The Fiend Temple’s influence had been expanding in recent years. Many elites had joined its ranks as well. Currently, it was like a tiger that had sprouted wings.
Previously, Si Wuya had heard that Ren Buping, the Master of Fiend Temple, had gone into seclusion to cultivate. Occasionally, there would be news about the huge improvements that Ren Buping made, but he had never been able to verify the news. The growth in the Fiend Temple’s influence had affected the Darknet and especially, the Nether Sect. For this reason, he had placed a spy near Ren Buping to keep an eye on Ren Buping’s every move.
Ren Buping was not the only one who was cultivating in seclusion. The Temple of Great Emptiness’ Kong Yuan, Luo Xingkong, the former Sect Leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect, and the Confucian School’s elite, Chang Xian, who had failed to take down Golden Court Mountain, had all gone into seclusion to cultivate in hopes of achieving a breakthrough in their cultivation bases. However, none of them had shown any signs of a breakthrough thus far.
Si Wuya thought to himself, ‘If Ren Buping has a breakthrough in his cultivation base, what is he going to do? Is he going to expand the influence of the Fiend Temple or will he seek revenge from the Evil Sky Pavilion?’ He turned to Zhu Honggong and asked, “Old Eighth, what are you thinking about?”
Zhu Honggong mulled over all the possibilities before he said, “I’m just thinking if the senior Buddhist monk who cast the hand seal for the Great Vajra Wheel is master’s ally.”
“Master never liked to ally himself with others. However, times are different now. It’s not entirely impossible for master to do something like that. After all, there seems to be a new addition to the Evil Sky Pavilion.”
Zhu Honggong’s eyes brightened. “Master has accepted another disciple?”
“I wouldn’t say that person’s a disciple. He’s more like a… staff. Apart from that, the Golden Court Mountain’s barrier has been restored even though the reason for that is unclear. As for the other matters, let’s wait until he has exhausted his allocated lifespan.”
“Another staff? Seventh Senior Brother, why don’t we return to the Evil Sky Pavilion?” Zhu Honggong suggested.
Si Wuya did not deign to reply. He only looked at Zhu Honggong coldly, causing shivers to run up Zhu Honggong’s spine.
…
In a hidden chamber in Evil Sky Pavilion on Golden Court Mountain.
Lu Zhou glanced at his current merit points; 5,010 merit points. He did not earn many points from the holy altar’s incident. He thought to himself, ‘5,000 points are just enough to purchase the avatar, the Mighty Four Quadrants. I can improve my cultivation base immediately. However, should I spend all my merit points just to purchase the avatar?”
Lu Zhou did not think it was worth it as he calculated the numbers inwardly. He considered the lucky draw for a second before dismissing it. He once spent 66 merit points on the lucky draw only to receive a Reversal Card. However, there was always a chance of him hitting the jackpot. It was unfortunate that he had a little more than 5,000 merit points. He did not have the extra points to try his luck on a lucky draw. “I should wait until I have more merit points.”
It was safe on Golden Court Mountain so Lu Zhou could take his time to earn merit points. For now, he decided to improve his cultivation base. Item cards were only effective against single opponents, after all. He got lucky during the incident on the holy altar. Under normal circumstances, he could not guarantee he would always be able to have a one-on-one showdown.
Lu Zhou controlled the system with his mind and purchased the Mighty Four Quadrants avatar.
“Ding! Obtained the avatar, the Mighty Four Quadrants.” As the system notification popped up, Lu Zhou’s original avatar, the Three Condensing Flowers, disappeared before it was replaced by the Mighty Four Quadrants. He felt his Primal Qi surging like a flood within his body. With his new avatar, it broke through his dantian’s sea of Qi. His Primal Qi grew quickly and easily broke through from the middle stage of the Sense Condensing Realm to the peak of the Sense Condensing realm. It did not take long before his dantian’s sea of Qi was filled with Primal Qi.
A man standing between the heavens and the earth was like a vessel. The vessel’s endurance would determine how much Primal Qi the vessel would be able to take in. The sizes of the meridian channels and dantian’s sea of Qi were crucial aspects in determining the strength of a cultivator.
Lu Zhou was no ordinary cultivator! He was the most powerful villain in the world. His dantian and meridian channels had been sculpted and tempered since a long time ago!
When the Primal Qi surged in, it was as though the floodgates of Yangtze River were opened. Lu Zhou could not stop it at all as his cultivation base rose quickly.
