Golden Demon Tower.

Elder Zhuan Yu was in the main hall on the first floor, holding a cup filled with a scarlet liquid.

He was currently smiling as he looked down at a figure below.

A disciple was kneeling on one knee, his face a mask of agony and confusion. His body was trembling violently, as if he couldn't control it.

Clinging tightly to the disciple's body was a massive, pitch-black bird.

The giant bird was pressed against him, its long neck coiled around the disciple's own.

Their two heads were pressed so tightly together they seemed to have fused, flesh and feathers melding into one. He desperately tried to pull them apart, but the connection only stretched like taffy, refusing to break.

Half of the disciple's face was being rapidly assimilated by the black bird, his features twisting grotesquely.

He looked up pleadingly at the smiling Elder Zhuan Yu.

"Master... Master, save me!"

With a calm expression, Elder Zhuan Yu lowered the cup from his lips and licked a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Your will is weak. To be possessed so easily... with such poor aptitude, you're not even fit to be a vessel. Do you really need to ask for my help with something like this?

You should know the rules. Whoever wins becomes my disciple."

"No! Master! I don't want to be a vessel! Save me... save me..."

The disciple below continued to scream his lungs out, hoping Elder Zhuan Yu would intervene, but the Elder remained silent and unmoved.

As the disciple's body and the demonic shell continued to entangle, countless black substances surged madly into his body, and a dense black energy erupted from his eyes.

After a short while, the disciple's body stopped trembling and gradually grew still.

The giant black bird clinging to him, however, seemed to struggle for a moment before dissolving into a cloud of black energy and receding back into his body.

A deep black light glowed in his eyes, but the disciple's expression soon cleared as he looked up at Elder Zhuan Yu.

"Thank you, Master!"

He still seemed to be adapting to the body, his movements somewhat uncoordinated, but he managed to carry himself respectably enough.

Elder Zhuan Yu smiled, but after a glance or two, he lost interest. He waved a hand at the disciple below, dismissing him.

The disciple quickly and respectfully withdrew, leaving Elder Zhuan Yu alone in the now silent hall.

After another moment, Elder Zhuan Yu's gaze shifted to the area outside the Golden Demon Tower, and he spoke slowly.

"Since you're here, why not come in?"

"Heh heh, I was waiting for you to invite me, Zhuan Yu!"

The voice arrived before the person. A moment later, a figure in a white Daoist robe appeared in the hall of the Golden Demon Tower, floating face-to-face with Elder Zhuan Yu at the same height.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a sharp gaze.

He wore a white Daoist robe, but his hair and beard were green, and his body constantly emanated a faint green aura.

The man was not standing on solid ground but was hovering a foot in the air.

And yet, when the green gas emanating from him touched the floor, the ground began to bubble as if it were boiling water, showing signs of intense corrosion.

"Wen Zhao, why aren't you staying put in your dojo? What business do you have running over here?"

Elder Zhuan Yu's expression was calm. He picked up the cup again, filled it to the brim from the bloody hole in his chest, and brought it to his lips.

"Is that good? Pour me a cup too."

Instead of answering the question, Wen Zhao said, his gaze fixed on the cup in Elder Zhuan Yu's hand with a hint of interest.

"You can't drink this. So, no."

"Stingy! As if I don't have my own."

Wen Zhao sneered. The green gas emanating from his body instantly converged, forming the shape of a cup in his hand.

The cup bubbled, full of a deep green, viscous liquid, which he downed in one gulp.

"*BURP*~"

The cup in his hand dissipated into green gas. He then let out a burp, and a thick green vapor escaped from his seven orifices. His expression turned to one of contentment, and only then did he look back at Elder Zhuan Yu.

"I came to you with good news. You remember that Five-Star Disciple from Iron Mountain Tower, Yin Zhou? He's my disciple now, heh heh."

"His will is unsteady, he's jealous and impatient. Though his talent is decent, he is unfit for great things."

Elder Zhuan Yu chuckled.

How could he not remember Yin Zhou? After all, the boy had sought him out several times, wanting to become his disciple, only to be rejected each time.

Hearing Elder Zhuan Yu's assessment, Wen Zhao let out a cold, mocking laugh.

