Sage of Humanity

Zhou Gu smiled slightly, "Why has Younger Sister Yun come here again?"

"Who is your Younger Sister Yun? Don't call me that!" Sun Yun glared fiercely at Zhou Gu, her tone rather unfriendly.

Due to some special reasons, she was the first to learn about the giant ant, so she rushed over from her home planet. Unexpectedly, she had just arrived when Zhou Gu followed right after.

Where did this guy get the news from? Could there be a mole within the clan?

The two young heirs of the aristocratic families exchanged looks for a while, both understanding each other's intentions. Zhou Gu was the first to look away, amiably cupping his hands towards Lu Ye, "Zhou Gu, greetings, Fellow Daoist Lu."

He knew that bickering with Sun Yun here had no meaning; the real key today was Lu Ye.

Given the other's decent attitude, Lu Ye naturally couldn't respond coldly, so he returned the courtesy.

"Fellow Daoist, there are many people and prying eyes here; can we talk inside?" Zhou Gu asked.

The disturbance just now had caught the attention of many cultivators nearby, who were now watching from afar.

Lu Ye pondered briefly, knowing he couldn't refuse, so he nodded, "Please, come in."

"Sorry to intrude." Zhou Gu smiled and proceeded forward.

Sun Yun snorted coldly and hurried to catch up. Although Lu Ye didn't like this woman, he had no choice but to ignore her due to the Dao Fusion that followed her.

Shortly after, in the living room on the first floor, the host and the guests took their seats. Jyang Yuning, being attentive, served tea and withdrew slowly.

Lu Ye knew that both of them came for the giant ant. Although he had intended to give it to the Yan family because of Yan Hong, he hadn't been able to contact Yan Hong in recent days to discuss it.

Now, people from the Zhou and Sun families had come, and since he couldn't refuse them at the door, he thought it wouldn't hurt to listen.

If the conditions were truly suitable, he might consider it.

"Brother Lu, you must know that you've made quite a name for yourself; even on this home planet, I've heard of your great name. To slash a Dao Fusion while being at Enter the Path, even in this Branlan, it's rare in the entire Star Abyss. Seeing you today, Brother, you truly are remarkable," Zhou Gu boasted first, addressing him as Brother Lu very affectionately.

Lu Ye shook his head and said, "Slaying the Dao Fusion wasn't my feat; it was Fellow Daoist Yan Hong who contributed greatly, combined with the Blood Race's underestimation. I merely took advantage of the situation." This matter had to be explained clearly; fortunately, he had prepared in advance when fighting the Blood Race Dao Fusion.

Zhou Gu smiled, "Big Brother Yan Hong is indeed formidable, but he possessed merely the strength of ten paths. Without you, Brother, how could you have slain a Dao Fusion? So this battle's chief merit belongs to you, Brother."

Lu Ye secretly frowned, just feeling that this guy couldn't understand human speech.

While the two chatted, Sun Yun couldn't intervene. Her temperament was eccentric, so naturally, she couldn't praise Lu Ye like Zhou Gu. Besides, the first impression she'd left when they first met couldn't be improved easily.

Seeing Zhou Gu wanting to speak further, she quickly interrupted coldly, "No need for idle talk. Lu Ye, you should know why I came this time. In short, if you're willing to hand over the giant ant to me, I can take you to the home planet, where my Sun family will help you advance to Dao Fusion."

Any other Enter the Path cultivator hearing this would surely be overjoyed. Advancing to Dao Fusion isn't easy; it involves not only the accumulation of vast Dao force but also the fusion of Dao Runes. With a top-class family like the Sun family assisting, the hope would greatly increase.

But Lu Ye remained unperturbed. His situation was different from the average Enter the Path cultivator. Given his current cultivation progress, he had no idea when he could advance to Dao Fusion, and how could he follow Sun Yun back to the home planet?

Moreover, Sun Yun's words were merely a verbal promise. She may represent the Sun family, or she may not. The weight of the words spoken by a junior heir, Lu Ye couldn't guess.

If the Sun family's Dao Fusions deny the promise then, how could Lu Ye possibly deal with the Sun family?

Seeing Lu Ye somewhat indifferent, Sun Yun couldn't resist adding, "You are at the 9th Dao, I imagine you have contacted different channels regarding Dao Fusion. You should know Dao Runes are the key to advancing Dao Fusion. Our home planet has the Dao Runes Pavilion; ordinary people must spend a large amount of battle merit to get in, but my Sun family has nomination slots and can send you inside for a glimpse."

Lu Ye certainly knew Dao Runes were crucial to Dao Fusion advancement; this had been mentioned when he met the azure bird back then.

Dao Runes are a wonderfully cryptic thing, essentially fundamental rules represented as Dao Runes.

There are many types of Dao Runes, and they always originate from stellar space marvels. Cultivators enter these marvels, comprehend their mysteries, and gain Dao Runes.

Thus, cultivators in Star Abyss aiming to advance to Dao Fusion must enter a stellar space marvel to perceive, or be taught by predecessors.

The top families on the home planet have accumulated innumerable Dao Runes over countless years, and the Dao Runes Pavilion is a joint creation of the four families. Those Enter the Path cultivators from the human race's battle alliance looking to advance to Dao Fusion must visit the Dao Runes Pavilion, at the cost of considerable battle merit.

