Sage of Humanity
Chapter 924 - 922: A Slip in a Well-Laid Plan

The dark passage was enveloped in silence, and since stepping into it, the continuous crises had dissipated completely.

Lu Ye leaned against the cave wall, with Nian Yuexian nestled in his embrace, both hurriedly deploying their techniques to recover their energies.

The crunching sound was startlingly out of place in this silent atmosphere.

Nian Yuexian initially paid it little mind but soon realized something was amiss, as the sound was not like chewing on spirit force pills. A quick scan with her Mental Consciousness revealed an expression of surprise.

Because she discovered Lu Ye was actually eating a demonic pill!

"Are you alright?"

How could someone eat a demonic pill? Though quite experienced herself, such a matter was unheard of; a demonic pill indeed contains vast energy, but it is the essence of a demon beast's cultivation, impure and chaotic to a cultivator. Even if it could be refined and absorbed, it would render one's spirit force exceedingly murky.

"I'm fine!" Lu Ye responded casually, continuing to eat the demonic pill, while a large amount of gray mist arose from his Talent Tree, rapidly restoring his nearly depleted spirit force.

Nian Yuexian asked no further, though curious about Lu Ye's actions, clearly was not the time to investigate such matters. It would be best to inquire further later.

They continued to recover and meditate.

Borrowing the massive vitality within Lu Ye's body, along with Nian Yuexian's own foundation of the Divine Sea Realm, her injuries were rapidly healing.

Only the blood-stained garment couldn't be changed for the time being.

But such matters were minor, with no hindrance.

As the two recovered and meditated, Ying Wuji remained silent and hidden nearby. This journey had been forced upon him, so whatever happens next was irrelevant to him; his sole task was to ensure his own survival and, once all was concluded, quickly part ways with Lu Ye.

Time trickled away.

Four hours later, Nian Yuexian spoke, "Let's go."

The recovery was almost complete, and her injuries had greatly improved, no longer affecting her ability to perform.

As she stood up, she moved out from Lu Ye's embrace, yet their hands remained intertwined.

No one knew if danger lay ahead; the Twin Flying Phoenixes continued to exert their effect, allowing her to draw strength from Lu Ye whenever needed.

They moved forward, after a short while, a glow suddenly appeared in view.

The glow was abrupt to the extreme; until reaching a certain zone, none of the three had noticed a trace, appearing the moment they crossed that particular spot.

Following the direction from which the light emanated, they advanced about a hundred yards and reached the passage's end.

The end led to an unsettling Abyss below, its depth unknown, where the profound darkness seemed capable of devouring everything.

Ahead lay a stone bridge, not wide, accommodating only three abreast.

And at the stone bridge's end stood an abrupt stone pillar, rising vertically from within the Abyss, its root depth unknown.

Reaching here, all three showed expressions of amazement.

Surrounding the stone platform, numerous swords moved about like a school of fish swimming ceaselessly, each sword's body clearly a flying sword of excellent quality.

Their quantity was difficult to estimate.

Such a massive batch of flying swords, also of considerable quality, would be substantial wealth if taken out.

Ying Wuji watched, feeling restless, but ultimately sighed internally.

With someone like Nian Yuexian from the Divine Sea Realm present, no good thing here would be his share. Turning away, he decided not to look to avoid the heartache.

Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian's gaze, however, didn't dwell on these numerous flying swords but fixed upon the stone platform.

Right in the center of the stone platform, a cutlass approximately two feet long lay slanted, though its time there remained unknown, its surface was smooth as a mirror, with dazzling light.

When gazing upon it, a piercingly cold Sword Intent was immediately felt, as if it aimed to sever even the ethereal eyesight!

The light that three had seen in the passage previously was unleashed by this cutlass.

Nian Yuexian guessed correctly; fine-quality flying swords indeed existed here, but not one, many; yet comparatively, the cutlass on the stone platform was the most excellent in quality.

Lu Ye was unsure of the cutlass's grade, but given the current information, this cutlass surely surpassed the spirit treasure level.

If Nian Yuexian were to obtain such an item, the threat she posed would be terrifying.

This cutlass could serve both as a flying sword and a weapon for a Ghost Cultivator; acquiring it would considerably strengthen Nian Yuexian, thus putting Wan Zhanggang's life in jeopardy.

"There's an array," Nian Yuexian's gaze didn't remain on the two-foot cutlass, surveying the surroundings, she immediately made the assessment.

Lu Ye's cultivation in the Array Path, although surpassing many in the same realm, was still somewhat behind Nian Yuexian; only after her hint, did he notice some subtleties.

The realization struck.

Likely when the three entered the passage, the array's power here was triggered, hence the endless Sword Qi slashes emanated.

It was not merely a hindrance, more like a trial.

