Sage of Humanity

Although the insect plague erupted suddenly and on a large scale, cultivators from all directions rushed over and quickly stabilized the situation. However, it was uncertain how many people would suffer this time.

Lu Ye had led most of the Insect Race to this plain, but many still scattered elsewhere, and these dispersed insects were bound to impact villages and cities within a thousand-mile radius.

As time passed, the number of Insect Race members diminished. The entire plain was filled with the sight of cultivators slaughtering insects, and the desolate earth was piled with the corpses of insects.

More cultivators who received news continued to rush over.

Lu Ye's team was well arranged, with representatives from various factions, which made them quite efficient at killing insects. Surprisingly, they could even earn battle merit by killing these insects, which was an unexpected delight.

Amidst the intense battle, Lu Ye suddenly sensed danger. Looking up, he saw a figure swooping down from the sky, heading straight towards them.

An oppressive aura filled the air, and immense pressure descended from the sky. It was a Divine Sea Realm arriving!

Lu Ye almost thought this person was about to attack them. Fortunately, this unfamiliar Divine Sea Realm changed course just thirty feet away and landed nearby, punching through the head of an insect wrapped in bone, shaped like a hyena.

This insect was not weak, comparable to a cultivator of the True Lake Realm. Its bony exterior granted it substantial protective power and required some effort to kill.

Lu Ye and his team had slain many such insects before and were well acquainted with their difficulty.

Seeing that the lone Divine Sea Realm plunged into the surging insect plague, Lu Ye finally sighed with slight relief.

Just a moment ago, he really thought the unfamiliar Divine Sea Realm would attack them.

He frowned slightly, cast aside distracting thoughts, and continued to cooperate with Xiao Xinghe and the others in battle.

At the instant the Divine Sea Realm swooped down from the sky, in the small courtyard on the spirit mountaintop of the Loyal Heart Sect, Qiu Min, who had been silently pondering while constantly watching the Moon Reflection Disc, noticed the scene change rapidly. Her expression changed dramatically as she looked up and shouted angrily, "Mount Tai!"

Mount Tai sat still, smiling in response, "The time has come, Senior Sister Qiu."

"I'll give you the item; don't harm Chan'er!" Qiu Min said, raising her hand to send something over. Mount Tai raised his hand to catch it.

At that moment, the scene in the Moon Reflection Disc changed again. The person holding the Moon Reflection Disc suddenly changed direction, and the figures of Feng Yuechan and the others disappeared from within it.

Qiu Min frowned slightly and said angrily, "You tricked me!"

Mount Tai had been sitting there the whole time, with no signs of communicating with anyone. Moreover, he had already erased his battlefield marking, making it impossible to contact anyone from such a distance.

Yet, the person holding the Moon Reflection Disc still changed direction at the last moment.

In other words, Mount Tai had prearranged it so that even if she hadn't handed over the item, Feng Yuechan and the others wouldn't be in danger.

"Who knows?" Mount Tai seemed quite satisfied now that he had what he wanted. "Personally, I absolutely do not wish to harm Big Brother Wujiang's descendants, but if someone stands in my way, I cannot predict what I might do. I hope you'll forgive me, Senior Sister Qiu." His tone was mild, yet the threat was apparent.

As he spoke, he pocketed the palm-sized round disc.

"What exactly are you planning, and what is that disc?"

"In a few days, Senior Sister will naturally know what I'm planning. This disc is also an important component, but that's all I can say right now. Please wait and see, Senior Sister."

Qiu Min felt a vague sense of unease, fearing that some earth-shattering event might happen in the future.

"Oh, right." Mount Tai seemed to recall something else, "I need to ask Senior Sister to swear a Heaven's Augury oath not to disclose today's events to any third party!"

Qiu Min looked at him coldly, "What if I don't?"

Today's matter was too significant, and besides, discovering that their Vice Sect Leader was somehow involved with Mount Tai was terrifying.

"Why be stubborn, Senior Sister?" Mount Tai looked at her. "Even if you call Yuechan back to stay by your side, it might not ensure her safety. Senior Sister wouldn't want to test my capabilities."

Qiu Min turned her head away and said coldly, "Rest assured, I will not reveal today's events to anyone."

"Still, I request Senior Sister to take the Heaven's Augury oath." Mount Tai's gaze was intense as he stared at her.

Qiu Min lowered her eyes and, ultimately resigned, made the Heaven's Augury oath in front of Mount Tai.

She could not gamble with Feng Yuechan's safety, so even though Feng Wujiang had advised her never to give the round disc to Mount Tai, she still handed it over.

After all, Feng Yuechan was her and Feng Wujiang's only descendant—a sole source of solace in this world.

When she opened her eyes again, Mount Tai was already gone, leaving not a trace, only a voice from an unknown direction saying, "Thank you, Senior Sister, for cooperating. When the time comes, you will understand my good intentions."

