My Disciples Are All Villains

Lu Zhou nodded, satisfied with Duanmu Dian's arrangement. Then, he looked at Kong Wen and asked, "What pillars are left?"

Kong Wen bowed and said, "There are the pillars at Xieqia, Huantan, Zuo'e, and Ren Ding. Out of the 12 places in the Unknown Land, two of them, Kundun and Yanmao, don't have the pillars. Ren Ding's Pillar of Destruction is at the core of the Unknown Land; it's also the biggest pillar among the ten pillars."

Duanmu Dian was slightly surprised. "You've already been to six pillars and received their recognition?"

"That's right." Lu Zhou did not hesitate to admit this.

After a moment, Duanmu Dian chuckled before he asked, "You're joking, right?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Lu Zhou asked with a solemn expression that clearly showed he was not joking.

"..."

When Lu Zhou saw the skeptical expression on Duanmu Dian's face, he pointed at Duanmu Sheng and said, "Duanmu Sheng is one of those who had been recognized."

Duanmu Dian was briefly stunned. When he regained his senses, he said happily, "Really?"

Then, Duanmu Dian flashed and appeared in front of Duanmu Sheng. With just a thought, a unique energy surrounded Duanmu Sheng immediately.

When Duanmu Sheng felt the energy trying to probe his Eight Extraordinary Meridians, he instinctively tried to mobilize his Primal Qi to resist.

"Don't move," Duanmu Dian said.

Duanmu Sheng could not even move even if he wanted to. How could he resist a Great Saint? He could only sense the unique energy probing him.

After the inspection, Duanmu Dian took a step back with a surprised expression on his face. He said, "Old Lu, it's not just as simple as obtaining the pillar's recognition…"

Lu Zhou nodded and calmly said, "You're right. Duanmu Sheng has the Great Void Seed."

Duanmu Dian laughed happily and patted Duanmu Sheng's shoulder. "Good, very good! Our Duanmu clan will finally have a supreme being in the future!"

Although everyone in the Evil Sky Pavilion already knew Duanmu Sheng possessed the Great Void Seed, they could not help but feel envious again when Duanmu Dian mentioned the words 'supreme being'. Nonetheless, they were slowly getting used to this feeling.

Duanmu Dian suppressed the excitement in his heart and returned to Lu Zhou's side before he asked, "Old Lu, where did you get the Great Void Seed?"

"I was just lucky. It's not worth mentioning," Lu Zhou said.

"No matter what, it's a show of great favor that you gave such a precious thing to Duanmu Sheng. I'll remember this favor!" Duanmu Dian said.

Duanmu Dian had been lonely all his life. Now that he was reunited with his descendant, he was truly happy.

Lu Zhou walked out of the courtyard as he said, "Now's the time for you to return the favor. Lead the way."

Although Duanmu Dian did not approve of Lu Zhou's plan, he could only nod and say, "Okay, follow me."

When they were outside the courtyard, Duanmu Dian asked, "Old Lu, let Lu Wu guard this place for a while, okay?"

Since Duanmu Dian found out Lu Wu had joined the Evil Sky Pavilion, he naturally asked for Lu Zhou's opinion regarding Lu Wu.

Lu Zhou said, "I have no opinion about that, but you have to ensure its safety."

"Of course. I care about it more than you do!" Duanmu Dian was not stingy and tossed a jade talisman to Lu Wu.

Lu Wu caught it in its mouth and hid it there. Clearly, it was not the first time they had worked together.

"If you encounter any danger, just bite it into pieces," Duanmu Dian said.

Lu Wu nodded.

With that, Duanmu Dian turned around and walked toward the nearby mountain. Each step of his covered 1,000 feet.

Everyone quickly followed after him, and it did not take long before they arrived at an extremely hidden place.

Zhao Hongfu was the first to rush over. She studied it carefully. The more she looked, the more surprised she was. "This is the passage to the other pillars?"

"That's right," Duanmu Dian said, "In order to ensure the safety of the ten Pillars of Destruction, the Great Void has constructed enough runic passages near each of the pillars."

"This runic passage is the most exquisite and power runic passage I've ever seen in my life," Zhao Hongfu said with a hint of awe as she touched the inscriptions and patterns on it. She was clearly mesmerized by the runic passage. As expected, how could a runic passage constructed by a genius runemaster be ordinary?

