Chapter 1110: Deep Infiltration

The vanguard charged into the insect tunnels, sweeping all before them.

At this depth, the interference from the primordial magnetic field was very weak, almost negligible. Moreover, the applied insect blood could block the field's erosion, thus having no impact on the cultivators' strength.

With Long Bai and Pang Zhen's power, even large insect creatures could be instantly annihilated. Not to mention, most insectoids encountered on the way were below the Divine Sea realm.

The formation continued to advance, and ninety percent of the vanguard members seemed idle, as only those at the very front had the opportunity to fight.

However, everyone knew this was only temporary.

The insect tunnels were long, and the deeper they went, the more their cultivation was restricted. Additionally, they needed to conserve their energy, so it wasn't advisable for Long Bai and Pang Zhen to continuously lead the charge.

At a certain point, others would naturally take their place, allowing them to rest and recuperate.

An hour later, a shout suddenly came from the front, "Where is Lu Yiye?"

"Coming, coming!" Lu Ye moved quickly, passing several individuals in front.

Arriving at the source of the voice, he saw by the flickering torchlight a burly body cultivator holding down a praying mantis insectoid against the side of the tunnel. Spiritual power surged around the cultivator, and no matter how the mantis struggled, it could not break free. This was a Divine Sea realm insectoid, and the first one the team had encountered that met their requirements.

To control insectoids, Lu Ye naturally couldn't choose targets arbitrarily; he always needed Divine Sea realm ones to ensure the success of their subsequent plans. The vanguard members must have learned of Lu Ye's insect-controlling ability through various channels, so when he arrived, streams of divine sense probed from both the front and rear, eager to see what methods he would employ.

Lu Ye raised his hand and touched the mantis insectoid's forehead, sending a mental message to Nian Yuexian: "Sister Nian, please use a spiritual attack to help tear apart this insectoid's spiritual defense."

While he could achieve this himself, he hadn't cultivated any spiritual secret arts, and his spiritual power wasn't as strong as Nian Yuexian's. It would be quicker and more convenient for her to tear open the insectoid's spiritual defense.

Nian Yuexian immediately activated her spiritual power. The mantis insectoid shrieked and struggled more fiercely under the impact, but it was held down firmly by the Myriad Devil Ridge body cultivator, unable to resist.

Lu Ye's divine sense surged, clearly feeling that the insectoid had little power to resist. He easily planted the Soul Control Divine Mark in its mind. The mantis insectoid instantly calmed down.

The body cultivator sensed the change and exclaimed in surprise, "Is it done?" Lu Ye nodded, "Yes, it's done. Please release it, fellow cultivator."

The body cultivator released the insectoid as instructed and was amazed to find it no longer resisted, exclaiming, "What an incredible technique!"

Cultivators of the Beast Taming school might also be able to control insectoids, but it would never be so effortless. It would involve a very complex process with a high chance of failure.

Yet, Lu Ye had managed to control a Divine Sea realm insectoid in mere moments.

He couldn't understand how it was done.

"Is your secret art effective on humans?" the body cultivator asked a very sensitive question.

Lu Ye felt all ears around him perk up. Such an unpredictable and strange secret art would be terrifying if it worked on humans.

Lu Ye replied, "The higher the intelligence and stronger the spiritual power, the harder they are to control. It's essentially useless on humans; it can only be applied to these mentally deficient insectoids."

However, in this situation, there was no way Lu Ye could give a disturbing answer.

It was unclear if the body cultivator believed him, but after a slight nod, he turned and continued forward.

Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian also picked up their pace, but now a Divine Sea realm mantis insectoid, brandishing its limbs, was also moving forward with the group.

As they continued to advance deeper, Divine Sea realm insectoids were constantly captured alive and then enslaved by Lu Ye using his soul-controlling technique.

Three days later, the team had dozens more insectoids, thundering forward with the formation. Lu Ye sat calmly on the back of one insectoid, and Nian Yuexian sat on another beside him.

Their relaxed demeanor made it seem less like an assault on the Great Insect Realm and more like a leisurely outing, causing many of the vanguard's strong cultivators to glance at them repeatedly.

Long Bai, Pang Zhen, and the others who had been leading the charge had already been replaced. Several rounds of such substitutions had taken place. The cooperation among cultivators was extremely harmonious, especially since all of them were above the seventh realm. Sometimes, they didn't even need to speak; a simple eye contact or a body movement was enough for them to understand each other's thoughts.

Currently, the sect master and several other body and soldier cultivators were leading the way. At this depth, the primordial magnetic field's suppression of cultivators' strength had become quite noticeable, but thanks to the pre-applied insect blood, it remained within an acceptable range.

Lu Ye remained positioned towards the front, but not at the very forefront. As they delved deeper, the number of Divine Sea realm insectoids in the team grew, but correspondingly, their advance slowed down. It was only natural; the further down they went, the stronger the primordial magnetic field's suppression, making their progress more cautious.

