My Disciples Are All Villains

Yu Shangrong faded out of focus. In the next instant, he appeared above the pool of water. His feet were firmly on the quagmire, and yet, he was not wet. He stooped down and listened quietly. His surroundings were extremely quiet as well. The quieter a place was, the more likely one would hear ringing in one's ears. He was experiencing this at the moment. Amidst the sound of ringing, he could faintly hear… the sound of wind? No...

Yu Shangrong flew up. He saw many cultivators flying toward him from Lou Lan city. There were purple-robed and armored cultivators.

"12 more days…" Yu Shangrong felt his head ache at this moment. With his abilities, he could get rid of these cultivators, but he was still human, after all. If Lou Lan sent its troop at him relentlessly, he would eventually collapse from exhaustion. He pondered it for a moment before he looked at Ji Liang and called out, "Ji Liang."

Neigh!

Ji Liang flew toward him excitedly.

Yu Shangrong patted Ji Liang and said, "Draw them away… Fly to the south of Heaven's Moat. I don't think they can reach the highest point at the south of Heaven's Moat. Shake them off there."

Neigh!

"You shouldn't fly too fast or else they won't be able to keep up…" Yu Shangrong removed his cloak. He flew into the forest and broke some branches. He placed them on the horse's back and covered it with his cloak.

Ji Liang spun around.

"Go…"

Neigh!

Ji Liang's current neighing surpassed the volume of those before. It flew away from the forest toward Great Yan.

With the commotion Ji Liang deliberately caused, the purple-robed cultivators and soldiers from Lou Lan City saw it immediately. They changed their direction and pursued it. The soldiers traveled on foot while the cultivators flew behind them in a densely packed formation.

Looking up from the forest, it was as though a naughty child had disturbed a hive of angry hornets.

Yu Shangrong briefly glanced at the sky. Then, he leaned against a tree trunk and said, "Don't fly too quickly."

Ji Liang understood what Yu Shangrong intended to do. It made frequent stops as it flew.

The purple-robed cultivators thought Ji Liang was an ordinary mount that would be exhausted after a short flight. They chased after it wildly.

When they finally vanished behind the clouds, Yu Shangrong closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and rested. He knew the real challenge would come next.

Ji Liang would need more than ten days to reach Heaven's Moat… It would have to travel to the mountains and back, which meant that it would be more than 20 days before it returned to fetch him. However, it would only take 12 days to see if Eldest Senior Brother would come back to life. This meant that he would have to bring his Eldest Senior Brother back to Great Yan on his own.

"Fly on my own?" When Yu Shangrong thought about this, he opened his eyes, feeling slightly helpless. To think the great Sword Devil would experience moments of helpless as well.

…

Yu Shangrong's strategy of using Ji Liang as a diversion was successful. However, on the third day, more cultivators arrived at the quagmire.

Yu Shangrong did not show himself. He merely observed from the forest.

The purple-robed cultivators surveyed the quagmire's surroundings and flew for some distance above the Land of Buried Bones. Then, they changed directions and left. They must have been here to investigate the deaths of their people.

The next three days were uneventful.

…

Meanwhile, Karol was also keeping a close tab on this matter in the Roulian campground.

"General, we have a reply from Lou Lan. Although the Sword Devil hasn't been located yet, they've laid many traps along the route back to Great Yan. He won't be able to return!" a subordinate said with a bow.

Karol opened his eyes. He nodded and said, "Very good… What's the situation on Bazir's side?"

"Lord Bazir isn't in a good mood. He has difficulty accepting your opinions."

"Imbecile… How did someone like him cultivate to the rank of a grand shaman?" Karol smiled. "There's only one Nine-leaf cultivator in Great Yan… The 12 allied nations must work together in a coordinated manner. Does he think he's the king of Lou Lan?"

"I… don't know."

"That's all for now. If he comes, tell him that I'm busy and won't be able to meet him."

"Understood!" The subordinate left. He flew away from the camp and arrived at another campground soon after.

After making it past the guards, he arrived outside the main tent. "My lord, I've conveyed your message to the general."

A voice rang from within the tent. "I don't think the general will hold this against me, not with his magnanimity… Is he pleased with my suggestion?"

The subordinate replied, "The general said that he can hardly accept such a ludicrous suggestion and that Lou Lan should earnestly reflect on why it's so weak."

"What?"

"Stay your anger, my lord! Those were the general's exact words! The general has also said that he's busy and won't be able to meet you!"

There was a long pause from the tent. Grand Shaman Bazir seethed in anger as he finally said, "Get lost."

The subordinate did not dare to linger for a moment longer. He immediately dashed out of the campgrounds toward a remote spot in the forest. He sent a letter there before returning to the Roulian campground.

...

Inside the Lou Lan campground.

Bazir cursed out loud, "Karol, you Roulians are but a bunch of uncivilized barbarians. How dare you compare yourself to the likes of Lou Lan?"

A shaman on the side said respectfully, "My lord… Do you think we should still intercept Yu Shangrong?"

"What do you think?"

"I recommend that we don't… We can turn this into a gesture of goodwill toward Great Yan. Great Yan's Nether Sect is currently like the sun during high noon. I'm afraid the 12 allied nations won't be able to bear much fruit."

Bazir glanced at his subordinate and said, "No."

"My lord?"

"Not only am I going to intercept Yu Shangrong, but I will force him toward Lou Lan's territory. Then, I'll kill him there, no matter the price. When that happens, the Evil Sky Pavilion will surely put the blame on Rouli. I'd like to see how Karol will hold up against a Nine-leaf cultivator!"

"That's brilliant, my lord."

"I'll leave it to you. Remember, a Roulian must be seen doing that."

"Understood."

It was merely a matter of having some of their own impersonate the Roulians.

…

12 days passed in just a blink of an eye.

In addition to the 27 days, the 40 golden days for Wuqians to be resurrected were over. 49 days were neither long nor short. However, it was enough time for big changes to take place in the cultivation world. Nobody knew what the situation was like in the current cultivation world.

The sun rose as usual, and the moon would still retire. Everything seemed normal.

In the morning, a drop of dew slid off the tree branch. The sunlight shone on it, making it look dazzling.

Whizz!

The drop of water was slowed by invisible Primal Qi before it could reach Yu Shangrong's hair.

Yu Shangrong opened his eyes at this moment. He scattered his Primal Qi; the droplet of water hovering above his head instantly evaporated.

Bloob! Bloob! Bloob!

The water bubbled and gurgled from the center of the quagmire again.

Yu Shangrong descended and flew out of the forest. He hovered nearby as he looked down at the area.

The pool bubbled with more intensity now. Steam was beginning to rise from it as the water boiled over. As the water evaporated, the quagmire dried up into soil. Eventually, the bubbling sound stopped. The land was now flat and parched.

Yu Shangrong crossed his arms. He stared at the ground. He said under his breath, "Your time is up…"

He looked at the sun in the skies. The sun rose in the east; its rays shone from the mountain onto the ancient Lou Lan City in the distance.

Everything was quiet.

Birds flew overhead, chirping noisily. One of the birds, a mutated bird, with a keen sense of smell landed at the center of the quagmire and pecked at the dry layer of soil. It seemed to have picked up a scent and was pecking away enthusiastically. Soon enough, it pecked until there was an opening on the ground.

Swoosh

An arm covered in dirt broke out of the ground and grabbed the bird; its fingers gripping the bird's wing. After a while, it released its grip.

Frightened, the bird flew away, fleeing for its life.

The arm remained raised, pointing at the sky.