Chapter 991: Ying Zhao

Di Jiang carried Lu Zhou and rose higher into the sky.

Lu Zhou looked at Xiao Yunhe, Wu Chao, and the others as he said, “Change your clothes; they’re too eye-catching.”

Lu Zhou wondered if they liked black so much because they stayed in the Black Tower Council for so long. The blackguards wore black armor; there was no difference even when they changed into black robes. With just a glance, it was easy to tell they were once blackguards.

Wu Chao bowed and said, “I’ll go find some clothes.”

Xiao Yunhe waved his hand and said, “Go.”

Wu Chao disappeared into the forest in just a flash.

Lu Zhou shook his head. No wonder they smelled rotten. These blackguards saved their Primal Qi and did not maintain their peak condition. People had to eat, drink, and go to the toilet after all.

While they waited, Lu Zhou asked Xiao Yunhe, “You were once the Tower Master of the Black Tower Council so you should be familiar with the Black Tower Council and the White Tower Council’s overall strength and way of doing things. Who do you think will come this time?”

Xiao Yunhe smiled wryly. This was not an easy question to answer. “The strengths of the Black Tower Council and the White Tower Council are comparable. Since the White Tower Council sent Nangong Yutian, the remaining two judges from the Black Tower Council will definitely come. Apart from that, there are many experts in the Black Tower Council who will come as well. They are much more powerful than the blackguards. As for the Elders Guild and the chief judge, I’m not sure if they’ll come. These people value their lives very much and are used to ordering others to do their work; they rarely make a move personally. During the many years of conflict between the Black Tower Council and the White Tower Council, the high-ranking members of each side had never personally made a move. I’m the only exception…”

Xiao Yunhe continued to say, “As the Tower Master, everyone in the Black Tower Council submitted to me. They were loyal to me, and I was loyal to them as well. If I were at my peak now, I wouldn’t worry at all about not being able to obtain Ying Zhao’s heart in the Southern Kingdom. Even the four great judges of the White Tower Council would have to bow in front of me…”

Lu Zhou nodded and did not comment on Xiao Yunhe’s boastful words. He said, “You have such a glorious past. Alas, you were harmed by treacherous people. Is Xia Zhengrong stronger than you?”

“He’s nothing.” Xiao Yunhe grew slightly emotional at the mention of Xia Zhengrong. “In the past, I participated in an extremely dangerous mission and was gravely injured in the Unknown Land, resulting in the loss of a Birth Chart. That paved the way for Xia Zhengrong.”

“You’ve been to the Unknown Land as well?” Lu Zhou asked.

Xiao Yunhe nodded. “That place is very humid and is even gloomier than the Southern Kingdom. It’s truly dark and sunless. There are many fierce beasts there so there are many good life hearts. Many cultivators who want to increase their strengths would take the risk and go to the Unknown Land.”

Lu Zhou thought of his youngest disciple, Luo Shiyin. Since she was from the Unknown Land, it meant that humans dwelled in that place as well. “Did you encounter humans there?”

Xiao Yunhe shook his head. “No. No one has encountered humans living there so far. Perhaps, the cultivators weren’t strong enough to explore the depths of the Unknown Land so they didn’t encounter humans there…”

“Do you feel the shackles of Heaven and earth?”

“Of course, every cultivator can clearly feel the shackles of heaven and earth. It restricts the progress of humans. No one knows why,” Xiao Yunhe said.

Even the former Tower Master of the Black Tower Council did not know the secret of the shackles of heaven and earth, let alone the golden lotus domain. Perhaps, one would be able to find the answer after becoming strong enough to explore the depths of the Unknown Land.

The two chatted for a while more before Wu Chao finally returned.

Lu Zhou did not know where Wu Chao found the clothes. However, for Wu Chao to return in such a short time, he must have robbed it from some low-level cultivators.

Xiao Yunhe and the others’ temperaments seemed to have changed after they changed their clothes.

“Let’s go.”

With that, everyone rose into the air and flew toward the southwest of the Southern Kingdom.

…

The dark sky seemed endless. It felt as though they would never reach the end no matter how long they flew. As time passed, the sky grew darker and darker as well as mist and clouds converged above the mountain ranges.

After flying for a while, Lu Zhou and the others came to a stop on a mountain.

“Is it always dark here?” Lu Zhou found this strange.

Even on earth, the north pole and the south pole that had extreme nights and extreme days would not fall into an endless state of darkness such as this. People would go crazy if they lived here.

