Qualified my ass!

It surprised everyone when they saw Duanmu Sheng flare up. Even Lu Zhou did not expect that his third disciple, who was calm, steady, and behaved as a kind senior brother in front of him, would turn into a boorish man!

After shouting once, Duanmu Sheng simply injected his energy into the chain that bound him and swung it fast and hard. Fortunately, the great hall was spacious enough, or else it would have been destroyed by him.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

He jumped forward and dragged Zuo Xinchan into another fierce battle, filling the air with waves of energy again. Despite the fierce attack, however, everyone could tell that there was a gap between their cultivation bases, and that Zuo Xinchan was purposely using Duanmu Sheng to show his prowess.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou watched them fight in silence. He did not say anything, nor did he intend to stop them. By watching them fight, he could learn more about his disciples strength and cultivation base while taking a good look at the strength of Zuo Xinchan, who was the deputy chief of Fiend Temple.

Although Ji Tiandao had defeated the experts of the righteous sects many times and shown the world his mighty prowess, every righteous cultivator knew that he would grow old and weak one day. So far, no one in the cultivation world could break through this limitation.

Fiend Temple, on the other hand, was the most ambitious sect in todays cultivation world. It had been building up its strength by gobbling up other sects. In the past, it had even clashed with the Nether Sect, but there was never a large-scale conflict as they both feared each others strength.

Its attack of the female cultivators of Derived Moon Palace was just an excuse, and its true purpose was to visit Golden Court Mountain, form an alliance, and show off its strength.

However, did Lu Zhou really need an ally? And what made Fiend Temple think that they were qualified to be his ally?

There were many powers in this huge world. Fiend Temple was not the only one who wanted to join hands with Golden Court Mountain, and it was nowhere near as good as others in terms of status, qualification, and strength. It was a little ridiculous when it proposed an alliance with just a deputy chief who ranked third on the Black Roll.

Therefore, Lu Zhou did not stop his disciples from getting angry.

As the battle progressed, the difference between their cultivation bases became more and more apparent. Then, Zuo Xinchan knocked Duanmu Sheng back with a powerful blow and threw him into Pan Zhongs arms.

Bam!

The force of the impact sent Pan Zhong several steps backward, numbing his arms. Mister Third, you shouldnt fight him again! he urged.

At this point, Duanmu Sheng finally realized that the gap between their cultivation bases could not be made up by his incredible resistance.

Mingshi Yin jumped into the middle of the great hall again. The battle between two Nascent Divinity Tribulation experts proved to be livelier because they needed to find ways to defeat their opponent while controlling their attacks, so that they did not cause major damage to the building.

Just like Duanmu Sheng, years of suffering from Ji Tiandao had made Mingshi Yin stronger than any opponent of the same cultivation level as him. However, his opponent this time was a Nascent Divine Tribulation expert with a four-leaf avatar.

The battle had made Zuo Xinchan grow so conceited that he simply forgot himself. Under the enhancement of his four-leaf avatar, he cried out in a deep voice, Understand the mind and see the disposition! Then, he placed one palm on top of the other over his dantian and kept his mind blank. The move was called Dhyana Mudra, which was one of the strongest moves of the Zen teaching.

As soon as the seal appeared, it suppressed all the energy waves in the surroundings and knocked Mingshi Yin flying backward.

Senior Brother! Little Yuaner looked worried.

The result horrified Zhou Jifeng and Pan Zhong as well. They could not believe that the deputy chief of Fiend Temple, Zuo Xinchan, was so strong. At the same time, they finally understood why Fiend Temple could become a terrifying power among the evil sects in just three short years.

The battle was over, but Zuo Xinchan did not retract his ink-colored avatar, nor did he put away the Dhyana Mudra. He was very satisfied with the result as he looked up and said, Are the three Misters satisfied with the outcome of the battle?

The great hall was silent, and no one answered his question.

How could you have the cheek to show off? You are a Nascent Divinity Tribulation cultivator, and you have a four-leaf avatar! Little Yuaner said, unconvinced.

Mister Third and Mister Fourth are no ordinary cultivators. I was forced to use the Dhyana Mudra. Yes, I admit that I was bullying them by using this skill, and I beg your pardon.

Little Yuaner had never seen such a shameless person before. If Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother were here, they would definitely beat the sh*t out of you even if you have a six-leaf avatar! Little Yuaner said angrily.

Zuo Xinchan knew that it was just a face-saving remark, so he did not take it to heart.

It was then that Lu Zhou spoke again, in an old but powerful voice, Zuo Xinchan! That immediately attracted everyones attention. You have used your Dhyana Mudra cleverly.

I thank Old Senior Ji for the compliment. If possible, I wish to have a practice fight with Old Senior Ji.

That startled Duanmu Sheng, Mingshi Yin, Little Yuaner, Zhou Jifeng, and Pan Zhong.

The four men behind Zuo Xinchan also appeared to be slightly taken aback. It was not part of the plan! Even peak Nascent Divinity Tribulation experts who owned seven or eight-leaf avatars would not dare to make such a request! They wondered what their deputy chiefs purpose was in doing this. He had already achieved the goal after defeating Duanmu Sheng and Mingshi Yin, so why did he have to make an unnecessary move?

Lu Zhous eyes were indifferent and his expression was calm. He was not surprised by the request.

In the center of the great hall, the Dhyana Mudra glowed like ink while the avatar kept its illusory form, showing everyone its mighty power. They seemed to be waiting for Lu Zhou to fight them.

Zuo Xinchan raised his voice and said, Old Senior Ji doesnt have to worry. My Dhyana Mudra can block ultimate skills! If Old Senior can defeat me in less than ten moves, Ill be at your disposal! His tone was proud and somewhat arrogant.

Lu Zhou slowly rose to his feet and rested his eyes on Zuo Xinchan. Evil Sky Pavilion is no longer as powerful as it used to be his strong voice grew louder as he said, but it is still not a place where mean creatures like you can act wantonly!

When he had finished, he stretched out a hand and spread his fingers, facing the palm outward. Meanwhile, a deadly strike card formed a tiny vortex in his palm. Spinning counterclockwise, the vortex suddenly expanded and burst into a blinding light. When the light reached its brightest level, Lu Zhou gently gave a flick of his sleeve.

A super-sized hand seal flew toward Zuo Xinchan, looking like the Buddhas palm!

The Great Seal of the Fearless? Zuo Xinchan cried out. His Dhyana Mudra was tiny when compared to it.

Deputy Chief! the four men shouted at the same time.

The indescribable power had frightened everyone present!

How did the Buddhas palm hold down the monkey? It was exactly like the Great Seal of the Fearless![1] 1

Buzz!

In the blink of an eye, the Great Seal of the Fearless devoured the Dhyana Mudra. Zuo Xinchan widened his eyes as he raised both his arms and produced thousands of Dhyana Mudras while the power of his four-leaf avatar exploded out!

Despite all his effort, the Great Seal of Fearless pressed on, unhindered, and swallowed all the tiny Mudras. Then, with a loud boom, the super-sized seal crashed onto Zuo Xinchans chest and knocked him flying backward, throwing him into the courtyard outside Evil Sky Pavilion.

Bam!

The crowd was surprised to see how strong he was, for he managed to survive the attack from the villainous patriarch!

When Zuo Xinchan was thrown into the courtyard, he did a backflip and brought himself down on both feet, cracking the stone slab that paved the ground as he landed!

He managed to stand firm and straight, but his eyes were full of fear.

Footnotes:

<h5>Ch 53 Footnote 1</h5>

A reference to the Journey to the West, a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Chengen. It is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.