Sage of Humanity

Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan were now both in the Cloud River Level 6, but with their profound backgrounds, the strength they could exert was far beyond that of ordinary cultivators in the same level.

As for Giant Armor… this creature was a monster, built as if from steel, powerful and invincible. While Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan had to dodge the enemy's counterattacks when they killed, Giant Armor charged straight ahead, disregarding the attacks that fell on him. His body thudded loudly with impacts that did not affect him at all.

Under normal circumstances, the trio, despite being powerful, should not have been able to handle so many enemies.

But the cultivators of Sacred Universe Spirit Ground were first suppressed by the Great Sky Prohibition Array, and now they were trapped by a big array, with numerous demon wolves attacking them. In the chaos and panic that ensued, the scene became extremely chaotic, allowing the trio to exploit the situation to their advantage.

"Break the array, break it fast!"

Huo Liaoyuan roared furiously, his eyes nearly bursting as he shouted, his whole body burning like a flame. His powerful presence of Level 9 swept through the surroundings—a giant fireball, like the big sun, smashed fiercely against the protective array, which dipped inward under the force of the impact, its bright light dimming suddenly.

Many cultivators of Sacred Universe Spirit Ground acted at that moment too, making the scene intensively lively.

Inside the spirit ground, the number of dead cultivators from Sacred Universe had already surpassed thirty, and as time passed, more cultivators continued to perish.

Li Baxian and his companions moved about swiftly, the wolves stampeded, playing a deadly symphony.

At this moment, inside the spirit ground, the surviving Sacred Universe cultivators finally organized a defensive line. More than thirty people backed against the light of the trap array; physique cultivators brought out big shields to the front, forming a human wall, tugging a fierce battle with the incoming wolf pack.

But since the trap array was not broken, they could barely escape; under such circumstances, preserving themselves was the extreme limit, let alone breaking the array.

Their only hope now was that Huo Liaoyuan and the others could break through the protective array and come to their rescue.

Boom, boom, boom…

The sounds of huge impacts kept coming, and the protective array's screen quickly dimmed.

Although the second array was much more robust than the first, it could not withstand the relentless attacks of so many cultivators. After all, this protective array had been set up single-handedly by Lu Ye, and its endurance was already quite remarkable.

Inside the spirit ground, Lu Ye still stood in the same spot, remotely controlling the operation of the array.

An array with someone in command was completely different from one without. Although he also knew that the protective array could not last much longer, prolonging it a bit longer still had its benefits.

Just then, he suddenly shifted his figure, and a dirk nearly grazed his neck, stabbing into the void. A few steps behind him, a figure eerily appeared.

Apparently not expecting Lu Ye to dodge such a concealed attack, the face of the specter attacker was full of shock.

It had to be said, this specter was very bold, thinking about assassinating Lu Ye in such a situation.

Their main objective this journey was Lu Ye — if they could kill him, then the many losses previously would be somewhat acceptable.

Yet, such a guaranteed strike had failed.

With his figure exposed, the specter immediately retreated; however, a fiery red saber light fell before him, followed by attacks as intense as a storm…

Watching quietly from the shadows, Xia Liang twitched at the corner of his eyes, unable to help but remember the days when he meticulously taught Lu Ye saber skills in Fox Fairy Valley, even passing on the Mental Eye Secret Technique...

Although Lu Ye had implanted a defense rune tattoo on him, that tattoo was only temporary and would lose its effect after a few uses. Compared to what Lu Ye had gained, what was that worth?

What shocked Xia Liang even more was that, in such a short time, Lu Ye had already mastered the basics of the Mental Eye Secret Technique, and, judging by his response speed, the range of his Mental Eye was even greater than Xia Liang's own.

What kind of freak was this?

And… this fellow had reached Cloud River Level 5?

Xia Liang seriously could not comprehend what elixir pill or miracle cure he had taken to improve his cultivation so swiftly.

Recalling their first encounter two months ago, this guy was only at Cloud River Level 3, running away in a panic when pursued by him, and he was just at Level 4 realm during their time in Fox Fairy Valley. Now, in just a few days, he had advanced yet another level.

"Pah!" The specter spat out blood and flew backward, a huge gash rolling open across his chest and abdomen. Before he hit the ground, several demon wolves had already pounced on him, soon followed by the ghastly sound of screams and tearing flesh.

This specter, like Yean Gui whom Lu Ye had previously killed, was of Cloud River Level 7, but the Level 7 he had once needed to exhaust multiple methods to defeat now collapsed before him without a fight.

Crack...

The sound of fracturing came out.

The protective array cracked, swaying on the brink of collapse.

Although the specter's desperate resistance had not managed to harm Lu Ye, he had distracted Lu Ye enough to prevent him from controlling the array, inadvertently speeding up the Sacred Universe Spirit Ground's rate of breaking the array.

More intense sounds erupted until the entire array's screen completely shattered.

