Sage of Humanity

The combination of Big Tiger and Yiyi was quite intimidating. Low-level cultivators with little experience could be easily frightened by a demon beast that could speak. Riding Big Tiger on the journey was undoubtedly a tempting prospect.

The trip to the Righteous Blood Sect's base was long, and Lu Ye did not know when he would arrive. If he rode Big Tiger, he could save energy on the road, and even cultivate.

For him, this was an excellent choice. After all, his current cultivation level was still low, and his priority was to improve his strength. If he traveled on his own, he would not be able to cultivate along the way and would waste a lot of time.

He had not originally planned to bring this spirit and tiger with him. The three sentences he said to Yiyi were but an excuse; he had intended to refuse regardless of what Yiyi said.

But now, he found himself somewhat persuaded by Yiyi's words...

"How about it, how about it?" Yiyi looked at Lu Ye eagerly, fearful he would utter a 'no'.

"It's not that it's out of the question..."

Before Yiyi could cheer, Lu Ye changed tack, "However, we need to agree on three rules!"

Yiyi was puzzled, "Which three?"

Lu Ye raised a finger, "First, everything follows my lead. If there's any disagreement between us, you must listen to me."

Yiyi nodded, "That's no problem." Since she had decided to come to Lu Ye, she and Big Tiger were already mentally prepared for that.

"Second, there might be times when I'll ask you to do something. As long as it's within your capabilities, you cannot refuse. Of course, I won't ask you to do anything that endangers your lives. If such a situation arises, you can make your own judgments based on the circumstances."

"That's acceptable."

"Third, if one day you no longer wish to stay, just let me know instead of leaving without a word."

"We won't do that," Yiyi shook her head.

"If all of that's acceptable, then... shall we say 'Pleasure doing business'?" Lu Ye extended a hand to Yiyi.

Yiyi tilted her head, looking at him with confusion, but still mimicked his gesture and extended her own hand, which Lu Ye grasped and shook lightly.

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Yiyi understood what he meant, smiled with her eyes narrowed, "Pleasure doing business!"

Big Tiger let out a sound from behind her.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Yiyi climbed onto Big Tiger's head and said to Lu Ye, "As a sign of good faith in our cooperation, I have a benefit to offer you!"

"A benefit?"

Upon hearing three words from Yiyi's mouth, Lu Ye was instantly intrigued.

In the depths of Qingyun Mountain, close to Big Tiger's territory, Lu Ye arrived at a very hidden cave entrance led by Big Tiger and Yiyi.

The entrance was concealed by thick weeds and dense shrubbery, making it hard to find unless one was familiar with the terrain.

"Is this the place?" Lu Ye peered into the cave entrance, which was pitch-black, revealing nothing.

"Yes," Yiyi and Big Tiger led the way in front and behind, signaling Lu Ye to follow.

Lu Ye carried a long saber at his waist, hand on the hilt, ready to respond to any sudden situations.

According to Yiyi, a snake demon resided deep in the cave. She and Big Tiger had once ventured deep inside and suffered at the hands of the snake demon, but it was also because of that they discovered a secret.

That secret was the benefit she had mentioned to Lu Ye.

The cave sloped downward, and Lu Ye felt he had descended dozens of feet underground without reaching the end, indicating the cave's depth.

And here, the surrounding coolness was no longer felt; instead, waves of heat emanated continuously from ahead.

The further they moved forward, the more intense the heatwaves became.

Yiyi began to pant heavily and finally came to a stop, "I can't go any deeper." After all, she was a Spiritual Body, and the scorching environment was unfriendly to her.

Lu Ye suddenly realized, "You were injured last time by coming here?"

Yiyi nodded, "That thing is only found here. Amber will go in with you. The snake demon's strength isn't very formidable. With big tiger's cooperation, you should be able to take it down."

"Then wait here for me," Lu Ye nodded and continued on the path with big tiger.

After a long while more, Lu Ye suspected that he had already delved a hundred zhang underground, where the scorching air was so thick it was unbearable. Even as he channeled spirit force to protect his body, he found the heat difficult to resist. As for big tiger, it was even worse, tongue lolling out, looking deflated and spiritless, like a dog suffering from heatstroke.

After a moment, they finally reached the end.

It was an underground cavern, not a small space. Standing at the entrance, Lu Ye immediately saw a large snake coiled in the depths of the cavern. The snake's body was as thick as his thigh, its full length unknown, as it raised its head high, breathing in and out towards a small tree about half a man's height.

The tree was entirely red, as if it were a red-hot iron bar. There were two fruits the size of a baby's fist hanging from it, and a strange fragrant smell permeated the entire cavern.

Barrier-breaking Fruit!

This was the "advantage" Yiyi mentioned before.

If it were an ordinary item, Lu Ye's current wealth might not have tempted him, but Barrier-breaking Fruit was different. This item was extremely beneficial for cultivators to impact the spiritual orifice barrier. One could say that as long as the spiritual orifice had not reached Perfection, it would always be needed.

Lu Ye had consumed a Barrier-breaking Fruit once before and had managed to advance to the Spirit Stream Realm solely because of that fruit. So when Yiyi mentioned it, he was instantly interested.

The Barrier-breaking Fruit that Yiyi gave him last time was stolen from here. She, being a Spiritual Body, could come and go without a trace, and although the snake demon dominated this area, it couldn't guard against her.

However, the environment here was extremely harmful to her. If there had been any other way, Yiyi wouldn't have risked coming here last time.

In the end, although she got her hands on the fruit, Yiyi was weakened for many days before she recovered.

She and big tiger already had some unresolved issues with this snake demon. Previously, lacking the strength, they couldn't seek revenge. Now, with Lu Ye as a strong backer, and about to leave, it was natural for Yiyi to seek retribution for past grievances.

At the same time, it would allow Lu Ye to obtain two Barrier-breaking Fruits, deepening the affection between them and making their partnership even more solid. It was a win-win situation.

The snake demon, coiled up, used its snake body to conceal and enclose the Barrier-breaking Fruit Tree in the middle. With the high head moving up and down in breathing, one could see fire-red Spiritual Energy swirling into its nostrils and mouth as if it were cultivating.

Two uninvited guests disturbed it.

With a roar from big tiger, the snake demon abruptly raised its head, its tongue flicking in and out.

Big tiger charged like the wind, but in the next instant, the snake demon shot out, opened its mouth, and bit onto big tiger's neck.

Big tiger, in pain, roared, and bit into the snake's belly in response. However, given the disparity in strength, big tiger was left bloody and injured, while it remained unscathed.

A fiery red demonic power enveloped the snake demon's body, forming a protective layer that made it difficult for big tiger to bite through.

In the first clash, the imposing big tiger was at a significant disadvantage, and the several zhangs long body of the snake coiled around, swiftly turning big tiger into a bundled rice dumpling.

It was a quick defeat! Although both were demon beasts, the gap in strength was notable.

Luckily, Lu Ye was there. As big tiger lunged, he used the big tiger's body as a shield and charged forward.

At this moment, as the two beasts tangled, it was the perfect opportunity to strike.

As the long sword was unsheathed, Lu Ye channeled spirit force onto the blade, reinforcing it with Sharpness spirit runes. In an instant, the bright sword light flashed, and blood splattered.