Lu Zhou quickly sat down and crossed his legs, focusing his mind. He did not dare to take this lightly and quickly directed all his attention to improving his cultivation base.
Apart from that, Lu Zhou understood something. Initially, when he obtained the system, his cultivation base was at the Nine-fold Body Tempering. Body Tempering cultivated his muscles, bone, and skin. Ji Tiandao had already accomplished this before, therefore, there was no need for him to cultivate them again. As for the five apertures of the Mystic Enlightening realm and the Sense Condensing realm, they were like the cultivation of the will. In other words, the improvement in his cultivation base now was completely dependent on the avatar’s level and the amount of Primal Qi he absorbed! With his eight meridians connected, if he had the right avatar and Primal Qi, he could reach all eight meridians in one go.
“Heavenly Writing.” With just a thought, Lu Zhou brought out the Heavenly Writing. He felt it would be easier for him to calm his spirit and concentrate, to keep distracting thoughts away, if he read the Heavenly Writing. As soon the Heavenly Writing appeared, his eyes landed on the complicated scripts.
…
Mingshi Yin locked Zhao Yue in the Cave of Reflection upon their return. He paced up and down, keeping guard ever since he had locked her up.
When Zhao Yue entered the Cave of Reflection, she saw Ye Tianxin whose hair, skin, and expressions were pale. She was extremely terrified.
Mingshi Yin explained, “Junior Tianxin’s cultivation base has been disabled by master… Without her cultivation base, it’s inevitable that her body would decline. It’s no surprise that she ended up looking like this.”
When Zhao Yue heard this, she was inwardly shocked. ‘What did she do to warrant such a heavy punishment?’ Suddenly, she felt extremely grateful that she still possessed her cultivation base. She was not as tenacious or bold as Ye Tianxin, she felt there was no difference between having no cultivation base and being dead. She thought to herself emotionally, ‘Luckily, I didn’t commit a grave mistake like Junior Sister Tianxin did.’
“Junior Sister Zhao Yue, this time… you’re very lucky to have been brought back unharmed by master. Master has ordered me to keep both of you in here to reflect on your actions. Please don’t blame senior brother for this,” Mingshi Yin said.
Zhao Yue nodded and said, “I’m grateful, senior brother… I don’t blame you.” Compared to her eccentric master, she much preferred her Fourth Senior Brother. At the very least, she would not need to tread on eggshells all the time. Moreover, she did not have to worry about being beaten or punished for saying the wrong thing.
At this moment, Ye Tianxin suddenly looked up. She looked at Zhao Yue with exhaustion in her eyes. A hint of surprise could be seen in her eyes as well.
“Witch… witchcraft…”
Mingshi Yin nodded and said, “Indeed, it’s witchcraft… Junior Sister Tianxin, you’ve learned a lot during your time in the outside world.”
Ye Tianxin gave a hollow laugh and said, “Witchcraft Restrictions… Cultivators would have a difficult time undoing it. It’s no different from having your cultivation base disabled… I was dealt with this fate, and now Zhao Yue suffers the same fate. I wonder who will be next?”
Zhao Yue asked in confusion, “Junior sister, what’s the point of resenting master at this point?” She looked at Ye Tianxin who was as pale as a piece of paper.
Mingshi Yin shook his head helplessly. “Junior Sister Tianxin, do you really want to stay in the Cave of Reflection for the rest of your life?” If she did not change her way of thinking, she would have to stay in here forever.
“What’s the difference? With the state I’m in, there’s no difference from being dead.”
“Stubborn!” Mingshi Yin shook his head.
Dong!
Suddenly, the resonance of Primal Qi energy reached their ears from afar.
Mingshi Yin frowned slightly and said, “The two of you should reflect on your actions here. I’ll visit you every day.”
“Thank you, senior brother,” Zhao Yue said with a nod.
…
“Ding! Disciplining Zhao Yue. Obtained 100 merit points. Loyalty: +5%.”
…
Mingshi Yin came outside. He cast a suspicious look in the direction where the noise had come from. It was the Evil Sky Pavilion. Although the Primal Qi’s resonance was subtle, he managed to sense as soon as it sounded. “Someone’s connecting meridians in the Evil Sky Pavilion? How did a Brahman Sea cultivator get into Golden Court Mountain?” He was puzzled. The Evil Sky Pavilion was not a place where scoundrels were allowed to run rampant. “You’ve got balls coming here. I’ll teach you a lesson!” With that, he covered 300 miles in a single stride, leaving afterimages in his wake.