Chapter 414: Investigations and Alliances

“Indeed, I have found a way to attain the Nine-leaf stage,” Lu Zhou replied. His words were like a pebble that gave rise to a thousand waves.

Everyone, except for Mingshi Yin, had an expression of awe on their faces.

Si Wuya who initially looked exhausted suddenly seemed like he had been given a shot of adrenaline. His eyes were wide open as he stared at Lu Zhou. His hands twitched uncontrollably. How was this possible?

Mingshi Yin waved his arm and said, “Even if you’re told the way to attain the Nine-leaf stage, would you dare do it? You’ll need to sever your Golden Lotus, are you brave enough to do it?”

“Sever the Golden Lotus?” The others exclaimed in surprise.

This method was, naturally, just a conjecture for now. Lu Zhou would prefer it if someone else had tried it before he did. After all, he had many Reversal Cards at his disposal. He could still maintain his lifespan even without attaining the Nine-leaf stage. He hoped his disciples would be able to attain the Nine-leaf stage, but he knew cutting off one’s Golden Lotus was akin to suicide. Nobody would dare to attempt unless they were extremely brave. Moreover, there was no guarantee that it would work. As a transmigrator, he knew that to prove his theory right, he would need lab rats to test it out. The problem was who would be bold enough and willing to take on the role of a lab rat?

Mingshi Yin bowed. He looked at Si Wuya and softly asked, “Seventh Junior Brother, do you dare?”

Si Wuya remained silent. He narrowed his eyes and frowned. He suddenly recalled hearing about someone studying ways to attain the Nine-leaf stage during his stint in the palace. If it was true, did this not mean the Divine Capital had an ace up its sleeve?

Duanmu Sheng asked, “Cutting off one’s Golden Lotus? What kind of method is that?”

“How would I know? Ask master,” Mingshi Yin said as he rolled his eyes.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard and said, “Severing the Golden Lotus is one way of attaining the Nine-leaf stage, however, there’s a possibility you might lose your life in the process. Therefore, do not attempt it lightly.”

The others nodded.

Lu Zhou looked at Si Wuya and asked, “Are you satisfied with my answer?”

Upon hearing this, Si Wuya shuddered. He kneeled and said, “I dare not!”

“It’s the duty of a teacher to address his students’ questions… I will answer any question you have,” Lu Zhou said.

The others felt Lu Zhou was a magnanimous person when they heard his words. This was how a true master should act.

On the contrary, Si Wuya felt Lu Zhou’s words were mocking him. He could not help but shudder in fear. His master was still his master, but was he still the same disciple as before?

Lu Zhou spoke again, “By the way, how long do you think I have left to live?”

“Well…” Si Wuya trailed off. He was, naturally, afraid to speak his mind. Although he and almost everyone thought Lu Zhou’s great limit was fast approaching, he did not dare to verbalize his thoughts in front of Lu Zhou.

Without waiting for Si Wuya to respond, Lu Zhou looked at everyone present and loudly asked, “How long do all of you think I have left to live?”

The main hall was as silent as a graveyard at this moment.

Lu Zhou had been wanting to ask them this question for a long time now. He found it amusing. Did humans become stupid, or were they so used to living with these shackles that they did not dare to break them?

Everyone continued to stay silent.

As expected, Lu Zhou knew they would not dare to answer his question. He waved his sleeve and said, “Lock him up in the Cave of Reflection. Seal his cultivation base, and give him 50 beatings with the plank!”

“Understood.”

“Ding! Punish Si Wuya. Reward: 600 merit points.”

Zhu Honggong walked up to Si Wuya in his own volition. After all, he was on friendly terms with Si Wuya. It was most appropriate for him to escort Si Wuya.

The others looked at Si Wuya and shook their heads. They did not understand why Si Wuya would remain so stubborn and persist in opposing Lu Zhou? Why would he subject himself to such a treatment?

