Sage of Humanity

There's no denying that this is an extremely powerful spirit rune, its might definitely far surpasses any that Lu Ye had mastered before.

However, Lu Ye didn't dare to rashly attempt to activate it because, judging just from the complexity of this spirit rune, the spirit force needed to construct it was vast. With his current 7th Heaven cultivation, were he to construct this spirit rune, he feared that all his spirit force would be exhausted.

This thing was like a trump card; once used, it would be a case of either the enemy dying or my own demise.

However, the name Fire Phoenix did remind Lu Ye of some rather unpleasant experiences.

Previously, when he cultivated the Red Lotus Soaring to Sky Technique, that Cultivation Technique came with two magic and spells, one of which was the Fire Phoenix Technique. Somehow, it ended up being executed by Lu Ye as the Fire Quail Technique...

Not until his return from Xianyuan City, with a significant increase in his psyche strength and a leap in his control over spirit force, did the form of that magic and spells improve.

Currently, Lu Ye didn't use magic and spells much; all cultivators in the Nine Provinces knew he was a combat cultivator, and it was already difficult to use magic and spells to conceal his style. Moreover, his weapon control skills were strong, and when attacking enemies from a distance, controlling the weapon sufficed; there was no need to activate magic and spells.

Now, his Talent Tree had devoured a fragment of the weak Phoenix True Fire, granting him the Fire Phoenix Spirit Runes, and in his unconscious state, he had also witnessed the majestic figure of the Vermillion Bird.

These various experiences had brought his understanding of the Fire Phoenix Technique to an indescribable level.

One could say that in the entire Nine Provinces, when it came to understanding the Fire Phoenix, no one knew more than he did.

With a thought, spirit force surged, and as he lifted his hand and pointed, the Fire Phoenix Technique was executed. A fiery-red figure suddenly sprang forth, trailing a long tail feather, its delicate plumes extremely intricate, the patterns on them clearly visible.

Under his control, this magic and spells, like a living thing, circled above his head, before coming to rest on a nearby tree trunk, lowering its head to preen its feathers.

Then, with a pop, it burst apart, dissolving into specks of luminescence.

The power of his Fire Phoenix Technique was now undoubtedly much greater than before, and this wasn't just because of his increased strength, but also because of the various enhancements this experience had brought him.

This turned out to be an unexpected gain. After all, using weapon control to kill enemies ultimately had a sustainability issue, which magic and spells didn't. As long as there was sufficient spirit force within his body, he could execute magic and spells at will.

Moreover, Lu Ye made an unexpected discovery.

The royal jelly had a permanent effect on enhancing blood Qi and spirit force!

He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but compared to before he lost consciousness, not only had his blood Qi and spirit force not diminished, but they seemed to flow even faster.

This undoubtedly suggested that the effects of the royal jelly were not simply a temporary boost.

And it made sense, after all: that vast swarm of bees had labored hard to produce just half a bowl's worth of royal jelly, it was surely extraordinary.

After examining the Formation he had previously set up, he found evidence of it being triggered, likely by demon beasts nearby. This made Lu Ye feel relieved; luckily, he had been careful enough to arrange a series of connected Formations. Otherwise, being unconscious for such a long time, it's more likely bad luck would have befallen him.

A vibration from the battlefield marking suddenly brought news. Lu Ye looked down to check; it was a message from Yiyi.

His expression gradually became grave!

The messages from Yiyi weren't just one or two but several, all sent while he was unconscious, with no way for him to respond at the time. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

Looking at the time, five or six days had already passed.

The messages from Yiyi were pleas for help. She and Giant Armor had been waiting at a location outside Fog-shrouded Mountain for Lu Ye to meet up with them when they were discovered by passing cultivators of the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. With no other choice, Giant Armor could only lead Yiyi and Amber on a relentless escape.

Giant Armor's distinctive physical traits made him too conspicuous, and since many from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge had seen him with Lu Ye before, they naturally knew they were together.

Many from the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge had hunted Lu Ye to Fog-shrouded Mountain and, despite suffering heavy casualties, had failed to deal with Lu Ye. Now that they had discovered Giant Armor, how could they let him go?

Luckily, Giant Armor was not so easily dealt with. His physique was mightier than that of a typical 9th Heaven level cultivator, and although many from the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge attacked him, they still couldn't break through his defenses.

Originally, Giant Armor intended to take Yiyi and Amber back to Fog-shrouded Mountain, because he was certain that Lu Ye would be there, and though he didn't know why he couldn't make contact, as long as they entered the Fog-shrouded Mountain, they had a chance to find Lu Ye and then regroup with him.

However, in the end, Giant Armor didn't have as many tricks up his sleeve or the speed of controlling weapons like Lu Ye did. After several unsuccessful attempts and an increasing number of enemies, they had no choice but to run away from Fog-shrouded Mountain.

In terms of fleeing, other than his physique, Giant Armor's strength lay in his endurance.

He possessed his own unique demonic pill, with an extremely ample reserve of spirit force. As long as his physical strength could keep up, he could continue weapon control-flying indefinitely, until the power within the demonic pill was depleted, a feat unmatched by any Spirit Stream Realm cultivator.

As time went on, more and more forces from the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge mobilized, and although the Haotian Alliance had many responses, they couldn't restrain all the cultivators from the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge.

