Sage of Humanity

"Senior Brother He, what should we do?" asked a Level 6 cultivator covered in insect blood.

"Should we send a message to Senior Brother Cheng and have him bring people to support us?" someone suggested.

Unlike the Righteous Blood Sect, which emptied its nest to deal with the Insect Plague, other sects generally had disciples stay behind to guard their home bases during such crises, as the home base was vital to a sect's survival, so vigilance was crucial at all times.

Take Sky Fiend Hall, for example, this time around 500 cultivators were deployed, and more than a hundred stayed behind, including Deputy Governor Cheng Bo at the home base, who was also a Level 7 cultivator, though he had only recently advanced.

Currently, the Sky Fiend Hall cultivators were in a dire situation, with waves of the Insect Plague incoming and Haotian Alliance cultivators ambushing around the insect cave exit, making escape uncertain. The best option was to have Cheng Bo come with reinforcements.

"It's too late," He Meng shook his head. Though the headquarters was only ten li away, gathering people always took some time, and by the time they would come to their aid, it would already be too late.

"Follow me, and let's break out!" A fierce look flashed through He Meng's eyes. He didn't know which faction these people were from, as they acted so recklessly. However, he was still a Level 7 cultivator and had been through several life and death situations, and wasn't frightened by their current predicament. He knew the only way to survive was to break out, as staying here meant certain death.

This Insect Plague had taken an unexpectedly violent turn, leading to Sky Fiend Hall's defeat.

With the urgency of time, He Meng gave the order, instructing some to hold back the swarming insects while he and a few Level 6 cultivators made their escape.

Moments later, below the insect cave, a few Level 5 cultivators crouched, hands stacked on their knees, with one of them shouting, "Now!"

Ten-odd zhang away, He Meng and the Level 6 cultivators started running, rushing toward the Level 5 cultivators in an instant and stepping on the hands they put together.

"Go!" As the Level 5 cultivators roared with fury, spirit force surged through their bodies, their hands forcefully pushing upwards, and with that momentum, He Meng and the others soared, reaching the cave entrance in a flash.

Spirit force swirling around him, a chill went through the determined He Meng as he saw that the cave entrance was packed with heads in every direction, easily numbering six to seven hundred.

How could there be so many? He had heard that there were Haotian Alliance cultivators ambushing at the entrance, but he thought the numbers wouldn't be so large, since at this time, every sect was dealing with its own Insect Plague, and even if spare manpower was available to harass rival factions, there simply shouldn't be so many.

But now, it seemed this assumption was hugely mistaken; six to seven hundred people, that was almost an entire sect's worth of cultivators.

Does this sect really not care about their own base? Just then, two streaks of light struck, followed swiftly by a barrage of magic and Spirit Talismans.

Screams sounded beside him, and the Level 6 cultivators who had charged out with him hadn't even grasped the situation before they plummeted down like dumplings.

Only He Meng, relying on his Level 7 cultivation and the long spear in his hands, managed to block several attacks, but then a fiery red streak of light pierced his body, spraying out a gush of hot blood.

His body plummeted sharply toward the ground, only for a fire dragon to relentlessly pursue him.

By the insect cave, Lu Ye was somewhat surprised, "These guys, quite the tricksters."

He vaguely understood how these people had charged up and what their initial plan was, but unfortunately, the enemy had clearly underestimated their own numbers and strength, leading to their quick exposure without any follow-up.

Below the insect cave, the Level 5 cultivators who had helped send He Meng and the others up stared wide-eyed as their seniors ascended swiftly and returned just as quickly, accompanied by a fiery dragon, with the pattering sounds of bodies crashing to the ground and flames sweeping across, emitting a burnt scent.

The Sky Fiend Hall cultivators climbing upwards with the help of ropes were also disoriented by the flames, screaming as they fell.

"Senior Brother He!" someone yelled, rushing to He Meng's side to extinguish the flames on his body.

He Meng was already breathing feebly; he had been injured by Lu Ye's weapon control and had taken a hit from the Fire Dragon Technique, surviving only by sheer luck.

All of a sudden, he raised his hand and grabbed the Level 5 cultivator's collar, grinding his teeth, "It's the Righteous Blood Sect!"

The moment he fell, he had seen a white big tiger and recognized the young man beside it, realizing who the attackers were.

After saying this, He Meng's head tilted, and he breathed his last.

The Level 5 cultivator beside him teared up, but there was no time for sorrow at that moment, as the Insect Plague had already burst forth, the insect cave exit was blocked by Righteous Blood Sect cultivators, and with He Meng dead and several Level 6 seniors likewise fallen, the people of Sky Fiend Hall had no avenue of survival left.

Screams echoed one after another, with no Level 6-7 cultivators to command, the remaining cultivators couldn't hold back the insect swarm. Some, unwilling to die without a fight, desperately climbed towards the cave above, but they would end up dying at the hands of Righteous Blood Sect cultivators nonetheless.

The Level 5 cultivator stood up, pressed a badge indicating his battlefield marking, sent out a message, then lifting his Spiritual Artifact, turned to fight the insect swarm.

