Sage of Humanity

Although Xiao Xinghe has the backing of the Righteous Blood Sect, he is ultimately a disciple of Green Emperor City now, and there is a distance between him and the Righteous Blood Sect. Compared to Lu Yiye, a legitimate disciple of the Righteous Blood Sect, how could he hold more allure for Liew Yuemei?

If she could bring Lu Yiye to Jinglan Lake Pass, his life or death would entirely depend on Liew Yuemei's whims.

She had just experienced the pain of losing a child, and although she personally killed Li Taibai, the anger and sorrow deep in her heart could not be vented easily. As Lu Ye entered her sight at this time, how could she not have thoughts?

This was why Lu Ye knew that coming personally would complicate matters, yet he still came himself.

He was just bait, a lure to attract Liew Yuemei!

"I fear I must disappoint Lord Pass Chief. I'm currently serving in the Justice Department, and this is my first time executing official duties. If I don't handle this task well, I won't have the face to meet Chief Qian, so how can I join another now?"

"You really want to do your duty well?"

"Naturally."

"Good!" Liew Yuemei shouted charmingly, "I've thought about it. You came with Chief Qian's order, and I can't disregard it. You want to do your duty well, so I'll give you an opportunity. Whether you can grasp it depends on your own ability!"

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow: "Really?"

Liew Yuemei lightly snickered: "Although I am a woman, I always keep my word. I wouldn't deceive you."

Lu Ye showed a hint of vigilance and cautiously asked, "What does Lord Pass Chief require of me?"

Liew Yuemei smiled lightly: "I've long heard that Lu Yiye of Righteous Blood Sect excels at defeating enemies beyond his level. But it's not in the ordinary sense of crossing levels. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it firsthand..."

Lu Ye revealed an understanding look: "Lord Pass Chief wants me to spar with someone?"

"If you win, you can take Xiao Xinghe away. But if you lose, you must stay and serve under me. Do you have the courage?"

After a brief contemplation, Lu Ye nodded: "It's not impossible. But may I ask, Lord Pass Chief, who will be sparring with me?" He glanced intentionally at Chen Ke standing nearby: "If it's this Fellow Daoist Chen, there's no need. I admit I can't beat him."

"Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. Chen Ke's cultivation is indeed far beyond yours." Saying this, Liew Yuemei immediately sent a message out. Soon, a lean man swiftly entered the hall, respectfully saluting: "Greetings, my lord. What are your orders?"

This man did not appear striking, nor was he tall, but his expression was fierce, and his aura was extremely sharp, with a faint hint of bloodiness, showing he had killed many people.

Upon his arrival, Xiao Xinghe's face changed involuntarily, and he whispered: "Qi Wu!"

Clearly somewhat apprehensive of this person.

From behind the desk, Liew Yuemei spoke: "Qi Wu, I want you to spar with Lu Yiye, only victory is allowed, defeat is not. Do you understand?"

Qi Wu turned to Lu Ye with a glance, frowning slightly: "What is his cultivation?"

"True Lake Level 3!"

Qi Wu's brow furrowed further: "My lord, my cultivation is three levels higher than his. He's not my match, and you know I never spar with others. I don't compete in skills; I only have a killing technique. If I accidentally kill him, that wouldn't be good."

Before Liew Yuemei could speak, Lu Ye retorted disapprovingly with a cold laugh: "Coincidentally, I also only have a killing technique!"

Qi Wu remarked indifferently: "Haven't seen someone as bold as you in a long time. Hope your skills match your courage."

"Likewise."

As their gazes locked, sparks seemed to fly.

Beside Lu Ye, Xiao Xinghe kept signaling to him, even Lin Yinxiu was quietly anxious.

Behind the desk, Liew Yuemei rested her arms on the table, her hands supporting her chin, observing with interest. Seeing Lu Ye so youthful and impetuous, she immediately decided: "Since you both only know killing techniques, then let's have a Fight to the Death."

"My lord!" Xiao Xinghe's expression changed drastically, exclaiming in protest. If it was just a spar, it was not a big deal; at worst, he'd concede defeat due to inferior skills. But a Fight to the Death could truly end in deaths, especially since Qi Wu was indeed vicious and three small levels above the junior disciple. How could the junior disciple stand a chance?

"This isn't your place to speak!" Liew Yuemei coldly snorted, Divine Sea Realm might emanating, suppressing Xiao Xinghe's speech, forcing him to struggle to stay upright. She looked at Lu Ye and Qi Wu, "What do you two think?"

Qi Wu responded indifferently: "If it's the orders of Lord Pass Chief, I'll naturally obey."

Lu Ye casually took out an item from his storage sack: "If that's the case, let's do it thoroughly. Why not enter this and fight? It will prevent others from witnessing the bloodshed!"

Qi Wu looked at the item in Lu Ye's hand, slightly amazed: "Combat arena!"

This famed exotic treasure was one he was bound to recognize. He had thought Lu Ye was merely boasting, yet here he was, bringing out such a treasure, making his heart sink. For the first time, he seriously scrutinized Lu Ye...

