"The so-called Righteous Orthodox Factions are truly despicable, taking advantage of others' misfortunes. Let me go down the mountain and slaughter them all!"
"Third Senior Brother, don't be reckless, don't fall into their trap."
"Fifth Junior Sister is right, we can't panic now. Even if Master can't make a move... with the four of us here, they can't cause much trouble."
"But... the Ten Great Masters of the Primordial Spirit Tribulation Realm from the Righteous Path are all here! Besides, Master's health..."
"Enough arguing, can't you see Master is resting?"
The sound of intense arguing reached his ears.
Lu Zhou slowly opened his eyes. His chaotic memories felt like thousands of golden needles piercing his mind, weaving together fragmented images rapidly.
Where is this?
What happened to me?
Memories surged forth!
"No way... I've become the Demon Patriarch Ji Tiandao?"
Lu Zhou looked at everything before him with some surprise.
A pavilion, Jinting Mountain, the Four Great Villains, and tens of thousands of righteous cultivators at the foot of the mountain.
Memories continued to burst forth—
Ji Tiandao taught nine disciples in his lifetime. Each of these nine disciples became a fearsome demon, causing chaos everywhere.
The first disciple, Yu Zhenghai, left the sect and founded the Netherworld Sect, now the most feared demonic sect in Great Yan.
The second disciple, Yu Shangrong, excelled in swordsmanship and became a terrifying Sword Demon, challenging masters everywhere and killing at the slightest disagreement.
The third, fourth, and fifth disciples frequently caused trouble, but fortunately, they never left Jinting Mountain.
The sixth disciple, Ye Tianxin... the Palace Master of Yan Yue Palace, leader of the female cultivators, nicknamed the Jade-faced Asura.
The seventh disciple, Si Wuya, with an intelligence network spanning the world, became a cunning, scheming villain, once inciting a great war with countless casualties.
The eighth disciple, Zhu Honggong, earned the title of Evil King within a few years of descending the mountain.
The ninth disciple, Ci Yuan'er, the last to join and Ji Tiandao's favorite, is the only one with some conscience, remaining on the mountain.
Unfortunately... Ji Tiandao had lived for nearly a thousand years, almost the lifespan limit for a cultivator. As he aged, his control over the nine disciples weakened, and his deterrent power diminished. Five of the nine disciples rebelled, greatly challenging his authority.
A month ago, the top ten masters of the Righteous Path set a trap, besieging the Demon Patriarch. Ji Tiandao fought them to a draw, one against ten.
Now, the righteous masters are at the foot of the mountain, ready to attack.
Jinting Mountain faces an unprecedented crisis.
Lu Zhou was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
He tried to get up but sat back down, almost toppling over.
His body felt empty and weak.
"Master seems to have woken up!"
"Master!"
The four disciples who had been waiting outside the pavilion entered in single file and bowed to Lu Zhou.
Lu Zhou glanced at the four of them and coughed.
He didn't speak.
These disciples before him were all notorious demons.
The departure of the five disciples served as a warning to him.
"Master, how are you feeling?" the third disciple, Duanmu Sheng, asked with concern.
"I'm fine."
The four disciples showed joy.
"Master... many experts from the Righteous Path are at the foot of the mountain... it won't be long before they break through the defensive barrier," the fourth disciple, Ming Shiyin, said.
Lu Zhou forced himself to calm down.
He had no choice but to fully accept Ji Tiandao's memories and body.
"How about I go find First Senior Brother to help... considering the bond between master and disciple, he shouldn't stand by idly. First Senior Brother is now the leader of the Netherworld Sect, commanding thousands of demons."
"Seventh Junior Brother could also help, his wisdom is unparalleled..."
"Master..."
Before they could finish speaking.
"Silence," Lu Zhou's voice interrupted them.
Stay calm.
Don't panic!
No matter what, I am still the master of these villains!
I can't reveal that my cultivation has dissipated, or I'll be at their mercy. If the Righteous Path doesn't kill me, these four disciples will.
"The barrier of Jinting Mountain can hold for a while, why panic?" Lu Zhou reprimanded.
The four disciples blushed with shame.
They lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
"Old Third, what did you just say?" Lu Zhou asked in Ji Tiandao's tone.
Though Ji Tiandao was a thousand-year-old monster with a mindset far beyond others, Lu Zhou excelled in learning. With overlapping memories, as long as he didn't act recklessly, he could imitate Ji Tiandao for a while without them noticing.
"Master, I wanted to ask First Senior Brother to come back and help," Duanmu Sheng said boldly, sneaking a glance at Lu Zhou as he bowed.
