Sage of Humanity-Chapter 709 - 707: Blood River Great Array

In the far north of the Soaring Dragon World, Sky Ravine stretched across the Void, like a scar that shocked all who beheld it.

Since it had appeared abruptly eight hundred years ago, Sky Ravine had looked the same, seemingly unchanged over the years, but that was only what the world believed.

Only those cultivators who lived in close proximity to Sky Ravine, constantly accompanying it year-round, could perceive those subtle and elusive changes.

Gazing into the depths of Sky Ravine revealed an abyss of emptiness, shrouded in endless darkness, yet occasionally, something seemed to tumble through it, disappearing in a Single Flash.

What exactly was hidden within Sky Ravine, no one knew, not even the Sky Ravine Sect that resided there. Cultivators from the sect who ventured into Sky Ravine had vanished without a trace and lost all audio transmission.

At this moment, directly below Sky Ravine, a towering figure stood with hands clasped behind his back, looking up at Sky Ravine, with a hint of insidious light flickering in his eyes from time to time.

This man was none other than the Sect Hierarch of the Sky Ravine Sect, Celestial Saint!

What his real name was, where he came from, no one knew. He appeared as if out of nowhere, and before he founded the Sky Ravine Sect, no one had ever seen him.

Almost two hundred years ago, he established the foundations of the Sky Ravine Sect here, started his own sect, and called himself Celestial Saint.

Afterward, he zealously recruited strong cultivators from all over the Soaring Dragon World, gradually strengthening and expanding the Sky Ravine Sect into a force that did not pale in comparison to the Three Great Overlord Sects in the eyes of the people, boasting dozens of Level 9 elders under his command.

Regardless of his obscure origins, the audacity of calling himself Celestial Saint revealed his grand ambitions.

Behind him stood two people. One was ancient and weathered, with white hair and beard—Xing Mo, the Great Elder of the Sky Ravine Sect. The other was a beefy guy donning a Longsword, none other than the second elder, Cheng Henfeng.

Accompanying Celestial Saint here, both elders looked up at the crevice in the sky with complex expressions.

Unlike Celestial Saint's previous obscurity, these two men were once well-known figures. Especially Cheng Henfeng, who hailed from a major force like Haoran Academy and fully mastered the Words and Sword Theorem, surpassing his predecessors.

But, for reasons unknown, about a hundred years ago, he defected from Haoran Academy and joined the Sky Ravine Sect, quickly becoming its second elder.

As a fellow sword cultivator, the ninth elder, Wu Xie, had challenged Cheng Henfeng to spars more than once, never managing to win a single bout, which attested to Cheng's formidable strength.

Cheng Henfeng had long since stopped caring about past grudges. After all, so much time had passed; how could one continue to cultivate if they dwelled on such matters?

Now, there was only one thing he cared about—the future path.

This was also the utmost concern of all cultivators in the Soaring Dragon World who had pushed their cultivation to the limit and the reason why he was willing to humbly serve under Celestial Saint.

"Is the way forward truly in Sky Ravine?" Cheng Henfeng narrowed his eyes as he stared at the scar in the sky, a trace of confusion flickering within.

Even now, he could not find a definitive answer.

A harsh, grating laugh came from beside him, like the scraping of metal against stone, extremely jarring to the ear. The Great Elder Xing Mo's wrinkled face trembled uncontrollably, "The changes in the Soaring Dragon World began with the appearance of Sky Ravine. Eight hundred years have passed, and the Divine Sea-True Lake is no longer seen, leaving only the Cloud River. If the way out isn't in Sky Ravine, where else could it be? Besides, didn't the Sect Hierarch personally sense it? If you don't trust yourself, could you not trust the Sect Hierarch either?"

Cheng Henfeng shook his head, "Of course not, it's just that..."

He lowered his gaze toward the scene unfolding before them, as screams of anguish and endless curses filled his ears.

Directly beneath Sky Ravine, numerous deep ditches crisscrossed the land, spanning dozens of miles.

From above, these intersecting trenches remarkably constituted a very intricate and exquisite big array, and at the very center of that big array stood a towering altar, a hundred feet tall.

Around it, floating ships hovered, and countless Sky Ravine Sect cultivators were bustling about, herding the newly captured mortals off the ships, killing them one by one, allowing their blood to flow into the ditches, then casting their dead bodies within.

In the trenches flowed a Blood River, with countless corpses bobbing up and down, bubbles bursting as if tormented souls were howling within.

The screams came from these mortals as they uttered their last cries before death.

The people Lu Ye and Zhuang Bufan encountered were merely a fraction of those abducted, and in fact, the Sky Ravine Sect had already extended its deadly reach across the entirety of Xuezhou.

Not just mortals, even cultivators had been captured and met the same fate as the mortals.

Anyone who witnessed such an Asura Purgatory would feel a chill in their heart, with pleas for mercy, angry curses, and swearing resounding from all sides, but none could alter their destined death.

The Sky Ravine Sect had been scheming for today's event for many years, staying silent until ready to strike with the force of a Thunderbolt. Now, Xuezhou was nearly deserted.

If not for Zhuang Bufan sending some messages earlier, no one in the Soaring Dragon World would have known of such strange changes in Xuezhou.

Even as a Level 9, Zhuang Bufan was but a lone individual with little influence; even if his message reached the Three Great Overlord Sects, there was no certainty how they would act.

Most likely they would first send someone to investigate the details, and only upon gathering solid evidence would they join forces to surround and annihilate the enemy.

But if that were the case, who knew how long it would take.

