My disciples are all villains.

Liu Zhi, the Crown Prince, bent his body and said in a trembling voice, "B-but y-you're the only one I can turn to now, grandfather. If you don't do anything, we'll be overthrown!" As he spoke, hot tears trickled down his face to the floor like little pearls.

Having lived for a long time, Liu Ge easily saw through Liu Zhe. He said, "You can ask your father for help."

The Imperial family had its own rules. Since Liu Ge had retired and news of his passing had already been announced, how would the Imperial family regain the people's trust if he were to show himself?

Liu Zhi's voice broke slightly as he said, "Father has been in seclusion and has no time to deal with this."

Liu Ge appeared confused. He said, "I heard he's already at the Eight-leaf stage a long time ago. Why does he need to cultivate in seclusion?"

"Father's attempting the Nine-leaf stage," Liu Zhi replied.

Liu Ge frowned slightly when he heard the words 'Nine-leaf'. His eyes flashed as a wave of rage surged in his heart.

Bam!

Liu Ge slammed his hand down, and a corner of a stone table fell off.

Liu Zhi was so frightened that he shuddered and kowtowed at once. "Please calm down, grandfather! Calm down!"

"I've said many times that no one from the Imperial family is to attempt the Nine-leaf stage… Liu Gu, that impudent fool! Summon him here." Liu Ge's face was ghastly pale from rage.

Liu Zhi did not expect his grandfather to be this infuriated. He was feeling less confident with every passing minute. However, at this point, he had no choice but to plow on. "Grandfather… you've been in this hidden chamber for too long; there are many things you're not privy to about the outside world. The cultivation world has already been turned upside down… There's already a Nine-leaf cultivator in the cultivation world!"

Liu Ge frowned again. He looked at Liu Zhi and said, shocked, "Stand up and speak."

"Understood." Liu Zhi rose to his feet in a respectful manner. Then, he walked to Liu Ge's side and stood there obediently.

"Have you seen it?" Liu Ge asked.

"I haven't… but the information is genuine. The seven great sects laid siege on the Evil Sky Pavilion, but they were wiped out by Old Villain Ji who's at the Nine-leaf stage. Every cultivator in the world knows this," Liu Zhi said in a low voice.

"The Evil Sky Pavilion's Ji Tiandao?" Shock flashed in the depths of Liu Ge's eyes.

"Yes," Liu Zhi said in a small voice.

Liu Ge did not seem too surprised. Instead, he sighed heavily and said, "How can it be him?" His voice was tinged with slight remorse and confusion.

"You know him, grandfather?"

"Know him? We go way back. You can even call us old acquaintances," Liu Ge replied, "Alas, the paths we seek are different. He's dedicated to cultivation while I'm dedicated to the empire. Hence, we parted ways. I didn't expect that he truly became a Nine-leaf cultivator after all these years."

Liu Zhi complained out loud, "Not only did Old Villain Ji become a Nine-leaf cultivator, but the cultivation world has also changed."

"Changed?"

"Allow me to explain in detail." Then, Liu Zhi recounted how Old Villain Ji wiped out the seven great sects with his Nine-leaf powers, the cultivation theory of severing one's lotus, and the recent events of the cultivation world to Liu Ge, Emperor Yong Shou.

Liu Ge's eyes widened when he heard this. Toward the latter parts of the narration, he could no longer hold it in. He waved his arm and cursed. "That's too much! Who proposed the cultivation method of severing one's lotus?"

Liu Zhi replied slowly, "It originated from some information posts. Then, it was spread further. When it's known that someone has survived the ordeal, more and more people followed suit. Father… father has… severed his lotus and is currently recultivating." His voice faltered toward the end of his sentence, and his voice was barely audible.

The flames of rage in Liu Ge's heart grew hotter. However, he was no longer the emperor who had control of the heavens and earth. Time was cruel. How was he supposed to intimidate the others with his old bones? The rules and decrees he had once established were disregarded. In the end, he sighed heavily and asked, "Are there any strange happenings in the cultivation world?"

"Strange happenings?" Liu Zhi was puzzled.

"Do you know why I've decreed that nobody is to attempt the Nine-leaf stage?" Liu Ge, Emperor Yong Shou, asked in a gruff voice.

Liu Zhi shook his head.

Liu Ge looked at Liu Zhi's puzzled expression and shook his head. "Forget it… All you have to do is tell me if there are other changes."

