Sage of Humanity

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In the Nine Provinces, the cultivation sects are varied, but when it comes to the faction best suited to handle ghost cultivators, array cultivators are unquestionably the top choice.

Because array cultivators can set up formations in advance, and those with profound skills can conjure a formation with just a thought, preventing ghost cultivators from even dreamining of sneaking up on them.

Other cultivators don't enjoy this convenience. When facing ghost cultivators, they often adopt a strategy of stillness to counteract movement.

However, this requires great courage and confidence, for when a ghost cultivator reveals itself, that moment often coincides with the launch of their lethal attacks. If one cannot block in time, decapitation is a likely outcome.

Jiang Liuzi employed this method to handle his opponent.

He did not detect the ghost cultivator's presence in advance, but he knew it was bound to stealthily approach him from some direction, waiting for the right moment to strike. And as the ghost cultivator made its move, so did Jiang Liuzi retaliate.

His sword was incredibly fast. As he deflected the ghastly assault, he counterattacked, leaving the ghost cultivator wounded.

The exchange happened in a flash; the ghost cultivator nearly lost its life. Had it not instinctively stepped back, that single strike could have been fatal.

This was a true sword cultivator!

As it retreated, glimmers of sword light filled its field of vision. The flying sword was upon it, and feeling a chill engulf its body, it slapped a Golden Body Talisman on itself, while shouting, "I concede!"

A series of thudding sounds issued forth as the golden light around the ghost cultivator shattered. A streak of sword light pierced its right chest, hot blood spilling out.

The ghost cultivator barely escaped death and immediately soared into the sky, retreating to where Xia Qianqian was waiting, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

If it hadn't slapped a mid-grade Golden Body Talisman on itself in time, it probably would have been dead by now. Even so, it had sustained severe injuries.

This was the terrifying lethality of a sword cultivator.

Looking back at the valley, Jiang Liuzi still stood there quietly, as if he hadn't moved at all. Several strands of sword light hovered beside him; with one hand holding a sword and the other placed behind his back, he stood proudly between heaven and earth.

From the opposite spirit mountaintop, cheers erupted. Jiang Liuzi had easily evened the score, undoubtedly allowing his fellow cultivators to feel jubilant.

On the other hand, Lu Ye's side all wore grave expressions, especially the female magic cultivator, whose complexion had turned white. The thought of potentially facing such a formidable sword cultivator caused her heart to pound with dread.

In the early stage of cultivation, magic cultivators are the bane of combat cultivators due to their ability to cast spells from a distance. As long as they prevent combat cultivators from getting close, the latter are easy targets. But as everyone's cultivation improves, this advantage slowly diminishes.

By the time they reach the Cloud River Realm, what magic cultivators fear the most is sword cultivators, because the latter's speed is too great for magic to intercept. Once sword cultivators narrow the distance, the fragile magic cultivators have little choice but to wait for death.

Especially since the female magic cultivator is only at Level 4, she stands no chance against Jiang Liuzi. If she were to enter the fray, it would be tantamount to throwing her life away.

"I'll go," said the physique cultivator, tilting his head with a series of cracking sounds, and then striding forward.

The female magic cultivator visibly relaxed.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the physique cultivator stepped into the valley, raised and steadied a spirit artifact big shield, gently bent his body, and hid his robust form completely behind the shield. Earthen-colored spirit force and crimson blood Qi surged forth, merging into an orange glow that encased him.

He assumed a defensive stance.

With no alternative, he knew that he couldn't outpace a true sword cultivator, so charging at his opponent would not help. Such an action would only make him a puppet in the enemy's hands.

By mounting a staunch defense and depleting the opponent's strength, searching for an opportunity to counterattack within his defenses was the only way to possibly win. This was also the sole strategy physique cultivators had when facing faster opponents.

Regrettably, under the premise of equal cultivation levels, almost all other cultivators are faster than physique cultivators, leaving them mostly to suffer in silence.

Across from him, Jiang Liuzi made no move, quietly waiting for the physique cultivator to get ready, exuding an air of total disregard for his opponent.

He indeed had the capital to feel so confident.

Sword cultivators are renowned for their lethal attacks, and a physique cultivator, even if defended like a tortoise in its shell, might not withstand the sword cultivator's flying sword.

Once the physique cultivator was prepared, the flying swords around Jiang Liuzi finally vibrated mightily, transforming into sword lights that lunged forward.

The next instant, a cacophony of clanging filled the air as the flying swords struck the spirit artifact big shield, causing it to flash wildly and sparks to scatter, with the physique cultivator's body shaking continuously.

The battle was intense, one attacking and one defending.

Three breaths later, the sword lights assaulting the physique cultivator suddenly increased. Jiang Liuzi had released even more flying swords. Numerous blades swirled around the physique cultivator, constantly swooping and striking. Most were blocked by the big shield, but a few found their way to spots unprotected by the shield, at the cultivator's sides and back.

Nevertheless, the physique cultivator's body was indeed robust. The amalgamation of spirit force and blood Qi formed a tremendously thick barrier, and the sharp flying swords could only inflict superficial wounds, unable to damage his bones.

In just a short time, the physique cultivator was covered in cuts, yet he made no sound, as if he wasn't the one hurt.

While focusing on protecting himself, he also observed gaps in his opponent's attacks, looking for a chance to counterstrike.

