Sage of Humanity
Chapter 867 - 865: Cangyan Mountain Pass

The bright yellow light corresponded exactly to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In this way, when Bingzhou guards with different ranks encounter each other in the wild, they can quickly determine each other's rank by showing their guard tokens. This is beneficial for quickly gathering and coordinating actions during emergencies.

This item must be kept close to the body and cannot be placed in a storage sack because many orders for Bingzhou guards are issued through these tokens. If placed in a storage sack, communication would be impossible.

This operates on the same principle as an audio transmission stone.

Just as Lu Ye was about to tuck the guard token into his sleeve, he suddenly had a feeling and quickly immersed his mind.

A message appeared in the token.

The message was simple, instructing him to report to the Cangyan Mountain Pass within three days.

Lu Ye frowned. This order seemed somewhat strange because new guards like him typically went to one of the twelve major checkpoints first and then were assigned to a subordinate mountain pass from there.

To be instructed directly to bypass the main checkpoint and report to a pass was quite unusual.

However, he didn't think much of it. Now that he had joined the Bingzhou guard, he had only one thing to do: follow orders.

The order required him to reach the Cangyan Mountain Pass within three days, so he had to arrive within that time frame. If he exceeded the limit, he would be subject to military law.

He took out the ten-part map, found the location of the Cangyan Mountain Pass, which wasn't far from Haotian City, and determined that he could reach it within a day given his speed.

The three-day limit was generous, so there was no rush to set out.

It was already dark, so resting for the night before departing wouldn't be too late.

Haotian City had many vacant rooms available for cultivators to rest, and these rooms were free of charge. Any Bingzhou guard could select a room by using their token.

Lu Ye found an empty room nearby, opened the restriction with his token, and walked in.

The room was small and simply furnished, but more than sufficient for one person's rest.

After a night of rest, Lu Ye felt refreshed and set out at dawn, heading straight towards the Cangyan Mountain Pass as indicated by the map.

The journey was uneventful, save for a few encounters with patrols. Lu Ye showed his token and passed without issue.

As night was about to fall, a range of mountains appeared on the horizon, and the area around him felt unusually hot.

This was the Cangyan Mountain, stretching for thousands of miles, with the Cangyan Mountain Pass situated within.

Following the map's guidance, Lu Ye soon found the specific location of the Cangyan Mountain Pass.

The large pass resembled a mountain fortress from afar, with towering walls and many defensive structures visible upon them. Though its defenses were not as formidable as those of Haotian City, if the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge launched an attack from here, these fortifications would be crucial.

However, Lu Ye was puzzled by the fact that he didn't see anyone on the walls, and the fortress showed no signs of a protective formation being in place.

Something was definitely amiss.

Lu Ye's heart sank. He instinctively felt that the pass might have been silently taken over by the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. Otherwise, how could such a large pass be void of human presence?

He quickly activated his spirit force to conceal himself and put Amber into the spirit beast sack, silently advancing forward.

The closer he got, the more confused he became.

There were no signs of a battle, nor any hints of blood. The buildings all felt old and dilapidated.

Entering the fortress, he explored building after building, finding many of them covered in dust.

This certainly indicated that the place had been uninhabited for a long time.

What was going on with the Cangyan Mountain Pass? Lu Ye was completely bewildered.

Could he really be the only living person here? Or perhaps other Bingzhou guards were on their way?

As he pondered these questions, he suddenly felt a presence and turned to see a figure standing silently on the roof of a nearby building, framed by the round moon hanging high in the sky, with cold moonlight casting a surreal glow.

Lu Ye's eyes narrowed.

The person had a pair of beautiful eyes staring straight at him, completely ignoring his attempts at concealment.

Cold sweat formed on his forehead, and he tightened his grip on the Boulder Mountain Saber, not daring to make a rash move.

The person's capabilities were indiscernible, but someone who could see through his camouflage was likely a strong cultivator in the Divine Sea Realm.

Whether friend or foe remained undetermined.

"Why are you sneaking around... Looking for something?" the woman suddenly spoke, her voice cold as ice, like the frosty moonlight above.

She probably wasn't an enemy, Lu Ye thought. If she were, she would have attacked by now.

Since she wasn't an enemy, she must be the local Bingzhou guard in command.

