Sage of Humanity

"This thing..." Pang Huanyin picked up the handkerchief-like Spiritual Artifact, inspected it briefly, and nodded, "This item is quite fitting."

Although its crafting method slightly differs from those on the Unparalleled Continent, it appears quite exquisite, but ultimately, it is just a Flying Spirit Artifact and useless in combat.

Its quality isn't too high, but it should be very popular with women.

"Who would have thought!" Pang Huanyin glanced at Lu Ye teasingly, clearly misunderstanding something.

Lu Ye was too lazy to explain.

"I will accept this as a loan from you," Pang Huanyin put away the handkerchief, her expression growing serious as she said, "Liu Zhenguan appears very forthright, but in reality, he is quite shrewd. He did not mention anything about us forcibly intruding earlier, which suggests he might cause trouble later."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Pang Huanyin's expression turned peculiar. Since childhood, no one had ever spoken to her like that. In Mount Sumeru, and even the entire Unparalleled Continent, she was the strongest cultivator. It had always been her protecting others; no one had ever had the qualifications to say they would protect her.

"What I mean is, whatever you need to do, do it quickly. You might not get another chance later!"

Lu Ye nodded.

He had already given the items to Ying Wuji in advance, so he had no need to do anything. He trusted that Ying Wuji would handle it well.

Pang Huanyin soon departed.

By evening, a cultivator from Mount Sumeru came to invite them, saying that Liu Zhenguan had prepared a banquet to welcome the three guests.

Pang Huanyin agreed without hesitation, leading Lu Ye and Veteran Siao as they followed the cultivator to another spirit mountaintop.

Moments later, Liu Zhenguan stood to greet them in the Spirit Mountaintop Great Hall, followed by numerous Mount Sumeru experts.

After exchanging greetings, the hosts and guests appeared harmonious.

But with Lu Ye's strong sense, he could naturally detect the various hidden presences around the hall. He knew Pang Huanyin was right; Mount Sumeru was not going to let their earlier intrusion slide. This great hall was practically a dragon pond and tiger's lair.

Everyone entered the hall and took their seats.

Regardless of Liu Zhenguan's true character, at least on the surface, he was extremely warm and welcoming, easily giving a sense of closeness.

With his loud toasts, everyone exchanged cups and the atmosphere was lively.

After three rounds of drinks, Pang Huanyin smiled and said, "I came in a rush and did not know about Mountain Lord Liu's impending joy. I didn't prepare anything, but here's a little token; I hope Mountain Lord Liu will not mind."

With that, she gestured slightly.

Sitting lower, Veteran Siao stood up, holding a delicate box and stepping forward.

Liu Zhenguan laughed loudly, "Palace Master Pang is thoughtful. What a coincidence! Just as I am about to marry, Palace Master Pang arrives. This is truly a double celebration! Hahaha!"

He laughed heartily, and the Mount Sumeru cultivators naturally laughed along, creating a seemingly harmonious atmosphere.

"What is in this box?" Liu Zhenguan asked casually.

Pang Huanyin replied, "Mountain Lord Liu, as the master of a mountain, surely lacks nothing. So, the item in this box isn't for you, but for your future missus. As for what it is... just something for ladies. Let the missus see for herself; I believe she will like it."

Slightly surprised, Liu Zhenguan gestured, "If that's the case, then send it to the inner chamber."

"Yes!" A female cultivator, looking like a maid, stepped forward, received the box from Veteran Siao, and left the hall, flying away.

Several tens of miles away from the spirit mountaintop, on another mountaintop stood a secluded palace.

In the depth of the night, inside the quietest room in the palace, there were two female figures.

One was tall and beautiful; the other had a curvaceous figure and a serene demeanor.

In the dim candlelight, the serene woman sat at the table, casually poking at the lamp wick, looking rather bored.

The tall woman opposite her looked at her helplessly, "In three days, Liu Zhenguan will come to marry you, and you aren't worried at all?"

The two hadn't known each other long and were not close, but since they both came from the Nine Provinces and were sent here together by Nine Provinces Heaven's Augury, with no sign of others, they stuck together, sharing weal and woe.

So, from any standpoint, she didn't want to see her companion really marry someone from the Unparalleled Continent.

"What good would worrying do?" The serene woman smiled gently, "Are you planning to take me with you and break out?"

Her companion shook her head, "Don't count on that. I may be confident in escaping alone, but bringing you along is absolutely impossible."

"So, there's no use worrying. Let's wait and see."

"If I had known, I wouldn't have come to Mount Sumeru." The tall woman sighed.