If there wasn't a certain level of confidence, why would the opponent willingly use the combat arena? But he truly couldn't understand where Lu Yiye, at True Lake Level 3, got the confidence to challenge him to a Fight to the Death. If the opponent was hiding his cultivation, that was impossible; how could anything be hidden under the eyelids of a strong cultivator at Divine Sea Realm? Thus, he must genuinely be a True Lake Level 3.

"I only follow Lord Pass Chief's commands." Qi Wu suppressed a faint unease and turned to look at Liew Yuemei.

Liew Yuemei's eyes narrowed slightly: "Lu Yiye, it seems you are quite confident."

Lu Ye remained calm and composed: "This subordinate only wishes to give his all."

Liew Yuemei was silent for a moment, then said, "If so, then you two shall enter the combat arena for battle!"

Lu Ye cupped his hands: "Before that, this subordinate has one request."

"Speak!"

"This subordinate asks Chief Liew to establish a Heaven's Augury Pact, that if I happen to survive, I will take Xiao Xinghe away, and Chief Liew must not obstruct."

"You question this Chief?" Liew Yuemei's gaze held a touch of fire.

"Words alone are not proof!" Lu Ye met her eyes fearlessly. From a simple interaction, it was clear that Xiao Xinghe's prior concerns were accurate; Liew Yuemei, having suffered the pain of losing a son, had somewhat lost her reason. As a Mountain Pass Chief, she agreed to let her subordinate engage in a Fight to the Death, which was not the demeanor a strong cultivator of the Divine Sea Realm should have.

She likely wanted me dead now, but was hindered by her position from striking personally, so she had to rely on others.

Such a mad and irrational woman naturally had no credibility to speak of.

Before the combat, establishing a Heaven's Augury Pact was the best response.

"Fine, just as you said!" Liew Yuemei coldly retorted, lifting her hand to conjure a Heaven's Augury Pact amidst golden light. She grabbed it, drafted terms, branded her seal, and then tossed it to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye bowed his head, meticulously inspecting line by line. When he saw a particular line, his heart steadied; things were unfolding just as he had anticipated. Liew Yuemei had indeed manipulated some barely noticeable details within the Heaven's Augury Pact.

He pretended not to see it, eagerly branding his own seal.

The Heaven's Augury Pact dissipated into fluorescence, vanished, and in the mysterious ether, Heaven's Augury descended, and the pact was sealed.

"If neither of you have anything else to say, then begin," Liew Yuemei impatiently urged.

"I'll try to leave you a whole corpse," Qi Wu said.

Lu Ye said nothing, channeling spirit force into the combat arena in his hand, raising it to strike at Qi Wu.

Xiao Xinghe was burning with anxiety, wanting to intervene, but he was continually suppressed by Liew Yuemei's Divine Sea Realm pressure, unable to move or speak, let alone interfere.

On the contrary, Lin Yinxiu was no longer agitated, though he seemed somewhat contemplative.

The small combat arena flew towards Qi Wu and exploded violently, yet at that instant, Liew Yuemei suddenly raised her hand, teleporting Qi Wu to her side from afar, while Chen Ke, who had been standing motionless nearby, instantly appeared where Qi Wu had been.

Lu Ye's expression turned utterly shocked, blurting out, "You all..."

Chen Ke smiled at him: "Please enlighten me!"

As soon as he finished, both figures simultaneously vanished.

"Hahaha!" Liew Yuemei suddenly burst into laughter, sounding deranged, "Did you really think this Mountain Pass Chief would be outsmarted by you? Truly young and naive!"

Among all the True Lake Realm cultivators in Jinglan Lake Pass, many met the criteria. She hadn't sought anyone else and summoned Qi Wu, known for his fierce aggression, hoping that during the duel, Qi Wu might cripple or accidentally kill Lu Ye.

This was her original plan.

Yet as events unfolded, she vaguely realized one thing—Lu Ye seemed unafraid of Qi Wu. His proactive use of the combat arena indicated this; he was not only fearless but confident in his ability to defeat Qi Wu. Otherwise, why would he actively produce the combat arena?

Liew Yuemei was somewhat incredulous; they were three minor levels apart, where did Lu Yiye's confidence come from?

Regardless, Lu Ye's attitude and actions provided her with the basis for these deductions.

If so, actually sending Qi Wu might result in his death.

With Qi Wu being unreliable, she had to rely on Chen Ke.

Chen Ke was her disciple, possessing True Lake Level 7 cultivation. Although only one level above Qi Wu, his strength greatly exceeded.

Lu Yiye may have confidence in defeating Qi Wu, but certainly can't match Chen Ke.

As for the last-minute swap of participants, for someone like her at the Divine Sea Realm, it was merely a trivial task, impossible for anyone present to stop.

For this reason, she had laid the groundwork while drafting the terms for the Heaven's Augury Pact, which never mentioned Qi Wu's name, specifically to exploit this loophole.

Fortunately, though she had lost her reason and acted crazily, she knew it was inappropriate for her to strike directly; otherwise, it would have been her, not Chen Ke, entering the combat arena.