Sage of Humanity-Chapter 354 - 352: I Was Picked Up (Thanks to the reward from Alliance Hierarch pft0)
"If you have the guts, kill me!" Senior Brother Woo gritted his teeth and glared at Lu Ye, his backbone undeniable. With 9th Heaven-level cultivation, losing to a 7th Heaven, and to someone much younger than him at that, there was nothing left to say.
Lu Ye sheathed his saber, spun around, and delivered a side kick to the temple of Senior Brother Woo. The brutal force shattered a hastily formed spirit force barrier. Senior Brother Woo was sent flying again, but this time, he couldn’t get up and instead fell unconscious.
Though the fight was brief, the violent eruption of spirit force fluctuations had attracted the attention of the Loyal Heart Sect cultivators. Several figures swiftly approached from not far off.
Arriving on the scene and catching sight of their own Senior Brother Woo lying potentially dead not far off, and three unfamiliar figures within the big array—one of them still holding a saber amidst swirling spirit force.
"Enemy attack!" someone shouted immediately.
In an instant, the entire Loyal Heart Sect encampment was in uproar, with figures from all directions rushing towards the scene.
At the same time as the call to arms, the first few who arrived didn’t hesitate to attack Lu Ye. It didn’t matter who had come or how they had entered their big array, with Senior Brother Woo beaten as he was, they were the enemy.
The first strikes of weapon control gleamed, continuously tearing through the air.
Lu Ye’s longsword tapped rapidly, the Boulder Mountain Saber nearly transforming into a blur of afterimages, precisely deflecting every Spiritual Artifact that attacked, enhanced by Move-Like-The-Wind. His form was as fast as thunder, shuttling back and forth across the area.
The sound of hissing, splashing blood, and muffled groans filled the air.
Even in the Core Circle, the number of 9th Heaven-level cultivators was limited because once cultivation reached that level, significant advancements were hardly possible. Those who hoped to climb to the Spirit Stream Ranking would challenge it, while those with no such hope would usually settle for a while before seeking promotion to Cloud River.
For example, the Senior Brother Woo knocked out by Lu Ye was exactly like that.
This settling period could be as short as ten days or as long as two to three months, depending on the cultivator’s choice.
Moreover, even those who made it to the Spirit Stream Ranking wouldn’t stay in the Spirit Stream Realm for long.
Thus, a peculiar phenomenon arose: the turnover rate on the Spirit Stream Ranking was exceptionally high, almost changing every few months.
Except for the top three rankers, who were steadfast...
The first few Loyal Heart Sect cultivators to rush over had levels between 7th and 8th Heaven. Given Lu Ye’s current strength, dealing with them wasn’t too difficult; the only real challenge was their numerical advantage.
The few were repelled, each bearing injuries and their expressions growing increasingly grave.
There was no question about it, as Lu Ye fought, his cultivation level was on full display. They had never seen such a formidable 7th Heaven-level cultivator.
But soon, more Loyal Heart Sect disciples joined in the siege.
Amber roared and showed its true body, which had grown larger than before. Its pale golden demon Qi nearly solidifying around it, its roars causing a few approaching cultivators to become dizzy and disoriented.
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Yiyi also dashed forward, releasing magic and spells in all directions. The speed and quantity of her spellcasting were astonishing.
Giant Armor stood silently behind Lu Ye, his hands gathering a large mass of spirit force that materialized into a tortoise-shell-like barrier, raised in front of him, blocking attacks from behind.
More and more Loyal Heart Sect cultivators gathered, and Lu Ye could no longer afford to take initiative. From his supplies box, nine Spiritual Artifacts flew out in succession, sweeping in all directions, their number and craftsmanship breathtaking.
Seen from above, three people and a tiger were now completely surrounded by numerous Loyal Heart Sect cultivators, with the glow of magic and weapon control colliding continuously in mid-air.
The Loyal Heart Sect’s offensive surged like relentless waves, assault after assault deflected time and again.
"Surrender or I’ll kill her!" a furious roar suddenly came from the sky.
Lu Ye and the others looked up together only to see a Loyal Heart Sect disciple who had inexplicably captured Phong Yue, a longsword at her pale throat, the sharp blade drawing a line of bright red blood.
Phong Yue was clearly frightened.
After a brief silence, Lu Ye and the others retracted their gaze and continued to fend off attacks from all directions, occasionally counterattacking.
The disciple holding Phong Yue was baffled.
Phong Yue, tearful and helpless, said, "Big brother, do I look like I’m with them? They picked me up along the way, boo-hoo."
She regretted deeply why she had followed Lu Ye to the Core Circle, when, with her cultivation level, she should have entered the inner circle.
It was bad enough to enter the Core Circle, but to come directly to the site of the Loyal Heart Sect and kick up such a fuss? Had their Fifth Brother’s head been kicked by a donkey?
Now, surrounded and attacked by so many, it seemed likely that they would all die here.
Meanwhile, in the Heaven’s Augury Hall, a graceful and handsome figure materialized; it was Li Baxian, who had arrived responding to Shui Yuan’s transmitted message.
Junior Brother Lu had come to the Loyal Heart Sect site, and he was delighted. Just as he was pondering how to entertain Junior Brother Lu, he sensed something amiss in the encampment. Disordered spirit force fluctuations were coming from a certain direction, accompanied by sounds of intense combat.
Li Baxian’s expression changed, and he immediately flashed out of the Heaven’s Augury Hall.