After arriving on the Unparalleled Continent, the two stuck together. The other woman was a healing cultivator, so even with lower cultivation, she protected her well, knowing she might need her help at any time.

Together, they gathered a lot of information about this realm, ultimately focusing on secret realms of the three major human factions, thinking others might have the same idea. To find others, they thought they must use the secret realms.

As fate would have it, just when they were troubled about finding a secret realm entrance, they encountered some cultivators about to be killed by the Corpse Race. The tall woman saved them, while the serene woman cured them of Primordial Corpse Poison.

The cultivators were astounded by her miraculous healing, as there had been no cure for Primordial Corpse Poison for a thousand years. So, they recognized her immense value and invited them to Mount Sumeru.

The two women already had that intention, so they went along with it.

However, getting in was easy; leaving was not.

Especially with Liu Zhenguan, who intended to tie her down with marriage, keeping her to serve Mount Sumeru and hoping she would spread the cure for Primordial Corpse Poison. If he succeeded, Mount Sumeru would never again need to fear the poison.

How else would Liu Zhenguan act like this if his intentions were merely for beauty? There was no shortage of beauties in Mount Sumeru.

"I get the feeling you're planning something. Tell me, what is it?" The tall woman scrutinized her counterpart.

Women are always perceptive. Despite her seemingly harmless healing persona, she sensed there was more to her companion.

"I am just a healing cultivator; what could I be planning?" The serene woman smiled.

A moth suddenly flew toward the candle and was instantly burned to ashes.

The serene woman's eyebrows lifted as she looked at her companion, "Why don't you marry in my place?"

The tall woman snorted, "In your dreams! But don't say I didn't warn you. If you have a plan, tell me early so I can cooperate."

"I have no plan..."

"Someone's coming!"

The two instantly fell silent.

Moments later, there was a knock on the door.

The serene woman got up and opened the door. A female cultivator stood outside, hands holding a delicate box.

"What is this?" She looked down.

"A few distinguished guests have arrived at the mountain today. This is a gift for the missus from the guests."

"Distinguished guests?" The serene woman was surprised. Given the current situation on the Unparalleled Continent, most secret realms are closed off. How could there be distinguished guests?

And for Mount Sumeru, those who could be called distinguished guests were probably only important figures from the other two secret realms.

"Who are these guests?" the serene woman asked.

The female cultivator hesitated, unsure whether to speak.

"If you don't tell me, take it back!" The tall woman snorted coldly, her expression stern.

The female cultivator sighed and said truthfully, "Palace Master Pang Huanyin of Ziwei Dao Palace has arrived."

As expected, it was one of the leaders from another secret realm, and indeed, the master of Ziwei Dao Palace!

The serene woman accepted the gift and asked no more, the female cultivator withdrew.

After she left, the tall woman suddenly suggested, "Should I find a way to meet that Palace Master Pang and ask her to rescue you?"

"This is Mount Sumeru. Ziwei Dao Palace people must follow the rules here and won't offend Mount Sumeru for my sake."

"Others might not be worth Ziwei Dao Palace's effort, but you are different. If they knew you could cure Primordial Corpse Poison, they might be tempted!"

The serene woman shook her head, "Even if tempted, the palace master is unlikely to act recklessly."

Reluctantly, the tall woman agreed. Even a mighty dragon cannot crush a local snake. Rationally, Ziwei Dao Palace wouldn't act against their wishes.

They hardly knew each other and had no special connection.

"Aren't you curious about what's in the box?" the tall woman asked, looking at the delicate box on the table.

"If you want to see, go ahead. It's probably nothing valuable."

She had just finished speaking when the tall woman opened the box and took something out.

"Huh?" She looked at the gift in her hand with surprise, "This is..."

Puzzled by her reaction, the serene woman looked up, expecting something extraordinary, but she saw only a handkerchief-like Spiritual Artifact.

She froze; it looked familiar!

"Let me see!" She reached out.

The tall woman handed her the handkerchief.

The serene woman examined it closely, her beautiful eyes puzzled, "Is this... the Flying Cloud Handkerchief?"

Among Nine Provinces cultivators, many styles of flying artifacts existed. Common ones were spirit arks, easy to use.

Female cultivators had other choices: the flower basket-like Flying Sky Basket and the handkerchief-like Flying Cloud Handkerchief.

When choosing her flying artifact, she deliberated between the Flying Sky Basket and the Flying Cloud Handkerchief, eventually selecting the former.

But the Flying Cloud Handkerchief was not unfamiliar to her.

So, she instantly recognized it came from the Nine Provinces Heaven's Augury treasure vault!