Sage of Humanity

Just as Lu Ye had guessed before, Ten Thousand Demons Ridge was indeed using this method to probe his situation.

After waiting for three days, Lu Ye still hadn't been poisoned to death. Those from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge dared not delve too deep into the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest and, unable to find Lu Ye's whereabouts, could only resort to challenging him through the Spirit Stream Ranking.

Lu Yiye accepted the challenge, but forfeited two hours later, which undoubtedly indicated one thing—his condition was absolutely not good; otherwise, there was no reason not to fight before forfeiting.

You see, a challenge on the Spirit Stream Ranking doesn't necessarily have to result in death. With the operation of Heaven's Augury, if one realizes they are no match, they merely need to shout surrender to escape the small space of the challenge and thus preserve their life.

Now, Lu Yiye did not dare even show his face, clearly fearing that those from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge would scrutinize his true condition...

Once the news spread, the previously anxious cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge suddenly calmed down, all believing they just needed to wait it out, and Lu Yiye would certainly die!

In the blink of an eye, another four hours passed, and Lu Ye's ranking had slipped from thirty-seventh to forty-first.

Those from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge showed no signs of relenting and someone else issued a challenge to Lu Ye.

Deep within the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, inside the protective array, Lu Ye was growing impatient. He was quietly recuperating and studying cultivation in peace, but people kept initiating challenges through the Spirit Stream Ranking. Although he could delay each challenge for two hours, such continuous interruptions were quite troublesome.

Thus, the third time he was challenged, Lu Ye didn't agree and flatly refused it.

Then his ranking dropped to forty-sixth!

In the next period equivalent to one incense stick's time, all the cultivators eligible to connect with Heaven's Augury and check the Spirit Stream Ranking could only watch as Lu Ye's name slid from the forties to the bottom of the list, and then disappeared from the Spirit Stream Ranking altogether!

Since three days ago, when Lu Ye reached thirty-third place on the Spirit Stream Ranking with his 7th Heaven cultivation, creating an unprecedented record in the Nine Provinces, he rapidly dropped out of the list in just a short span of three days, his rise as fleeting as a morning glory.

The Spirit Stream Ranking became clear!

No more was there the irritating 7th Heaven level cultivator to agitate the cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge.

Lu Ye also found peace, no longer disturbed by challenges through the Spirit Stream Ranking.

Just when he thought he could rest peacefully for a while, Lu Ye suddenly frowned and called out softly, "Yiyi!"

Yiyi, who was roasting beast meat for Lu Ye that wafted a savory aroma, looked up upon hearing him, "Here."

She then realized Lu Ye's expression was off. He was gazing intently in a certain direction, slowly standing up with his spirit force subtly surging within him.

Yiyi swiftly dived underground, and Amber leaped onto Lu Ye's shoulder and crouched down, seemingly inauspicious but in fact ready for battle.

It was utterly unexpected for Lu Ye that someone would venture this deep into his location.

Given that the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest was now sealed by Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, anyone able to enter must be an enemy from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. The courage to venture this deep into the area meant the intruder's strength was undoubtedly formidable.

He didn't know which cultivator from the Spirit Stream Ranking it was.

Lu Ye pressed one hand on the hilt of his knife and clutched an array banner with the other. Although his strength was currently hard to utilize, he had set up an array here. No matter how powerful the intruder was, killing him wouldn't be easy.

Crunching sounds...

In that direction, the sound of someone stepping on dry leaves came, moving step by step toward the array amidst the thick green poisonous fog.

Even though Lu Ye activated the Insight Spirit Runes to enhance his vision, he couldn't see through the poisonous fog to discern the face of the newcomer. Judging by the attractive curves of their figure, it seemed to be a woman.

This woman appeared to be around the same height as Sister Hua Ci, and her physique was also very similar.

After a moment, the visitor stood outside the array, looking through the barrier at Lu Ye, eyes brimming with laughter.

Lu Ye was stunned.

"Sister Hua Ci!" Yiyi also emerged from underground, her face filled with disbelief as she gazed at the visitor. She couldn't believe they would encounter Hua Ci here; no, Hua Ci must have deliberately come for them.

Saying this, Yiyi dashed toward Hua Ci but was pulled back by Lu Ye.

Yiyi turned her head, looking at him puzzled.

Lu Ye's eyelids slightly lowered as he looked outside the array at Hua Ci, "The healing cultivator of my household doesn't have the ability to reach here under the siege of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. Who are you, really?"

Upon hearing Lu Ye's words, Yiyi realized something was wrong.

When she first saw Hua Ci, she was only overwhelmed with joy and hadn't considered this aspect. Now thinking it over, Lu Ye was right—Hua Ci didn't have the capability to travel alone to such a place. Anger surged in Yiyi as she stared at Hua Ci outside the array, "Who are you, and what methods are you employing to impersonate Sister Hua Ci!"

Hua Ci laughed mirthfully, looking at Lu Ye somewhat reproachfully. Then she sighed softly, her hand resting on her abdomen, her eyes beginning to tear up, "Oh, the poor child, your father doesn't recognize us anymore. What shall we do now?"

Yiyi's eyes widened dramatically, utterly astonished, "What do you mean?"

Lu Ye felt as if he had been struck by a lightning-attracting talisman, standing rooted to the spot.