Mount Tai had left.

Qiu Min sat for a long while without moving. The series of events that occurred today were quite a shock to her mind, even as a Divine Sea Realm cultivator. There were too many things she couldn't comprehend.

It wasn't until footsteps approached that Qiu Min suddenly snapped back to reality, looking up to see Yooi Guanjia approaching.

"Get lost!" Qiu Min looked at him coldly.

Yooi Guanjia's mouth moved twice as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. He slightly cupped his fists, turned around, and left.

After more than a day's fierce battle, most of the insects on the plains had been killed. Many cultivators dispersed and spread out in all directions, searching for any that had escaped.

The squad led by Lu Ye was also doing this task, occasionally making a catch.

News arrived that the location of the insect hive had been found, deep within Mist Cliff...

Already many strong cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm were heading over there, preparing to penetrate Mist Cliff and destroy the insect hive. But in such a ghostly place as Mist Cliff, even those strong in the Divine Sea Realm going deep inside wouldn't have much of an advantage. So until they figure out the internal situation of Mist Cliff, they don't dare to act impulsively.

The Chen family's front courtyard, Lu Ye led his squad over here.

He came here just to check on the situation of those in the Chen family's courtyard. When the insect plague broke out, the Chen family was the first target. Many ordinary people, warned by him, hid separately, and he didn't know how many managed to escape the disaster.

Looking around, the originally orderly architectural complex was in ruins, evidently affected as the insect plague passed through. The ground was covered in large swaths of blood stains and there were many torn and bloodstained clothes, clearly showing that many people had met misfortune.

There were still some scattered insects here, not many in number, and not very strong in power. The six members of the squad split into pairs, spread out, eliminating these escapees while looking for the whereabouts of survivors.

After some investigation, the result was neither good nor bad.

Many of the Chen family had died, but some managed to survive. These were the ones who reacted quickly, hiding in places like cellars immediately after Lu Ye's warning, fortunately surviving.

Lu Ye felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

When he was killing the cultivators of the Chen family, he did so without hesitation, like chopping vegetables, without the slightest reluctance. After all, they were mutual enemies, and it was either them or him; there was no room for mercy.

But the actions of the Chen family's cultivators ultimately had nothing to do with these ordinary people.

After the disaster, there were less than five hundred surviving members of the Chen family, making it impossible to restore the family's former glory. The best outcome for them now was to live peacefully.

The battlefield marking transmitted a message, and Lu Ye lowered his head to check.

A moment later, he looked up and said, "Let's go, Lord Department Chief wants us to report in Haotian City about the detailed account of this incident."

This trip was just meant for a task, yet unexpectedly so much happened, truly catching them off guard.

The insect plague had nothing to do with them, but the extermination of the Chen family was carried out by Team D-9.

A 6th grade family had been wiped out, a matter neither big nor small. Even though the Chen family had made the first move, they still had to provide an explanation to those above.

Lu Ye also wanted to understand why the Chen family acted in such a way. With his own power, he couldn't investigate any useful clues and could only rely on the Justice Department, perhaps they knew something.

As for the Mist Cliff insect hive, it was unrelated to them, as the strong cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm would handle it.

As he was saying this, he was about to summon the spirit ark for his squad when Lu Ye suddenly turned his head to look to the side, and in the next instant, his hair stood on end.

Because from that direction, on a ruined rooftop, an enchanting figure had appeared at some unknown time!

No one knew when she had arrived. She seemed to have been standing there all this time, quietly watching everyone.

The woman's figure was extremely seductive, and her clothing was extremely revealing, making one's blood boil. She merely stood there, her entire body exuding endless temptation, making it impossible to look away. She wore a mask obscuring her face.

Yet Lu Ye immediately recognized this woman as the one who flew over their heads the previous night, and Xiang Dongliu had fallen victim to her hand!

What shocked Lu Ye even more was that the mask on this woman's face, he had seen before.

It was the same mask with pure white base and red and blue ribbons on either cheek!

He had twice interacted with people wearing this type of mask. Once at the Cloud River battlefield when he was being hunted, a woman with this mask, suspected to be in the True Lake Realm, had assisted him.

Another time was a few months ago, when he was returning to Haotian City across Cangyan Mountain Pass to be promoted in rank, he encountered a man wearing the same mask. He fought with the man and drove him off.

This was the third time...

Although he hadn't had much contact, it was certain that these people were part of the same group and belonged to a highly mysterious organization. He didn't know why they were contacting him.

Lu Ye was very reluctant to get involved with such people. He himself often wore masks in his actions, and naturally knew the conduct of these people. Hiding their heads and showing their tails was never a good thing.

At the moment their eyes met, Lu Ye's heart raced, and without thinking, he shouted loudly, "Run!"

As he said this, he drew his blade and charged towards that direction.

He didn't know why this woman suddenly appeared here, but her presence at such a time clearly did not bode well.