Different choices of Dao Runes dictate varying focuses in Dao Fusion: some enhance speed, pursuing speed-type Dao Runes, while others strengthen strikes, choosing force-type Dao Runes.

Thus, the confrontation between Dao Fusions cannot simply be decided by the amount of Dao force; if the Dao Runes chosen are countered by the opponent, victory is difficult even with greater Dao force.

The two Dao Fusions that Lu Ye had slain thus far, whether it was Mann Shan or that Pei Dan, had only recently been promoted and did not have a deep cultivation in Dao Runes, so he felt little impact. However, if he encountered a stronger Dao Fusion, the power of the Dao Runes would manifest prominently.

"The conditions that the Sun family can offer, my Zhou family can offer the same," Zhou Gu said with a smile, not raising the stakes because he was confident that with the same conditions, Lu Ye would not choose Sun Yun.

This woman had become quite annoying, and he had a natural advantage at the moment.

Sun Yun glared angrily at Zhou Gu and gritted her teeth, saying, "My Sun family manages the registration of battle merit. If you hand over the giant ant to my Sun family, there might be some convenience in registering battle merit in the future. You should understand the importance of battle merit within Banlan."

Sometimes the registration of battle merit can be flexible. For example, this time Lu Ye teamed up with Yan Hong to kill a Dao Fusion, which is a major achievement. How much battle merit is registered depends on the Merits Officer responsible.

Contrarily, when submitting useless Dao Bones, those battle merits are fixed and cannot be altered.

But upon hearing Sun Yun's words, Lu Ye understood why she had learned about the giant ant so quickly. The Merits Officer responsible for registering battle merits was from the Sun family. After this battle, Zi Ying had surely informed the home planet about Lu Ye and Yan Hong to claim merit, and naturally, he would mention Lu Ye and Yan Hong cutting down the Dao Fusion and the matter of the giant ant.

Once the Merits Officer knew, it was as if the Sun family knew.

Zhou Gu smiled slightly, "My Zhou family manages the military arsenal. If you, Brother, need any materials or anything else in the future, you can notify me in advance."

"Zhou Gu, you are courting death!" Sun Yun was extremely furious, feeling that Zhou Gu was out to irritate her, countering her conditions no matter what she proposed.

Zhou Gu remained calm, "Why is Younger Sister Yun getting angry? It's all about the giant ant, everyone is just employing their methods."

Outside the pavilion, in mid-air dozens of yards away, two figures lay hidden, one of whom was unmistakably Zi Ying, accompanied by her trusted steward.

"Has the message been sent?" Zi Ying asked.

The steward nodded, "It has been sent; they should be here soon. Are you afraid they might fight?"

Zi Ying snorted coldly, "I'm afraid they won't fight! When the army attacked the planet, I sent a message to request reinforcements, yet no Dao Fusion came. Now, two ill-fated scions from noble families have Dao Fusions guarding them at all times! If they're not going to the battlefield to kill enemies, then what's the point of being Dao Fusions!"

Cold sweat dripped from the steward hearing Zi Ying's intention, "Master, isn't this reckless? If the home planet blames us later..."

"Then let them relieve me of my governor duties. Aren't these two also Dao Fusions? Let them take on the role!" Zi Ying's eyes were icy.

She was truly angry. The prior plea for help had gone unanswered, yet two inconsequential family scions had Dao Fusion escorts closely following them. If those two Dao Fusions had come to support that day, even Fei Lian could have been held back, directly attacking the Blood Cloud Battle Planet, even exterminating the Insect Matriarch.

In the living room, Sun Yun and Zhou Gu faced each other, unwilling to yield.

Zhou Gu had an attitude of having Sun Yun under his thumb, while Sun Yun clearly couldn't propose better conditions. She openly represented the Sun family this time, but she was ultimately just a junior from the Sun family, limited in power. Despite offering benefits tempting to ordinary Entrants, Lu Ye seemed entirely unmoved.

Realizing she couldn't intimidate Zhou Gu with a glare, Sun Yun turned her mind to Lu Ye, saying, "Have you thought it through? Will you give the giant ant to my Sun family? If I return empty-handed, the elders at home won't be too pleased!"

Lu Ye, who had been keeping his gaze lowered, suddenly looked at her, "Are you threatening me?"

"If you think so, then yes!" Sun Yun sneered repeatedly, with the Dao Fusion behind her staring coldly at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye looked at Zhou Gu, "Is Fellow Daoist Zhou also going to threaten me? If so, please go ahead and say it."

Zhou Gu shook his head, "Business might not succeed, but kindness remains. Threats and such are just childish talk; you need not take it to heart, Brother."

Comparing their attitudes, the difference was clear.

But Lu Ye knew that Zhou Gu was doing this on purpose. It was laughable how Sun Yun, despite her good looks, was so lacking in intelligence, repeatedly agitated by Zhou Gu.

Lu Ye could tell that Sun Yun hadn't truly gained the Sun family's backing; she was either acting independently or following instructions from close elders.

Otherwise, with such a person, the Sun family wouldn't have sent her here if they had any sense.

As for Zhou Gu, Lu Ye couldn't ascertain.

"What threat? Who's threatening whom?" With a somewhat weak voice arising, a figure stepped in.

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