Sage of Humanity

The combat cultivator's eye twitched violently, cursing internally; he had forgotten that this guy also knew magic and spells, yet he still did not dodge. Instead, he fully activated his protective spirit force and charged toward the incoming spell, hammer striking down.

Boom...

His figure was hurled away, his chest a bloody, charred mess. Lu Ye, riding atop Amber, leapt over him. Not only that, but he also bent down to swing his sword, its blade enhanced by Sharpness spirit runes, flickering with spirit light.

The sound of a sharp weapon cutting into flesh rang out, blood spurted, and before Lu Ye could check his results, he was whisked away by Amber.

"Chase him!" someone shouted from behind, as a flurry of arrows sliced through the air, penetrating the night.

Feeling the urgent reactions of this group, Lu Ye immediately understood that his choice had been the right one.

If he had really charged toward that weak spot in their defenses he could have temporarily escaped danger, but he would still have been pursued and surrounded. Now thinking of it, that weak spot seemed like a trap deliberately left by the enemy.

He recalled the tiny bell spirit artifact, and the moment the Level 5 magic cultivator was freed, he launched a spell in the direction Lu Ye had fled, but Lu Ye was already long gone.

The cultivators riding demon beasts continued their relentless pursuit. After covering some distance, they stopped as if commanded, staring in the direction of Lu Ye's escape, their eyes full of frustration.

From the perspective of the Shadow Moon Disc, ahead of Lu Ye's white point were about twenty blue points rushing towards him. On a nearby mountaintop, another cluster of blue points was fiercely clashing with black points.

The disturbances Lu Ye had previously sensed were coming from that direction.

In the grand hall, Han Zheyue's gaze could have ignited flames as she stared at Tang Wu. If looks could kill, Tang Wu would have died a hundred times over.

The twenty or so blue points moving towards the white one were clearly marshaled by Tang Wu. Otherwise, Tailuo Sect wouldn't have ceased its chase, as continuing would imply encroaching on Mount Qingyu's domain.

The nearby combat was also initiated under Tang Wu's orders. Mount Qingyu hadn't intended to capture that mountain peak, only wanting to create some noise to signal to the outsider.

Now, it appeared that this outsider was a clever fellow. Even though there was no direct interaction between him and Tang Wu, under Tang Wu's covert planning, the outsider had voluntarily moved closer to Mount Qingyu.

However, the weak point she had designed failed to serve as a bait.

In this round of long-distance confrontation, Han Zheyue was utterly defeated—losing over a dozen cultivators, several mountain peaks, and the outsider had even been picked up by Mount Qingyu.

"Is he that formidable?" Qin Wanli gasped in surprise beside her.

He had been enjoying the spectacle here all afternoon and into the night, witnessing how that white point maneuvered through Hundred Peaks Mountain. Frankly, he was immensely impressed—placing himself in the same situation, he knew he couldn't have managed such feats at the Level 4 realm. If the guy lacked abilities, he would have died during the first encirclement.

As if that wasn't enough, a moment ago on the Shadow Moon Disc, a black point representing a Level 5 cultivator had suddenly vanished.

In other words, a Level 5 had fallen to that outsider!

That was somewhat terrifying. Escaping a Level 5's pursuit might be attributed to his mount's power, but overpowering someone of a higher level indicated a whole different significance.

This guy… could he be from some powerful family? Qin Wanli wondered.

"Do you still want to watch?" Han Zheyue suddenly turned her fiery gaze on him. Explore more stories at empire

Clearing his throat, Qin Wanli promptly adjusted his attitude, "Wherever Senior Sister Han says to strike, we strike!"

Although the Qin family had gained stature and a station on the battlefield, their rise had been too recent, and they still relied heavily on the Tailuo Sect. Especially since this woman was currently enraged, Qin Wanli had to be even more careful in how he interacted.

Seeing his cooperative attitude, Han Zheyue's anger somewhat subsided. She didn't avoid Tang Wu and began to discuss the attack plans openly in front of him.

Tang Wu was also strategizing on his side. Occasionally glancing at the Shadow Moon Disc, seeing that the white point had already linked up with his troops, he felt greatly relieved.

At this juncture, Lu Ye, looking at the twenty or so cultivators ahead of him, clutched a jade slip in his hand, silently reflecting.

These people bore no malice, and it seemed they already knew he was here, declaring their identities and showing their affiliation with the Haotian Alliance before even approaching. Since the other party was so forthcoming, Lu Ye naturally revealed the blue light of his battlefield marking on his wrist to avoid any potential misunderstandings.

The jade slip in his hand, given to him by the leader named Xie Jin, a Level 5 cultivator, promised answers with a quick investigation.

Despite being a Level 5, the cultivator's words were quite polite.

With no immediate pursuit from behind, Lu Ye gently patted the tiger-back and asked Amber to stay alert, then he pressed the jade slip to his forehead to begin his inquiry.

After a moment, he lowered the jade slip, his face wearing a puzzled expression.

Dragon Spring Meet?

A competition for entering the Dragon Spring hosted jointly by three factions?

