Sage of Humanity

"Last time we got sneak-attacked, the timing was tight, but I felt the other party should be a Ghost Cultivator. If he's still squatting outside, he'll definitely be Concealed nearby. If Sister Zi Ying, you take point, he may not be willing to expose himself, so I still need to be the one to bait the snake out of its hole. Of course, I won't go out alone."

As Lu Ye spoke, he turned to look at Dark Butterfly.

Dark Butterfly blinked, took a step forward: "Brother Ye, don't worry, I'll protect you."

Brother Ye…

Zi Ying suddenly felt a bit nauseated.

Still, if Dark Butterfly was guarding him, then there wouldn't be too big a problem.

If, as Lu Ye said, the opponent was a Ghost Cultivator, then they couldn't go out together. No matter what race a Ghost Cultivator was from, their temperament was extremely cautious. If they appeared together, the other party would definitely be wary.

On the contrary, if Lu Ye appeared alone, he could lure the snake out of the hole. She would strike after three breaths, surely catching the enemy off guard. At that time, with Dark Butterfly joining hands with her, even if the enemy was Peak Dao Fusion, he wouldn't have any good fruit to eat.

After some thought, Zi Ying turned her head to look at Dark Butterfly: "Be careful. If Brother Ye has any accidents…"

"Elder Sister, rest easy, there absolutely won't be any accident." Dark Butterfly looked completely confident.

"Let's go." Lu Ye called out.

Dark Butterfly's figure flickered and crashed toward Lu Ye, hiding into his Divine Sea.

Lu Ye glanced at Zi Ying, then stepped into the exit.

The world spun.

Lu Ye immediately activated Dao force to protect his body, and sure enough, the anticipated killing strike followed right on its heels, triggering a surge of crisis in his heart. Before he could react, his protective Dao force shattered, and right after that he felt a stab of pain on his body.

He wasn't flustered, because almost at the instant the ambusher made a move, Dark Butterfly, who had been hiding in his Divine Sea, had already rushed out.

A cry of surprise rang out, followed by a fierce, surging clash, Dao force and Soul Power tangled together in the air.

Lu Ye flew straight for several thousand zhang before barely stabilizing his figure. When he focused his gaze, he saw Dark Butterfly already fighting with a short, stocky Specter Race cultivator.

Dark Butterfly's Soul Power roared and surged around her, twisting the very space, and in her hand she wielded her Daoist Soldier Long Sword.

By contrast, that Specter Race Dao Fusion only used a short dagger to meet the attack, locked in a fierce battle with Dark Butterfly.

Lu Ye steadied his mind before he had time to examine himself. There was a single wound on his body, not too serious. Mainly, Dark Butterfly had appeared very promptly—had she been a breath later, with that Specter Race Dao Fusion's methods, he might well have been heavily injured again.

The other party probably hadn't intended to kill.

Putting himself in his place, he should be very eager to know the situation inside Banlan, so he planned to capture Lu Ye alive to pry for information, but hadn't expected Lu Ye not to come out alone this time, and even to bring a Dark Butterfly with him.

More importantly, Dark Butterfly had hidden herself in Lu Ye's Divine Sea in the form of a soul body—something no one could possibly have foreseen.

As they clashed, Dao force rampaged freely, and the Yu Bo swept in all directions.

Lu Ye was just about to step up and assist, when the Ghost Cultivator suddenly went head-on against Dark Butterfly with one hard clash, then turned tail and ran!

The sight left him momentarily stunned.

It couldn't be denied: to be able to fight Dark Butterfly like this, the enemy was definitely Peak Dao Fusion with no doubt. But they had only just crossed blows, and he was already running, fully embracing the essence of a Ghost Cultivator—if one strike fails, flee a thousand li.

"Stop him, quick!" Lu Ye roared. He still hadn't settled the score from the last sneak attack—how could he let the guy escape? Zi Ying would be able to emerge any moment, and then with Dark Butterfly joining hands, even if this Ghost Cultivator didn't die, he'd have to shed a layer of skin!

