Sage of Humanity

Ranked thirty-fourth in the Spirit Stream Ranking, Zhuo Jianchen of the Runyu Sect fell to the saber after being challenged by Lu Yiye.

The news spread across the entire battlefield and throughout the Nine Provinces as if it had wings.

Everyone was shocked!

Previously, when Lu Ye was climbing the ranking, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators ranked after the fiftieth place all perished without a single survivor. It could be explained that Lu Yiye was simply too powerful, possessing the ability to kill those people in an instant, so they couldn't even shout out their surrender.

But now what?

Zhuo Jianchen, ranked thirty-fourth, certainly couldn't be that weak. How could he not even have the chance to surrender, especially since he was a sword cultivator?

It couldn't possibly be that Zhuo Jianchen fought Lu Yiye to the death. No one would be that foolish.

Countless people continued to watch closely, everyone curious where Lu Ye's limit was. Could he reach the top twenty? The top ten? Or could he even climb to the top of the ranking?

Especially for those Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators ranked above Lu Ye on the Spirit Stream Ranking, each one of them felt the pressure weighing on them like a mountain.

After slaying Zhuo Jianchen, the name of Lu Yiye from the Righteous Blood Sect swiftly rose again. In less than the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, he advanced directly from thirty-fourth to the twentieth rank!

Among the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators in between, any who were challenged by him outright refused. Zhuo Jianchen had been killed by Lu Ye, and they understood they weren't much stronger than Zhuo Jianchen, so naturally, they wouldn't risk accepting the challenge.

However, climbing the Spirit Stream Ranking couldn't possibly go smoothly all the time. The stronger the cultivators ranked higher up, the prouder they were. Most of them had the confidence that "just because others failed, doesn't mean I will."

So when Lu Ye chose to challenge the one ranked seventeenth, the other party decisively accepted the fight.

Moreover, they didn't make Lu Ye wait long. Ten breaths after Lu Ye issued the challenge and the other party accepted, the two appeared in the combat field.

From this alone, one could see that the other party must have been waiting for Lu Ye's challenge all along, hence they were fully prepared.

This particular combat field was exactly the kind Lu Ye favored the most. The area wasn't large, sparing him the effort to search for the enemy's trace, which suited close-quarters combat.

Looking up, the opponent was a burly man standing atop the combat arena like a tower, his skin shining with a bronzed hue, his blood Qi abundant, muscles bulging all over his body.

There was no doubt this was a physique cultivator.

What particularly caught Lu Ye's attention was that this fellow had two curved horns on his forehead, and that wasn't all. The man was bare-chested, and his chest, waist, and arms were all covered with brightly colored tattoos.

Personality-Reveal Rune Tattoo?

There were countless cultivators in the Nine Provinces, each with their own character—some reserved and restrained, others enthusiastic and unrestrained, and then there were those like the physique cultivator before him, who liked to show off and boast.

These Personality-Reveal Rune Tattoos were enough to show that the opponent was not to be trifled with. If they met a slightly weaker cultivator, just the sight of these rune tattoos could cause immense psychological pressure, as no one knew what miraculous effects those tattoos could unleash.

Looking at the curved horns on the opponent's forehead, Lu Ye surmised that the man must be a demon cultivator!

Most demon cultivators were naturally endowed with vigorous blood Qi, ideally suited for being physique cultivators. The opponent's arms were also fitted with arm guards, and his fists were adorned with spiked gloves—both the arm guards and the gloves were clearly high-quality Spiritual Artifacts.

It was Lu Ye's first time encountering a physique cultivator who didn't wield shield-type Spiritual Artifacts, and he immediately concluded that this guy… was not easy to kill!

Such a physique cultivator didn't prioritize defense but, like a combat cultivator, leaned toward offense. Coupled with their tough skin and flesh, they were difficult to deal with.

"Are you that Lu Yiye?" the demon cultivator called out loudly.

The supplies box on Lu Ye's waist trembled, and a streak of Liu Guang greeted the opponent. In an instant, weapon control approached up close. The demon cultivator simply raised a hand to wave off the attack, and with a clang, knocked Lu Ye's weapon control aside.

However, after deflecting one attack came the second, followed quickly by the third…

The continuous clinking sounds echoed as the demon beast waved his arms non-stop, using the arm guards to deflect each wave of weapon control. In a short lapse of time, he became furious, "This is too much! Do you dare to come over here?"

Lu Ye remained expressionless, focused solely on attacking with weapon control. Occasionally, a burst of spirit light exploded from the weapons, with various types of spirit runes enhancing their power, making the demon cultivator overwhelmed by the assault.

He seemed even more enraged, attempting several times to break through the weapon control restraint to kill Lu Ye but was always forced back.

Despite his size, the guy was extremely agile. Of the nine weapon control attacks executed by Lu Ye, not a single one managed to wound him.
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Furthermore, Lu Ye keenly noticed that although the fellow seemed to be extremely angry, his eyes were steady. His so-called towering rage was nothing more than a facade.

"Wah, you are making me so angry, I'm going to kill you!"

The demon cultivator bellowed as he was constantly entangled by the stream of illuminating weapon control attacks. Suddenly, a tattoo on his chest shone brightly, and an unidentified blood-red beast head emerged, roaring furiously towards the front.