Si Wuya stood up and followed Zhu Honggong. He took two steps before he suddenly came to halt. Without turning back, he said, “Three days ago, the Darknet has received word that the ten great sects have formed an alliance called the Fiend Extermination Alliance. Rumors are rife about Second Senior Brother being killed. Now, the Noble Path is planning on fighting back.” As soon as he finished speaking, he left with Zhu Honggong.

Mingshi Yin frowned.

Little Yuan’er pouted and said, “Master, that group of people is too despicable. We must teach them a lesson!”

“How do you plan on teaching them a lesson?” Little Yuan’er scratched her head. She waved her small fist and said, “Capture them and clobber them?”

Naturally, Lu Zhou did not agree to her suggestion. He noted that Little Yuan’er killing intent was no longer as strong as before. After a while, he waved his hand and said, “Let’s call it a day.”

“Rest well, master!”

“I’ll take my leave, Master.”

“Mingshi Yin, stay,” Lu Zhou said.

The others left the eastern pavilion.

Mingshi Yin glanced at the shattered wooden door on the floor and said respectfully, “I’ll fix that.”

Lu Zhou nodded and said, “I’m giving you two missions.”

Mingshi Yin was overjoyed when he heard that he would be entrusted with two missions. “Just say the word, master. I’ll do everything in my power to complete the missions. I’ll complete it even if I have to swim across a sea of flames or climb a mountain of blades.”

“For the first mission, spread the word about severing the Golden Lotus being the way to attain the Nine-leaf stage,” Lu Zhou said.

“Huh?” Mingshi Yin started. They had gone to so much trouble, traveling to the Yun Sect and learning about the way to attain the Nine-leaf stage through the Three Sect’s Patriarch’s chessboard. Why would they easily reveal this to the masses? He could not understand this at all.

Lu Zhou said, “Severing the Golden Lotus is akin to suicide. Nobody has ever tried it. At the very least. severing the Golden Lotus is equivalent to cultivating all over again. Everything aside, if we can gather information from people who attempt this, we’ll have vast knowledge.” This was very progressive thinking. Cultivators from the cultivation world in the past would guard their cultivation methods and theories closely as though they were some peerless treasure. For example, Yun Tianluo would never easily give up his chessboard even if it cost him his life. Due to this behavior, the progress of the cultivation world was greatly limited. Sharing information and knowledge was much more efficient and mutually beneficial rather than building a cart alone in the dark. However, Lu Zhou also knew that even if he would obtain countless information, the price of laying that foundation would be piles upon piles of bones.

“I understand,” Mingshi Yin said.

“The second mission is to investigate the alliance between the ten great sects. Keep me updated on this,” Lu Zhou said.

“Yes, master!”

…

Meanwhile, in the Evergreen Palace in the Divine Capital.

An attendant walked into the study reverently before kneeling on the floor. He held a name list with two hands above his head as he said, “Your Majesty, this is the list of Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm cultivators who died this month.”

Liu Gu placed his brush on the table and said, “I won’t read it. Read it out for me.”

“At once.” The attendant lowered the list and read, “There are five Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm cultivators at the Three-leaf stage and below who sprouted leaves by binding their Golden Lotuses with mantras. They couldn’t absorb any energy and eventually died when their dantians exploded. There are three Five-leaf Nascent Divinity realm cultivators who used the forced Golden Lotus modification method and died. There was a 900 years old Six-leaf cultivator who consumed a longevity pill and forcibly tried to sprout a leaf but failed.” After he finished reading, he remained prostrate on the ground.

Liu Gu nodded and said, “Bury them ceremoniously. Every one of their families will be compensated with 10,000 catties of gold and 1,000 acres of fertile land.”

“Your Majesty, what if they refuse?” the attendant asked after mustering up his courage. Cultivators who had entered the Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm, and likely their families, rarely cared about material things.

“That’s the most I can offer as compensation. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Understood.”