If death was certain, they would die at the hands of these insects and not give the Righteous Blood Sect the satisfaction!

Many others shared this resolve, and a fierce battle ensued, with cultivators screaming as they fell, one after another.

Ten li away, in the Sky Fiend Hall headquarters, Cheng Bo's complexion turned deathly pale upon receiving the message.

Governor He Meng was dead, the Insect Plague was unstoppable, and the cave entrance was blocked by the Righteous Blood Sect, leaving Sky Fiend Hall in a dire predicament, with survivors choosing to make a final stand against the Insect Race!

He swiftly checked his own battlefield marking, feeling the familiar imprints within it disappearing one by one, and Cheng Bo fell into a chair.

By this time, many disciples left behind had received the news from the insect cave and hurriedly came to inquire. Seeing Cheng Bo in this state, they immediately realized the situation was worse than imagined.

"Righteous Blood Sect!" Cheng Bo gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

Cheng Bo naturally knew about this famous neighbor, especially after the battle at Golden Light Peak, where Lu Yiye gained fame. Cheng Bo and He Meng had privately discussed their concerns and precautions about the Righteous Blood Sect.

This was a rather sinister sect. For decades they hadn't taken in disciples, then suddenly took one and pulled off a shocking major event. That Lu Yiye, with his Level 5 cultivation, fought forty-three battles at Golden Light Peak without a single defeat; if he were to advance to Level 7, neither of them would be a match for him.

Fortunately, Lu Ye had been very stable during this time. Before the Spirit Stream Defense Battle, there hadn't even been any news about the Righteous Blood Sect taking in disciples.

This slightly reassured the two Governors of Sky Fiend Hall, believing that even if Lu Yiye was formidable, he couldn't accomplish much alone.

But after the Spirit Stream Defense Battle, a piece of news suddenly made both feel uneasy.

The Righteous Blood Sect had widely opened their gates, accepting many sect disciples—hundreds of independent cultivators flocked to them, totaling over five to six hundred followers.

This had become a force that could not be ignored. Over these days, Sky Fiend Hall had been very cautious of the Righteous Blood Sect, fearing that Lu Yiye would not stay in line. Fortunately, their worries had been somewhat redundant, as the Righteous Blood Sect continued to act uninterested worldly affairs.

Who would have thought, it was all a facade!

Appearing uninterested on the surface, they had struck a heavy blow in secret, catching Sky Fiend Hall completely off guard.

A total of four hundred ninety-three cultivators were wiped out in less than four hours, even the Governor, He Meng, was killed! Never since its establishment had Sky Fiend Hall suffered such a colossal loss.

"Lu Yiye, you and I are irreconcilable!" Cheng Bo's roar echoed through Sky Fiend Hall's encampment, and the remaining hundred or so disciples all wore sorrowful expressions.

At this moment, at the entrance of the insect cave, hundreds of Righteous Blood Sect cultivators were listlessly waiting. Since earlier, no more Sky Fiend Hall cultivators had climbed up, and the screams from below had become fewer and fewer.

This meant that earning merits had become impossible.

A few moments later, no more screams were heard, and a rustling noise came from below, indicating the Insect Race was climbing up.

The hundreds of cultivators suddenly became invigorated, previously they had been joyfully earning merits within the insect hive until Yiyi came and took away the vitality core, causing the hive to wither and many were left unsatisfied.

Now the opportunity had come again, and it was even a stolen one. The principle that wild flowers smell sweeter than home-grown ones works universally.

Chen Yu excitedly asked, "Fifth Senior Brother, shall we attack downward?" With their previous experience handling the Insect Plague, repeat of the same actions meant the Righteous Blood Sect could advance into the insect hive again.

Lu Ye shook his head, waving his hand: "Retreat!"

Chen Yu was shocked: "Retreat?"

"Retreat!"

Following Lu Ye's command, hundreds of cultivators thunderously departed. Despite not knowing what Lu Ye intended, the command of the Governor had to be followed, whether by named disciples or independent cultivators.

Back at the previously ambushed mountain peak, hundreds gathered to rest and wait, with Lu Ye standing on the peak looking at the valley below.

When he said retreat, they had merely moved to this location.

Hua Ci stood next to Lu Ye, puzzled, "What are you planning to do?"

Lu Ye looked down at the valley where the Insect Race was slowly gathering, vaguely worried, "We might have bred a group of monsters."

"What do you mean?" Hua Ci frowned.

"Haven't you noticed that these Insect Race members are generally stronger than those on our side? Of course, the weaker ones being killed by Sky Fiend Hall is part of the reason, but that's not the main cause."

"Then what is it?"

"Fourth Senior Brother once mentioned to me in a message that when fighting the Insect Race, you must never let them get the bodies of cultivators easily.

Not only because the energy contained within a cultivator's body is immense, but for another reason—if the Insect Race gets hold of it, they will significantly strengthen," he sighed softly, "About how many did Sky Fiend Hall lose in the insect cave?"

Hua Ci's eyelids twitched, "Definitely around three to four hundred."

"That's it then. The Insect Plague here isn't something the outer circle sects can handle."