Sage of Humanity

The column of light shot into the sky, wrapping Lu Ye within it, as a powerful current surged, causing his hair and clothes to flutter wildly.

Attacks from all directions struck, but all were blocked by the column of light.

Boom…

Something fell from the sky, landing squarely in front of Lu Ye.

In an instant, centered on where Lu Ye stood, a violent wave of air swept all around, knocking back the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators who had gathered there.

A group of people barely managed to stabilize themselves, and when they looked up again, they saw Lu Ye had already placed his hand on the Heaven's Augury Pillar in front of him.

"We shall meet again!"

As his words fell, his figure rapidly faded and then vanished.

All the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators stared fixedly, unable to do anything despite their reluctance.

In the end, Lu Yiye had escaped.

This time, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators who participated in the ambush of Lu Yiye numbered nearly a thousand, and among them, at least twenty were from Level 9. With such a massive assembly, not only a cultivator from Cloud River Level 3 but even one from True Lake Realm could have fought a battle.

Yet, they still failed to capture him.

The rare Golden Body Token, the mighty Vermillion Bird of the Four Auspicious Sacred Beasts wielding the power to destroy heavens and earth, and the single-handed summoning of the Heaven's Augury Pillar—any of these facts were shocking enough, yet all happened to a single person.

But it was precisely because of these incredible feats that Lu Ye, a Level 3 cultivator, managed to escape against all odds.

Looking at the Heaven's Augury Pillar that had descended from the sky, the expressions of those at Level 9 were extremely grim.

Now that the hunting ground was closed and Lu Yiye had fled, lamenting and blaming others was pointless.

Shortly after, the many Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators dispersed, leaving only the Heaven's Augury Pillar behind, recording the fierce events that had transpired.

With Level 3 cultivation, facing nearly a thousand cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, including powerful individuals from Levels 8-9, and still managing to escape to the heavens—it was foreseeable that after this battle, Lu Ye's fame was bound to spread far and wide.

In the future, when he entered the Cloud River battlefield again, those with intentions against him would likely increase.

Within the Heaven's Augury Hall on Righteous Peak of Mount Ao in Bingzhou, Lu Ye suddenly appeared, bloodied, his figure slightly staggering. He quickly raised his hand to support himself against the Heaven's Augury Pillar, managing not to fall.

Cultivators from the sect headquarters entered the Cloud River battlefield with many options. Depending on their needs, they could choose the location to enter, as long as there was a connected Heaven's Augury Pillar.

However, returning from the Cloud River battlefield meant they could only return to the Heaven's Augury Hall at the sect headquarters, with no other options available. This was related to the battlefield marking on the back of each cultivator's hand.

"Yiyi, find Second Senior Sister."

He softly gave the order.

Yiyi immediately flashed out from within Amber, rushing outside.

Moments later, Shui Yuan's figure burst into the Heaven's Augury Hall. Spotting Lu Ye's wretched state, her brows furrowed: "How did this happen?"

"It's a long story…" Lu Ye squeezed out a weak smile, clinging to the last bit of his consciousness: "Sister, save me!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he collapsed to the ground.

Even though he had the cultivation of Cloud River Level 3, the aftereffects of using the Fire Phoenix Spirit Runes were still somewhat difficult to bear. During the earlier time on the Cloud River battlefield, he didn't dare to pass out while still in danger. Now that he was back at the sect headquarters and his mind relaxed, he couldn't hold on any longer.

Shui Yuan swiftly caught him in her arms.

Consciousness drifting in and out, an endless fatigue assailed every part of his body. Several times, between the boundaries of dreams and wakefulness, Lu Ye even heard the gentle voice of the sect master…

Unknown lengths of time passed until he suddenly woke from his deep sleep.

Soft sounds of water reached his ears. Lu Ye opened his eyes and was momentarily confused. He slowly regained his senses.

He found himself sitting in a bath full of green medicinal syrup with Amber swimming leisurely in front of him, looking content.

Noticing Lu Ye's gaze, Amber looked up and mewed at him.

Hearing the noise, Yiyi flashed in, exclaimed joyfully, "Lu Ye, you're awake?"

Lu Ye responded, examining his own condition.

Quite good; his injuries had fully healed, and even the chronic pains accumulated over time had vanished, clearly the handiwork of Shui Yuan. Though he still felt weak and had little spirit force left in his body,

however, these were not major issues. A day or two of simple cultivation would suffice.

"How long have I slept?"

"For two days."

Lu Ye nodded. Second Senior Sister truly lived up to her name; her medical skills were far superior to Hua Ci's. Back in Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, when he first used the Fire Phoenix Spirit Runes, Hua Ci had adjusted his condition for many days before he slowly recovered.

At Second Senior Sister's place, it was almost fine in just two days.

He glanced down to check his battlefield marking.

Name: Lu Yiye.

Status: Disciple of the Righteous Blood Sect.

Cultivation: Cloud River Level 3.

Location: Mount Ao, Bingzhou.

Merit: six thousand one hundred and twenty points.

Battle merit: fifty-six points.

Over one hundred thousand merits were reduced to a mere trifle in an instant. The cost of invoking the Heaven's Augury Pillar was indeed too great. Apart from the last time he helped his Fourth Senior Brother buy an orifice repair pill in a one-off spending of a massive amount of merits, this was only the second time he had been so extravagant.

But at least the orifice repair pill could help his Fourth Senior Brother mend his spiritual orifice. The Heaven's Augury Pillar, summoned this time, helped him escape back to the Nine Provinces and served no further purpose.

The Heaven's Augury Pillar couldn't be taken away. Wherever it was summoned, there it would remain.