Lu Ye was somewhat speechless. He had been wandering uninhabited areas these days, avoiding territories claimed by sects as much as possible. Even when he needed supplies, he visited marketplaces frequented by independent cultivators.

His last visit to an independent marketplace had been ten days ago.

Avoiding contact with others, he had no idea this was the venue for the Dragon Spring Meet. He had chosen to pass through Hundred Peaks Mountain because it was at the junction of three forces nearby and belonged to none, thinking it would be safer and more convenient.

Little did he know it would turn into such a spectacle.

The last time he chose Sky-Splitting Gorge was similar; it was the boundary between Xuanmen and Nine Stars Sect, which ended up sparking a major conflict between the two forces, culminating in the Nine Stars Sect's base being overrun.

He realized he had made a mistake concerning one thing; he should never have chosen those border areas of forces since such places were generally chaotic. If he truly wanted to avoid trouble, he needed to choose the territory under the Haotian Alliance's influence.

He silently noted this lesson.

According to the information revealed in the jade slip, the spot where he entered Hundred Peaks Mountain was deep within the Tailuo Sect's territory, which was why he had been constantly pursued and trapped by the cultivators of Tailuo Sect.

This indeed matched his previous experiences; the cultivators he initially encountered were rarely of Level 5 realm, but as he kept moving forward, the number of Level 5 realm cultivators increased.

Since the rear was safer than the front, the personnel stationed there, both in terms of cultivation and numbers, were not highly demanded. Conversely, the peaks bordering Mount Qingyu needed higher-level cultivators to be stationed, and the number of people was greater.

The reason they had come to aid him was because of that Shadow Moon Disc. Each of the three sects stationed Level 9 cultivators there to monitor all cultivator movements within Hundred Peaks Mountain, so no matter how Lu Ye tried to escape or hide, he could not elude the scrutiny of those Level 9 cultivators.

He had felt as if eyes were constantly watching him, surrounding him no matter how he tried to escape. It turned out to be because of that Shadow Moon Disc.

The situation matched his experiences, and Lu Ye could almost confirm the other party was not lying.

Moreover, however it was said, these twenty-odd people coming to his aid had helped him escape being hunted down, which counted as a favor from them.

"Junior Brother, this place is not suitable for a long stay, please move along and we can talk," a man suggested with a gesture.

Lu Ye nodded, "Okay."

A group of people hurriedly escorted Lu Ye forward, moving very fast.

Along the way, Xie Jin chatted casually with Lu Ye. When asked for a name, Lu Ye simply gave the name Yiye, fortunate that Xie Jin also tactfully did not probe into Lu Ye's background.

In the Spirit Stream battlefield, many cultivators hide their sect affiliations, especially those from big sects venturing into the outer circles for experience.

Do not assume that cultivators from big sects will receive preferential treatment; in reality, they are more often the targets of opposing factions.

Tang Wu communicated with Xie Jin, informing him that Lu Ye was very likely a Disciple of a big sect, and naturally, Xie Jin knew not to be indiscreet.

As they continued on the road, the twenty-odd people gradually dispersed, leaving only Xie Jin and Lu Ye together. Those people were summoned from nearby peaks and now that their task was completed, naturally, they needed to return to their duties.

Furthermore, Han Zheyue had gone mad, joining forces with Qin Wanli to attack the peaks of Mount Qingyu, which drastically increased pressure on their side. The peaks they had gained during the day were lost again, which was quite helpless though fortunately, there were not many casualties.

After crossing two mountain peaks and arriving at a valley, to his surprise, it was brightly lit with tents standing tall. From inside those tents, cultivators could be seen constantly coming and going.

Lu Ye, riding on the back of a tiger, looked around and noticed that many of the cultivators here were injured. Screams emanated from many tents and the smell of blood was rampant.

He immediately understood that this place was likely akin to a field hospital where cultivators injured in the front lines came for treatment.

Upon Lu Ye's arrival, many cultivators turned their gaze towards him, some shouting, "Well done, Fellow Daoist!"

Others cheered and whistled at him...

And some fiery-tempered female cultivators even threw him flirtatious glances...

The enthusiastic crowd of the injured left Lu Ye somewhat bewildered.

Xie Jin laughed and said, "Junior Brother, your heroic act has already spread, and everyone here admires you a lot."

Only then did Lu Ye understand what was happening.

Following Xie Jin, they approached a tent, where Xie Jin said, "Junior Brother Yiye, please stay here for now. Someone will come later to treat your injuries."

"Thank you."

He couldn't refuse such kindness. While his own injuries were not too severe, having survived a couple of near-death experiences before, Lu Ye had a strong tolerance for pain at the moment.

However, Amber was quite severely injured, mainly because the Tailuo Sect cultivators had thrown too many Spirit Talismans at Amber, and later specifically used arrows to shoot at it; although Lu Ye had blocked many, some still got through.

"Then I won't disturb Junior Brother's rest," Xie Jin said as he was about to leave, then suddenly, as if something came to mind, he turned around and said, "Oh yes, almost forgot."

During the conversation, he took out a storage sack.