Sage of Humanity

"Don't talk nonsense." Lu Ye raised his hand and patted the shoulder of Giant Armor, "Ten Thousand Demons Ridge has a multitude of powerful people, and right now, they are eager for us to show ourselves, so for me, hiding here is the safest option."

The expression on Giant Armor's face was somewhat dejected, and he probably knew that Lu Ye was right.

"Advance in your cultivation, return to our sect headquarters, and report that you are safe to the sect master and Second Senior Sister."

Giant Armor remained silent and did not speak.

Lu Ye said no more, stood up, and walked to a side, beginning to improve the formation he had laid out earlier.

Although the previously laid-out array was functional, it had been set up in haste and had many areas for improvement. With each Array Banner being planted, the scope covered by the formation increased significantly, and the array became more stable.

While he was busy, Giant Armor just quietly watched. After Lu Ye had finished, he suddenly spoke: "Stay alive!"

Lu Ye turned to look at him: "Definitely won't die."

It was then that Giant Armor sat down cross-legged, his surging spirit force quickly stabilized, and his cultivation rapidly fell.

The process for a cultivator to advance from the Spirit Stream Realm to the Cloud River Realm is actually not difficult; what's hard is the earlier orifice-opening stage. As long as the number of spiritual orifices opened inside the body is sufficient, advancing to Cloud River poses no great risk.

In just a moment, all the Minor Circumambulation cycles inside Giant Armor's body stopped flowing. Following his cultivation, a torrent of spirit force began, starting from his Root Spiritual Orifice and successively passing through each spiritual orifice.

The more spiritual orifices the spirit force passed through, the more fiercely the energy fluctuated on the surface of Giant Armor's body. Listening closely, one could even hear the movement of the spirit force inside his body.

It was not very noticeable at first, but gradually, the flowing spirit force became like a stream, and then the noise grew louder.

Until at one moment, when spirit force passed through all three hundred and sixty orifices, a boiling torrent of energy surged through his body like a river, sending out a buzzing sound.

Visibly, a dazzling spirit light flashed across Giant Armor's body and an invisible wave of energy exploded outward from where he was, spreading in all directions.

Cloud River Realm!

The names Spirit Stream Realm and Cloud River Realm are in fact derived from how the spirit force flows within the body.

Spirit Stream Realm cultivators have multiple Minor Circumambulation cycle systems in their bodies, with spirit force flowing like streams. The number of Minor Circumambulation cycles determines the Level—hence the titles such as 7th Heaven, 8th Heaven, and 9th Heaven are used instead of Spirit Stream Level 10, 11, or 12. After cultivating a Heaven Rank technique, a cultivator's body doesn't have that many Minor Circumambulation cycles. Of course, in calculations of merit from slaying enemies, Heaven's Augury does take into account Levels 10, 11, or 12.

Unlike the Spirit Stream Realm, the Cloud River Realm has only one circulating system encompassing all the opened spiritual orifices, like Giant Armor's perfect Major Circumambulation cycle with all three hundred and sixty orifices opened.

All spirit force flows within this one Major Circumambulation system like rushing river water, drastically changing a cultivator's control over spirit force and causing a revolutionary transformation in personal strength, leading to an explosive increase.

This is why, at the Spirit Stream Realm, cultivators try to open as many spiritual orifices as possible, reluctant to advance hastily to the Cloud River Realm.

The more spiritual orifices opened, the greater the enhancement of personal strength and future potential after advancing to Cloud River.

In the Spirit Stream Realm, each additional opened spiritual orifice directly enhances one's strength in the Cloud River Realm, potentially making the difference between whether one can advance to the True Lake later on.

Everyone knows the foundation is most critical in cultivation; for cultivators, the Spirit Stream Realm is that very foundation, and every cultivator tries to make their foundation as solid as possible.

Because the number of spiritual orifices varies greatly when advancing to Cloud River—from 240 to all 360 orifices—this leads to substantial discrepancies in strength among cultivators within the Cloud River Realm.

At the Spirit Stream Realm, overcoming levels to defeat more powerful enemies is still the specialty of many cultivation geniuses, but in the Cloud River Realm, this becomes quite common.

This was the first time someone had advanced to the Cloud River Realm under Lu Ye's observation. He too would eventually take this step, so he had been watching closely, trying to draw some experience from it, but in the end, he found that advancing to the Cloud River Realm, just like the rumours, posed no great risk as long as enough spiritual orifices were open and the advancement was smooth.

Almost at the moment Giant Armor advanced to the Cloud River Realm, the space he was in started to distort.

Giant Armor clearly perceived something, hurriedly opened his eyes, and seemed about to say something, yet before he could speak, the twisted space stabilized, and Giant Armor had disappeared without a trace.

Lu Ye immediately contacted Shui Yuan.

Shortly after, he received a reply: Giant Armor had appeared in the main hall of Heaven's Augury at the Righteous Blood Sect's headquarters. Second Senior Sister was checking on him, assuring Lu Ye not to worry.

Lu Ye naturally had nothing to worry about; previously, in the Tianyan Sect, even though Giant Armor had been affected by a powerful poison, Second Senior Sister had managed to save him, so there was nothing concerning now.

With Giant Armor's issue resolved, Lu Ye turned his attention to Yiyi...

Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire

Yiyi's problem was uncertain, as she could not advance to the Cloud River Realm, return to the sect headquarters of the Righteous Blood Sect following the rules of Borrowing Heaven's Augury, nor could her Spiritual Body consume anything.

"I'm fine, just feeling a bit uncomfortable." Yiyi, sensing what Lu Ye was pondering, spoke up to reassure him.

"Has Amber consumed the royal jelly yet?"

"Yes, she has."

"It doesn't work for you?" Yiyi was Amber's minion spirit, and if she could absorb some antidote through Amber, it might have an effect on Yiyi.

Yiyi shook her head, stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around Lu Ye's arm, resting her head on his shoulder, "Don't think about these things anymore. Rest well, let's talk after you've recovered."

"If anything feels off, you must tell me right away!" Lu Ye seriously instructed her.

Yiyi didn't respond.

Lu Ye raised his hand and flicked her forehead, "Did you hear me?"

"I know!" Yiyi raised her hand and rubbed her forehead, her face a picture of aggrievement.

Lu Ye checked his battlefield marking. He had been unconscious for two days, and his battlefield marking had many residual messages. After checking them, they were mostly inquiries about his current situation.

Many people urged him to hold on just a bit longer. The Haotian Alliance was preparing to gather a group of people to forcefully break through the formation and help Lu Ye escape from the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest.

Some inner circle sect governors, such as Luo Fu from Silver Light Island, Zhou Pei from Soaring Cloud Palace, Zhao Li from Tianyan Sect, and so on, who he had collaborated with before, were also on their way to provide support.

The multitude of messages overflowed with concern and worry.

Lu Ye responded to each message, informing them that his situation was safe and they needn't worry.

About 30 miles away from the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, in a hidden location, over two thousand Haotian Alliance cultivators gathered, led by cultivators from several big sects of Bingzhou.

At this moment, a group of people gathered around Yooi Lianzhou from the Beixuan Sword Sect, waiting for the result of his communication with Lu Ye.

It took one incense stick's time before Yooi Lianzhou finished this communication.

"How did it go?" a cultivator from the Righteousness Sect asked.

Yooi Lianzhou looked up at the crowd and said, "Fellow Daoist Lu said, 'Do not start any large-scale conflict with Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, otherwise, he would be a sinner of the Haotian Alliance.'"

Should such a large-scale conflict involving thousands of people occur, both the Haotian Alliance and Ten Thousand Demons Ridge would undoubtedly suffer heavy casualties. Upon knowing that the Haotian Alliance was preparing to rescue him, Lu Ye's biggest concern was this.

"He also said that his situation there is very safe. He has set up a Formation, creating a safe zone where the poisons from the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest cannot infiltrate. Although he is injured, it is not severe. He now plans to cultivate there until he reaches the 9th Heaven level before coming out..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned strange.

They had been extremely anxious about Lu Ye's safety, fearing he would perish in the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, but now it seemed that he was quite comfortable inside. If that's really the case, they indeed should not engage in a large-scale conflict with Ten Thousand Demons Ridge.

"Does Brother Yooi think that what Fellow Daoist Yiye said is true or false?" It could be that Lu Ye did not want the Haotian Alliance to suffer too many casualties, so he was just consoling them.

"He made a Heaven's Augury oath in his message," Yooi Lianzhou replied with a helpless smile. "So there shouldn't be any falsehood."

"So...are we still rescuing him?"

Yes, if Lu Ye was living well in the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, should they still rescue him?

Not to rescue him feels wrong, given that everyone had already gathered here. To rescue him seems unnecessary, as it appears that he does not really need it...

Yooi Lianzhou said, "Fellow Daoist Lu told us to do what we must, as right now many cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge have been drawn to the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest solely to kill him, yet they dare not enter rashly. This situation will only waste cultivation time. He himself will stay in the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest and wear down the people from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, until the day he ascends to 9th Heaven and can break free."

With Lu Ye's 7th Heaven cultivation able to kill those at 9th Heaven, and having previously displayed the powerful Fire Phoenix technique to reach the 33rd position on the Spirit Stream Ranking, if he truly were to cultivate to the 9th Heaven level, who in the entire Spirit Stream battlefield could be his opponent?

When that time comes, even if Ten Thousand Demons Ridge were to gather more forces on this side, he would be able to break free.

"Then we just leave him?"

"This Fellow Daoist Yiye, is truly extraordinary."

"In my opinion, since we've already come this far, we should at least kill some people from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge before leaving. It's not easy to gather so many people in the core circle; we should at least achieve something."

"Exactly, exactly. With such a grand movement from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, now that we don't have to worry about Fellow Daoist Yiye's safety, we need to strike back to show that the Haotian Alliance is not to be trifled with."

The group was vocally relentless, and the main players from the Spirit Stream Ranking knew that with so many forces gathered, they couldn't just disperse. Now that they don't need to rescue Lu Ye, they could act without any constraints and be more flexible.

They immediately gathered to discuss it, and soon, the over two thousand people dispersed in all directions.

Without needing to rescue Lu Ye, and not daring to charge into the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, they decided to intercept the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators coming to provide support. Since they were here, they couldn't return empty-handed, no matter how fruitful the attempt; they were ready to strike first and think later.

Just as the over two thousand Haotian Alliance members dispersed, the cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge were continuously pondering one question.

How is Lu Yiye still not dead?