If it was not utterly necessary, Lu Ye would never have summoned the Heaven's Augury Pillar, considering that a hundred thousand merits could buy many items from the Heaven's Augury treasure vault.

While checking around, Shui Yuan walked in and casually asked, "How do you feel?"

"I am fine now."

"Good, now that you are back, just stay honest within the sect and recuperate well. Don't go wandering about."

"Yes."

Shui Yuan had already heard from Yiyi about Lu Ye's ordeal in the Cloud River battlefield. She was both outraged at the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators for bullying the weak and felt sorry for her junior brother's suffering.

But as a cultivator of the Divine Sea Realm, she could not help Lu Ye at this moment. She could have forcibly entered the Spirit Stream battlefield to support Lu Ye, but she couldn't enter the Cloud River battlefield.

Stepping forward, she checked Lu Ye's physical condition to make sure he truly was unharmed, and only then did she feel relieved.

"Second Senior Sister."

"Hmm?"

"I need to put on clothes now."

"I took off your clothes, there's nothing I haven't seen!" Shui Yuan glanced at him and turned to walk out the door.

Lu Ye was greatly embarrassed.

Moments later, Lu Ye, now neatly dressed, stepped out of the house. The glaring sunlight made him squint slightly, birdsong and insect chirps filled his ears, and the fragrance of flowers was profuse. Stretching lazily, he felt that such peaceful days were indeed pleasant.

He called Yiyi and then went to see the sect master, receiving some guidance.

After leaving the sect master, he smelled a tempting aroma and followed it to the dining hall, where, sure enough, his Second Senior Sister had prepared a table full of delicious food.

Compared to the meals prepared by Hua Ci, his Second Senior Sister's culinary skills were undoubtedly superior by a hundredfold. Though Hua Ci's dishes might not look appealing, their effects were not inferior in the slightest, and as long as one had a strong enough spirit, there was no psychological barrier to enjoying them.

After a hearty meal, he greeted Shui Yuan and flew straight to Emerald Bamboo Peak.

Emerald Bamboo Peak was Lu Ye's spirit mountaintop within the Righteous Blood Sect, and technically, he was still the Peak Master of Emerald Bamboo Peak.

After his ascension to the Cloud River, Shui Yuan had asked him to select a spirit mountaintop for himself, and Yiyi had chosen Emerald Bamboo Peak.

This spirit mountaintop was not far from Righteous Peak, and many junior sisters and brothers had helped him construct buildings when they first acquired it.

However, not long after his ascension to the Cloud River, he had entered the Cloud River battlefield, so he hadn't spent much time on Emerald Bamboo Peak.

Arriving now, he could see from afar the pavilions and towers standing boldly above the spirit mountaintop, with clouds rolling over it, exuding a truly celestial atmosphere.

Landing on the spirit mountaintop, he casually entered a resting palace and settled down to meditate and cultivate.

Currently, the sect headquarters of the Righteous Blood Sect was rather quiet because generally, the disciples' cultivation levels were low. Besides him and Giant Armor, all others were at the Spirit Stream Realm, so they stayed primarily in the Spirit Stream battlefield to cultivate and hardly returned to the sect headquarters.

However, as the disciples' cultivation level gradually improved, the sect headquarters would undoubtedly become lively again over time.

Hua Ci should also be on the verge of ascending to the Cloud River himself.

Lu Ye silently consumed an elixir pill and meditated to restore his body.

A day later, Lu Ye, refreshed and in full vigor, flew out from Emerald Bamboo Peak, first catching several fish at Moon Lake and then going to Righteous Peak.

Finding Shui Yuan, he said, "Sister, I need to enter the Spirit Stream battlefield."

Shui Yuan asked with surprise, "What are you doing in the Spirit Stream battlefield?"

For a cultivator of the Cloud River Realm to enter the Spirit Stream battlefield, some merits needed to be spent. The higher one's cultivation, the more merits it cost. Speaking from Shui Yuan's past experience, entering the battlefield once would cost thousands of merits.

"To take revenge."

When he had left the Cloud River battlefield, Lu Ye had told those Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators that he would return their favor a hundredfold in the future.

The cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge took his words as mere talk. Anyone who had suffered a great loss and nearly been killed would surely not rest easy. However, Lu Ye was certainly not just talking; he had long decided to stir up trouble in the Spirit Stream battlefield.

He might not be able to defeat those from the Level 8-9 of the Cloud River Realm, but could he not overpower those at the Spirit Stream Realm? If others bullied the weak against him, then he would do the same, relying on his identity as the Spirit Stream Overlord. In the ranks of the Spirit Stream Realm, who could match him?

Seeking nothing else, he was determined to recover the loss of his hundred thousand merits and the Golden Body Token in the Spirit Stream battlefield.

Shui Yuan immediately understood what Lu Ye was planning. Her eyebrows knitted, she advised, "Little junior brother, high-level cultivators forcibly entering the Spirit Stream battlefield can't do whatever they wish. Even if your strength surpasses theirs, once you start killing, you will be punished by Heaven's Augury, a protection for low-level cultivators."

"I know, so I want to ask you, sister, how did you withstand that Soul-Destroying Divine Lightning?"

Lu Ye vividly remembered the first time he saw Shui Yuan. She was brandishing an exaggerated battle scythe, slaughtering all around to protect him. The terrifying Soul-Destroying Divine Lightning lingered by her side, yet her expression remained unchanged.

No matter how much time had passed, whenever he recalled that smile she gave over her shoulder, Lu Ye always felt a trace of warmth in his heart.