If magic cultivators are considered prey to sword cultivators at the Cloud River Realm level, then the bane of sword cultivators is none other than those with strong physiques.

Sword cultivators' killing ability is indeed fearsome, but they have a significant weakness: their attacks cannot last. Their formidable lethality comes at the cost of enormous energy expenditure.

Therefore, to counter a sword cultivator, a physique cultivator with a robust body is undoubtedly the best candidate. This was the reason for the physique cultivator's eagerness to step forward.

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The female magic cultivator feared Jiang Liuzi, this sword cultivator, but as a physique cultivator himself, he wasn't scared. As long as he survived the enemy's strongest phase, he could turn the tables.

The endless sword light continued for a good length of a tea time, the shine from the spirit artifact big shield in the physique cultivator's hand had dimmed considerably, and his exposed back was covered in dense, innumerable wounds.

It was at that moment, the physique cultivator suddenly noticed that the opponent's attacks had weakened and the intervals between the flying swords had also lengthened.

A gleam flashed in his eyes as he realized the time to counterattack had come.

Leaning slightly forward, he stomped his feet on the ground, and like an arrow released from its bow, he lunged forward, wielding the massive spirit artifact big shield as if it were weightless, bravely closing the distance under the sword cultivator's fierce attacks.

Boom, boom, boom...

Each step the physique cultivator took was heavy and forceful, carrying the momentum of a collapsing mountain.

The sky full of sword light suddenly converged, and Jiang Liuzi's face remained expressionless. Numerous flying swords quickly gathered in front of him and, in the blink of an eye, a giant sword was formed.

The sword was three Zhang long, made entirely of many flying swords and pulsed with terrifying spirit force fluctuations within.

The charging physique cultivator's eyes narrowed sharply, instantly realizing the danger. He immediately halted, raising the spirit artifact big shield over his head, crouching slightly, with his feet sinking deeply into the ground. His blood Qi and spirit force were stimulated to the extreme, the orange glow that constantly enveloped his body becoming bright and dazzling.

Jiang Liuzi pointed forward with merged fingers and uttered in a low voice, "Slash!"

The three-Zhang-long sword instantly arrived above the physique cultivator's head and crashed down with a thunderous impact.

The fluctuation of spirit force in that moment was extremely chaotic, light dazzling to the eyes, rendering the spectators on either side temporarily blinded.

When the light dispersed, Xia Qianqian had appeared on the battlefield, somehow, a thick spirit force barrier gathered in front of her, blocking over a dozen flying swords. Behind her, the physique cultivator lay bloodied on the ground, his life and death unknown.

One could imagine that if Xia Qianqian had not come to the rescue in time, the physique cultivator would likely have been killed.

Jiang Liuzi raised an eyebrow.

Xia Qianqian looked at him indifferently, "Admit defeat!"

Jiang Liuzi stubbornly stared at Xia Qianqian, silent. Xia Qianqian narrowed her eyes slightly, "What? You want to make a move on me? Think carefully for yourself."

From the opposite spirit mountaintop, the voice of that young man came, "Since Fellow Daoist Xia conceded for him, Jiang Liuzi, stop there!"

He didn't want to completely fall out with Xia Qianqian here, and besides, Jiang Liuzi couldn't possibly be a match for Xia Qianqian, the disparity in cultivation was too great.

Only then did Jiang Liuzi retract his flying swords.

Xia Qianqian gave Jiang Liuzi a deep look before using her spirit force to envelop the unconscious physique cultivator and returned to the rear spirit mountaintop.

In the valley, the fair-skinned, handsome youth stood still, like an undefeated war god.

On the spirit mountaintop, the Level 4 reality female magic cultivator's face was as pale as paper, almost on the verge of tears, "Sister, I'm not his match."

She had witnessed Jiang Liuzi's terrifying power with her own eyes; even a Level 5 realm physique cultivator had been beaten without the slightest ability to fight back, so what could she, a Level 4 realm magic cultivator, possibly do?

Try to act cute?

Seeing the youth's serious and unsmiling demeanor, he didn't seem to be the type to pity and cherish the fairer sex.

Xia Qianqian briefly examined the injuries of the physique cultivator, her brows furrowed. The three who had gone into battle on their side were all badly wounded, and while there was no danger to their lives, they wouldn't be able to fight in the upcoming melee.

On the other side, among the two who had gone into battle before, the second was not lightly injured, but the first's injuries were not severe.

It was clear that the current situation was extremely disadvantageous for their side.

She looked up at Lu Ye.

It had been agreed that Lu Ye would be reserved for the final fight, but given the current situation, he had no choice but to take the field.

"I'll go."

Lu Ye stepped forward and walked out.

Whether he was reserved for the final fight didn't matter to him. After all, he was just earning his keep, nothing more than lending a hand to those in trouble.

The sword cultivator named Jiang Liuzi was very strong; Lu Ye figured that the man must have ranked at least in the top ten in the Spirit Stream battlefield earlier on, or else he wouldn't have such a strong foundation.

But what of the top ten? During the months when he ruled the Spirit Stream Ranking, the entire Spirit Stream battlefield had only one Lan Ziyi worthy of his attention. As for the rest, they were all trash.

His only disadvantage now was his cultivation, two minor realms lower than his opponent.

However, since he began his cultivation journey, what he did most was defeating enemies above his level.

He landed lightly in the valley, coming to a stop fifty Zhang away from Jiang Liuzi.