Dark Butterfly clearly didn't want to let the other side escape either, and immediately pursued to kill.

Lu Ye followed close behind, and at the same time Zi Ying's figure suddenly flashed, appearing not far away. Before she could figure out what was happening, Lu Ye's audio transmission sounded by her ear; her figure flickered, and she too gave chase.

However, a short while later, the three figures ultimately came to a stop.

That Specter Race Dao Fusion was too cautious, and his speed was very fast; he also had the initiative of starting first. Even Dark Butterfly couldn't catch up to him.

"What a pity." Zi Ying sighed. If they could have resolved that Specter Race cultivator this time, it would have helped Lu Ye vent his anger, but the other party was just too slippery.

Still, after this encounter, that Specter Race should no longer dare to lie in ambush near Banlan.

Turning back to look, Banlan's five-colored radiance entered her sight. Zi Ying asked curiously: "I've heard that Banlan's state in the Star Abyss is one of ceaseless drifting. Why doesn't it seem that way?"

Lu Ye explained: "I made it stop."

Zi Ying's eyes lit up: "You can control Banlan?"

Lu Ye shook his head: "I wouldn't dare say 'control'. My Cultivation Realm is too low, Banlan's level is too high. Even just making it stop, I paid a huge price."

Zi Ying nodded and didn't ask further, instead silently sensing her surroundings.

Dark Butterfly had been quietly sensing as well.

For all of them, it was the first time leaving Banlan and truly entering the Star Abyss. The scenery around wasn't much to look at; although it was somewhat different from the situation inside Banlan, it was all more or less the same. The two Peak Dao Fusion cultivators were focused on something else entirely.

After a long time, Dark Butterfly finally showed a bit of joy on her face: "Elder Sister Zi Ying, did you feel it?"

Though she wasn't very happy to be addressed like that by Dark Butterfly, right now she could only communicate with her. Zi Ying gave a slight nod: "Looks like you sensed it too."

Dark Butterfly said excitedly: "Yeah, that invisible, formless constraint is gone."

Inside Banlan, no one had ever been able to advance to Dao Harmony, precisely because there was a kind of shackling force over the whole Banlan, leaving all those Peak Dao Fusion experts throughout the ages unable to see the path ahead.

But right now, both Dark Butterfly and Zi Ying could clearly sense that the previous shackles were gone.

Which meant they now had the chance to go one step further—that was what truly thrilled them.

Lu Ye was a bit excited too: "So, do you two have any clues about advancing to Dao Harmony?"

Dark Butterfly shook her head: "Nope."

Zi Ying, on the other hand, looked thoughtful: "I have some vague feelings, hard to put into words."

Lu Ye understood. The reason Dark Butterfly didn't have any was because she'd left Banlan with only her soul body; her physical body was still inside Banlan. With body and soul separated, the drawbacks were no small matter.

Zi Ying, however, wasn't bound in that way.

She'd been stuck at Peak Dao Fusion for who knew how many years, her own foundation tempered to an extreme degree. She'd had no opportunity before, but now that she'd walked out of Banlan, comprehension had come to her immediately.

But going from Dao Fusion to Dao Harmony was not something you could do easily…

"Sister Zi Ying, take a good look at this stuff. It should help you advance to Dao Harmony." Lu Ye handed her a jade slip he'd prepared in advance.

Dark Butterfly's eyes immediately latched onto that jade slip like leeches, her gaze thoughtful.

Judging by Lu Ye's tone, he seemed to know a thing or two about Dao Harmony. But he was only at Enter the Path—how could he possibly know?

She had no idea that back when Lu Ye was staying in the insect hive, he'd dug up quite a few good things from Jiu Ying. When Jiu Ying was at his peak, his Cultivation Realm had been extremely high, and all the information in those jade slips had been passed down by Jiu Ying.

