Lu Zhou’s impression of the Clarity Sect and Righteous Sect was not good to begin with. He was already showing them great mercy by not holding them accountable for bringing Zhao Yue here. How dare they ask him to defend them? He thought these people deserved it if Kong Yuan came looking for them.
At this moment, Little Yuan’er who was carrying Zhao Yue returned to Lu Zhou’s side.
Upon seeing this, the cultivators began to speak up one after another.
“Master, please don’t do this!”
“Zhao Yue is the fifth disciple of the Evil Sky Pavilion’s old villain. She has committed many crimes. If she’s not dealt with, she’ll bring calamity to the world!”
“Please reconsider your decision, master!”
Lu Zhou sneered inwardly. A few moments ago, they were asking him to defend them, and now, they were asking him to reconsider his action. ‘They should weigh their own worth on the scale. It’s indeed true that the Noble Path is filled with sanctimonious pricks.’ After a while, he said coldly, “Is there anyone who has a problem with me taking her away?”
The cultivators seemed to have been put between a rock and a hard place. “Err…”
Lu Zhou turned around after he said, “Let’s go.”
Duan Xing, the Fiend Temple’s Third Seat, appeared before Lu Zhou.
Lu Zhou was not surprised. Duan Xing was the only one among this band of cultivators who was skilled. He did not have to trouble himself with the others. It was within his expectation for Duan Xing to stop him. ‘Just as well. Dealing with Duan Xing will serve as another warning for these Noble Path’s cultivators.’
However, something unexpected happened.
Duan Xing bowed slightly and said with a smile, “It’s most appropriate for master to bring the she-villain, Zhao Yue, away. The Fiend Temple fully agrees with this!”
As soon as Duan Xing finished speaking, the cultivators from Clarity Sect and Righteous Sect exchanged a look among themselves.
‘Although the Noble and Fiend Paths are at odds with each other, today’s grand ceremony was held to use Zhao Yue in a marriage alliance to soften the tension between the two sides. Your Second Seat was also killed by the Evil Sky Pavilion’s old villain. Why would you let Zhao Yue go now?’
“Duan Xing, have you forgotten how Zuo Xinchan lost his life?”
Duan Xing replied with a smile, “The Second Seat went up the mountain to challenge the Evil Sky Pavilion. He was outmatched and lost his life. That’s all there is to it.”
“Can you speak for the entire Fiend Temple?”
Duan Xing looked at everyone, his eyes flashing coldly.
Fuh!
Duan Xing moved quickly and raised a palm. The Clarity Sect’s cultivator who was hit reeled back and spat out a mouthful of blood before he crashed onto the portico! He was dead!
Upon seeing this, a shocked expression could be seen on everyone’s faces as they took a step backward.
“The Noble and Fiend Paths are at odds… I’m not that bald donkey, Kong Xuan. If you’re here to preach, you’d do well to go home and preach to your own mother! I’m sick of hearing all this…”
“…”
The holy altar was deathly silent.
Who would dare to oppose Duan Xing at this moment? They were daring enough to argue about reason with an enlightened senior monk, but they did not dare to do the same to someone from the Fiend Path. Those from the Fiend Path were unreasonable after all. It was no wonder those who were on the Fiend Path in Great Yan were despised by those on the Noble Path!
Duan Xing walked up to Lu Zhou. He bowed again and cupped his hands together again before he said, “You are merciful, master, to be willing to reform this she-villain. This is a blessing for everyone under the heavens.”
Lu Zhou stroked his beard and nodded. This person was much more tactful than the people from the Clarity Sect and Righteous Sect. However, he still remained wary. If there were a need, he would use another item card.
Duan Xing said, “Since you’re taking the she-villain away, the Fiend Temple will consider the Second Seat, Zuo Xinchan, avenged.”
Lu Zhou nodded and said indifferently, “You did a good job cultivating your Dao Invisibility.”
Duan Xing was taken aback when he heard this. He quickly lowered his head.
Lu Zhou waved his arm lightly.
It did not take long before Bi An charged over from beyond the holy altar. It roared like a tiger and bared its fangs.
The monks from the Temple of Great Emptiness had been manning the perimeter, but Bi An did not seem troubled by them. It ignored them completely and charged toward Lu Zhou.
Bang! Bang!
Two Brahma Sea realm monks with eight connected meridians reeled from the impact.
The crowd was shocked again.
‘This mount…’
‘What a feisty beast!’
‘To think that an enlightened senior monk with this cultivation base would have such a violent mount like this.’