Lu Zhou sighed and shook his head:"When I was besieged by the ten masters, barely holding my own, do you think... no one was behind it?"
Duanmu Sheng's expression changed slightly, "Master, do you mean First Senior Brother betrayed you?"
Ji Tiandao had never faced such a situation in his years of dominance. As he aged, his power waned, and his deterrent force naturally declined. Even so, to deal with the old demon, it must have been someone close who knew him well to set such a perfect trap.
Upon reflection, First Senior Brother Yu Zhenghai knew Master best, and Seventh Junior Brother Si Wuya was adept at scheming, both couldn't escape suspicion.
The fourth disciple, Ming Shiyin, cursed, "Those ungrateful wretches, betraying Jinting Mountain is one thing, but to frame Master!"
"If not for the barrier of Jinting Mountain, would they have attacked too?"
"Enough."
A stern shout silenced the surroundings, Lu Zhou's voice clearly displeased:"Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You're all hoping for my early demise, aren't you?"
"Ah?"
The four disciples immediately knelt down, speaking in unison: "We wouldn't dare!"
Lu Zhou's gaze swept over them, snorting lightly, "You're all Divine Court Realm experts, perhaps in a few years, like your First and Second Senior Brothers, you'll step into the Primordial Spirit Tribulation Realm. By then, can I, as your master, still control you?"
"We wouldn't dare!"
"Once a master, always a father. Even if we had ten times the courage, we wouldn't betray Master!"
The four bowed deeply.
Lu Zhou took a deep breath. Despite being mentally prepared, he still felt a bit tense facing such a situation.
"Disperse, I have my own plan to repel the enemy."
"Yes!"
The four disciples obediently retreated.
Ah, what plan to repel the enemy? I just want some peace, that's all.
Lu Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief.
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He found that his back was slightly sweaty.
The more this happened, the more he needed to stay calm... stay calm for what... four white-eyed wolves ready to pounce at any moment, plus thousands of so-called righteous cultivators!
Ji Tiandao, oh Ji Tiandao, what kind of mess did you leave for me to clean up?
It's one thing to cause trouble for yourself, but to teach so many villains!
Truly!
Unforgivable!
What to do? Internal strife, external threats, and an old body that struggles to move!
No other transmigrator could be as unlucky as me, right?
[Ding, detected target completed task, took a thousand years... completed inheritance and teaching task 9/9]
[Merit System officially activated.]
Hmm?
Lu Zhou's heart trembled, a golden thigh had arrived!
He suddenly understood why Ji Tiandao taught nine villains.
What a pity for Ji Tiandao, working hard for a lifetime only to benefit others. A thousand years!
The system brought up a menu, and a light blue interface appeared before Lu Zhou.
[Name: Ji Tiandao
Race: Human
Cultivation: Body Refinement Ninth Level
Merit Points: -100000 (can be used to exchange for vitality, lottery, etc.)
Remaining Lifespan: 3 days
Items: None
Cultivation Technique: None
Other Functions: Lottery, Shop]
-100000?!
Lu Zhou's eyes widened, thinking, "Is this a joke, negative one hundred thousand merit points, I've accepted becoming an old man, but isn't this going too far? And what's with the remaining 3 days of life?"
[Re-detecting...]
[Corrected error, Ji Tiandao changed to Lu Zhou.]
[Ding, triggered a mainline pre-quest, repel the enemy.]
[Complete the pre-quest to rectify oneself, merit points will be reset to zero]
[Detected host too weak, rewarded with a novice gift pack, would you like to open it?]
This series of prompts made Lu Zhou nod in satisfaction.
That's more like it.
The system's pre-quest is understandable, after all, Ji Tiandao spent his life doing notorious deeds.
But the system is reasonable.
Knowing this old body is failing, it provided a novice gift pack.
"Open."
[Ding, received a Reversal Card, can gain some vitality]
[Peak State Card*3, each use grants Ji Tiandao's peak state for 30 minutes]
[Fatal Block*5, passive effect, can block 5 fatal strikes for the host]
These items are quite good.
He looked at the personal panel again—
[Name: Lu Zhou
Race: Human
Cultivation: Body Refinement Ninth Level
Merit Points: -100000 (reset upon completing pre-quest)
Remaining Lifespan: 2 days 23 hours...
Items: Ji Tiandao's Peak State Card*3, Fatal Block*5 (passive), Reversal Card*1.
Cultivation Technique: None. (PS: This is just the current system panel display, as it's the protagonist's new system, Ji Tiandao's things haven't truly disappeared, just to clarify, all will be shown later in the text)]
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan