Sage of Humanity

After a brief exchange, Li Baxian learned about Lu Ye's upcoming plans.

As someone adept in the Array Path, it was only natural for his younger apprentice brother to head to the Hundred Arrays Pagoda for further study. Indeed, in the Nine Provinces cultivation world, any array cultivator in the Cloud River Realm would try by all means to visit the Hundred Arrays Pagoda.

Especially those from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge.

The first part of the Hundred Arrays Pagoda is located within the Tianyan Sect in Wuzhou and is their sect-guarding treasure. They have no way to enter it, but the section located in the Cloud River battlefield belongs to no one.

Once Li Baxian was aware of Lu Ye's plans, he didn't say much, only reminding him to be careful.

After ending the transmission, Lu Ye continued on his way.

Halfway through the day, as Lu Ye was controlling his flight, his battlefield marking suddenly received a message.

He hastily checked it and found that it was his Fourth Senior Brother contacting him again.

This was rather unusual. His Fourth Senior Brother generally wouldn't disturb him so frequently.

"Little junior brother, I asked around about the Hundred Arrays Pagoda, and the situation there is a bit complex. Let me explain to you," he said.

A string of messages followed right after.

Reading these messages, a warm feeling flowed through Lu Ye's heart, feeling the concern from his Fourth Senior Brother.

In fact, the information Li Baxian had sent was already known to him. Having been in the Cloud River battlefield for so long, even though he hadn't set out for the Hundred Arrays Pagoda yet, he had still paid attention to news about it.

After all, one day he would make his way there, and it was always wise to prepare in advance.

Just as his Fourth Senior Brother had said, the situation at the Hundred Arrays Pagoda was indeed complex, and if one were to blunder into it without any knowledge, one could likely suffer a loss.

Especially a while ago at the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union, he had specifically purchased a document detailing the Hundred Arrays Pagoda, which was much more comprehensive compared to the information Li Baxian had hastily gathered. That document even included many experiences and a summary of the lessons learned by those array cultivators who had braved the Hundred Arrays Pagoda.

For this, Lu Ye had spent a considerable number of Spirit Stones, but of course, being wealthy as he was, he didn't care about Spirit Stones, as they were all just spoils of war.

But he didn't point this out. After Li Baxian had finished sharing all the intelligence he had, he cautioned once more, "With your abilities, you will definitely reap many benefits in the Hundred Arrays Pagoda, but you must not be greedy or rash. Your cultivation is still low, and even if you face any setbacks inside, there's no rush to explore further until your cultivation is higher in the future."

"I understand, Fourth Senior Brother. Don't worry," Lu Ye replied.

A short while later, Lu Ye finished his transmission with Li Baxian and continued on his journey.

Seated in front of Lu Ye on the spirit ark, Yiyi, who seemed to have noticed something, looked back and smiled, "Did Fourth Senior Brother look for you?" Although Lu Ye had exchanged marking imprints with many cultivators, it was rare for him to communicate with someone for such a long time.

Lu Ye nodded, "Yes, he was inquiring about some news on the Hundred Arrays Pagoda for me."

Yiyi expressed understanding, "Fourth Senior Brother must be very worried about you."

Lu Ye was well aware of this. He had chosen to leave Great Reversal Valley alone to lure away the attacking Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, likely causing Li Baxian to feel as though they had been a burden to him.

But in reality, that wasn't the case. He had already been targeted, and even if he could temporarily flee back to the Nine Provinces and maintain a moment's peace, what purpose would that serve?

Unless he could always hide within the Nine Provinces sect headquarters and not enter the Cloud River battlefield.

For him, this was indeed a choice. After all, with his method of cultivation, relying on consuming elixir pills would suffice. While his cultivation speed within the sect headquarters wouldn't be the quickest, it wouldn't be too slow either, maintaining an average level.

But Lu Ye was not satisfied. He cultivated peacefully on his own spirit ground without provoking or harming anyone, yet someone from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge repeatedly sought him out.

Thus, he could only strike back.

Securing the spirit ground to provide Li Baxian and Giant Armor with a peaceful cultivation environment was just a convenient action, not the main reason.

As it turned out, "there's no fat horse in a field without grass."

It was precisely because he had left Great Reversal Valley that he achieved the shocking battle accomplishments of poisoning and killing two thousand Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators in the mine, enabling him to acquire so many spoils of war and consequently causing changes to the Breath Fruit Core.

He then entered Xianyuan City, taking out a large amount of soul water, which filled him with confidence for his journey to the Hundred Arrays Pagoda.

While staying in the Nine Provinces sect headquarters was safe, where would he find so many opportunities and benefits?

Pitting his wits and bravery against the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators was indeed more exhausting and dangerous, but the advantages gained were evident.

"So, Lu Ye, you must become stronger quickly, and not let those who care about you worry too much," she said.

Lu Ye smiled, "I will be soon!"

By now, he had reached a level where he could kill Level 8 Realm cultivators. If his cultivation could improve a bit more, Level 9 Realm would also be within his grasp. By then, although the Cloud River battlefield was vast, there wouldn't be many who posed a threat to his life.

