Sage of Humanity

"Since you could come back, is it possible to return again?" the sect master asked.

Lu Ye shook his head: "There's no path for now, but I believe that since I could go the first time, surely I can go the second time. It's just that the time isn't right. So in the coming years, I plan to focus on improving my cultivation, hoping to return before the Blood Race army besieges the Righteous Blood Sacred Land again, and lend a hand to First Senior Brother."

Returning might involve factors beyond his worries; when the time is right, he will naturally find his way back.

Heaven's Augury sent him there to witness various aspects of the Blood Refinement World and then brought him back. The intention behind this was quite clear.

The key now is to improve his strength as much as possible and also to gather as many usable people as he can — otherwise, when the Blood Race army attacks again, the Righteous Blood Sacred Land would be in peril.

Enhancing his strength is simple enough for him; as long as there's sufficient battle merit, and now that he's crafting Explosive Fire Spirit Stones and As-Close-As-Siblings Array Discs, he's acquiring a substantial amount of battle merit daily, with no shortage of gold-hued spirit fortune sticks.

The tricky part lies in gathering people, which is one reason he chose to disclose matters of the Blood Refinement World to the sect master, who is better connected than him.

After discussing First Senior Brother, Lu Ye mentioned another matter: "Sect Master, two years ago I was captured. The one who seized me was named Yu Daiwei, but there was another instigator behind her, whom Yu Daiwei referred to as the Venerable Lord. At that time, I didn't know who this Venerable Lord was, but later in the Blood Refinement World, I mentioned this matter to First Senior Brother, and he recognized the connection, saying the Venerable Lord was named Mount Tai, once a highly trusted subordinate under him!"

"Mount Tai?" The sect master was shocked: "Wasn't he supposed to be dead…"

Halfway through the sentence, he suddenly realized, if even the supposedly dead eldest disciple is still alive, then Mount Tai being alive shouldn't be surprising.

Steadying himself, the sect master spoke: "Mount Tai indeed was a trusted subordinate under your First Senior Brother. Back in the day, Mount Tai and Nian Yuexian were your First Senior Brother's left and right arms, fighting alongside him across regions, making a considerable name for themselves."

Nian Yuexian once served under First Senior Brother — that Lu Ye knew. He had heard Second Senior Sister speak of this before, though he hadn't expected these two to be so heavily relied upon by First Senior Brother.

Nowadays, one has become a Venerable Lord of a mysterious organization, and the other can single-handedly hold a pass — doing justice to their past fame.

"So why did he capture you?"

"Mount Tai probably felt deeply about First Senior Brother's death and was weary of the endless conflict between the two large factions. So he wanted to create a third-party faction to harbor those cultivators who, like him, were tired of the faction conflict. He captured me to help him establish this faction; he had an item, seemingly a token for establishing the third-party faction, which supposedly only I could use."

Lu Ye remembered the token — a stone disc. At the time, he hadn't known what it was for, but through conversations and exchanges with First Senior Brother in the Blood Refinement World, he gradually figured out the backstory.

The sect master nodded: "Mount Tai always had a decent disposition, so having such an idea is reasonable. In fact, are there not many cultivators on the Nine Provinces weary of the conflict between the two factions? If he can truly rally a flag, he's bound to garner substantial support."

"There's certainly quite a number who secretly communicate with him, under his control."

"What do you mean by this?"

Lu Ye glanced around, displaying a mysterious manner. The sect master understood, and with a wave of spirit force, an invisible barrier enveloped the courtyard, preventing external surveillance.

Only then did Lu Ye wave his hand, revealing a corpse before the sect master.

"This is…"

"Two years ago, I led a team to Mount Mi Fog Cliff on a mission, where we encountered a Chen family. We were invited in, but without warning, the Chen family erupted into hostility. Forced into a corner, the disciples retaliated heavily. Later, it was confirmed that the Chen family was secretly controlled by Mount Tai. We suspected they acted under Mount Tai's instruction, aiming to capture me, which they failed. Afterward, Yu Daiwei appeared."

After Lu Ye's disappearance, the Chen family's incident was reported by Xiao Xinghe to the Justice Department, which dispatched Divine Sea Realm cultivators to investigate the site, but almost all Chen cultivators had perished, leaving only ordinary people, with no substantial clues uncovered.

"Upon my return, Yu Daiwei was immediately aware and attempted to capture me again. Before she appeared, this person blocked my path, whom I fought intending to capture alive, but he suddenly died mysteriously, akin to the Chen family cultivators' deaths. Sect master, the Chen family was under Mount Tai's control, and so was this person, utterly loyal to Mount Tai — ready to self-destruct when things go awry. This speaks to Mount Tai's cunning methods."

As Lu Ye spoke, the sect master inspected Zhang Song's corpse but found nothing, then stood and said: "So you think Mount Tai secretly controls more forces."

"Certainly, though I don't know who they are."

Only two have surfaced publicly, but the extent of forces hidden remains known only to Mount Tai. Alwaysreadatthesource—MV@LEMP@YR.

