Sage of Humanity

Chapter 2119: Chapter 2117: Qing Jun

Inside the Qing Palace, at the long, narrow dining table, host and guests took their seats.

Yin Luo sat at the highest seat, while Uncle Duan stood behind her like a shadow.

Yin Luo’s crisp voice rang out: "So you’re saying, you were brought from the stellar space into the Star Abyss by a Spectral Sedan Chair, and then you couldn’t go back?"

"Exactly so!"

"Then that’s perfect!" Yin Luo bounced with delight. "I was still a bit worried that something might happen to you before I could find you. Now that you’ve come on your own, just stay here. That way when your stellar space shatters I won’t have to run all over looking for you."

Lu Ye furrowed his brow. Though having a powerhouse like Yin Luo shelter him in the Star Abyss was a good thing, there were some matters he ultimately had to get clear.

He spoke up: "May I ask, Miss Yin Luo, how did you learn about me and the Nine Provinces? And why were you coming to look for me?"

Hugging that rag doll in her arms, Yin Luo pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and said, "I’m also acting on someone’s request. Before he left, he told me to stay here and, when the Star Abyss Gate opened, find a way to locate you and protect you."

"Acting on someone’s request? Who?" Lu Ye was utterly stunned. Anyone who could make Yin Luo stay here was definitely not a stellar space cultivator. Yet he could swear he’d never had any close dealings with Star Abyss cultivators, much less with a powerhouse on Yin Luo’s level.

"Qing Jun. You don’t know him?" Yin Luo looked at him curiously.

Lu Ye slowly shook his head. Among the people he knew, none were called Qing Jun, but then it occurred to him that Qing Jun was likely not a name, but a title.

Qing Jun... Lu Ye’s heart stirred. Could it be...

He hurriedly asked, "Miss Yin Luo, what does this Qing Jun look like?"

Yin Luo didn’t answer. Instead, she looked at Lu Ye a bit suspiciously, then turned her head and said, "Uncle Duan, did we get it wrong? He doesn’t know Qing Jun."

Uncle Duan’s voice came from the darkness: "Little friend, what do you think Qing Jun should look like?"

Lu Ye’s heart instantly leapt into his throat. He knew that his next answer was very likely tied to the life and death of everyone here. He carefully recalled for a moment, then slowly gave a description.

Yin Luo nodded. "That’s right. You do know Qing Jun, don’t you? Yet just now you said you didn’t..."

Lu Ye gave a wry smile and said nothing. The one he knew was certainly no so‑called Qing Jun.

But in this way, some of the doubts in his heart were finally answered.

"Then it’s settled. From now on, you just stay here and behave." Yin Luo looked very pleased.

"Then I must thank you, Miss Yin Luo."

This strange little girl, for some reason, was friend rather than foe, but there was no denying that her strength was tremendous. She could be called the strongest person Lu Ye had ever seen thus far.

With her protection, their current situation was naturally very safe.

"What a pity..." Yin Luo looked at Lu Ye somewhat aggrieved.

"What’s a pity?" Lu Ye was puzzled.

"You smell the best, but I can’t eat you!"

All at once, the grievance on her face turned horrifying in Lu Ye’s eyes.

Uncle Duan said faintly, "Miss, Qing Jun only told you to protect this little friend and ensure his life is without worry. He never said you had to protect the others."

Hearing this, Yin Luo’s eyes lit up. "Right, Qing Jun only told me to protect him. That means everyone except him can be eaten!" As she spoke, her expression grew jubilant. Her gaze swept over the crowd, and she gave a slurping hiss as she drew in a mouthful of saliva.

Chen Wulei, Zi Ji and the others’ expressions changed drastically. Just now, listening to Lu Ye and Yin Luo talk, they’d thought the danger had already passed and had even turned into a blessing in disguise. Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye the situation would take such a sharp turn.

"Miss Yin Luo!" Lu Ye sprang to his feet. "These people are all very important companions of mine. My being able to come here is entirely thanks to their support and assistance. Without them, there would be no Lu Ye. I beg you, don’t set your sights on them!"

Yin Luo looked at him with a face full of innocent sincerity. "But Qing Jun only told me to protect you. He didn’t say to protect other people."

Lu Ye’s thoughts raced. "Miss, could you think a bit more carefully? Did Qing Jun perhaps say to protect Lu Ye and the people by his side? Or maybe he didn’t say it outright, but that’s what he meant."

Though they hadn’t interacted for long, Lu Ye had already noticed that while Yin Luo’s strength was impressive, her spiritual intelligence wasn’t very high. She was somewhat like an actual child, often muddle‑headed and clueless.

Sure enough, Yin Luo let him talk her in circles, then turned to Uncle Duan and asked, "Is that what Qing Jun meant?"

Uncle Duan said blandly, "That should not be what Qing Jun meant."

"Then that’s fine..." Yin Luo let out a breath of relief. If so many delicious‑smelling morsels were dangling before her eyes and she couldn’t eat them, that would be too much torment. She waved her small hand. "Uncle Duan!"

Uncle Duan immediately stepped out from the shadows.

There was a clatter as everyone sprang to their feet. In an instant, Mana surged.

Uncle Duan’s expression was calm as he walked forward step by step. "You may resist to your heart’s content and see whether you can stop this old man!"

They had already witnessed Uncle Duan’s strength earlier. How could they not know how powerful this old man was? Even if they joined forces, they definitely could not be his match.

With a metallic clang, Lu Ye drew his saber, but for the first time ever, he didn’t point its edge at someone else—instead he set it right against his own neck, stared at Yin Luo, and said, "Miss Yin Luo, if you so much as think about my companions again, I’ll die right in front of you!"