Even though Cheng Henfeng had joined the Sky Ravine Sect, he still came from Haoran Academy at heart; killing didn't bother him, as he had slain countless people in his lifetime. But this wanton slaughter of mortals and the cultivators of Xuezhou discomforted him somewhat.

"For the ultimate goal, all sacrifices are worth it." Celestial Saint, with his hands still clasped behind his back, spoke indifferently, unnoticed by others, the strange light in his eyes becoming more intense.

"The Sect Hierarch is wise beyond measure!" Xing Mo exclaimed in a crow-like voice, "Forging a path for future generations, continuing the ancient teachings of our predecessors, the Sect Hierarch's merit soars as high as the heavens, and surely, his name will be remembered through the ages!"

"Remembered through the ages, hm…" Celestial Saint's lips curled into a slight sneer, his face filled with mockery.

"Sky Ravine Sect, may you not die a good death, the Three Great Overlord Sects will exact Heaven's Judgment on you!" An angry roar from a cultivator before death echoed from afar and was quickly followed by his execution, stirring not even the slightest ripple.

At that moment, Xing Mo suddenly took out an audio transmission stone from his bosom and listened closely. A look of surprise appeared on his aged face.

"What's happened?" Celestial Saint asked without turning back.

"Wu Xie has failed!"

Cheng Henfeng was shocked, "What unexpected event occurred?"

Although Wu Xie was no match for him, the man was still among the top sword cultivators of Soaring Dragon, rare were those in the entire domain who could best him. He was only sent to Medicine Valley for a mission; how could he possibly fail?

"They said a young junior blocked his way, suspected to be a Tyrannical Saber successor."

"Tyrannical Saber…" Cheng Henfeng's eyes showed a thoughtful look. Soon he remembered Tyrannical Saber Villa in Fengzhou, and he had heard of Ye Ying's name; however, these were all rising talents he never took to heart.

But if this Tyrannical Saber successor was able to fend off Wu Xie, it indicated some skill.

"Sect Hierarch, shall I personally make a visit?" Xing Mo inquired.

Celestial Saint was about to speak when suddenly, he sensed something, turned his head towards a direction, and narrowed his eyes slightly, "There's no time, but the reaction is quite swift."

Xing Mo and Cheng Henfeng were both puzzled and followed Celestial Saint's gaze. They saw nothing at first, but soon a streak of Liu Guang caught their eyes.

"There indeed are many unafraid of death this year. Sect Hierarch, allow me to take care of him," Xing Mo volunteered eagerly.

The fact that the newcomer could quietly approach this close without detection indicated he was no ordinary individual, and it had been many years since Xing Mo had exercised his martial skills, itching for action.

"You are no match for him," Celestial Saint said indifferently.

The smile on Xing Mo's face stiffened.

Indeed, there were many strong individuals in the world, but few could truly surpass him. Celestial Saint before him was one, and the few others were all those ageless seniors.

"Could it be…" Xing Mo suddenly had a realization.

Cheng Henfeng's Longsword on his back began to resonant gently.

"Amitabha!" A loud Buddhist chant rang out, filled with boundless wrath, as if a thunderbolt had exploded in a clear sky, causing many Sky Ravine Sect disciples to reel from the reverberation in their minds, seeing stars before their eyes, and to stagger, losing their footing.

"It's that undead old man!" Xing Mo's eyelids twitched, and he immediately recalled several unpleasant memories.

In his youth, he had suffered under the hands of that old monk.

The swiftly approaching Liu Guang halted, revealing three figures within.

As Cheng Henfeng's gaze settled on Liu Tianyi, the resonation of the Longsword on his back grew more intense, and he clenched his teeth in bitter resentment, "Master!" freewebnøvel.coɱ

Liu Tianyi glanced at him lightly, "All the books you've read these years have gone to the dogs!"

"How could it be… how could it be…" Huang Liang appeared utterly incredulous, looking at the vast Sky Ravine Great Array that spread for dozens of miles, observing the fresh blood and floating corpses in the ravines. Even with his experience of great troubles, he couldn't help being filled with astonishment.

Fury followed swiftly thereafter!

No wonder everywhere he passed through in Xuezhou was deserted, seldom seeing any signs of life. It turned out that Sky Ravine Sect had committed such atrocious acts against the natural order.

The blood within the Sky Ravine Great Array surged like a river, formed from the countless lives that had converged.

He finally understood why his divinations repeatedly showed blood flooding the skies to the north, with spirits wailing in sorrow. Such a hell on earth, if not witnessed with his own eyes, he wouldn't dare to imagine, which precisely matched his divinations.

The Sky Ravine Sect was indeed an evil cult, and it was true that it was a mix of dragons and snakes, but he could never have imagined the Sky Ravine Sect would dare to act like this.

The creatures of an entire province…

"You deserve to die!" Although Huang Liang was beyond his hot-blooded, competitive years, he couldn't suppress the fury in his heart no matter what.

Fortunately, he was not blinded by anger and immediately broadcast the news of the place.

The message previously transmitted by Zhuang Bufan was still circulating without causing much of a stir. Although the Three Great Overlord Sects had already received the message and were dispatching men to Xuezhou to investigate, what effect could it have compared to the news transmitted by Huang Liang himself?

It was foreseeable that in no time, the Three Great Overlord Sects would emerge in full force, making their way to Xuezhou, not just that, but all the cultivators in the Soaring Dragon World would likely be mobilized.

When that time came, Sky Ravine Sect would face enemies from all over the world.