‘I didn’t expect this!’
Lu Zhou leaped onto Bi An.
Little Yuan’er carried Zhao Yue and easily leaped onto Bi An’s back as well.
Bi An roared again. It pushed back with its four hooves and dashed away from the holy altar through the air.
The others would need some grand technique to catch up to a legendary mount once it left the boundaries of the holy altar. However, grand techniques would require a huge amount of energy. A cultivator would not be able to use them at will unless they had a profound cultivation base.
The others looked on enviously as Bi An flew away from the holy altar’s plaza like the wind.
At this moment, the pressure on the holy altar plaza was lifted.
The cultivators from the Righteous Sect and Clarity Sect shook their heads and sighed. They were powerless to do anything. After a while, they spoke up again.
“We can’t forgive this band of bald donkeys!”
“Lock them up!”
However, the Fiend Temple’s Third Seat said coldly, “Aren’t you being too lenient by just locking them up?”
“Then, what would you have us do?”
Duan Xing said, “Remove the weed by pulling up its roots to prevent any mishaps in the future.”
The cultivators from the Clarity Sect and Righteous Sect looked at Duan Xing in shock. Since they took pride in being on the Noble Path, they, naturally, would not do such a thing.
However, the Fiend Temple did not have such qualms.
The Noble Path’s cultivators did not say anything as though by remaining silent they were giving their tacit approval.
The fury of the Fiend Temple, inspired by the ordeal they went through that was caused by the Brahman Lullaby, would find its outlet in these monks.
…
Lu Zhou steered Bi An and navigated through the clusters of buildings on the holy altar. Unbeknownst to him, a figure had stepped out from behind a random building.
The figure belonged to none other than Jiang Aijian. A conflicted expression could be seen on his face as he looked at Bi An’s retreating back. He muttered under his breath, “That’s impossible… His cultivation base is clearly at the middle stage of the Sense Condensing realm! How can he be a great master of the Buddhist Sect?!”
Jiang Aijian stroked his chin as he fell into another dilemma. “Should I go after him? Will I be reduced to dush? However, he’s a senior monk so he probably won’t kill me on a whim, right? Hmmm, the Old Mister seems like a nice person, I’m sure there won’t be any problem.”
When Jiang Aijian looked up, Bi An had already vanished from his sight. He did not even know which direction the beast was headed. He was stunned. He turned around in a circle. ‘Who am I? Where the f*ck am I? What was I going to do again?’
…
Lu Zhou did not head toward Golden Court Mountain. Instead, he flew toward Runan City. Although he had found Zhao Yue, there were still many questions that needed answering.
Lu Zhou dismounted from Bi An before dismissing Bi An when they were near Runan City. After all, Bi An would attract too much attention.
Lu Zhou and Little Yuan’er brought Zhao Yue with them back to the inn. When they entered, the innkeeper was even more excited to see them compared to his own parents. He ran up to Lu Zhou before kneeling and kowtowing.
“My lord, you’ve finally returned! If you arrive any later, I would’ve lost my head!”
Lu Zhou said suspiciously, “What do you mean?”
“The officer has told me that you’re from the palace… I’ve acted impertinently toward you, and that’s a great crime!”
“No matter.” Lu Zhou waved his hand. He motioned for Little Yuan’er to bring Zhao Yue into the room. He had no need to argue with an innkeeper.
Lu Zhou took a few steps up the stairs before turning around. He asked coldly, “Did you find the culprit?”
The innkeeper shook his head and said, “The officer would never reveal such information to me. I truly don’t know.”
Lu Zhou nodded. He stroked his beard as he went up the stairs.
After the incident at the holy altar, Lu Zhou could rule out Jiang Aijian. That sword freak, Chen Wenjie, was fighting against a Clarity Sect’s elite so he could not have been the culprit as well. That left him two other possibilities. It was either his second disciple, Sword Devil Yu Shangrong, or the Luo Sect’s Luo Changqing.
Luo Changqing was currently in the northern regions of Great Yan. It would take him some time to get here. The possibility of him being the culprit was not high.
Lu Zhou stopped and looked at the corner where Zhuo Ping had been killed. ‘Yesterday… my second disciple, Sword Devil Yu Shangrong, was merely dozens of meters away from me?’
“Master,” Little Yuan’er called out.
“What’s the matter?”
“Senior Sister has woken up…”
Lu Zhou nodded. He walked up the stairs with a stern expression. “That evil disciple! I’ve truly outdone myself this time!”