Sage of Humanity

This time, when he heard that Li Baxian had left the Loyal Heart Sect's base, Yan Xing knew the opportunity had come. He arrived early at the location, hid his presence, and indeed, Li Baxian showed up.

He didn't care about the game between the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge and the Haotian Alliance. His mission was simple, kill Li Baxian and end the grudge of several decades!

"I'll take him on! You protect the junior brother," Weh Ying spoke up.

Li Baxian shook his head, "Big sister, you know, I'm good at killing, not protecting. And besides... it's not just Yan Xing who's come from the Spirit Stream Ranking."

"You mean..." Weh Ying's expression changed slightly. Her perception had drastically decreased due to the impact of the Soul-Destroying Divine Lightning.

Li Baxian snorted coldly, "They are all hiding in the crowd, observing the situation, each of them hoping to reap the benefits of the fishermen." His eyes flashed, "I'll create an opportunity for you to take the junior brother and leave. While the chances are slim, we must still try."

"Be careful!" Weh Ying admonished.

Li Baxian took his wine gourd, took a gulp without swallowing, and instead spewed it towards the front. In an instant, more than a dozen sword lights frantically lashed out, and his own body was wrapped in a sword light, rushing towards Yan Xing.

As he made his move, Weh Ying also sprang into action. A cluster of green leaves enveloped Lu Ye, and she grabbed Lu Ye's collar, soaring into the sky, clearly intending to take Lu Ye away amidst the chaos stirred up by Li Baxian.

Wrapped within the leaves, Lu Ye couldn't see what was happening outside, only feeling waves of spirit force fluctuating around him, with frequent strong impacts.

With a muffled grunt from Weh Ying, Lu Ye regained control over himself and took a look to find that he was back where he started, clearly Weh Ying had not managed to take him away successfully.

Although Weh Ying had appeared mighty and fierce, effortlessly killing those Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, the real powerhouses had not yet made a move. They all sensed that Weh Ying was not to be provoked and were waiting for an opportunity.

After all, Weh Ying had forcefully entered the Spirit Stream battlefield, and the more she killed, the more dangerous her situation became. If Weh Ying dared to kill a few more, they wouldn't need to lift a finger; the punishment from Heaven's Augury would eradicate her body and psyche.

Now, as Weh Ying attempted to forcibly take Lu Ye away, those people couldn't just stand by and watch. With simultaneous attacks, Weh Ying had no choice but to retreat. Had she not, Lu Ye would likely have died.

Because of the actions of Li Baxian and Weh Ying, the Golden Light Peak, which had calmed down, once again erupted into chaos. Many Haotian Alliance cultivators were surrounded in the middle, desperately fending off attacks from all directions.

Fortunately, Weh Ying and Li Baxian had just killed many of the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge forces, greatly relieving the pressure on the Haotian Alliance. Otherwise, they might not have been able to withstand the siege.

Weh Ying stopped attacking and instead guarded beside Lu Ye, her battle scythe blocking the onslaught of magic and Spirit Talismans.

With her there, Lu Ye wouldn't be in danger.

But despite her repeated attempts to take Lu Ye away, each time she had just risen, she was forced back down. In that dense barrage of attacks, she might survive, but Lu Ye definitely could not withstand it.

More Haotian Alliance and Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators arrived. The news of Lu Ye being trapped on Golden Light Peak had spread long ago. Cultivators from both camps were rushing over, and as time passed, the number of cultivators gathered there gradually exceeded a thousand, with more still arriving.

With Golden Light Peak at the core, numerous small and large battlefronts formed, with cultivators from both sides locked in combat, turning the entire Golden Light Peak into a complete slaughterhouse.

The battle raged from daylight into the night, and then from night back into daylight, with cultivators on both sides falling one after another, while new blood continuously replenished from the outside.

Over a dozen powerful individuals from the Spirit Stream Ranking arrived, each one engaging in their own fierce battles, making the scene extremely tense.

Nobody expected that this ambush aimed at a Righteous Blood Sect disciple would evolve into this situation. Originally, in the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge's plans, Lu Ye of the Righteous Blood Sect was just a Level 5 realm cultivator. If they found an opportunity, anyone with a bit of strength could kill him. If they killed him, Ten Thousand Demons Ridge would win.

But the response from the Haotian Alliance was unexpectedly tough. With the protection of one powerful Haotian Alliance cultivator after another, Lu Ye had made it all the way here.

Now, although trapped, it would be very difficult for them to kill Lu Ye as long as the people from the Haotian Alliance didn't all die.

A dilemma indeed!

The Spirit Stream battlefield had never seen such a large-scale and ferocious battle in the outer circle since its existence. At this point, neither Ten Thousand Demons Ridge nor the Haotian Alliance could easily back down, as both had lost too many lives.

In the center of the swirling struggle, Lu Ye, shielded by the crowd, looked down at his long knife, feeling an ever-growing sense of powerlessness and anger within his heart.

This feeling of life and death not being within one's control was indeed very bad.

Weakness is indeed the greatest sin.

To the weak, cries fall on deaf ears, but for the strong, even a gentle whisper resonates deep within the heart. So, regardless of the game between the two great camps, even if it meant death, one should choose their own way to die, not just stand around foolishly, waiting for the battle to conclude with a winner.

With a loud bang, a figure fell in front of Lu Ye. Li Baxian was beaten back to him, covered in wounds from head to toe, with a considerable disparity between the tenth and second of the ranking.

