Sage of Humanity
Chapter 988 - 986 Mist Cliff

The door suddenly swung open, and a doppelganger stealthily slipped inside.

Yiyi, who was cultivating beside Lu Ye, quickly opened her eyes. Under the moonlight, she saw Lu Ye with a saber, raising a finger to his lips as a sign to stay quiet, and then swiftly closing the door.

Yiyi stared blankly at the doppelganger and then looked at Lu Ye beside her.

She was stunned!

There were two Lu Yes!

The key point was, even someone like her, who spent every day and night with Lu Ye, couldn't tell which one was real and which one was fake.

Amber, who had seen this scene in the daytime, fluffed up again and swiftly hid behind Yiyi, using its two paws to cover its eyes.

The doppelganger sat cross-legged in front of the main body. Lu Ye took the Boulder Mountain Saber from its hands, then placed his hand on the doppelganger's chest. The power of the Talent Tree was activated, its roots extending and piercing into the doppelganger.

In an instant, the lifelike doppelganger turned to nothingness. The spirit force, the blood Qi energy, and even the broken roots of the Talent Tree that were consumed to manifest the doppelganger were all reclaimed, leaving only a pile of clothes.

Lu Ye put them away.

Only after Lu Ye had finished did Yiyi, still shocked and uncertain, ask, "Lu Ye, Lu Ye, what's going on?"

Lu Ye wouldn't hide it from her.

If there was anyone in this world who could know all his secrets, it was undoubtedly Yiyi.

"This is the Doppelganger Technique, a new ability I've comprehended."

"How is it identical to the real one?" Yiyi exclaimed in amazement.

Lu Ye smiled and said, "In a certain sense, it truly is no different from my real body."

"So miraculous." Yiyi's eyes sparkled as she grabbed Lu Ye's arm and whined, "Do it again and let me see."

"That won't do." Lu Ye firmly refused.

Mainly because the freshly manifested doppelganger was stark naked, which was somewhat unsightly and naturally couldn't be displayed in front of Yiyi.

He casually found an excuse: "It consumes a lot. I'll let you see it next time when there's a chance."

Though a bit disappointed, Yiyi nodded obediently upon hearing his words, "Okay."

"Go on with your cultivation." Lu Ye patted her on the little head.

Just as he finished speaking, there was movement from the guard token.

Lu Ye's expression turned serious as he quickly checked.

If there's movement in the guard token, there's only one possibility: an order from above, and such matters cannot be delayed.

After inspecting, he discovered it was Qian Wudang instructing him to immediately proceed to the Justice Department hall.

To be summoned to the Justice Department hall at this time...

Lu Ye faintly sensed something was happening.

"I have to go out!" Lu Ye said as he stood up and pushed the door open.

A short moment later, in the brightly lit Justice Department hall, Lu Ye stepped in. Qian Wudang stood there with hands behind his back, a frown etched on his forehead, evidently waiting for him.

"My lord," Lu Ye cupped his fist in salute.

"Yesterday, a Nightingale reported noticing some unusual movements under Mount Mi Fog Cliff, suspecting a ferocious beast had settled there. Originally, Team A-5 took the task to investigate during the day, but the incident delayed it."

Lu Ye was naturally aware of what had happened. It was simply because Team A-5's leader, Zhou Kui, got beaten up by some mysterious person, then came to the Justice Department to falsely accuse him, only to be reprimanded.

Now Zhou Kui probably needs several days to recuperate and won't be able to lead a squad for any mission in the short term.

"What do you mean, my lord?"

"Originally, it wasn't a serious matter. Ferocious beasts are widely found across the Nine Provinces, and Bingzhou is no exception. The Nightingale's report was vague, and a few days' delay didn't matter. But just now, a message came from the Nightingale Den; the reporting Nightingale is out of contact."

The Nightingale Den is an agency under the Justice Department, tasked with managing Nightingales nationwide. The information reported by Nightingales is organized and compiled by the Nightingale Den.

Lu Ye had never dealt with anyone from the Nightingale Den, as it's directly under the jurisdiction of the Justice Department Chief. No outsiders can interfere, and no one even knows who the members of the Nightingale Den are.

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow slightly; the Nightingale discovered some anomaly, then suddenly went out of contact. This was evidently unusual.

"Is that Nightingale alive or dead?"

"For now, still alive."

It's easy to determine a person's life or death: just see if their battlefield marking imprint has dissipated.

The Nightingale's marking hasn't dissipated, indicating he's still alive.

"With your tracking skills, this task is best suited for you," Qian Wudang spoke.

Only then did Lu Ye understand why, among so many teams in the Justice Department, they specifically sought him. It turned out they were interested in his tracking disc.

He had initially decided to avoid using the tracking disc to complete tasks, to prevent excessive consumption. Unexpectedly, things didn't go as planned.

Moreover, the reason this task fell to him was ultimately his own doing.

Originally, Team A-5 accepted the task and was ready to execute it, but two hundred miles out from Haotian City, Zhou Kui got beaten up…

There wasn't much resistance to it; a task was still a task, and completing it would bring rewards.

Though he originally intended to let his fourth senior brother and others rest for a couple of days, with a task assigned, rest was out of the question.

"You go and find the Nightingale, see what his situation is, and also explore the Mist Cliff of Mount Mi. If there truly is a ferocious beast, slay it!"

Lu Ye accepted the order and then asked, "What is the Nightingale's name?"

Qian Wudang provided a name, which Lu Ye silently memorized.