Suddenly, several days flashed by.

As a city with distinct structures came into view, Lu Ye knew that he had reached his destination.

Hundred Arrays City.

Within the entire Cloud River battlefield, it's rare for a city to have its own name.

Most of the cities within the battlefield are named after Heaven's Augury City, distinguished by various numbers, but there are some exceptions that have their own unique names.

The name Hundred Arrays City is obviously derived from the Hundred Arrays Pagoda.

The two are not far apart, merely about thirty miles, which means nothing to Cloud River Realm cultivators. Many array cultivators live in Hundred Arrays City all year round, periodically visiting the Hundred Arrays Pagoda to study the Array Path.

In the beginning, there was no city here.

But due to the Hundred Arrays Pagoda, many cultivators would gather from all over the battlefield to this place.

The array cultivator faction, though not particularly large, is still significant compared to niche factions like Beast Taming and cover armoring.

After all, every sect has some array cultivators responsible for array setup and maintenance.

And then there are the numerous independent cultivators without sect affiliation, among whom are also those who practice the Array Path.

Thus, the number of array cultivators in the Nine Provinces is quite substantial.

With so many array cultivators gathering at the site of the Hundred Arrays Pagoda, it naturally brought enough popularity to the area, and wherever people gather, a scale will gradually form. Thus, Hundred Arrays City emerged as a natural consequence.

Once the city reached a certain size, even Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union established a presence there.

It can be said that Hundred Arrays City is almost a city with the primary purpose of serving array cultivators, with eighty percent of everything in the city related to the Array Path.

The reason why the Hundred Arrays Pagoda is located thirty miles away from the city and not within it has its reasons.

Many array cultivators spend long periods outside the Hundred Arrays Pagoda, exchanging knowledge and techniques with their peers, or taking advantage of the pagoda's resonance when someone challenges it, gaining some enlightenment and benefits.

Thus, it is not suitable for the area near the Hundred Arrays Pagoda to be too lively. Consequently, the formation of Hundred Arrays City naturally did not center around the pagoda, as array cultivators would not agree to that.

Lu Ye's destination was not Hundred Arrays City, so naturally, he didn't need to enter the city.

However, if he wanted to go to the Hundred Arrays Pagoda, he still had to follow some rules.

As for who set these rules, it's impossible to verify, as they are traditions passed down by generations of array cultivators... Of course, if one really has the ability, these rules can be ignored, but that would ultimately complicate matters.

So upon seeing Hundred Arrays City, Lu Ye's gaze moved beyond the city to look at a broken pagoda thirty miles away.

He had visited the Tianyan Sect and seen the first part of the Hundred Arrays Pagoda; now, looking at the second part, it seemed to fit perfectly with the first. If someone could take this part out of the Cloud River battleground and place it within Tianyan Sect, it would certainly restore sixty to seventy percent of the pagoda's splendor.

Unfortunately, no one has been able to do so since ancient times.

The second part of the Hundred Arrays Pagoda is the middle section, with no base or top. At first glance, it appears disjointed, but clearly bears the marks of weathering over the years, with the entire body of the pagoda simple and unadorned.

Lu Ye traveled by weapon control, descending ten miles outside Hundred Arrays City. Looking around, there was nothing but a few crooked trees.

The branches of those trees twisted and intertwined, faintly forming an arch-like space. If one stood in front of that arch-shaped space and looked straight ahead, they would be able to see the Hundred Arrays Pagoda clearly.

This arch formed by the entangled branches seemed like a gateway to the Hundred Arrays Pagoda.

Indeed, that was the case.

Passing through the location of these branches and heading straight ahead, one could safely reach the Hundred Arrays Pagoda. Any deviation along the way would not be pleasant.

Because within a thirty-mile radius centered on the Hundred Arrays Pagoda, there is no absolutely safe place.

Those areas are filled with various Formations left behind by cultivators from different eras. Those seemingly insignificant locations could hide fatal traps.

Generation after generation of array cultivators has studied the Array Path here, with almost everyone gaining something, and sometimes they would spar with others... Sparring between array cultivators is nothing more than setting up and breaking arrays, with many Formations remaining as a result.

Some might also have other motives, intentionally setting up arrays in certain places, leaving puzzles for later array cultivators to solve.

Thus, passed down from generation to generation, the range within thirty miles of the Hundred Arrays Pagoda is riddled with countless hidden Formations, where taking a few steps could trigger an array.

This is also why Lu Ye was willing to follow the rules.

He could certainly fly directly to the Hundred Arrays Pagoda from any direction, but who knows if he would encounter a Great Sky Prohibition Array. If he did, he would definitely fall down, after which progressing further would require breaking through one array after another.

This situation is not unheard of. There have been instances of arrogant array cultivators who didn't take the usual path, only to fall outside the Hundred Arrays Pagoda and ultimately, even their bones could not be found.

At this level of the Cloud River Realm, Lu Ye believed that no one could surpass him in the Array Path domain, but that does not mean he could take all arrays lightly.

Some arrays have existed for a long time, accumulating spirit force over the years. Even some common arrays can be exceedingly formidable once triggered.