Chapter 1261: Wanting Everything Neat and Tidy

Beneath a chaotic surge of spiritual power, vast patches of black feathers dissolved like snowflakes in the blazing sun, revealing the disheveled figure of a Winged Race member. He stood there, bewildered and disoriented, searching aimlessly around him.

Something was wrong!

His secret technique had clearly left the Sword Cultivator riddled with wounds, and the feedback he received couldn't be mistaken. Logically, the Sword Cultivator should have died on the spot. Yet, when he rushed forward, intending to claim the treasure, there was no trace of the Sword Cultivator to be found!

The opponent had simply vanished. Immediately, two other figures swept in behind him, flanking him from left and right. One of them roared, "Leave the treasure gourd!"

The Winged Race member looked up. The two cultivators who had just been allies were now overflowing with spiritual power, their faces grim and menacing, their eyes filled with ruthless intent as they stared at him. Beyond them, he saw more streaks of light and more figures approaching.

The Winged Race member cursed under his breath, realizing the gravity of the situation. Knowing this was a place he couldn't linger, he decisively flapped his wings and soared away into the distance.

Though he knew it was likely futile, he couldn't help but attempt to explain: "Fellow Daoists, please calm down. If I told you the treasure gourd isn't with me, would you believe me?"

One of them, still giving chase, nodded repeatedly: "We believe you! So, Fellow Daoist, please stop, and let's discuss this matter in detail!"

The Winged Race member knew his explanation was utterly hollow and would be easily dismissed. In such a situation, he wouldn't readily believe anyone's words either; he would only trust what he saw with his own eyes.

He accelerated his flight. When a Winged Race member, renowned for their speed, is determined to escape, there's virtually no risk of them being persuaded to stay.

Only one thing baffled him: How could such a vibrant Sword Cultivator simply vanish? His secret technique had clearly struck the opponent, inflicting wounds so severe that no Divine Sea Realm cultivator should have been able to withstand them.

His mind reeled with unanswered questions. All the Winged Race member knew was that his participation in this Divine Sea Realm competition was likely to end badly. As time passed, the news of him acquiring the treasure gourd would inevitably spread. And as the active area of the Grand Beginning Realm continued to shrink, he would likely face enemies from all directions, as the distinctive features of the Winged Race were simply too obvious to conceal.

Meanwhile, Lu Ye was leisurely soaring through the air.

His clone had been recalled. Although the clone had used various deceptive techniques during the escape, including activating the Mimicry Spirit Mark to feign a Ninth-Layer Divine Sea cultivation and the Thousand Faces Spirit Mark to alter its appearance, to be safe, the clone should not be revealed in public for some time.

The treasure gourd had also been tucked away into his storage bag.

The emergence of the treasure gourd had sparked chaos, and this turmoil was likely to persist for several more days. Thus, the Grand Beginning Realm would not be peaceful anytime soon.

Now wasn't the right time to research the new treasure gourd's powers. He could examine it later when he had a chance; after all, the treasure was now safely in his possession, and no one could take it from him.

Lu Ye continued to gather precious medicinal herbs within the Grand Beginning Realm. The items found here were rare and unobtainable elsewhere, so he naturally couldn't miss this opportunity.

Prodigies from top-tier realms had powerful backing and could afford to disregard such mundane matters. Even many cultivators from large realms didn't need to worry about the source of spirit jades. However, cultivators from Kyushu couldn't afford such luxury; they were currently in a state of self-sufficiency.

When he eventually ascended to the Star Constellation Realm and traveled the starry void, he would need a considerable amount of spirit jades.

As he collected, a rumbling sound echoed, and Lu Ye felt a repellent force emanating from a certain direction, pushing against him. However, due to his relatively deep position, the sensation wasn't entirely clear.

He knew then that the habitable area of the Grand Beginning Realm had shrunk once again. After this reduction, the cultivators' accessible range would primarily be confined to the core circle, and it would only continue to diminish.

Calculating the time, two full months had passed since the Divine Sea Competition began; only the final month remained.

In two months, he had killed many, primarily members of the Blood Race. A quiet twenty Blood Race members had provided him with substantial gains, and dispatching them hadn't required much effort. Unfortunately, there were no more Blood Race members to be found.

Looking across the starry void, while the Blood Race was considered a major power relative to other species, compared to the sheer scale of humanity, no other race could truly be called 'major.'

He hadn't tallied his exact gains, nor was he aware of his current ranking.

However, one thing was certain: with his current gains, even if he did nothing but survive for the remaining month, he was assured of a very respectable ranking.

Yang Qingfeitian's set goal of a top ten finish was highly likely to be achieved.

Therefore, he felt relatively relaxed and saw no need to rush in search of targets to hunt. The final month was bound to be the most intense period of conflict, and when the time came, even if he didn't seek others out, they would surely come looking for him.

The wisest course of action during this brief calm before the storm was to gather more of the unique spiritual herbs and exotic plants that couldn't be found elsewhere.

