Sage of Humanity

He had exchanged names with the physique cultivator who was receiving medical treatment. The other person was Gao Tai, a governor from an 8th grade sect in Dingzhou.

Upon learning Lu Ye's identity, Gao Tai was astonished, "So you're Lu Yiye from Righteous Blood Sect. The battle at Golden Light Peak two months ago really caused quite a stir."

Lu Ye was now too lazy to correct others' reference to him; some reputations had spread so far that they couldn't be denied even if he wanted to.

Lann Yudie was the Deputy Governor, and Gao Tai was the Governor. Originally, two others had accompanied them. However, in the previous skirmish with several Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, those two had already fallen in battle, and their belongings were still with Lu Ye, who immediately let them identify the items and returned the storage sacks of the deceased.

Though they had narrowly escaped death, the demise of their comrades left Lann Yudie and Gao Tai quite despondent.

After communicating with them for a while, Lu Ye learned that they were lucky to have teamed up from the start. Together, the four of them had managed to kill a few Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, until they encountered those people just now.

There were four of them, but six on the opposing side. With similar levels of cultivation, the opponents clearly had the upper hand; if Lu Ye had not suddenly appeared, both of them would have perished there.

"Do you two recognize this item?" Lu Ye said, tossing a bone fragment to each of them.

Lann Yudie and Gao Tai examined it and both shook their heads. The former asked, "What is this?"

"I don't know either." Lu Ye toyed with two other bone fragments in his hands, "Found them on the other side."

He had previously collected two fragments, and when he went to clear the battlefield just now, he had incredibly found two more. One was from a magic cultivator he had ambushed and killed, and another from another Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivator's corpse who had been killed before Lu Ye arrived; it lay among three corpses on the ground.

After sharing his discovery, Lann Yudie and Gao Tai both looked surprised, "Are you saying that you've found such bone fragments from members of four different sects?"

"If those two weren't from the same sect, then it's indeed four sects!"

"What in the world is this?" Lann Yudie activated her spirit force and tried to infuse it into the fragment, but got no response. She squeezed it hard and even chopped it with her dagger a few times, yet it couldn't be cut through.

"Never seen before, it might be an unknown spirit material," guessed Gao Tai.

"But why would it appear on people from four different sects?" noticed Lann Yudie, seeing the problem.

Lu Ye also wanted to know the reason but couldn't find an answer. Previously, Hua Ci had guessed that the two Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators might have some blood relation, but now it seemed this conjecture was unreliable; it made no sense for four people to have a blood relation and also join four different sects.

Eventually, he had to put it aside for the time being. He planned to ask his fourth senior brother, who was worldly-wise and likely to have a clue.

He let Lann Yudie and Gao Tai recover from their injuries, while Lu Ye kept a vigil and sent a message to his fourth senior brother. As for Hua Ci, she had gone out to plant mushrooms again. At the moment, the scope of the small island was manageable, but if it grew too large, she couldn't possibly plant mushrooms everywhere and could only focus on a specific area.

Fourth senior brother hadn't replied yet; Lu Ye guessed he might be fighting with someone. He wasn't worried about it, though, as during these days, he had gathered more knowledge about the cultivation world and knew about the Spirit Stream Ranking, and that his fourth senior brother was the tenth-ranked powerhouse on that list.

They said the Governor from the Loyal Heart Sect was the top monster in the Spirit Stream Ranking. With these two together, few in the Chess Sea could pose a threat to them. Stay connected via empire

After waiting a moment, he got a response.

"Was just fighting with someone. What's the matter, junior brother?" Fourth senior brother's tone was relaxed; clearly, his opponent hadn't fared well.

Lu Ye then detailed his findings and asked about the bone fragment, not expecting an answer before he described it thoroughly; yet, fourth senior brother had already spoken of the fragment's characteristics first.

"You have one too?" Lu Ye was somewhat shocked.

"Just found one."

Suddenly, Lu Ye felt uneasy; if the same fragments were found on different Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators and appeared in different locations within the Chess Sea, it surely indicated something ominous.

"I've never seen this thing either. I'll go ask around and let you know if I find anything," said fourth senior brother.

"Alright!"

After ending the transmission, Lu Ye stroked the bone fragments in his hand, thought for a moment, then placed them in his storage sack.

Four hours later, another small island drifted towards them. It was smaller than theirs, seemingly less amalgamated.

However, once they had converged, Lu Ye discovered that the newcomers were Haotian Alliance cultivators, only two of them, and both were injured, appearing to have been through a fierce battle.

When they reconvened, they were overjoyed to discover that Lu Ye had a healing cultivator with him.

They had already braced themselves for a desperate fight, since in their current condition, encountering any cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge would surely be disastrous. However, luck was on their side, and they not only ran into Haotian Alliance members but also found a healing cultivator who could save lives and help the injured.

