Translator: Jon Editor : Dhael Ligerkeys The battle in front of the base was intense. Lu Ye could not even stand with stability as he wielded his saber out of reflex. Although he would get some rest after every battle and consume some Spirit Pills to replenish his Soul Power, it was not easy to restore the Soul Power he had lost, which made his figure look translucent now. The voice in his mind kept calling for him to close his eyes and rest, but he knew that once he did, he would never wake up again, considering his condition. His strong will helped him hold out. Although he was like a flickering candlelight amidst the storm, he was determined to shine for the last time in this broken city. After rounds of battle, he only had three insectoids in his squad now. Just like himself, the three insectoids were badly injured. It could be said that he had come to a dead end. He had come across many crises since he started cultivating, and he had solved many of them using his power. However, it was his first time getting pushed over the edge like this. Suddenly, he felt a thread of connection getting cut off. Since he was muddle-headed, he had no idea where the feeling came from. It was not until a moment later that he realised one of his insectoids had lost its life, and he only had two left now. Sadly, they probably would not live to see the next sunrise. He squeezed his last bit of energy to wield his Inviolable Saber and destroyed the insectoids around him. After Butcher’s squad was wiped out, Lu Ye only wanted to help them complete their mission. But now, he had no idea what faith it was that helped him persevere. Perhaps it was because the sentries had risked their lives to send him back to safety, and he eventually survived while they were all killed. For this reason, he could not allow their mission to fail. Unfortunately, his energy was limited, and he found it to be a shame that after this battle, he might not have the strength to fight again. He would have no choice but to hide in a base and recuperate for a long time, and see if he could ever recover. Since he was focused on the battle, he was not aware that on the roof of a building that was several dozen metres away, some figures were standing there and looking in his direction. The dead Butcher, Liu Datong, Yu Qing, and the sentries whose names Lu Ye did not know were all there. Butcher’s squad had returned! Under normal circumstances, Lu Ye would’ve discovered them, especially when they did not conceal their presence. Nonetheless, he was already on his last legs, and his vision was blurred. He could not even clearly see the sight that was several metres away, let alone dozens of metres. “Why is he so determined to achieve our goals even when his life is at risk?” Yu Qing was worried when she saw that Lu Ye was risking his life to destroy the insectoids. “You guys have gone too far!” Liu Datong sighed. “You should’ve told him what was going on. He probably thinks that we’re all dead.” “Sir was the last one to die. He must have deliberately hidden the truth from him.” Yu Qing glowered at Butcher. The man said impassively, “We’ll only find out his true temperament in the moment of life and death. If we had told him earlier, we wouldn’t have seen this. He’s an incredible guy.” The sentries knew that Butcher was a stern person, and his remark showed that Lu Ye had gained his approval. “It’s no wonder he’s the chosen one,” Butcher muttered under his breath. “What do you mean?” Yu Qing looked at him in puzzlement. “Nothing.” Butcher shook his head. “Anyway, save him right now! We won’t die if we get killed, but if he dies, we don’t know what will happen!” Yu Qing demanded. Butcher shot her a glare. “Do you even remember I’m your higher-up?” Despite what he had said, he dashed towards the battlefield the next moment, followed by the other sentries. On the battlefield, Lu Ye felt that he was drained of all energy. He did not even have the strength to wield his Inviolable Saber. The battle was over. Despite his blurred vision, he could see there was no longer any insectoid. Besides the enemies, even his insectoid squad was all gone. [It’s all over…] The moment this thought formed in his mind, he became at ease and fell forward. He did not fall to the ground, though. At the most critical moment, someone draped his arm around Lu Ye’s shoulders and supported his weight. Lu Ye weakly lifted his head and saw Butcher. There was a rare smile of approval on his face. A puzzled Lu Ye had no idea why he saw the supposedly dead Butcher at such a point. Perhaps it was an illusion after he had exerted himself. Surprisingly, he also saw many figures behind Butcher. They were the dead Liu Datong, Yu Qing, and the sentries Lu Ye was not so familiar with. Although it was just an illusion, he could not help but feel guilty. His lips squirmed as he said, “Senior, the mission…” He had not completed the mission, but he could not hold on any longer. If he fell asleep now, he did not even know if he would wake up again. “You’ve done a great job.” Butcher patted his shoulder. “The mission is completed.” They had killed all the insectoids in the area they