Humanity's Great Sage

Chapter 600: Enemy at the Gates

There were two reasons for his reluctance. The first reason was that the Exotic Treasure would be one step closer to complete destruction with every use, so he was generally very reluctant to wield the Exotic Treasure. The second reason was that the energy consumed with each use was simply too high. Once he unleashed the Exotic Treasure, the situation would instantly devolve into one where either his enemy died or he died.

Nevertheless, he never imagined that he would ultimately lose his life even after he was forced to unleash the Exotic Treasure.

Lu Ye’s cultivation was significantly lower than Feng Yuechan’s. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for him to activate the Exotic Treasure. Be that as it may, he was wearing a Spirit Storage Ring on his finger. It was an item that he specially bought for the sake of the Fire Phoenix Glyph.

After having the item for so long, the amount of Spiritual Power stored within the Spirit Storage Ring had reached an impressive limit that allowed him to activate the power of the Broken Arrow once. It was precisely for such a reason that Feng Yuechan gave the Broken Arrow to him.

Refining the Broken Arrow was not difficult. After all, the Broken Arrow was only equivalent to a Top Grade Spirit Artifact in terms of Spirit Artifact Grades. It had only taken Lu Ye less than half a day to refine the Broken Arrow completely. Strictly speaking, the Broken Arrow was comparable to a telekinetic technique but with slightly greater power. Seeing as enemies might attack the Arcane Glade at any time, having an additional trick would only give him more power to fight his enemies.

The days passed peacefully in the blink of an eye. Lu Ye was almost starting to believe that Yan Gui, whom he killed previously, had only been passing through the area by chance. That was until an enormous shadow loomed over the sky outside the Arcane Glade. It was immediately followed by several blasts of experimental attacks that rained down upon the Grand Ward. Layers of ripples suddenly appeared in the empty sky above the empty valley, revealing the location of the Grand Ward.

Lu Ye instantly came out of his house. Glancing up into the sky, he saw a huge Spirit Boat floating in the middle of the sky. Several figures were looking down from the Spirit Boat, and the symbol of a blazing flame hung conspicuously across the front of the Spirit Boat.

“They came after all!”

He heard Li Baxian sighing beside him. Their worst prediction had come true. Staring at the symbol of a blazing flame, how could he fail to realize that these invaders were from Cult Blackfyre? The cultivators of Cult Blackfyre had the same marks on their foreheads, which made them very easy to distinguish.

If the four of them were the only ones in the Arcane Glade, then their only option to escape and return to Jiu Zhou was by borrowing the power of the Divine Opportunity Column. Be that as it may, they might not be completely powerless against the attack from Cult Blackfyre now that they had the support of the wolf pack.

It was only by obtaining the top spot in the Hunting Rankings that Lu Ye managed to receive this Primus-level Arcane Glade as a reward for his achievements. Although he did not rely on the cultivation environment to improve his strength, the Primus-level Arcane Glade definitely allowed Li Baxian and the others to cultivate more easily. Besides, there was no saying whether he could obtain another Arcane Glade in the future. No matter how the situation played out, he had to try and maintain ownership of the Arcane Glade.

“Senior Brother, there is a Grand Ward covering the land below. Judging by the scale of the Grand Ward, it is most likely an Arcane Glade.” Atop the Spirit Boat, a cultivator approached and reported to Huo Liaoyuan with a slightly excited expression.

Huo Liaoyuan calmly looked down at the land below without speaking.

It had to be said that the Grand Ward covering the land was extremely ingenious. If he had not received accurate information beforehand, he might not have noticed this mountain valley even if he passed by in the vicinity. However, the Grand Ward had been revealed after several experimental attacks. The existence of the Grand Ward proved that the information he obtained was accurate. Lu Ye was hiding inside this mountain valley.

Huo Liaoyuan stepped out of the Spirit Boat and stood in mid-air. Showing off his might, he slowly declared his intentions. “Lu Yi Ye, are you going to show yourself? Or, do I need to capture you myself?”

His voice was not very loud, but the volume was enough to spread throughout the Ameliorate Valley with the help of his Spiritual Power.

There was a sudden commotion on the Spirit Boat.

[Lu Yi Ye?]

