Sage of Humanity-Chapter 1529 - 1527: Soul-Devouring Aphid

Lih Shang sized him up and down: "Have you participated in the Divine Sea Competition of the Reincarnation Tree?"

Since learning that Lu Ye had the mark of the Reincarnation Tree, Lih Shang had some suspicions because the Reincarnation Tree typically grants its mark to cultivators who perform exceptionally well in the Divine Sea Competition of the Taichu Realm.

The Reincarnation Tree uses this method to select talents it favors.

Lu Ye having the mark of the Reincarnation Tree clearly indicates he had an extraordinary performance in the Divine Sea Competition.

"That's right." Lu Ye nodded, not sure what this had to do with the Divine Sea Competition.

Lih Shang explained: "The Taichu Realm is the birthplace of the Reincarnation Tree, one of the oldest spaces in this world. The spirit light born there possesses incredibly mystical power, not only reinforcing your foundation when you advance to a Constellation but also granting you the ability to withstand the suppression of most stellar space marvels in this world."

"Is there really that?" Lu Ye was greatly surprised, as he had never heard of it before.

In the Divine Sea Competition of the Taichu Realm, the final hundred who emerged victorious all received the reward of mystical spirit light, aiding their advancement to a Constellation. Of course, the higher the ranking, the more mystic light one would receive. At that time, Lu Ye ranked first and received the most mystic light.

He only knew before that the spirit light from the Taichu Realm had better efficacy than those nurtured in usual domains, making a cultivator's foundation more solid when advancing to a Constellation. His current invincibility at the same level was partly due to the contribution of the Taichu Realm spirit light.

But he was truly unaware that the spirit light had other effects.

Yang Qing never mentioned this to him before.

It was obviously not that Yang Qing didn't know, but he simply didn't bother to mention it…

This inevitably reminded Lu Ye of an event, more than two years ago when the Constellation Palace opened. He headed to the palace with Piao Ke and the specter. Upon entering that range, both Piao Ke and the specter significantly struggled, as if resisting some pressure, yet he felt nothing.

Despite finding it strange, he had no time to inquire.

Now he learned that what Piao Ke and the specter resisted then was indeed the suppression of the stellar space marvel, which he could not feel at all.

Lih Shang added: "Those who emerge victorious in the Divine Sea Competition possess a certain degree of resistance against the suppression of stellar space marvels. However, the lower the ranking, the weaker the resistance. For this reason, despite the extreme danger of the Divine Sea Competition, the powerhouses from various domains are keen to bring their outstanding juniors to participate. If they can emerge victorious, they will have a significant advantage in exploring some stellar space marvels in the future."

"Explore stellar space marvels?" Lu Ye was quite surprised. "Why explore them when they are so dangerous?"

Lih Shang nodded: "Although stellar space marvels are incredibly dangerous, it is said that there are many mystical benefits within them. There might even be dormant stellar space supreme treasures. Seizing one or two could easily become a world-stabilizing treasure. Many significant figures are passionate about exploring stellar space marvels and have gained numerous benefits from them."

Lu Ye understood. This explained why the Divine Sea Competition was so perilous, yet the powerhouses of various domains were still drawn to it, bringing their most outstanding juniors to participate. So there was this aspect as well.

Besides the benefits of the mystic light from the Taichu Realm in strengthening a cultivator's foundation, these powerhouses undoubtedly valued the resistance against stellar space marvel suppression even more.

As Lih Shang said, any cultivator entering the environment of a stellar space marvel felt like a mortal entering water. Yet he felt no pressure at all.

However, to explore a stellar space marvel, Lu Ye's current cultivation was still somewhat insufficient. Most stellar space marvels were extremely perilous inside. The Mist Dragon was among the very few marvels with no internal danger, but even so, once entered, it was not easy to escape.

Lu Ye retrieved a segment of the Reincarnation Tree's doppelganger from his storage ring, and with a gesture, a flame ignited in his palm. He brought the doppelganger segment closer. Strangely, the segment of the Reincarnation Tree immediately caught fire, like a torch.

The torchlight illuminated an area of three meters around them, driving away the mist within its range.

To exit from within the Mist Dragon, one must rely on the power of the Reincarnation Tree's doppelganger. Only then could they avoid getting lost. Without the torch's light covering them, they would continually wander in the mist.

"Stay close to me!" Lu Ye called out.

Lih Shang followed closely behind Lu Ye, who didn't know which direction to head but chose a random direction to move forward, figuring that as long as they didn't get lost, they would eventually find their way out no matter which direction they chose. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

After walking for about half a day, they were still surrounded by mist. Stellar space marvels are generally immense and not easy to exit.

However, according to the markings of the Reincarnation Tree on the star map, the size of the Mist Dragon was relatively small among stellar space marvels. Barring unforeseen circumstances, they should be able to exit within ten days to half a month.

After another half-day, Lu Ye suddenly stopped, looking ahead with a serious expression.

Noting the unusualness, Lih Shang glanced past him, and her eyes narrowed.