Even with this laid-back approach, he still inevitably encountered two skirmishes. In both cases, lone, weaker cultivators, hoping to capitalize on his supposed vulnerability, attempted to ambush him. They only ended up hitting a wall, inadvertently contributing to his gains.

Days later, as Lu Ye passed through a certain area, he paused, his gaze fixed on a peculiar sight ahead.

It was nothing less than a giant insect nest, right here in the Grand Beginning Realm!

An insect nest was a massive structure; the vast majority of it, especially its core, would be buried deep underground. What was visible was only the small portion that rose above the surface.

The Grand Beginning Realm was an extremely wild space, a treasured land that had nurtured the Reincarnation Tree. It opened only once every hundred years for Divine Sea Realm prodigies from various realms to compete, remaining in a sealed state otherwise.

How could such a space contain an insect nest?

It was certain that this insect nest hadn't existed there originally; it was highly probable that the Insect Race had constructed it.

After observing for a moment, understanding dawned on Lu Ye.

He had wondered why, after two months in the Grand Beginning Realm, he hadn't encountered a single Insect Race cultivator. Relatively speaking, the Insect Race was a major power in the starry void, and if nearly twenty Blood Race members were participating in the Divine Sea competition, the number of Insect Race participants surely wouldn't be small.

There was no logical reason for such a long time without seeing any. Lu Ye had initially assumed the Grand Beginning Realm was simply too vast, making encounters rare. But now, it was clear that wasn't the case.

These Insect Race cultivators had gathered early in the core circle and were building an insect nest here!

Two months prior, when prodigies from various realms first entered this space, some chose to lie low and move along the edges as the Grand Beginning Realm's area shrank. Others, like the Blood Race, gathered at the boundary between the inner and outer circles to set up defenses and ambush. And certainly, some had headed directly for the core circle.

Each choice had its pros and cons. Compared to gradually moving with the shrinking boundaries of the Grand Beginning Realm, heading straight for the core circle risked immediate enemy encounters and subsequent battles.

However, the Insect Race's choice was clearly a premeditated strategy. By spending two months constructing an insect nest here, they could fortify their position. As long as they remained within the nest, they would hold an overwhelming tactical advantage.

Anyone attempting to confront them would have to risk venturing deep into the nest. Unless they could muster several times the Insect Race's strength, it would be extremely difficult to achieve anything.

In an environment where cultivators were scattered and mostly acting independently, the Insect Race, by establishing themselves in the nest, had essentially secured an unbeatable position!

In a way, this tactic was rather underhanded, but in this competition, anything went, and no one could criticize it. The Insect Race's ability to do this was simply their inherent advantage, much like the Blood Race's ability to gather through their Blood Resonance technique—these were traits other races couldn't emulate, and the Reincarnation Tree wouldn't interfere.

Outside the insect nest, there were scattered signs of Insect Race members. However, judging by their size and power, they seemed rather insignificant, likely serving only as scouts. The true Insect Race cultivators were undoubtedly gathered deep within the nest.

Lu Ye recalled that in the Insect Race Tree Realm, that Aphid had said the Insect Race and Blood Race were natural allies. After all, both major races were inherently aggressive, making them two of a kind.

Lu Ye had already dealt with the Blood Race members. Now that he had stumbled upon the Insect Race... it seemed he couldn't play favorites, could he?

Throughout his cultivation and growth, Lu Ye had interacted most with the Blood Race and Insect Race, and his impression of both was overwhelmingly negative.

Since they were natural allies, they ought to be dealt with together!

However, dealing with the Insect Race wouldn't be as simple as dealing with the Blood Race. The Insect Race couldn't be suppressed by his 'sacredness' to significantly weaken their power or shake their minds. Therefore, even though he had a plan, he still needed to make some preparations before committing to action.

At the very least, he needed to secure a retreat path. If he found himself outnumbered or outmatched, he had to ensure he could escape at any moment.

He searched around, found a secluded spot, and covertly set up a teleportation array as a fallback. Only then did Lu Ye begin his approach, flying swiftly towards the insect nest.

Mid-flight, a surge of blood qi enveloped him, forming a small crimson cloud that concealed his form.

He landed deftly before the entrance of the insect nest. The scattered Insect Race members nearby immediately emitted warning cries, but Lu Ye ignored them. He simply called out loudly toward the entrance: "Li Taibai of the Blood Realm is visiting. Which Fellow Daoist of the Insect Race is present?"

He waited silently for a moment. Then, a surge of spiritual sense emanated from below, and the opponent's spiritual transmission reached his ears: "Ah, a Fellow Daoist of the Blood Race! Please, come right in!"

As the words concluded, the small insectoids that had been hissing menacingly nearby immediately quieted down, dispersing to resume their vigilant watch.

Within the crimson cloud, Lu Ye casually adjusted his robes. His form wavered, and he proceeded downwards along the entrance.