Although the cultivators had followed Huo Liaoyuan here, they did not know the true purpose of their trip. That was because Huo Liaoyuan had not explained the purpose of the trip to any of the cultivators.

When they saw the Grand Ward covering the land, they immediately suspected the existence of an Arcane Glade. Hence, they mistakenly assumed that Huo Liaoyuan had come here to steal the Wisps of Sanctification. Their assumption was only natural since they had been carrying out similar missions over the years. The Sacred Universe Arcane Glade could not have expanded to become such an enormous Primus-level Arcane Glade otherwise.

Nevertheless, they seemed to awaken from their dreams when they heard the name ‘Lu Yi Ye’. This mountain valley not only contained a hidden Arcane Glade, but the famous Lu Yi Ye was also hiding within this Arcane Glade!

All of a sudden, the cultivators of the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade became excited. It had to be said that the name ‘Lu Yi Ye’ was synonymous with unimaginable wealth to the cultivators of the Thousand Demon Ridge. Therefore, the look in their eyes burned with greed and hunger when they turned to look at the Arcane Glade once more.

That was especially true for the cultivators of Cult Blackfyre. Their eyes practically blazed with the unquenchable flames of determination. To the members of Cult Blackfyre, Lu Ye was not only a bounty target with a massive reward on his head but also the disciple of Crimson Blood Sect who caused the decline of Cult Blackfyre. Even without the temptation of the reward, they would have slaughtered him mercilessly if they encountered him elsewhere by accident.

Huo Liaoyuan’s voice echoed throughout the mountain valley, but there was no response. Even the Grand Ward located below showed no visible changes.

“Stubborn fool!” He sneered coldly. Raising his hand slightly, he gently swung his hand down and calmly ordered, “Surround them!”

Numerous figures rushed out from the Spirit Boat and surrounded the Arcane Glade in the blink of an eye.

Inside the Arcane Glade, Li Baxian gazed up at the figures in the sky. His expression instantly turned solemn at the sight. That was because the number of enemies surrounding the mountain valley had exceeded his expectations! There were as many as one hundred and fifty or one hundred and sixty people!

The Sacred Universe Arcane Glade had dispatched seventy men on this mission. In addition, Huo Liaoyuan also sent a message to Cult Blackfyre disciples in the vicinity and ordered them to gather outside the Reckless Mountains. That was how they had managed to muster so many people in such a short time. If not for the lack of time, more people would have gathered at the specified location.

Such a massive force was beyond the defensive capacity of the current countermeasures established within the Arcane Glade. Although the wolf pack had large numbers, they could not fly. For that reason, they were bound to suffer a significant handicap in a fight against the cultivators.

With the strength of the Arcane Glade, defending against a hundred or so men was the limit. Defending against one hundred and fifty or one hundred and sixty people was impossible.

Looking at the current situation, Cult Blackfyre seemed to be well aware of the situation inside the Arcane Glade. Otherwise, they would not have a reason to mobilize so many people.

[Xia Liang and Tan Sheng… Those two have certainly brought great harm upon us…]

Li Baxian was just about to persuade Lu Ye so that the latter would retreat to Jiu Zhou. Contrary to his expectations, he turned around only to see that Lu Ye’s expression was calm. There was not the slightest hint of worry in Lu Ye’s countenance.

Swallowing the words on the tip of his tongue, Li Baxian hesitantly questioned Lu Ye. “Little Junior Brother, do you have a countermeasure?”

Lu Ye shook his head. “I’m simply adapting and responding to the situation.”

Li Baxian pondered for a moment. “Don’t push yourself too hard. If the situation turns sour, you must escape to Jiu Zhou immediately.”

“I understand.”

At the same time, Xia Liang and Tan Sheng were quietly watching from another direction. However, their expressions did not reveal the slightest trace of joy but darkened instead when they watched the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade form battle formations.

“Damn it!” Tan Sheng scowled. “That useless Huo Liaoyuan! I can’t believe he brought so many people with him only to waste time showing off his strength instead of destroying the Grand Ward as soon as possible. Lu Yi Ye has probably escaped by now!”

On the other hand, Xia Liang was very puzzled. “How did the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade gather so many people?”

