Sage of Humanity

Chapter 244 242: Sky Supporting Sect's Vein

The Talent Tree offered numerous techniques for connections, from which Lu Ye greatly benefited.

His rapid progress in the study of the Path of Spirit Runes with Madam Yun was closely linked to the knowledge of these techniques he had received.

Initially, when he obtained these techniques, he didn't know how to use them, but after studying and observing with Madam Yun, Lu Ye slowly figured them out.

Two types of Sharpness could be connected using this special technique, thus unleashing stronger lethality.

In simple terms, the two connected Sharpness could be considered as two restrictions. It meant that the moment Lu Ye wielded his saber, two additional Sharpness-enhancing restrictions appeared on the Boulder Mountain Saber!

This allowed him to pierce directly through the robustly protected treasure armor. In the instant Lu Ye struck, all the spirit force clinging to the saber turned exceedingly sharp.

A stab passed through the chest, and Yuan Guang was not dead yet. He thrust his sword towards Lu Ye's face, but suddenly, a surge of spirit force erupted from his chest, followed by needle-like spirit force piercing through his body, turning him into a hedgehog.

Cactus!

This was a new Cactus Spirit Runes that Lu Ye had acquired after letting the Talent Tree devour ten portions of Earth's Core Fire a while ago. It had no other use; once formed, it would instantly produce spikes of spirit force based on the spirit runes, though they wouldn't last for too long.

Normally, this spirit rune was useless, but if it formed inside an enemy's body, the lethality was terrifying.

For any cultivator, even those wearing some protective Spiritual Artifacts, the inside of their bodies remained vulnerable.

In the past, even if Lu Ye stabbed someone, as long as it wasn't a critical hit, he generally couldn't kill them, but now it was different. A stab while activating the Cactus Spirit Runes could immediately riddle the enemy's body with holes, leaving them either dead or crippled!

It must be said, this was an extremely malicious spirit rune.

The spirit force spikes quickly disappeared after forming, as the Cactus Spirit Runes dissipated, but the wounds they left would not disappear.

Yuan Guang's Longsword stalled just before Lu Ye's eyes, unable to advance further.

When Lu Ye drew his sword, he kicked out, sending Yuan Guang flying.

Clang...

With its master no longer directing it, Yuan Guang's controlled weapon also fell, and Lu Ye reached out, retrieving his own two Spiritual Artifacts.

An intense feeling of rejection transmitted from the surroundings, and Lu Ye knew Yiyi was activating the Nine Worlds map.

Everything blurred before his eyes, and then he was standing in front of Yiyi, with Yuan Guang's corpse lying not far away.

Hao Ren looked at Lu Ye with a complex expression, his mouth moving as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how, falling silent for a moment.

It was Hao Qing who couldn't help but praise him, "Fellow Daoist Yiye, you really are... so amazing!" The somewhat trembling voice indicated that the praise was heartfelt.

The siblings had stood by Yiyi's side and watched that battle from beginning to end. Although the way the array diagram depicted the fight made it appear somewhat comical and completely failed to convey the deadly seriousness of the combat, the final result was Lu Ye killing Yuan Guang, whose body lay beside them, blood pooled all around.

Everyone knows that some top sect cultivators can kill enemies above their level, but overtaking one or two levels in cultivation was unheard of.

From Lu Ye's unscathed appearance, it seemed that he hadn't exerted his full strength in this fight.

This point, however, was where they were mistaken; Lu Ye hadn't held back at all in this fight. He used every method he should have used, but unfortunately, Yuan Guang's choices in the final moments were somewhat puzzling; otherwise, he wouldn't have died so quickly and could have at least fought Lu Ye for a while longer.

That he was unharmed was because Lu Ye had accumulated a lot of experience fighting cultivators in the Mirage Realm, thereby hardly making any mistakes – all thanks to the lessons from his repeated brushes with death.

For instance, the sword flashes Yuan Guang had unleashed, Lu Ye had encountered more than once in the Mirage Realm. Had he not gained experience there, he would have been flustered at first sight of such sword flashes.

In comparison, the Level 9 of the Mirage Realm was quite similar to the Level 9 of the real world in terms of strength.

With this in mind, Lu Ye looked at Yiyi, his eyes seeking her consent; Yiyi nodded lightly, indicating she was all right.

Using her strength to activate the Nine Worlds map was a bit of a stretch for her, but luckily she only needed to keep the map running, and the energy consumption was still bearable.

After this battle, Hao Ren and his sister undoubtedly had a new understanding of Lu Ye's strength and felt much more at ease. After all, they were in the territory of the Sky Supporting Sect, and they feared being discovered by a Level 9.

Now it seemed that if a Level 9 did come here, it was tantamount to delivering death.

As Lu Ye and Yiyi needed to recover, Hao Ren and his sister took the initiative to stand guard nearby.

Time passed, and night turned into day.

The fragrance of the Purple Cloud Flower became denser and the bud began to slowly bloom, finally reaching full maturity.

Hao Ren took out a hundred Spirit Stones and handed them to Lu Ye, then Hao Qing carefully picked the Purple Cloud Flower and placed it in a wooden box that had been prepared earlier.

