Chapter 1117: Advancement

The Kyushu army's advance met with few obstacles, a testament to the overall excellent caliber of the Kyushu cultivators.

These were all cultivators of the True Lake Realm. To reach this level, every one of them had to brave countless bloody battles. The environment in Kyushu was unstable; cultivators had to enter the Spirit Creek Battlefield to contend with opposing factions starting from the Spirit Creek Realm.

This remained true even in the Cloud River Realm. Later, upon joining the Provincial Guard, they fought against others, against nature, and against themselves, overcoming numerous perils to achieve their current accomplishments.

It can be said that each of them possessed extensive combat experience. Furthermore, with the insect plague having lasted for several years, everyone generally understood the types of insectoids and their attack methods, making it naturally less troublesome to deal with them now.

Nevertheless, some casualties were unavoidable.

Whether due to recklessness, aggressive ambition, or insufficient support from nearby Divine Sea Realm cultivators, various reasons led to death appearing unexpectedly.

However, compared to the overall size of the Kyushu army, these casualties were negligible.

Throughout the periphery of the Great Insectoid Secret Realm, fallen insectoid corpses were visible almost everywhere, their unique green blood staining the ground in vibrant hues.

After completing another support mission, Lu Ye looked up into the distance. There, a colossal and grotesque figure stood on the ground, towering at thirty zhang.

These were Giant Insectoids, even more powerful than Great Insectoids. No one knew their exact strength, as no one had encountered them yet. However, judging by their aura alone, they were undoubtedly comparable to cultivators of the Divine Sea Ninth Realm. Their immense size also made it clear they were not to be provoked lightly.

Yet, at this very moment, several figures were indeed provoking this Giant Insectoid.

As Lu Ye observed, he saw several streaks of light moving deftly around the Giant Insectoid, from which incredibly powerful spiritual energy fluctuations continuously emanated.

Two of the figures were remarkably familiar: the Sect Master and Long Bai. Pang Zhen, Su Xiu, and Mu Suifeng were not present, presumably having other missions.

The task of dealing with this Giant Insectoid was clearly entrusted to several Divine Sea Ninth Realm experts, led by Long Bai and the Sect Master.

With their cultivation and strength having reached such a pinnacle, they had virtually reached the end of their path. Coupled with ample time for refinement, their killing moves were all exquisitely profound and unparalleled in might.

Moreover, their coordination was exceptionally skillful. Although the Giant Insectoid possessed formidable power, its immense size made its movements clumsy. A brief skirmish was enough for the Divine Sea Ninth Realm cultivators to realize that it was somewhat showy but lacked substance, and thus not difficult to defeat. The only challenge was its astonishing defense, which necessitated more incisive destructive methods.

This eased the cultivators' apprehension. Since their assault on the Great Insectoid Secret Realm began, they had been concerned about these Giant Insectoids, as no one knew their true capabilities. However, after a brief assessment, they realized their worries were somewhat unfounded.

Therefore, they cooperated, each employing their methods to continuously weaken the Giant Insectoid's defenses. They also implicitly agreed to focus their attacks on the same area, enabling more effective strikes.

The engagement had been ongoing for some time, and cracks had begun to appear in the Giant Insectoid's neck carapace, indicating it was about to falter.

Opportunities were fleeting. Just as Long Bai was about to unleash a decisive, fierce attack on the insectoid, a figure abruptly appeared directly above its head. Immediately, a series of explosive cracks erupted, and a three-zhang-tall crimson figure materialized in everyone's sight.

The appearance of this figure was incredibly sudden; neither Long Bai and his companions nor the Giant Insectoid detected it.

Not until the three-zhang-tall crimson figure raised an exaggeratedly long blade, spiritual energy surging and the blade suddenly bursting into raging flames, did it aim for the Giant Insectoid's neck and slash down fiercely!

The Giant Insectoid's bony carapace at its neck was already on the verge of shattering. Under this single slash, it had no chance of resisting.

The long blade paused for only a fleeting moment as it descended before smoothly cleaving through the Giant Insectoid's head. Its massive head toppled, and insectoid blood erupted, covering Long Bai, who had just rushed close, from head to toe.

He cursed angrily, wiped his face, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw a familiar figure rapidly retreating, giving off the impression of someone who had accomplished their deed and was now leaving, their merits hidden away.

He recognized at a glance who the sneaky intruder on the battlefield was.

With that fierce and menacing aura, and that distinctive war puppet, who else could it be but that kid from the Jade Blood Sect?

To openly steal credit right under the elders' noses was truly outrageous.

The Sect Master calmly remarked, "The child is grown; I can't control him anymore." Long Bai felt a wave of helplessness. What more could he say? Could he complain that his credit had been snatched by a youngster who had seized the opportunity?

Lu Ye had already fled ten li away by this point. He hadn't intended to snatch any credit; he merely wanted to experience the Giant Insectoid's power up close. When he saw an opportunity, he couldn't help but act on it.

To ensure a one-hit kill, he even summoned the Dragon Throne. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

Three days after the Kyushu army's front line advanced, unexpected changes began to appear on the battlefield.

