My disciples are all villains.

A wooden stump was all it took for the old woman to render Mingshi Yin helpless to fight back. He was suitably shocked. 'Since when did Zhencang Branch have such a grand elite?' Based on Feng Qinghe's words, this old woman was his hidden trump card.

This place was at least 100 miles from Golden Court Mountain. It was considered extremely remote. The trees grew wildly around here, and the valley hid it from view. Being this removed from human settlements and without protection from Formations, the wild beasts in the wilderness would be enough of a headache. The wooden hut and plum blossom stumps seemed old. The weed was taller than most men. Clearly, this old woman had been living here for a long time now. This was not a hidden trump card. Feng Qinghe was merely grasping at straws.

"Old senior… I would never dare to lie to you. My master is truly at the Nine-leaf stage!" Mingshi Yin said.

"You're still lying?" The wooden stump before the old woman rose into the air again, releasing a ring of script seals before it flew toward Mingshi Yin again.

Mingshi Yin leaped away. He summoned his heaven-grade weapon, the Separation Hook.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Mingshi Yin swung the weapon twice and cleaved the wooden stump in half. After the veins on the wooden stump were damaged by the weapon, they lost their effects.

The old woman seemed puzzled when she saw the weapon in his hands. She said, "Heaven-grade weapon, the Separation Hook?"

Mingshi Yin landed and looked at the old woman as he asked, "You recognize this, old senior?"

"You're his disciple."

"…" As it turned out, the old woman did not believe Mingshi Yin at all from the very beginning despite his efforts to convince her of the veracity of his words.

As expected of an experienced and old cultivator. She would not be easily fooled. It was practically useless to try and play tricks against someone of this caliber. If he was honest enough, perhaps, she would consider sparing him out of consideration for his master.

"Old senior, how should I address you?"

"I have left the cultivation world and do not trouble myself with the affairs of the world. After this is settled, I'll seal the valley off and won't have any more interactions with the outside world," the old woman replied.

"…" Mingshi Yin knew the old woman's strength was profound. With his limited knowledge, it was only natural he did not recognize her.

"Old senior, since I can't run anyway, you can take a look for yourself if you don't believe me. Feng Qinghe's corpse is there," Mingshi Yin said as he pointed outside, "Feng Qinghe attacked the Evil Sky Pavilion by working with the six great sects. My master attacked them out of anger."

The old woman glanced at him. "He hasn't reached his great limit?"

"He's alive and kicking."

"Lead the way."

The two of them went to where Mingshi Yin had been fighting moments ago. The one-mile path seemed to stretch on forever. Mingshi Yin dared not tell the old woman to walk faster. He merely followed her obediently from behind. After a while, they finally reached the location of the battle.

When the old woman saw Feng Qinghe's corpse, she paused and sighed. She studied the corpse for a moment before she straightened her back and said, "Come here."

"Are you talking to me, old senior?"

"Do you think I can talk to ghosts?"

"Oh…" Mingshi Yin obediently walked over. 'Well, you can't blame me for mistaking you talking to Feng Qinghe's soul.'

The old woman grabbed his wrist. A faint pulse of Primal Qi swirled in the air and instantly faded.

"Four-leaf?"

"I know right? I was wrongly accused. With my cultivation base, how could I have possibly killed the Seven-leaf Feng Qinghe?" Mingshi Yin said.

The old woman fell deep into thought. The Four-leaf Mingshi Yin could never bridge a three-leaf gap and defeat Feng Qinghe. Besides, Feng Qinghe had also burned his own sea of Qi. Mingshi Yin was not even a Five-leaf cultivator. He was not considered a grand cultivator as well. Even a Seven-leaf peer would not be so bold to underestimate Feng Qinghe.

"Old senior, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to say it." Mingshi Yin could tell that she was wavering and decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"What is it?"

"With regard to the information about Feng Qinghe colluding with the six great sects to attack the Evil Sky Pavilion, you may verify it later. Feng Qinghe had fled all the way here with the intention of leading my master here. He harbors ill intentions, and yet, you're still helping him?"

The old woman frowned. 'This brat has a point.'

"I'll take your word for it, for now… but if you mention the Nine-leaf stage again, I'll kill you," the old woman said.

