Sage of Humanity

Not only did the Level 5 cultivator encounter this, but those few unfamiliar faces as well, especially the Level 7 one, whose situation was particularly severe. Suddenly, tiny mushrooms sprouted from his seven orifices, and he crushed them in one swipe, looked down, and saw his hands covered in fresh blood. He quickly realized what happened and bellowed, "How dare this bitch poison me!"

While speaking, he leaped up and charged toward Hua Ci.

Boom...

Lu Ye stepped off the back of an eagle, flipped mid-air, and positioned himself in front of Hua Ci and Ruan Lingyu, his long saber unsheathed and slashing horizontally.

A blaze of red spirit light ripped through the air, sparking a shower of flames, and the immense force sent the Level 7 reeling back. Lu Ye too stepped back but quickly stabilized himself, stomping on the floor of the bamboo tower as he ferociously pounced forward.

Two figures advanced and retreated, their Spiritual Artifacts clashing continuously, creating a cacophony of metallic sounds.

Since beginning his cultivation journey, Lu Ye had never fought a Level 7 cultivator. This exchange immediately put him under pressure. However, Lu Ye had grown significantly stronger since the battle at Golden Light Peak. Though his cultivation was still at Level 5, his skills in slaying enemies had greatly improved under the tutelage of his fourth senior brother.

The Boulder Mountain Saber in his hand seemed to take on a life of its own, slicing through the air with sharp lights. In just a few moments, Lu Ye found an opening and struck the cultivator in the chest and belly. The protective spirit force was shattered, and a foot-long wound opened up, spilling blood and flesh.

The Level 7 staggered back, his face a picture of shock, clearly not expecting to be wounded by a Level 5.

Without giving him time to think, Lu Ye pressed forward again.

After a few more moments of combat, another wound was added to the Level 7's body.
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The surprise in his eyes turned to terror, for he realized that this unknown Level 5, who had appeared out of nowhere, moved faster and struck harder than himself. What terrified him even more was the deadly sharpness of the opponent's saber; a cut was certain to wound.

Double images appeared before his eyes, and a buzzing sound began in his ears. He didn't know what kind of poison he had been afflicted with, but he felt his spirit force rapidly draining away, as vibrant and diverse mushrooms sprouted from each orifice, rapidly consuming his spirit force.

He knew he must fight quickly and capture that bitch to obtain the antidote!

With this thought, he decisively reached into his storage sack, drew out a Spiritual Artifact, and shouted, "Go!"

The artifact immediately transformed into a streak of light, speeding toward Lu Ye like a bolt of lightning.

At Level 7, one could cultivate the path of weapon control.

As the streak of light emerged, Lu Ye's body hair stood on end, overwhelmed by a sense of immense danger. His gaze locked onto the streak of light, and time seemed to slow as he discerned the angle and direction of the incoming artifact's attack within the light.

The Dragon Pool Body Tempering, along with the Scale Armor he refined there, not only strengthened his physique but also enhanced his eyesight, allowing him to track faster movements and react more swiftly.

There was no blocking it! It was too late to wield his saber as the streak of light was too swift.

As he mobilized his spirit force, a Defense Spirit Rune appeared on Lu Ye's chest, continuously channeling more spirit force into it.

With a loud bang, the spirit force burst out, Lu Ye grunted, tasted metal in his mouth, and rooted his feet firmly into the ground, though he was shoved backward, carving deep grooves in the earth with his feet.

"Yiye!" Ruan Lingyu, standing beside Hua Ci, cried out in alarm, her face turning pale.

Meanwhile, Hua Ci gritted her teeth, changing the magic spell in her hands once again.

Thud, thud, thud...

Dull sounds echoed as the mushrooms growing from the Level 7's orifices burst one after another, spewing spores all over his face. He screamed in agony as his face seemed to be doused with acid, sizzling horribly, flesh becoming indistinct.

Lu Ye raised his saber, slashing away the continuous spirit light at his chest, and charged forward, under the horrified gaze of the Level 7 cultivator, he thrust his saber directly.

The Boulder Mountain Saber, reinforced with Sharpness Spirit Runes, pierced through the man's chest and exited through his back.

Lu Ye withdrew the saber, blood gushing forth.

"Ah!" Another scream sounded, and Lu Ye turned his head to see that the Level 6 had been caught in the beak of Little Gray, though it was unclear whether the cultivator had provoked Little Gray or if Little Gray had acted on his own initiative.

With a clamping of the massive beak, the man was cleaved in two, blood and organs splattering down.

At the same time, Kong Niu had also finished off his own opponent. Strictly speaking, Kong Niu might not have matched the man's skills since he had only recently advanced to Level 5. However, these outsiders were all unknowingly poisoned by Hua Ci. When she detonated those hidden potent toxins, their capabilities diminished.

In the heat of a life-and-death battle, suddenly having mushrooms sprout from one's eyes and nose would scare anyone, especially since those mushrooms were rapidly sapping their own spirit force...