"That bastard is not having an easy time either!" Although Li Baxian was in a sorry state, his spirit was undefeated, and he grinned at Lu Ye. "Don't worry, Junior Brother, I will go and chop off that dog's head right away!"

As he said this, he attempted to stand up for another fight. As a sword cultivator, he never feared engaging with someone stronger than himself. Although he was not quite a match for Yanh Xing at the moment, if they really were to fight to the death, he was confident he could perish together with Yanh Xing.

Lu Ye raised his hand and pressed it on Li Baxian's shoulder.

Li Baxian looked at Lu Ye in surprise.

"Enough!" Lu Ye gently said. "It's enough, Elder Brother."

"Hmm?"

"Stop fighting," Lu Ye smiled at him and then lifted his head to look at the chaotic battlefield. He took a deep breath, and as spirit force surged, he bellowed, "Everyone, stop fighting!"

Though he was only at the Level 5 realm in cultivation, this angry shout, bolstered by spirit force, was like thunder exploding, carrying across all directions.

The battling sides, upon hearing such a cry, had many cultivators who were already struggling to continue, immediately cease fighting and begin stepping back. The first to stop were the cultivators near Lu Ye. This rippled outward like waves, and the fighting on the outskirts gradually subsided. After thirty breaths, all combat had ceased, and the chaotic battlefield became calm.

The disorderly fluctuations of spirit force also gradually faded away.

Pair after pair of eyes, from all directions, fixed on Lu Ye. Only now did everyone realize that the one who just called for a cessation was this very person.

"Junior Brother?" Weh Ying, who had been protecting Lu Ye, looked at him in confusion and then at Li Baxian, who shook his head, indicating that he also didn't know what their Junior Brother intended to do.

"I have something to say." Lu Ye spoke, this sentence directed at Weh Ying, before he looked around him and loudly declared, "I have something to say!"

This second sentence was addressed to the many cultivators surrounding them.

"Although my cultivation is not high, since all of you have come here for me, I believe I am still qualified to speak a few words. Does anyone object?"

"Fellow Daoist, feel free to speak your mind."

"Indeed, indeed, we have no objections!"

Immediately, a group of Haotian Alliance cultivators echoed their agreement. Lu Ye, by interrupting the fight between the two sides at this moment, though abrupt, gave both sides a sigh of relief, as they might take this rare chance for a respite. Prolonged battle, especially of this scale, was more than most could bear.

"Speak!" a Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivator spoke up. This person was ranked in the top twenty of the Spirit Stream Ranking, from a 1st grade sect. Without Yanh Xing speaking up, this cultivator's attitude represented the whole of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge.

As for Yanh Xing, his eyes only had Li Baxian in them, paying no heed to others.

Lu Ye nodded and said, "Half a year ago, I joined the Righteous Blood Sect. On my way back to the sect, I encountered an assassination attempt, and the sect master sent me to the Spirit Stream battlefield. Frankly speaking, I don't even know what the Righteous Blood Sect is truly like. I don't know who my sect brothers and sisters are, and I am clueless about the grudges of the previous generation.

It was only when people came looking for me that I discovered I had become the center of conflict between two great factions. I, Lu Ye, merely at Level 5, what do I have to deserve such influence? But since matters have come to this, I am powerless to resist and can only accept. Ten Thousand Demons Ridge wants me dead, and my journey here has been fraught with peril.

Thanks to the protection of many Elder Brothers and Sisters from the Haotian Alliance, I have managed to survive until now. Many have died, some in front of me, and others in places I could not see. I don't even know the names of those who have perished. Today, here, many more have died, and continuing the fight will only lead to more deaths. Do you still wish to continue?"

No one answered.

"Continuing like this, the casualties will only escalate. Is this the outcome you wish to see?" Lu Ye asked again.

The previously speaking strong cultivator from the Spirit Stream Ranking gave a cold snort. "According to you, should we just leave it at that?"

"Of course not," Lu Ye shook his head. "So many have already died; neither Ten Thousand Demons Ridge nor Haotian Alliance could possibly let this go. If we were just to leave it at that, Ten Thousand Demons Ridge would not be able to explain themselves to their own sects."

"At least you're clever," the man sneered. "If you truly don't want to see so many from the Haotian Alliance die for your sake, then commit suicide. Once you're dead, this conflict will naturally end!"

"That's right, just die, kid. You can't escape anyway!"

"Committing suicide will at least leave you a whole corpse. If you get cut down by someone else, your face will be beyond recognition."

Several Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators began shouting loudly.

Standing next to Lu Ye, Weh Ying wore a dark expression, barely holding back the urge to draw her weapon and slaughter those shouting individuals.

Lu Ye slowly shook his head. "There have been so many from the Haotian Alliance who died because of me. If I died now, how could they rest in peace? Besides, I'm still so young, I don't want to die yet!"

"If you're not willing to die, why bother saying all this nonsense?" The man's face darkened with rage.

Lu Ye's eyelids drooped as he slowly began to speak. "Being protected feels good, but as a cultivator, when it comes to personal matters, one must bear some responsibility!"
Explore hidden tales at empire

"It's a pity I'm not strong enough in cultivation to take on too much." He slowly drew the long sword from his waist, pointing it towards the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge camp. "Disciple of Righteous Blood Sect, Lu Ye, hereby challenges the great sects of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. To those of the same realm of cultivation who wish to kill me, come and fight!"