were in charge of when they were on the way here earlier, and the rest of the insectoids in this place were eliminated by Lu Ye. Although Lu Ye felt that Butcher was merely placating him, he still forced a weak smile. “That’s wonderful…” At the same time, some doubt formed in his mind, for the illusion felt real. Before he could ponder, he lost consciousness as his head slumped to the side. His almost transparent figure contorted at that moment. “I’ll send him to the City Lord’s Mansion. All of you, form into three groups and look around for any insectoids that might still be alive.” “Yes.” Liu Datong and the others obeyed his order. Upon giving his order, Butcher picked up Lu Ye and leapt into the air. When he was 30 metres above the ground, he flew towards the City Lord’s Mansion and soon disappeared. … In the dark chaos, a light appeared and expanded rapidly. As that happened, Lu Ye slowly regained consciousness. The mental exhaustion he felt was all gone, and it was replaced with comfort. His surroundings felt warm. It was as if he had returned to his Mother’s womb. He had no idea where he was. Although he had regained consciousness, he was not fully awake. Presently, he was in a state of half-asleep and half-awake. His mind was a mess. He only recalled experiencing a lot of tough fights, and some figures flashed across his eyes. Before he could recall more, he fell asleep again. A long time later, he awakened once again. This time, he was fully awake. Following a moment of grogginess, he soon recalled what had happened before he passed out. After Butcher’s squad was wiped out, he led his insectoid squad to eliminate the insectoids on the periphery to help complete their mission. Nonetheless, he did not manage to achieve his goal in the end. He thought that it was such a shame. Unfortunately, he was not powerful enough. Due to the special environment, he acquired the power of Real Lake Realm even though he was only a Fifth-Order Cloud River Realm Master. However, faced with such a situation, there was nothing much he could do on his own. Also, he wondered where he was. He instinctively felt that his current location was familiar, but he could not tell where it was. As he examined himself, he was surprised. That was because he discovered that his Soul Power had become even stronger. His Soul Power was already more powerful than those of the cultivators in the same Realm, so supposedly, it was not easy to make it stronger. Nonetheless, after he regained consciousness, he discovered that his Soul Power had grown much stronger. He wondered if he had broken through the limit during the battle that drained him of all energy, but that did not seem like the case. It was not until this moment that he noticed the anomaly around him. The entire place was filled with thick mist, which obstructed his vision. It was no ordinary mist. While shrouded in it, he felt completely at ease, and he would be more than happy to stay here forever. A fragment of his memory soon matched the environment he was in. “Soul Mist!” He could not help but be surprised, for the mist around him was Soul Mist. The last time he visited the Lost City of Xiayuan, he experienced the same environment. At that time, he, Ju Jia, Amber, and Yi Yi had gained a lot of benefits. Soul Mist was only found in the Pool of Divine Purification. In other words, he was now in that pool. However, he had blacked out somewhere else in the city, so how did he end up awakening in the Pool of Divine Purification? While he was doubtful, the faces of Butcher, Liu Datong, and Yu Qing flashed across his mind. He recalled seeing the sentries who were supposed to be dead before he passed out. Nonetheless, it was merely an illusion. How could dead people like them come back to life? He reckoned that other sentries must have found him and brought him to the City Lord’s Mansion before settling him in the Pool of Divine Purification. Although it did not sound probable, it was the only explanation. He had heard from Butcher that many sentries were moving around the city, and they were only one of the squads. Every squad was responsible for eliminating the insectoids in their respective area. Perhaps another squad had completed their mission and found him while searching around. Although he had no idea who brought him to this place, they had undoubtedly saved him. As such, Lu Ye was grateful to them. Not only had his Soul Power been fully restored, but it had also become stronger. It could be said that he had never felt better. It was said that one would seek out lust when he was sated, and Lu Ye was no exception. Nevertheless, he was not thinking about lust. The thick Soul Mist around him was what he coveted. The last time he was here, he filled several bottles with Soul Cleansing Water and left. Although he had no idea who placed him in the Pool of Divine Purification this time, he certainly would not want to miss this chance. Therefore, upon figuring out his situation, he activated his power without hesitation. His power expanded as Yin and Yang intertwined with one another. In a blink, a huge Spirit Gathering Funnel was formed in the Soul Mist.