Sage of Humanity

Ying Wuji's abilities were somewhat known to Song Zhui, who was capable of killing True Lake ghosts beyond his own realm.

For such a powerful ghost cultivator to take action against a guy of Cloud River Level 5 realm, there certainly was no possibility of a mishap.

However, due to the sudden change, Ying Wuji had already fled severely wounded, leaving Song Zhui's previously confident plan to dissipate in an instant.

How on earth was Ying Wuji exposed? Song Zhui genuinely couldn't figure it out.

But now, thinking about this was meaningless; Ying Wuji had fled and could no longer be relied upon; to kill Lu Ye… there was only the option of a forceful attack!

Song Zhui actually didn't want to act this way because, by doing so, even if he killed Lu Ye, the benefits that would fall on him would not be substantial; at most it would enhance his fame and prestige a bit. In the future, whenever the cultivators of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge mentioned Lu Yiye, they would remember that he died in an operation led by Song Zhui.

What use was fame and prestige to him? Only tangible materials were truly beneficial.

The smile on Song Zhui's face disappeared, and his expression became solemn; it was only then that he realized he might have underestimated this Lu Yiye.

He sighed softly, then Song Zhui spoke, "Fellow Daoist Lu has yet to respond to my earlier proposal."

"I refuse!"

The resolute answer reached his ears, and Song Zhui nodded slightly.

As expected, if Lu Ye had really agreed to such a thing, that would have meant he was out of his mind. As Song Zhui had said before, even ants cherish their lives, let alone cultivators.

"Then the trade that Fellow Daoist Lu mentioned, what is it?"

Lu Ye's lips slightly curled up, showing a rare smile to the stranger, then raised his hand and gently waved.

A ripple passed through the space in front, and an object suddenly appeared in everyone's view.

Song Zhui's eyelids twitched sharply, and many Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators also looked in astonishment at the suddenly appearing object, something familiar to every cultivator, something they had all encountered numerous times.

A murmuring voice emerged from the crowd, "Heaven's Augury Pillar!"

There was actually a Heaven's Augury Pillar in a small spirit ground, and from the looks of it, it had been there for a while but had always been concealed by a formation, unnoticed by others until now when, under Lu Ye's initiative, it was revealed to everyone.

There was no playing around with this!

With the Heaven's Augury Pillar present, Lu Yiye and the others could return to the Nine Provinces at any time. It wouldn't matter whether they faced a few hundred or even thousands or tens of thousands of people.

Unless they could stop those few from reaching the Heaven's Augury Pillar before they made contact, but at this moment, many cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge were still outside the range of the spirit ground's formation, making it impossible to do such a thing.

In other words, Lu Ye and the others could retreat at any time.

Song Zhui finally realized why Li Baxian and the others had been quietly standing behind Lu Ye, appearing unflustered even under great pressure; they had such a reliance...

Thinking back to his own proposals and various statements just now, Song Zhui found them to be utterly ludicrous.

He was also extremely irritated in his heart; he had previously heard that Lu Yiye had called for a Heaven's Augury Pillar in the hunting grounds, escaping under tight encirclement, and now it turned out that he had called for another one in this spirit ground.

This was something worth a hundred thousand merits...

While most cultivators were still struggling for a few thousand to ten thousand merits, Lu Yiye managed to call for Heaven's Augury Pillars time and again.

He could not help but feel the same indignation as Xia Liang and Tan Sheng once did.

What enormously wealthy dogs they were!

What made Song Zhui even more frustrated was that the person who had secretly passed on the information earlier had not mentioned this; if he had known earlier that Lu Ye's spirit ground contained a Heaven's Augury Pillar, he would have acted more cautiously, making sure to deliver a fatal blow to Lu Ye before acting, instead of coming brazenly with hundreds of people.

It turned out to be a misunderstanding by Song Zhui.

The source of the information regarding Lu Ye's whereabouts this time came from Tu Guanxiong of the Sacred Universe Spirit Ground.

Tu Guanxiong was also unaware that there was a Heaven's Augury Pillar here…

Initially, Xia Liang had mentioned this matter to Huo Liaoyuan in secret, but Huo Liaoyuan, relying on his Fight to the Death Arena, did not care, and as Huo Liaoyuan died in the Deathmatch Arena, this information became unknown to anyone else.

The only ones aware of this were Xia Liang and Tan Sheng, but the two had already decided to let the people of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge press Lu Ye into giving up the spirit ground and would not publicize it widely.

When the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators saw the Heaven's Augury Pillar, their fighting spirits diminished greatly, all deeming this mission dull and pointless.

They were too far to intercept Lu Ye and the others before they reached the Heaven's Augury Pillar; although the hidden ghost cultivators could have had a chance, looking at the lesson of the predecessors, those ghost cultivators wouldn't dare easily infiltrate the spirit ground now.

After the Heaven's Augury Pillar was revealed, for a good dozen breaths, no one spoke.

Eventually, it was Song Zhui who broke the silence, "Is the trade that Fellow Daoist Lu mentioned related to this object?"

Lu Ye did not reply directly but instead said, "So many of you have gathered here for nothing other than my life. Perhaps… I might give you an opportunity?"

Behind him, Li Baxian frowned, feeling that something was amiss, and Feng Yuechan also sensed it, turning her head to look at Li Baxian.

