Sage of Humanity

Lu Ye speculated that this was related to the recent enhancement of his strength. The stronger he was, the more powerful the spirit runes he could activate were. Ultimately, spirit runes existed on the basis of his spirit force.

Moreover, the long knife in his hand barely qualified as a Spiritual Artifact, no longer the mundane iron sword he had used before. With the same spirit runes bolstered on a Spiritual Artifact and on a mundane iron sword, the effects were distinctively different.

A single Fire Serpent Talisman and a slash aided by Sharpness allowed Lu Ye, at Spirit Stream Level 2, to cut down a physique cultivator at Level 3.

His figure hardly paused as he crossed the fallen bodyguard and immediately attacked the well-dressed Young Master.

The Young Master was clearly scared stiff, mainly because the series of disasters had occurred too quickly. He was still contemplating the Spiritual Body trapped by the Mystic Spirit Bell when, following Brother Zharng's strike, a snow-white big tiger leaped out, followed by a ferocious cultivator.

Before he could make sense of the situation, the bodyguard in front of him had collapsed, clutching his throat…

At the brink of life and death, the Young Master instinctively pushed the woman in his arms, pushing her, defenseless, towards Lu Ye's blade.

The woman's expression was one of panic, as she stared helplessly at a bright flash of the knife passing before her eyes, managing only to summon her protective spirit force before her vision started to flip, and she rapidly lost consciousness.

Taking advantage of the brief moment the woman had bought him, the flustered Young Master fumbled in his storage sack for a spirit talisman and immediately channeled his spirit force into it, tossing it out with a throw.

The ferocity of Lu Ye truly terrified him; he seldom fought opponents head-on, usually having his brothers capture or severely wound their targets before he made a move. He had never experienced such a dangerous and thrilling encounter.

He even forgot to recall his Mystic Spirit Bell to protect himself for a moment.

In contrast, Lu Ye was consistently calm from start to finish, with a clear target, his Spirit Stream Level 2 cultivation allowed him to strike with the momentum of a Level 9!

Temperament is related to one's past experiences, and a Young Master who had lived in luxury from birth naturally could not compare to a mining slave who had fought for survival in the cracks of society.

In the blink of an eye, a whip-like slash appeared in front of Lu Ye, which didn't surprise him. Explore more stories at empire

If that solid man had a Golden Body Talisman for protection, this one called Young Master certainly also had one.

With his spirit force raging and roaring, his Minor Circumambulation system working at its limit, Lu Ye's eyes filled with spirit force, clearly identifying the target of the slash.

An object resembling a shield with a complex network of intricate patterns flowing like water, triangular in shape, appeared over Lu Ye's chest—it was a Defense Spirit Rune.

Almost at the moment the spirit rune formed, the talisman's slash arrived, and Lu Ye felt a powerful force strike his chest, leaving him short of breath.

He didn't know how much impact that slash had on him, as he had no time to focus on it; already, he had pounced in front of the Young Master, and with the latter's confusion clear in his eyes, Lu Ye thrust his knife forward.

The Young Master's hastily summoned protective spirit force was as if made of paper, pierced by the long knife, and its sharp edge passed through his shoulder blade, blood splattering.

A scream pierced the air as Lu Ye withdrew his knife, pivoted, and moved behind the Young Master, placing his blade against the man's neck!

The Young Master's scream abruptly ceased, his body stiffened with the cold sensation at his neck, frozen in place.

From the moment big tiger revealed its presence to now, it had been merely 5 breaths of time. Lu Ye had broken through the solid physique cultivator's resistance, cut down the woman at Level 2, and now had the Young Master captive in front of him. In the process, he unleashed three Sharpness spirit runes and one Defense rune.

The entire sequence happened so swiftly he didn't even have time to think. Drawing his knife, killing, the actions were fluid, faster than a startled hare.

"Ao wu!" The big tiger's low growl rang out as its hefty form was sent flying, crashing against a nearby rock wall, sliding down. It wasn't a match for the Level 4 cultivator at all, quickly overtaken after only a brief struggle.

However, the victor had not a shred of joy, turning his head to look at the chaotic battlefield, his eyes full of disbelief…

Junior Brother Sun clutched his throat as he collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide. His body convulsed repeatedly, and though he wasn't dead yet, such a wound was beyond saving.

Junior Sister Yuen's headless body fell nearby, her neck spurting blood, hissing as it sprayed, while her delicate head rolled to the side, a look of terror still etched on her face.

The Young Master had blood pouring from his shoulder blade, a long knife resting against his neck. Behind him, a shadowy figure was concealed, revealing only one eye that watched him like a lone wolf — fierce and resolute!

What was happening?

Brother Zharng felt his scalp go numb. He had only exchanged blows with the snow-white big tiger for a moment, so how had his three fellow disciples ended up with two dead, one injured, and captured?

And who had come?

The big tiger that had been thrown off got up and walked over, step by step, but it didn't rashly attack Brother Zharng again. It realized it was no match and, since Lu Ye had already captured one of them, there was no need to rush anymore.

"Release him!" Lu Ye stared at Brother Zharng and shouted low.

"Who are you?" Brother Zharng asked through gritted teeth, as he couldn't match Lu Ye with any notable opponent he knew.

Lu Ye withdrew the long knife and thrust it viciously into the Young Master's thigh. A scream echoed, the Young Master nearly knelt, only steadying himself with Lu Ye's support.

As the knife was pulled out, blood spurted, and Lu Ye placed it back against the Young Master's neck, repeating the previous words to Brother Zharng, "Release him!"

"You…" Brother Zharng's eyes were about to pop with rage. He had underestimated how decisive and vicious Lu Ye was, and his idle comment had resulted in the Young Master getting cut again. The message was clear: waste any more words, and another cut would follow. And the next one might not be to the thigh.

The Young Master, though restrained and possessing the cultivation of Level 4, didn't dare move forward rashly, which was truly frustrating.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Ensuring the Young Master's safety was now imperative. Otherwise, he couldn't explain himself to his superiors. With a darkened face, he said, "This Mystic Spirit Bell is a Spiritual Object bestowed by the elders of my sect. Once triggered, it's not easily undone; it requires some time!"

Whoosh…

The knife flashed, and an arm flew off in response. The Young Master held captive in front of Lu Ye was initially stunned, then his body began to tremble violently. He screamed loudly but dared not make any sudden moves, aware that the blade on his neck could slit his throat at any moment.

He bellowed, "Zharng Wu, are you trying to get your Young Master killed? Damn your entire ancestry!"

"Release him!" Lu Ye's voice was deep, clearly out of patience.

"Release, release, release!" The Young Master's face streamed with snot and tears. Pain was driving him to the brink of madness, and the only reason he hadn't passed out was that he was, after all, a cultivator of Level 3. Barely lifting his remaining arm, he formed a magic spell with his hand, and the inverted Mystic Spirit Bell immediately rose from the ground.

The bell spun swiftly, shrinking rapidly and flying back to the Young Master's hand.

Lu Ye was taken aback, now realizing that the Spiritual Artifact was under the Young Master's control...

Yiyi, once trapped, freed herself and rushed towards the big tiger, diving into its body and disappearing from sight.

Although Brother Zharng wanted to make a move, he also didn't dare act recklessly. He looked at Lu Ye, who was hiding behind the Young Master, and slowly began, "Release the Young Master, and we will drop the matter here today. I shall swear on the Heaven's Augury."

"Fine!" Lu Ye agreed and pushed the Young Master from behind.

Stumbling forward a few steps, the Young Master had not even begun to relish surviving the ordeal when a warm fountain burst from his neck.

"How dare you!" Brother Zharng roared in fury.