Sage of Humanity

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The world is such that often many 4th grade sects strive for over a dozen generations, yet might never have the chance to be promoted to 3rd grade.

Below the True Lake Realm, a cultivator's cultivation consists mainly in the continuous increase of their own cultivation. As long as one has enough aptitude and resources, it is not too difficult a task, but advancing from True Lake to Divine Sea is a huge barrier because it involves the transformation of the psyche.

There are many cultivators in the Divine Sea Realm in the Nine Provinces, but these are accumulated over generations. For a sect below 3rd grade to give birth to a cultivator in the Divine Sea Realm is often as difficult as reaching the heavens.

There are exceptions, though. With countless sects in the Nine Provinces and a sect grade evaluation every three years, every few decades there tend to be cases of 4th grade sects being promoted to 3rd grade. Every occurrence signifies that a Divine Sea Realm cultivator has been born within a 4th grade sect.

Yunlang Sect is the sect most likely to be promoted to 3rd grade in recent years, because they have a genius named Si Nan within their ranks.

He is a magic cultivator but also practiced the Array Path, and his talent in the Array Path is extremely high. Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators have compared him with Lu Ye, unanimously feeling that among their generation of cultivators, he is the only one who could rival Lu Ye in terms of the Array Path.

Of course, such evaluations have reached Si Nan's ears, and he couldn't care less.

For the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators to evaluate him this way, they've already put him at a disadvantage. What he seeks is not to compete, but to surpass.

He wasn't originally nearby but had come from a very far place.

As soon as the news of Lu Ye's spirit ground was leaked, he had set out on his journey. The journey was far too long, and he hadn't arrived until now.

Now, the timing could not be better, as Lu Ye was trapped within a mining tunnel and a powerful array cultivator was needed to break the formation he had left behind. One could say that he was now carrying the hopes of all the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators.

This was also one of the reasons why the many Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators were willing to wait here patiently...

Hearing that Si Nan was on his way, Song Zhui also felt relieved and asked, "Who was the first to discover this matter over here?"

Ning Zizai pointed with his hand, "Those few people over there, but they don't know much."

Song Zhui followed the direction Ning Zizai pointed, seeing indeed a few cultivators of not high cultivation, among which the leading one seemed to have sustained some minor injuries. He immediately nodded and dashed towards them.

Senior Brother Qin was quite helpless. Ever since more and more Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators had rushed here, he kept getting asked for various details, such as how they discovered the mining tunnel, how they confirmed that Lu Yiye was hiding inside...

Wave after wave of inquiries came without end.

And since his cultivation wasn't high, he did not dare offend others and could only patiently share all the information he knew.

Meanwhile, deep within the mining tunnel, Lu Ye was refining array banners while staying alert to the movements of the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators outside.

He was wearing a blood robe... At first glance, it indeed looked like he was seriously injured.

But this was only superficial, and him being seriously injured was merely a ploy to deceive the cultivators of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. The blood on the robe was indeed his own, but it was left over from the battle with Huo Liaoyuan...

So far, the plan was going very smoothly.

He, a severely wounded individual, struggling to hide, was inadvertently discovered by a group of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, unable to do anything but hide in this mining tunnel to recuperate and heal. Then someone accidentally discovered traces of a formation setup here, followed by his location being confirmed, with numerous Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators surrounding this place, leaving him with no escape, only waiting for death...

"Lu Ye, there are so many people outside," Yiyi, who had quietly returned from scouting, reported to him. "And more and more are coming."

"The more people there are, the better," Lu Ye replied casually as his hands continued to refine the array banners. A sufficient number of array banners was indispensable for implementing his plan this time.

He asked again, "How many are at Level 9?"

"Five have arrived, including that guy named Song Zhui."

"That's about enough," Lu Ye nodded slightly.

Yiyi sat beside him, puzzled, "Lu Ye, if you want to lure them in, why set up so many formations in the mining tunnel? Aren't you afraid of scaring them off?"

"There's no way to scare them off." Lu Ye chuckled. He felt like a jar of honey exuding a tempting fragrance, with the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators akin to insects lured by the scent, even if he erected numerous formations in the tunnel, it was unlikely to scare them away. The Ten Thousand Demons would only seek ways to charge in.

"I still think fewer formations should be set up. Look, they're afraid to come in now."

Lu Ye said, "My mastery over the Array Path is pretty high. Although the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side may not know the specifics, they likely have some assessment. If I appear too weak, it will certainly arouse their suspicions. The current situation is just right."

Severely injured, taking advantage of the terrain, stubbornly defending—this is the perception Lu Ye needed to instill in those on the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side. Only in this way could he dispel the doubts of some clever individuals.

"Besides, I have already been holding back. Who knew they would be so incompetent," Lu Ye muttered disdainfully to himself. This was not self-praise; when setting up the formations, Lu Ye indeed held back, mainly to avoid the formations being too powerful and collapsing the mining tunnel.

