translator: ahad
Proofreading: shaheer
Humanity’s Great Sage – Chapter 1019: Thousand Streams Blessed Land
Updated Glossary Context:
- Thousand Streams Blessed Land: A blood race territory ruled by Yu Lingfeng, stronger than a cave dwelling.
- Northern Min Blessed Land: A neighbouring Blessed Land that Thousand Streams Blessed Land plans to attack.
- Soul Control Glyph: The Glyph Lu Ye uses to enslave others, giving him absolute control over his soul slaves.
Yu Lingfeng found himself caught in a dilemma. The other Blood Race members only saw him sitting high above, basking in boundless glory, but who could truly understand his difficulties?
Lost in thought, his steps suddenly halted. He raised his head and looked ahead.
An unfamiliar figure entered his field of vision. The man stood with his hands folded one over the other, a long saber planted in front of him, quietly watching Yu Lingfeng.
A sudden, bone-chilling terror gripped Yu Lingfeng. Before he had laid eyes on this figure, he had not sensed this person’s presence in the slightest.
Moreover, judging by his appearance, he was unmistakably human!
Yu Lingfeng had always been cautious and prudent. The instant he saw this person, his body instinctively retreated, and he opened his mouth to shout a warning.
Without knowing the depth of the other party’s cultivation, rashly engaging in combat was undoubtedly extremely unwise.
For someone to infiltrate this place without alerting anyone, he clearly possessed some skill. The wisest course of action at this moment was to raise an alarm and join forces with his subordinates to capture this inexplicable human.
However, just as his mouth opened, a wave of dizziness struck him, as though he had been smashed by a sledgehammer. His thoughts became chaotic, and he could not form any words.
Immediately afterward, a violent pain erupted from the depths of his head, as if his brain itself were being scrambled.
This intense pain sobered Yu Lingfeng for a split second, and he instantly understood what had happened to him.
He had been struck by a divine sense attack!
In other words, the one waiting here for him was actually a Divine Ocean Realm cultivator?
Some time later, Yu Lingfeng rose to his feet, his face contorted with pain, and stood respectfully before Lu Ye.
Having a Soul Control Glyph forcibly implanted left him with a far stronger reaction than Zhang Julai had shown. It was not that Lu Ye’s methods were rough, but rather it was related to his cultivation.
Zhang Julai had only been at the Cloud River Realm. Lu Ye’s divine sense could easily break through his soul’s defenses to plant the Soul Control Glyph; throughout the entire process, Zhang Julai hadn’t even perceived much at all.
But Yu Lingfeng was not far from the Divine Ocean Realm. At his cultivation level, although he had yet to gestate a soul body and give birth to divine sense, his innate soul defenses were far stronger than Zhang Julai’s.
Lu Ye’s forceful breakthrough had caused his soul to suffer some turbulence.
“This is Thousand Streams Blessed Land, correct?” Lu Ye held an animal-skin map in his hand, on which a crude map had been drawn. Zhang Julai had drawn it for him earlier, and he had followed this sketchy map to find this place.
But whether this truly was Thousand Streams Blessed Land, he was not entirely certain. Most likely, it was correct.
“Yes,” Yu Lingfeng answered with utmost respect.
“Who is the Blessed Land Master here?” Lu Ye asked again.
“I am.”
This was a stroke of luck.
Lu Ye had originally come here simply intending to enslave some Real Lake Realm Blood Race member at random. Whether or not he was the Blessed Land Master was of no great consequence. Even if he hadn’t been originally, with Lu Ye standing behind the scenes, he would quickly become one.
“You are Yu Lingfeng?” This name had also been gleaned from Zhang Julai.
“Yes.”
Lu Ye nodded slightly. In that case, it saved him some trouble. He got straight to the point: “There is something I need to instruct you about. Take note.”
Yu Lingfeng quickly straightened his expression and listened respectfully.
The night passed without incident. The following day, Yu Lingfeng, now largely recovered, convened the Real Lake Realm members under his command for a discussion.
