Humanity’s Great Sage

finding its first mark—an Eighth-Order insectoid—and blasting a hole through it amid a backwash of mucky hemolymph.

Admittedly, this gave Lu Ye his first impression of how dangerously sturdy the physical endurance of an Eighth-Order insectoid could be.
It took Lu Ye more than seven to eight blows using Telekinesis before one was finally killed.

 

The tiny reddish sparkle retraced its way back to Lu Ye where he caught it with his fingers to replenish the Spiritual Power imbued inside before he cast it forth again.

 

But the continued use of his flying ability, Glyph: Radiance, the relentless firing of Fire Dragons, and Telekinesis caused such a great toll on his Spiritual Power.
In barely a quarter of an hour, Lu Ye could feel that he had expended almost seven-tenths of his full power, with just a measly three-tenths left. 

 

And that was even though he, a Seventh-Order, already had a much bigger storage of Spiritual Power with more than a hundred Spiritual Points unlocked. 

 

If he had pulled off a stunt like this when he was still a Fifth-Order, he would have long been exhausted.

 

Unfazed, Lu Ye retrieved a jade flask from inside his Storage Bag.
He unstoppered it and upended the bottle, emptying its contents down his throat. 

 

It tasted odd.
For one moment, he tasted the sweet fruitiness of some fermented beverage before a bitter zest kicked in.  

 

A cider made of crushed Mystic Fruit. 

Li Baxian had bid him to give to Shui Yuan all the Mystic Fruits that he collected during the Battle Royal of the Legates.

 

With the Mystic Fruits peeled and crushed before being mixed with a number of expensive and rare herbs that Lu Ye did not even know the names of, Shui Yuan turned the Fruits into a beverage that could simulate the exact same effects of ingesting Mystic Fruits. 

 

When she handed Lu Ye the Mystic Fruit cider, Shui Yuan had informed Lu Ye that a flask of the cider would restore almost half a Seventh-Order Cultivator’s full reserve of Spiritual Power in thirty seconds.

 

Nevertheless, there were also drawbacks to Mystic Fruit cider—it would take a longer time for the effects to take place, indicating a slightly reduced potency if compared to consuming a Mystic Fruit the normal way. 

 

Even so, drinking a flask of Mystic Fruit cider gave a bigger amount of restoration. 

 

What Lu Ye had just consumed was one flask of Mystic Fruit cider; Shui Yuan had given him and Hua Ci thirty flasks in total. 

 

Which would have made spending his Spiritual Power so wantonly something Lu Ye loathed to do.
To use his power so recklessly in such a short span of time was nothing short of being foolhardy for any Cultivator. 

 

Lu Ye could feel the warmth emanating from inside his belly the moment he finished the bottle.
The warm rush began to swirl in him like a vortex, filling every Spiritual Point of the Microcosmic Orbits inside him.
In just thirty seconds, Lu Ye no longer felt the fatigue and lethargy that came from having just three-tenths of his full reserves of Spiritual Power.
He felt invigorated.

 

He was everywhere, giving help to whichever side that needed him while he would find time to eliminate one Eighth-Order insectoid at a time whenever he could. 

Gradually, the pressure from the insectoids had grown noticeably weaker.
The nest was still desperately trying to reproduce fresh insectoid hatchlings to replenish the colony’s ranks, but the rate could no longer keep up with the slaughter.
Across the different fronts just outside the tunnels leading into the nest cavern, the Crimson Blood Sect assault forces were slowly solidifying their foothold here and of the original six Eighth-Order insectoids doggedly hot on Lu Ye’s heels until now, only one remained; two if you counted the one still reeling with spasms from Lu Ye’s hiltless knife savagely turning it into a honeycomb beehive. 

 

When the hiltless knife’s work was finally done, that left only the last remaining Eighth-Order insectoid.

 

Satisfied, Lu Ye ceased the magic of his Glyph: Radiance and landed just in front of Kong Niu’s group where, this time, it was his turn to charge straight at the lone Eighth-Order insectoid.

　　

He drew Inviolable and activated Glyph: Sharp Edge, sidestepping the incoming monster deftly while he ducked, slicing his weapon’s blade through the monster’s leg.

 

A splatter of greenish hemolymph hit the ground, accompanied by a shrill screech from the adult-sized monster as it crashed to the ground, its jet-black exoskeleton failed to prevent the deep bite of Inviolable.

 

The monster had only just fallen down when Lu Ye was already back on his feet and over his fallen enemy, driving Inviolable straight through its back and punching out the front. 

 

The insectoid monster writhed and contorted with agony, its movements eliciting more slimy green muck spraying everywhere like a fountain.

 

Inviolable’s blade shone with bright red radiance, emitting a burst that ripped a bigger hole through the monster’s torso before the blast ultimately ripped the carcass into halves.

 

“KILL THEM ALL!” Kong Niu’s voice blared through the din like a war horn.
More battle cries thundered from the rest of the other fronts in response to his call.

 

For the next hour, the Crimson Blood Sect assault forces steadily pressed deeper inwards, limiting the surviving insectoids’ area of activity. 

 

Lu Ye gave Inviolable a forceful flick to shed off any blood before he returned it to its scabbard as he finally exhaled easily with relief and contentment. 

 

[It is game, set, and match!] Lu Ye mused.
There was no longer any need for him to intervene.
The others could mop up the rest of the insectoids with hardly any difficulty.
More so, since such a chance to garner more Contribution Points is hard to come by and there was no reason for Lu Ye to get in their way.

 

“Sister Hua Ci! Stay with me!” Ruan Lingyu’s frantic voice was coming from one end of the nest cavern.

 

Lu Ye strode over at once.
With a flaming torch, he found Hua Ci fallen on her knees, looking dazed as if in a trance.

Ruan Lingyu was kneeling just in front of her, shaking her shoulders madly.

 

“Is she hurt?” Lu Ye asked quickly. 

 

Ruan Lingyu shook her head.
But there was no missing those tears welling in her eyes.

 

According to her, Hua Ci was just leading this side against the insectoid horde not long ago.
Everything was fine until the victory was certain and she fell into such a state as soon as she relaxed.

 

Lu Ye examined Hua Ci and made sure that she was not hurt.
Next, he bent down just beside her and patted her lightly on the shoulder.
“You’ll be fine the next time.
You can bet that this is not the last time we’ll be meeting these bugs.”

 

Hua Ci’s head strenuously swiveled like a rusty wheel, and she gave him a stare of indescribable despair at the prospect of facing more insectoids…

 

“Stay with her.
Let me know if you need anything,” instructed Lu Ye before he left Ruan Lingyu with Hua Ci.

 

The outcome might be certain, but the battle was still far from being won, and knowing that, Lu Ye knew that he still needed to keep an eye on things.
The last thing he wanted was for some of his men to lose their lives in a time like this and give the insectoids any chance for a rebound.

 

If what Li Baxian told him was right, then there would be at least another three powerful insectoids to deal with.
They might be Eighth-Order insectoids, but they would be better, stronger, and deadlier than the ones Lu Ye had just disposed of earlier.