The main reason he had chosen to leak the information to the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade was that he wanted to borrow their strength to deal with Lu Ye. He had assumed that the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade could only dispatch a measly number of people even after they received news about Lu Ye. In that way, he and Xia Liang could take advantage of the situation while the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade and Lu Ye were engaged in battle.

Unfortunately, the situation had developed in a different direction. The Sacred Universe Arcane Glade had mobilized such a large force in such a short period. As long as Lu Ye was neither stupid nor mentally impaired, he would certainly escape to safety at the first sign of danger. Why would he foolishly remain behind and risk death instead?

There was a Divine Opportunity Column inside Lu Ye’s Arcane Glade. That was something Xia Liang had noticed when he previously infiltrated the Arcane Glade with Tan Sheng and Wei Que. A single Divine Opportunity Column was worth one hundred thousand Contributions. Not only had Lu Ye summoned one in the Carnage Colosseum, but he also summoned another one in the Arcane Glade. His immense wealth was enough to incite envy and hatred in the hearts of others.

In any case, only an evenly-matched battle would give Lu Ye a faint hope of victory and prevent him from escaping via the Divine Opportunity Column as soon as the situation became dangerous. Now that the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade had revealed such a grand battle formation, Lu Ye would never remain in the Arcane Glade. The Arcane Glade was most likely empty by now…

Xia Liang secretly regretted his actions. If he had known earlier, he would have included the existence of a Divine Opportunity Column in the Arcane Glade among the rest of the information that he leaked to the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade. Then, the other party would have been more cautious with their movements.

While Xia Liang was secretly grieving over his actions, Huo Liaoyuan raised his hand slightly and swung his hand down slowly. At the same time, a cold-blooded command sprung from his lips. “Attack!”

The lights of countless telekinetic techniques and Spell Techniques flared to life in an instant. Immediately afterwards, a torrent of attacks rained down upon the location of the Grand Ward with unimpeded might. Ripple after ripple spread out across the surface, causing the fully intact light barrier of the Grand Ward to appear in front of the crowd. As a result of the ferocious assault, the Concealment Ward prepared by Lu Ye lost its effects.

The Concealment Ward itself had no defensive or offensive properties. The purpose of this Grand Ward was simply to provide a layer of disguise which would hide the existence of the entire Arcane Glade so that anybody who passed by in the vicinity would not notice anything unless they were searching carefully.

The initial experimental attacks of the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade had not been powerful enough to destroy the effects of the Concealment Ward. Unfortunately, the Concealment Ward could not withstand the burden when they began their bombardment in earnest.

When the defensive light barrier covering the entire Arcane Glade was revealed to the public eye, the overall situation within the Arcane Glade became visible through the light barrier. The presence of numerous Wolf Mutants immediately caught the attention of the cultivators from the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade.

Many of them were shocked by the sight. They could not understand why so many Wolf Mutants had gathered in the Arcane Glade. More importantly, they could sense the fluctuations of Mutant powers equivalent to Eighth Order and Ninth Order Cloud River Realm Masters radiating from a small number of Wolf Mutants.

At this moment, the Wolf Mutants were staring up into the sky. Although they were Spirit Beasts, there was not the slightest noise from them. In fact, not even a single wolf howl could be heard. They resembled a trained army, remaining quietly dormant while hiding their claws and fangs.

The rest of the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators might be ignorant of the situation inside the Arcane Glade, but Huo Liaoyuan had known in advance. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help looking slightly surprised when he confirmed the accuracy of the information he received.

[Can Lu Yi Ye really control so many Spirit Beasts? I’ve heard that he always has a white beast by his side. But, it’s too exaggerated to believe that a Cloud River Realm Master can control so many Spirit Beasts!]

He secretly rejoiced that he did not underestimate his enemy but mustered a force that could crush his enemy instead. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for him to proceed with his plans.

After experiencing the initial wave of panic, the cultivators from the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade slowly calmed down and composed themselves. The might of their line-up gave them the confidence to repel these Wolf Mutants. Besides, these Wolf Mutants did not seem capable of flight. As long as they were careful enough, the Wolf Mutants would not pose a significant threat to them.