Furthermore, the need to capture Divine Sea realm insectoids alive often consumed a considerable amount of time.

Unlike the vanguard camps from the other eight provinces, they didn't face this issue. Their only objective as they advanced was to kill – to slaughter every insectoid they encountered, leaving none alive.

Therefore, in terms of advancement speed, Bing Province was undoubtedly the slowest, a fact confirmed through communications between Pang Zhen, Long Bai, and the leaders of the other provinces.

Several large insect creatures were encountered, all of which now served under Lu Ye.

On the eighth day of their deep journey into the insect tunnels, Pang Zhen suddenly swept from the rear of the formation to Lu Ye's side and asked with concern, "Can you still manage?"

Although Lu Ye's method of controlling insectoids was miraculous, to ordinary people, such a technique couldn't be without limitations. Logically, each additional insectoid he controlled would add more strain to his spiritual power. Especially since Lu Ye had mentioned at the Grand Council that his limit was around one to two hundred creatures.

Currently, the Divine Sea realm insectoids under his command had already exceeded two hundred. This was why Pang Zhen asked.

Lu Ye pondered for a moment before replying, "That's about enough."

While he could continue controlling more, it was no longer necessary. Over two hundred Divine Sea realm insectoids were sufficient for the upcoming plan; any more would just be icing on the cake.

Pang Zhen nodded and issued an order to the front: "Should we encounter any more Divine Sea realm insectoids, there's no need to capture them alive. Kill them without mercy!"

At their current depth, everyone's strength was suppressed to nearly sixty percent, and the continuous travel and combat had also significantly drained them. Capturing any more large insect creatures alive would be risky; killing them directly would undoubtedly be more convenient and efficient. It was important to remember that the counter-attack on the Great Insect Realm was divided into three stages; the first stage was the easiest to achieve, while the beginning of the second stage was the most dangerous.

The vanguard naturally needed to conserve their strength as much as possible.

Upon receiving the order, the vanguard cultivators at the front significantly increased their pace.

A day later, a faint light became visible ahead. Instantly, everyone knew that the end of the insect tunnels was near; the source of the light was the portal.

As expected, when the formation reached the source of the light, a colossal oval-shaped portal appeared in their view. The portal resembled a blurry mirror, and as its surface rippled, insectoids continuously emerged from within.

Many cultivators gazed at the portal, all understanding that stepping through it would lead to the Great Insect Realm, the source of the Nine Provinces' insect plague.

The first step had been taken; now it depended on the progress of the second. If all went well, the catastrophe that had lasted for several years could be resolved. "Rest in place and quickly recover your spiritual power!" Long Bai shouted, also assigning a few individuals to guard the portal and kill any insectoids on sight.

The nine great provinces needed to act in unison. Although the nine vanguard camps were already in position before their respective portals, ready to charge into the Great Insect Realm at any moment, the main armies from the nine provinces had not yet arrived.

While the vanguard delved deep into the insect tunnels, various teams across the Nine Provinces had already entered through fissures in the ground, subsequently converging at different points within the tunnels and continuing their advance.

However, with the vanguard clearing the path, they faced significantly less pressure, only needing to deal with scattered insectoids encountered in side tunnels.

Currently, the main armies of the Nine Provinces were trekking deep within the insect tunnels, making their way to the front. One could say that at this moment, cultivators from the Nine Provinces were visible everywhere inside the tunnels. They might be spread across various branching paths, but their ultimate goal was singular. Only when the main armies were largely in position would the vanguard storm into the Great Insect Realm; otherwise, without reinforcements, even if every vanguard member was above the seventh realm, they would find it difficult to achieve much.

While the vanguard's strong cultivators rested, Lu Ye was busy.

He needed to tie a certain number of explosive fire spirit stones onto each of the insectoids he controlled. Without them, the insectoids alone would struggle to create a large-scale disturbance.

With explosive fire spirit stones, it was different. These items were highly volatile and could cause powerful spiritual energy fluctuations. Insectoids were extremely sensitive to such fluctuations, so once the explosive fire spirit stones detonated, they were sure to attract the insectoids' attention. Seizing this opportunity, the vanguard could charge into the Great Insect Realm and quickly establish a defensive line.

He wasn't the only one working on this; others were assisting him, all having been assigned in advance.

Even so, it took nearly an hour to arrange everything properly.

Lu Ye performed a final check, ensuring nothing was missed, before approaching the sect master and Pang Zhen: "Disciple is ready on this end."

Pang Zhen said, "Then the next part is up to you. But you must be careful and prioritize your own safety." The sect master also urged, "If it becomes impossible, retreat immediately." "Understood," Lu Ye replied with a solemn nod.