Sage of Humanity

"If the symptoms aren't obvious, how can you be sure the poison is very fierce?"

"Zhao Li said that it was Lu Yiye who deduced it."

"Order them to return to our sect headquarters at once!"

"I've already sent them a message."

Sitting at the dining table within the Tianyan Sect's territory, Lu Ye watched as Zhao Li's nostrils began to bleed, then suddenly turned and threw a punch at Giant Armor's nose.

The punch was heavy and powerful; even Giant Armor seemed stunned by it, looking at Lu Ye with confusion before his nose also started to bleed.

"Hit me with a punch," said Lu Ye, looking at Giant Armor.

Giant Armor scratched his head and replied in a muffled voice, "I won't hit you."

At a loss for words, Lu Ye could only headbutt the table in front of him violently. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and when he looked up again, he sniffed his nose.

Zhao Li felt dizzy and spoke in a feeble voice, "Brother Yiye, what are you doing?"

"We're going to your Tianyan Sect headquarters!" Lu Ye called out to Giant Armor while speaking.

Giant Armor got up nonchalantly, picked up the unsteady Zhao Li, and hoisted him up.

"Pick me up too," Lu Ye hurriedly shouted.

"Oh."

Giant Armor lifted Lu Ye onto his shoulder and strode off toward the Heaven's Augury Hall of the Tianyan Sect. Tianyan Sect disciples they passed along the way were baffled by the sight, but soon, news spread that the guests from the Righteous Blood Sect and their own Governor Zhao Li had been poisoned.

The Tianyan Sect disciples were in an uproar, finally understanding why the place had suddenly been sealed off and checking who was not within the territory.

Lu Ye had just arrived at the Tianyan Sect's territory not long ago when he was poisoned. The perpetrator was clearly a Tianyan Sect disciple, and one with access to their food.

This matter wasn't hard to investigate, so the person who had poisoned them in secret wouldn't be able to hide. To stay alive, they would have to leave the Tianyan Sect's territory quickly.

Anyone who was able to touch the food and left the territory within a Shichen must be the poisoner.

What no one expected, though, was that Lu Ye's Talent Tree could incinerate toxins, giving him an immediate awareness of the situation. This meant that the person who acted in secret didn't expect to be exposed so quickly. If the Tianyan Sect acted swiftly, there was still a chance to capture the fleeing culprit.

The only thing Lu Ye was grateful for now was that Amber only ate raw meat and hadn't touched anything on the dining table.

Judging by Zhao Li and Giant Armor's reactions, the weaker one's physical constitution, the greater their reaction to the poison, which explained why Giant Armor seemed so unconcerned. But once the poison fully erupted, it was uncertain whether Giant Armor would be able to withstand it.

The likelihood was that he wouldn't be able to hold on, and since Ten Thousand Demons Ridge had already made its move, they would ensure that there was no room for error.

Lu Ye and Zhao Li had already formed an Alliance Pact, and previously, Giant Armor had been taken in as a disciple in name by the Righteous Blood Sect, so even though neither of them was originally from the Tianyan Sect, they could use the Heaven's Augury Pillar to enter the Tianyan Sect's headquarters.

By the time they reached the sect's headquarters, many high-ranking members of the Tianyan Sect had already been informed and were waiting under the leadership of Yooi Xiao, each with an expression so dark it seemed water might drip from it.

An incident with Righteous Blood Sect's people under their own roof was inexcusable by any measure. If Lu Ye were to die in the Tianyan Sect, they didn't know how they would explain themselves to the Righteous Blood Sect.

Healing cultivators were already ready on the Tianyan Sect's side, and shortly thereafter, the three of them were settled into a room with a healing cultivator responsible for each.

By this time, Zhao Li's condition had become very critical, continuously vomiting blood water and looking exceedingly feeble; the healing cultivator treating him was running about in a panic.

There were also some reactions from Giant Armor, but his symptoms weren't as severe as Zhao Li's.

As for Lu Ye, since arriving at the Tianyan Sect's headquarters, he had lost consciousness with a tilt of his head.

The female healing cultivator responsible for him examined him carefully, her eyebrows lifting.

There was something complicated going on.

After thorough diagnosis and confirming that she wasn't mistaken, she stood up and went to Yooi Xiao's side, whispering something to him.

Yooi Xiao looked surprised and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure?"

The female healing cultivator with True Lake Level 3 cultivation nodded, "Certain."

Yooi Xiao trusted the medical skills of his own healing cultivators, this particular one was considered the most skilled healing cultivator in the entire Tianyan Sect, unsurpassed by the others.

Assigning their most skilled healing cultivator to treat Lu Ye indicated that the Tianyan Sect was also acting with the best of intentions.

"Well then, go take care of Zhao Li," Yooi Xiao instructed, sighing deeply, while simultaneously beginning to worry about his own disciples.

But as a Sect Master, he quickly understood Lu Ye's intention, and without exposing him, Yooi Xiao let him lie there.

As time passed, and under the healing cultivators' care, Zhao Li's condition gradually stabilized. As for Giant Armor, his reactions had never been too severe to begin with.

Having spent the entire night, Zhao Li's breath had finally stabilized, indicating that his life was no longer in danger, yet he remained unconscious. Not only was he in this state, but Giant Armor had also fallen asleep.

The female healing cultivator approached Yooi Xiao and reported, "Sect Master, the poison in their bodies has been removed."

