Chapter 2770: Surround and Hunt

"Because of this world's malice towards humanity, our cultivation can only advance to a certain limit, making further progress almost impossible. This is also the main reason why we humans have no Saints." Xia He's expression was bleak.

Lu Ye asked, "Didn't you say there was still one Saint? How could that person break through?"

Xia He shook her head. "That person isn't native to this world. They came from outside many years ago. Some of the Saints of various races in this world have similar origins. As for where they came from, no one knows."

Lu Ye couldn't help raising an eyebrow.

Xia He didn't know where those foreign Saints came from, but Lu Ye knew they must be from the Inner Realm. Xue Jiu had also mentioned that throughout history, many powerful individuals had achieved Sainthood, though they were few. However, there was no trace of them in the Inner Realm; all those who became Saints had entered the Origin Realm. But... something felt strange.

After a moment of thought, Lu Ye spoke, "I met a Saint before, but that Saint felt like a living corpse to me. Are all Saints in this world like that? If so, why can they still interfere with mundane affairs?" Someone like Saint Qi shouldn't be involved in worldly matters at all; she was just a puppet, a marionette.

Xia He looked astonished. "You saw a True Saint?"

"True Saint?" Lu Ye was puzzled.

Xia He explained, "There are two types of Saints. One is what you mentioned, a True Saint. They... indeed seem like living corpses, detached from the world. The other type is a Half-Saint. Half-Saints are not like that. The Saints I'm referring to are Half-Saints."

Lu Ye frowned. Half-Saint, True Saint... was this distinction in titles due to different cultivation realms, or some other reason?

"Whether True Saints or Half-Saints, humanity lacks many of them. This means our people can only inhabit the Cage Sea, which is essentially a place where other races herd us. Every so often, they come to bully and invade us, and every hundred years, there's an extremely large-scale hunt."

Lu Ye's face darkened. "They hunt our people?"

"Yes," Xia He said with a bitter smile. "It's been like this for countless years. To any other race, humans are excellent sacrificial material."

"Sacrifice..."

"Their purpose in hunting is to capture our cultivators alive for sacrificial rituals, to gain various benefits. The stronger the sacrificed individual, the greater the benefits they can acquire."

"Where do these benefits come from?" Lu Ye felt a growing anger in his heart.

Xia He scoffed. "Naturally, they are bestowed by this world. This world has a will. Perhaps you haven't perceived it, but that will certainly exists."

Lu Ye's expression became solemn. If he wasn't mistaken, this world's will was the Star Abyss's will. He had previously sensed that the power of the Dao in this world was extremely pure and abundant, thinking it was a pure land similar to the Union Realm, a place untouched by that will's tendrils. But now it seemed he had been mistaken. While there were indeed no traces of that will in the Origin Realm, it was no pure land. But if that was the case, why was the Star Abyss's aura in the Origin Realm so pure? Lu Ye couldn't quite figure it out.

"So, the situation now is that the hunt targeting our people has already begun?" Lu Ye asked.

Xia He nodded. "Yes, it has already begun."

Lu Ye finally understood why he hadn't seen any living creatures on the Cage Sea earlier. He had previously thought it was sparsely populated, but now he realized that wasn't the case. Humans were probably hiding on the small islands he had passed, simply not revealing their presence, just as they were doing now.

"No way to fight back?" Lu Ye asked.

Xia He shook her head. "How can we fight back when our strength is inferior? It's one thing during normal times, but during the hunt, the elites of all major races are dispatched. Our human race is isolated and outnumbered; we can't resist at all. All we can do is try our best to hide ourselves."

"Earlier, Daoist Xiaoman mentioned a large island?" Lu Ye asked.

Xia He replied, "That's where our people gather. It's impossible to hide, so it will certainly be targeted. But don't worry, the races participating in the hunt won't annihilate us completely. They'll leave some vitality for humanity to recuperate and multiply."

"Isn't that just 'cutting leeks'?"

"It is 'cutting leeks'!" Xia He said with a bitter smile. "Our situation in the Cage Sea has always been like this, and it hasn't improved for tens of thousands of years."

Lu Ye asked no more questions. He had a general understanding of the situation in the Origin Realm. Without a doubt, humans here lived extremely difficult lives. Although his current strength was quite good, the current situation was indeed not suitable for him to wander around recklessly. He could only wait for this hunt to pass before making further plans. He intended to visit the only human Half-Saint. Since this individual came from the Inner Realm and had been in the Origin Realm for countless years, they should know something. Perhaps he could find a way to leave from them. Although the hope was slim, it was worth a try. However, that was a matter for later.

For the next few days, Lu Ye remained securely in his spot, quietly cultivating. To avoid drawing undue attention, he restrained himself during cultivation, so as not to cause too much commotion.

Several days later, Lu Ye, who was cultivating, suddenly opened his eyes. Xia He stood before him, a finger pressed to her lips, and softly said, "Follow me, someone has come in!"