In the main hall, over a dozen Real Lake Realm members gathered together, utterly puzzled as to why Yu Lingfeng had summoned them today.
However, the extra figure standing beside Yu Lingfeng drew considerable attention. For this person was unmistakably a young human male, and no one had ever seen him before.
“Blessed Land Master, who is this human…?” A middle-aged Blood Race member looked at Lu Ye with some curiosity and voiced his question.
“This is a Blood Slave I have recently acquired. Pay him no mind,” Yu Lingfeng said as he rose from his seat and spoke loudly: “I have called you all here today to announce two matters.”
The Blood Race members immediately sat up straight.
“The first matter: from this day forward, within the territory governed by this Blessed Land, the tribute of blood food is abolished and replaced with human blood. Furthermore, no member of the Holy Race is permitted to wantonly harm humans.”
A month ago, Zhang Julai had announced something similar in Bright Moon Cave, and it had caused a tremendous uproar.
The same thing happened now.
As Yu Lingfeng’s words fell, the group of Blood Race members all looked as though they had heard something utterly preposterous. The middle-aged Blood Race member immediately asked: “May I ask, Blessed Land Master, why you have made such a decision?”
For the Blood Race to feed on blood food was a matter of heaven and earth, the way it had been since ancient times. No one had ever heard of any place altering this custom.
“No reason. This is the command of this Blessed Land Master.” Yu Lingfeng’s attitude was very tough. This was mainly because Lu Ye had so instructed, and he was merely following orders. To him, Lu Ye was heaven and earth itself. There was no ‘why.’
“I do not agree,” the middle-aged Blood Race member shouted harshly. “I imagine no one present will agree either.”
“Indeed, Blessed Land Master, abolishing the tribute of blood food is truly inappropriate. I ask the Blessed Land Master to reconsider.”
“Human blood may be consumable, but dead blood cannot compare to the exquisite taste of living blood. Without blood food, where will we have living blood to use in the future?”
With their own interests at stake, the Blood Race members present could not sit still and began clamoring one after another.
The middle-aged Blood Race member who had spoken first was the most vocal. His cultivation was on the verge of catching up to Yu Lingfeng’s, giving him a very high status within Thousand Streams Blessed Land. He had also sensed Yu Lingfeng’s complicated attitude toward him recently. He had lately been considering his own path—whether to stay and continue serving Yu Lingfeng, or to leave and establish his own faction.
Given his cultivation, he could have established his own faction and become a Blessed Land Master long ago. However, not all Blood Race members were willing to be Cave Masters or Blessed Land Masters. Sometimes, sheltering under another’s wing allowed for greater ease and freedom. When troubles arose, there was still someone above to shoulder them.
Moreover, at present, in the Blood Refining World, every Blessed Land already had its own territory—one radish, one pit, as the saying went. Even if he left to establish his own faction, without a territory to control, it would be useless.
Thus, he had not expected that at this critical juncture, Yu Lingfeng would issue such a muddled command. His heart could not help but stir with ambition. If he seized this opportunity to ally with the other Blood Race members, there was a great chance to eliminate Yu Lingfeng. Then he himself could become the Blessed Land Master of Thousand Streams Blessed Land. Wouldn’t that be comfortable?
Just as he was thinking this, Yu Lingfeng slammed the table beside him and roared angrily: “Who dares to disobey this Blessed Land Master’s command!”
The other Blood Race members all shrank their necks. Yu Lingfeng still held some authority.
That middle-aged Blood Race member, however, gritted his teeth and said: “If the Blessed Land Master’s command is wrong, we are entitled to disobey!”
A ringing sound rang out as a long saber was slowly drawn.
Lu Ye, who had been standing at Yu Lingfeng’s side all along, raised the Inviolable Saber and advanced step by step toward the middle-aged Blood Race member.
All the Blood Race members were stunned, but upon sensing Lu Ye’s killing intent, they quickly reacted. The middle-aged Blood Race member was even more enraged: “Mere Blood Slave, you dare to be insolent!”
