My disciples are all villains.

Feng Qinghe survived Nine-leaf Old Villain Ji's sweeping attack, and yet, he was outsmarted by a mere Evil Sky Pavilion disciple. There was no way that he was willing to accept this. He tapped his dantian and pushed off from the ground before he charged toward Mingshi Yin. "We'll die together then…"

Whizz!

Mingshi Yin suddenly summoned his avatar!

Feng Qinghe glanced at Mingshi Yin's avatar and said in a deep voice, "Three-leaf? You overestimate your capabilities!"

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Feng Qinghe continuously launched hand seals from his palms.

Mingshi Yin suddenly landed. His avatar rose half a meter before falling again. The Separation Hook in his hands collided with Feng Qinghe.

Boom!

Mingshi Yin felt his arms go numb. However, he was not pushed back. Instead, Feng Qinghe was the one who reeled back.

Feng Qinghe had been leaning forward as he charged so he reeled from the impact at once. His eyes widened as he stared incredulously at Mingshi Yin who was coming at him through the air. "Four-leaf?"

A smile spread across Mingshi Yin's face. The heaven-grade weapon in his hand gleamed coldly as he said, "You're not bad. You managed to force me to use two-thirds of my strength!"

Feng Qinghe felt his scalp prickle. He had underestimated his opponent! He did not let his power erupt since he wanted to keep the burning of his sea of Qi to a minimum. He continued to struggle. "You can't kill me!"

Mingshi Yin faded out of focus and vanished.

Feng Qinghe's chest tightened. In this brief moment where he was reeling back, he was frightened. Was this truly the strength of a Four-leaf cultivator?

Whoosh!

A light flashed for a moment.

Feng Qinghe landed on the ground and saw the cold light.

Mingshi Yin's afterimage appeared in his wake, and just like that, the battle was over.

With a faint smile, Mingshi Yin raised his Separation Hook and studied it. He shook his head, picked up a leaf, and wiped the blade of the Separation Hook.

Feng Qinghe chuckled and said, "I told you… You can't kill me."

Mingshi Yin ignored him. He walked toward the valley. He wanted to see what the trump card Feng Qinghe had prepared in the valley.

Feng Qinghe frowned. He was about to turn around when he felt a cold sensation on his neck. A breeze brushed against his nape. He seemed to feel some liquid flowing down his neck, and he instinctively reached out to touch it. His fingers were stained with blood. At this moment, a searing pain spread from his neck throughout his body. He wanted to howl in pain, but he could only choke. He felt his life slipping away as he lay on the ground.

Although Mingshi Yin knew that there was some treasure preserving Feng Qinghe's life on Feng Qinghe's body, he did not rush to remove it. He was being cautious. For a cultivator like Feng Qinghe, it was likely that he would launch a final attack with his dying breath. Since Feng Qinghe managed to escape from his master's attacks, it meant that Feng Qinghe was not simple. He might look casual, but he had put a lot of thought and effort into his actions. Indeed, Feng Qinghe wore some kind of protective suit, but his neck was exposed.

A moment later, Mingshi Yin was inside the valley.

The floor of the valley was scattered with densely packed tree stumps that resembled a plum blossom formation. Various veins were carved onto the tree stumps. With the night sky as a contrast, the veins glowed strangely.

Beyond the tree stumps, there was a simple and lone wooden hut.

If Mingshi Yin did not search for it or if he did not have a guide, he would not think there was a place like this here. He did not rush forward to inspect it. After all, Feng Qinghe had said he had a hidden trump card here. It was likely a trap.

Creak!

The door of the wooden hut swung open. An ancient and deep voice rang in the air. "Pardon my lack of hospitality though you've traveled far."

Mingshi Yin could sense the power behind the voice. He took two steps backward and said, "I didn't mean to intrude, senior."

"Eh?"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

An old woman with a stooped back emerged from the wooden hut. She leaned on a walking stick and was walking slowly. When she finally stepped out of the hut, she looked at Mingshi Yin. The moonlight was dim, but her vision did not seem to be affected. After taking a long look at him, she shook her head and said, "Young man, did you kill Feng Qinghe?"

Mingshi Yin's heart sank. To think that she was capable of making that judgment from such a distance.

The old woman seemed to have seen through Mingshi Yin's apprehension and confusion. She laughed in her deep voice before she said, "I've lived in this valley for many years now. Nobody has ever stumbled upon this place… Feng Qinghe was the only one."

"You're from the Zhencang Branch?" Mingshi Yin was prepared to flee at a moment's notice. However, since he did not seem to sense any killing intent from this old woman, he tried to talk to her.

"Well, you can say that," the old woman replied.

"In that case, I'll be taking my leave."

"Hold up," the old woman said, "I promised Feng Qinghe one thing."

"And what is it?"

"I'll do everything within my power to kill those who venture into this valley," the old woman replied.

"…" Mingshi Yin was speechless. Curiosity really killed the cat. If he had known about this, he would not have ventured in here at all. "Wait, wait, wait, old senior! Feng Qinghe was trying to kill me. I was forced to defend myself!"

The old woman looked up at the moon at the entrance to the valley. "If you can kill Feng Qinghe, you must have a profound cultivation base. I won't bully you just because you're young. Let's have a fair fight."

"No, no, no… You think too highly of me, senior," Mingshi Yin did not hesitate to humble himself as he said, "It was just a fluke. I had gotten lucky." After he finished speaking, he clamped a hand over his mouth. Did he not just admit that he had killed Feng Qinghe?

"…" The old woman nodded slowly. She walked from the wooden hut to the plum blossom stumps and said, "You're brave."

"I'm not." Mingshi Yin retreated.

"I hope you won't hold this against me in your death… I must do what I have promised." The old woman sighed softly. "It's fine if you're slightly weaker. Things will proceed much more smoothly." She continued forward, aided by her walking stick.

The moment she stepped among the plum blossom stumps, the two stumps before her shone. Talisman seals hovered above the plum blossom stumps.

"Feng Qinghe challenged my master without knowing his own strength. He has only himself to blame for his death…" Mingshi Yin said, "My master isn't a pushover." That sounded awkward, but now that he was cornered, he blurted out whatever came to his mind.

"Your master?"

"My master is the Evil Sky Pavilion's Master, Ji Tiandao."

Creak.

The old woman stopped in her tracks. She seemed distracted.

Mingshi Yin relaxed. 'As expected, master's name is truly powerful. She must be shaking in fear now.'

"How's your master doing recently?" the old woman asked.

Mingshi Yin gave it some thought before he said smugly, "My master is already at the Nine-leaf stage. He's the first Nine-leaf elite under the heavens!"

Swoosh!

A wooden stump shot out from the ground. With a ring of Expansive Heavenly Energy around it, it flew toward Mingshi Yin.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Mingshi Yin raised his hands and struck with his palms.

Boom! Boom! Boom!Bam-bam-bam!

Every time they clashed, a burst of Expansive Heavenly Energy would ripple out.

At the same time, Mingshi Yin kept retreating as he parried the wooden stump! He was alarmed. The old woman was much more powerful than he had imagined!

The old woman said, "Little brat who's still wet behind the ears, do you think I'm gullible?"