Sage of Humanity

In the dark mine tunnels, Lu Ye followed the elder while checking the items in his storage sack.

He quickly found some blood Qi pills and a few healing pills, along with a messy assortment of bottles and jars that, just like the ones in Manager Yang's storage sack, Lu Ye did not recognize.

There were also a few ore samples, but their quality was inferior to those collected by Manager Yang.

Zhou Cheng's status and wealth were not as great as Manager Yang's, so naturally, his possessions were not as abundant.

However, Lu Ye was already quite satisfied since these items were essentially free gains.

He put the longsword in his hand into the storage sack and tied it around his waist.

With this storage sack serving as a cover, the one he carried close to his body would be even safer.

He was inclined to ask the elder about cultivation and elixir pills, but after some thought, he decided against it. Although the elder seemed approachable and kind, one could never be sure about his true nature. Being mere acquaintances, Lu Ye had no right to ask such things.

The most urgent task was to follow him out of the mine. Offending him due to careless words would be putting the cart before the horse.

The elder didn't walk fast, yet Lu Ye had to jog to keep up, and sometimes the elder would vanish suddenly, only to return shortly after.

Lu Ye guessed that the elder might have encountered some hidden Disciples of Evil Moon Valley and taken care of them.

The mine tunnels were intricate and complex, and Lu Ye needed to carefully discern the correct path at each intersection. Yet the elder strolled leisurely, choosing the correct path every time without fail.

In less than a Shichen, there was light shining from ahead!

It was the exit of the mine tunnel.

Walking out of the dim mine tunnels and embracing the light again, Lu Ye's mind wandered, and he experienced a strange sense of being human in the world.

"Veteran Tang!"

At the mine tunnel exit, several figures stood guard. They were cultivators from various sects of the Haotian Alliance, ensuring no disciples of Evil Moon Valley could escape through them.

Seeing the elder, they all saluted him.

The elder nodded slightly.

One of the leading-looking middle-aged cultivators eyed Lu Ye with curiosity and asked, "Veteran Tang, who is he...?"

The elder replied, "A disciple of the Xuantian Sect that was destroyed a year ago, he was captured and made a mining slave here. He helped me a bit inside, so I brought him out on my way."

The middle-aged cultivator understood and gestured to a young cultivator beside him, "Take him to record his details."

"Yes!" The young cultivator acknowledged the order and said to Lu Ye, "Follow me!"

Lu Ye turned to look at Veteran Tang, intending to express his thanks, but Veteran Tang had already walked away towards the distance.

The middle-aged cultivator who had been speaking promptly followed after him, saying, "Veteran Tang, Deputy Alliance Leader Pang has ordered that upon your return, you are to meet with him for an important discussion."

Veteran Tang stroked his beard, complaining, "An old bag of bones like me can't catch a break."

Speaking thus, he soared into the sky and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

By this time, Lu Ye was already being led by the young cultivator in a different direction. The cultivator showed no interest in conversing, and Lu Ye understood the value of silence.

Reflecting on what Veteran Tang had said earlier, Lu Ye smiled knowingly.

This old man is indeed good-hearted.

I didn't actually help him much in the mining tunnel, on the contrary, it was I who received his favor; yet he insisted on saying so, clearly making a conscious effort.

For a powerful figure like him, a casual remark could resolve many troubles for Lu Ye.

Take, for example, the storage sack hanging at his waist!

For the current Lu Ye, this item was actually a hassle. The moment he had seized the storage sack from Zhou Cheng, he was aware of the potential problems.

He had even considered that, should someone from the Haotian Alliance take a fancy to this storage sack, he would give it away, since his current identity was nothing more than a mining slave from Evil Moon Valley, and he still needed to rely on others.

There must be a loss for every gain. He kept the truly good items close to his body; a storage sack from Zhou Cheng was not worth regretting.

But with Veteran Thang's casual comment just now, it was unlikely that anyone would come looking for trouble over this storage sack.

Not having the chance to thank him in person was a slight regret for Lu Ye, but there would be opportunities in the future.

Outside the mining tunnel was a huge valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one road on the east side leading into this place. At the moment, the valley was bustling with people going to and fro.

Lu Ye looked up and saw many traces of a grand battle within the valley, some patches of blood on the ground that had not yet dried, filling the entire valley with a pungent scent of blood.

It seemed like the losses of Evil Moon Valley's people weren't small when the Haotian Alliance had conquered this place.

Flags bearing different words and patterns, representing different sects and families, stood erect in various parts of the valley.

People were thronging beneath the flags, a bustling scene.

According to the information Lu Ye had learned, the Haotian Alliance was an extremely large organization, with a complicated structure including countless minor sects and families united into this entity. The forces he saw before him were just the tip of the iceberg of the Haotian Alliance.

The Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, opposing the Haotian Alliance, was structured similarly.

Having regained his freedom, Lu Ye felt exhilarated, finding everything he saw fresh and exciting, which caused the young cultivator leading the way in front to urge him on several times.

Walking to a corner of the valley, there too was a gathering of many people, but they were not like the bright, spirited cultivators Lu Ye had seen along the way. Most of them were dirty and disheveled, with yellowed skin and emaciated bodies; a few appeared hollow and dispirited, especially some of the beautiful young ladies.

Those sullied and soiled were the mining slaves who had toiled in the veins, their unceasing hard work coupled with poor nutrition made them look like refugees fleeing disaster.

Not everyone captured by Evil Moon Valley ended up as mining slaves; some were beautiful women whose experiences were often more tragic. Now that the veins had been conquered, they were rescued, but their dire past experiences could not be wiped away.

Seeing this group, Lu Ye immediately understood these were the people previously oppressed and enslaved by Evil Moon Valley, now liberated and gathered here for some reason.

In front of this group of people, there was also a table, and behind it, a plump cultivator who looked quite young sat leaning against a chair, arms folded, dozing off.

The young cultivator who had led Lu Ye here walked forward and gently knocked on the table.

The plump cultivator jolted, nearly falling off the chair. Upon recognizing who it was before him, he patted his chest, "You youngster, you nearly scared me to death."

The young cultivator was speechless and whispered, "Senior Brother Pang, even though registering is an idle job, you can't be like this. If the higher-ups in the Alliance were to see..."

Without waiting for him to finish, the plump cultivator waved his hand impatiently, "I know, I know, you nag every day like a woman." He paused before inquiring, "What is it?"

The young cultivator stepped aside, revealing Lu Ye behind him: "Registration, identity verification."

The plump cultivator's eyes, normally almost invisible due to his chubby face, widened at the sight of Lu Ye, fixating on the storage sack at Lu Ye's waist.