Sage of Humanity

Regardless of their cultivation levels, if only their strengths were to be compared, Lu Ye and Szi Guang, at the beginning of their battle, the latter was somewhat stronger. However, Lu Ye could activate various spirit runes during combat which, particularly the Defense Spirit Runes, shielded him from several fatal threats.

That's why both parties could fight so fiercely.

As time passed, the Bloodstain Spirit Runes gradually took effect, enhancing Lu Ye's strength bit by bit until he slowly surpassed Szi Guang.

The Bloodstain Spirit Runes continued to exert their influence, continuously boosting Lu Ye's strength. By now, every exchange ended with Szi Guang at a disadvantage.

Szi Guang was furiously inconsolable.

Although consuming an Explosive Qi Pill could enhance a cultivator's strength in a short time, it had severe side effects, and while the pill was working, the cultivator's mental state would also be affected, becoming more prone to anger and irritability.

If Szi Guang had been in his normal state, he would have already noticed the growing gap in strength between himself and Lu Ye, but now he was completely blinded by rage, with only one thought swirling in his mind, to kill the opponent before him!

Rising from the ground, Szi Guang turned his head and spat out a mouthful of Blood Water, squinting his swollen eyes, and looked at Lu Ye, who was rapidly charging toward him. He slightly raised his long spear, assuming a very peculiar stance.

The next instant, spirit force surged into his spear like floodwaters bursting through a gate.

In the midst of his charge, Lu Ye suddenly felt a chilling rise of hairs on his body and a strong sense of imminent danger blossomed in his heart, immediately realizing that Szi Guang was about to use some powerful secret technique!

After a brief deliberation, Lu Ye didn't retreat but also drove his spirit force into the Boulder Mountain Saber, which was already wrapped in flames, now completely ignited.

Boom...

The explosion of their spirit forces distorted the space of the entire combat field, with numerous large and small whirlwinds roaming around.

Amber had been forced to the edge of the combat field by the ferocious power, her tiny body pressed tightly against the ground, motionless.

The two figures surged toward each other at a fast speed.

Szi Guang thrust his spear and bellowed, "Fire Beacon Razes Prairie!"

Lu Ye saw a blur of the spear that resembled the spreading fires of a prairie fire, swiftly expanding, and in an instant, his vision was completely filled with numerous spear silhouettes.

Ignoring everything, the fully ignited saber swung down with all his might.

The myriad spear silhouettes shattered into nothingness, the Boulder Mountain Saber felt like it struck flesh, and simultaneously, Lu Ye's chest also felt a chill.

The tumult of spirit force gradually subsided, and the two fighters stood frozen in place.

At a glance, Lu Ye's Boulder Mountain Saber was lodged in Szi Guang's shoulder blade, nearly decapitating him, while Szi Guang's long spear had pierced through Lu Ye's chest and exited his back.

Drip, drip...

Blood dropped, producing clear sounds.

Both of them looked at each other with blood-soaked eyes and then simultaneously kicked out at each other.

With a thud, they were both jolted by the recoiling force, staggering backward, blood pouring from Lu Ye's chest wound, while blood jetted out from Szi Guang's neck like a fountain.

Clang...

With his saber stuck in the ground, Lu Ye managed to remain standing, while on the other side, Szi Guang couldn't hold on anymore and collapsed backward onto the ground, with his life force visibly weakening.

The Explosive Qi Pill's effects had worn off.

The powerful backlash contorted his expression into one of indescribable agony, and at this moment, he no longer had the strength to fight.

Lu Ye gasped for breath, barely managing to stand up, and step by step, walked toward Szi Guang.

Szi Guang, with his swollen eyes, stared blankly at the sky above the battlefield, lost in thought.

It was only when he heard the noise of Lu Ye's movements that he moved his lips, about to speak.

"Roar!" Amber timely roared.

However, it did not stop Szi Guang, who must have prepared for Amber's abilities before entering.

Amidst Amber's roar, an invisible barrier suddenly enveloped Szi Guang, isolating the impact of the roar.

"I concede!" Szi Guang uttered these words, and his entire persona relaxed as if he had unburdened himself of a heavy load.

Heaven's Augury descended, and Szi Guang's figure disappeared.

Lu Ye paused.

Yiyi appeared, hastily supporting him, looking at the wound on Lu Ye's chest with apprehension, knowing that if the spear had deviated slightly, Lu Ye might have already been dead.

In fact, Szi Guang had aimed the spear at Lu Ye's heart, but Lu Ye had dodged the vital point at the critical moment.

For a while, within the wooden hut, Lu Ye lay on the bed while Hua Ci sat askew by his side, her hands imbued with the rich wood type spirit force, healing his injuries. Before Hua Ci could finish her treatment, Lu Ye had already drifted into a deep sleep.

Undeniably, the battle with Szi Guang had been the most exhilarating fight he had faced since challenging the Spirit Stream Ranking, venting all the anger accumulated from previous encounters with Spectral Shadow and the others completely and utterly.

Although the opponent's method of consuming an Explosive Qi Pill beforehand was not exactly honorable, they were natural enemies after all, willing to use every means available, without concern for honor.

Right now, Lu Ye wanted nothing more than to sleep well.