After Hua Ci treated the injuries of the two men, they were profoundly grateful.

With that, six cultivators gathered on the small island, greatly increasing everyone's sense of safety. Even if they faced a group of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, they were not without the power to fight back, and should an encounter occur, it was possible that they might have the greater numbers.

Meanwhile, across the entire Chess Sea, a fierce battle erupted on every island, differing in scale. Each conflict ended with the complete obliteration of one group of cultivators.

Looking over the situation in the entire Chess Sea, it was undeniable that the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side had an absolute advantage. Many of their cultivators had formed groups, while those from the Haotian Alliance had not managed to unite with their allies in significant numbers. Most encounters were with hostile cultivators; even if they won a battle, another would be awaiting them.

As the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators continuously joined forces, they often created scenarios where they outnumbered their opponents. This caused even heavier casualties among the Haotian Alliance, leaving them with little ability to resist once they were discovered.

Half a day later, a large battle broke out. There were six on each side, an equal number, but overtly, their side was at a disadvantage.

Lu Ye and Hua Ci were both at Level 6, but the other four were injured. Although they had been treated by Hua Ci, they would need several days to recover fully.

After a brief skirmish, Lu Ye's group was completely defeated and retreated towards the back of their own island, pursued relentlessly by the six from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, whose momentum was fierce.

The result... was a complete mess!

When those six stepped into the mushroom area Hua Ci had cultivated, their demise was already sealed.

Even though Lann Yudie and Gao Tai had seen such a scene once before, they were still somewhat taken aback. The two Haotian Alliance cultivators witnessing it for the first time were utterly horrified.

Frightening as it was, their strikes were unabated.

The battle was such that everyone had their share of kills, and all faces were smiling brightly, their appreciation for Hua Ci deepening even more.

Having a healing cultivator stationed at the rear in such a place was incredibly reassuring, not to mention that this healer could also weaken the enemy. Hua Ci played a pivotal role in their easy victory in this battle.

After recounting the spoils of war, no one took any; everything was handed over to Hua Ci. Being able to kill the enemy and earn merit and the support of Heaven's Augury Pillar was profit enough; no one felt right splitting the spoils.

Hua Ci tried to refuse, but everyone insisted strongly, so she could only accept with a smile.

After this battle, they all recognized Hua Ci's importance. After consulting with Lu Ye, they ultimately decided that in each battle hereafter, one person would be specifically tasked with protecting Hua Ci closely, which really made Lu Ye feel the difference in treatment.

But that was also something he was glad to see. After all, Hua Ci's abilities were somewhat lacking, and having someone to protect her meant she could be safer.

After this great battle, they naturally began to heal and recuperate.

It was at this time that a message arrived. Lu Ye checked and saw that it was from his Fourth Senior Brother.

"Quickly get rid of those bone fragments. Those things can influence the islands in the Chess Sea, making the islands of those who possess the fragments attract and approach each other. People from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge are using these fragments to continuously join forces. This Spirit Stream Defense Battle is going bad for the Haotian Alliance!"

Seeing this message, Lu Ye was momentarily stunned. He had felt that those bone fragments were peculiar, but had never imagined they could have such wonderful effects.

According to the information revealed by his Fourth Senior Brother, these bone fragments could actually influence the islands in the Chess Sea, making the islands of those who held the fragments gradually come together and join forces, enabling the people from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge to exponentially increase their ranks like a snowball.

Combining this with all that he had already faced, Lu Ye immediately judged that his Fourth Senior Brother must be right. The four bone fragments he had acquired, belonging to different powers of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, had converged in the Chess Sea. It might be partially due to luck, but it was very likely due to the influence of the bone fragments on the islands.

If that was indeed the case... then this Spirit Stream Defense Battle really was disastrous for the Haotian Alliance.

"Where did these bone fragments come from? Haven't they been seen before?" Lu Ye sent a message asking.

"It seems that about a few decades ago, a member of a sect from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge accidentally discovered them in the Chess Sea. Originally belonging to a powerful sea demon beast, these remains were taken back and, somehow, Ten Thousand Demons Ridge figured out how to use these remains by turning them into bone fragments.

Taking advantage of this battle, they distributed them among the various large and small sects," replied Fourth Senior Brother anxiously, "Little Junior Brother, be very careful, and try to join with other Haotian Alliance members as much as possible. Hold out until the islands merge, and then I will come to find you!"

"There isn't too much danger on my side, be careful yourself, Senior Brother," Lu Ye replied.

After ending the message exchange with Li Baxian, Lu Ye's brows were tightly furrowed.

Ten Thousand Demons Ridge had undoubtedly come prepared this time. Until now, news of these bone fragments hadn't leaked, and it was only when the Spirit Stream Defense Battle began that Ten Thousand Demons Ridge suddenly made their move, clearly having planned for a long time.