Sage of Humanity

The cultivators standing guard at the entrance couldn't help but shrink their necks when they heard Lord Department Chief shout in anger. The next moment, a gust of wind swept past them, and they watched in astonishment as Lord Department Chief soared into the sky as if his tail was on fire, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

For a moment, they looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what had transpired.

Qian Wudang's speed was incredibly fast, and he exited Haotian City in the blink of an eye.

However, the next instant, he unexpectedly returned, swiftly heading toward a specific location within the city.

A moment later, he landed in a small courtyard.

In the courtyard, there was only one elderly cultivator with an immortal air and excellent spirit, leisurely enjoying his tea—it was Veteran Thang, the sect master of the Righteous Blood Sect.

Qian Wudang's purpose for coming here was simple. Today's events were instigated by Lu Ye, who is a disciple of the Righteous Blood Sect. A disciple in trouble is something that a sect master cannot ignore.

Especially since Qian Wudang knew that this sect master wasn't easy to deal with, and going together with him was far better than going alone.

"Chief Qian?" The sect master looked at the hurried Qian Wudang, puzzled as to why he was acting so hastily, as one of their cultivation levels should possess a calm demeanor even if a mountain collapses in front of them.

"Veteran Thang, there's been an incident." Qian Wudang spoke urgently, without the time for casual greetings.

The sect master, still leisurely sipping his tea, said slowly, "Speak slowly. You are now a department chief, after all. Don't be rash when faced with issues, or it'll make those below you speculate numerous things."

Qian Wudang silently acknowledged that a veteran is indeed a veteran. In his urgency just now, he had indeed lost some composure, and taking a deep breath, he said, "Veteran Thang, you are right to admonish me."

The sect master asked, "So, what exactly happened that made you, the department chief, so flustered?"

Qian Wudang quickly responded, "Your sect's disciple Lu Yiye recently went to Jinglan Lake Pass to dispatch Xiao Xinghe from Green Emperor City and is now on his way back."

"Crack..."

The teacup in the sect master's hand shattered, and in the next moment, his figure shot into the sky, flying directly towards Jinglan Lake Pass with a speed that even Qian Wudang could only admire.

A massive wave of air swept through, causing a wild gale to howl in the courtyard.

Qian Wudang's clothing fluttered, and his eye twitched slightly.

Veteran... is indeed a veteran! With just a simple sentence from him, Veteran Thang had evidently comprehended everything.

...

The sky was cloudless, the air clear as if washed.

Three figures glided casually through the sky, led by Lu Ye at the front, who studied the ten-part map. According to the map, it was only thirty more miles to leave the radiation range of Jinglan Lake Pass.

If Liew Yuemei truly intended to strike secretly, she would undoubtedly wait until they left the radiation range of Jinglan Lake Pass.

In other words, she was likely lurking somewhere ahead.

They traveled neither too fast nor too slow, naturally not matching the speed of Divine Sea Realm flight. Thus, if Liew Yuemei intended to ambush them at a spot ahead, it was feasible.

"Lin Yinxiu, has Lord Department Chief responded?" Lu Ye asked.

Lin Yinxiu replied, "Nope."

Lu Ye frowned slightly—it shouldn't be this way. Earlier at the Justice Department Hall, he twice witnessed Lin Yinxiu's intimate relationship with Qian Wudang, so how could Qian Wudang remain indifferent in Lin Yinxiu's current situation?

However, on second thought, if Qian Wudang was already on his way over, then regardless of whether he responded or not, it didn't matter.

With this thought, Lu Ye halted his movement and said, "Let's stop here."

This place was considered the edge of the radiation range of Jinglan Lake Pass. Even if Liew Yuemei truly intended to strike, she would have to consider the implications, so staying here was relatively safe. Once Qian Wudang arrived, they could rendezvous, and at that point, even if Liew Yuemei intended to attack, she wouldn't have the opportunity.

Of course, the most crucial thing was to confirm if Qian Wudang was indeed on his way over. If not, Lu Ye needed to send a message to the sect master.

Just as he was about to instruct Lin Yinxiu to inquire about Qian Wudang, Lu Ye's skin suddenly tingled as he turned to look back, only to see a stream of light swiftly approaching from that direction, even though it was far away, the cold killing intent could be clearly felt.

All three of their expressions changed dramatically.

The thing they feared most was happening; Liew Yuemei was indeed intent on killing them, and she had even become brazenly blatant without any concealment.

Lu Ye had guessed that Liew Yuemei would likely ambush at a position ahead, waiting for a chance to strike, but who knew she had no intention of hiding.

However, she probably intended to wait until they left the radiation range of Jinglan Lake Pass before making her move, but the sudden halt of Lu Ye disrupted her plans, making her impatient.

Thus, she decisively made her move.

Looking at it this way, she wasn't ambushing in front; instead, she had been following behind the three. As a Divine Sea Realm cultivator, she could follow them undetected, making it impossible for Lu Ye and the others to sense.

"Split up!" Lu Ye decisively commanded. As his spirit force surged around him, a pair of fiery red wings spread open, and with Move-Like-The-Wind enabled, he dashed forward.

Liew Yuemei's primary target would definitely be him, so he had to separate from Xiao Xinghe and Lin Yinxiu. Only by doing so could their situation be relatively safer.