“Not really. There are few days when it’s bright here. During that time, the fierce beasts would hide since they’re not used to brightness.”

At this moment, Wu Chao suddenly pointed to a highland forest to the west. “The people from the Humble White Sect are there…”

Following that, Wu Chao joined his palms together. In just a moment, a black witchcraft seal appeared, and he smacked it into the ground.

A witchcraft circle that emitted a faint purple light appeared on the ground immediately.

This sight dredged up bad memories in the mind of Lu Zhou, Yu Zhenghai, and Yu Shangrong. If it were not for the fact that Wu Chao was tactful and had also treated Yu Shangrong’s injuries, Lu Zhou would not have spared him at all.

As Wu Chao controlled the witchcraft circle, he said, “I’ve set up a lot of small observation witchcraft formations nearby. It won’t last long, but we can use them to sense the situation around here… The people from the Black Tower Council and the White Tower Council are stationed further south, but they’re not together. I guess they’re trying to avoid conflict.”

Lu Zhou looked at Wu Chao and asked, “How many people do they have?”

“There are more than 100 people from the Black Tower Council, and the White Tower Council has even more people. They have nearly 200 people. It seems like the White Tower Council is taking the aggressive approach. The people from the Dark and Light Alliance and Great Yuan’s royal court should be hiding in the distance. I haven’t sensed them yet…”

Lu Zhou nodded before he asked, “When will Ying Zhao show up?”

“It depends on the number of fierce beasts and how long the fierce beasts fight,” Wu Chao replied.

“Then let’s wait.”

Everyone nodded.

Lu Zhou walked up a slope on the mountain with his hands on his back. When he reached the highest point, he looked down at the forest below.

Xiao Yunhe walked over as well.

After a while, more than ten white-clad cultivators flew up from the forest thousands of meters away toward Lu Zhou.

“They’ve discovered us.”

“Considering our proximity, it’s not surprising that they discovered us. There’s no need to worry,” Lu Zhou calmly said.

Soon enough, the white-clad cultivators appeared in front of Lu Zhou and the others. The leader was an old man who looked like he was in his sixties. He bluntly said, “We’re from the Humble White Sect. Are you here for Ying Zhao as well?”

Lu Zhou and Xiao Yunhe did not pay attention to the old man and continued to observe the movements in the fog up ahead.

On the contrary, Yu Shangrong stepped forward and said with a gentle smile, “That’s right.”

The old man nodded. “Based on your clothes, it doesn’t seem like you’re from the Black Tower Council…”

“That’s right.” Yu Shangrong replied, maintaining the smile on his face.

“Then, you’re all from…” The old man trailed off.

This group of people obviously came here to probe them. There were many factions that came here this time, and the Humble White Sect could not afford to provoke any of them.

Yu Zhenghai stepped forward at this moment and said loudly, “Do we need to tell you where we came from? That’s enough from you. We’re not your prisoners.”

The old man said apologetically, “That’s not what I mean. The Humble White Sect is weak and only wants to search for allies. If you don’t mind, we can join forces…”

Yu Zhenghai replied, “There are so many forces here, but the Humble White Sect dares to come here to compete for Ying Zhao?”

The old man was not angered by Yu Zhenghai’s words. Instead, he said, “Our Humble White Sect’s target isn’t Ying Zhao; our targets are the ordinary Birth Chart Beasts.”

The Humble White Sect was aware they were weak and had few experts in their ranks. Naturally, they could not compete with the Black Tower Council and the White Tower Council. However, it should not be a problem for them to capture a few ordinary Birth Chart Beasts.

“We’re not interested.” Yu Zhenghai shook his head.

The old man sighed softly. “Alright then. We’ll just have to leave it up to head. Let’s go.”

Just as the old man was about to turn around and leave, Lu Zhou raised his head and said, “Wait.”

The old man was slightly taken aback. He looked at Lu Zhou and asked, “What’s the matter, old sir?”

“I’ll allow you to work with us. You can have the low-level Birth Chart Beasts. I’ll take Ying Zhao,” Lu Zhou said as he studied the terrain below. This place was indeed a paradise for fierce beasts. If there were too many fierce beasts, he might not be able to deal with all of them. It was not a bad idea to leave some of the low-level fierce beasts for the Humble White Sect to deal with. Moreover, he planned to learn more about the White Tower Council from the Humble White Sect.

The old man was shocked by Lu Zhou’s words. “Old sir, you… you intend to compete for Ying Zhao?”