Sage of Humanity-Chapter 800 - 798: Hiding

Whether it was Lu Ye or Ying Wuji, both possessed extremely high attainments in the Path of Concealment and Array Path. The cultivators who came from the secret realm were not bad, but they fell far short in comparison to these two.

Until the two of them sneaked into the big array and boarded the spirit ark, those people were still completely oblivious, each busying themselves with their own matters.

Considering that Ying Wuji couldn't sense his own existence, Lu Ye could only release a slight trace of his own breath, allowing him to follow this trace and stay by his side.

There were three levels on the spirit ark. The very top layer was where the two Guiding Envoys resided; the man and woman had emerged from the compartments on the top earlier.

The middle level and the bottom level were living quarters for the other cultivators from the secret realm.

None of these three levels were suitable for long-term hiding.

Therefore, after boarding the spirit ark, Lu Ye led Ying Wuji straight to the bottom of the ship.

He originally wanted to find a hiding spot at the bottom of the ship, but it was only after arriving there that he realized there were quite a few living breaths present.

However, none of those breaths were particularly strong; they were mostly at the level of the Spirit Stream Realm, and there were even many ordinary people.

After a moment's contemplation, Lu Ye understood what was going on.

The people here must be the selected individuals the secret realm had gathered from various human race settlements!

Yuan Xiang had mentioned that people from their settlement had been taken away by the secret realm, and it seemed their luck wasn't actually too good. If it hadn't been for the attack by the people from the Pure Land, and they had stayed at that settlement, perhaps they could have encountered the cultivators from the secret realm coming to guide them.

Of course, the timing was uncertain; they might have had to wait a very long time.

With a plan in mind, Lu Ye put away the Boulder Mountain Saber and revealed his figure from his concealed state.

Seeing this, Ying Wuji also dispelled his concealment, and after exchanging a glance with Lu Ye, they both restrained their breath as much as possible and entered the door with grandeur.

The bottom of the ship was a large communal room. At this moment, it already had many people inside, all chosen from various settlements, excited beyond measure whether they were ordinary people or cultivators with cultivation.

Because in today's world, almost every living person had only one goal, and that was to join the secret realm.

To join the secret realm meant no longer having to live in fear.

To join the secret realm meant having an endless supply of good things and inexhaustible cultivation resources.

To join the secret realm also signified that they could escape their previously dire living conditions and rise to become a person of high status!

Yuan Xiang was right; to today's human race, the secret realm was indeed like a Sacred Land!

When the door was pushed open, the noise inside came to an abrupt halt, and pairs of eyes turned to look their way.

Lu Ye and Ying Wuji paid it no mind and simply walked in. Under the puzzled stares of everyone, they settled down in a corner, seemingly out of place with the surrounding environment.

However, the noise soon started up again. The people here originally thought that the two of them were cultivators from the secret realm, which was why they had been initially quiet. Once they realized that the two were also candidates for guidance, their concerns diminished.

"There are quite a number of people," Ying Wuji quietly surveyed the surroundings, "and many of them are youths." ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

Not only that, there were even many children.

It seemed that the secret realm's selection criteria were not based on cultivation or talent; the main factor was age, with younger individuals being more likely to be selected.

People like them, at their age, already appeared quite old here.

But it made sense; younger age meant more malleability and easier instruction — perhaps for this reason, the secret realm had such a selection criterion.

Lu Ye sat with his eyes closed, seemingly resting but actually listening to various conversations around him to gather information.

However, the discussions amongst these youngsters who had gathered from all corners were of no real substance; most of them fantasized about the wonderful life once they entered the secret realm, freely unleashing their imaginations on how marvelous life would be in the secret realm.

Some children also felt low due to missing their parents.

Yet even the youngest children did not cry or fuss about this, because even they knew that once they were away from home, no one would spoil or coddle them like their parents did. From now on, whether they would rise to great heights or fall into the dust, their future could only be grasped by themselves.

On those young and tender faces, many showed determination.

Ying Wuji stood up and walked out.

A short while later, he returned and surreptitiously handed Lu Ye a set of ragged clothes, "Change into these."

In the whole bottom of the ship, among two or three hundred people, only the two of them stood out. It wasn't just their slightly older age, but mainly their attire.

Their clothes weren't particularly bright or fresh; after all, one was a combat cultivator and the other a ghost cultivator, both pursuing cultivation without much concern for their appearance.

But compared to the other people's attire around them, even at its most plainly dressed, their own seemed somewhat distinctive.

Ying Wuji had noticed this and had exchanged their clothes with those of people of a similar build to him and Lu Ye.

Having learned from the previous experience at the Zui Shan settlement, this time he didn't dare to offer anything valuable and simply used two pieces of beast meat.