As he spoke, blood light surged around his body, taking the form of several arrows. With a sweep of his hand, the blood arrows shot toward Lu Ye.
Though he harbored thoughts of replacing Yu Lingfeng as Blessed Land Master, he was still somewhat apprehensive about outright falling out and attacking Yu Lingfeng right now. But as for a mere “Blood Slave” like Lu Ye, he had no such reservations.
Killing this Blood Slave would also serve as a warning to Yu Lingfeng. If he remained stubbornly unrepentant, then they would have no choice but to join forces and bring Yu Lingfeng down.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, his expression changed drastically in the next instant.
For the blood arrows he had launched posed not the slightest threat to Lu Ye. A few flashes of blade light swept past, and the blood arrows shattered explosively. Immediately afterward, Lu Ye closed within three zhang of him and a single slash descended.
The middle-aged Blood Race member’s heart screamed with alarm. Madly, he roused his own vitality and spiritual power to form a solid barrier.
Yet that barrier was still shattered by a single slash.
As the long saber cleaved down, the middle-aged Blood Race member’s body was split in two. Under the tremendous impact, the two halves of his corpse collapsed to the left and right.
Fresh blood stained the foundation of the great hall.
The Blood Race members who had been so loud in their clamor moments ago all fell deathly silent at once, staring in terror at Lu Ye, who was now deftly extracting the Blood Crystal.
Only now did they understand that this Blood Slave, whom they had not even regarded as worth noticing, possessed the terrifying power to easily slaughter every last one of them!
In all of Thousand Streams Blessed Land, aside from Yu Lingfeng, the Blessed Land Master, the middle-aged Blood Race member who had just died had been the strongest. Yet even he could not withstand a single blow from the opponent.
With such strength, even Yu Lingfeng probably could not endure a single strike from him.
They truly could not fathom where Yu Lingfeng had acquired such a Blood Slave…
In their hearts, they grew wary. Such a Blood Slave could not have appeared out of thin air; he must have been subdued by Yu Lingfeng long ago and kept hidden until today, when he was finally revealed. And the moment he appeared, he carried out such an earth-shattering act, clearly intended to intimidate them.
“Does anyone else disagree?” Yu Lingfeng’s expression was cold and severe as he swept his gaze over the assembly.
No Blood Race member dared to make a sound.
The example was right before their eyes. To voice disagreement now was to seek death!
“Dead blood, living blood—either is merely for cultivation. Apart from differences in texture and taste, there is no hindrance to cultivation. This matter is settled. From now on, under the governance of my Thousand Streams Blessed Land, no member of the Holy Race is permitted to harm humans at will. Have each Cave Dwelling dispatch personnel specifically to collect blood from human villages on a scheduled basis and in fixed amounts!”
“Yes.” Sparse and scattered responses came back.
How could Yu Lingfeng not see what was in their minds? He spoke up: “Compared to blood food, what is most useful to our Holy Race is still Blood Crystals! You all fail to think of Blood Crystals, yet remain so fixated on blood food. Truly laughable.”
“Blessed Land Master, Blood Crystals are indeed good, but they are not so easy to obtain,” a Blood Race member ventured, mustering his courage.
Every Blood Crystal represented the life of a Blood Race member. They certainly had the ability to kill some Blood Race members weaker than themselves to obtain Blood Crystals, but it would not do to target the Blood Race under their own command. If they truly did such a thing, who would they have to serve under them in the future? They could only sneak into another’s territory and strike covertly, but doing so also carried risks. If discovered by another Blessed Land Master, it would inevitably lead to friction and disputes, and their own Blood Crystal might even become coveted by others.
“Wanting Blood Crystals is simple,” Yu Lingfeng snorted coldly. “Immediately assemble the manpower of every Cave Dwelling. I intend to attack Northern Min Blessed Land!”
Lu Ye stood to the side, quietly observing, and could not help but recall Zhang Julai’s high-spirited vigor a month ago. He could only sigh at how strikingly similar the scene before him was.
Of course, with him secretly directing matters behind the scenes, how could it not be similar?
(End of Chapter)