Now, Giant Armor had taken Yiyi and Amber into a perilous land called Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, and their situation was not too good.

For one thing, the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest had been marked as a perilous land on the ten-part map, like the Land of Fiery Flames, both forbidden zones for cultivators, with the dangers of the place bearing a striking resemblance to those of the Land of Fiery Flames.

The perilous nature of the Land of Fiery Flames stemmed from that group of weak, waning Phoenix True Fire; the closer to the center, the more extreme the environment became.

The peril of Ten Thousand Poisons Forest was its poison.

Year-round, it was shrouded in boundless and endless poisonous barriers, with the toxicity intensifying the deeper one went. Not only was the environment harsh, but numerous poisonous creatures also lived there, from small spiders and ants to venomous pythons and ferocious beasts of all kinds. Even the Spirit Plants that grew there were extremely toxic.

Being forced into Ten Thousand Poisons Forest was a desperate move, as there were many Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators in pursuit. Giant Armor had no way to escape; outside of the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, there was simply nowhere to go.

Currently, they were trapped on the outskirts of Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, unable to flee because Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators had surrounded the entire forest.

The people from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge also dared not venture too deeply into Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, intent on trapping Giant Armor to death there, whilst also waiting for Lu Ye, for they were convinced that Lu Ye would not abandon Giant Armor. As long as they kept watch over Giant Armor, Lu Ye was bound to come.

As time passed, more and more cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge gathered towards Ten Thousand Poisons Forest.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" Lu Ye quickly replied with a message before retracting his array banners scattered around and raising his spirit ark into the sky.

Soon after, Yiyi responded, "The situation here is still manageable. The toxicity of the poisonous barrier here isn't too strong and the honey we collected in Fog-shrouded Mountain possesses some detoxifying effects. We can still hold on. Just be careful on your side."

The fact that ordinary honey could detoxify was a surprise to Lu Ye, but thinking about it, it wasn't strange at all. Bees are naturally toxic, so honey made by poisonous bees naturally has a detoxifying effect, just as areas infested with venomous snakes often have detoxifying herbs.

Luckily, Giant Armor and the others had brought with them a lot of honey; otherwise, they really wouldn't have been able to hold on.

Checking through the ten-part map, Lu Ye found that Ten Thousand Poisons Forest was not close to Fog-shrouded Mountain, which meant Giant Armor must have been leading Yiyi and Amber in continuous escape without rest. Otherwise, it didn't make sense they could travel so far in just a few days.

Yiyi had considered seeking refuge in one of the Haotian Alliance's estates, but if they did go, they would surely bring disaster upon that Haotian Alliance branch. Moreover, without having formed an Alliance Pact with the local governor of that branch, they wouldn't be able to use the Heaven's Augury Pillar to return to the Nine Provinces.

The only likely outcome would be the refuge getting besieged by countless Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, followed by the estate's downfall and Giant Armor's group having nowhere to escape.

Therefore, entering Ten Thousand Poisons Forest was almost their only choice.

One thing Yiyi did not tell Lu Ye was that the cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge were no longer content with just surrounding them—they were preparing to enter Ten Thousand Poisons Forest and capture Giant Armor.

The reason they had not acted was due to the immense number of Detoxification Pills needed; they were collecting them from various places, and once they had enough, Ten Thousand Demons Ridge would definitely take action.

Rapidly making his way towards Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, Lu Ye checked the battlefield marking. Hua Ci had also left a message that he hadn't managed to check earlier.

Hua Ci had previously been en route to Mount Ying to enter the land of legacy, and Lu Ye faintly sensed that the place she was going to was not very safe, for if it truly were safe, Hua Ci would have already obtained all the inheritances from that land and there would be no need to delay.

He tried to stop her but wasn't successful, so he did not press further.

Later, while busy outwitting a group of people from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge in Fog-shrouded Mountain, Lu Ye wanted to contact Hua Ci to inquire about her situation but found that he couldn't reach her, only surmising from the imprint that she was still alive.

Now that Hua Ci had taken the initiative to send a message, it was clear that she had left the land of legacy, but the outcome of her venture was unknown.

"Yiyi and Giant Armor are trapped, and I'm on my way."

That was the message left by Hua Ci.

Lu Ye quickly replied, "Don't come here, I'm already on my way."

Hua Ci soon responded, "You're still alive, huh?"

"The feeling's mutual."

"Hehe."

Lu Ye's brows twitched, "What does 'hehe' mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything."

Lu Ye wanted to ask what 'it doesn't mean anything' actually meant, but considering that this would only lead to an endless conversation, he sent a message, "Anyway, don't come over for now, the situation is not very good."

"Got it. Just be careful, children can't be without a father."

Lu Ye nearly lost his composure; this woman's words were getting more and more brazen.

He was about to retort when suddenly, a strong aura approached rapidly from the side. Lu Ye turned his head to look and immediately felt a headache coming on.

It was none other than the Overlord-level female demon.

He didn't know how she had found him, or perhaps it was merely a coincidence. If it was a coincidence, though, it was truly bad luck.

Compared to when he had last seen her, the female demon's form had changed: her arms had transformed into what appeared to be wings, with red feathers covering them.

Considering that the Vermillion Bird was also a kind of avian demon beast, it wasn't strange that this female demon could sense the presence of Phoenix True Fire from over a hundred miles away.