Sage of Humanity

The two hunting teams clashed for just a moment before Lu Ye and his team began to show signs of defeat. Tao Tiangang was injured, Song Xie was beaten into a sorry figure fleeing in disarray, and it was only a matter of time before they faced certain death. Although Qiao Qiao'er was holding on for the time being, it did not help the overall situation much. As for Xie Jin...

with injuries on his body, it was already good enough that he could entangle his opponent.

The situation was extremely dire for Lu Ye and the others. If things continued this way, it wouldn't be long before Tao Tiangang or Song Xie would be killed, and then the situation would truly be irreversible.

They needed to break the situation!

As thoughts raced through Lu Ye's mind, he swung his blade, pushing back the small-mustache physique cultivator while simultaneously raising his hand to summon his tiny bell spirit artifact. Spirit force surged into it as the artifact whooshed out of his hand. In the blink of an eye, it enlarged and crashed down towards the Level 5 magic cultivator.

He chose this magic cultivator mainly because the foe had been casting spells from a stationary position, which made dodging difficult. Moreover, if the tiny bell spirit artifact trapped him, it would not be easy for the magic cultivator to escape, and he might even inadvertently harm himself while trying to cast spells within it.

With a clang, the tiny bell covered the magic cultivator solidly.

At that moment, Song Xie was struggling to dodge attacks, and when he saw the magic cultivator was trapped, a struggle and hesitation flashed across his face. He turned around and rushed towards Tao Tiangang, not knowing how long the tiny bell spirit artifact could hold his opponent, but this was undoubtedly an opportunity.

He just needed to join forces with Tao Tiangang, and while he wouldn't dare to say they could win against Tao Tiangang's opponent, they could at least hold on for a while.

He had thought of taking the opportunity to flee, but he quickly dismissed the idea because he knew that if the others were killed, he would not be able to survive either. It was better to fight desperately than to flee in disgrace.

With his assistance, the situation on Tao Tiangang's side finally stabilized, and the two of them could hold the Level 5 cultivator at bay for a while.

Meanwhile, after summoning the tiny bell spirit artifact, Lu Ye charged towards the small-mustache physique cultivator, slashing with his blade. However, the opponent just put his arms in front of him, adopting a stance that was solely defensive, parrying all of Lu Ye's attacks.

Seeing this, Lu Ye raised his hand and cast a spell. The fat bird slammed into the physique cultivator and exploded, instantly scorching the man's face. However, it seemed that he was wearing some kind of armor under his clothes, and the spell did not have the intended effect.

He staggered back several steps, gritting his teeth and said, "Impressive!"

A disparity of one level in cultivation was evident as the physique cultivator could only defend against Lu Ye, a testament to the enemy's strength.

As soon as the words were out, Lu Ye kicked out at him. The cultivator roared, his blood Qi surging as a mist of blood appeared on his body's surface. He punched towards the bottom of Lu Ye's foot as it came at him.

The instant their spirit forces collided, both figures stumbled backward. Lu Ye felt a numbness in his foot and nearly lost his balance, while the small-mustache physique cultivator didn't fare much better, as he was knocked to the ground by Lu Ye's kick.

Before he could get back to his feet, Lu Ye was already upon him, his long blade falling like a tempest.

The physique cultivator roared, his spirit force and blood Qi mixing together, thickening the protective mist of blood around him.

However, as Lu Ye's blade, augmented with Sharpness Spirit Runes, came down, the protection visibly began to fade.

Not far away, intense vibrations emerged from the tiny bell spirit artifact, and the luster of the spirit ribbons encircling it was rapidly fading. It wouldn't be long before the trapped Level 5 magic cultivator would break free, and the hard-earned opportunity would be wasted.

He had to kill this physique cultivator quickly to have any chance of survival!

Lu Ye's determination grew fierce in his heart. Ignoring everything else, he slashed and thrusted one strike after another, but for all his efforts, every attack was parried by the physique cultivator. Even the few that hit did not harm the cultivator's vitals.

The spirit light on the surface of the tiny bell spirit artifact grew dimmer, almost on the verge of extinguishing.

"You're all dead!" the physique cultivator sneered as he withstood the barrage. He could see Lu Ye's desperation, so he knew that as soon as his comrade broke free, it would be their victory.

That was why he adopted a defense-only stance; the situation was in their favor, and he didn't need to take risks as long as he could maintain his defense.

As Lu Ye struck down with another blade, the bracer on the physique cultivator's arm shattered with a boom. It surprised him, as he had heard of the powerful spiritual artifact in the rider's hands, hence donning so much armor to stall his opponent. Even then, he had slightly underestimated him.

Indeed, Tailuo Sect had chosen him specifically to counter Lu Ye.

As Lu Ye's blade descended once again, he no longer dared to block directly. He reached into his storage sack, clearly intending to pull out a Spirit Talisman. Given the circumstance, it was most likely to be a Golden Body Talisman for defense.

Just then, a heaviness suddenly bore down on his shoulder, and a sharp whistle sounded beside his ear. The noise was very peculiar, causing him to feel dizzy and momentarily bewildered.

He hastily mobilized his blood Qi energy and spirit force. The already thin mist of blood on his body suddenly thickened again.