With this in mind, Lu Ye revealed himself and saluted, "New Bingzhou guard, Lu Ye, reporting for duty!"

"Hmm," the woman responded casually, raising her hand. The token Lu Ye had kept close flew out and landed in her grasp. After a brief moment, she tossed it back to him.

"Alright," she said lightly, "From this moment on, you're part of the Cangyan Mountain Pass."

Lu Ye quickly checked his battlefield marking and found that it had indeed updated.

Under the identity section, where it previously only identified him as a disciple of the Righteous Blood Sect, there was now an additional line.

Cangyan Mountain Pass Base Lieutenant Colonel of Big Moon Checkpoint.

Cangyan Mountain Pass was under Big Moon Checkpoint, one of its many subordinate passes. Lieutenant Colonel was Lu Ye's rank, while the title "Base" indicated his military position.

From these details, Lu Ye understood that the woman was indeed in charge and held significant authority at the Cangyan Mountain Pass.

"May I ask, esteemed...?"

"In the guard, there are no seniors or juniors, only superiors and subordinates. You can call me 'Sir' or refer to me as the Mountain Pass Chief or Major General, whichever you prefer. Just don't call me senior," the woman replied.

Mountain Pass Chief was clearly her position, and Major General was her rank.

At that moment, Lu Ye realized that this woman was indeed the chief of the Cangyan Mountain Pass.

"I understand you're puzzled. Don't bother looking; it's just you and me here," she said.

Lu Ye was stunned.

While not entirely familiar with the front-line situation, he had heard his Second Senior Sister mention that Bingzhou's twelve major checkpoints each had many subordinate passes guarded by numerous cultivators.

What was going on with the Cangyan Mountain Pass? How could there be only two of them, including himself, with only the chief here before he arrived? he wondered.

"Find yourself a place to stay. There aren't many battles here, so you can do as you please. If you need anything, you can contact me through the guard token, but try not to disturb me unnecessarily," the woman said before floating away.

"May I ask your name, Sir?" Lu Ye called out.

Far off in the distance, a cold voice answered, "Nian Yuexian!"

Lu Ye memorized the name.

Even as Nian Yuexian disappeared, Lu Ye was still a bit dazed.

This situation was quite different from what he had imagined.

He had thought that upon joining the Bingzhou guard, he would interact with cultivators from various sects and fight against the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge here.

But now, the Cangyan Mountain Pass had only him and Nian Yuexian, with no sign of any other Bingzhou guards.

Did Bingzhou have such peculiar passes? he wondered.

With nothing else to do upon arrival, he decided to find a place to stay first.

Fortunately, the fortress was large with many buildings. Though many were in disrepair, some were still habitable.

Lu Ye found a decent-looking room, cleaned it up, and settled in.

He spent the night without incident.

The next day, Lu Ye went to a nearby spirit mountaintop and gazed around, feeling lost.

Even though this was the front line between two opposing factions, it gave off a strangely peaceful vibe.

Having fought in the Spirit Stream battlefield and the Cloud River battlefield, Lu Ye was used to the constant tension of battling the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge.

But arriving at this seemingly tranquil place left him at a loss.

He decided to build himself a residence first.

The fortress felt vast and empty with just him, so he figured it would be better to build a bamboo house on a nearby spirit mountaintop.

Having built bamboo houses before, Lu Ye quickly got to work and by midday had constructed a three-story bamboo house.

He set up numerous arrays around the house for protection before considering the job done.

Having a place to live, he now needed something to do. As a Bingzhou guard, he naturally wanted to serve Bingzhou well, so he attempted to contact Nian Yuexian to see if she had any tasks for him.

However, he received no response—Nian Yuexian was nowhere to be found.

Given her attitude before, Lu Ye realized she probably didn't want to be bothered.

With nothing else to do, he decided to focus on his cultivation.

Close to advancing to the True Lake Realm and with plenty of gold-hued spirit fortune sticks, he would have already advanced if not for the orders from Haotian City.

Cultivators must prioritize their cultivation, for higher realms made everything easier.

On the third floor of his bamboo house, Lu Ye sat cross-legged. Yiyi was beside him.

He began forming a small spirit energy gathering funnel, crushing a gold-hued spirit fortune stick.

Rich spirit force immediately emerged, which Lu Ye absorbed, continually enhancing his cultivation as a Cloud River Level 9 cultivator.

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