Lu Ye quickly stood up. He hadn't detected any movement, but Xia He and the others had been prepared here for a long time, likely having set up warning formations. Since she said so, their location must have been exposed.

Moving forward, Xia He acted silently. Turning a corner, several figures appeared before them; it was Liu Chang and the others. They had clearly noticed something as well. They exchanged glances, understanding each other. Liu Chang took the lead, rushing forward, with everyone else close behind.

Three breaths later, a rumbling sound came from behind, accompanied by powerful energy fluctuations, clearly indicating that enemies were in pursuit. However, this hiding place undoubtedly had more than one entrance and exit, precisely to guard against situations like this.

Ten breaths later, Liu Chang, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped. He turned to face everyone, his face etched with pain, and gritted his teeth, demanding in a low voice, "Who is it?" Lu Ye frowned. In his perception, several powerful auras were rapidly approaching from ahead, which undoubtedly meant their path forward was also blocked. This was clearly no coincidence. Even if the enemies had discovered the entrance to their hiding place, there was no reason they would find another exit so quickly. But now, with enemies invading both entrances and exits, the only explanation was that someone had leaked detailed information about their hiding place, which was why they were being targeted so precisely.

As Liu Chang spoke, his sharp gaze remained fixed on Lu Ye, his eyes filled with intense suspicion and wariness. The five of them had known each other for a long time and understood each other well, which was why they gathered together for mutual support. Lu Ye was the only one Xia He had brought. It was perfectly normal for Liu Chang to be suspicious. Not only did Liu Chang think this way, but the others undoubtedly shared the same thought. Even Xia He, standing beside Lu Ye, frowned, her expression uncertain and surprised.

"It's you after all! I knew something was off about you!" the cultivator surnamed Zhou roared, raising his hand to summon his Dao weapon. Channeling his full power, he fiercely attacked Lu Ye, showing no mercy. In the not-so-spacious tunnel, with such a sudden and violent assault, Lu Ye had no way to avoid it. As the cultivator surnamed Zhou made his move, Liu Chang and the others' auras also became abruptly sharp.

As light flashed, Lu Ye's expression became solemn. He suddenly snapped out a kick. This kick shattered the ferocious attack of the cultivator surnamed Zhou and slammed forcefully into his chest. The cultivator surnamed Zhou's eyes widened dramatically. His body flew backward like an arrow from a bowstring, directly colliding with Liu Chang, who was at the front. The violent force made Liu Chang stumble back more than ten steps before he managed to stabilize himself. In front of him, the cultivator surnamed Zhou's chest was caved in, and blood spilled from his mouth and nose. He was clearly gravely injured.

Several pairs of eyes immediately narrowed. Especially Xia He's. Among the group, she had interacted with Lu Ye the most. In her perception, Lu Ye's cultivation wasn't actually very high; like Xiaoman, he should only be at the Lower Path Integration realm. Yet, the brutal force of that kick was simply astounding. Furthermore, the cultivator surnamed Zhou was a Middle Path Integration cultivator. Even if his attack hadn't been at full power, it shouldn't have been so easily broken by a Lower Path Integration cultivator. She suddenly realized that this naive-looking young man she had brought back from outside wasn't as simple as he appeared. Could it really be him?

Lu Ye had already stepped forward, one hand resting on the hilt of his Mountain-Pillar Sabre, his expression calm. "Now is not the time for internal strife. See the truth for yourselves." As he spoke, his figure moved past Liu Chang and the injured cultivator surnamed Zhou, taking the lead.

Liu Chang frowned slightly but didn't stop him. Sensing Xia He's questioning gaze, he tilted his head slightly, motioning for them to follow. The current situation was like being caught between a wolf in front and a tiger behind. If they wanted to survive, they had to break through in one direction. Regardless of whether Lu Ye had exposed their location and informed the enemy, they had no choice now.

Lu Ye, now in the lead, quickly spotted the enemy: a Winged Race member, holding a long sword, aggressively charging from the front. Several other figures followed closely behind him. Upon seeing Lu Ye, the Winged Race member couldn't help but smile. "The intelligence was correct. You truly are hiding here." As he spoke, he raised his hand and thrust his sword forward. The sword light suddenly split, and countless sword shadows filled the tunnel. The power of this sword strike was immense. This Winged Race member likely had a cultivation of Middle Path Integration, unleashing close to three thousand units of power in a full strike.

Amidst the overwhelming curtain of swords, a flash of sabre light appeared. The sword curtain shattered into pieces, and the Winged Race member stared blankly at the long sword, his Dao weapon, in his hand. After a moment of daze, a deep sense of horror flashed in the depths of his eyes. This was because his Dao weapon, which had accompanied him for many years, had been cut in half! In just one strike. The sabre light, undiminished in its power, slid across his neck after severing his long sword. Lu Ye had already swept past him, moving to confront the next few approaching enemies.

Behind him, Liu Chang and the others, who had been in a state of high alert, watched this scene with disbelief, almost unable to trust their own eyes.