He then said, "Be careful, if you encounter an invincible enemy, contact me immediately."

"Understood!"

"Go on." Qian Wudang waved his hand.

Lu Ye turned around and left the main hall, quickly returning to his courtyard.

Landing in the courtyard, Lu Ye said, "Everyone, we have a mission."

All the surrounding doors quickly opened, and several figures darted out.

Li Baxian smiled and said, "We already have a mission so soon?"

He roughly knew the procedural operations of the Law Enforcement Hall. Having a mission meant there was a chance to earn battle merit, something crucial for a new guard who had just entered the True Lake Realm.

"Captain, what mission is it?" Feng Yuechan asked.

She usually referred to Lu Ye as Junior Brother Lu, but now as a member of the D-9 squad, Feng Yuechan quickly positioned herself right, addressing Lu Ye as Captain like Lin Yinxiu.

"Let's talk while we move." Lu Ye summoned the spirit ark specially prepared for the squad.

Everyone boarded, and soon, under Lin Yinxiu's control, the spirit ark broke through the night, turning into a stream of light.

On the spirit ark, Lu Ye was examining the ten-part map while explaining the mission details.

Li Baxian was startled upon hearing, "Mount Mi Fog Cliff?"

Lu Ye looked up at him, "Fourth Senior Brother, do you know this place?"

Li Baxian smiled, "This place is less than a thousand miles from the Loyal Heart Sect; strictly speaking, it is under the Loyal Heart Sect's jurisdiction. There is a Chen family there, an inferior sect to the Loyal Heart Sect, whose ancestors were disciples of the Loyal Heart Sect."

That indeed was quite a coincidence.

"How much does Senior Brother know about the Fog Cliff?"

Li Baxian shook his head, "I've never been there, and I don't know much about it." He turned to look at Feng Yuechan, "Chan'er, do you know?"

Feng Yuechan said, "I heard from my mother that the Fog Cliff is called so because it is shrouded in dense fog all year round, unfathomably deep. My mother says the thick fog at Fog Cliff is quite peculiar, seemingly able to block the investigation of Mental Consciousness, so even those of the Divine Sea Realm are not willing to enter that place easily. Years ago, the sect did send someone from the Divine Sea Realm to investigate, but they didn't find anything special. After many years, if a ferocious beast has indeed been born and entrenched there, it's not entirely impossible."

"If there truly is a ferocious beast entrenched in such a place, it must not be weak. Be careful this time." Lu Ye cautioned.

Everyone solemnly nodded.

Lu Ye once again took out the tracking disc he had purchased from the Hall of Battle Merits, preparing to locate the exact position of the Nightingale, but the guard token suddenly had some activity.

Lu Ye quickly checked and then revealed a speechless expression.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Xinghe asked.

"The Nightingale has contacted, apparently he just reached a critical point in cultivation earlier, and it was inconvenient to reply before."

At least a tracking disc was saved, what a good thing.

Since the Nightingale had been contacted, handling the matter was now much easier. When they arrived at the location, they only needed to connect with the Nightingale, then explore the Fog Cliff, find the possible persistent ferocious beast, and slay it.

The spirit ark's speed was still very fast, and the full squad complement allowed them to continue without rest.

In just over a day, the party arrived at Mount Mi.

"There is the Fog Cliff." On the spirit ark, Feng Yuechan pointed below.

Lu Ye looked down and saw the thick fog rolling beneath, his hand scarcely visible before his face, even the fierce sun couldn't penetrate through the dense fog, indeed very mysterious.

"Descend." Lu Ye commanded.

Feng Yuechan, who was controlling the spirit ark, obeyed, immediately directing the spirit ark downwards.

In a moment, a group of six appeared on the edge of the Fog Cliff, Lu Ye had already activated the guard token to send out a message, waiting for the Nightingale to come seeking them.

Meanwhile, a few dozen miles away, at the Chen family.

In the main hall, the Chen Family Patriarch, Chen Tianchui, sat immobile, seemingly waiting for something.

The Chen family's grade wasn't high, only 6th grade, far inferior to the Xianxia Mountain where Lu Ye once visited.

However, as the patriarch of this generation of the Chen family, Chen Tianchui's cultivation was quite outstanding, reaching the Level 9 of the True Lake Realm, such cultivation was the strongest sequence below the Divine Sea.

The Great Elder, Chen Lie, hurried in, cupping his fist and saying, "Patriarch, the Nightingale sent a message, people from the Law Enforcement Hall have arrived."

Chen Tianchui slightly nodded, "The Law Enforcement Hall is always quick to act, since they've arrived, let's proceed as planned and let them see a good show, then send them away early."

"Understood." Chen Lie responded and then sent a message out.

Chen Tianchui snorted coldly, "Being so careless in handling matters, allowing a small Nightingale to sense something amiss. If it weren't for the Venerable Lord leaving behind methods, this wouldn't end well!"

Chen Lie said, "Those unworthy ones have already been punished, and it won't happen again."

"There better not be a next time, or if the Venerable Lord holds us accountable, no one can bear it!" Chen Tianchui said angrily, with some heartache, "The Venerable Lord's methods left behind are limited, using them on a Nightingale is such a waste!"

Something on their side was accidentally discovered by a Nightingale, so the Chen family was naturally quick to apprehend the Nightingale but dared not kill him. Mainly because if the Nightingale died, the Justice Department would inevitably investigate thoroughly, and the Chen family would not be able to escape responsibility, ultimately having to use the Venerable Lord's left-behind methods.