Sage of Humanity

Night had fallen, and Lu Ye, wearing his spectral face mask, left his guest room and headed straight for Heaven's Augury Hall, where the Heaven's Augury Pillar was located.

Every Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union had its own Heaven's Augury Pillar, and their primary function was for positioning.

Cultivators could use these Heaven's Augury Pillars to travel to and from the Cloud River battlefield. Cultivators from the Nine Provinces could select these pillars upon entering the Cloud River battlefield to gain access to this branch of the mercantile union, while cultivators from the Cloud River battlefield could use the pillars here to leave and return to the Nine Provinces.

Therefore, the mercantile union in the Cloud River battlefield was bustling with activity at every moment, with a constant stream of people coming and going.

The Heaven's Augury Pillar had four sides, corresponding to four directions. In one direction, space would occasionally distort, and each time this happened, cultivators from various parts of the Nine Provinces would appear out of thin air.

In another direction, a queue, not too long, was formed. These were cultivators preparing to leave the Cloud River battlefield. They would approach the Heaven's Augury Pillar, place a hand upon it, and vanish in an instant. The queue here was not very long as the process of leaving the Cloud River battlefield was not complicated, and could even be described as swift. Most of the time, this side was empty and did not require queuing.

The remaining two sides had a relatively large number of people lined up, all of whom were there to use the Heaven's Augury Pillar to enter the Heaven's Augury treasure vault for trading.

After arriving, Lu Ye found a spot to stand and slowly waited.

There weren't many people ahead of him, just a dozen or so, and since the cultivators who came here generally knew what they wanted to buy or sell, the efficiency was quite high, and it was rare for someone to monopolize the pillar for a long time.

As the cultivators in front gradually left, Lu Ye moved forward with the crowd.

Suddenly, a figure approached and scrutinized him.

Lu Ye turned to look and saw a young male cultivator with a probing gaze, who slowly spoke, "Fellow Daoist, you resemble someone."

Lu Ye's voice was hoarse, "Resemble who?"

Though he hadn't learned how to change his voice, as a Cloud River Realm cultivator, such a small trick was still easily executed.

"Why does Fellow Daoist feign ignorance?" The youth shook his head. "If you don't mind..."

"I mind!"

The youth was left speechless by the retort and finally could only shake his head, "You can't hide, unless you leave the Cloud River battlefield!"

Having said that, the youth directly walked away.

Though he suspected the cultivator wearing the spectral face mask was Lu Yiye, he did not dare to make a move inside the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union and could only issue such a warning.

After the youth left, several groups of cultivators passed by nearby, either intentionally or unintentionally, and Lu Ye could clearly feel these people covertly observing him.

He chose to ignore them, as he had no plans to leave the mercantile union any time soon. If they were so capable, they could just keep waiting outside.

When the day came that he decided to leave, it was unlikely those people could hold him back.

As each cultivator in front departed, it wasn't long before it was Lu Ye's turn.

Lu Ye raised his hand to the Heaven's Augury Pillar before him, closed his eyes in concentration, but didn't immerse his consciousness immediately.

After three breaths, a low shout suddenly came, "Attack!"

As the words fell, powerful spirit force burst forth abruptly, and three sharp killing intents enveloped Lu Ye from three different directions. In the blink of an eye, three figures had charged to within fifteen feet of Lu Ye, their cold light flashing.

The sudden change caused all cultivators inside Heaven's Augury Hall to pale.

Many cultivators had passed through the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union countless times, but none had ever encountered such a situation, as the union was believed to be an absolutely safe place in the minds of nearly all cultivators.

There were indeed some terrifying rumors of conflicts happening within the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union, but rumors were just rumors, and no one knew what the consequences of fighting inside the union would be.

It was said that the last time such an incident occurred was over a decade ago.

The passage of time had undoubtedly diminished the deterrence of the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union, coupled with the enormous bounty on Lu Ye's head, it was inevitable that cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge could not resist the temptation.

The three assailants were from the Cloud River Level 9 Realm, and it was unclear to which sect they belonged. Before making their move, they had already scoped out that, although there were Level 9 powerhouses stationed in this branch of the mercantile union, they believed that as long as they were fast enough, they could kill Lu Ye and not be kept there. They were confident they could escape from this place.

Compared to the potential gains, what was a little risk?

Spirit force surged, prompting many cultivators in Heaven's Augury Hall to scatter, turning the scene into chaos.

Lu Ye, with his hand on the Heaven's Augury Pillar, also instantly sensed the immense danger. With his current strength, taking on a single Level 9 cultivator was already a struggle, let alone three at once.

He was just grateful he had held back and hadn't immediately immersed his consciousness into the treasure vault; otherwise, he would have had no time to react to such an attack.

In a rush, he activated his spirit force, and solid Defense Spirit Runes materialized in front of him, nearly covering him from all angles without blind spots. At the same time, he dodged towards the densely crowded area.

