Sage of Humanity
Chapter 884 - 882: Being Targeted

The volcano erupted, and the Fire Spirit Tribe came out in full force. With such a grand momentum, how could Nian Yuexian, as a Divine Sea Realm cultivator, possibly not notice?

Chasing all the way to this place, she hid within Gushan City, quietly watching the situation change.

She knew well enough that Wan Zhanggang was aware of her presence here, so he intentionally put on such a pitiful facade to provoke her killing intent.

Over the years, she had infiltrated here many times trying to assassinate Wan Zhanggang, but never succeeded. The closest she had come was just severely injuring him.

Their hatred had spanned decades, and she had previously acted decisively at any slight opportunity. But today, though heaven seemed to bestow her a fortunate chance, she dared not act rashly.

Because she could sense that hidden danger.

An adept ghost cultivator not only needs to master the Path of Concealment and the Array Path but also have keen senses for crisis.

The first two allow a ghost cultivator to more easily ambush their target, but without the latter, no matter how strong, a ghost cultivator wouldn't live long.

Her senses for danger were extremely sharp.

Although she couldn't pinpoint the source of that faint sense of crisis, she understood one thing: if she acted now, there would be no good outcome.

Wan Zhanggang ordered the protective array at the mountain pass to be dismantled, firstly to preserve the array's integrity and minimize losses, and secondly to lure the enemy.

Compared to the obvious threat of the Fire Spirit Tribe, it was those hiding in the shadows waiting to strike, like her, that Wan Zhanggang was most wary of.

Wan Zhanggang could skillfully adapt to circumstances, truly cunning, but she was no fool either.

After waiting a while and sensing no killing intent, Wan Zhanggang sighed, realizing his plan had failed.

That woman's vigilance was beyond imagination. Though he saw no flaw in his actions, she still remained hidden, waiting for an opportunity, and he had no good solution for this.

Slowly standing up, he looked up at the battlefield in the sky, seeing Tan Yaoniang fiercely battling the Divine Sea Realm Fire Spirit Tribe cultivator. With a slight crouch, he shot into the sky, the ground shattering below him, and he joined the battle instantly.

With two Divine Sea Realm cultivators joining forces, the strongest of the Fire Spirit Tribe quickly fell to a disadvantage. Yet, even so, killing him wasn't easy for Wan Zhanggang and Tan Yaoniang.

Spirit force surged, soul power overflowed, and the three figures clashed and intertwined in the air. Even the aftermath was terrifyingly powerful.

Divine Sea Realm cultivators had their battlefield, and others had theirs.

When the protective array at Gushan City Pass was dismantled, a large number of Fire Spirit Tribe members rushed into the pass. The Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators didn't defend the walls against the invaders since that would cause greater casualties. They chose to open gaps to let the Fire Spirit Tribe into the city, reducing defensive pressure while also allowing the city's cultivators to utilize tactical advantages.

Gushan City Pass instantly plunged into chaos.

Lu Ye was also fighting, cooperating with Ying Wuji and a group of nearby Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, their blades flashing continuously.

But as they fought, both of them realized something was wrong.

The number of Fire Spirit Tribe members gathering around them showed no sign of decreasing; instead, more and more kept coming.

The Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators cooperating with them were under immense pressure and fell one by one. In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, there was no one left around them but each other.

"Lu... Brother Niu, what's going on?" Ying Wuji was puzzled, taking a brief moment to glance around. No other position was facing such fierce attacks.

It was as if the Fire Spirit Tribe was fixated on the two of them.

Lu Ye also had no idea what had gone wrong, but it definitely had to do with their entering that underground cave. Otherwise, such a situation wouldn't make sense.

But all they did in the underground cave was collect some fire spirit stones and items carved from fire spirit stones, nothing particularly notable.

Or perhaps... it was related to that stone platform under the volcano?

That platform had the ability to test talents, but its primary purpose should've been to open the gateway to the underground cave. Everyone had tried using the platform to test their talents; if not for that, Lu Ye wouldn't have accidentally opened the gateway.

It was a puzzling situation, but being targeted by the Fire Spirit Tribe was an undeniable fact.

"Spread out!" Lu Ye wasn't sure if the problem was with himself, Ying Wuji, or both.

If the problem was with Ying Wuji, there was no reason for him to stay and suffer alongside him.

As soon as he finished speaking, he ruthlessly charged forward, slashing a path through the Fire Spirit Tribe.

"You bastard!" Ying Wuji cursed angrily, not expecting Lu Ye to act in such a manner, seemingly using him as bait.

Fortunately, Ying Wuji had strong foundations and reacted quickly. Seeing Lu Ye charge out, he also rushed in another direction. He faced numerous attacks along the way, his spirit force disrupted and blood Qi shaken.