Upon seeing Hua Ci, his instincts told him this person was an imposter, but Hua Ci's words made him second guess.

In this world, apart from that woman, who else would talk so unreservedly in front of him?

He quickly recalled something and hurriedly sent a message to Hua Ci through his battlefield marking. Outside the array, Hua Ci responded, "The father of the child, I've come to find you. Are you happy or not?"

A twitch ran through the corner of Lu Ye's eye. He waved the array banner, opening a gap in the array, and Hua Ci flashed inside.

"Lu Ye." Yiyi asked uncertainly from the side, "Is she Sister Hua Ci?"

"Yes!"

"Sister Hua Ci!" Yiyi ran over and embraced Hua Ci, bouncing around joyfully. Seeing Hua Ci in this place made her incredibly happy.

Lu Ye sat back down, sizing up Hua Ci, still feeling somewhat surreal.

Because no matter what, he had never expected Hua Ci to come here looking for him, and she had indeed succeeded. Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Observing the spirit light on Hua Ci's body, it had clearly reached the Level 9 extent, and the speed of her cultivation improvement was obviously not normal either.

Once Yiyi had calmed down from her excitement, Lu Ye finally asked, "How did you get in?"

"I walked in," Hua Ci replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"The people from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge have withdrawn?"

"No, many people are surrounding the area outside, thousands both above and below the ground, and more are continuously entering the forest to search for your traces. This time, you are trapped with no way out."

"Then how did you walk in?"

"I am a healing cultivator. A squad from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge needed a healing cultivator to accompany them, so I walked in with them."

Lu Ye wanted to ask where that squad of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators had gone, but he suddenly caught sight of a string of storage sacks hanging from Hua Ci's waist, no less than thirty or forty...

There was no need to ask. The fate of that squad of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators was clear.

Lu Ye felt shocked. He didn't know what kind of legacy Hua Ci had acquired on Mount Ying. She, a Level 9 healing cultivator, had actually annihilated a squad of Core Circle cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge in one fell swoop! Judging by the number of storage sacks, at least twenty of those cultivators had died at her hands.

What puzzled Lu Ye even more was that even though this woman was an outstanding healing cultivator, how had she withstood the erosion of the poisonous fog and toxic barriers.

He could withstand it because he had the Talent Tree by his side, and it wasn't just withstanding; the violent poison that entered his body was burned away.

It seems that this was related to the legacy she had acquired on Mount Ying.

"Yiyi, the meat is burning," Hua Ci suddenly said.

"Oh!" Yiyi hurried over to the campfire to turn over the roasting meat.

Hua Ci looked at Lu Ye, sizing him up, "You're not poisoned?"

The sole reason she had insisted on coming here to find Lu Ye was her fear that he would be poisoned to death in the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest. However, looking at Lu Ye now, there wasn't a single sign of poisoning, although it seemed like Yiyi was poisoned.

"I'm immune to all poisons," Lu Ye countered, "How come you're not poisoned either?"

"It's mutual," Hua Ci smiled kindly, stepped over to Lu Ye, crouched down, and ordered, "Stretch out your hand!"

Lu Ye obediently stretched out his hand.

Hua Ci raised two fingers and placed them on his wrist. Although it appeared that Lu Ye indeed showed no signs of poisoning, many poisons were extremely concealed, and how could she be reassured without checking personally?

After a careful examination, she confirmed that Lu Ye was truly not poisoned.

"Open your mouth."

"Ah..." Lu Ye opened his mouth wide.

"Stick out your tongue and let me see."

"Enough!" Lu Ye resisted.

"Hehe, that's not up to you." Hua Ci suddenly grasped Lu Ye's hand. Her hand was soft and warm to the touch, like warm jade.

Lu Ye immediately felt a numbness in his hand, as if he had been stung by a poisonous bee, but that sensation vanished in an instant. Hua Ci raised her hand to pinch Lu Ye's mouth, intending to pull out his tongue for inspection.

But before she could make a move, Lu Ye had already grabbed her cheek!

The touch felt good.

Hua Ci's mouth formed a round shape.

As their eyes met, Hua Ci blinked, her eyes filled with confusion.

That shouldn't be... The moment she had grabbed Lu Ye's hand, he should have become immobile!

"What are you doing?" Lu Ye asked, his words muffled.

"You..." Hua Ci didn't know what to say.

Yiyi, standing aside, stared as the two pinched each other's cheeks, pursing their lips and gazing affectionately at each other from a close distance. Remembering Hua Ci's previous words, Yiyi stomped her foot, turned her body, and transformed into a spirit light rushing into Amber's body.

She couldn't stand it anymore!

Amber, squatting on Lu Ye's shoulder, also covered her eyes with her paws...

"Did you poison me?" Lu Ye didn't realize it until now, because there was an anomaly on the side of the Root Spiritual Orifice Talent Tree. A great deal of ashen fog had risen and then dispersed, a sign of the poison being burned away.

"Why aren't you affected?" Hua Ci was most puzzled by this.

"I told you I'm immune to all poisons!"

"Impossible!" Hua Ci clearly didn't believe it, as no one in this world could be immune to all poisons.

"Let go first!"

"You let go first."

"Alright, alright, I'll let go first."

Lu Ye released Hua Ci's face, and only then did she withdraw her hand, but their other hands were still tightly clasped together, the ashen fog on the Talent Tree becoming more intense.