My disciples are all villains.

The group entered the dimly-lit inner warehouse. Despite the dim lighting, their visions were not affected.

There were various treasures, weapons, and tomes inside. They made for a rather dazzling sight

Conch skipped as she walked, brimming with curiosity.

Conch was not the only one; everyone's interest was piqued by the treasures as well. 

Even Duanmu Sheng, who usually conducted himself rather strictly, could not help but look around. Occasionally, he would poke the sabers and swords on the racks with his Overlord Spear.

Meanwhile, the Evil Sky Pavilion's four elders were abnormally quiet. They looked around and touched the things that attracted their interests, looking like a supervisor visiting a site.

"This saber is amazing." Pan Zhong stared at a saber. After all, he did not have a weapon of his own yet.

"This sword… Is this the famed treasure of the now-extinct Wind Riding Faction, the Wind Rider?" Zhou Jifeng picked up a sword, clearly reluctant to put it back down. He was almost drooling.

Pan Zhong moved closer to have a look. He nodded and said, "Good eye, little brother!"

Bam!

The Overlord Spear stabbed at Wind Rider's blade. After poking it, Duanmu Sheng no longer looked at the sword. He shook his head slightly. "How can an earth-grade weapon be worthy of entering the Evil Sky Pavilion?"

Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng did not dare to retort.

'Of course, you wouldn't consider this when you have the heaven-grade Overlord Spear!'

'What choice do I have since I have no weapons!'

'So what if I like earth-grade weapons? Mister Third, don't go overboard!'

Crack!

Wind Rider snapped.

Zhou Jifeng was taken aback. He said, "You have a point, Mister Third. How can this third-rate rubbish enter the Evil Sky Pavilion?!"

The group continued to walk deeper into the warehouse.

Lu Zhou did not expect the inner warehouse to be this huge. They had been walking for quite some time, and yet, they were still not at the end.

The Empress Dowager did not pay much attention to the items around her. It was as though she frequently came to this place.

Li Yunzhao said, "The former Emperor left the management of the inner warehouse to the Empress Dowager… All these years, the Empress Dowager has been cautious and conscientious in her duty. Even after the former Emperor's passing, the Empress Dowager remained steadfast."

At this moment, the Empress Dowager came to halt and turned to look at the others. Then, she slowly said, "You may take whatever you want from the inner warehouse."

When Lu Zhou's disciples heard this, they were delighted. They behaved like a band of monkeys who had never seen the world as they hopped and jumped around.

Li Yunzhao was baffled. Why would the Evil Sky Pavilion disciples be interested in the items in the inner warehouse when they possessed heaven-grade weapons? In the end, he reprimanded them. "Behave yourselves!"

The disciples started and no longer dared to move.

The Empress Dowager said, "I almost forgot… Indeed, with your statuses, you might not be interested in the items here at all."

Zhou Jifeng wanted to cry. 'No! I'm interested! I'd love to take all of them back with me!'

The Empress Dowager pointed to a box in the corner and said, "When Liu Ge was still on the throne, he told me over and over again to look after this box. Li Yunzhao…"

"Understood." Li Yunzhao waved his hand; the box flew over.

The light illuminated the box. It was a black box covered with a layer of dust.

Li Yunzhao waved his arm again, clearing the dust from the box.

Lu Zhou looked at the box. 'Hm? These familiar veins again!'

The veins on the box highly resembled those on Lin Xin's armor. However, why were these veins black?

As though she could read Lu Zhou's mind, the Empress Dowager said, "So as to not attract unwanted attention, I painted this box black with ink."

"…"

The older, the wiser.

"The original color?"

"Red?"

As expected.

Lu Zhou's expression remained unchanged. He looked at the box and asked, "From whom did this box come from?"

"The Emperor had said this was from the Imperial tutor. Before the Imperial tutor left, he left a few items behind: a sword, a brush, and a box. The sword has been missing for some time now." Based on her words, it was clear she was unaware that Liu Ge had been very much alive up until recently. Perhaps, Liu Ge did not want her to know and deliberately kept the secret from her.

After all, it was surely painful to depend on life-sucking runes to survive. It was like being a living dead. Nobody in the world could overcome their great limits. Although there were various methods, the most one could do was to delay one's death.

In any case, since the Empress Dowager did not know, there was no need to tell her.

The Empress Dowager continued to say, "A Nine-leaf cultivator's power is needed to open the box… Nothing else is able to open it." She had thought someone from the Imperial family would attain the Nine-leaf stage first.

Liu Gu himself thought so as well. He was of the opinion that if he could reach the Nine-leaf stage and obtain whatever was in the box, he would be able to unify the Ten Thousand Tribes and establish a long-lasting dynasty. Alas, he was one step behind.

Outwardly, Lu Zhou appeared calm, but he was, in fact, inwardly fretting. 'I'm only at the Five-leaf stage. Moreover, I've exhausted most of my extraordinary power. How am I going to open it?'

Pan Zhong said, "Pavilion Master, this treasure box was made for you!"

Pan Litian said, "Whatever is in the box must be extraordinary. Please open the box, Pavilion Master. Let me gain some knowledge and experience."

The others nodded in agreement.

Even the Empress Dowager chimed in, "I've been looking after this box for centuries, and yet, I don't know what it holds. If the Evil Sky Pavilion opens the box, I'll be able to rest in peace."

Lu Zhou had saved the Empress Dowager's life once. She would not say no even if Li Zhou wanted to take the box away.

Lu Zhou gauged his own extraordinary power. He felt awkward. He remembered the chant of the Heavenly Writing scrolls and recited it inwardly. 'Let's give it a try. Even if I fail, they won't dare to say anything.'

Lu Zhou placed his palm on the box.

Smack!

When his broad palm landed on the box, Lu Zhou expected blue light to shine from between his fingers. Alas, nothing happened.

'This… Ah! My face...' Lu Zhou was still inwardly struggling in embarrassment when a faint blue light briefly flashed between his fingers. It lasted for just a moment. Unexpectedly, a crisp clicking sound rang from the box!

The Empress Dowager's eyes widened when she saw this. She sounded slightly emotional as she said, "I've tried many methods to open the box, but they were all futile. I didn't expect this…"

It was normal for the Empress Dowager to be moved. After employing different ways to open the box, she knew it was almost impossible to open the box.

Li Yunzhao chimed in, "I can attest to the fact that even His Majesty failed to open the box. His Majesty tried hacking at it for an entire night with his Eight-leaf grand technique. Alas, it was in vain."

"…"

"As expected. You're amazing, Pavilion Master!" The four elders were genuinely impressed.

Lu Zhou was immune to their flattery. He pressed his palm down.

The box cracked open; its sides falling apart.

The Heavenly Writing's extraordinary power seemed like the key to the box.

In just a moment, the box collapsed into a pile of debris, revealing two items that caught Lu Zhou's eyes.

There was an envelope that was clearly made from unique materials and a rectangular brocade box.

Lu Zhou picked the envelope up first. Apart from him, no one dared to touch the box. As soon as he touched the envelope, he felt a chilly sensation on his skin. It seemed like the envelope was no ordinary envelope; it must have been made to prevent decay.

Lu Zhou opened the envelope. As expected, it contained a letter!

"Stand back!" Duanmu Sheng suddenly said as he raised his Overlord Spear.

The others backed away.

Duanmu Sheng's intention was obvious; his master was the only one who could read the letter.

The letter read: If someone managed to open this box, it means that the person reading this letter has attained the Nine-leaf stage. Nice to meet you, the first, second, or maybe the third Nine-leaf cultivator? Heh… Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore. I have to tell you that you're leading the world to a huge disaster."