"Then they're out of danger?" Yooi Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Li was talented and quick-witted, or else he wouldn't have been able to take on the governor's position. If he were to be lost like this, it would be a huge loss.

The female healing cultivator said, "Logically speaking, they should be fine, but judging from their current reactions, I suspect..."

"Suspect what?"

"I suspect that the poison not only affects the body but is primarily aimed at the psyche." This was also the reason they, as healing cultivators, were able to remove the bodily poison with relative ease.

Yooi Xiao's expression turned grave in an instant, "Can you confirm this?"

The female healing cultivator glanced at Zhao Li and Giant Armor lying there, "Seventy percent sure!"

"This is troublesome."

Poison that targets the psyche is most difficult to resolve. If the poisoned were in the Divine Sea Realm, that would be better. At this level of cultivation, the power of the psyche could be tangibly manifested, making detoxification easier. However, on the other hand, cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm wouldn't so easily be poisoned like this.

Zhao Li and Giant Armor were both only of the Spirit Stream Realm, and although they possessed their own psyches, it was an innate power. Without sufficient cultivation levels, they were unable to stimulate it at will, making them incapable of cooperating with the healing cultivators to detoxify. Now, both of them were trapped in a comatose state – not to mention any sort of cooperation.

Ten Thousand Demons Ridge did not hesitate to use a hidden pawn to strike at Lu Ye, indicating they were quite confident. The unknown poison left the healing cultivators of the Tianyan Sect at a loss.

"Sect Master, if we don't come up with a solution, the most likely outcome is that they will slowly die in their sleep. Giant Armor might be able to hold on for ten days to half a month, but Zhao Li probably won't live past two days."
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The female healing cultivator's words were clear: their medical skills were limited, and they were helpless in the current situation.

"Both at Level 9, why is the difference between Zhao Li and others so vast?" Yooi Xiao frowned. They had been poisoned: one wouldn't live past two days, while the other could last ten days to half a month – the disparity was too obvious.

The female healing cultivator shook her head, "I'm not entirely sure, but judging from the symptoms, Giant Armor is obviously much lighter. Perhaps his psyche is naturally stronger than others."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but take another look at Lu Ye lying over there.

One could say Giant Armor's situation was due to a naturally strong psyche, but what about this man? When they were treating Zhao Li, he had told them that Lu Yiye had also drunk the poisoned wine and eaten a few bites of the food; he should be poisoned as well.

"Veteran Bai," Yooi Xiao turned to look at the Great Elder, "please hurry and set up a Soul Nurturing Array and place them inside."

Since a strong psyche was able to resist the poison, they would find a way to enhance the psyche. Although the Soul Nurturing Array would consume quite a bit and not have much effect in a short time, they couldn't afford to be concerned about that now.

"I will go at once," Bai Qian said, turning to leave.

"As for Wuzhou, who do you think has the ability to treat this poison?" Yooi Xiao looked toward the female healing cultivator.

The female healing cultivator pondered for a moment, then shook her head sadly, "Although there are healing cultivators in Wuzhou with medical skills greater than mine, it's doubtful that merely high medical skills can solve this poison. Perhaps..."

"Perhaps what?"

"Has the Sect Master forgotten? The Righteous Blood Sect itself has a top-notch healing cultivator."

Yooi Xiao thought for a moment and then suddenly realized, he quickly said, "I'll send a message to Veteran Thang right away."

He had been preoccupied before and should have sent a message to Veteran Thang as soon as the issue concerning a disciple of the Righteous Blood Sect arose.

A message was sent out and a response came back quickly – Yooi Xiao was slightly surprised, because Veteran Thang was already on the way, and he was bringing Shui Yuan Second Senior Sister as well.

Yooi Xiao turned to look at Lu Yiye lying on the bed and realized this must have been Lu Yiye's doing; otherwise, it made no sense for those two from the Righteous Blood Sect to arrive so swiftly.

With a wave of his hand, he had everyone else retreat, leaving only himself behind.

"Young Friend Lu," Yooi Xiao called out gently.

Lu Yiye, who had been "unconscious" since arriving at the Tianyan Sect headquarters, opened his eyes, sat up slowly and paid his respects, "Sect Master Yooi."

He could feign unconsciousness to deceive others but certainly not the female healing cultivator who had checked him; she would not hide something like this from Yooi Xiao. Now that Yooi Xiao was alone with him, it was clear he had something to say.

"Veteran Thang and Second Senior Sister Shui Yuan are already on their way and should arrive in less than half a day."

Although Bingzhou and Wuzhou were far apart, a strong cultivator of the Divine Sea Realm could travel through air quite quickly. After Lu Yiye had sent the message, Sect Master and Second Senior Sister had immediately set off, so naturally, it wouldn't take them long to arrive.

"You must have heard the conversation just now," Yooi Xiao turned to look at Zhao Li, "Zhao Li invited you here perhaps with some selfishness, but certainly with no intent to harm you. It's just that one cannot guard against a thief in the day and night; an unexpected situation no one wanted to see has arisen."

Lu Yiye raised his hand to interrupt, "Sect Master Yooi, there's no need to say more. I'm already aware of the situation. As the saying goes, it's hard to guard against an insider. This is something nobody wanted to see."

Yooi Xiao nodded, "It's best that you think so, Young Friend. There's one thing I'd like to ask of you."

"Don't worry. Second Senior Sister Shui Yuan will not hold a grudge against the Tianyan Sect. I got along quite well with Brother Zhao at our first meeting. Once Second Senior Sister arrives, I will ask her to treat Brother Zhao."