Sage of Humanity

The night was like a curtain, enshrouding the heavens.

In the past, the night sky over the Unparalleled Continent was also beautiful and enchanting, filled with a myriad of stars and a bright moon.

But ever since the cataclysm, these things had become sights of the past.

Though the day still had the hazy big sun shining everywhere, by night, it was truly pitch-black as one couldn't see their fingers in front of their faces.

Out in the wilderness, the flickering of campfires could be seen, as many of the common people huddled together for warmth while cultivators kept watch at the periphery against all threats.

Wu Jun, who was missing an arm, and several other cultivators were in charge of monitoring one direction.

Suddenly, something seemed to approach rapidly under the thick veil of night.

"Who goes there!" Wu Jun warned.

"It's me!" came the reply.

Recognizing the familiar voice, Wu Jun breathed a sigh of relief.

The leader had arrived!

These people, under Lu Ye's protection, had fled all the way from their stronghold to this place, which was also the rendezvous point previously agreed upon with Zui Shan and Xu Wang, prepared for instances where they might get separated from each other.

After waiting until now, they finally saw Zui Shan emerge, and instantly, they felt a sense of security.

Soon, the news of Zui Shan's return spread, and the oppressive and anxious atmosphere within the crowd dissipated.

Xu Wang greeted him and couldn't help but ask, "Are you injured?"

Zui Shan couldn't resist glancing at Ying Wuji, who had accompanied them here...

With him around, injured? Such a notion was nonexistent.

"It's a long story," Zui Shan shook his head. If Ying Wuji had not suddenly burst forth from the shadows previously, those left behind to cover the retreat wouldn't have been able to join up with the group, let alone entertain the hope of staying alive.

"How are things here? Have we suffered any great losses?" Zui Shan asked gravely.

After dealing with the people from the Pure Land, and as they retreated through the secret path, they saw many bodies along the way, clearly indicating that those Pure Land cultivators who had troubled them weren't limited to those they had encountered.

There were likely many more trapped within the secret path, something that unavoidably troubled Zui Shan.

"Losses? There were no losses..." Xu Wang said with a complex expression as he glanced in a certain direction, feeling he would never forget the scene he witnessed that day.

When they had emerged from the secret path, a solitary figure stood with a saber, surrounded by a ring of corpses, their blood painting the earth red. This figure grew ever more imposing in everyone's hearts...

And that battle, from the start to finish, seemed to last only around ten breaths.

Single-handedly, he killed more than ten Pure Land cultivators, not counting those who perished in the secret path.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Xu Wang would hardly believe such a powerful being existed in this world.

"It seems that his strength is beyond imagination?" Zui Shan had a hunch and followed Xu Wang's gaze, spotting Lu Ye seated nearby, carving a Crystal Stone with the Boulder Mountain Saber.

On the way, that guest called Ying Wuji seemed to notice his many worries and once reassured him with a phrase.

"With my senior brother escorting your people, you need not worry unnecessarily, no matter how many of that damned Pure Land come, he can kill them all. If you knew the location of the Pure Land's stronghold, he'd go alone and pick a fight. He's most adept at wiping out entire sects."

In his words, Ying Wuji seemed to have enormous confidence in his senior brother, and while speaking, it appeared as though he was recalling some unpleasant memories, even causing him to shudder involuntarily.

Back then, Zui Shan thought Ying Wuji might have been exaggerating. Considering Ying Wuji's own strength was already beyond his imagination, to have such admiration for another, that person's strength must be terrifying.

But now, it seemed to be true.

Yet... that man didn't seem like a bad person, only aloof and taciturn, with a somewhat chill demeanor. Could he have really been involved in wiping out entire sects?

After a brief conversation with Xu Wang, Zui Shan approached Lu Ye, bowing formally: "Fellow Daoist Lu, Fellow Daoist Ying, thank you for your righteous intervention. I shall never forget today's kindness."

At this moment, one thing could be confirmed.

These two men indeed had no malice towards their stronghold.

"It was just a coincidence, no need to dwell on it," Lu Ye replied indifferently.

Ying Wuji said, "Now that your stronghold over there is abandoned, do you have anywhere else to stay?"

"About 30 miles from here, there is another fallback position; that's where we plan to head to," Zui Shan replied.

"That's good," Ying Wuji nodded.

Zui Shan bowed again, "I must earnestly request that the two of you escort us for a while, if you would be willing?"

There were many ordinary people in the group, making travel cumbersome; both Lu Ye and Ying Wuji were powerful, so with their escort, their safety could be better assured.

But it was a chance encounter, and what could his side offer to entice them to help? Their stronghold had nothing that could catch their interest.

Therefore, Zui Shan could only sincerely plead.

"Not..." Ying Wuji almost agreed immediately but quickly glanced at Lu Ye: "This is for my senior brother to decide."

