Chapter 1262: You Were Really Expected

Following the insect tunnels, I descended unimpeded.

As Lu Ye extended his divine sense, he perceived that this insect nest was not large. It was, after all, a temporary construction by the Insect Race cultivators, designed only to provide a tactical advantage for potential battles. Naturally, it wasn't built with great sophistication, as the Insect Race cultivators hiding here lacked both the inclination and likely the time to do so.

Compared to the Blood Race's previous joint defense and interception tactics, the Insect Race's approach was undoubtedly somewhat rigid, but it had its pros and cons.

The advantage was that they could hide here, and no one would dare to provoke them easily. An insect nest was typically easy to defend and difficult to attack; it could form a formidable defensive force without requiring too many people. To take this place, one would need to deploy several times the number of personnel, and the narrow tunnels were unfavorable for large-scale combat.

This meant that the Insect Race cultivators would remain safe for a long time after the Divine Sea Realm conflict began.

However, the disadvantage was also clear: they couldn't easily take the initiative to attack. Once they left the insect nest, they would lose all the tactical advantages of the terrain. Without proactive engagement, gains would naturally be difficult to achieve, which would be detrimental to their final ranking. Even if they miraculously survived until the end, their ranking would surely be low.

Yet, the Primordial Realm was constantly shrinking. Even though this place was already within the core zone, no one could guarantee that this area would persist until the very end. If, during a future contraction, this area were excluded, the insect nest built here by the Insect Race would lose its effectiveness. The Insect Race cultivators would then be forced to leave and participate in the final struggle.

The Insect Race was clearly gambling! They were betting that the location of their insect nest would hold out until the final stages of the Divine Sea Realm conflict, allowing them to maintain their tactical advantage. By then, they hoped to win without fighting, securing their place among the victors.

Since they were gambling, they wouldn't put all their eggs in one basket. In other words, there was certainly more than one such insect nest; there might be several good ones throughout the core zone. The Insect Race cultivators' forces would also be gathered. As long as the location of any one insect nest held out until the very end, it would mean success for the Insect Race.

Compared to the Blood Race's methods, the Insect Race's approach was undoubtedly more passive, but also more secure.

The main point was whether he could manage it alone!

The reprimanded Insect Race cultivator was somewhat unconvinced, but knew he couldn't argue, so he just muttered awkwardly, "I was just saying..."

If they still couldn't figure out who was secretly at work at this point, then they wouldn't deserve to be called prodigies of this realm. The Insect Race cultivators simply couldn't understand why this Blood Race individual, despite them being natural allies with existing agreements, would come here to attack them.

With such a force gathered here, which other cultivators participating in the Divine Sea Realm conflict could break in? Who would dare to break in?

Anyone audacious enough to try to break in would likely just be offering themselves up.

"Enemy attack!" A loud roar echoed, and the core space of the insect nest instantly descended into chaos. A sea of blood surged, swords and blades flashed continuously, and the scene became utterly disordered.

Without a word, he merely urged his blood cloud. Amidst a rustling sound, a sea of blood suddenly spread out, radiating in all directions.

As he delved deeper, the situation grew increasingly grim. From the depths of the earth, dozens of faint but powerful auras converged.

These Insect Race members were quite formidable. In just two months, they had not only built an insect nest here but had also managed to produce dozens of Insect Race guards.

Amidst the pervasive crimson, a sharp saber light flashed, swift and fleeting, accompanied by a surge of violent spiritual power and a brief, urgent cry of alarm.

Lu Ye understood. The situation was much as he had anticipated. The Insect Race's strategy of building insect nests was indeed a gamble, betting that the nests' locations would remain until the end. This way, with the assistance of the Blood Race, they could win effortlessly.

However, upon careful perception, he found that only a handful of these auras were exceptionally distinct, while the rest, though decent, were merely at the common Divine Sea Fourth or Fifth Layer level.

To emerge victorious in this contest, which brought together prodigies from various star realms, every capable race was pouring their heart and soul into it, sparing no effort.

"Understood," Lu Ye nodded. "Then the defense of this place is entrusted to me. With me here, if this location can persist until the end, no outsiders will be able to break in!"

How could Lu Ye summon anyone? He had essentially eliminated all Blood Race participants in the Divine Sea Realm conflict; there probably wasn't a single one left alive now.