The problem wasn't solely with Ying Wuji, or not entirely with him.

Even after separating, a large number of Fire Spirit Tribe members continued to chase Lu Ye. It confirmed that anyone who entered that cave was targeted, impacting both him and Ying Wuji.

But extracting some fire spirit stones shouldn't have provoked such a vengeful response from the Fire Spirit Tribe.

Then again, these Fire Spirit Tribe members appeared irrational. Their behavior couldn't be assessed by normal logic.

Like this battle: if the Divine Sea Realm Fire Spirit Tribe cultivator had any sense left, they would've ordered a retreat long ago.

Lu Ye didn't know what normal Fire Spirit Tribe members were like, but this group was clearly abnormal.

The city was in chaos, with many cultivators engaging the Fire Spirit Tribe. Lu Ye moved swiftly, never lingering too long in one place to avoid being surrounded.

This wandering approach allowed him to persevere despite the danger.

In such a battlefield, True Lake Realm cultivators had a higher survival rate. The highest casualties were among the Cloud River Realm cultivators, while the Spirit Stream Realm cultivators, just there to gain battle merits and experience, were only useful in small groups, avoiding becoming a burden.

The Boulder Mountain Saber's blade was wreathed in fire, enhanced by Double-Sharpness spirit runes. The heavy, pitch-black saber became incredibly sharp, slicing through Fire Spirit Tribe members one after another.

Suddenly, his heart was struck with a sense of alarm, a massive threat approaching.

When Lu Ye looked ahead, he saw a fierce Fire Spirit Tribe member charging at him, eyes like torches and expression manic. The aura emanating from him was violent, unmistakably a True Lake Realm Fire Spirit Tribe member.

From the strength of his aura, he seemed to be at least True Lake Level 7.

Against such a formidable foe, Lu Ye had no intention of fighting head-on.

Having not long ascended to True Lake Realm, he hadn't yet fought other True Lake Realm cultivators and didn't know his limits. But he knew a True Lake Level 7 Fire Spirit member was beyond his capacity.

Previously, when encountering strong Fire Spirit Tribe members, he had led them to the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge True Lake cultivators.

The Ten Thousand Demons Ridge True Lake cultivators were considerate. Upon realizing he was only True Lake Level 1, they intercepted his pursuers without him having to call for help.

It saved him a lot of trouble.

As soon as Lu Ye noticed this strong Fire Spirit Tribe cultivator, the enemy was already close, punching fiercely at him.

Flames burned on the enemy's fist, scorching the void.

Lu Ye raised his saber to block the attack, but as the strike neared him, its force abruptly doubled.

The initially fierce aura of the opponent surged even more.

Lu Ye's pupils contracted.

This wasn't a Level 7; he was a Level 9 Fire Spirit member!

These Fire Spirit members might have lost their sanity, but their deep-rooted battle instincts remained. Feigning weakness to catch the enemy off guard was a common tactic in a fight.

By the time Lu Ye realized this, it was too late.

The Boulder Mountain Saber, held horizontally in front, buzzed with a harsh sound, the heavy blade bending under the tremendous force of the punch.

A newly formed Defense Spirit Rune on Lu Ye's chest shattered instantly.

The violent energy broke through the curved saber, slamming into his chest.

His blood Qi surged wildly, his heartbeat seemed to pause momentarily, and his body flew into the air like a broken kite.

In mid-air, several Fire Spirit members charged at him with ferocious grins.

Regaining stability, Lu Ye swung the Boulder Mountain Saber, cutting down the opportunistic Fire Spirit members.

Landing heavily, blood surged up his throat, and he couldn't hold back, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Just one punch almost severely injured him. If not for the Defense Spirit Rune absorbing part of the attack's power, he might not have survived.

But the danger was far from over.

As he landed, Lu Ye saw the powerful Fire Spirit member closing in again.

Facing such an adversary, fleeing with his back would mean certain death.

But confronting such a foe head-on, what were his chances of survival?

Though unorthodox, Lu Ye's only hope now was for the True Lake Realm cultivators of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge to quickly notice his predicament and come to his aid.

However, from what he sensed, he was already surrounded by Fire Spirit members, with no sign of any Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators.

This time... he was in real trouble!

He might have to use that precious item to save his life.

The pain of his injuries was less daunting compared to the heartache. That treasure was a special reward from Heaven's Augury when he returned from the Unparalleled Continent, worth a full two hundred thousand battle merits!

Using it here felt like such a waste.

Moreover, once he used it, it would draw everyone's attention, possibly exposing his identity.

Thus, unless it was a life-and-death crisis, he couldn't use it lightly.