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The explosion magic arrays left behind in the mine tunnel exploded with great ferocity, yet they were not powerful enough to cause the tunnel to collapse. Of course, the surrounding rock walls would certainly have loosened as a result… This was also part of the plan, to facilitate the final roundup.

"I'll continue to keep an eye on them," Yiyi said before she used ground evasion technique to hurry away.

The convenience of being a Spiritual Body was beyond imagination, and Yiyi rarely showed herself in front of others. People only knew that Lu Ye was accompanied by a snow-white little beast, but few knew that besides Amber, there was also a Yiyi.

Time passed, and about half a day later, Yiyi suddenly sent a message saying that it seemed a formidable array cultivator had arrived from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. Even the Level 9 cultivators such as Song Zhui treated this array cultivator with great enthusiasm, and he had already entered the mine tunnel to begin deciphering the formations left by Lu Ye.

Previously, there had been array cultivators who tried to break through the formations that Lu Ye set up, but those array cultivators were not proficient enough in the Array Path. Their failed attempts resulted in some casualties, which deterred other array cultivators from rash actions.

Now, a respected array cultivator had suddenly appeared, someone who even Song Zhui and the others greeted with great eagerness, clearly a personage of no ordinary background, on whom Song Zhui and others placed great hopes.

As expected, this array cultivator's proficiency in the Array Path was far superior to the previous ones, having effortlessly deciphered an explosion magic array.

When this news reached him, Lu Ye couldn't help but be surprised.

Although he had held back slightly when setting up the arrays, he did not expect that at the Cloud River Realm level, there would actually be an array cultivator capable of deciphering his formations.

Initially, he had thought that the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators would eventually be forced to storm the mine tunnel when no other option was left.

As long as some Level 8-9 cultivators took the lead with adequate protection, they could advance bit by bit, destroying his formations completely and finally breaking into the mine tunnel.

Yet he hadn't expected someone like this to emerge from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge…

Indeed, plans cannot keep up with changes.

But it wasn't a big deal.

When news that Si Nan had dismantled an explosion magic array in just a short dozen breaths' time spread, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators waiting outside the mine tunnel erupted in a chorus of exclamations and admiration.

Level 9 cultivators like Song Zhui finally set down the hearts they had been holding up.

As the saying goes, there is no unworthy person under a famous name. Although Si Nan came from a 4th grade sect, it was precisely because of his 4th grade background that his reputation on the Cloud River battlefield exceeded many cultivators from 1st or 2nd grade sects. Before, they were worried that Si Nan's mastery of the Array Path was not sufficient, but now with a successful precedent, that worry had been lifted like a burden.

"At this pace, it should take no more than two days for us to break into the mine tunnel. Brothers, what do you think about the proposal Brother Si Nan made earlier?" Song Zhui voiced his thoughts, surrounded by a few Level 9 cultivators, including Ning Zizai and Wei Zhong.

When Si Nan arrived, he had a short chat with them, which was not only for acquaintanceship but also to put forward a request.

He would be responsible for deciphering the formations, but in exchange, he wanted forty percent of the reward from killing Lu Ye!

He did not ask Song Zhui and the others for a response right away because relying on this before showcasing his abilities was unrealistic.

Now that he had demonstrated his ability, Song Zhui and the others had to consider his previous proposal.

Ning Zizai commented, "I have no objections. He is exerting great effort, so it's only natural he takes a larger share."

Even without Si Nan, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side could force their way in, but that would inevitably result in significant losses, and coordinating personnel would also be a big issue. At that time, who would charge to the front? Even a Level 9 physique cultivator like Wei Zhong would get injured if he led the advance.

The mine tunnel twists and turns for several miles; who knows how many explosion magic arrays Lu Yiye has left inside.

"What about the rest of you?"

Wei Zhong frowned, "Forty percent is a bit too much..."

Another person nodded in agreement, "Forty percent is indeed a lot. Twenty percent is acceptable."

Song Zhui then sighed, "Gentlemen, it seems you're not seeing the big picture… While Si Nan asking for forty percent is indeed a bit much, do you gentlemen think that whether he takes forty percent or twenty percent makes a difference to us?"

"What do you mean, Brother Song?" Ning Zizai looked at him.

Song Zhui explained, "Almost two thousand cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge have gathered here. If Lu Yiye is killed, aside from the portion Si Nan takes, how should the rest be divided? Are we few supposed to share it equally? That would undoubtedly provoke public outrage. When the time comes, all the cultivators involved in this matter will share in the remaining reward. The amount that comes our way, in fact, won't be very much. Rather than quibbling over this, if Si Nan wants forty percent, why not just give it to him? I'll repeat: compared to the bounty on Lu Yiye's head, his very life or death is the point!"

Outside Great Reversal Valley, Song Zhui once incited many Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators to share in the bounty for the sake of eliminating the scourge known as Lu Ye, but back then he had other plans, intending to cooperate with Ying Wuji to capture Lu Ye.

Now Ying Wuji was gone, with no one to coordinate with him. There's no need to think about the reward anymore. Given this, the only step back to take is to prioritize killing Lu Ye, and as for everything else, it's unimportant.