A piercing scream came from behind him. He did not know who had launched a sneak attack on him, but he knew he had injured the assailant.

As he saw the figure of Yiyi clinging to the small-mustache physique cultivator's shoulder suddenly fade, Lu Ye's expression turned ferocious, and he brought his long blade down.

In the past few days of battle, Yiyi had not made an appearance since she had no physical body and could only play a limited role in the fight. But at this critical juncture, she bravely chose to intervene, creating an excellent opportunity for Lu Ye.

Just as the physique cultivator took out the Spirit Talisman from his storage sack, before he could even mobilize his spirit force, Lu Ye's long blade had already fallen.

The arm guard had already been shattered, and nothing could withstand the enhanced sharpness of the blade any longer. The slash broke through the opponent's protective spirit force, sliced the arm that held the Spirit Talisman, and cut through the blood mist, slicing into the enemy's neck, spraying blood in all directions.

The small-mustache physique cultivator grunted, his teeth clenched tightly against the intense pain. The wound on his severed arm caused his concentration to falter, but in the face of life and death, he managed to grab Lu Ye's wrist with his other hand, resisting the vicious slash.

Lu Ye shifted his stance, raising his other hand to grasp the blade just below the tip, and pressed down hard.

Their eyes met as they faced each other at close range.

Hiss...

The sound of the blade cutting through flesh echoed, and blood gushed forth. The small-mustache physique cultivator's eyes widened as he knelt before Lu Ye, his mouth moving as if trying to say something.

With a swoosh, the sword, augmented with sharpness, tore through all obstacles, cutting across his entire neck.

The headless body tottered before collapsing to the ground.

A Level 5 physique cultivator, dead!

While Lu Ye, with Yiyi's assistance, was slaying the Level 5 physique cultivator, the tiny bell spirit artifact was also close to failing, its spirit light nearly extinguished.

Lu Ye wiped the blood that had splattered all over his face and looked around, seeing Xie Jin being pushed back by his opponent, and Tao Tiangang struggling to hold on alongside Song Xie against another Level 5 fighter. The pair should not have had such a hard time, but Tao Tiangang had already been seriously injured before Song Xie had come to help.

Consequently, the situation was quite unfavorable for them.

He also saw Qiao Qiao'er shaking her long whip, locked in an indistinguishable fight with a Level 4 opponent.

Without hesitation, he dashed towards the tiny bell spirit artifact, reaching out to beckon it back as he drew near.

Boom... A Dao technique suddenly erupted, aimed at empty space, an act of desperation from the trapped magic cultivator grasping at his newfound freedom. Although he was disheveled and battered, he couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh.

In his desperation to escape, he had cast spells in confined quarters, wounding himself in the process. Fortunately, he had controlled them well, so despite looking disheveled, he was not seriously harmed.

No sooner had he freed himself than a flash of bright blade light swept across his vision. Before the magic cultivator could grasp the situation, Lu Ye had already sliced through his protective spirit force, sending his still smiling head soaring into the air.

He never expected that in the short time he had been trapped, one of their Level 5 fighters—especially their most resilient physique cultivator—had already died!

How could he, a defenseless magic cultivator, possibly withstand such an unexpected strike?

In an instant, the situation had drastically changed.

The Tailuo Sect's hunting team had only two of their four Level 5 cultivators left alive, an abrupt turn of events that astonished not only their comrades but also the likes of Xie Jin, who could hardly believe it.

But then came wild joy.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

What they had thought was a certain fight to the death had unexpectedly turned around. A Level 4 cultivator had consecutively slain two Level 5 opponents. Indeed, only someone as fierce as this could single-handedly break through Tailuo Sect's defenses.

Lu Ye, holding his blade, already charged towards Qiao Qiao'er's fight. He had chosen this direction because a Level 4 cultivator was easier to kill. Having just slaughtered two Level 5s, his spirit force was roiling and needed some time to stabilize.

And Qiao Qiao'er's whip was well suited to work in tandem with him.

After several days of fighting together, they had developed a certain understanding. So, seeing Lu Ye heading her way, Qiao Qiao'er immediately retreated.

The Level 4 opponent, seeing two of his senior brothers slain, was already terrified. He seized the opportunity to flee, but after barely two steps, the sound of a whip cracked through the air, wrapping around his neck.

With a fierce tug, Qiao Qiao'er jerked the man into the air.

Desperately, the Level 4 cultivator swung his weapon at the whip behind him, but before he could solidly strike, Qiao Qiao'er had already retracted her whip.

He landed awkwardly, and upon looking up, saw Lu Ye's figure entering his vision, a large blade chopping down towards him. Panicked, he hastily raised his weapon to block.

But his feet were bound by the whip, and with the force transmitted to him, his balance was lost, allowing Lu Ye's blade to strike him.

"Go help!" Lu Ye withdrew and headed towards Xie Jin's fight.

Qiao Qiao'er lashed her whip, bursting the head of the Level 4 cultivator lying on the ground. She called out, "Which side?"

Lu Ye had no time to respond; he had already plunged into battle, fighting alongside Xie Jin against another Level 5 opponent. Now with a face of utter despair and a bizarre expression of someone unsure whether to cry or laugh, the enemy struck with even more ferocity.