Sage of Humanity

Among the Five Great Families, the number of strong cultivators is not small, and in the Wei family, his strength as the Family Head is considered the strongest.

But in the Long family, the strongest is not the Long Family Patriarch, but this Long You in front of him.

His strength even surpasses his own by a line. In the entire Silver Snake Valley Secret Realm, he is considered the number one expert.

Just because of his unrestrained and uninhibited nature, he is unwilling to be entangled in mundane matters. Therefore, he does not assume the position of the Family Head, only holding a casual elder position in the family.

But even such a person, who can be called the number one expert in Silver Snake Valley, is now lying in front of him like a dead dog.

Wei Wuguang sized up the scene and clearly saw several knife wounds on Long You's body, instantly understanding that this Long You had suffered a great loss at the hands of that youth!

From the injuries on Long You's body, it seems the opponent made only three strikes...

Wei Wuguang was both horrified and relieved.

Horrified by the youth's strength, which seemed beyond imagination, and relieved that he was wise enough to cooperate early on, seeing the situation was unfavorable. Otherwise, lying on the ground would not only be Long You.

Although the Five Great Families usually engage in open and secret struggles, facing an external enemy now naturally unites them. Wei Wuguang quickly took out a healing pill to help Long You recover from his injuries while explaining their current situation.

Long You listened without any temper... He never thought there would be a day when he would become a prisoner.

Time passed.

The small courtyard inside the big array gradually became lively.

After Wei Wuguang and Long You, Zhou Ding from the Zhou family came, Ning Boran from the Ning family came, and Chu Anhe from the Chu family also came...

One person from each of the Five Great Families, no more, no less, neatly arranged.

All within half a day's time.

And the five captured individuals were all top experts from their respective families.

Except for Long You, who was seriously injured, the others were not severely injured, showing they understood the situation and yielded accordingly.

After exchanging their experiences of being captured, the five fell silent, their hearts heavy.

The youth moved in and out of the residences of the Five Great Families as if no one was there, mastered the Array Path, and possessed overwhelming strength. Such a person, at such a young age, cannot be compared with the most outstanding cultivators of Silver Snake Valley in history.

Fortunately, the five also understood Lu Ye's purpose, so even though they were trapped in the big array, they did not panic much.

Given the youth's strength, if he wanted to kill them, they would have been dead long ago.

Although Lu Ye was cautious, the continuous disappearances of the Five Great Families' experts could not escape their investigation.

He never intended to hide anything anyway...

Now that he had hostages from each of the Five Great Families, it was time to negotiate with them.

In the small courtyard, Lu Ye sat on a Taishi Chair, the Boulder Mountain Saber flying up and down flexibly, carving a crystal stone in his hand.

The serene and peaceful small courtyard was suddenly filled with a killing intent. The sound of clothes rustling resounded, and as spirit force surged, figures stood on all sides of the courtyard's walls, looking down at him with vigilant expressions, each as if facing a great enemy.

The small courtyard's gate was kicked open, and led by an elder, a group of cultivators with billowing auras stepped in.

In an instant, the small courtyard was filled to the brim.

Lu Ye, however, seemed oblivious, still focusing on the crystal stone in his hand, the Boulder Mountain Saber vibrating with tiny movements, with fragments flying off the crystal stone.

"What is this…" The group, which had come with great momentum, brightened their eyes at the sight of the crystal stone in Lu Ye's hand.

Isn't this the audio transmission stone?

Looking at the youth's posture, does it seem that the audio transmission stone was made by him?

In an instant, many people's thoughts turned, and their expressions towards Lu Ye became eager.

The leading elder, after a brief contemplation, slightly restrained his hostility and said, "Little friend, where do you come from and what is your name?"

If Lu Ye were only impressively strong, that would be one thing, but if he could truly refine the audio transmission stone, his value to the Silver Snake Valley Secret Realm would be immense.

At the very least, with this item, communication among Silver Snake Valley's cultivators would become much more convenient in the future.

"Are you the person in charge here?" Without lifting his head, Lu Ye asked casually.

The elder smiled and nodded, "I am Chu Ruoyu, the Chu Family Patriarch, and also this generation's Valley Master of Silver Snake Valley, considered the master of this secret realm."

"You can make decisions here!"

"Yes!"