Duanmu Dian laughed and said, "This runic passage is from the Great Void. It represents the might of the Great Void. The ten Pillars of the Destruction are important to the Great Void, how could they not send their best runemaster to construct the runic passages near the pillars? I didn't expect you to have such a discerning eye!"

Lu Li said, "Miss Zhao is the youngest talented runemaster of the Evil Sky Pavilion. She has just had a breakthrough recently. Moreover, she has only begun to study runes not too long ago."

Duanmu Dian nodded before he asked, "Can you draw a formation of runes on the spot?"

"Draw a formation of runes on the spot?" Zhao Hongfu asked.

"A runemaster draws the formation for the runic passage with a brush. When a runemaster reaches a certain level, they can quickly form a formation of runes to enhance their combat strength," Duanmu Dian explained.

"This…" Zhao Hongfu said sheepishly, "I can only draw normal formations and construct runic passages."

"In fact, being able to master the construction of runic passages to perfection is even better than comprehending the greater laws," Duanmu Dian said.

"So powerful?!" Zhao Hongfu exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course," Duanmu Dian looked at the sky and said, "There are powerful runemasters who can travel freely between the heavens and earth. They can go wherever they please. What a truly carefree and happy life."

"Doesn't that mean they're invincible?" Zhao Hongfu asked excitedly.

"No, no, no," Duanmu Dian explained, "In general, runemasters' combat strengths aren't strong. Not everyone can be omnipotent. When cultivators reach a certain level, it's not impossible for them to kill enemies from thousands of miles away."

Everyone nodded. There were advantages and disadvantages to everything.

Zhao Hongfu said, "In any case, I'm satisfied with being able to travel freely everywhere. Thank you, senior, for enlightening me."

"Alright. Let's go."

Duanmu Dian flashed and appeared in the runic passage.

Lu Zhou followed suit.

With that, everyone stepped into the runic passage one after another.

Duanmu Dian said, "The Great Void's runic passage can transport more than 1,000 people so don't worry."

After everyone steadied themselves, Duanmu Dian pushed his palm down, and a light flashed up. It was as though they had entered a transparent tunnel.

In less than the time it took to brew a cup of tea, they appeared in an unfamiliar forest.

Duanmu Dian flew out of the runic passage and hovered in the air.

Lu Zhou led everyone up into the sky.

In the sky, they saw the Pillar of Destruction towering past the dark fog.

"So fast," Zhao Hongfu said, filled with praise.

Duanmu Dian said, "This is Xieqia's Pillar of Destruction. The person guarding this place is stronger than me. However, my relationship with him isn't bad. When we're there, let me speak. Don't interrupt me."

Then, Duanmu Dian flew out. Clearly, it was not his first time here. He seemed very familiar with the place and bypassed many traps and formations.

The fierce beasts they encountered turned tail and ran as soon as they saw Duanmu Dian. Clearly, they did not intend to fight him.

In just a moment, they landed on a mountain that was not very wide. There was a 10,000-foot-long single-plank bridge that connected the mountain to the Pillar of Destruction.

Clouds of mist swirled below, obscuring everyone's vision.

Duanmu Dian said, "There you have it: Xieqia's Pillar of Destruction."

Everyone was amazed.

Lu Zhou stood with his hands on his back and looked at the scenery around him before he asked, "Why don't we go down?"

"There are dangerous traps down there. Even a Venerable Master would have a difficult time with them," Duanmu Dian replied. Then, he grumbled again, "I wonder who it was that stole the previous batch of seeds!"

"Perhaps, that person has an amazing cultivation base," Lu Zhou said with a straight face.

"Impossible! My friend's name is Yan Mohui. He's a true Dao Saint. He has been guarding Xieqia's Pillar of Destruction for a long time now. Moreover, if there was a Dao Saint in the nine domains, the Scales of Justice would've warned everyone of it a long time ago," Duanmu Dian said.

Lu Zhou was too lazy to respond.

After a moment, a lazy and low voice rang in the air.

"What brings you here?"

Duanmu Dian replied with a smile, "Brother Yan, I've been really bored so I came to chat with you."

"It's not like you don't know the rules of the Great Void. Hurry up and return to your post." the voice said.

"I'm already here anyway. If I return now, won't it be a wasted trip?" Duanmu Dian asked before he said, "Apart from that, I also have a personal request."

At this moment, a figure appeared up above. The person's hair fluttered in the wind, making him look like a madman. His gaze was as sharp as a knife, making the people of the Evil Sky Pavilion feel uneasy.