The sect master pondered briefly: "In this time of chaos across the Nine Provinces, an unseen force surely causes concern."

Although the current clues suggest that Mount Tai's aim is merely to quell the endless conflict between the two factions, rather than disrupt the Nine Provinces entirely, some precautions are necessary. The Nine Provinces are chaotic enough as is — more turmoil cannot be afforded. If Mount Tai uses his forces to stir the pot further, the situation will become uncontrollable.

"You don't need to worry about these matters; I will investigate covertly." The sect master waved his hand to gather Zhang Song's corpse.

Giving Lu Ye some earnest advice, the sect master then departed.

His visit was initially to see Lu Ye, yet he acquired many shocking insights from Lu Ye, causing him to reflect. This disciple in the sect has access to many unknown secrets, already a testament to the enhanced strength.

After bidding farewell to the sect master, Lu Ye returned to his room to continue his work.

Every three days, Cheng Xiu would deliver a large amount of fire spirit stones and materials, and Lu Ye would fervently refine them. Although the output of the As-Close-As-Siblings Array Disc couldn't be increased quickly, the Explosive Fire Spirit Stones were supplied continuously.

Previously, when he was refining Explosive Fire Spirit Stones for the Justice Department, it all had been calculated at a rate of 1,000 pieces per day. But to him, what was 1,000 pieces of Explosive Fire Spirit Stones per day? If he wished, he could refine tens of thousands in one day.

Continuous refining meant continuous accumulation of battle merit. Lu Ye no longer cared about how much battle merit he had accumulated because his battle merit had reached heights that many couldn't achieve in a lifetime.

This meant that he could freely exchange them for gold-hued spirit fortune sticks for cultivation.

No one in the history of the Nine Provinces had ever been as wealthy as he was.

On this day, Lu Ye pushed open the door and rose swiftly, heading towards the Justice Department hall.

Moments later, inside the hall, Lu Ye sat face-to-face with Qian Wudang. Qian Wudang frowned, "You're asking for leave?"

He came here for no other reason than to ask Qian Wudang for leave.

"Yes, sir. I've had an epiphany and need to go out for a while," Lu Ye explained what he had planned.

Qian Wudang looked at him deeply, "Since you've had an epiphany, you should engage in closed-door cultivation. Why the need to go out? The outside isn't safe nowadays."

"Cultivators cultivate; can it always be safe everywhere?" Lu Ye replied impatiently, "Just tell me if you agree or not."

Qian Wudang smiled slightly, "What if I don't agree?"

Lu Ye looked troubled, "Sir, I've been refining Explosive Fire Spirit Stones and array discs for three months now, even my cultivation has increased by a level. You can't expect me to keep refining non-stop, not even prisoners in a cell don't get some time outside, and I'm not even a prisoner."

The cultivation advancement happened a month ago. In the Divine Sea Realm, every level advancement requires tremendous resource consumption. It would have been impossible for others to progress so quickly, but during this period, Lu Ye's gold-hued spirit fortune sticks were unending. With the terrifying power of the Talent Tree, his advancement speed was naturally unmatched.

And this was under continuous refining circumstances.

It's important to note that whether refining Explosive Fire Spirit Stones or the As-Close-As-Siblings Array Disc, both consumed his spirit force.

In other words, he was advancing while simultaneously cultivating and consuming his foundation.

If he simply cultivated without refining, his advancement speed would be even quicker.

Qian Wudang's demeanor turned serious, speaking with emphasis, "The As-Close-As-Siblings Array Disc is very helpful to the current situation, not just now, but it will be critical in the future as well. And you're the only one who can produce it in large quantities, so your safety is a concern..."

"I'm already at Divine Sea Level 2, not a child, sir!"

"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't bother, but since it's you, these considerations are necessary." Though Pang Zhen had issued a gag order at the council meeting, ensuring that none of the Divine Sea Realm members present would reveal Lu Ye's ability to refine the As-Close-As-Siblings Array Disc, one must always be cautious.

"Why don't you send some people to secretly protect me?" Lu Ye suggested, though he knew it was not possible.

As expected, Qian Wudang snorted, "Given the current state, there's no extra manpower to protect you."

"What should I do then?" Lu Ye looked at him hopefully.

"Stay quietly in Haotian City." Qian Wudang tapped the table, "You're not allowed to go anywhere."

Lu Ye stood up and walked away.

Qian Wudang continued to threaten from behind, "If you dare to run around, I'll have someone break your legs."

Lu Ye treated his words like nonsense.

After leaving the Justice Department hall, he directly soared into the sky.

Sensing Lu Ye's aura growing distant, Qian Wudang couldn't help but sigh. He knew he couldn't stop Lu Ye, but as his superior, he had to express his stance. However, if his subordinate didn't listen, what could he do?

He couldn't possibly go out and catch him back, as Lu Ye said, he was already at Divine Sea Level 2, no longer a child.