Both of them felt that Lu Ye's actions today were somewhat odd, but they did not interfere due to trust. However, what exactly Lu Ye was planning, they were also unsure.

Only Giant Armor, unmovable like a mountain, stood there with an indifferent attitude. His mindset was simple— if there was a fight, he would be at the forefront; if not, he would stand guard here.

"What do you mean by that?" Song Zhui asked, puzzled.

"Quite simple!" Lu Ye looked at him. "I will leave this place, but none of you from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge may destroy my spirit ground!"

"Junior Brother!" Li Baxian immediately chided him. It was only at this moment that he finally understood what Lu Ye was planning. He was somewhat puzzled by Lu Ye's actions, as retreating back to the Nine Provinces was the safest and most prudent choice. Why would Junior Brother say such a thing?

With his back to him, Lu Ye spoke softly, "Brother, since I have been targeted by the people of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, hiding is not an option unless I stay in the Nine Provinces and never enter the Cloud River battlefield. But once I enter the Cloud River battlefield, there will always be various people wanting to kill me. Last time, Xia Liang and his group managed to find this place. What about the next time? No matter how well I hide, there will still be others who seek me out."

"Rather than hiding in one place, it's better to wander around. That way, it's not easy for others to pinpoint my location. As for safety, Brother, you needn't worry too much. Although there are indeed many on the Cloud River battlefield whose strength surpasses mine, there aren't many who are faster than me. Moreover, I am all too familiar with being hunted. Ever since the Spirit Stream battlefield, those who have tried to kill me have generally not ended well."

The last sentence made Li Baxian feel extremely bitter… Reflecting on his junior brother's various encounters on the Spirit Stream battlefield, it indeed often involved being chased.

"I understand what you are saying, but you should not proceed this way, Junior Brother. Let's retreat to the Nine Provinces first as planned and talk about the future later."

"Brother, merely evading won't solve anything. only a strong counter-attack can make them wary, they dare to target me like this, then I must kill them! Avoiding it this time means there will be a next time, and the time after that. Brother, you surely don't want to see me always dodging whenever troubles arise, right?"

"Then I will join you!"

Lu Ye shook his head. "Brother, just stay here and focus on your cultivation, and also keep an eye on Giant Armor for me. Given his temperament, if unregulated, he might end up causing trouble. Besides, it's more convenient for me to act alone."

Li Baxian still wanted to say something, but Feng Yuechan gently tugged at his sleeve and said, "Junior Brother Lu, if you really do this, you will be in constant danger every moment. Are you sure about this?"

"It's up to people to make things happen!"

In mid-air, Song Zhui was stunned for a good while before finally reacting, somewhat astonished, "Is this the deal you were talking about, Fellow Daoist Lu?"

"Exactly!"

Song Zhui frowned, unclear about what Lu Ye really wanted.

Given the current situation, using Heaven's Augury Pillar to return to the Nine Provinces was the safest and most correct choice. Yet, he proposed such a deal, undeniably taking a great risk, and at best, it was only to protect a spirit ground, yet it gave them an opportunity at Ten Thousand Demons Ridge.

But such a deal was something the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side had no reason to refuse, even something they would likely welcome.

Thus, after a brief ponder, Song Zhui nodded, "Agreed!"

No matter what the other party planned, agreeing to it was never wrong.

"Do we need to make a Heaven's Augury oath?" Song Zhui then asked. The deal was too favorable to Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, favorably enough that Song Zhui felt somewhat uneasy without making a Heaven's Augury oath.

"No need," Lu Ye said indifferently. As he spoke, he started walking to the side.

"Junior Brother!" Li Baxian still wanted to stop Lu Ye, grabbing his arm.

Lu Ye looked at him with a smile. "Brother, don't worry too much. Experiencing hardships isn't necessarily a bad thing."

As their eyes met, Li Baxian saw the determination in Lu Ye's eyes; he knew all too well that what Lu Ye said was true. Dodging this time would lead to the next, and then another after that. It wouldn't do to always evade so awkwardly, but he still couldn't help but worry.

Even though Lu Ye could now handle things on his own, in his eyes, Lu Ye was still that junior brother who needed him and Weh Ying to protect him at Golden Light Peak.

After a long time, Li Baxian finally said gravely, "Be very careful in everything!"

He wanted to accompany Lu Ye, but if he were to go, Feng Yuechan would undoubtedly follow, and then they couldn't leave Giant Armor behind. Four people moving together would not be as free and convenient as Lu Ye alone.

"I know!" Lu Ye responded with a smile.

Li Baxian released his arm.

Lu Ye walked to the side and stood still, his spirit force activated, and patterns of a big array rapidly emerged and lit up at his feet.

Song Zhui and a group of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators stared, puzzled at the suddenly appearing Formation, not knowing what exactly it was.

Within the formation, Lu Ye looked up at Song Zhui and gently said, "Remember our deal. Should anyone dare destroy my spirit ground, I will return to the Spirit Stream battlefield and destroy their sect's post."

Song Zhui finally understood why Lu Ye did not require him to make a Heaven's Augury oath.

While a Heaven's Augury oath certainly had an absolute binding effect, Lu Ye's words of threat were also significant. With those words laid down, as long as Lu Ye was alive, it was unlikely anyone would dare target his spirit ground.