Sage of Humanity

The young man nodded, "Since Fellow Daoist Xia is so eager, let's not waste time. We'll have one round of melee and one round of free-for-all. If we still don't have a winner after these two rounds, you and I will have another match. The victor in two out of three matches will win the spirit ground. How about that?"

Xia Qianqian squinted at him and snorted coldly, "I think you're just itching for a fight."

The young man smiled, "Then let's use this valley as the battlefield."

"Agreed!"

The area covered by this valley was neither too large nor too small, just right for cultivators around the Cloud River Level 5 realm to perform well. No one could take advantage of the terrain here.

The young man and Xia Qianqian each led their people to retreat to the spirit mountaintops on either side of the valley.

On Lu Ye's side, among the five people, there was one physique cultivator, one ghost cultivator, two combat cultivators, and one magic cultivator. This lineup was undoubtedly suitable for a melee, but the lineup on the other side was also comprehensive, including physique, magic, and combat cultivators. As for whether there was a ghost cultivator, Lu Ye could not tell.

Other than the physique cultivator and Lu Ye, the other three were from the same sect, naturally more familiar with each other. They hadn't interacted during the journey, only finding time now to become acquainted with each other.

Xia Qianqian's three sect-mates reported their names and cultivation, as expected, either at Level 4 or Level 5 realm, clearly having entered the Cloud River battlefield around the same time, so the disparity in their cultivation levels was not great.

The physique cultivator also reported his name and cultivation, then several pairs of eyes turned towards Lu Ye.

"Ye Liu, Level 3 realm."

Although they had inferred from the fluctuations of his spirit force while he controlled a weapon on the way that his cultivation was not high, hearing him say he was only at the Level 3 realm, the four of them were visibly taken aback.

The three sect-mates of Xia Qianqian even looked towards her together, as if asking how their senior sister ended up bringing someone from the Level 3 realm.

Xia Qianqian said, "Don't think someone is weak just because their cultivation is low. Ye Liu is very capable; in a one-on-one fight, none of you might be his match."

The four naturally didn't doubt Xia Qianqian's words. Hearing her say this, they became more curious about Lu Ye, who was wearing a fox-face mask, leaving them clueless about his appearance and his expression at the moment.

The combat cultivator said, "In that case, I'll trouble Fellow Daoist Ye to anchor our formation."

Lu Ye nodded. This arrangement was undoubtedly favorable for him, as if these four were strong enough, he might not even need to participate in this round of fights.

The combat cultivator continued, "I'll take the lead in the first round; the rest will be arranged based on the situation. What do you think, senior sister?"

Xia Qianqian nodded, "Do as you said."

Both she and the young man from the opposing side were there because their sect-mates had called them to lend support. At their level of cultivation, they were on the verge of advancing to True Lake and would prefer not to interfere in the affairs of their juniors if possible.

After all, they could protect their juniors temporarily, but not forever.

Seeing Xia Qianqian had no objections, the combat cultivator leapt out and landed in the center of the valley, followed swiftly by someone from the opposite side.

In the blink of an eye, the two were fighting in the valley.

The combat methods of Cloud River realm cultivators were much more numerous than those of the Spirit Stream realm; at the very least, Spirit Stream cultivators couldn't suddenly start flying during a fight, lacking the capability. Only Cloud River realm cultivators possessed the means to travel through air.

The combatant from the opposing side was also evidently a Level 5 realm cultivator, and the two combatants were evenly matched in strength. Their figures intertwined and dodged through the valley, their spirit force continuously clashing and swirling, turning the battlefield into something akin to a tornado-stricken area, with large trees toppling and debris everywhere.

After a fierce battle lasting one incense stick's time, our combat cultivator found an opportunity, striking his opponent and sending him flying through the air, clearly spewing a mouthful of blood mist.

The combat cultivator seized the opportunity to pursue with a few vigorous strikes, leaving his opponent in a dire state.

Once one side gained the upper hand, the dynamics of the battle drastically changed. When one mistake was made, many ensued, and that's exactly what happened.

Both being veterans well accustomed to battles, and having seized the advantage, they naturally wouldn't allow their opponent any chance to turn the tables.

Seeing the situation deteriorate, a resentful roar echoed through the valley, "I concede!"

Conceding was the only option, lest he be beaten to death.

Securing an opening victory, the two junior sect-mates beside Xia Qianqian cheered joyously, and even Xia Qianqian herself had a smile on her face, clearly pleased with her junior brother's performance.

After the opponent had shouted the words of concession, our combat cultivator ceased his pursuit and quickly, he stuffed an elixir pill into his mouth.

However, the opposite side wasted no time, immediately sending a second person from their mountaintop plunging down.

Despite the short duration, the consumption from the desperate battle was still immense, greatly impacting his own strength. The combat cultivator thought to either continue fighting if possible or at least exhaust the enemy's strength as much as possible and leave the rest to his teammates.

Upon seeing that the opponent had only sent a Cloud River Level 4 cultivator, one whom he had previously fought, he immediately felt elated and surged with energy, rushing forward quickly.

