My disciples are all villains.

Yu Shangrong's golden avatar levitated.

The partially-blind frowned in confusion. When Yu Shangrong unleashed his energy previously, he knew Yu Shangrong was a golden lotus cultivator. However, what appeared before him now was incredibly strange. He discovered his opponent's avatar had no lotus. "There's no golden lotus?" He quickly looked up at Yu Shangrong's expression.

Yu Shangrong smiled faintly.

Nine golden leaves shot out of Yu Shangrong's avatar.

Yu Shangrong controlled them with his fingers and formed a long golden dragon that shot toward his opponent.

Three golden leaves sliced the partially-blind man's protective energy open while the remaining six leaves pierced his chest.

The sound of skin being pierced rang in the air six times in a row.

The force behind the leaves was so strong that they continued to fly after piercing the partially-blind man's chest before they finally stopped after stabbing into the ground.

Just like this, the battle ended.

From the partially-blind man's back, a gaping hole could be seen where his heart should have been.

The Primal Qi in the air was quickly dissipating.

Fresh blood flowed out of the partially-blind man's chest onto the grass.

The purplish-black gas dissipated as well.

The man's arms regained their original colors.

The partially-blind's eyes were brimming with incredulity.

Perhaps, this was one of the benefits of severing one's lotus. Yu Shangrong could catch his opponent off guard.

The people of the red lotus domain were unaware of this technique, after all.

Naturally, as an outstanding swordsman, Yu Shangrong would not risk his life and use this technique all the time. Instead, he would use it to guide the flow of the battle. He was truly an outstanding sword path elite.

Now that the partially-blind's heart had been pierced, his death was certain.

At this moment, the red lotus avatar finally disappeared.

The partially-blind muttered, "You can do that?" Then, he plummeted to the ground with a loud boom.

Yu Shangrong withdrew his avatar and searched for Jiang Xiaosheng.

At the spot where Jiang Xiaosheng was previously standing, only a black cloak could be seen on the ground. He was nowhere to be found.

Yu Shangrong looked down for a moment before he finally descended. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he grunted and spat out a mouthful of blood. He quickly lifted a hand and pressed it against his chest as he sat down cross-legged to adjust his breathing.

The stars in the sky twinkled as it suddenly began to drizzle.

Yu Shangrong did not like how unpredictable the weather was in the red lotus domain. Nevertheless, for an elite like him, it was easy to keep the rain at bay. Before the rain could even land on his body, they were evaporated by a surge of energy. The area within two meters of him was completely dry.

After what seemed like hours, the rain finally stopped.

Yu Shangrong opened his eyes; his injuries were less severe now. He sighed, displeased with his performance. This was his first time getting injured in a battle. He murmured to himself, "Yu Shangrong, when are you going to become like your master?"

Yu Shangrong collected his thoughts and looked at his broken Longevity Sword with a frown on his face. He felt a weight on his chest when he looked at his sword. When he first joined the Evil Sky Pavilion, he had trained and honed his sword skills with a wooden sword. After his master gave him the Longevity Sword, it had become an integral part of his life.

He was not fanatic to the point where he loved swords to the bones like Jiang Aijian, but he valued it as much as he valued his life.

Was the Sword Devil destined to be alone? The sword had accompanied him through his toughest times. It had helped him slay countless enemies, and it helped prolong his short life as a Nobleman.

It did not matter that the sword was not alive. So long as he had the sword, he could live. Now that the sword was destroyed, would he die?

Yu Shangrong was visibly shaking at this moment. He did not use his Primal Qi as he slowly walked over to his sword while he endured his injuries. He picked his comrade up from the ground with his bare hands, forgoing the use of energy.

The Longevity Sword that reigned supreme in the golden lotus realm was destroyed.

Yu Shangrong carefully placed both fragments of the Longevity Sword back into the scabbard. This way, the Longevity Sword would be complete.

He inhaled deeply before he raised his hand and drew the treasure in the partially-blind man's hands toward himself. What should have been easy caused him much pain. He coughed twice.

He shook his head lightly as he looked at the sky. "You're truly a good-for-nothing."

This was the first time the confident Yu Shangrong called himself a 'good-for-nothing'.

Yu Shangrong straightened his back and held his Longevity Sword in one hand as he traveled by foot back to Cloud Mountain.

…

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou returned from the palace.

Whitzard's speed had always been consistent. He found it satisfactory as well.

When he saw the 12 peaks of Cloud Mountain, a familiar noise rang from the horizon.

Neigh!

"Stop." Lu Zhou commanded Whitzard to stop as he looked in the direction of the noise.

Soon enough, Ji Liang appeared before his eyes, trotting toward him under the moon's light.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard and called out, "Ji Liang."

Ji Liang had a white coat and red mane. Its eyes were golden, and they had a faint glow. Initially, it was moving at a rather leisurely pace, but when it saw its master, it began to gallop toward its master.

"You're not slower than Whitzard, but why are you late?" Lu Zhou asked, puzzled.

Neigh!

That one neigh clearly conveyed Ji Liang's emotion. It seemed exhausted from its long journey.

Lu Zhou grew even more puzzled. Whitzard did not seem as exhausted as Ji Liang when it first arrived.

"Turn around," Lu Zhou ordered.

Ji Liang obeyed the order and turned around.

Lu Zhou saw scabs on its hind hooves. He frowned. Upon closer inspection, he saw wounds on its body as well. The wounds looked like they came from a whip.

Lu Zhou leaped off Whitzard's back immediately and studied Ji Liang carefully. He saw there were marks of Ji Liang being chained around its neck.

With all these marks and wounds, Lu Zhou, naturally, had an idea of what had happened. No wonder Ji Liang took so long to arrive; it was being held captive by someone.

With Ji Liang's abilities, ordinary cultivators would not have been able to do anything to it. Lu Zhou was rather certain its captors must have seized the opportunity when Ji Liang was exhausted after crossing the Endless Ocean to capture it.

"They dare lay their hands on my mount?" Lu Zhou said with a hint of fury.

Neigh! neigh!

Ji Liang moved its head up and down as though it was nodding and responding to Lu ZHou's words.

"Can you recognize those who hurt you?"

Neigh! Neigh!

"Alright. I'll give you justice once you're healed." Lu Zhou patted Ji Liang's back. Then, he raised his hand.

A blue lotus dropped down on Ji Liang.

Ji Liang was initially exhausted, but it seemed to grow more energetic as the blue lotus healed it.

Just when Lu Zhou was about to return to Cloud Mountain with his two mounts…

Neigh!

Ji Liang neighed loudly and raised its two front hooves before it galloped toward the distance without any warning.

"Ji Liang!" Lu Zhou called out sternly.

However, for some reason, Ji Liang did not even look back as it disappeared into the night.

Lu Zhou was baffled. As Ji Liang's master, he was slightly perplexed by its lack of regard for him. He had never felt perplexed even when he faced a Ten-leaf expert.

He waited for a while. However, Ji Liang did not turn around or return.

"You traitor. If I see you again, I'll kill you with a single strike." Lu Zhou waved his arm and looked at Whitzard. "Are you going to leave as well?"

Whitzard. "???"