The roar was so loud it was deafening, and Lu Ye's nine weapon control attacks were thrown into disarray.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the demon cultivator took large strides, rumbling towards Lu Ye like a mountain, quickly closing the distance, and threw a punch at him.

Lu Ye's figure leapt up, nimbly dodging the attack. Midair, he drew his Boulder Mountain Saber and slashed towards the back of his opponent's neck.

However, just at that moment, the seemingly clumsy figure turned around with unimaginable speed. The fist, wearing a boxing glove, met the Boulder Mountain Saber, and at the same time, the other hand opened, aimed at Lu Ye's body. Spirit force churned violently in the palm, and a small disc formed of spirit force appeared, a clear sign that a spell was about to be cast!

No one would have expected such a burly, rough-tempered physique cultivator to also be skilled in the ways of a magic cultivator, and judging by the speed of the opponent's spell casting, his talent in magic was certainly not low.

A playful expression appeared in the corner of the demon cultivator's eye.

It seemed a reckless strike on the surface, exposing his own weaknesses, but it was actually a trap to lure the enemy. This move of his had caught many Haotian Alliance cultivators off guard and led to their defeat.

With a bang, the Boulder Mountain Saber collided with the opponent's iron fist.

In that instant, the demon cultivator's expression tightened, feeling as if a mountain was pressing on his shoulders, his legs bending almost to the point of collapsing to the ground.

At the same time, Lu Ye was sent flying backward, the force from the opponent's punch was incredibly strong.

While squatting down, the demon cultivator immediately adjusted his center of gravity, his other hand ready with a spell aimed at Lu Ye's retreating figure. A mix of spirit force and blood Qi energy formed an attack that struck Lu Ye squarely in the chest.

This blow sent Lu Ye hurtling to the edge of the combat arena, where he slid down slowly.

The immense pressure on his shoulders vanished, and the demon cultivator stood up, glancing at Lu Ye who was unharmed and had steadied himself again, causing a twitch in his eye.

He had long heard that Lu Yiye of the Righteous Blood Sect could activate a protective spirit rune during combat. He had only heard of it before, but today he witnessed it with his own eyes.

At that moment, his spell did indeed hit Lu Ye, but he clearly saw a spirit rune barrier suddenly appear and block his attack, which was why Lu Ye, although appearing disheveled, was actually unharmed.

From several dozen feet away, the demon cultivator bared a smile, "It's only natural for a physique cultivator to be proficient in a few magic and spells, isn't it?"

Lu Ye silently nodded, holding his saber, eyes cast downward as he took step by step towards the demon cultivator.

The figure dozens of feet away suddenly blurred, leaving a trail of afterimages. The demon cultivator's complexion changed greatly, as he had never seen such baffling speed in the Spirit Stream Realm!

In a panic, he used his Ocular Power, trying to discern Lu Ye's form. As a flash of saber light passed by, he hurriedly raised his arms to protect himself. No attack came, but a strong wave of spirit force vibrated from behind.

He turned around hastily, swinging an arm out.

With a clang, the Boulder Mountain Saber struck the guard on his arm, sparks flying, and that mountainous pressure returned. The demon cultivator forcefully steadied himself. Before he could stand straight, a scorching force engulfed him. In his field of vision, a breathtakingly beautiful Fire Phoenix charged towards him. Before it even reached him, the demon cultivator felt an unbearable heat.

Indeed, this Lu Yiye was also proficient in magic!

Moreover, the opponent's spellcasting speed and power were even more formidable than his own.

The fire blazed into the sky, enveloping the demon cultivator. A powerful burst of blood Qi energy tore the Fire Phoenix apart, revealing the demon cultivator's muscular figure.

However, before he could grasp the situation around him, another slash came down. He rushed to block it. As soon as he fended off the saber, the Fire Phoenix engulfed him once more.

One saber strike, one spell, one saber strike, one spell…

It seemed endless.

As far as the eye could see, the demon cultivator's figure kept standing and squatting, time and again enduring attacks from the Boulder Mountain Saber and harassment by the Fire Phoenix Technique.

He wanted to flee, but Lu Ye gave him no chance to escape.

The demon cultivator was greatly annoyed. Although his physique was strong enough, facing such an unreasonable opponent was too much for him to bear. In frustration, he thought that as a physique cultivator, he should stick to physique techniques instead of toying with others using spells; it seemed he had now truly provoked Lu Yiye.

He felt he was done for!

With a rustling sound...

As the sound echoed, a chill ran through the demon cultivator's veins. The arm guard on his wrist was ruthlessly shattered by the opponent's saber, prompting him to quickly activate the strength of the spirit rune at his chest. As the roar of a beast resounded, a powerful burst spread in all directions.

Seizing the opportunity, he hurriedly put distance between them, gasping for breath.

On the combat arena, two figures stood ten feet apart. The demon cultivator was completely hairless, all his body hair having been burnt off.

Lu Ye's gaze passed over his abdomen and arms… The tattoos in those two places didn't seem quite right…

"Are they just for show, huh?" The demon cultivator said angrily, feeling embarrassed, "What's there to gawk at?"

The tattoos on his body were just decorations, except for the real rune tattoo on his chest. These tattoos could easily exert psychological pressure on others, making them seem no different from authentic rune tattoos; now exposed, they made it easy to intimidate an opponent.