As he spoke, the Boulder Mountain Saber sank downward, and fresh blood immediately flowed from his neck.

Uncle Duan stared at him in astonishment, then his face darkened. "Boy, you dare threaten my young lady? If my young lady wants someone dead, then there’s no way he lives. But if she wants someone to live, then he absolutely doesn’t get to die! You can go ahead and try, see whether you’re faster or this old man is."

Puchi...

The long saber pierced three inches into flesh, blood gushed out like a fountain, and Chong Yue standing beside him was instantly drenched into a man of blood. Lu Ye, however, wore a defiant look. "Uncle Duan, your strength is immense, I’m far from your match. But even if you can stop me this time, what about next time, and the time after that? How many years can you guard against me? Ten years? A hundred, or a thousand?"

"You brat..." Uncle Duan was at a loss for words. In all the years he’d lived, this really was the first time he’d seen someone use self-destruction to threaten others. It truly opened his eyes.

Yin Luo was clearly nervous as well. "Don’t, don’t, don’t. I won’t eat them, all right? Just don’t die. If you die, I’ll have no way to explain to Qing Jun!"

He’d bet right!

Lu Ye’s heart settled. From what Yin Luo had said before, she held Qing Jun in extremely high esteem; otherwise she wouldn’t have treated him and the others with such pleasant courtesy. Now it seemed he had still underestimated Qing Jun’s status in her heart.

Lu Ye had wanted to make Yin Luo swear an oath in the name of the Will of the Star Abyss, but as that thought turned over, he gave it up. Some things couldn’t be pushed too far; the outcome as it stood was already acceptable.

"I only ask that you remember what you said today, Miss." Lu Ye withdrew the Boulder Mountain Saber. At the bloody wound on his neck, flesh and blood squirmed and rapidly mended.

"Ai..." All the life seemed to drain out of Yin Luo. She slumped into her chair, a picture of utter despair. After a long moment, she waved her hand weakly. "Uncle Duan, take them away. I don’t want them dangling in front of me."

"Yes!" Uncle Duan responded, then beckoned for everyone to head toward the side.

There were quite a few rooms inside the Qing Palace, more than enough to house eleven people. Under Uncle Duan’s arrangements, everyone was quickly settled.

After Uncle Duan left, they gathered once again in Lu Ye’s room.

The eleven of them sat in a circle, the atmosphere somewhat heavy. It had already been six years since they’d drifted into the Star Abyss. They had gone through many battles during that time, but, truth be told, they had never run into an opponent that truly outmatched them—until now...

Whether it was Yin Luo or Uncle Duan, their strength and realm were completely beyond their comprehension. Even the ten powerhouses under Yin Luo far surpassed the group in terms of strength.

That kind of power gap made everyone realize that all their smooth sailing before had just been luck. If they’d run into even one person on the level of those ten experts at any point along the way, they would probably have been wiped out long ago.

"That was embarrassing."

After a long time, Lu Ye finally let out a sigh.

Using the threat of his own death to coerce someone was practically a joke. Luckily, Yin Luo was easy enough to bluff, and she placed tremendous weight on Qing Jun’s instructions, which was the only reason Lu Ye managed to achieve his goal and protect the others’ lives.

If Yin Luo had shown even a bit more toughness during that exchange, Lu Ye’s little trick would have been useless. In the end, they would have had no choice but to fight it out, and there was no need to imagine how that would end.

In the end, it still came down to lack of strength!

"Nothing embarrassing about it." Chen Wulei shook his head. "We owe our lives to you this time. Otherwise..."

He thought of the way Yin Luo had looked at him and couldn’t help but shiver. He had never imagined someone could actually be interested in him looking like this.

"He’s right." Zi Ji nodded. "If you count it up, we owe you another life-saving favor."

He was actually still a bit shaken. Six years ago, when they had first arrived in the Star Abyss, he had, in fact, entertained thoughts of killing Lu Ye. But in the end he had suppressed that impulse and chosen to sit down with Lu Ye and speak frankly.

If not for that, how could there be today?

"Brother Lu, this Qing Jun... just who is he?" Chong Yue asked from the side.

He wasn’t the only one wondering; everyone else had the same question.

This time they’d walked away from disaster entirely because of Qing Jun’s instructions to Yin Luo. From what they knew now, Qing Jun’s strength was likely far above Yin Luo’s.

But how did Lu Ye know such a powerhouse?

Qing Jun had even ordered Yin Luo to guard this Star Abyss Gate, wait for it to open, and then find Lu Ye in the stellar space to shelter him.

"Qing Jun..." Lu Ye’s expression turned pensive. "He’s of the Dragon Race. His real name is Yang Qing!"

At first he hadn’t known who Qing Jun really was, but after cross-checking with Yin Luo, he’d realized that this so-called Qing Jun was Yang Qing.

In fact, all these years, Lu Ye had always had a lingering doubt in his heart.

After leaving the Nine Provinces back then, where did Yang Qing go?

A powerhouse like Yang Qing couldn’t possibly stay unknown. Back then, a Sun Blaze cultivator had accidentally found the Nine Provinces and tried to seize control of them, only to be smacked to death by a single slap from Yang Qing. At that time, Yang Qing had just broken free from his imprisonment and had yet to recover much of his strength, which showed just how terrifyingly strong he was.

So why had such a powerful figure disappeared without a trace for decades? Lu Ye hadn’t been able to find even the slightest hint about him.

In the early days Lu Ye’s strength had been low, his experience shallow, and the places he roamed too few, so it was understandable he couldn’t find any information about Yang Qing. But ever since he took charge of the All Phenomena Ocean and advanced to the Sun Blaze realm, he could be considered a notable figure in the stellar space.

And still he hadn’t heard a single thing about Yang Qing. That was a bit abnormal.