"Save them!" Huo Liaoyuan gritted his teeth and roared furiously. Although he desperately wanted to tear Lu Ye into pieces, at that moment, he was not consumed by his anger but issued an extremely correct command.

Many cultivators swarmed in, passing through the trap array's light curtain unobstructed, and merging with the surviving cultivators inside the spirit ground. They simultaneously resisted the attacks from Li Baxian and the wolf pack while turning to bombard the trap array's light curtain.

The trap array was much more fragile compared to the protective array; had it not been for the distraction of the wolf pack, the cultivators trapped inside would have broken through it long ago.

Now with the support of their fellow companions, it took only a mere thirty moments before the trap array was completely shattered.

Separated by hundreds of feet, Lu Ye and Huo Liaoyuan's gazes collided—one calm as water, the other erupting like thunder.

A few moments later, Huo Liaoyuan suppressed his rage and gritted his teeth, "Retreat!"

At his command, the cultivators of Sacred Universe Spirit Ground fought as they retreated, quickly leaving the area of the spirit ground.

The wolf pack did not pursue; within the bounds of the spirit ground, with the Great Sky Prohibition Array, they could still confront the cultivators. But outside the spirit ground, the cultivators could fly through the air, greatly reducing the threat posed by the wolves.

The cultivators fled back in disarray, each of them shaken to the core. Some of the more psychologically fragile female cultivators even burst into tears. Though they had faced numerous dangers on their cultivation journey, never had they felt as helpless as this time.

While trapped in the spirit ground, the scent of death loomed over them like an invisible beast, licking at their spirits and nearly driving them to the brink of collapse.

Many familiar fellow disciples had died brutally beside them, and after today, this battle would become a nightmare they could never escape for the rest of their lives.

"Lu Yiye, you are surely doomed to die!" Huo Liaoyuan roared, his clenched teeth oozing blood.

He had thought this mission would be an easy feat, yet it turned out to be a disastrous loss, all within merely the time it took to drink a cup of tea!

As the decision-maker and leader of this operation, he was bound to be held accountable in the future, possibly even punished by his sect.

And the root of all these calamities was Lu Ye. His hatred for Lu Ye was so deep that not even the waters of the three rivers and five lakes could wash it away.

And there was still that sneaky informant...

He had previously guessed that the informant must have suffered greatly at Lu Yiye's hands, which is why they wanted to use him to strike indirectly. He had overestimated Lu Yiye's strength based on the information obtained, else he would not have brought so many people. Yet, upon engagement, it was his side that was utterly defeated with severe casualties.

Before coming here, he could never have envisioned suffering such a setback, but here it was, unfolding right before his eyes.

A great Sky Prohibition Array... How could a Cloud River Realm possibly set up such a massive Sky Prohibition Array!

Within the spirit ground, Lu Ye gazed calmly at him, silent, showing none of the triumph of a victor. Then he waved the array banner, reactivating the covering array to envelop the whole spirit ground, vanishing from everyone's view.

This unremarkable response only fueled Huo Liaoyuan's raging fury, almost exploding his lungs with anger.

"Senior Brother Huo," a Level 8 combat cultivator approached Huo Liaoyuan, his body bearing numerous wounds and his face smeared with blood, clearly after a tough battle, "What do we do now?"

Huo Liaoyuan looked around. What he saw were faces filled with lingering fear and panic, mixed with relief from having survived a disaster.

He had brought over one hundred and fifty people, and now fewer than a hundred were still alive.

In other words, during that brief duration of a tea time, more than sixty people had died within the spirit ground!

Huo Liaoyuan's mouth moved slightly, his mind in turmoil, at a loss for what to do!

With their current strength, if he organized a strong offensive, there might be a chance to kill that Lu Yiye, but it would surely result in even more severe casualties.

Having already lost so many, he dared not risk losing more.

The opponent clearly wouldn't counterattack either. Inside the spirit ground, with the aid of the Great Sky Prohibition Array, they could greatly weaken the cultivators' powers, letting the demon wolves join the battle. To counterattack now would be suicide.

In other words, under these circumstances, whoever took the offensive would not fare well.

"Regroup here, wait for reinforcements!"

After a long while, Huo Liaoyuan's dry lips finally uttered these words.

Sacred Fire Order and Universe Sect still had many forces that could be mobilized, but it would take more time. Since one hundred people were not enough, then they would gather two hundred, or if not two hundred, then three hundred, no matter what, Lu Yiye must die.

Upon receiving the order, the Level 8 combat cultivator visibly relaxed, genuinely fearful that Huo Liaoyuan, in his fury, might make an unwise decision.

The spirit ark hovering in the air slowly descended, and the disheveled cultivators of Sacred Universe Spirit Ground set up camp at the entrance of Great Reversal Valley, restoring their bodies and spirits.

In the shadows, Xia Liang and Tan Sheng remained silent. They had hidden here hoping to profit from the chaos, yet found themselves witnessing an unimaginably intense drama, leaving them with mixed emotions.