"You brought people with you?" the person asked.

"Brother Yan, these are my friends. After entering the Great Void, I haven't seen them at all. Since I finally met them, I decided to bring them along to broaden their horizons," Duanmu Dian replied.

Yan Mohui had a one-track mind. He was rather stubborn when doing things. Once he had made up his mind, it was almost impossible to change it.

Duanmu Dian was well aware of this so he took the initiative to say, "They just want to see the pillar. I hope Brother Yan will allow this."

Duanmu Dian knew if the other person disagreed, things would be difficult.

As expected, a hesitant expression appeared on Yan Mohui's face as he said, "The Great Void has given a death order not long ago. No one's allowed to come close to the pillars at all. If it were in the past, I would've allowed it. However, now… it's a little difficult."

Duanmu Dian said, "The Great Void is just afraid of people stealing the Great Void Seeds and damaging the pillars. With an expert like you guarding it, who dares to come near Xieqia's Pillar of Destruction? Moreover, I promise you that they won't touch anything in the pillar."

Yan Mohui swept his gaze across everyone upon hearing Duanmu Dian's words. Sensing the group's auras, he frowned slightly as he said, "There are quite a number of Venerable Masters here."

In the nine lotus domains, whenever a Venerable Master appeared, the Great Void would send someone to investigate.

Even the huge green lotus domain only had four Venerable Masters. How could Yan Mohui not be wary when he saw so many Venerable Masters now? After a moment, he cupped his fists together at Duanmu Dian and said, "Forget it. There are too many people. It's inevitable that something will go wrong. Please leave."

"..."

This meant that it was the end of the discussion.

At this time, Lu Zhou called out, "Wait."

Yan Mohui completely ignored Lu Zhou. He turned around indifferently and flew up again. Clearly, he did not care about Duanmu Dian's friends at all.

Lu Zhou scoffed. "This is your friend?"

"Yes."

"It's just an empty title," Lu Zhou said.

"..."

As soon as Lu Zhou's voice fell…

Whoosh!

Yan Mohui appeared in front of everyone in just a blink of an eye. He hovered ten meters away from them and looked at them with a hint of coldness in his eyes. He asked, "What did you say?"

Duanmu Dian hastily said to smooth things over, "Brother Yan, this is a misunderstanding. It's a joke. Don't take it seriously."

Lu Zhou ignored Duanmu Dian's attempt to maintain the peace and said tonelessly, "I said, 'It's just an empty title'."

"Since you're Brother Duanmu's friend, I'll give you a chance to speak. If you can't give me a perfect explanation, you'll have to bear the consequences," Yan Mohui said.

"Even if you're a Dao Saint, you're just a fox borrowing the might of a tiger, relying on the Great Void. In the end, just a casual order from the Great Void is enough to scare you into absolute obedience. Is what I said reasonable?" Lu Zhou said.

Upon seeing the anger on Yan Mohui's face, Lu Zhou added, "The angrier you are, the more it proves that what I said is true."

Yan Mohui was rendered speechless. After a moment, he retorted, "In this world, no matter who it is, they'd have to submit to the Great Void. I'm not the only one."

"No," Lu Zhou shook his head and looked at the sky with hands resting on his back as he said, "I won't submit to the Great Void."

Yan Mohui: "?"

Yan Mohui frowned. His first thought was that the person in front of him was crazy.

Lu Zhou continued to say, "The Great Void doesn't allow people to get close to the pillars, but I will."

The atmosphere turned tense immediately.

Yan Mohui looked at Lu Zhou, sizing Lu Zhou up and trying to sense Lu Zhou's cultivation base. No matter how hard he tried, he could not sense Lu Zhou's cultivation base.

Lu Zhou suddenly asked, "Trying to sense my cultivation base?"

Yan Mohui looked away. "You're not simple."

"It's not worth mentioning," Lu Zhou said.

"Excessive pride will only harm you. The Great Void's strength is beyond your imagination," Yan Mohui said.

Meanwhile, Duanmu Dian had been looking for an opportunity to smooth things over, but he realized he could not get a word in edgewise.

Lu Zhou continued to say, "What does the Great Void have to do with me? No matter what happens in the future, I'll never join the Great Void."

"Are you really not afraid of the Great Void dealing with you?" Yan Mohui frowned.

"Afraid?" Lu Zhou let out a deep laugh before he said, "If I were afraid, I wouldn't have come here."

