My disciples are all villains.

Yu Shangrong had flown all the way from Wuxian Mountain. He was unaware of the great tribulation that Evil Sky Pavilion had experienced. Hence, he had been flying at a normal speed. With his cultivation base at the Three-leaf Golden Lotus stage now, he had planned to keep a low profile. He planned to leave the Divine Capital as quickly as he could. However, he kept hearing the others mentioning rumors about a Nine-leaf Golden Lotus. There was nobody in the world who cared more about the Nine-leaf stage than the Eight-leaf experts. He was no exception to this. Therefore, he decided to rest at the Divine Capital's relay station to learn about the rumor of the Nine-leaf.

After half a day of asking around, Yu Shangrong gained a rough understanding of the entire matter. To sum it up in one sentence, his master had wiped out the eight great sects in his Nine-leaf form. Whether the rumor had been distorted or exaggerated, he would be able to confirm it once he returned to the Evil Sky Pavilion. What he wanted to find out the most was if the Evil Sky Pavilion remained standing. He did not expect to meet someone who recognized him here.

Before this, Yu Shangrong had met this girl once. He had been strolling around the Divine Capital with his Eldest Senior Brother back then. They spent the night in the mansion of Qin Jun, the Prince of Qi. That was how he had met her. He was unaware of her obsession with the Evil Sky Pavilion.

The hovering Longevity Sword barred Qin Ruobing's path. She dared not move forward.

Yu Shangrong turned around, his back facing Qin Ruobing. He said tonelessly, "Don't think too highly of yourself. It'll only hurt more when you fall. Farewell." If he did not reject her mercilessly, he would only be doing her harm.

When Yu Shangrong stepped forward, the Longevity Sword automatically returned to its scabbard.

There was no cultivator who dared to offend such an individual unless they had a death wish. The cultivators looked on as Yu Shangrong left. Their gazes were filled with admiration and awe. This was how a true swordsman should behave.

Even the relay station's waiter, who was a mortal, thought highly of Yu Shangrong now than before. He was used to being treated rudely by his customers who were mostly low-rank cultivators and would even be treated as their punching bag. In contrast, this elite, the Sword Devil whose very name struck fear into the hearts of many, was so approachable. There was too huge of a difference between their characters.

"I feel like I'm dreaming. I spoke to Sword Devil Yu Shangrong!"

"He's not a devil, he's a modest gentleman… A true sword path elite."

"To see is to believe. He was rumored to be a villain who kills without batting an eyelid. Heh, those must've been stories made up by those who are jealous of him."

"Those people on the hit list were all despicable and shameless. I, for one, hope that the Sword Devil would continue building on that list. Things will be much more interesting that way."

…

The appearance of the Nine-leaf Golden Lotus had overshadowed the rumor about severing one's Golden Lotus. The rate at which this news spread had also exceeded expectations.

Far in Liang Province, the Nether Sect's Four Great Protectors were initially preparing their men to meet the people of Rouli on the battlefield. However, everything came to an end in just a night.

Yu Zhenghai had difficulty believing this. He looked at his Four Great Protectors who were also his most trusted helpers. "Hua Chongyang, you're the one I trust the most. Who's spreading this rumor?"

"Sect Master, we've ordered the members of our various branches to find out about this. There's indeed a Nine-leaf cultivator. It's unlikely that this is made up," Hua Chongyang replied.

From the side, Bai Yuqing chimed in, "The Evil Sky Pavilion was attacked while we were fighting the people of Rouli. That's too much of a coincidence. Someone must be behind this."

Hua Chongyang said, "The sudden retreat of the Other Tribes must've been due to the rumors about a Nine-leaf cultivator as well. This is good news for us. We can focus our efforts on fighting the Imperial family now."

Upon hearing these words, Yu Zhenghai frowned. He did not seem too happy. He paced about the room, seemingly flustered and ill at ease. Then, he asked, "What's the situation at the Evil Sky Pavilion now?" It would not matter if he could conquer the entire world now, the appearance of a Nine-leaf cultivator would throw a wrench in his plan.

Hua Chongyang said, "We've confirmed that the attack by the seven great sects had failed. Golden Court Mountain's barrier is restored. A Nine-leaf… Nine-leaf cultivator is probably more powerful than we imagine."

