Sage of Humanity

City Lord's Residence, beside the Soul Cleansing Pool, the Xianyuan City Lord stood with his hands behind his back, gazing quietly at the Soul Cleansing Pool, his profound eyes seemingly able to penetrate layers of fog to see into its depths.

The Butcher stood not far behind him.

Having previously brought Lu Ye here and placed him in the soul pool, he had not left. Although Lu Ye's body had not completely dissipated when he brought him here, he was somewhat uneasy.

A Xianyuan Guard was reporting the situation at various battlefields throughout the city...

By now, the Insect Race that had invaded the city had been almost completely eradicated; this war had once again ended in Xianyuan City's victory.

It has been so for thousands of years...

What Lu Ye did not know was that the Spiritual Bodies of Xianyuan City were almost immortal. They had left their psyche imprints in the soul pool, so even if they fell in battle outside, they could be resurrected through the power of the soul pool.

This was also why the Butcher and others could die and be resurrected.

And the soul pool was the foundation of Xianyuan City.

The Insect Race had only one way to conquer Xianyuan City.

That was to destroy Xianyuan City's defensive forces with absolute military power, seize the City Lord's Residence, and shatter the soul pool!

Otherwise, no matter how numerous or powerful the Insect Race, they could never conquer Xianyuan City. Historically, each invasion by the Insect Race had been shockingly similar in its process.

Initially, Xianyuan City always seemed to be at a disadvantage because of the large numbers of the Insect Race and the presence of many strong ones among them. But once the Insect Race was killed, they stayed dead, whereas the cultivators of Xianyuan City could continuously emerge from the soul pool to rejoin the battle.

With this waxing and waning, the threat of the Insect Race would gradually be erased, allowing Xianyuan City to secure victory.

This war had lasted about half a month, and the time of Lu Ye's arrival was precisely when the battle was at its fiercest.

Now, the war was nearing its end, and the huge rift in the sky also had vanished at some unknown time.

After the Xianyuan Guard finished reporting the situation, he withdrew.

Bored of waiting, the Butcher spoke up, "City Lord, is this kid really the 'chosen one'?"

He had murmured this to Liu Datong and Yooi Qing before, but that was because he had heard it from the City Lord.

The City Lord, still gazing down at the soul pool, replied, "The last time he was here, three of the Four Auspicious Beasts had gathered around him, and this time, all were assembled. Moreover, he seems to have a strong inheritance from a spirit runes master, allowing him to use various spirit runes at will. If he isn't the chosen one, I can hardly imagine how high the requirements for the chosen one would be." Then he added, "However, he could just be one of the candidates."

"There are other chosen ones?" the Butcher frowned.

"Eggs are not put in one basket, especially for that kind of existence. For thousands of years, there must have been many chosen individuals... We who have long resided in Xianyuan City know nothing of the outside world and thus, have no idea what became of those chosen, but just from the current situation, none of those chosen have ever truly succeeded."

The Butcher nodded. If someone had truly succeeded, then they wouldn't have to defend Xianyuan City here; they would have obtained true freedom.

"But there will eventually be a result, time is running out," the City Lord sighed.

He had said this the last time he saw Lu Ye, but that was just him talking to himself; no one heard it.

The Butcher's expression turned grave, "Sir, how much time do you think we have left?"

"Who knows..." the City Lord slowly shook his head, "You must have also felt it, in these recent years, the number of the Insect Race attacking our city has increased while correspondingly, the power of the soul pool has been diminishing each year. Maybe in a few decades, the power of the Insect Race will become too overwhelming for us to withstand, or perhaps in a few more years, the soul pool will dry up, and we will lose our Undying Bodies. Whichever scenario occurs, Xianyuan City will fall and then the Nine Provinces will be doomed!"

The Butcher's expression grew solemn.

As cultivators of Xianyuan City, having defended this place for thousands of years, they knew much more about the secrets of the Divine Sea Realm than those of the Nine Provinces.

The safety of Xianyuan City was not just a concern for Xianyuan City alone; it was interlinked with the entire Nine Provinces.

Perhaps the cultivators of the Nine Provinces have never known that in such a place, numerous Spiritual Bodies have been struggling against the Insect Race to protect the safety of the Nine Provinces for thousands of years.

Even if someone were to tell them about this now, it's likely no one would believe it, as such truths seem somewhat absurd.

As for the increasing numbers of the Insect Race the City Lord mentioned, it was inevitably because the insect hive had begun to devour external forces, which was not a good sign. If the connection between the insect hive and the outside reaches a certain strength, the already imperfect defenses will inevitably develop even larger flaws, leading to unimaginable consequences.

And the soul pool...

Despite the immense energy in the soul pool, for thousands of years, the continuous resurrection of Xianyuan City's Spiritual Bodies has been depleting the power of the soul pool. One day, the power of the soul pool will be exhausted, and then the Spiritual Bodies of Xianyuan City will lose their immortal nature.