The Level 4 magic cultivator had not been fully prepared when he saw the enemy attacking him, so he naturally retreated hastily while using magic and spells as he fell back.

The clash was undoubtedly more explosive than the close combat earlier. His own combat cultivator made rapid progress amid the barrage of spells, trying to dodge every magic attack. When unavoidable, he used a Spiritual Artifact to block, making the fight extremely intense.

Not until they were only a hundred feet apart did three streaks of weapon-controlling sword light suddenly appear, shooting towards the magic cultivator in a triangular formation. At the same time, the combat cultivator's speed sharply increased as he continued to close the distance between them.

Faced with such a situation, the opposing magic cultivator clenched his teeth, summoned a spirit force barrier around his body, and furiously bolstered his spirit force. With a raise of his hand, a spell took shape. It was different from the ones he had used before and was incredibly fast, striking the combat cultivator squarely in the chest just as it formed.

The combat cultivator clearly had not expected the opponent to have such a trump card. Momentarily caught off guard, he was hit in the chest and sent flying backward, face-up. This caused the two cultivators next to Lu Ye to exclaim in shock.

Meanwhile, down in the valley, the magic cultivator was bleeding profusely from a wound inflicted by the enemy's controlled weapon, falling to the ground.

The outcome was unexpectedly damaging for both sides.

Two figures flew into the valley from both sides; it was Xia Qianqian and the young man from the opposing side, each checking the condition of their junior brothers' injuries. After a short while, they simultaneously carried the two away.

Clearly, both were seriously injured and could no longer continue fighting.

His side had only sent one person into battle but had managed to defeat two opponents. Although the situation seemed favourable, the combat cultivator was seriously injured and couldn't fight again in the short term, which was obviously disadvantageous for the upcoming phases of the battle, considering there was still a melee to come.

On the opposite spirit mountaintop, the young man's face was gloomy, clearly dissatisfied with the performance of his two junior brothers. Both were Level 5 combat cultivators; the first to fight had been straightforwardly defeated, and although the second, a magic cultivator of Level 4, should have had no problem dealing with an already-exhausted opponent, he ended up in a mutual take-down.

After a slight pause, the young man spoke, "Jiang Liuzi, you're up!"

He hadn't planned to send out the two helpers he had recruited so soon, because if they went into battle, the outcome would be predictable.

Jiang Liuzi and Jiang Chengzi, these young brothers, had once been famous in the Spirit Stream battlefield, with both having the strength to be at the top of the Spirit Stream Ranking. However, for more than a decade, a certain monster had monopolized the top spot, and the second spot had consistently been held by Yanh Xing of the Mad Saber Sect.

This had relegated the brothers to the third and fourth spots on the ranking.

Not just the brothers, but many talented young people had found it painful for the past decade to have the strength yet not the luck to be at the top of the Spirit Stream Ranking.

All this could be attributed to Li Baxian. If not for him, how would Feng Yuechan and Yanh Xing have been able to stay so long in the Spirit Stream battlefield?

It was said that half a year ago, both Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan had advanced to the Cloud River Realm and now many ambitious cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge were searching for them, ready to avenge the suppression they once faced.

One could say that every cultivator still on the Cloud River battlefield knew about Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan, having grown up looking up to them.

Once figures who easily suppressed him, these Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators would hardly miss an opportunity for revenge, now that their own cultivation bases were even lower than their past oppressors.

One could say that the situation Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan found themselves in was akin to what Lu Ye faced before he dominated the Spirit Stream battlefield; they were targets everywhere they went, their whereabouts unable to remain hidden.

The young man felt fortunate to have secured the help of the Jiang brothers this time, which is why he was determined to win the fight for the spirit ground, as in his view, it was a foregone conclusion.

As his words ended, a young man who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen responded gloomily, "OK!"

He proceeded to lightly soar into the valley.

On Xia Qianqian's side, after her ghost cultivator and magic cultivator fellow had checked the injuries of the combat cultivator and confirmed there was no risk to his life, they finally relaxed.

Turning her head and noticing Jiang Liuzi entering the valley, the ghost cultivator frowned, "This is their invited helper. I'll go and test his mettle."

"Be careful," Xia Qianqian cautioned in a focused tone.

Since their side had lost two matches so quickly, and were now sending in their recruited helper, it was obvious they were trying to turn the tide. It was foreseeable that this helper's strength would not be weak.

However, ghost cultivators do not judge an enemy by their cultivation level; as long as they find the right opportunity, defeating higher-level enemies is routine for them.

The ghost cultivator concealed his presence, and no one knew where he had gone.

In the valley, Jiang Liuzi stood still, his face a calm sculpture-like visage, not moving an inch.

The mountain wind was bleak, with a killing intent pervading the air.

Suddenly, a flash of sword light erupted, and accompanying a muffled hum and a cry of alarm, the ghost cultivator revealed his presence, his chest bearing a deep sword wound from which blood spurted violently.

The ghost cultivator looked utterly horrified.