Chapter 1121: The Final Battlefield

The vitality contained within the flesh wall was clearly a more profound form. Compared to normal vitality, it was like the difference between water and ice; although fundamentally they were the same, the vitality in the flesh wall was far more advanced and refined.

This might explain its ability to rapidly regenerate and repair the flesh wall.

A zerg lair inherently stores a vast amount of vitality, serving as the energy source for zerg incubation. Every zerg lair possesses a vitality core.

Given that this vitality was so advanced and refined, it was naturally difficult to contend with.

Lu Ye didn't know what his master and the others had encountered. However, judging by the changes in the flesh wall, the enemy they faced most likely possessed these characteristics; otherwise, Kyushu's top cultivators wouldn't have fallen into such a predicament.

Therefore, if he could deplete this vitality, it would alleviate some pressure on his master and the others.

This was also why Lu Ye believed he could assist his master and the others even from his current location, without needing to rush to the battlefield, provided he acted appropriately.

His method was simple: devouring!

He would devour using the power of his Talent Tree, a skill that was precisely his forte.

Instantly, a ceaseless stream of vitality was drawn into Lu Ye's body through the roots of his Talent Tree. Upon internal observation, vast swathes of grey mist immediately ignited on the Talent Tree.

This vitality wasn't poisonous; it was simply an external force that needed to be incinerated and transformed by the Talent Tree before it could become Lu Ye's own pure power.

The restrictive force of the surrounding flesh wall continuously strengthened, forcing Lu Ye to activate the Lotus Sun intermittently to gain enough breathing room and time.

Each of the three forms of the Overlord Blade was more powerful than the last, but this also meant a correspondingly greater consumption of energy.

However, as the Talent Tree continued to devour and absorb, Lu Ye's expended spiritual power was rapidly replenished, even leaving a considerable surplus.

This cycle continued.

Then, at a certain point, Lu Ye activated the Lotus Sun once more, shattering the tightly bound flesh wall around him. His immediate surroundings suddenly became empty.

The flesh wall stopped growing. Moreover, the parts of the flesh wall beneath his feet rapidly receded as well, revealing the passage's original form.

Lu Ye's eyes lowered slightly; this sudden change further confirmed something for him.

All the previous alterations of the flesh wall had been under the control of a consciousness.

However, with the activation of his Talent Tree's power, that consciousness clearly detected the strangeness of his methods. It realized it couldn't trap him and would only have its own strength drained, so it stopped its forceful attempts.

Lu Ye looked around. The passage behind him was completely filled with the flesh wall, and the path ahead was no different. Only his immediate vicinity, about three zhang in length, revealed the original underground passage.

It appeared as if he was trapped.

But how could this truly hold him captive?

Holding his Immovable Mountain Saber, he stepped forward. If the mountain wouldn't come to him, he would go to the mountain.

The flesh wall ahead began to squirm and recede. With each step he took, a section of the wall filling the passage vanished. However, in response, the flesh wall behind him began to grow and proliferate, ensuring he always had only about three zhang of free space.

This behavior suggested the flesh wall truly possessed its own consciousness, continuously receding as he advanced. Even if Lu Ye altered his speed, the front and rear sections of the wall would recede and grow in perfect synchronization.

A realization dawned on Lu Ye.

This wasn't a sign of fear, but a silent invitation!

It was inviting him into the true battlefield. The hidden consciousness realized that the flesh wall alone couldn't stop him; to deal with him, it had to allow him into the main combat zone.

This was exactly what Lu Ye wanted. He had initially worried about navigating the winding underground passages to find the correct path, but since the other party intended to invite him, he no longer had to fret about getting lost.

He simply needed to follow the direction where the flesh wall receded.

His speed increased, and Lu Ye could clearly feel the vibrations of combat drawing closer.

Until, at one point, he plunged into a vast chamber. Instantly, the surging spiritual energy from all directions assailed his senses. Figures darted back and forth within his vision, and numerous profound techniques continuously erupted, creating a truly lively and chaotic scene.

Before Lu Ye could even observe the battlefield, he heard something crack nearby, followed by a swift, sharp aura assailing him.

He quickly turned his head, spotting a mantis zerg swinging its blade-like forelegs, chopping towards him.

This mantis zerg was noticeably larger than any he had encountered before. In the flickering light, he could clearly discern several extremely profound patterns on its body, and even its dorsal carapace had a faint metallic sheen.

Not far away, on the flesh wall, was a ruptured sac, resembling a scar, but it was rapidly healing.

This was clearly a newly hatched zerg, yet its aura shockingly indicated an eighth-layer Divine Sea Realm cultivation, which was somewhat illogical.

While zerg incubation was simple, their growth usually followed a gradual process. They shouldn't possess great power immediately after hatching; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many low-level zergs.