The rushed battle concluded, Lu Ye shook the fresh blood from his long saber, sheathed it, and rubbed his aching chest. Though the Defense Spirit Runes had shielded him from the damage of the artifact, the force of the impact was something he couldn't mitigate.

"Who are these people?" Lu Ye frowned.

He had just arrived here and hadn't yet grasped what was happening when Hua Ci suddenly attacked. Right after Ruan Lingyu shouted, a fierce battle erupted.

"A few curs who ran out from the inner circle." Hua Ci explained nonchalantly, looking at Lu Ye with concern, "Are you alright?"

Lu Ye shook his head.

"Let's talk inside." Hua Ci moved towards the bamboo house.

Lu Ye followed her in.

Ruan Lingyu stayed outside, cleaning up the battlefield with Kong Niu and the others.

Once inside the house, Hua Ci poured him a glass of water. Lu Ye noticed her exhausted expression soften, clearly indicating that she had been having a tough time recently.

Lu Ye took a sip of water, "Being targeted?"

Although Hua Ci didn't say much, Lu Ye vaguely guessed what was going on, something he had worried about while he was at Mount Ying.

Hua Ci was quite renowned in the nearby marketplace. Many injured cultivators sought her for healing. While this could earn her some cultivation resources, if powerful Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators targeted her one day, the members of Independent Wanderers Society wouldn't be able to resist.

However, they were at the outermost circle of the battlefield, and Hua Ci herself had Level 5 realm cultivation. With about a dozen members of the Independent Wanderers Society banding together, they had some power to protect themselves.

But life is not always smooth sailing.

Eventually, Hua Ci was targeted. It started when a Level 7 cultivator got injured and came to her for treatment, knowing her reputation. The cultivator was from the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge faction, and though Hua Ci was unwilling, she had no choice but to comply because she was not as powerful as her adversary.

Once the Level 7's injuries healed, he refused to leave and even made more excessive demands, wanting Hua Ci to earn Spirit Stones for him. In his eyes, a healing cultivator from an independent background was like a cash tree; as long as he controlled this tree, he wouldn't have to risk fighting in the inner circle.

He had run to the outer circle because he had been injured fighting someone in the inner circle.

This situation had persisted for more than twenty days. During these days, all the Spirit Stones Hua Ci earned in the marketplace were given to him in exchange for the safety of people like Ruan Lingyu.

"What about the others?"

The last time he had visited, there had been over a dozen members of the Independent Wanderers Society, but now only three remained.

"They were killed." Hua Ci sighed. The Level 7 had wanted to control Hua Ci, and people like Kong Niu were unwilling to comply, resulting in a conflict, and only a few members of the society survived.

If it weren't for Hua Ci threatening with her own life, probably the entire Independent Wanderers Society would have been decimated, leaving her alone. The scars on her neck came from that ordeal.

Until today, when Lu Ye suddenly arrived, Hua Ci didn't hesitate to act because she knew that no matter why Lu Ye was here, once he understood her situation, he would definitely help. With that in mind, she decided to strike first!

Fortunately, Lu Ye was stronger than she had imagined, and he succesfully dealt with that Level 7.

Sensing Lu Ye's gaze, Hua Ci raised her hand to cover her scar, revealing a gentle smile as usual, "Regardless, thank you."

Lu Ye waved his hand, "Without me, they probably wouldn't have survived much longer."

He didn't know exactly what Hua Ci had done to those people, but he saw their miserable state and knew that even without him, given some time, Hua Ci could have killed those people, though not without some risk.

Hua Ci was a healing cultivator, but healing cultivators can also kill. From what Lu Ye knew, some healing cultivators preferred using poison, known as poison doctors. These individuals could often kill invisibly, and those they killed always died a gruesome death.

"Never mind me, but you, the famous Lu Yiye, instead of enjoying yourself at the Righteous Blood Sect, why did you come here? Did you lose something here?" She evidently also knew about the battle at Golden Light Peak.

Lu Ye's forehead bulged with veins, "My name is Lu Ye!"

"Oh?" Hua Ci looked surprised, "I remember someone telling me his surname was Lu, with the style name Yiye. Could they have been deceiving me?"

She gazed at Lu Ye sorrowfully, slowly shaking her head, "Indeed, a man's word cannot be trusted." She sighed again, "But never mind, since you saved me, they say there's no greater debt than a saved life, a debt repaid with…"

Her voice softened, and Lu Ye arched an eyebrow as he looked at Hua Ci, catching her shyly lowering her head. As she spoke, her jade hand that had been on her neck slid down slowly, resting on her garments.

Lu Ye suddenly felt dry-mouthed, his eyes fixated. Could this be happening too quickly? The hero saves the beauty, and the beauty throws herself into the hero's arms. Could such events also unfold for me?

Hua Ci smoothed out the wrinkles on her garment, her movements meticulous…

Lu Ye's gaze lifted, meeting a pair of teasing, playful eyes.

Lu Ye closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and with some expectation towards this woman in front of him, cursed internally, "I'm really such a fool!"