri… do you think… you can be so kind… as to pay the tab for us?"

The others looked at Mingshi Yin hopefully. They had been sharing a lot of information with the man with the surname Ri over the past few days. He even went on and on about how powerful the nine villains were, especially Mingshi Yin, the fourth villain. It was interesting to listen to him speak in the beginning, but they slowly grew bored. Since he had obtained all kinds of information from them, it was not too much to ask him to pay for their bill, right?

Mingshi Yin glanced at all of them before he said, "What are you talking about? I'm being magnanimous by not asking you to pay for my drinks, and yet, you want me to pay for your drinks?" He did not wait for their replies and left as soon as he finished speaking.

The others were dumbfounded.

…

The Evergreen Palace in the Divine Capital.

Liu Gu held a brush to a piece of paper in his study as usual. With swift and forceful strokes, he wrote the words, 'Unify Ten Thousand Tribes'.

An attendant entered the study at this moment. He kneeled before he said, "Your Majesty, the results of the first group of cultivators who attempted to sever their Golden Lotuses are out."

"Let's hear it."

"There are ten cultivators who severed their Golden Lotuses. There was one Three-leaf, five Two-leafs, and four One-leaf cultivators. Nine of them died from the pain, and only one survived." A hint of excitement could be heard in the attendant's voice when he spoke.

Liu Gu was still wielding his brush as he said in a deep voice, "Repeat."

"There were ten cultivators…"

"The final part."

"One survived," the attendant said.

The muscles on Liu Gu's cheek clearly twitched. A hint of excitement could be seen in his eyes. He had carried out the experiment to determine if it were possible to survive after severing one's Golden Lotus. After years of research, he knew that Golden Lotuses absorbed both power and life. If a cultivator could live after severing his Golden Lotus, this problem was solved.

Liu Gu was the monarch of an empire. He held the reigns of Great Yan in his hands. When he heard this, he could hardly remain unmoved. Throughout the years, he had racked his brains researching the Nine-leaf stage. He had experimented with life and various unconventional methods, but none of them succeeded. He was starting to grow apathetic. However, now, it seemed like his research was showing results. How could he not feel excited?

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" the attendant said, "The survivor has a strong build. His talent and foundations are better than the rest. That's why he survived… I've sent the Imperial physician to tend to him."

"Very good." Liu Gu gave a high compliment.

The attendant was overjoyed to hear this.

Liu Gu said again, "Keep him alive, no matter the cost."

"Understood."

"Compensate the families of the deceased according to the agreement," Liu Gu said.

"Understood."

The Divine Capital had always kept these experiments a secret. Nobody knew about it. This time was no exception.

The attendant left the study cautiously, looked to the left and right, and headed in a different direction.

...

Inside the study, Liu Gu felt more invigorated than he had ever been. "If one can survive after severing the Golden Lotus, what about sprouting leaves?"

They had to do more experiments regarding the next step. It was now proven that it was possible to survive after severing one's Golden Lotus. They could work to improve the survival rate. Whether it was with the help of pills or arcane arts, so long as the cultivator was alive, he could sprout leaves again.

Liu Gu looked at the words he wrote. 'Unify Ten Thousand Tribes'. He felt heroic and passionate at this moment. "When I'm at the Nine-leaf stage, even if there are ten Nether Sects, they will be nothing to me."

…

In the eastern pavilion of the Evil Sky Pavilion.

Lu Zhou stood up slowly after meditating on the Heavenly Writing scrolls. The Heavenly Writing's extraordinary power was completely replenished.

At this moment, Zhao Yue's voice rang from outside the pavilion. "Master, someone's at the foot of the mountain to deliver something to you."

"What is it?"

"A parcel. I think it's… some sort of document... and some dessert."

Dessert? Lu Zhou's curiosity was piqued. All these years, none of his disciples had ever offered to make delicious treats for him. The situation had only improved when the female disciples of the Derived Moon Palace chose to stay on the mountain.

"Bring it to me."

"Understood." Zhao Yue opened the doors carefully. She saw her master standing before the French windows. She placed the document and desserts on the table.

Lu Zhou turned around to look at the delivered items. When he saw the special papers, he walked over with a slightly shocked expression on his face. It was the Open Heavenly Writing Scroll.

"Ding! Obtained Open Heaven Writing (back). Will you combine the Open Heavenly Writing Scrolls?"