All signs indicate that time is indeed running out; this world needs someone who can turn the tide. But whether those chosen candidates can pass the final test is unknown.

After thousands of years of waiting without any results, who could still hope for a miracle?

For a moment, the Butcher felt disheartened.

"That kid has woken up!" the City Lord suddenly spoke.

"There's nothing serious, right?" the Butcher quickly asked.

"His Psyche Force is just severely depleted. What else could be wrong? As expected, this kid has started causing trouble again!" the City Lord suddenly felt an itch in his teeth.

The Butcher blurted out, "Is he stealing Soul Cleansing Water?"

Soul Cleansing Water, a substance that could only be found in the soul pool throughout the entire Nine Provinces, had been known to the Butcher when Lu Ye had given him half a bottle previously.

"Hmph!" the City Lord snorted coldly and turned to look at the Butcher, "You decide what to do! He's not a native of Xianyuan City, and by right, he shouldn't have access to the soul pool. Last time, I made an exception for him to help you guys out of a bind. This time, it's because you said he was drafted into your squad that I let him enter the soul pool to recuperate. Now he does something so shameless, tell me, should I just slap him dead, or should I slap him dead one slap at a time?"

The Butcher forced a smile, "In the tasks of our squad, he did indeed help us complete them, and after we were all wiped out, he fought on his own to the point of utter exhaustion. Having him as an auxiliary member of the squad is not a problem."

When the Butcher had brought Lu Ye back previously, the City Lord had indeed been shocked, as he hadn't expected Lu Ye to enter Xianyuan City at such a time.

Later, he learned from the Butcher how Lu Ye had entered Xianyuan City.

This was also the reason why the City Lord was convinced that Lu Ye was the chosen one.

If he were not the chosen one, how could he possibly have entered Xianyuan City in such a manner and at such a critical time as the Insect Race attacking the city!

Had he come at any other time, the whole of Xianyuan City would have been desolate, all Spiritual Bodies slumbering in the soul pool, and Lu Ye wouldn't have gained any benefits.

However, precisely because he came at such an opportune moment, despite fighting to the point of utter exhaustion, he thus obtained many benefits.

But as the City Lord had said, Lu Ye was not a cultivator of Xianyuan City, and logically speaking, shouldn't have entered the soul pool. It was the Butcher who took charge, drafting him into his own squad as an auxiliary member, which allowed the City Lord to turn a blind eye and let him enter the soul pool to recuperate his psyche.

But what the Butcher hadn't expected was that after Lu Ye awoke, he would immediately start 'stealing chickens and dogs'...

That made him somewhat embarrassed.

After hesitating for a moment, he said, "If you really want to kill him, go ahead and kill him!"

The City Lord coldly snorted, "You think I couldn't?"

The Butcher chuckled, "Since you think he's the chosen one, why not give him a chance? Maybe he really can make it to the end. Isn't the blind man always going on about cause and effect? We plant a cause today, perhaps tomorrow we may reap a fruit."

He was certain that the City Lord would not truly kill Lu Ye, and the City Lord himself probably harbored that thought, too; otherwise, he would have intervened the moment he noticed Lu Ye stealing the Soul Cleansing Water, instead of having this lengthy discussion with him.

Before becoming a Spiritual Body, although he was a butcher in the city, he was also a clever-minded man. How could he not see through the City Lord's intentions?

"Besides, it's just him alone; even if he steals some Soul Cleansing Water, it shouldn't reduce the foundation of the soul pool too much... I guess."

The City Lord, staring at the Soul Cleansing Pool, his eye twitching incessantly, said, "If you knew what he's capable of, you wouldn't say that!"

Ordinary cultivators who enter the soul pool, even if they have the means to condense soul water, ultimately gain little, but what has that kid below done? He has actually created a huge funnel, with endless soul mist pouring into it, quickly condensing into soul water.

He even saw Lu Ye create a waterskin, placing it beneath that giant funnel, clearly intending to fill it completely!

That's too much!

Even for someone like the City Lord, who had lived for thousands of years as a strong cultivator of the Divine Sea Realm, it was hard not to panic at this moment.

If things continue this way, the foundation of the soul pool will definitely be reduced considerably. The soul pool is already not expected to last much longer; once the foundation is diminished, the duration it can maintain will only be shorter!

The Butcher thought for a moment and said, "However, we can't let him benefit from the Soul Cleansing Water for nothing. He must have earned quite a bit of battle merit by killing the Insect Race this time, my lord. You could allow him to use his battle merit to obtain the corresponding amount of Soul Cleansing Water."

The City Lord, who was hesitant about whether to stop Lu Ye, upon hearing this, nodded and said, "Good idea!" He then asked worriedly, "How much battle merit has he earned this time?"

"I'm not sure, but at least a few tens of thousands."

Considering the number of Insect Race Lu Ye had killed before and after, he should certainly have that much battle merit.

But what the Butcher didn't know was that Lu Ye's battle merits numbered not just tens of thousands, but over three hundred thousand!