Sage of Humanity

One incense stick's time quickly passed, and Lu Ye stood up, walking towards the battlefield that was his own.

A tall man with a bare chest and densely packed chest hair immediately came forward from the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side, what's more eye-catching was the pair of ox horns on his head.

This was a demon cultivator!

With a burly frame and vigorous blood Qi energy, many demon cultivators share these traits, making them very suitable for the path of physique cultivators. Big sects also liked to take in such demon cultivators, for with a little polishing and nurturing, they could become formidable disciples. Experience tales at empire

In one hand, the demon cultivator was also holding a round shield the size of a washbasin, exuding spirit light that indicated it was a fine Spiritual Artifact.

The response from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge was clear, since Lu Ye, who was at Level 5 realm, had strength and speed surpassing those in the Level 6 realm, they would not let combat cultivators take to the field.

Since combat cultivators couldn't match Lu Ye's strength and speed, merely being one cultivation level higher would mean nothing—as had been proven by the combat cultivators who had fought before.

Combat cultivators were not an option, ghost cultivators were rare and not suited for head-on combat, so the only choices left were physique cultivators and magic cultivators.

Lu Ye's offensive was undeniably strong, so the best response was with robust defense. Having witnessed Lu Ye's previous battles, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge did not expect to take him down within just a few bouts, but he would eventually reach his limits, and at that moment, it would be their time to reap the fruits of victory.

"Righteous Blood Sect, Lu Ye!" Lu Ye greeted as usual with impeccable manners.

The demon cultivator mumbled something, not really wanting to respond, but not responding seemed as if he was afraid of Lu Ye, so he buzzed out, "Baiman Mountain, Niu Meng!"

As his words fell, he raised the shield in his hand, channeling spirit force into it. The protective force of the shield expanded, forming a barrier that enveloped an area of ten feet in front of him.

His blood Qi energy also began to boil, converging spirit force around his body to form a second layer of defense, taking up a defensive stance.

This was the plan set by his own senior brother just before he got ready to enter the field. Defending against other people's attacks was his forte, but offense, not so much. His speed couldn't compare, which was a fatal flaw. Thus, his senior brother had instructed him to focus on defense immediately upon entering, without needing to do much.

All he had to do was fend off the Righteous Blood Sect's assaults, stalling for as much time as possible and wearing down the opponent's physical strength and energy.

And so he did!

Yet, the expected attack didn't come. He lifted his eyes, peered through his own Spiritual Artifact, and looked ahead, only to find that Lu Ye wasn't charging at him as in the previous battles; instead, he was standing there quietly, looking at him indifferently.

Niu Meng scratched his head and looked back at his own senior brothers and sisters, clearly wanting to ask how he should respond to this situation.

Those fellow disciples were a bit dumbfounded too, not expecting Lu Ye, who had been so aggressive and full of offensive fervor before, to suddenly change his typical approach.

A cultivator, who also bore demon cultivator characteristics, in the Level 8 realm said, "If he doesn't come to you, you go to him and force him to engage with you!"

Stalling was clearly advantageous for Lu Ye. The Heaven's Augury Pact stated a limit of three days, so the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side, under no circumstances, wished to drag out time. They yearned to keep fighting Lu Ye continuously. If it hadn't been for Li Baxian fighting for it fiercely, Lu Ye wouldn't have been granted the one incense stick's time to rest after every battle.

"Oh!" Niu Meng acknowledged and, holding his Spiritual Artifact, charged towards Lu Ye. Although his speed wasn't fast, his aura was remarkably intimidating, giving the impression of a wall hurtling towards him.

In all the time he had spent in the Spirit Stream battlefield, Lu Ye had never encountered an opponent who was already so well defended before the fight had even begun. He hadn't charged forward right away, instead looking for the opponent's weak point, but looking around, there didn't seem to be any weaknesses to exploit.

As the other was rushing over, he had to take action. The distance between them closed rapidly, and at the right moment, Niu Meng slightly retracted his arm holding the shield before pushing it out fiercely.

In that instant, the spirit force barrier, emanating from the Spiritual Artifact on his arm, also expanded outward as if truly a wall was hurtling towards Lu Ye!

Had that hit connected, Lu Ye might not end up with broken bones, but he would at least be left disoriented for a while.

Fortunately, Lu Ye sensed the danger and leaped up, vaulting over Niu Meng's head. While in mid-air, he slashed down at his head with a knife.

Niu Meng raised his hand, using the protective force of the Spiritual Artifact to block the blow. He did not wait to turn around before the sound of a blade cutting through the air came from behind him.

The flash of the blade passed, and Niu Meng felt his protective spirit force and blood Qi energy directly severed, with pain emanating from his back. He hurriedly turned around, swinging a fist.

However, Lu Ye had already flashed back, and the punch hit nothing but air.

An instant clash concluded with the demon cultivator named Niu Meng sustaining a gash on his back.

"It hurts!" Niu Meng exhaled hot air from his nostrils, his eyes reddening somewhat. The intense pain flooded his not-so-sharp mind with rage, and all he wanted was to crush this enemy before him.

The trouble with demon cultivators was this, at lower levels of cultivation, their spiritual intelligence wasn't high, and they could easily be influenced by their beastly instincts. Normally, this would only improve upon reaching the Cloud River Realm.