"So what? Talent and strength are all that matter! And you, you took a new disciple whose Cultivation Level is only at the Middle Stage of Corpse Transformation. He's far worse than Yin Zhou. Your judgment is getting more and more questionable.

Look at these disciples of yours—how can any of them compare to mine? No wonder you can no longer stand with the likes of us in the Golden Thread Pavilion. You've fallen!"

Wen Zhao's taunts were relentless, showing no sign of backing down.

"If that's all you came to say, you can leave now. I won't be seeing you out."

Elder Zhuan Yu's expression remained unchanged. If a few words were enough to unsettle him, he wouldn't be Elder Zhuan Yu.

"Of course that's not all."

Wen Zhao smiled.

"Actually, I only came to delay you for a moment."

"Delay me?"

A trace of confusion appeared on Elder Zhuan Yu's face.

The next moment, his expression shifted subtly. His gaze snapped to the south, his eyes narrowing.

"Is this your doing?"

He slowly set down his cup, a menacing glint in his eyes as he stared at Wen Zhao.

"No, no, no, how could this be my doing? It's just my new disciple wanting to prove himself. He begged me, so I came."

"To be honest, I'm also quite curious to see if you'll regret this. Pushing a disciple with such superior talent and aptitude over to me... you really misjudged this time."

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill him?"

Elder Zhuan Yu's face turned grim, his tone filled with chilling gravity.

"Then go ahead and kill him. It'll be a disciple for a disciple. Perfectly fair.

But with me here, you can't kill him just yet. You'll have to wait until he's finished, at least." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Wen Zhao continued to smile, paying Elder Zhuan Yu's threat no mind.

"As for now, you can only stay here and have some 'tea' with me."

As he spoke, countless wisps of green gas once again converged in his hand, forming a cup.

"I'm not as stingy as you. Care for a cup?"

"..."

...

「The small pavilion.」

Yang An stared at the man before him, this Yin Zhou, who had opened his mouth only to issue a challenge to a life-and-death duel.

Yang An wracked his brain, combing through his memories of the man, but he was certain they had never met. He didn't know him at all.

'Is this guy crazy?'

'Oh, right! I almost forgot. All these cultivation nuts, whether they're Cultivators or Demon Fiends, have a screw loose.'

"Senior Brother Yang, no need to worry. This junior brother only wants to have a little match with you, a duel to the death, that's all. To show Elder Zhuan Yu who is truly worthy of being his disciple."

A wild smile spread across Yin Zhou's handsome face. Although he called himself "junior brother," his tone when speaking to Yang An was condescending, as if Yang An were the junior one.

"If you want to become his disciple, go talk to my Master. What does that have to do with me?"

"It has nothing to do with you, Senior Brother. However, this junior brother simply wants to show Elder Zhuan Yu that the disciple he chose will be crushed under my foot. I will prove to him that his judgment is nothing special!"

"..."

Yang An was speechless. He'd been wondering why a complete stranger would suddenly issue a challenge. Now he understood. Turns out this guy's target wasn't him, but Elder Zhuan Yu.

He was just using him to get Elder Zhuan Yu's attention.

At this thought, Yang An couldn't help but smile.

"So, you're saying you've got me all figured out, Junior Brother?"

"Qiushui Court, three days from now. All you have to do is show up, Senior Brother. Of course, if you choose to concede now, this junior brother won't make things difficult for you."

Yin Zhou replied with a smile, looking utterly confident.

There was a Small Realm of difference between him and Yang An, but he was capable of unleashing power far beyond the Late Stage of Corpse Transformation.

A Cultivation Level is merely an outward sign of strength, not the entirety of it.

And he was capable of much more.

"In that case..."

Yang An pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine. Qiushui Court, three days from now. See you there."

"Heh heh, Senior Brother is as straightforward as they say. This junior brother will take his leave then. See you in three days!"

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Yin Zhou turned and left with a smile on his face.

He watched Yin Zhou's back grow smaller and smaller in the distance as he departed from the small pavilion.

A question popped into Yang An's mind.

'Qiushui Court... where is that?'

'Whatever, it's not important. It's not like I ever planned on going to any Qiushui Court anyway.'

OMMM—

A faint glimmer appeared, then erupted into brilliant light.

Yang An rose from his seat. Behind him, a Light Wheel suddenly materialized, radiating a solemn and holy glow.

The next moment, he vanished from the spot.