My disciples are all villains.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhou said, "Your Black Tower Council seems to be in a mess."

Yan Zhenluo did not refute Lu Zhou's words. Instead, he nodded. "You're right. However, we don't just have internal problems; there are external problems as well."

Lu Zhou raised an eyebrow. "External problems?"

Yan Zhenluo said helplessly, "Brother Lu, please forgive me for not being able to say more. In the future, Brother Lu will naturally understand."

With this kind of attitude, Lu Zhou found it difficult to force Yan Zhenluo to speak as well. After all, he was an old man with grace. Yan Zhenluo was very tactful and polite, it would be strange if he used force to make Yan Zhenluo talk. After a moment, he asked, "Do you know of a woman named Lian Xing?"

Yan Zhen Luo shook his head and said, "Lian Xing? I've never heard of her. Why do you ask, Brother Lu?"

"I met a mysterious person by chance, and I felt she was strange. Are you sure there's no such person in the Black Tower Council?" Lu Zhou asked.

"Although I'm just an ordinary member of the Black Lotus Council, I'm not completely without knowledge. I'm sure I've never heard of such a person in the council. Perhaps, she used an alias?" Yan Zhenluo suggested.

If it was an alias, then there was no way to investigate the matter. If Lu Zhou could not investigate Lian Xing's origin, he would just have to observe Zhao Yue more in the future.

With this thought in mind, Lu Zhou looked at Yan Zhenluo and said, "I'm not an unreasonable person. If you're sincere, I'll be sincere as well. I'm curious. Is it worth it for you to do all these things for Lu Li?"

"Lu Li once saved my life," Yan Zhenluo replied honestly, "In this world where the strong prey on the weak, it's too difficult to find a trustworthy friend. What's more, we're brothers who have gone through thick and thin together. Without Lu Li, I, Yan Zhenluo, wouldn't be here."

Then, Yan Zhenluo looked up and asked, "Brother Lu, in your life, there should be someone worth risking your life to protect, right?"

Lu Zhou was stunned by Yan Zhenluo's question. If he were still on earth, he would answer without hesitating. For example, there were his parents who gave birth to him and raised him. However, in this bizarre world fraught with danger, he was not sure if there was anyone he wanted to protect. Those he trusted here were his disciples and the elders of the Evil Sky Pavilion. However, he did not know if trusting them meant he was willing to risk his life for them. He was not sure he would be able to do it.

From the initial betrayal of his disciples to the righting the path of his disciples and his disciples' amazing feats, everything went smoothly. They did not warrant anything as dramatic as risking his life.

Lu Zhou was silent for a long time.

Upon seeing this, Yan Zhenluo cupped his fists together and said, "I've misspoken…"

Lu Zhou dismissed his thoughts and said, "Lu Li is safe for now, but he's not in the red lotus domain."

"Not in the red lotus domain?" Yan Zhenluo was shocked. "I checked Lu Li's route. He left from the Sky Wheel Mountain Range to the Endless Ocean. I went to the Endless Ocean to look for him but could not find him. He has exceeded the time limit the Black Tower Council had given him for his mission. D-did he go to the golden lotus domain?"

After investigating the matter, Yan Zhenluo found out about Lu Zhou's fight with Yu Chenshu. He also found out Lu Li had used his Thousand Realms Whirling avatar to carry Lu Zhou away. This was also one of the reasons he did not make a move when Yi Yao was fighting Lu Zhou.

"He's not in the golden lotus domain," Lu Zhou said.

"Then where's he? How did Brother Lu determine his safety? No, I have to get him out from wherever he is," Yan Zhenluo said worriedly.

Lu Zhou replied, "He's with my disciple now."

"???" Yan Zhenluo.

"You can rest assured. With Lu Li and my disciple's cultivation bases, no one can hurt them. Moreover, Lu Li won't be coming back so soon so you can rest assured and stay in the Black Tower Council," Lu Zhou said.

"Really?"

"I've never been one to lie. It's up to you to believe it or not," Lu Zhou said.