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"Senior Brother." Feng Yuechan greeted him as she waited at the entrance to Heaven’s Augury Hall.
Li Baxian felt a sense of unease in his heart, and without correcting Feng Yuechan’s address, he frowned and said, "Is someone attacking our base?"
It had been many years since he had encountered such a situation. Ever since he and Feng Yuechan both made it onto the Spirit Stream Ranking, the Loyal Heart Sect’s base had been as solid as a rock, to the point where even 1st grade sects dared not provoke them casually.
"No." Feng Yuechan grabbed Li Baxian’s hand and flew up into the sky with her weapon control.
Li Baxian used his Ocular Power to look ahead, and immediately his expression changed. "Junior Brother!"
The base was not under attack; rather, it was their own junior brother who was being besieged by Loyal Heart Sect cultivators, in a perilously dangerous situation.
As he finished speaking, Li Baxian was about to dash over but was held back by Feng Yuechan.
"What’s wrong?" he asked.
"Has Senior Brother considered why Junior Brother Lu would come to the Loyal Heart Sect and cause such trouble? After all, he is from the Righteous Blood Sect. It doesn’t make sense for him to stir up trouble here without a reason," she said.
Li Baxian said, "Saving him is more important."
Though it was strange to him how Junior Brother could have ended up fighting with Loyal Heart Sect cultivators, now was clearly not the time to pursue the reasons; stopping the fight was the logical priority.
"Junior Brother Lu and the others are not in life-threatening danger. Did Senior Brother not notice that our sect disciples are not killing?" Feng Yuechan pointed out.
Hearing this, Li Baxian realized what was happening. He had been too anxious earlier to notice that although surrounded by so many cultivators, if Loyal Heart Sect cultivators truly wanted to kill, Lu Ye and his peers simply would not have been able to withstand the attack.
But the Loyal Heart Sect’s cultivators, despite their aggressive tactics, were all aiming to capture Lu Ye and the others alive, which was why they’d managed to hold out till now.
"Was it an order from you?" Li Baxian came to the realization.
Feng Yuechan nodded her head.
"What’s going on?" Li Baxian was somewhat puzzled.
Feng Yuechan said, "Senior Brother is such a clever person. Can’t you see Junior Brother Lu’s good intentions? He came here specifically to find you, probably wanting to tell you something. It just happened that our sect’s cultivators were giving him a hard time, and things escalated from there."
Li Baxian’s gaze flickered, realizing something. "What did you tell him?"
"I haven’t contacted Junior Brother Lu," Feng Yuechan pinched Li Baxian’s hand, "There’s no need for Senior Brother to show himself. I’ll handle this."
Although she had secretly ordered that Loyal Heart Sect disciples must not harm the newcomers, accidents could always happen. She hadn’t intervened right away because she wanted Li Baxian to arrive and witness the scene for himself.
With that, she moved swiftly, reaching the battlefield in an instant.
"Stop, all of you!" Floating in mid-air, Feng Yuechan spoke softly yet commandingly.
It must be said, Feng Yuechan, as the top of the Spirit Stream Ranking at the Loyal Heart Sect, held considerable sway there. Following her command, those Loyal Heart Sect disciples besieging Lu Ye and his peers immediately retreated, many bearing injuries, and some even had swollen, bruised faces from being punched by Lu Ye or Giant Armor.
The Loyal Heart Sect disciples were having a tough time, just as Lu Ye was in a miserable state, his body covered in numerous wounds, his clothes soaked with blood.
The sight was wretched, but fortunately, none of the injuries were severe.
As for Giant Armor, he was completely unscathed.
"So many of you attacking a few people, yet this is the outcome. Loyal Heart Sect cultivators, you truly are commendable, living up to the sect’s years of teaching," Feng Yuechan said softly, causing the involved Loyal Heart Sect cultivators to feel embarrassed and ashamed.
Despite her orders not to kill influencing the Loyal Heart Sect disciples to hold back, the numerical advantage was clear, and considering the relatively low cultivation levels of Lu Ye and his peers, the outcome was embarrassing for the Loyal Heart Sect cultivators, unable to save face.
"Our sect has been too comfortable for too long with me and Senior Brother Li protecting the base. You’ve probably forgotten how to fight by now. What would you do if one day Senior Brother Li and I are no longer here and enemies invade? Are you planning to just wait for death?"
A group of Loyal Heart Sect cultivators blushed and bowed their heads in silence at the scolding.
"Outsiders always say that with me and Senior Brother Li at the Loyal Heart Sect base, it is impregnable, but they fail to see the current state of the Loyal Heart Sect. Everyone thinks that with support from above, they can relax in their cultivation. With your current shape, even if you open more orifices and ascend to Cloud River, you would simply be slain on the Cloud River battlefield."
Feng Yuechan then turned her head to another side. "And you! Unable to win a fight, you resort to bullying the weak and taking hostages? Is this what the Loyal Heart Sect has taught you? Treating Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators with all means is one thing, but who are they? They’re from the Haotian Alliance!"
The cultivator holding Phong Yue shrank his neck, "Sister, I didn’t mean to—"
"Stop making excuses. If you were truly capable, you would confront those you should be confronting. Taking a weak woman as a hostage, and she’s a healing cultivator at that—what kind of man does that make you?" Feng Yuechan’s words were harsh, causing the cultivator’s face to flush red, and he let go of Phong Yue.
Phong Yue quickly jumped aside, gratefully glancing at Feng Yuechan. The Core Circle... so perilous. She wanted to return to the Righteous Blood Sect’s base.
