My Disciples Are All Villains

Lu Zhou nodded and said, "There are ancient humans so there'll naturally be ancient fierce beasts. Apart from the core region of the Unknown Land, where else could those fierce beasts go?"

Qin Renyue chuckled before he said, "I didn't expect Brother Lu to be interested in this. After the disappearance of the Great Void, with the Unknown Land in the center, the land split into nine domains, surrounded by the Endless Ocean. There are islands scattered all over the ocean. Some of the intelligent and powerful fierce beasts migrated there to avoid the catastrophic event of the splitting of the lands."

"What about sea beasts?" Lu Zhou asked.

"Sea beasts are stronger and more hostile. The most terrifying thing is that they seem to be only slightly restrained by the shackles of heaven and earth. Moreover, they have long lives as well. However, there's a balance between heaven and earth. The sea beasts won't easily come to shore. To them, the land is small and insignificant," Qin Renyue replied.

"Is the Great Void small?" Lu Zhou asked skeptically.

"Uh, this…" Qin Renyue smiled awkwardly as he said, "My understanding of the Great Void is shallow and naturally can't compare to Brother Lu."

After saying that, Qin Renyue said with a sigh, "Sometimes, I think it'd be great if the people from the Great Void took me away as well. Everyone yearns for the Great Void in different ways. Death is inescapable. Rather than just waiting for my death, isn't it better for me to have a look at the Great Void before I die?"

"Are you going to die soon?" Lu Zhou asked skeptically.

Qin Renyue: "?"

Lu Zhou said, "My words harbor no ill intentions. Venerable Masters can live for 30,000 years. I see that you're filled with vitality and don't look like a person who's reached the end of his life."

"I'm deeply moved by Brother Lu's words," Qin Renyue said.

"..."

'Young people always like to stare at the sky with a melancholic expression and a sorrowful gaze. It's really incomprehensible. If you have the time to sigh, why don't you cultivate instead? Life is fleeting so why would you deliberately indulge in sorrow?'

After a moment, Lu Zhou asked, "If what you say about the ancient divine beasts' life hearts are true, doesn't it mean there's no way for the people of today to obtain them?"

Qin Ren Yue nodded his head then he shook his head. After a moment, he said, "The ancient life hearts are even more terrifying than the divine beasts. No cultivators in the nine domains are capable of subduing them for use. Even if there's a person who's capable of that, it's indeed impossible to obtain one. Perhaps, one can only obtain it if those ancient Saints reappear. People from the Great Void can kill an ancient Saint and obtain his or her ancient life hearts. Or, if one's lucky, one might encounter someone like Moshang whose cultivation base is low but is bestowed with an ancient life heart from his or her elder. In any case, it's almost impossible to obtain them even if these people appear. After all, it's almost impossible to steal another person's life heart from their Birth Palace unless they cooperate."

Indeed. Under normal circumstances, who would manifest their Birth Palace and stand still while someone robbed them of their life hearts?

"Digging out a life heart is like killing a cultivator. Moreover, there's also the risk of the cultivator choosing to self-destruct."

"To think the ancient divine beast's life hearts are so rare and precious," Lu Zhou murmured.

'Jie Jin'an is willing to give such a rare treasure to me?'

Qin Renyue asked, "Brother Lu, why are you asking about this all of a sudden? Don't tell me you plan to go to the Unknown Land to look for them? If that's the case, you'll have to go to the core region…"

Lu Zhou shook his head. "I have no plans of going to the Unknown Land for now."

Although Lu Zhou had become a Venerable Master, he needed time to familiarize himself with his new power. He would have to go to the Unknown Land again, but the time was not now.

At this moment, Yuan Lang walked in and said with a bow, "Everyone has arrived."

"Lead them in."

"Understood."

Outside of the hall.

Flying chariots flew from all directions before landing outside of the northern training hall. Each flying chariot was guarded by hundreds of cultivators. There were handsome young men and women as well as elderly experts.

"Venerable Master Fan has arrived!"

The first flying chariot to land naturally belonged to Fan Zhong, one of the Four, now two, Venerable Masters.

…

When Lu Zhou heard the announcement, he frowned. "He's shameless enough to come?"