Yan Zhenluo was overjoyed and immediately bowed to Lu Zhou. "Thank you, Brother Lu."

"You believe me just like that?" Lu Zhou felt the person in front of him was too trusting.

"I have no other choice. Moreover, I won't lose anything by trusting you," Yan Zhenluo said honestly.

"I admire smart people the most." Lu Zhou stroked his beard as he looked at Yan Zhenluo.

At this moment, Yan Zhenluo raised his head and looked at the sun in the sky. He said, "My luck is good... The Birth Chart Beast is here!"

"You can sense Birth Chart Beasts?" Lu Zhou asked.

"Birth Chart Beasts can sense powerful humans, especially humans who have just sprouted the tenth leaf. The Black Tower Council created this stone formation that can attack and defend at the same time. Every time a Birth Chart Beast approaches, the stone formation will send out a signal."

Lu Zhou turned and looked at the center of the stone formation in the distance. Indeed, the circular area in the center was flashing. He sighed at the power of the Black Tower Council. Its reach was really long; he wondered how many worlds it had in its backyard. He asked, "How many worlds does the Black Tower Council have under its control?"

Yan Zhenluo shook her head. "As soon as Brother Lu asks a question, it hits the heart of the matter immediately. These are top secrets in the Black Tower Council. Ordinary members aren't privy to such matters. However, I sometimes wonder if there's a bigger power behind the black lotus domain."

"Interesting," Lu Zhou said, "I appreciate your answer."

If everyone was smart as Yan Zhenluo, it would be great. It was very pleasing to deal with smart people.

Buzz!

A buzzing noise rang from the stone forest at this moment.

"It's coming," Yan Zhenluo said, "There won't be anyone within a five-kilometer radius. I'll shoot down the Birth Chart Beast as fast as I can."

"Alright."

The sound of wind whistles in the forest at this moment.

The duo instinctively turned around to look. They saw a fiery red ball of light flying toward them from the towering tree in front of them.

Although Lu Zhou's expression remained calm, his eyes widened imperceptibly. What the hell was this thing?

Yan Zhenluo said gravely, "This is bad..."

"You can't deal with it?" Lu Zhou asked.

"This isn't an ordinary Birth Chart Beast. This beast is called Di Jiang. It's shaped like a ball, red like fire, has six legs, and four wings. It's faceless," Yan Zhenluo explained, "I didn't expect to attract a Di Jiang."

"I'm really curious. Why don't the Black Tower Council go straight to the fierce beasts' nest but wait in human cities instead?" Lu Zhou asked.

Would it not be better to find the fierce beasts' nest?

"Impossible," Yan Zhenluo said immediately, "Indeed, you can find a lot of beasts in the nest. However, it's too dangerous. For example, places in the red lotus domain like the Black Water Mystic Cave, the Endless Ocean, and the depths of the Sky Wheel Rift Valley aren't places that humans can stay…" 

Yan Zhenluo's words reminded Lu Zhou of the colossal beast in the Endless Ocean. Such a colossal beast even warranted a warning from the system; one could imagine how powerful it was. He nodded silently in agreement.

Yan Zhenluo looked at Di Jiang that was flying over and said, "This beast is incredibly fast. It's the fastest among all the known fierce beasts!"

Lu Zhou's eyes lit up. He recalled Yi Yao's exaggerated flashing speed. How amazing would it be if he had the speed from this Birth Chart Beast? He asked, "Is it suitable for me?"

"Very suitable... With Di Jiang's life heart, Brother Lu's speed will be even faster than Yi Yao's speed."

At this moment, Di Jiang came to a stop in the air. Its body was chubby, and its legs were kicking back and forth. It was hard to imagine that this was a beast that Yan Zhenluo was wary of.

Yan Zhenluo tapped his toes before he shot up at lightning speed. He flashed behind Di Jiang and pressed his hand down.

Boom!

A black palm seal that was like Mount Tai pressed down on Di Jiang immediately.

After being hit by the huge force, Di Jiang rose up immediately at the speed of light. His speed was clearly several times faster than before.

Yan Zhenluo frowned and said, "As expected, I can't catch him."