Whether they survived depended on how long Lu Ye could hold out. As long as Lu Ye lived, they would be safe, but if Lu Ye died, Liew Yuemei would surely eradicate them to prevent any future troubles.

As Lu Ye took action, Xiao Xinghe and Lin Yinxiu started to move as well.

Both were quick-witted individuals and would naturally not hinder Lu Ye at such a moment by doing something foolish like insisting on living and dying with him. Immediately, they spurred their forms, flying out from the sides, and in the blink of an eye, the three split into two routes.

A dozen breaths later, Liew Yuemei had already reached the place where the three originally were, showing just how quick her approach was.

She indeed ignored Xiao Xinghe and Lin Yinxiu, pursuing Lu Ye directly instead.

No matter how many tricks Lu Ye had, no matter how fast he was, he still couldn't outpace a Divine Sea cultivator, and the distance between them closed rapidly.

Seeing that she was about to reach the range where Liew Yuemei could strike, Lu Ye couldn't help but roar angrily, "Liew Yuemei, you dare act so treacherously? If I don't die today, I'll surely take your head someday!"

Behind him, Liew Yuemei turned a deaf ear to him. Even though she could have tasked someone else with killing Lu Ye and his companions, she understood that saying nothing at this moment was the best response.

She wore a mask on her face at this moment, covering her true appearance, and even had a change of clothes, so as long as she denied killing Lu Ye afterward, there would be no conclusive evidence.

A Divine Sea Level 7 cultivator killing a True Lake Level 3 cultivator was simply a matter of course!

Once she killed Lu Yiye, she would have plenty of time to eliminate the other two.

Looking at the figure fleeing hurriedly ahead, under the mask, Liew Yuemei's expression was cold. As her Mental Consciousness surged, a formless and invisible force turned into a sharp strike, precisely targeting Lu Ye.

However, a surprising scene unfolded for her. The strike that she had been sure of had not much effect; the fleeing figure in front of her didn't even flinch, continuing to fly rapidly as if nothing had happened.

Liew Yuemei was momentarily puzzled but it did not stop her from launching another Mental Consciousness attack.

It was still ineffective.

This time she couldn't help but be shocked, wondering if Lu Ye was wearing some kind of treasure that could defend against soul attacks. Otherwise, how could her methods be ineffective?

But did such a treasure exist in this world?

Those so-called treasures that could defend against soul attacks were generally of little use, mainly just offering some protection against the shockwaves of an attack. If directly targeted, their efficacy greatly diminished.

This was the fundamental reason why True Lake cultivators were so vulnerable before Divine Sea cultivators.

She didn't attempt a third try; after two failures, any number of attempts would likely be useless. She fully channeled her spirit force, her speed increasing yet again.

This made Lu Ye secretly feel it was a pity, as he had sensed Liew Yuemei's Mental Consciousness attacking him, but the distance was too great for him to activate the Mental Consciousness Destruction Sword. Otherwise, he would have made her taste its power.

The distance continued to close.

A short dozen breaths later, Lu Ye perceived the fierce spirit force fluctuations behind him. Glancing hurriedly over his shoulder, he saw Liew Yuemei raise her hand to strike towards him. In an instant, spirit force surged, and a giant spirit force palm descended from the sky.

Li Taibai nearly died under this palm.

Lu Ye had, of course, already discerned the power of this palm.

As he hastily turned around, the Boulder Mountain Saber was already unsheathed, spirit force surging around him, concentrating all his Essence Qi in an instant to the extreme.

In that moment, Lu Ye felt as if he were standing in the midst of endless stellar space, with a crescent moon hanging high behind him.

The long saber cleaved forward, unleashing countless crescent-shaped saber lights, slashing towards the giant spirit force hand.

The second move of the Tyrannical Saber, Crescent Moon!

The endless sound of slicing echoed incessantly.

Though it weakened the power of the giant spirit force hand, the disparity in cultivation was just too great, and the giant spirit force hand continued to strike down.

Lu Ye turned his saber once more, constructing exquisite spirit runes upon its surface.

Moon Return!

The giant spirit force hand slammed down fiercely.

Despite Lu Ye having made the best response in the first instant, he was still struck by the palm, feeling as though he were a lone boat on a vast ocean, drifting aimlessly with the constant threat of capsizing.

Fortunately, leveraging the force of the strike, his figure spun through the air.

Before he could stabilize himself, another spirit rune had already formed.

The spirit force surged, constructing itself upon his being. If Lu Ye's clothes were stripped off at this moment, countless complex Yin-Yang Dual Origins would be visible on his body.

With a flicker of his body, all the Yin-Yang Dual Origins detached from his form, yet retained the original outline, sketching out a figure identical to Lu Ye's.

Split Shadow!

This spirit rune had never been used by Lu Ye against an enemy before, only utilized many times in the Mirage Scene for honing its function.

This spirit rune had no offensive power; it was purely for self-preservation.

Just as at this moment.

Once the turbulent spirit force calmed, Liew Yuemei, pursuing behind, beheld an utterly perplexing scene: two figures of Lu Ye appeared within her sight, each shimmering with brilliant spirit light, making it exceedingly difficult to distinguish the real from the fake.

"Clone Technique?" Liew Yuemei was exceedingly astonished.