Although he saw that Lu Ye was inclined to help, he dared not rashly commit on his behalf.

"It's possible," Lu Ye nodded lightly.

Zui Shan was overjoyed, "In that case, many thanks to both of you!"

"The leader can go about his business; there's no need to worry about us."

Zui Shan left.

Ying Wuji looked around at Lu Yiye and couldn't help but let out a light laugh, whispering, "Lu Yiye, you... you're actually not that bad."

Lu Ye was too lazy to even lift his eyelids, "What makes you think I'm a bad person?"

Ying Wuji let out a snort, "A reputation like 'Lu Ye the Sect Destroyer' doesn't come from nowhere, does it?"

"In the grand scheme of Nine Provinces, with the two big factions constantly at odds, there are no truly good or bad people, just pitiful souls caught in the crossfire. From the perspective of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, I, Lu Yiye, have killed countless people, my sins are heavy, and I truly deserve to be unforgivable. But that's just a matter of perspective. From the Haotian Alliance's point of view, would you, Ying Wuji, be considered a good person?"

Ying Wuji smacked his lips, "I was just speaking casually; you don't need to preach at length. I understand all that. Even though you're younger than me, you act so old and serious. It's really dull."

Lu Ye looked up at him, "Is it that you've become frivolous, or is it that I can't lift my saber anymore, or perhaps I've been too kind to you lately?"

Ying Wuji's expression changed immediately, "Lu Yiye, if we're chatting, let's just chat. There's no need for threats and intimidation. It's not fun."

He walked far away, as if avoiding a plague.

If I can't afford to provoke him, at least I can dodge him!

Lu Ye continued to hold the Boulder Mountain Saber, carving the Crystal Stone in his hand.

This meticulous carving was not only for crafting an audio transmission stone; for him, it was also a subtle form of cultivation in saber skills.

Before dawn, at the summons of the cultivators, the group began their journey.

During peaceful times, cultivators could simply activate their spirit force and transport the mortals through the air without such hardship.

But in these troubled times, cultivators walking outside would not casually use their spirit force unless absolutely necessary. Firstly, to conserve their own strength and, secondly, to avoid attracting unnecessary trouble due to fluctuations in spirit force.

Thus, the entire group advanced on foot.

A distance of about 30 miles was already considered far for mortals, but for the sake of survival, they had no choice but to proceed in this way.

Should the day come when the Unparalleled Continent is restored to normal, the future generations reflecting on the hardships of their ancestors would surely view it as a solemn and profound historical tapestry.

Along the way, they hid and dodged, fortunately without running into any setbacks. Destiny seemed to look after this group struggling to survive. Zui Shan and others who had been worried about encountering the Corpse Race or humans like those from the Pure Land were not met.

By the evening of the second day, the group finally arrived at the location of their backup stronghold.

Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows; much more so for the human race fighting for survival in this apocalyptic era.

Over ten years ago, when they settled at their original stronghold, Zui Shan had already led people to carve out this backup strongpoint as a contingency.

However, it had never been used in all those years.

But today, it had become a lifesaving haven.

The new strongpoint, compared to the original one, did not have much change in environment and was also located some two or three hundred feet underground.

Zui Shan led people to explore it first and, upon confirming there were no signs of the place being discovered by outsiders, led the group in to settle down.

At this point, their wandering and constant vigilance finally came to an end, and the anxious people could at last relax.

Zui Shan set about arranging for people inside the stronghold.

Lu Ye, invited by Xu Wang, began setting up Formation near the entrance of the stronghold.

From the moment Xu Wang first saw Lu Ye, he knew that he possessed a high level of expertise in Array Path. Now that they needed to set up new Formations, he naturally had some ideas.

Lu Ye did not refuse, leaving Xu Wang immensely grateful.

During their collaborative array setup, Xu Wang asked many questions, and Lu Ye responded generously, sharing his knowledge, much to Xu Wang's benefit.

When the big array was established, tears even shimmered in Xu Wang's eyes.

Such a big array was much more powerful than the Formations he had set up. Even without activating its full might, he could feel its strength—having such a Formation guarding them meant they no longer had to fear being targeted by those with evil intentions.

In the end, Lu Ye handed Xu Wang a jade slip, "It contains many of my insights and understandings about the Array Path."

When Xu Wang took it, his dry hands trembled uncontrollably.

In these times, such knowledge was infinitely more precious than resources for cultivation, yet Lu Ye had casually entrusted it to him, how could Xu Wang not be grateful?

"Fellow Daoist, are you planning to leave?"

Despite expecting it, when the moment came, Xu Wang couldn't help but feel regret. Such a talented individual, had he stayed at the stronghold, how good that would have been.

But he understood that ultimately, a pond can't hold a flood dragon.

The eagle was destined to soar above the Nine Heavens.

For those two, their stronghold was simply too small; they had no capital to retain them.