"…" Yu Zhenghai was not at all pleased that his master was growing stronger. If anything, he felt extremely frustrated. How was he supposed to deal with the Imperial family? He could hide in one of the nine provinces of Great Yan. Yet, if he wanted to rule over Great Yan, he would have to fight the Imperial family, sooner or later. At that time, what would he do if his master came looking for trouble with his Nine-leaf Golden Lotus? He truly did not know what to do.

Hua Chongyang seemed to understand Yu Zhenghai's thoughts. He said tentatively, "Sect master, Liang Province is practically under our control now. Why don't you… hide in Qing or Yang Province?"

When the situation at Liang Zhou calmed down, Yu Zhenghai's location would be easily exposed if he remained here.

Yu Zhenghai frowned. He stopped pacing and said with a stern expression, "Me? Hiding?"

Would the great master of the largest Fiend Sect need to hide?

Hua Chongyang realized that he had said something wrong. He bowed and said at once, "It… it was just a suggestion."

"Out of the nine provinces in Great Yan, the Divine Capital aside… I believe that they will be controlled by the Nether Sect soon enough. What are the more difficult places to conquer as of now?" Yu Zhenghai asked.

"Jing Province. The layout of the land is treacherous. There are many mountains and the growth of vegetation is thick. It's also protected by a Formation. It's an easy place to defend but not to attack," Hua Chongyang replied.

Yu Zhenghai nodded. "In that case, I'll oversee the operations in Jing Province myself."

"That's brilliant, sect master… With you handling it, there's no reason for us to not be able to conquer Jing Province. I'm willing to man the helm and personally escort you to Jing Province tomorrow, sect master," Hua Chongyang said.

"Brother Chongyang, you've been stretching yourself quite thin lately. Allow me to go in your stead," Bai Yuqing said.

"I think both of you are quite exhausted. I'll do it," Di Qing said.

"No, no, no, three of you have worked harder than I did. I'm the youngest. It's only right for me to man the helm," Yang Yan chimed in,

Yu Zhenghai glanced at his four subordinates before he said, "Hua Chongyang will come with me. The rest of you, stay here and defend the City of Mo in Liang Province. If you see that Rouli elite, Karol, kill him at once, regardless if he's seeking peace or begging for mercy."

"As you command, sect master," Bai Yuqing, Di Qing, and Yang Yan said in unison.

Hua Chongyang seemed slightly delighted at this arrangement. He bowed and said, "In that case, I'll make the necessary preparations…"

"There's no need for that."

"Sect master, what do you mean?"

"We'll leave right now." Yu Zhenghai turned to look in Jing Province's direction with his hands on his back.

"Understood!"

…

In the eastern pavilion of the Evil Sky Pavilion.

After two days of rest, Lu Zhou's mental state was slightly restored. The Heavenly Writing's extraordinary power was replenished as well. At this moment, he was surprised to be notified of a 1,500 merit points reward.

Did Yu Shangrong kill someone again? Or was it Mingshi Yin?

Back at the Obedient Villa, Mingshi Yin had killed a Five-leaf cultivator when he was supposedly at the Three-leaf stage. Lu Zhou would never believe that someone could kill another cultivator who had two leaves greater than himself. Clearly, Mingshi Yin had concealed his true strength. In any case, Lu Zhou benefited from this.

Lu Zhou called up the system dashboard and checked his merit points.

Merit points: 102,300.

He seemed to have gained more than 60,000 merit points from this battle. Compared to what he obtained in the past, this was a huge jackpot.

As always, Lu Zhou was in no hurry to purchase the avatar. Instead, he decided to try his luck at the lucky draw. After ten consecutive draws, and ten 'thank you' messages, he felt humbled. He could clearly sense that the probability of striking a prize was much lower compared to before. He remembered that he had only gotten an avatar once. Since then, he had never been able to win anything decent.

After considering it for a moment, Lu Zhou chose to purchase the Hundred Tribulations Insight avatar.

"Ding! Spent, 100,000 merit points. Purchased the Hundred Tribulations Insight avatar."

"Ding! A new Hundred Tribulations Insight avatar. May sprout one leaf right away."