There sat a figure ahead, seemingly a member of the human race, but devoid of any vitality—dead for who knows how long.

There were no wounds on his entire body, but his face was incredibly aged, indicating he did not die from wounds but was trapped here and died of old age…

Lu Ye and Lih Shang both felt a chill creeping up their spines. Though they knew the ominous nature of the Mist Dragon, and that anyone who ventured in would struggle to escape, it was still unsettling to see someone trapped here until their death.

If not for the star map guidance given by the Reincarnation Tree, Lu Ye would never have entered such a place.

He moved forward slowly, and upon reaching the corpse, he investigated for a moment. Lu Ye's expression turned graver: "This is a Moon Jade!"

"How can you tell?" Lih Shang asked in confusion.

Lu Ye touched the clothing on the other person: "This is a magic-treasure class Vestment robe!" However, due to the ravages of time and the corrosive nature of the mist within the Mist Dragon, this Vestment robe had lost its effectiveness. With a slight exertion of force, it fell apart.

He then looked at the two storage rings on the person's hand, took them off, and sensed them briefly. There was a restriction lock inside the rings. Lu Ye put them away, bowed to the corpse, and murmured some words.

Lih Shang listened carefully and heard Lu Ye muttering something like "taking your treasure ring, burying your body."

Lu Ye then collected the corpse in front of him, intending to find a suitable place to bury it after leaving the Mist Dragon.

They continued forward…

Throughout the ages, many living beings had entered the Mist Dragon, but most met dire fates. Besides a lucky few who managed to escape, the rest were trapped here until they died of old age.

Even before they exited the range of the Mist Dragon, Lu Ye had already collected five differently postured corpses. Some sat cross-legged like the first human Moon Jade, dying quietly, while others fought desperately before their deaths to no avail.

Several days later, a sudden scream from Lih Shang startled Lu Ye.

Turning his head, he saw Lih Shang's face twisted in agony, as if she was enduring tremendous torment. Her form flickered, and she seemed to be battling against something with her power.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ye hurriedly asked, unable to detect any dangerous aura in the area and confused as to why Lih Shang was under attack.

Lih Shang's expression was utterly terror-stricken: "Soul-Devouring Aphid, there's a Soul-Devouring Aphid here!"

Lu Ye frowned.

He had no idea what kind of creature a Soul-Devouring Aphid was, but seeing Lih Shang so panicked implied it was nothing good, likely something attacking the psyche.

He quickly spread his Mental Consciousness to sense around but found nothing. Puzzled, he asked, "Where is it?"

"It has already invaded my body!" Lih Shang's demeanor turned hopeless. If the Soul Race feared anything most, then the Soul-Devouring Aphid would definitely rank among the top three across the stellar space. This thing was practically a nemesis for the Soul Race. Once, an appearance on their homeland nearly wiped them out, with their strong sacrificing many lives to seal it away in the end.

Lu Ye quickly focused and scrutinized Lih Shang, constructing Insight Spirit Runes in his eyes. Initially, he noticed nothing unusual, but soon he detected something.

Within Lih Shang, there were tiny insects, so small as to be barely visible, frantically gnawing at her soul body, causing Lih Shang extreme pain yet powerless to expel them.

"Enter my Divine Sea!" Lu Ye shouted immediately.

"I can't!" Lih Shang shook her head desperately, her long hair swinging, "Soul-Devouring Aphids are the bane of the psyche. Even if you were a Sun Blaze, entering your Divine Sea would mean certain death! Li Taibai, help me with one favor—if you ever meet other Soul Races in the future..."

"Stop the nonsense, enter my Divine Sea quickly, I have a way to handle them!"

Upon hearing this, Lih Shang froze momentarily, then, trusting him, joyfully leaped into Lu Ye's Divine Sea.

On the serene sea surface, Lih Shang's figure appeared, and Lu Ye also promptly manifested his psyche spirit body.

Oddly, as Lih Shang entered Lu Ye's Divine Sea, the Soul-Devouring Aphids that had already invaded her began to withdraw of their own volition. A clump of black mist, about the size of a baby's fist, visibly floated out from Lih Shang's body—a consolidation of Soul-Devouring Aphids.

Even as they were, they were hard to discern with the naked eye. Individually tiny, collectively they were easier to observe.

These Soul-Devouring Aphids were like cats catching a whiff of fish, quickly swarming into Lu Ye's Divine Sea, leaving Lih Shang stunned.

This occurrence undoubtedly pointed to one thing: Lu Ye's Divine Soul Power was purer and stronger, making him more alluring to the Soul-Devouring Aphids.

Lih Shang was shocked, knowing that as a member of the Soul Race, she should not lag in Divine Soul Power against any race of equivalent rank. Yet the Aphids' reactions indicated Lu Ye far surpassed her in this aspect, or there wouldn't be such a change.

But immediately, Lih Shang became terrified, shouting at Lu Ye, "Don't let them enter the soul sea!"