Sage of Humanity

"Yes," Yuan Xiang nodded. "It is said that Huntian Holy Temple was once the strongest sect in the world, and that secret realm was also the largest of all secret realms. It's a pity that now it has become the Corpse Race's corpse breeding ground. It is said that even the Golden Corpse King Corpse Fiend has renamed the Huntian Holy Temple to the Corpse King Palace."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ye's face showed a contemplative expression, and a faint idea began to emerge in his mind.

As they traveled, Yuan Xiang, who was untouched by worldly affairs, poured out all the information she knew like beans in a bamboo tube, one by one.

Lu Ye and Ying Wuji occasionally asked questions but spent more time listening quietly.

On the second day in the Unparalleled Continent, Lu Ye finally began to understand some of the situation in this world.

"We're almost at our base." Yuan Xiang, who was leading the way, suddenly reduced her fleeing light and descended towards the ground below.

Lu Ye and Ying Wuji followed closely behind her.

Once they landed, Yuan Xiang stepped forward and continued walking.

Lu Ye looked around. They were in a secluded location deep in the mountains, a place hidden and remote. Almost all of the human race's bases nowadays were chosen in areas that were not easy to find to avoid the ever-present scrutiny of the Corpse Race.

And once a base's location was exposed, one had to either completely eliminate the Corpses that found it or immediately relocate; else, disaster would surely fall upon them.

Yuan Xiang's base was evidently well-located. A group of people had settled here for over a decade without ever being discovered by the Corpse Race.

According to the information previously revealed by Yuan Xiang, there are two types of Corpse Race. Under normal circumstances, rotting corpses hardly ever moved. They would choose a suitable place for themselves and then fall into a deathlike slumber to nurture their hordes of corpses.

This was exactly the situation Ying Wuji had encountered before.

For the Corpse Race, this method was known as corpse breeding. The hordes under a rotting corpse were diverse in origin and varied in strength. This was the only way to slowly strengthen them.

The zombies that wandered around, hunting the human race, were quite different; they were individually much more powerful than the rotting corpses and their bodies were incredibly tough and sturdy, making it difficult for ordinary methods to inflict significant harm on them.

In today's Unparalleled Continent, there were thousands upon thousands of human race bases that could basically rest easy as long as they avoided the detection of these zombies. Of course, should they be unlucky enough to be targeted by a rotting corpse, there was little they could do but wait for death.

After a millennium of survival in the cracks, the surviving human race had summed up many effective methods against the Corpse Race.

Walking behind Yuan Xiang, Lu Ye suddenly came to a stop.

The next instant, Ying Wuji also halted, surveying their surroundings.

Yuan Xiang looked back at the two men, "The base is just ahead…" Her expression was very unnatural, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her gaze shifty, as if she had done something guilty. Even her voice was as weak as a mosquito's hum.

Lu Ye and Ying Wuji seemed to pay her no heed.

Ying Wuji suddenly burst into laughter, "I thought you were naive and kind-hearted, but it turns out you also had malicious intentions. Unexpected indeed. Is it that the human heart is no longer pure in this world?" He shook his head continuously, then mockingly glanced at Lu Ye, "In vain they call you a master of Array Path, unrivaled among your peers, didn't you notice anything?"

Lu Ye remained silent, gently rubbing his thumb against the sheath of the Boulder Mountain Saber, his gaze calmly fixed on Yuan Xiang not far ahead.

Yuan Xiang's expression grew even more awkward.

"Yuan Xiang, retreat quickly!"

Suddenly, a stern shout came from nearby, followed by an invisible force pulling Yuan Xiang from behind. Amidst her alarmed cry, she was yanked away.

In the next moment, ripples appeared in the void as the surroundings twisted and changed, and thick fog emerged from nowhere, covering a wide area.

In an instant, Lu Ye and Ying Wuji found themselves in a place where they couldn't see their own hands.

Formation!

And it was a combination of an Illusion Array and a Delusion Array.

Yuan Xiang had shown no defensiveness against Lu Ye and Ying Wuji along the way, answering every question in a seemingly innocent and naive manner. Even Lu Ye hadn't expected that she would lead them into a formation.

Such a formation couldn't have been set up hastily; it must have been prepared in advance. It was probably not specifically for Lu Ye and Ying Wuji but more likely a protective measure for the cultivators in the base.

Although Lu Ye didn't detect it beforehand, his knowledge in Array Path was profound, so the moment he stepped into the range of the formation, he was aware of it.

Ying Wuji realized it a little later; it was only after Lu Ye stopped abruptly that he became alert.

For the sect of ghost cultivators, knowledge in Array Path was almost an essential discipline, for when they grew powerful, they might need to infiltrate formations to assassinate their targets. A qualified ghost cultivator would necessarily have a good mastery of Array Path.

While Ying Wuji's expertise in Array Path was naturally not on par with Lu Ye's, it wasn't far behind.

