My Disciples Are All Villains

Lu Zhou sighed before he asked, "Is the song very difficult to master?"

"This song is even more difficult than what I've learned before," Conch replied timidly.

"Play it." Lu Zhou stroked his beard as he walked toward the semicircular pool and looked up at the sky.

"Understood," Conch replied softly before she sat down in front of the Nine String Zither. She raised her jade-like hands slightly; her movements gentle and elegant.

Lu Zhou was still unused to the Conch who had grown up overnight. Perhaps, the current Conch had many thoughts and ideas of her own. He felt like parents who suddenly realized their child had grown up and had many rebellious thoughts.

The sound of the zither rippled out like a tide and permeated the area around the semicircular pool.

A hint of reverence could be seen on the faces of the Sky Martial Court female disciples as they listened to the tune quietly.

Conch's slender fingers danced back and forth on the strings like the spirits of the night.

The flow of the tune was sometimes smooth like a running spring, and sometimes it was as fast as rapids leading to a waterfall. Sometimes, the tune sounded clear like pearls falling on a jade plate; other times, it sounded as soft as a whisper.

At dusk, the tune from the zither rose and fell unhurriedly.

Music was probably the only kind of art that did not need people to understand it for it to be able to reach their souls.

When the tune ended, the female disciples standing respectfully near the pool fell into a daze. They felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment and dissatisfaction. It was not enough; they wanted to continue listening to the tune.

It was silent as the evening breeze blew on the pool, creating ripples on the surface that pulled everyone back from their thoughts.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou nodded repeatedly.

Conch was taken aback by her perfect playing of the tune. In the past, even after she practiced for a long time, she had not been able to play it so perfectly. However, as soon as her master came, she actually succeeded?

Conch looked down at her jade-like fingers before she raised her head to look at the fading twilight and sighed. "Master… I..."

"Alright." Lu Zhou asked tonelessly, "You should now know where the problem lies, right?"

Conch thought about it before she replied, "Yes."

Previously, when she was learning the Pilgrim Song, she had always practiced with a sense of impatience. How could she master the Pilgrim Song with such an attitude? However, her master's arrival today managed to tamp down her impatience, and in turn, it allowed her to master the Pilgrim Song perfectly. She was gifted in music, to begin with. It was not surprising she could master the Pilgrim Song.

"Ding! Obtained 1,000 merit points for teaching Luo Shiyin. Ding, you have received 1,000 merit points for teaching Luo Shiyin. Mentor Card bonus: 200 merit points."

As it turned out, it was the effect of the Mentor Card.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard as he said, "The road of cultivation is long. Don't let your emotions get the best of you. Although you're a Ten-leaf karmic fire user and a top expert in the red lotus domain, you're still a little weak compared to Yu Chenshu."

Lu Zhou continued to say, "Yu Chenshu imprisoned Luo Xuan because of the Great Void Seed. If he could have gone to the Great Void or the unknown place, he would have done so a long time ago. Why do you think he didn't dare to do so?"

Upon hearing this, Conch bowed and said, "I understand."

"Being a Ten-leaf karmic fire user isn't anything to be proud of. Although your Eldest and Second Senior Brother have nine leaves, their strength is that of a Ten-leaf cultivator. You should learn more from them," Lu Zhou said.

"Understood."

"Ding! Instructed Luo Shiyin. Reward: 1,000 merit points."

Lu Zhou did not speak again. He leaped into the air and flew north of Sky Martial Mountain. In just a blink of an eye, he had disappeared into the night sky.

Everything returned to the way it was by the semicircular pool.

…

Lu Zhou did not ride his mount as he flew across the mountains and the rivers. With his current cultivation base, if he unleashed his grand technique, the mount's speed would not be able to compare to his. Perhaps, the advantage of riding his mount was that it would not deplete his energy.

Halfway through his journey, he received another system notification.

"Ding! Worshiped by 330 people. Reward: 330 merit points."

"Ding! Worshiped by 150 people. Reward: 0 merit points."

Lu Zhou halted his flight. He thought about checking in on his eighth disciple, but in the end, he thought it was unnecessary. Since Zhu Honggong was able to make others worship him, Zhu Honggong should not be in any danger.

With this thought in mind, he continued his flight toward the Sky Wheel Mountain Range.

...

Two hours later.

Lu Zhou finally arrived above the Sky Wheel Mountain Range. He hovered in the air as he looked at the valley.

The valley was in ruins due to the previous battle. The stench of blood and rotting corpses still permeated the air here.

The corpses on and around the mountains had been disposed of by someone. It was likely the work of greedy cultivators who robbed the corpses in hopes of finding treasure. On the other hand, due to the incredibly high temperature in the valley, the corpses in the valley were untouched. Those with lower cultivation bases did not dare to get close to the valley at all.