Yan Mohui was slightly startled.

At this time, Duanmu Dian hurriedly seized the chance and said, "My friend's temper has always been like this. Back then, he was unwilling to join the Great Void so he went to the Endless Ocean. When he heard that the imbalance is getting worse, he finally returned."

Yan Mohui stared at Lu Zhou for about 15 minutes. No one knew what he was thinking at this moment. During this time, many images of freedom and the future flashed in his mind. After such a long time of cultivating, there was not much he could not do. The world was vast. Everyone could come and go as they pleased and do whatever they wanted. However, only he had to stay at Xieqia his whole life, guarding the Pillar of Destruction.

Lu Zhou was not afraid at all. He met Yan Mohui's gaze with a calm and indifferent gaze.

Finally, Yan Mohui broke the silence first. He cupped his fists at Lu Zhou and said, "Please!"

Duanmu Dian: "???"

'That's it?!'

Duanmu Dian was a little confused. As a friend, Yan Mohui had refused him. However, Lu Zhou had argued with Yan Mohui, but Yan Mohui acquiesced to Lu Zhou?

Yan Mohui said, "In my life, there aren't many whom I admire. What I admire the most is someone with unyielding pride. Although I'm a Dao Saint, I'm someone who's very flexible and open-minded. I admit that I'm not as good as you."

Duanmu Dian: "..."

Lu Zhou said, "Then, I won't stand on ceremony."

Although Yan Mohui allowed them to enter the Pillar of Destruction, it did not mean he had good intentions.

Just as Lu Zhou flew out, Yan Mohui called out, "Only you are allowed to enter."

Lu Zhou ignored Yan Mohui and called out, "Yu Shangrong, Ye Tianxin, Yuan'er."

The three disciples bowed in unison. "Yes."

"Follow me. The rest of you, wait here," Lu Zhou said without turning around. Instead, he looked at Yan Mohui and said, "What about five people?"

Yan Mohui's expression turned frosty. He placed his hands on his back and did not say anything.

At this time, Duanmu Dian said, "For my sake, just allow it. If anything happens, I'll bear all the consequences."

Yan Mohui said, "I really don't understand all of you. What's there to see? I'll only give you 15 minutes. After that, let's treat it as though we've never met each other."

Then, Yan Mohui vanished into thin air.

With that, Lu Zhou and Duanmu Dian took the lead to fly over the 10,000-foot-long single-plank bridge.

Yu Shangrong, Ye Tianxin, and Little Yuan'er followed closely behind.

Just when they arrived at the middle of the single-plank bridge, huge logs suddenly appeared on both sides at the same time. They were densely covered with inscriptions and patterns, forming an inescapable net between heaven and earth.

Duanmu Dian frowned. "Brother Yan, what are you doing?"

No one replied.

"Brother Yan?"

"I'm not here. Don't ask me."

"..."

At this time, the logs began to attack.

Lu Zhou leaped up, pushing his hands to the left and the right, unleashing palm seals that had been imbued with the divine power.

The palm seals shook the heavens and earth, tearing the space apart.

Boom!

The logs were sent flying immediately. However, the attacks seemed to cause an even bigger backlash, and the logs were much stronger when they returned.

"This is the Sky Sealing Formation! It's powered by the power of heaven and earth! Don't try to break the formation. Follow me!" Duanmu Dian said.

As everyone quickly moved forward on the single-plank bridge, the logs returned with an even greater strength.

Duanmu Dian crouched, avoiding the logs.

Yu Shangrong, Ye Tianxin, and Little Yuan'er dodged as well.

However, Lu Zhou stood straight, facing the four to five logs alone.

"Old Lu!" Duanmu Dian shouted.

At this time, Lu Zhou shattered five Thunderblast Cards consecutively.

"Thunderblast!"

The golden palm seals from Thunderblast shone dazzlingly and hit the five logs accurately.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

One of the Thunderblast managed to shatter the log.

Boom!

"Huh?" Yan Mohui's surprised voice rang from above.

Lu Zhou continued to move forward as he said, "Follow me."

"This.." Duanmu Dian looked back at the logs. When he turned back to the front, he saw Lu Zhou and his disciples had already entered the Pillar of Destruction. Then, he looked up and asked, "Brother Yan, didn't you say that even you can't break the Sky Sealing Formation?"

"..."

There was only silence. No one responded to Duanmu Dian.

"Brother Yan?"