The theory of severing one's lotus, the appearance of a Nine-leaf cultivator, and the crisis of the Imperial family, were these not changes?

Liu Zhi shook his head again.

Liu Ge spoke earnestly, "I was fortunate enough to be enlightened by a mysterious elite many years ago and reached the Eight-leaf stage. Then, I brought peace to the lands. To think that… someone else has taken that step, after all."

Liu Zhi was further puzzled by this statement. "Grandfather, I don't understand. Can that mysterious elite be trusted?"

Liu Ge looked at him. With a gruff voice, he said, "Impudent!."

"I've spoken out of turn, but I can't help but wonder… It's said that the Nine-leaf stage will bring forth disasters, but Old Villain Ji is already at the Nine-leaf stage. Yet, there haven't been any disasters so far!"

The path of the heavens was a cycle. The heavens must have their reasons to list the Nine-leaf stage as taboo. If humans wanted to encroach upon the forbidden, they would have to pay the price.

Liu Ge shifted his gaze away from his grandson and said, "I'll judge whether the Nine-leaf stage is true myself."

Liu Zhi was delighted to hear this. "Grandfather, are you emerging from this mountain?"

Liu Ge moved his arm and slid off the dais. Like any other old man, his movements seemed rigid and slow. After descending from the dais, one could see his slightly-hunched back. He asked, "Who are the eight great generals of this time?"

Liu Zhi counted. "General Xuan Jingyun of the northern gate garrison, General Wang Yue of the southern gate garrison, General Han Yuyuan of the eastern gate garrison… but General Han has lost his life at the Obedient Villa and is currently replaced by the Daoist elite, General Ji Qingqing. There's also General Xiang Lie of the western gate garrison whom we, unfortunately, lost in the battle of Liang Province. His position is currently vacant. We have General Ma Luping of the southeastern gate garrison, General Gu Yiran of the northeastern gate garrison, and General Su Sheng of the northwestern gate garrison. Finally, there was General Wen Shu of the southwestern gate garrison, but he died while reinforcing the troops at Jing Province."

When he heard these names, Liu Ge said, "Han Yuyuan likes to play petty tricks. I'm not surprised that he ended up like that. Wen Shu and Xiang Lie had always been steady and mature, how did they die?"

"The Evil Sky Pavilion's seventh disciple, Si Wuya, is skilled in scheming. He's a cunning and despicable person. He had been a grand tutor, an official with a meteoric rise in the palace once. Yong Ning takes his side. This man has founded the Darknet that has an extensive information network. It's even possible that he has sources planted around me. Generals Xiang and Wen fell prey to his schemes and lost their lives."

Liu Ge shook his head and said, "I've underestimated him slightly. He has truly recruited many talented disciples." Then, he stepped forward and said, "In that case, have Su Sheng and Gu Yiran accompany me."

When Liu Zhi heard this, he bowed hastily. "I'll see to it at once!"

When Liu Zhi left the hidden chamber, Liu Ge glanced at the dusty box in a corner and muttered to himself, "I pray that peace will descend on the world and that everything's just a dream."

…

Meanwhile, inside the hidden chamber in the Evil Sky Pavilion.

Lu Zhou was surrounded by a sea of mystical runes. He was seemingly unconscious, unaware of his surroundings. He did not know how much time had passed, but he did not want the state he was in to come to an end. This immersive feeling was like being in a deep sleep.

The runes surfaced in his mind. Slowly, the runes shifted and morphed into scripts that formed this sentence: The first step is to connect Qi before connecting the mind and finally connecting the spirit. Enlightenment comes after all are connected, and the path toward the throne will be shown.

To gain the power to hear everything so that we can hear voices in all realms at will.

Lu Zhou's consciousness stirred slightly. He had seen these words when he first opened the Human Scroll. Why would they appear in the Earth Scroll as well? He was puzzled.

At this moment, he vaguely heard someone's voice.

"Little Junior Sister, this is how you do it… Like this… Yes…"

...

Outside the great hall.

Zhu Honggong was patiently showing Conch how to condense Qi into energy.

"The bigger the energy sword, the more Primal Qi and control you need. You've just started cultivating, we'll focus on the basics for now. Once you have enough Primal Qi and you're in the Sense Condensing realm, you'll be able to form a purer energy sword."