It suddenly dawned on him: those gathered here weren't all Insect Race cultivators; most of them were likely Insect Race guards!

Lu Ye realized that things weren't quite as he had imagined. Were all the Insect Race cultivators gathered here?

Otherwise, how could there be so many?

The implication was that he wanted Lu Ye to summon a few more Blood Race cultivators for assistance.

"What's happening?" an Insect Race cultivator exclaimed in alarm, but there was no reply. Another brief shriek rang out, and this time, the other Insect Race cultivators clearly sensed that with the sound, a life force had been extinguished.

"Don't say that!" He turned to look at Lu Ye's blood cloud. "Please excuse us, fellow Daoist."

The blood cloud drifted erratically and settled into the insect nest's core space. Immediately, a figure came forward to greet him, laughing heartily, "Fellow Daoist from the Blood Race, you've had a difficult journey. We've been looking forward to your arrival."

Everyone was immediately greatly satisfied. The Insect Race cultivator who had first greeted Lu Ye exclaimed in admiration, "I've long heard that the Blood Race's Blood River Technique is exquisitely unparalleled. Seeing it today, its reputation is truly well-deserved. Your mastery of this technique, I fear, is unmatched within the Divine Sea Realm."

Lu Ye paid no heed. Using the void spirit patterns, his form drifted in and out of the sea of blood, constantly constructing numerous arrays within it to trap. His main body and clone worked together, eliminating the Insect Race cultivators one by one.

From the other party's words, it sounded as if there had been some previous agreement between the Blood Race and the Insect Race. These two races had always been known for their collusion in the starry sky, so it wouldn't be surprising if there had been some dealings between them.

The first Insect Race member to speak immediately sternly rebuked, "Silence! The Blood Race can act this way because they have the Blood River Technique as their reliance. What do our Insect Race have? If we truly sally forth, we'd be nothing but a scattered mess and would inevitably be targeted by a united attack from all major races. Building insect nests and waiting for the opportune moment is a course of action long decided by our elders from various Insect Race realms. You merely need to obey orders. If you have grievances, bring them up to your own elders once you've left the Primordial Realm. Do not spout nonsense here and disturb morale!"

The Insect Race cultivator said, "For now, there's nothing specific we need you to do, fellow Daoist, as we still can't determine if this location will persist until the end. So, you just need to remain here and wait. If this place does last until the end, there might be some short-sighted fools who come to provoke us, and at that time, we'll need your assistance to fight the enemy alongside us. If this place doesn't last until the end... then we'll have no choice but to break out and seek a chance at victory, and at that point, we'll also rely on your blood techniques, fellow Daoist."

"How many such insect nests has your noble race built?" Lu Ye asked.

What was the overall strength of the Insect Race?

"No problem," Lu Ye replied, swiftly condensing his clone. He then drew the Mountain-Shattering Blade from his waist, and his figure vanished from his original spot.

"Fellow Daoist from the Blood Race, what is the meaning of this?"

As Lu Ye delved deeper, his thoughts raced, and he quickly pieced together the Insect Race's plan. Of course, whether things were exactly as he imagined still needed to be verified.

The Insect Race cultivator nodded repeatedly, "That makes sense. But why have you come alone, fellow Daoist? Where are the other members of your noble race?"

Lu Ye gave a noncommittal response, calmly saying, "So, what do you need me to do?"

"Fellow Daoist, you can withdraw your wondrous technique for now; it won't be too late to use it when needed!" he spoke again. He was primarily uncomfortable being enveloped by the sea of blood, but fortunately, the Blood Race was an ally, so he wasn't worried about being harmed.

Inside the blood cloud, Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. What did that mean?

The restraint and obstruction of the sea of blood were the clearest evidence!

Another Insect Race cultivator said enviously, "The Blood Race truly acts freely. If you ask me, we should also follow suit, sally forth and turn everything upside down. That's better than waiting here fruitlessly, only to end up with nothing."

With the situation unclear, it was naturally difficult to gather. Only by grouping together would they have enough strength to counterattack. However, when the other Insect Race cultivators tried to move, they were astonished to find that the sea of blood had become incredibly viscous, and an inexplicable restraining force faintly held them in place, making their movements extremely difficult.

What frustrated several Insect Race cultivators was that they had no idea where the attack was coming from. Without knowing the direction of the source, they couldn't possibly defend themselves.