Only then did Lu Ye look up at him. With a wave of his hand and a surge of spirit force, the mist in the center of the small courtyard quickly dissipated, revealing five figures trapped within the formation.

"Family Head!"

"Elder!"

...

A series of exclamations rang out. Although the members of the Five Great Families had already deduced that their missing experts had been brought here, seeing was still different from speculating.

Moreover, it was evident that the five trapped people were mostly injured, with Long You being the most severely hurt.

Shaken, they looked at Lu Ye with expressions of both hostility and incomprehension.

This youth truly has audacity!

He captured five key figures from the Five Great Families!

And he did it within just half a day!

"What do you want to say, little friend…" Chu Ruoyu stroked his beard, looking at Lu Ye. He had a guess but still had to ask.

"You have my people. I have yours. Let's make a trade. You release my people, and I will release yours."

As expected…

This youth, just for the sake of a companion, dared to break into the Five Great Families' residences and capture critically important experts, showing he is indeed a person of loyalty...

With thoughts swirling in his mind, Chu Ruoyu chuckled, "This can be discussed. But before that..."

Before he finished his words, Lu Ye's supplies box at his waist suddenly buzzed, and a beam of Liu Guang shot out, aiming directly at one of the five people trapped in the array.

No one expected such a sudden change. Only the person being attacked sensed an ominous warning, but before he could react, an overwhelming force descended, immobilizing him as if he were carrying a mountain.

With a light puff, the weapon pierced through his right chest, spurting blood, and then the Liu Guang returned to Lu Ye's supplies box.

After upgrading the Boulder Mountain Saber, Lu Ye had also upgraded his weapon to a magic-artifact class. Though only having three was limited, both its lethality and power were greatly enhanced compared to before.

With the aid of the formation, how could anyone resist his attack?

"Anhe!" someone called out, stepping forward, but then freezing in place. He struggled to shift his gaze to the youth still sitting calmly.

The moment he moved, he felt like a lamb being targeted by a fierce wolf, a massive danger loomed, making him fear he would die instantly if he took another step forward.

In the big array, Chu Anhe groaned, clutching his chest as his face contorted...

Why me?

Why only me?

Among the five captives, why did the youth hurt only him?

Though the wound wasn't fatal, the incident showed the youth's ability to take their lives at any moment!

The peaceful facade in Chu Ruoyu's eyes vanished, replaced with cold severity, understanding the youth's warning.

Because he was from the Chu family, the youth targeted Chu family members.

"I will only discuss this matter, nothing else. I want to see my companion within one incense stick's time!" His tone was decisive, admitting no room for doubt.

Chu Ruoyu squinted slightly, saying, "Little friend, it's best not to push things too far. Leaving some leeway will benefit both you and us."

The supplies box hummed again, and another Liu Guang shot out, piercing Chu Anhe and leaving another hole.

Chu Ruoyu grew angry, stepping forward and shouting, "Though the Five Great Families have long dwelled in the secret realm, we have the resolve to perish with our enemies! You may control their lives, but don't you care about your companion's life?"

Buzz...

The Liu Guang darted out again, then returned as swiftly.

Chu Anhe, now with three holes in his body, looked at Chu Ruoyu, his eyes filled with pleading.

Though the youth had avoided vital spots, the pain was unbearable, and if this continued, he might die...

Internally, he wailed, Family Head, just stop arguing with him. Each word brings me another wound!

"If you want to kill, then kill!" Lu Ye's calm gaze met Chu Ruoyu's, with a hint of challenge, "Do you want to try?"

Chu Ruoyu, although confident in understanding people, was now perplexed by Lu Ye.

First, he thought Lu Ye was a loyal and righteous person, risking everything for his companion. But now he seemed…

… not to care much about his companion's life?

Why then did he go through all this effort?

Indeed, in these chaotic times, understanding people is difficult.

"Valley Master, Anhe is invaluable. We cannot afford to lose him. This person is ruthless, so let's comply first and then plan further." Someone beside Chu Ruoyu advised softly.

After all, it wasn't only Chu Anhe who was a captive; all Five Great Families were involved.

If the youth dared to target Chu Anhe, he wouldn't hesitate to attack the others.

At this point, the Five Great Families needed to stand united, not provoking Lu Ye further.

Otherwise, if someone died, there would be no turning back.

Moreover, Chu Ruoyu needed a way out from the stalemate.