"He's a Venerable Master, after all. He came with the Free Man, Fan Haichen," Qin Renyue said before adding, "If you're displeased by his presence, I'll have someone ask him to stay outside."

Just as Qin Renyue was about to wave someone over, Lu Zhou said, "No need."

Lu Zhou was now a Venerable Master. With his cultivation base now, Fan Zhong was not a threat to him.

"Vice Leader Gu Ning of the Phantom Union has arrived."

"The Valley Master of Hurricane Valley has arrived."

"..."

One after another, unfamiliar names rang in Lu Zhou's ears.

Lu Zhou curiously asked, "Isn't anyone from the Tuoba clan or the Ye clan coming?"

Qin Renyue said, "Out of the eight Free Men, only four or five are attending today. With Tuoba Sicheng and Ye Zheng's deaths, the Free Men from their clans won't be attending. The Free Man of my Qin clan… won't be attending either…"

Lu Zhou nodded, ignoring Qin Renyue's last sentence.

Qin Renyue knew better than anyone why Qin Naihe joined the Evil Sky Pavilion.

As the duo chatted, many cultivators walked into the hall, chatting and laughing. However, they fell silent as soon as they entered the hall.

"Greetings, Venerable Master Qin."

Everyone bowed.

Qin Renyue frowned. 'These bows are very problematic. With such a bigshot sitting across from me, how can they only greet me?'

Just as Qin Renyue was about to correct them, Fan Zhong walked in from the back of the crowd.

"Greetings, Venerable Master Fan."

Everyone bowed again.

Fan Zhong walked to the front of the crowd and said respectfully, "Long time no see, Pavilion Master Lu."

Lu Zhou only glanced at Fan Zhong before ignoring him,

Everyone: "..."

Everyone present was a person of status. They knew cultivators who could see shoulder to shoulder with Qin Renyue could not be ordinary. However, if Qin Renyue did not make the introductions, it would be awkward for them to rashly bow to him.

Qin Renyue smiled and said, "This is my friend, Pavilion Master Lu of the Evil Sky Pavilion."

The eyes of Shang Yan, the Valley Master of Hurricane Valley, brightened immediately. He stepped forward and said, "I've heard a lot of your great name, Pavilion Master Lu."

Lu Zhou's battle with the Fire Phoenix in the Unknown Land had shaken the green lotus domain. Many people had heard of Lu Zhou's name because of that battle, but none of them had met him.

"As it turns out, it's Pavilion Master Lu. What an honor to meet you here!"

Everyone stepped forward one after another to bow.

Upon seeing that the people were not going to stop bowing any time soon, Lu Zhou waved his hand and said, "Dispense with the formalities."

"Thank you, Pavilion Master Lu."

Then, Qin Renyue said, "Please take your seats."

After everyone took their seats, Qin Renyue said, "I'm sure all of you already know why we're all gathered today."

Fan Zhong smiled. "In the past, we've always hosted these things at Venerable Master Tuoba's training hall or Venerable Master Ye Zheng's Yannan's Blessed Land. This year it's finally your turn."

Qin Renyue, who could sense Fan Zhong's dissatisfaction, said, "Then, why don't we change to Venerable Master Fan's training hall now?"

"No, no, no, what are you saying? I'm happy for Brother Qin," Fan Zhong said.

"Times have changed. In the past, when all the Venerable Masters were around, the world was peaceful. With the imbalance growing worse, there's the threat of fierce beasts invading our lands, annihilating the human race. The responsibility I bear has grown heavier now. If it weren't for the sake of the world, why would I bother with these matters?" Qin Renyue said.

Fan Zhong was rendered speechless by these words. Then, he glanced at Lu Zhou, who was seated next to him, furtively.

At this time, Shang Yan, the Valley Master of Hurricane Valley, tried to smooth things over. He said, "Both Venerable Masters are here for the sake of the world. The location doesn't matter; it's the intention that counts. I know why Venerable Master Qin has invited everyone here. I heard that a Great Venerable Master had appeared at the Sky Hook Ropeway. Is this true?"

Everyone turned to look at Qin Renyue immediately.

Since Qin Renyue's Qin clan was located closest to the Sky Hook Ropeway, he was most likely to have answers they sought.