"…" Mingshi Yin's heart skipped a beat. 'What a vicious old lady.' However, even he would not have believed someone had attained the Nine-leaf stage if he did not witness it with his own eyes. It was natural the old woman did not believe him.

"Thank you, old senior. May I go now?" Mingshi Yin asked, preparing to leave. He knew the more he spoke, the more mistakes he was going to make. It was not wise for him to stay here any longer than necessary. He decided to leave as soon as the opportunity presented itself. He prioritized his life above all else.

"Wait."

"…" Mingshi Yin turned around.

The old woman said, "I've promised Feng Qinghe, after all. Regardless of the sins he had committed, it'd be wrong for me to go back on my words. A few days from now, I'll visit the Evil Sky Pavilion and have a chat with your master… Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've met him. I'd like to resolve my regrets before either of us gets buried six feet underground."

'Regrets? What regrets?' Mingshi Yin was curious. He flashed a smile and said, "I'll surely convey your message to my master." After saying this, he took one final and fond look at Feng Qinghe's corpse. He initially wanted to strip Feng Qinghe of the treasured vest. However, it seemed best to leave it for now. It was stained with blood and reeked of sweat. Mingshi Yin could never bring himself to wear something like that. Then, he quickly vanished from among the trees.

The old woman looked in the direction of the forest. She shook her head lightly and muttered, "What a waste of your cultivation base to have recruited such a cowardly disciple."

…

Golden Court Mountain's barrier lit up. It shone so brightly that the civilians in Tangzi Town looked toward Golden Court Mountain. After a short spell, the radiance of the barrier dimmed.

Lu Zhou stopped channeling his Primal Qi into it, and it returned to normal.

The barrier that seemed like a screen in the sky became transparent. It glittered with faint blue light every once in a while.

The notification about the Peak Trial Card's time limit reached Lu Zhou's ears. He felt the surging power in his body quickly receding before it completely vanished. His cultivation base returned to the Divine Court realm. It had been a wonderful feeling, he was sorry to see it end.

With movements as light as a feather, Lu Zhou slowly descended from the top of the Evil Sky Pavilion to the ground.

"Greetings, master." Si Wuya ran up to Lu Zhou. He fell to his knees at once and kowtowed. He was trembling slightly and was drenched in cold sweat. He seemed frightened. His forehead remained on the ground, he was too afraid to meet his master's eyes.

Lu Zhou asked in a deep voice, "Who gave you the permission to leave the Cave of Reflection?"

"I know I'm wrong. The barrier of the Cave of Reflection disappeared. I was only thinking of helping the Evil Sky Pavilion. I wasn't thinking straight back then, and I have no intention of escaping! Please believe me, master!" Si Wuya said, still lying prostrate on the ground.

"Help the Evil Sky Pavilion?" Lu Zhou said with a slight hint of derision. "With your cultivation base?"

"I…"

"Do you think the seven great sects would be threatened by you?" Lu Zhou asked.

Si Wuya was rendered speechless. At the end of the day, check and balance were built on the basis of brute force. The seven great sects had been prepared to die. Even if he had a silver tongue, could he really persuade them to call off the attack? After witnessing the battlefield, Si Wuya was greatly shaken. The seven great sects were even bold enough to take on a Nine-leaf cultivator. Would someone like him be able to bring them under control?

At this moment, Leng Luo, Hua Wuado, Duanmu Sheng, and the other disciples returned to the Evil Sky Pavilion. They landed before the great hall. When they saw Lu Zhou standing there, everyone bowed in unison.

"Greetings, Pavilion Master."

"Greetings, master!"

"Master… Ah?!" Before Zhu Honggong could begin to flatter Lu Zhou, Duanmu Sheng placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

The others immediately felt relieved, inwardly thanking Duanmu Sheng. Someone should have put a stop to Old Eighth a long time ago.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard with a nod and said, "Lock him up."

"Understood."

Si Wuya behaved respectfully. He returned to the Cave of Reflection with Zhou Jifeng.

Lu Zhou looked at the moon. He initially had many things he wanted to delegate to them, but it was getting late. Hence, he said, "Let's call it a day."

"Rest well, Pavilion Master."

"Rest well, master."

Lu Zhou waved his sleeve and returned to the eastern pavilion.

Nobody would dare move before the Nine-leaf cultivator excused himself. Everyone held their breaths and maintained their bowing postures. Even Leng Luo and Hua Wudao were no exception.