Lu Ye took the washed-out white clothes handed to him, casually changed into them, and then sat quietly with Ying Wuji, waiting.

About half an hour later, the big door at the bottom of the cabin was pushed open again, and this time five skinny figures walked in. The oldest was only about thirteen or fourteen years old, with the youngest appearing to be around five or six.

It looked like these were the individuals picked up by the two Guiding Envoys from the nearby bases.

After a while, the spirit ship vibrated slightly, and the talking from the bottom of the cabin stopped abruptly, followed by a burst of cheering as children big and small rushed towards the windows.

As the vibrations continued, the spirit ship ascended, heading for the next base.

The children occupying the windows gazed excitedly at the rapidly receding scenery below and the white clouds floating in front of the windows, unable to contain their excitement.

About one incense stick's time after the spirit ship took off, the big door at the bottom of the cabin was once again pushed open, and two figures appeared in everyone's field of vision. Without saying a word, they tossed a few items into the room and then turned and left.

Lu Ye saw clearly that they were several large chunks of beast meat which, judging by the color and the faint smell of blood, had not been cooked and were all raw.

Yet even so, at the moment the two persons left, the children at the bottom of the cabin boiled over with excitement.

Figures dove towards the chunks of raw meat; those who grabbed a piece immediately bit into it, but after just one bite, they were punched and knocked to the ground by someone nearby, who then snatched the food from their hands.

The already noisy bottom of the cabin descended into complete chaos.

Children from various bases, big and small, seemed to have turned into ferocious beasts, each one emitting a fierce aura.

Those with cultivation had a clear advantage, and those without it were out of luck.

Screams of agony and cries of distress filled the air.

"Ah, this..." Ying Wuji furrowed his brows as he watched.

He couldn't imagine that for a few large pieces of uncooked raw meat, these children could fight like this.

There was even a little girl lying on the ground, who for the moment couldn't get up and was trampled at will.

Just as he was about to step in, a figure beside him flashed forward, reached out a big hand, and fished the little girl from the ground amidst the crowd.

Clearly terrified, the little girl was pale and couldn't stop trembling, even after being rescued. She turned her head to glance at Lu Ye, her savior, and forgot to say thank you.

The pieces of raw meat were quickly consumed, and in the aftermath of the brawl, many children sported bruised noses and swollen faces, with some covered in blood.

Those who got their share were content, while those who didn't hung their heads dejectedly.

Because here, only one meal was provided each day, and those who didn't get any would have to go hungry for the day.

"Lu Yiye," Ying Wuji's tone was somewhat grave, "what on earth is this secret realm?"

Based on the ideas previously imparted by Yuan Xiang, he thought the secret realms of the Unparalleled Continent were sacred lands of the human race, where one wouldn't have to worry about food, clothing, or cultivation resources.

He also thought that the Guiding Envoys in the secret realms chose these people to cultivate them well and continue the legacy of the human race.

But judging from this one event alone, he sensed something was not quite right.

The people in the secret realm seemed to not care about those from the bases at all; even when providing food, they appeared to be feeding wild beasts.

Expecting the people from the secret realm to cultivate them was sheer folly.

He was asking Lu Ye, but he had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Big brother, thank you."

Only now did the little girl rescued by Lu Ye come back to her senses and thank him. It was evident that despite her impoverished birth, she'd been well-raised.

Lu Ye shook his head slowly, took out a piece of jerky and handed it to her, "Eat."

The little girl's eyes immediately lit up. She looked up at Lu Ye to confirm it was for her and then eagerly grabbed it and began to eat.

After a few bites, she stopped eating and stashed the remaining jerky in her bosom, clearly intending to save it for another time, lest she go hungry later if she gets nothing.

Ying Wuji turned his head, feeling a wave of sourness in his heart, wanting to tell the little girl to eat all the jerky, but the words didn't come out.

He and Lu Ye could protect this little girl for a moment, but not for a lifetime.

"Can I sleep here for a bit?" Although the little girl was naïve, she knew that Lu Ye and Ying Wuji were strong protectors.

She was ignorant about cultivation, but with Lu Ye and Ying Wuji's ages making them look the oldest on the boat, they were surely the strongest.

"Sleep," Ying Wuji agreed this time before Lu Ye could speak.

The little girl flashed a sweet smile, found a spot next to Lu Ye, lay down, curled up, and quietly fell asleep. Soon her breathing became even.

The spirit ship sometimes stopped, sometimes set sail, continually picking up people from the bases.

Several days passed before no new people appeared.

Lu Ye and Ying Wuji both looked forward to the end, both sensing that this round of guidance was about to close, which also meant that the cultivators from the secret realm would be returning.