Although the memories of the cultivators at the Soaring Peaks were erased by Jie Jin'an, the commotion was so huge that it attracted many cultivators in the surrounding area. Qin Renyue was one of them.

Qin Renyue said with a smile, "Of course! That day, I was meditating in the training hall when I suddenly felt a terrifying wave of energy from the Soaring Peaks. I rushed out and observed from afar. I saw a huge storm brewing and before it wreaked havoc, flattening the area within ten thousand feet of the Soaring Peaks. You can verify it for yourselves if you don't believe me. Not only did a Venerable Master appear, but it's a Great Venerable Master!"

Everyone was shocked.

Qin Renyue continued to say, "Most importantly, the Great Venerable Master is a guest at my humble abode."

"..."

Shang Yan of the Hurricane Valley, Gu Ning of the Phantom Union, Fan Zhong, and the others were shocked.

Fan Zhong, in particular, was even more shocked. No wonder Qin Renyue had gathered everyone here.

Shang Yan asked again, "The Venerable Master is a guest at your training hall?"

"Yes," Qin Renyue said confidently.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou was puzzled. He thought to himself, 'How did Qin Renyue know it was me? I even used my Heavenly Writing powers to ensure no one was following me when I left…'

Shang Yan hurriedly said, "It'd be our honor to be able to meet the Great Venerable Master."

The others nodded.

Qin Renyue said again, "The Great Venerable Master has only passed his Birth Trial. Perhaps, due to his inexperience, he told me he's not feeling well when I invited him over. He's been vomiting non-stop. He'll come and meet us in a while."

Lu Zhou was inwardly surprised. 'He's not talking about me? It's someone else? Who dares to pretend to be me?'

Lu Zhou had grown rather tired of impostors.

Shang Yan asked, clearly confused, "Even a Great Venerable Master can feel unwell?"

"Of course," Gu Ning said, nudging Shang Yan.

"Ah, that's right. Of course, we'll wait until he feels better to meet him," Shang Yan hurriedly said. Even if he knew it was just an excuse, he still had to act as though it was real.

Lu Zhou asked skeptically, "Qin Renyue, you know the Great Venerable Master from the Soaring Peaks?"

In his excitement, Qin Renyue almost forgot about Lu Zhou. He said with barely contained excitement, "Brother Lu, you must be even happier than I am when you were at the southern training hall that day! Congratulations, Brother Lu, congratulations!"

"???"

Qin Renyue's 'congratulation' stunned Lu Zhou and everyone present.

'Who's he talking about?!'

At this moment, a voice rang from outside the training hall.

"I'm here, Venerable Master Qin! I'll be disappointed if you didn't prepare good food and good wine."

Everyone collectively turned to look in the direction of the voice.

Soon enough, Mingshi Yin walked into the hall with Qiong Qi in tow.

Lu Zhou frowned.

Qin Renyue was the first to speak. "Honorable junior nephew, oh, no, I mean, greetings, Venerable Master."

The others were in shock and disbelief. It was their first time seeing such a young Venerable Master. However, since Qin Renyue took the lead to greet the young Venerable Master, there should be no mistake. With that, everyone stepped forward one after another.

"Greetings, Great Venerable Master!"

Mingshi Yin: "???"

Mingshi Yin scratched his head in confusion before he said, "Venerable Master Qin, this joke isn't funny at all."

Qin Renyue smiled conspiratorially at Mingshi Yin before he said, "Don't be modest. As a Great Venerable Master, your status is higher than mine. Even Brother Lu has to…"

Qin Renyue forcefully stopped the following words from coming out of his mouth. He coughed to cover his slip-up.

Thud!

Mingshi Yin fell to his knees and kowtowed immediately. "Greetings, master!"

"???"

Everyone was baffled.

'The Great Venerable Master is Pavilion Master Lu's disciple?'

Fan Zhong was in disbelief. It was not impossible, but it was almost unheard of for a disciple to surpass his master. It was already good enough if the master did not hold back when teaching a disciple; how could a disciple surpass his master?