With the silver exchanged and the transaction completed, it could be considered a pleasant cooperation. For Lu Ye, these hundred Spirit Stones were a windfall. Although not a large amount, it was enough for him and Amber to use for cultivation for a few days.

"Brother Yiye, earlier you asked about the location of the Sky Supporting Sect's mines, are you planning to go..." As Hao Ren spoke, he gestured across his neck with his hand.

"Does Brother Hao have any good advice?"

Hao Ren hurriedly waved his hand, "It's not advice I dare to offer, just that there are quite a few people there, and it might be too risky for Brother Yiye and your sister to go like this..." He didn't know how to continue; he wanted to say it was reckless but feared it would cause displeasure.

"I will adapt according to the situation."

Hao Ren said, "If you don't mind, how about my sister and I join you?" Had he not seen how Lu Ye killed Yuan Guang, Hao Ren would never have dared to make such a suggestion; but having witnessed firsthand that even Yuan Guang was no match for Lu Ye, Hao Ren felt this task might be feasible, just with some caution.

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, "That would naturally be for the best."

He was not surprised that the Hao siblings would join in. Since Silver Light Island bordered the Sky Supporting Sect, conflicts were inevitable, and the cultivators from Silver Light Island would certainly be pleased to see someone stirring trouble on the Sky Supporting Sect's side.

Lu Ye had not sought their alliance earlier primarily because they were not familiar with each other, and also because others might not be willing to take the risk.

However, since Hao Ren had brought it up, it was a different matter. Both siblings were Level 8 cultivators, and their power was not to be underestimated.

Through conversation, he learned that both siblings were ghost cultivators, adept at the Path of Concealment.

Only then did Lu Ye understand how they dared to venture into the territory of the Sky Supporting Sect in search of the Purple Cloud Flower—they were ghost cultivators.

Before reaching Level 7, ghost cultivators are similar to combat cultivators, but after reaching Level 7 and being able to communicate with the Netherworld, they can fully exploit the advantages of their sect. Among all the sects, physique cultivators have the strongest bodies, magic cultivators are skilled in magic and spells, combat cultivators are valiant, and healing cultivators heal wounds and save lives.

Ghost cultivators are hard to guard against because they are fast and specialize in assassination and concealment; their sect is also the most likely to defeat enemies of a higher level.

If one is approached by a ghost cultivator without notice, even if their cultivation level is higher than the attacker's, the outcome may still not be favorable.

Correspondingly, ghost cultivators are as fragile as magic cultivators and they can never cultivate magic and spells. Communicating with the Netherworld comes at a price, as the spirit force within a ghost cultivator is no longer pure; it is a strange power that grants them all sorts of incredible abilities.

Originally, Lu Ye's plan was to find where the Sky Supporting Sect's cultivators gathered and then find a way to lure them out. As a Level 7 cultivator from the Haotian Alliance, just by showing his face there, he was sure to attract attempts on his life.

In that case, he would fight one if one came, and if two came, he would take out both. If too many came, he would simply run away.

In any case, he would make it as troublesome as possible for them.

He was there for revenge, and had no intention of discussing righteousness or morality with his enemies.

Now with the Hao siblings joining him, it would be even more convenient to act. Luring snakes out of their holes always requires bait, and Level 8 ghost cultivators were undoubtedly suitable bait, especially since this bait came from Silver Light Island.

After discussing the plan, they finalized it.

The group of four headed in the direction of the Sky Supporting Sect's mines.

As Level 8 cultivators, they could barely manage weapon control-flying, but not to mention the spirit force consumed by flying, being so conspicuous in enemy territory was also inappropriate.

Thus, the four of them traveled swiftly by foot. Fortunately, the Sky Supporting Sect's mines were not too far from their location, about two hundred li away, just thirty li outside of the Sky Supporting Sect's station.

Each sect controlled resources that were not too far from their own stations, as defending distant resources without sufficient power was impractical.

This was also a standard for forces when choosing a location for their stations; they would first scout out the resources within the territory before deciding the location of their station.

After traveling for a day, by nightfall, the four of them had reached their destination.

This location was sixty li from the Sky Supporting Sect's station and thirty li from the mine.

They did not act immediately but took some time to rest.

At midnight, Hao Ren stealthily set off. Lu Ye watched him walk away, blending into the darkness not far off. Even when Lu Ye concentrated spirit light in his eyes, he could not spot Hao Ren's trail.

This was the unique skill of ghost cultivators. Hao Ren's cultivation level was still not high enough to achieve complete concealment, but concealing his spirit light was no problem at all.

Once a ghost cultivator reached the Cloud River Realm, tracking their movements would be even more challenging, making a powerful ghost cultivator a formidable opponent who could strike without warning at the most unexpected times and places.

Of course, the concealment of ghost cultivators was not unbreakable; they could still be exposed if attacked. Moreover, as one's cultivation level increased, one's perception also strengthened, providing a faint, indistinct sensation of lurking dangers.

After waiting for less than two shichen, suddenly two streaks of light burst out from the direction of the mine. One to the left and one to the right, they rushed directly towards them. Both individuals were Level 9 cultivators, and one of them appeared to be a magic cultivator, continuously casting spells while flying, striking downwards with impressive force. The other, though not invoking any spells, was also harnessing the power of weapon control, a pale golden light moving through the woods.