Lu Ye wasn't sure what this massive zerg was, but for it to be hatched in this specific location, it was clearly an elite guard of the zerg lair.

Furthermore, it seemed to be specifically targeting him; otherwise, its appearance at such close range made no sense.

The confidence of that consciousness in allowing him into the battlefield must have stemmed from this.

While the flesh wall couldn't defeat Lu Ye, and was even suppressed by him, these elite zergs could.

Any other Divine Sea Realm fourth-layer cultivator ambushed by an elite zerg like this would likely face misfortune, but that consciousness had clearly underestimated Lu Ye's capabilities.

The Immovable Mountain Saber roared out of its sheath. The next instant, the clang of metal rang out as the mantis zerg's blades were blocked. With a swift push, Lu Ye sent the mantis zerg reeling backward, leaving its vital center completely exposed.

The next moment, an endless starry sky unfolded, and countless stars seemed to fall.

In the blink of an eye, the mantis zerg was struck dozens of times, blood gushing from its wounds. Yet, it didn't perish. Its already ferocious aura turned even more violent, and it emitted urgent, sharp screeches from its mouthparts, as if in immense pain. Its body stumbled and staggered, resembling someone drunk.

Although its physical injuries were severe, they weren't fatal. However, ever since the Immovable Mountain Saber had merged with the Soul-Slaying Blade, it could strike at the enemy's spirit while inflicting physical wounds.

This invisible, intangible damage was the most lethal.

Even though it was a large zerg comparable to an eighth-layer Divine Sea Realm cultivator, its intelligence was low, and its spirit was weak. Such attacks instantly rendered its spirit unstable.

Seizing this opportune moment, Lu Ye moved past it, and a flash of saber light erupted. The large zerg's body stiffened, and by the time Lu Ye had regained his footing, its head had fallen straight off, its headless corpse twitching incessantly.

Streams of spiritual sense probed from all directions towards his location. Clearly, the ninth-layer cultivators had detected Lu Ye's intrusion. This was normal; for them, all being ninth-layer cultivators, the sudden appearance of a fourth-layer power fluctuation was as conspicuous as a lantern in the dark.

Upon discovering his presence, they were all surprised.

A figure, wreathed in ribbon-like sword light, swept to Lu Ye's side. It was Nian Yuexian. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"Just came to take a look," Lu Ye said.

His gaze turned towards the very center of the chamber.

Under the constantly flickering light, an extremely bloated figure was visible at the center, resembling a massive, fleshy worm.

However, it possessed over a dozen slender, long claws spread out on either side of its body, which it was currently flailing wildly to block all incoming attacks. On what appeared to be its head, two crimson eyes stared fixedly at Lu Ye.

The moment their eyes met, Lu Ye understood: this was the source of the consciousness controlling the flesh wall.

In other words, this bloated zerg controlled the flesh wall and had led Lu Ye into this area. Suddenly, an invisible force gathered, forming an impact that violently struck Lu Ye.

Nian Yuexian's expression changed. "Be careful!" she cried.

She instantly flashed, positioning herself between Lu Ye and the zerg, her body erupting with spiritual light.

However, she was ultimately a step too late. Moreover, spiritual sense attacks were incredibly swift and couldn't be intercepted simply by intention; they were unlike tangible, physical attacks.

Nian Yuexian deeply understood the power of this zerg's spiritual sense. Indeed, everyone present had suffered at its hands. She couldn't help but look at Lu Ye with a touch of worry, fearing he might suffer a mishap.

In fact, it was precisely because the opponent's spiritual sense was so terrifying that they hadn't sent for reinforcements. Comparatively, the power of that spiritual sense already seemed to transcend the Divine Sea Realm. Even for them, ninth-layer cultivators, resisting it was extremely difficult. Only they could barely endure such spiritual sense attacks; anyone with a lower cultivation would instantly perish.

The few ninth-layer cultivators who had died earlier had fallen because their spiritual cultivation was insufficient, their spirits shattered by the bloated zerg.

When the massive spiritual sense impact arrived, Lu Ye's spiritual defense was as fragile as paper and was instantly torn apart. Immediately afterward, that power slammed into his Divine Sea.

The next instant, waves surged within his Divine Sea, but under the suppression of his Soul Suppression Pagoda, the churning currents quickly subsided.

He was largely unharmed. The sensation was akin to being aggressively struck by a large hammer made of cotton.

It was impactful, but incapable of causing any substantial damage.

Simultaneously, the flesh wall around Lu Ye rapidly swelled, forming numerous sacs. These sacs then burst open, and elite zergs emerged, swarming towards him.

Their sheer number startled Nian Yuexian; even she couldn't simultaneously handle so many elite zergs. Each of these creatures was on the level of a major zerg, and even more troublesome than ordinary ones.

Instantly, she enveloped Lu Ye in sword light and swiftly darted away.