Zi Ying accepted it and swept it with her Mental Consciousness. Soon, a thoughtful look appeared on her face. "So that's how it is!"

Dark Butterfly was itching with curiosity, desperately wanting to ask for details, but she forced herself to hold back. She turned to look at Lu Ye, eyes full of grievance…

She knew she'd have to work this from Lu Ye's side.

She was a bit regretful now—she shouldn't have come out with only her soul body. But she'd been acting cautiously; back then she hadn't known it would be this easy to get out of Banlan.

If she'd known, she would've just left in her physical body. That would've been much better.

After watching for a while longer, Zi Ying couldn't help but look up at Lu Ye: "So there really is a shortcut to Dao Harmony?"

"What shortcut?" Dark Butterfly finally couldn't hold back anymore. This topic was way too tempting for her.

Zi Ying ignored her.

Lu Ye said, "There is such a saying, and I used to know a Peak Dao Fusion cultivator who wanted to walk that shortcut. But looking at things now, she won't be able to anymore."

That Peak Dao Fusion cultivator was named Yin Luo.

Zi Ying frowned slightly. "Even if it's a shortcut, it harms the balance of heaven and earth too much. Better to just cultivate honestly."

Lu Ye said, "I'm just giving Sister Zi Ying a reference. I know you're not going to take that shortcut."

Zi Ying smiled. "A shortcut might be nice, but if I used it to advance to Dao Harmony, I'd never feel grounded. Besides, walking this shortcut depends on luck. My luck's never been that great; I'd rather believe in myself more."

Dark Butterfly was getting dizzy listening to them. What on earth are you two talking about? Can't you just lay it all out in the open? We all came out of Banlan together, so why do I feel like I'm being left out?

She suddenly felt stifled. She pouted, thoroughly unhappy!

"Alright, you two go back first. I'll find a place to settle down and strive to advance to Dao Harmony as soon as possible!" Zi Ying put away the jade slip.

With this jade slip that Lu Ye had provided, she'd undoubtedly save a lot of time fumbling around. Coupled with the accumulation of so many years, she was confident she could advance to Dao Harmony without taking that shortcut.

"About that Specter Race…" Lu Ye was a bit worried.

Right now Banlan was parked right here; if that specter refused to give up, there might be more trouble ahead. Zi Ying's strength was indeed formidable, but since she was aiming to advance to Dao Harmony, she really shouldn't be disturbed.

"Don't worry. That specter is rather strong, but he doesn't have any real way to deal with me. And after what happened last time, he might not even dare show his face again."

"Then Sister Zi Ying, please be extra careful." Lu Ye nodded.

This trip, his main goal had been to escort Zi Ying out. Now that the goal was achieved, there was indeed no reason to linger. Besides, they had an authority waist tablet to contact each other. Next time he came out, he could naturally get in touch with Zi Ying again.

"Let's go." Calling out to Dark Butterfly, Lu Ye turned and swept back toward Banlan.

Dark Butterfly followed. After walking for a bit, she turned to look at Zi Ying and said sweetly, "Wish Elder Sister Zi Ying a swift advance!"

Zi Ying snorted lightly. If I really advance to Dao Harmony, and you dare disgust me like that again, I'll tear your mouth right off.

On the way back, Dark Butterfly clung affectionately to Lu Ye's arm, half her body pressed against him. In a soft, coquettish voice she said, "Brother Ye, I want that jade slip too."

Inside Banlan, no one had any idea how to advance to Dao Harmony. Since Lu Ye had some clues, she absolutely didn't want to miss out.

"There's only one." Lu Ye replied casually, brushing her off.

"Then just make another one…" Dark Butterfly whined. How could there only be one jade slip? As for the information inside, couldn't Lu Ye imprint whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted?

"Depends on my mood."

"Then when will Brother Ye be in the mood?"

"Depends on your attitude."

"..."

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