When Lu Ye received a summons and hurried to a designated assembly point, a significant number of cultivators had already gathered there. More than ten were from the Divine Sea Realm, and at least several hundred were from the True Lake Realm. Additionally, cultivators from nearby areas were continuously arriving after receiving the summons.

Among the Divine Sea Realm cultivators, a familiar face was Nian Yuexian. As she had the highest cultivation here, she was naturally regarded as the leader.

Lu Ye stepped forward and asked, "Sister Nian, what's the situation now?"

Nian Yuexian replied, "There's an insectoid nest ahead. However, a large number of insectoids are gathered around it, so we need to assemble more forces."

The concentration of insectoids there was too vast for any single Divine Sea Realm cultivator or True Lake Realm team to handle. In this situation, the only option was to rally nearby cultivators, forming a unified force to achieve success in one decisive strike.

This was also the first insectoid nest encountered by the advancing front line in this direction.

Lu Ye pondered briefly, then said, "I'll go take a look."

With that, he leaped up and delved deeper into the area ahead.

Although he had explored the Great Insectoid Secret Realm before, during his last visit, he was alone and couldn't risk exposure, so he only circled the periphery of this world. He genuinely didn't know what the interior of the Great Insectoid Secret Realm was like.

To know oneself and one's enemy is to win every battle. As they were currently engaged in a war, gathering intelligence was naturally the top priority.

Flying forward, it was strange that he encountered no insectoids midway, a very uncommon phenomenon. He flew dozens of li before finally seeing an insectoid nest standing ahead, surrounded by vast swaths of gathered insectoids.

The insectoids clustered around the nest's perimeter, seemingly a well-trained army awaiting battle.

He advanced a bit further, extending his divine sense to investigate the actual situation around the insectoid nest.

Normally, at such a distance, the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from Lu Ye would attract the insectoids. However, Lu Ye noticed that while the peripheral insectoids showed some signs of unrest, none of them actively attacked; they all remained steadily in place.

Lu Ye couldn't help but frown. The situation seemed peculiar. It was known that insectoids possessed little intelligence and acted purely on instinct; this applied not only to weaker insectoids but also to those of the Divine Sea Realm.

Therefore, a phenomenon like such a large number of insectoids converging around the nest, forming what appeared to be an impenetrable defense without dispersing, was rather odd.

However, if protecting the nest was an inherent instinct for insectoids, and it took precedence over being drawn by spiritual energy fluctuations, then it made sense.

After a brief reconnaissance and gaining some understanding of the insectoid forces here, Lu Ye returned.

More cultivators had gathered in the interim.

Nian Yuexian was not someone who enjoyed giving orders. For many years, she had always held down a pass by herself, commanding no soldiers. Only Lu Ye had served under her for a period when he was at Cangyan Mountain Pass.

However, with her cultivation being the highest among those present, everyone naturally looked to her for leadership. Left with no choice, she had to take charge and assign tasks to the Divine Sea Realm cultivators who had assembled there.

Fortunately, there was no need for elaborate schemes; a simple division of forces into several routes, advancing directly, would suffice.

Another half an hour later, the assembled Divine Sea Realm cultivators numbered twenty, and True Lake Realm cultivators reached over a thousand. Such a force was sufficient to conquer the insectoid nest ahead. Consequently, Nian Yuexian gave the order, and all cultivators, divided into three routes, charged towards the insectoid nest.

Lu Ye was positioned on the left flank, accompanied by several other Divine Sea Realm cultivators whose cultivation levels varied. The lowest was Divine Sea Second Realm, the highest was Seventh Realm, placing his Fourth Realm cultivation in the middle.

However, even those with higher cultivation levels did not underestimate him in the slightest.

Lu Ye's image of donning the Dragon Throne and unleashing a massacre outside the gate had deeply impressed everyone. Now, almost all Divine Sea Realm cultivators in Bingzhou knew that Lu Ye's strength could not be judged solely by his cultivation realm; he was a formidable individual capable of consistently defeating stronger opponents from the Spirit Creek Realm all the way to the Divine Sea Realm.

This alone was something 99% of geniuses in Kyushu's history could not achieve.

The three columns of forces continued their advance. Gradually, the insectoid nest came into view, and further on, the insectoids gathered outside the nest also became clearly visible.

The cultivators secretly channeled their spiritual energy, preparing for a major battle. Weapon cultivators and body cultivators were at the front, ghost cultivators behind them, and spell cultivators at the very rear. It was clear that as the three columns approached, the insectoids outside the nest showed obvious signs of agitation, yet all remained still, continuing to guard their nest like stars orbiting the moon.

In the central column, Nian Yuexian's flying sword shot forth. As the sword hummed, an overwhelming barrage of spells rained down upon the insectoid swarm.

Simultaneously, the insectoids' counterattack followed.

Although most insectoids lacked long-range attack capabilities, a small fraction did possess this ability. Their attacks were not spells but rather manifestations of their inherent abilities.