He didn't need to confront the three Level 9 cultivators. After all, this was the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union. He just had to delay them for a moment, and the union's powerhouses would take action.

But regardless of whether it was him or the three Level 9 cultivators who took action, they all seriously underestimated the response speed of the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union.

Or rather, as soon as Lu Ye left his guest room and arrived on the first floor, the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union had already been closely monitoring him.

"How audacious!"

A furious shout erupted, and somewhere in the crowd, another cultivator charged out. The moment this cultivator burst forth, the fluctuations of spirit force around him indicated that he was in the Cloud River Level 9 Realm.

But in the blink of an eye, his aura broke through the limits of the Cloud River Realm, reaching a level that was unfathomable to others.

"The True Lake Realm!" someone exclaimed in shock, while many more quivered in their gazes.

So… the rumors were true.

The personnel of the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union had a way to break through Heaven's Augury's restrictions within the Cloud River battlefield for a short time and reach a height that ordinary cultivators simply could not attain.

Many had heard of this rumor, but no one knew if it was true or false, because no one had ever verified it.

Not until this moment, before their very eyes.

The Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union is a very intriguing organization, as can be seen from its name alone.

In the Nine Provinces cultivation world, anything related to the words "Heaven's Augury" must not be taken lightly. All along, cultivators in the Nine Provinces cultivation world have suspected that the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union might have some special connection with the elusive and mysterious Heaven's Augury above all.

Because the goods in the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union are often interchangeable with items in the Heaven's Augury treasure vault.

There have been instances where people sold items to the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union only to find the same items in the Heaven's Augury treasure vault later on.

Moreover, the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union never interferes in the confrontations between the two major factions. It always gives the impression of being a neutral organization that conducts business.

But no one has ever underestimated it, nor does anyone know how powerful the true foundation of the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union is.

The aura of the True Lake Realm kept climbing, reaching a peak until all the cultivators in the Heaven's Augury Hall felt their bodies heavy and breath constrained under the terrifying pressure at that instant.

As if an immobilization curse was cast, the three Cloud River Level 9 cultivators launching an assault, Lu Ye who was in the middle of escaping, and the many cultivators in disarray all around, were all frozen in place.

Subsequently, a series of thuds were heard, and a thick scent of blood spread out, signaling life force rapidly withering away…

It seemed like only an illusion when the crushing pressure that made it difficult for anyone to move suddenly vanished, and as the many cultivators looked around, they were all chilled to the bone.

This was because there were three additional corpses inside the Heaven's Augury Hall, belonging to the three Cloud River Level 9 cultivators who had attacked Lu Ye.

No one knew how they died. By the time everyone came to their senses, their lives had already been extinguished.

Standing quietly in front of the three corpses was that middle-aged cultivator, his demeanor not angry but still imposing, emitting an aura that was still of the Cloud River Level 9 Realm.

But who would think he was only at Cloud River Level 9 at this point?

Clearly, this person was a True Lake Realm powerhouse and not just an ordinary one. He had to be one of those peak True Lake Realm powerhouses.

In the Spirit Stream battlefield, cultivators above the Spirit Stream Realm could force their way in by spending merit points.

But it was not the case in the Cloud River battlefield. Only Cloud River Realm cultivators were allowed to enter, which was a rule set by Heaven's Augury itself, and no one could break it.

Now, it seemed that was not entirely true.

At the very least, the people of the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union could break this rule. They could even temporarily break the cultivation restrictions of the Cloud River battlefield...

And what shocked everyone was not just this, but more importantly, three Cloud River Level 9 cultivators were killed, just like three ants, unnoticed by anyone, by the people of the traditionally neutral Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union!

Under the watchful eyes of all, the middle-aged cultivator slowly spoke, "Wuxin Pavilion's Duan Hua, Xue Feihan, God's Will Sect's Luo Huai'an, these three assaulted someone within the Mercantile Union, breaking our sect's rules. They were executed on the spot to set an example! Moreover, for three years from now, the Mercantile Union will not conduct any transactions with cultivators originating from either Wuxin Pavilion or God's Will Sect."

With a single statement, a buzz rose among the many cultivators.

It was one thing for three Cloud River Level 9 cultivators to be killed—it was normal for cultivators to live and die. Not long ago, two million Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators died in a mine.

What truly shocked the cultivators was that the man from the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union had identified the factions they hailed from and their names with a single phrase.

This was not just superior intelligence gathering; it clearly indicated that they were prepared in advance, or perhaps the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union had noticed their ill intentions the moment these three were ready to make a move, waiting to strike them with a thunderbolt. Otherwise, even if this man could exert his true power, he wouldn't have reacted so swiftly.

The attitude displayed by the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union this time was undoubtedly extremely decisive, showing no mercy at all, further emphasized by the ban on transactions with cultivators from those two sects for the next three years.

Compared to the deaths of the three Cloud River Level 9 cultivators, this decision undoubtedly brought even greater losses to the two sects.