Now shrouded by an Illusion Array and Delusion Array, Ying Wuji could even sense the presence of various killing arrays hidden around, ready to unleash their power at any sudden movement.

"Lu Yiye, our situation isn't looking good," Ying Wuji had already summoned his two machetes, feeling a deep sense of shame inside.

He considered himself a veteran in the cultivation world, yet he never thought that one day he would be duped by a young girl, and moreover, he hadn't realized it beforehand.

"Do you want to do it, or should I?" he asked.

To leave this place, they would definitely need to break through the formation. An array cultivator from a broken world wouldn't have too high of skills; Ying Wuji was confident he could break through the formation here. But once he took action, the other party would surely trigger the killing array's might, at which point Lu Yiye would need to assist and guard him.

If Lu Yiye was to break the formation, then he would be the one to assist and guard.

At that moment, Lu Ye had already activated the Insight Spirit Runes to enhance his eyes, which were deep and profound, seemingly able to penetrate the Void and see beyond the many obstructions of the formation outside.

Outside the big array, there were four more figures in addition to Yuan Xiang.

The leader was a sword-wielding cultivator, though it wasn't clear if he was a sword cultivator.

"Where are Yooi Zhen and the rest? Who are these people you've brought back?" the cultivator who seemed to be a sword cultivator asked.

Yuan Xiang's eyes turned red instantly: "They're all dead!"

"What?" The faces of several people changed drastically.

"Your team had six people, Yooi Zhen and the rest were all strong; how could they all be dead?"

Yuan Xiang said, "We encountered a very powerful zombie; Uncle Yooi and the others were no match for it and three died on the spot. Uncle Yooi was also afflicted with Primordial Corpse Poison, and his injuries were too severe, he didn't survive. Aunt Shen didn't want to live alone, so she followed Uncle Yooi in death."

Recalling the things that had pained her, Yuan Xiang couldn't help but cry again. However, she managed to suppress her emotions enough to recount what had happened.

The expressions of the others were somber. In this apocalyptic world, life and death were common, but even if they were prepared in their hearts, it was inevitable to feel sorrowful when it actually occurred.

"How did you manage to survive?"

"It was the man with the saber who saved me." Yuan Xiang pointed in the direction of the formation, "When he rescued us, Uncle Yooi and Aunt Shen weren't yet dead..."

Hearing this, the faces of the people lightened slightly. The sword-wielding cultivator looked thoughtfully towards the location of the formation and said, "Do you know who they are?"

Yuan Xiang sobbed for a bit, then, struggling with her sadness, replied, "The one with the saber is called Lu Yiye, and the other one who looks sneaky is called Ying Wuji. They are two cultivator brothers who claim to have come from a small stronghold and have never left it before, so they know nothing about the outside world."

"Know nothing?" the sword-wielding cultivator frowned.

In this chaotic world, is there still someone who knows nothing about the outside world?

Seeing his confusion, Yuan Xiang explained, "They must have had a very powerful master who protected them well until one month ago when their master passed away. Only then did they leave the stronghold." She paused before adding, "Big Brother Wu, they saved my life, and they don't seem like bad people, could you please not be too harsh on them?"

Just as Lu Ye had thought earlier, the formation outside of the stronghold was not specifically aimed at them; rather, the stronghold had always been wary of preventing potential invasions from the Corpse Race or some other ill-intentioned human race members.

Even if Yuan Xiang was pure-hearted and kind, she knew not to casually bring strangers into the stronghold. But having seen Lu Ye's strength for herself, she knew she was no match for him, so she behaved very submissively along the way.

By bringing Lu Ye and Ying Wuji into the formation, others inside the stronghold could thoroughly investigate their origins and judge their intentions. If Lu Ye and Ying Wuji indeed bore no malice, then there would be nothing to discuss. But if they came with sinister motives, the stronghold could seize the initiative.

In today's Unparalleled Continent, survival was not easy for the human race. Enemies included not only the Corpse Race but also many humans who had cast aside their conscience to commit evil deeds!

Compared to that, the evil of the Corpse Race was apparent at a glance, while the wickedness within the human race was often concealed very deeply.

For a thousand years, there have been numerous occasions where wrongdoings by their own kind led to strongholds being massacred to the point of obliteration.

In these chaotic times, anything could be a resource—food, clothing, tools, even the cultivators themselves...

What were most common and mundane in the flourishing era might now provoke two humans into fighting furiously, striving for life or death.

Wu Jun said, "Since they saved your life, we naturally won't make things too difficult for them. But we still have to wait for Senior Zui Shan to question them and make a decision."

He comforted Yuan Xiang while a stern look flashed in his eyes.

The excuses of these two uninvited guests could fool Yuan Xiang, but they wouldn't fool him.

No matter how small a stronghold, no matter how well protected, it was impossible to be ignorant about the current state of the Unparalleled Continent.

These two... there must be something wrong with them!

So, no matter what, they had to be taken down first. As for their origins and motives, those could be carefully probed later.