With that thought, he reached out to grab Lu Ye, his large palm unfurling to almost completely block Lu Ye's field of vision.

Lu Ye ducked low and slid under his outstretched arm, getting behind him once more. In the same spot, he delivered another slashing blow!

Niu Meng staggered, blood pouring from his back, dyeing the ground a crimson hue.

He turned around, wanting to continue the fight, when a thunderous voice rang out, "Concede!" It was that Level 8 senior brother who couldn't stand to watch any longer, knowing that if the fight continued, his fellow disciple Niu Meng was sure to die. He intervened and pulled Niu Meng back by his horns into the crowd.

Niu Meng was utterly bewildered...

Lu Ye did not pursue further. He felt that this opponent was somewhat naive, but demon cultivators were indeed formidable. The other had taken two of his blade strikes and still not perished. One should know that each of his blows were reinforced with Sharpness spirit runes.

Normally, a Level 6 cultivator would likely have been cleaved in half, yet Niu Meng, though seriously injured, was certainly not in mortal danger.

It made him realize that if he were to face demon cultivators as enemies in the future, he would have to strike several more times to ensure their defeat.

"Junior Brother, do you need to rest?" Li Baxian asked with concern.

"No need!" Lu Ye shook his head and looked towards the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge camp.

Another burly physique cultivator stepped forward, his expression one of tragic determination.

Twenty breaths later, the physique cultivator lay in a pool of blood, a massive wound at his neck gushing blood, his body spasming...

Although this guy was also a physique cultivator, he didn't possess Niu Meng's naturally strong physique and couldn't escape death.

Battle after battle continued without end unless Lu Ye needed to recuperate. After every fight, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side would always send up a new challenger.

The Ten Thousand Demons Ridge camp initially planned to wear Lu Ye down using physique cultivators, but after several battles, they were forced to admit that this strategy was good in theory but utterly impractical in execution, as even physique cultivators couldn't withstand Lu Ye's cleaving strikes!

The Spiritual Artifact in the hands of this Righteous Blood Sect disciple was excessively sharp!

The defense and physique that physique cultivators relied upon seemed incredibly fragile before his long saber, as evidenced when Lu Ye shattered a physique cultivator's defensive spirit artifact with just three strikes!

That was a defensive spirit artifact, and even if it was low grade, it was still a defensive spirit artifact, to be shattered with mere three strikes; had one not witnessed it with their own eyes, they would scarcely dare to believe it.

Out of desperation, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge camp sent out several magic cultivators in a row, only to find the situation even worse, because the arena imposed restrictions, allowing magic cultivators to be no more than twenty yards away from Lu Ye.

A distance of twenty yards, with Lu Ye's full burst of speed, took only three breaths to cover. What would become of a magic cultivator once a combat cultivator closed in could be easily imagined.

As night fell, the Haotian Alliance side was engaged in lively discussions, with some even cooking wine and playing the zither, creating an intensely celebratory atmosphere.

In contrast, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge camp was enveloped in a gloomy ambiance, akin to the mist of a cloudy day, each of the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators sporting an ugly expression as if they had lost their parents.

The reason was simple: Lu Ye had been waiting on the stage for half a Shichen, but no one came forward to fight!

Throughout the entire day, more than a dozen had been slain by Lu Ye. The best performing among the Level 6 cultivators couldn't even withstand thirty breaths before him, with most being incapacitated or killed after just a few strikes. Those who called out quickly might admit defeat and save their lives, but those who were slow met their end right there on the spot.

In short, the people of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge were killed until they were frightened!

No one dared to step forward lightly to fight, even though the person standing there was like a living treasure vault.

Moreover, with each successive victory, Lu Ye himself was experiencing some marvelous changes. His blood Qi and killing aura gathered around him, forming an indescribable aura that seemed like a manifestation of his own conviction, unstoppable and invincible!

"Brother Li, if your Junior Brother survives this, his future will be boundless," a Spirit Stream Ranking powerhouse commented beside Li Baxian within the Haotian Alliance.

Li Baxian's smile almost reached his ears as he laughed heartily, "My Junior Brother? Naturally."

"You know what I mean, Brother Li."

Li Baxian's gaze flickered, he remained silent as the comment was difficult to respond to.

"An invincible posture, bestowed by Heaven's Augury!" Li Baxian did not reply, but someone else spoke up; it was another Spirit Stream Ranking powerhouse, who clearly recognized what was occurring.

Li Baxian smiled faintly, "It's too early to say this now."

"The signs are already there," the person said, shaking his head slowly.

Heaven's Augury Bestowment was the stuff of legends. In the Nine Provinces, on the Spirit Stream battlefield, the Heaven's Augury was omnipresent. Legend had it that those with an invincible posture could receive Heaven's Augury Bestowment and undergo a complete transformation.

An invincible posture was a concept, an aura, and more so, a conviction. To form such conviction required accumulation through numerous battles. When it reached a certain limit, it could invoke the Heaven's Augury and receive its blessing.

Throughout history, although there were many cultivators in the Nine Provinces, few had received the Heaven's Augury Bestowment. The last occurrence was decades ago.

And the man bestowed by Heaven's Augury back then was called Feng Wujiang!

Coincidentally, this man was also a disciple of the Righteous Blood Sect back in his day.