Humanity’s Great Sage

the running of its outpost in the Spirit Creek Battlefield.
I, for instance, am the legate-in-charge of the Devoted Ones outpost,” explained Li Baxian, “Being legate gives you the responsibility of keeping the outpost safe from invasions, and it also affords you privileges.
It will take a long time to glean through the details; I’ll give you a jade slip containing thorough information about what the job entails.
You’ll understand better then.”

 

“With you and Sister Shui Yuan being the only eleventh-generation acolytes left, Sister Shui Yuan could only rely on you to watch over the outpost, Brother.
A Real Lake Realm Cultivator like her could not enter the Battlefield as freely as you could, so the burden is yours to bear, I’m afraid…” 

 

“The outpost is not important,” Shui Yuan added, “I’m only appointing you as legate so that you can enter and exit the Battlefield more easily.
You’re still in the Spirit Creek Realm and the Battlefield is still the best place for you to cultivate your power and hone your skills.”

 

“But hasn’t the outpost fallen into enemy hands?” Lu Ye asked incredulously.

 

He thought that with his identity now virtually public knowledge, the outpost should have come under attack by now.

 

“It used to be so until there were no benefits to be reaped,” said Li Baxian, “There’s nothing there for anyone to plunder anymore.
To say nothing about that beast.
So long as it is still there, no one from the outer ring of the Battlefield could possibly capture the outpost.”

 

“The situation at the outpost is kind of complicated,” added Shui Yuan, “At the moment, it’s mostly independents who gather around there.
Those were the ones I used to help find out about you, although none of them managed to locate you.
Whether you want to keep the independents there is up to you, Lu Ye.
There is a handful that you could place your trust in, although the rest I’m not too sure about.”

 

Lu Ye bobbed his head.
There was too much he did not know about the outpost, so there was hardly any need to make any hasty decisions.
That could wait until he had a better look at the place.
With Li Baxian as a fellow legate-in-charge, he could always rely on him for advice.

“By the way, that pet tiger of yours has safely arrived at the outpost, according to the Turbulent Watchmen who sent him there.
The tiger will be there when you go to the outpost.”

 

“All right, I’m heading there now,” Lu Ye said at once. 

 

“Very well.
Come with me,” said Shui Yuan. 

 

She led Lu Ye to another chamber called the Sanctum of Providence. 

 

The strongholds of every sect and order each had a Sanctum of Providence of their own—one in the main stronghold and the other at the outpost within the Battlefield, each with a Divine Opportunity Column.
Some called the Sanctum the most important of all chambers in every stronghold for the Column was how acolytes entered and exited the Battlefield.
So during an invasion, securing the Sanctum was usually one of the most important objectives, whether for the defense or the offense. 

 

Lu Ye placed his hand on the Column, as instructed by Shui Yuan.

 

It reminded him of the first time he entered the Battlefield.
The moment he felt a tremor coming from the Battlefield Imprint on the back of his hand as it resonated with the Column, the entire world around him warped into a blurry whirl.

 

“Remember to get a Pact from the Column once you get to that side for your pet,” Shui Yuan’s voice came from somewhere around his ears. 

 

In the blink of an eye, everything was clear again. 

 

Only this time, he found himself standing in a wide and spacious chamber with no one else around. 

 

He peered at the Divine Opportunity Column.
He could feel a connection between the Column and his Battlefield Imprint, possibly because of his identity now as an actual Crimson Blood Sect acolyte and legate-in-charge of this outpost. 

 

But that was not all.
The Column held something more.
Something intangible that he could feel but not yet quite describe, although he sensed that he, as legate-in-charge, could alter and manipulate. 

 

As for how, that would need time to master and get accustomed to. 

 

He did not want to try anything yet.
At the moment, he had too much to learn and he should wait for more information from Li Baxian.

His first order of business was to get to Amber as soon as possible; Yi Yi must be worried sick about him. 

 

He stepped out of the Sanctum and into the sunlight, basking in its welcoming and cheery warmth.
Then he looked up and noticed something peculiar.
The passage of time in the Spirit Creek Battlefield and the real world outside seemed to be similar. 

 

That was when his peripheral vision caught someone looking at him.
Lu Ye’s hand instinctively reached for his weapon, only to find that nothing was there. 

 

He remembered it now: his saber had been shattered beyond repair. 

 

He looked around.
A few Cultivators were giving him dubious and surprised stares and all of them posed no threat.
They were only Third- and Fourth-Orders at best. 

 

They must be the independents Shui Yuan had told him about. 

 

With the outpost abandoned for decades, this place had turned into a safe haven where many independents gathered, turning the surrounding areas into a large bazaar.

 

And the independents had the sense to not focus their activities around the Sanctum of Providence of the outpost.
Much of the bazaar was spread around the outer compounds where none of the noise and mess would get anywhere near.

 

That was the least the independents could do as a form of respect to the Crimson Blood Sect and avoid antagonizing any of the members.

 

Without any form of support, independents had to scrape for a living in the harsh environments of the Battlefield.
Those who could survive only managed because they had become experienced enough in the ways of the world and the attendant vagaries and subtleties.

 

For this reason, no independents would knowingly choose to offend any member of a militant sect or order. 

 

The independents that resided in the bazaar of the Crimson Blood Sect outpost knew that the outpost had been abandoned for decades.
That someone just stepped out of the Sanctum of Providence was something barely any of them had seen before. 

 

Lu Ye stood there for a few seconds, then he heard the familiar sound of a tiger.
He spun around and sped in the direction where it was coming from.
He arrived at a wide square where the first thing he saw was the white furry girth of Amber.