Who left these flying swords and this cutlass here? Who set up the array?

What purpose does this trial serve?

While Lu Ye pondered deeply, Nian Yuexian led him forward, hand in hand.

"I'll wait for you here!" Ying Wuji quickly shouted.

Though the treasure was tempting, it wasn't meant for him; risking his life was not worth it. Waiting here quietly was the best choice for him.

Nian Yuexian ignored him, not because she trusted Ying Wuji, but because right under her nose, there was nothing he could do.

Nian Yuexian walked very slowly, continuously casting array banners into the surrounding void as she moved.

To reach that stone platform safely and retrieve that dirk, she had to break the Formation here.

Although the Formation here was extremely sophisticated, it had been here for countless years, so Nian Yuexian could still discern some clues and flaws. Breaking the array was not difficult for her.

Lu Ye did not intervene, simply activating the Insight Spirit Runes and observing silently, learning Nian Yuexian's array breaking techniques.

Layer after layer of Formations were dismantled, and although the stone bridge was only about thirty zhang long, it took Nian Yuexian and Lu Ye almost two hours to cross it.

Finally, they arrived on the stone platform.

Clang...

The dirk embedded in the stone platform trembled lightly, emitting a clear and melodious sword hum, as if sentient, joyfully anticipating its new master.

Nian Yuexian did not act hastily but continued to observe all around, trying to see if there were any hidden Formations.

Lu Ye also used the Insight Spirit Runes to inspect.

Moments later, Nian Yuexian released Lu Ye's hand and said, "Step back."

Lu Ye hesitated slightly, then drifted backward, quickly landing beside Ying Wuji.

Ying Wuji whispered, "Lu Yiye, that dirk... what quality is it?"

From such a distance, he couldn't clearly sense it. Even though he knew the good stuff here wasn't meant for him, he still wanted to know the details of that dirk.

But as expected, there was no response from Lu Ye, whose eyes remained fixed on Nian Yuexian with unwavering focus.

On the stone platform, Nian Yuexian had already raised her hand to grasp the dirk's hilt.

The next moment, accompanied by a clang, the dirk was pulled out.

She immediately watched all around warily, but all was silent, without the slightest anomaly.

The treasure... was in hand!

Just as Nian Yuexian was about to retreat happily, her expression suddenly changed. Before her, without any warning, a vortex appeared eerily. More shockingly, an uncontrollable force surged from the dirk in her hand.

Instantly, it enveloped her entire body. Despite being a cultivator of the Divine Sea Realm, she found her spirit force scattered by this impact, leaving her unstable.

She had been guarding against hidden traps in the surroundings, as obtaining such a treasure seemed too easy.

But ultimately, she had overlooked one thing: the trap was not in the environment, but within the dirk itself.

It could even be said that the preceding Formations she had broken were just illusions to confuse her.

With immense devouring force emanating from the vortex, her body fell uncontrollably into it. She felt something, and swiftly turned her head, only to see Lu Ye dashing towards her like lightning from the other end of the stone bridge, extending a hand towards her with urgency.

"Don't come!" Nian Yuexian shouted sternly.

But the next moment, Lu Ye had already arrived in front of her. Nian Yuexian gritted her teeth and quickly reached out to grab Lu Ye's hand.

Lu Ye, standing firmly on the stone platform, used both hands to grip Nian Yuexian's arm, channeling all his strength to try and pull her out of the vortex.

However, there was no movement!

By now, most of Nian Yuexian's body had been consumed by the vortex. If he hadn't arrived in time, she would have vanished without a trace.

He had no idea what lay within the vortex, but this sudden turn of events was clearly no good thing.

At that moment, a chaotic clanging sounded, accompanied by a strange cry from Ying Wuji.

Lu Ye turned to look, only to see Ying Wuji running rapidly towards him.

He wasn't coming to lend a helping hand but was being pursued by the flying sword that had once hovered near the stone platform like a fish.

The icy killing intent forced him to flee in this direction.

In his flight for life, Ying Wuji's speed was extraordinary, reaching Lu Ye in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the overwhelming sword light behind Ying Wuji, Lu Ye sighed inwardly, stopped exerting force, and instead plunged directly into the vortex.

He couldn't see what was inside the vortex, but if he didn't dive inside, he and Ying Wuji would most likely end up in dire straits.

Without Lu Ye's pull, Nian Yuexian's form quickly vanished into the vortex.

As she disappeared, Lu Ye saw the regret in her eyes, and then a soft body clung to him as everything spun around.

After Nian Yuexian and Lu Ye disappeared one after the other into the vortex, Ying Wuji followed suit.

Numerous sword lights trailed closely behind, vanishing without a trace.

Moments later, everything had settled, leaving only the stone bridge and the empty stone platform behind.

Endless darkness prevailed.

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