Lu Zhou flew toward the valley and came to a halt above the lava. A wave of scorching heat assaulted his face immediately. As he mobilized his protective energy to keep the heat at bay, a refreshing feeling could be felt in his Dantian's sea of Qi.

"Hmm?"

Lu Zhou lifted his hand and manifested his Thousand Realms Whirling avatar. He looked at the Birth Chart in his Birth Palace. The Seven Killing Techniques position had indeed boosted his combat strength. It would flash with light from time to time.

"The life heart of that ferocious beast has fire-resistance ability…" Lu Zhou muttered to himself. He withdrew his avatar and flew closer to the lava below him.

The cave under the rift had already collapsed.

Lu Zhou launched a few palm strikes to move the rocks that blocked the entrance of the cave. Soon though, he saw the bottom of the cave was almost entirely covered by lava.

Lu Zhou did not hesitate and flew into the ruins of the cave. The ferocious beasts should be in there. He discovered the scorching heat did not bother him like the first time he was here. Apart from the rise of his cultivation base, it was also because of the Birth Chart Heart that granted him the fire-resistance ability.

Following that, he flew down a fissure in the ruins of the cave. It was not as dark as the Black Water Mystic Cave. Perhaps, it was because it was filled with lava. After a brief moment, he realized that this place was a replica of the Black Water Mystic Cave. The differences were the dark water and the darkness in the Black Water Mystic Cave were replaced by lava that cast a red light into the surroundings.

'The Black Water Mystic Cave links the golden lotus domain and the red lotus domain together. So, where does this place link to? The black lotus domain?' Lu Zhou wondered to himself. After all, he had seen Lu Li emerging from this place at that time.

At that time, many cultivators from the red lotus domain had seen the black lotus Thousand Realms Whirling avatar. When word spread, it caused panic to descend on the red lotus domain. However, as time passed, nothing happened so the rumors gradually died down until not many people spoke about it anymore.

Lu Zhuo dove, moving closer to the bubbling river of lava. After he studied it for a long time, he decided not to find out where the lava flowed. Instead, he decided to focus his effort on searching for Birth Chart Beasts.

Lu Zhou searched every nook and cranny in the ruins of the cave, places where Birth Chart Beasts might be hiding. He even flew deeper into the ruins, following the flow of the lava. Alas, he searched for a long time, but it bore no fruit.

Lu Zhou was about to turn around when he saw a flash of light near the cliff-like top of the ruins. "What's that?"

Lu Zhou flew over curiously. He saw a circle that was drawn on the wall of the cliff, and it was flashing with light. "A guiding mark?"

Someone had left a guiding mark here. Lu Zhou grew even more certain that this place was a passage that linked the red lotus domain to another place.

"Was it Lu Li?" Lu Zhou furrowed his brows. With Lu Li's cultivation base, it would be easy for him to flatten the red lotus domain if he so wished. Why would he leave a guiding mark here? Something was amiss.

Lu Zhou hovered in the air as he studied the guiding mark, lost in his thoughts.

At this moment…

Buzz!

A buzzing noise rang from the guiding mark.

"Someone's coming?" Lu Zhou looked to the left and the right, but he did not see anyone. However, the guiding mark could not lie.

He closed his eyes and chanted the mantra for the Heavenly Writing Power.

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

In just a moment, sounds, loud and soft, rushed to his ears from all directions.

He heard a gurgling sound.

"It's the lava?" Lu Zhou stopped the Heavenly Writing Power and opened his eyes to look at the lava.

Then, he flew away from the guiding mark and hid behind a huge rock nearby. He used the Purple Glazed Ceramic to conceal his qi and energy.

The lava continued to bubble and roil violently. It grew more and more intense until…

Boom!

The lava surged and splashed in the air as a black lotus Thousand Realms Whirling avatar broke out of its surface. It towered above the bubbling lava, occupying a vast area.

"Black lotus?"

The black lotus avatar was 500 feet tall. This meant the person who owned the avatar was as strong as Lu Li.

Soon enough, Lu Zhou saw a man dressed in black robes. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, and the skin on his face looked like tree bark.

After emerging from the lava, the man withdrew his avatar and flew up into the air. He turned around and looked at the guiding mark indifferently before he pushed his hand out.

A black seal shot out toward the guiding mark, and the guiding mark flashed once before it stopped buzzing.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou continued observing the black lotus cultivator from his hiding place.

What was this man doing here? Was he a friend or a foe?

Lu Zhou was not naive and did not think that everyone in the black lotus domain would be like Lu Li.

As long as the enemy did not make a move, he would not make a move.

Therefore, Lu Zhou continued to observe the black lotus cultivator.