At this time, Mingshi Yin hurriedly explained, "Master, this is a misunderstanding on Venerable Master Qin's part. I'm not a whatever… Great Venerable Master…"

Lu Zhou nodded. He knew his fourth disciple would not have the audacity to masquerade as a Venerable Master, let alone a Great Venerable Master. It was clear that Qin Renyue had misunderstood the situation. Hence, he said, "Although Old Fourth's talent isn't bad, he still has a long way to go before he becomes a Venerable Master."

At this moment, Fan Zhong brought a Qi pearl. As soon he brought it out, it shone brilliantly, illuminating the entire hall. Its brightness indicated the target was a Venerable Master.

Upon seeing this, Fan Zhong's eyes widened. "He's really a Venerable Master?!"

No one doubted the Qi pearl.

Silence descended in the hall.

"..."

Mingshi Yin turned around, flabbergasted. Then, he asked, "When did I become a Venerable Master?"

"Greetings, Venerable Master!"

Everyone rose to their feet and bowed. They were respectful and excited. No one would believe Mingshi Yin even if he denied it with all his might.

Qin Renyue looked at Mingshi Yin with barely concealed admiration.

Qin Renyue was about to bow when Mingshi Yin raised his hand, bringing the Qi pearl into his hand. Then, he clenched his hand, turning it into dust. After patting his hands clean, he said, "What bullsh*t is this? It's not accurate at all!"

Everyone thought the new Venerable Master was very unique; he was unprecedentedly modest.

Then, Mingshi Yin looked at his master innocently and said, "Master, I… I really don't know what's going on."

Lu Zhou said, "Rise to your feet and speak."

Qin Renyue smiled and did not say anything. Inwardly, he thought that Lu Zhou's attitude was not quite appropriate. If a member of the Qin clan became a Great Venerable Master, he would be eager to worship that disciple. It was not impossible for him to give up his position in the clan as well.

Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!

Qiong Qi barked.

At the same time, a huge commotion could be heard from the southeastern direction.

Then, Yuan Lang ran in and said, "A fierce beast is headed this way!"

"How brave of it to come to Venerable Master Qin's training hall."

No one was worried. Almost all the elites in the green lotus domain were here, after all.

Qin Renyue said, "Let me go and have a look."

In just a blink of an eye, Qin Renyue appeared in the sky. When he looked in the southeastern direction, his expression changed slightly. "A divine beast? The Fire Phoenix?"

The Fire Phoenix let out a cry and shot across the cry. Flames burned and surged in the sky.

The cultivators guarding the flying chariots outside were so frightened that they paled instantly. They hurriedly brought the flying chariots with them and fled in the opposite direction.

Soon enough, the Fire Phoenix arrived above the northern training hall.

A scorching heatwave swept out immediately.

Qin Renyue flashed back into the hall and said, "It's a divine beast, the Fire Phoenix! Great Venerable Master, please make a move! We mustn't let it wreak havoc in the green lotus domain!"

Mingshi Yin. "???"

Everyone rushed out and looked at the sky in shock.

"It's truly the Fire Phoenix!"

"Strange! Why did it come here?"

Everyone was shocked and confused.

Lu Zhou thought to himself, 'Previously, it was frightened away by the Equalizer in the Unknown Land. It fled after leaving its egg behind. Did it come to look for its hatchling?'

Lu Zhou thought this was the most probable.

At this time, Fan Zhong's expression was grave as he cupped his fists together at Mingshi Yin, Lu Zhou, and Qin Renyue and said, "If the four of us work together, even if we can't kill it, we should be able to drive it away."

"Brother Lu has the experience of fighting with the Fire Phoenix. Everyone, don't worry too much."

The others nodded.

'It's up to Pavilion Master Lu and the Great Venerable Master now…'

Divine beasts were as strong as Saints, after all. Even if all of them joined forces, it still would not be easy to defeat the Fire Phoenix. They could only use the Dao inscription of the training hall to drive it away.

Mingshi Yin could not hold back any longer and said, "Master! I'll leave first! I… I can't deal with it!

'Even a Great Venerable Master is fleeing?'

Everyone panicked.

Even a Great Venerable Master fled after seeing the Fire Phoenix! What did this mean for them then?

Swoosh!

The Fire Phoenix circled the sky, flapping its wings.

A scorching heatwave swept through the entire place immediately.