During his deep slumber, the cultivators from the two camps at the Spirit Stream battlefield displayed utterly divergent mindsets.

The changes in the Spirit Stream Ranking were observed by the cultivators in real-time, and the moment the first and third positions swapped, numerous Haotian Alliance cultivators were overjoyed and excited, taking pride in the achievement. In contrast, the atmosphere amongst the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators was deathly still, filled with gloom.

The worst had finally happened! Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

That Lu Yiye from the Righteous Blood Sect, with his 8th Heaven cultivation, had defeated Szi Guang to ascend to the top of the Spirit Stream Ranking!

Such a feat broke many longstanding records in the Nine Provinces cultivation world.

Previously, there had never been an instance of an 8th Heaven cultivator occupying the top position on the Spirit Stream Ranking. Take the prior case of Li Baxian for example; he lingered in the Spirit Stream Realm for over a decade, only managing to dominate the top ten, and only after battling Yanh Xing did his real strength come to light, bringing him to third place…

Although the importance of the Spirit Stream Ranking had significantly diminished after the disappearance of those three notorious names, being at the top still held its prestige.

Among the hundred cultivators on the Spirit Stream Ranking, there was only one of the 8th Heaven standing tall above all, followed by a clear batch of 9th Heaven cultivators!

This was undoubtedly a moment that would be recorded in history.

Besides, when Lu Yiye first climbed the Spirit Stream Ranking, he was only of 7th Heaven cultivation and ranked thirty-third…

This too was unprecedented; apart from him, no one with 7th Heaven cultivation had ever ascended to the Spirit Stream Ranking, let alone ranked so high.

Setting aside cultivation for a moment, his speed at climbing the ranking was also astonishingly fast.

Since he began focusing on climbing the ranking, it had only been less than a half a month, during which he also spent five days dealing with Bai Lan and other challenging cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge.

In other words, he really spent only about ten days actively climbing the ranking!

In those ten days, he blazed an unstoppable path straight to the top position on the Spirit Stream Ranking, a feat that was alarming to hear.

The cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge felt bitter—was an era dominated by one individual looming again?

Previously, when he was in the inner circle, he had already caused much anxiety among the people of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, though at that time he relied merely on his expertise in Array Path to pull together the Allies of Haotian Alliance.

Now, he was relying on his true strength!

The two kinds of threats were completely different and, undoubtedly, Lu Ye in his current state was far more daunting than when he was in the inner circle.

The only consolation for the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side was that news from Szi Guang indicated that Lu Yiye had sustained serious injuries in their last battle and would likely need quite some time to recuperate. Thus, for the short term, they need not worry about him causing trouble.

Under normal circumstances, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side could take this opportunity to challenge Lu Ye and pull him down from his position at the top of the Spirit Stream Ranking.

But looking at the current Spirit Stream Ranking, among the top six, only two were from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, one being Szi Guang, and the other that female archery cultivator, only they had the qualifications to challenge Lu Ye.

Szi Guang was also severely injured, and combined with the aftereffects of the Explosive Qi Pill, he would be bedridden for at least ten to fifteen days, struggling to maintain his own position, let alone challenging Lu Ye.

As for that female archery cultivator, her arrows had been totally depleted previously, and replenishing them would take several days.

A few days' time was enough for Lu Ye to recover.

So now, unless someone from the Haotian Alliance decided to challenge Lu Ye, his top position on the Spirit Stream Ranking would remain unassailable.

People from the Haotian Alliance would naturally not be foolish enough to make such a move that would cause pain to loved ones and joy to enemies.

However, Ten Thousand Demons Ridge definitely had this idea in mind because after Lu Ye climbed to the top of the Spirit Stream Ranking, the few Haotian Alliance cultivators ranking in the top six had been continuously challenged by those behind them from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. It was clear Ten Thousand Demons Ridge wanted to use these few people's ranking as stepping stones to challenge Lu Ye. If they could surpass these Haotian Alliance cultivators and take their places, they would earn the right to challenge Lu Ye. And given Lu Ye's current condition, they would likely win.

Inside the wooden hut, after waking from sleep, Lu Ye still felt significant pain in his chest and left arm, his body drained of much of its strength. He slowly sat up and yawned.

Yiyi was guarding nearby, and hearing the noise, she quickly stood up, grabbed a pillow, and propped it behind Lu Ye, asking with concern, "How do you feel?"

"Not bad," Lu Ye replied, patting his stomach. "A bit hungry, can we get something to eat?"

He could smell the scent drifting in from the window; unsurprisingly, it was Hua Ci cooking.

It seemed that people from the Righteous Blood Sect all shared this talent, each being accomplished cooks—Second Senior Sister, Fourth Senior Brother, and Hua Ci were no exceptions.

"Just a moment," Yiyi said, and floated out through the window. Shortly, she returned with a bowl of porridge. He was unsure what ingredients it contained, but it certainly looked colorful…

As Lu Ye sipped the porridge, he browsed through various messages in his battlefield marking, and chose some to respond to.

Most were messages of congratulations for dominating the Spirit Stream Ranking with his 8th Heaven cultivation, certainly worthy of celebration. To these messages, Lu Ye simply replied with a sentence.