Chapter 214: Insect Tide

Ten miles from the outpost lay a desolate valley with flat terrain. In its center was a colossal pit, ten *zhang* in diameter, plunging straight down to an unknown depth. From its edge, one could hear the howling wind.

The Spirit Creek Battlefield was a peculiar place, brimming with countless unknown adventures and opportunities, yet also harboring dangers unimaginable to ordinary people.

Currently, Lu Ye, riding Amber, stood at a vantage point overlooking the valley. His gaze swept over the scene, centered around the pit, which was surrounded by all sorts of insects: spiders, mantises, and locusts. They looked exactly like the ones he had seen in the Mirage, though significantly smaller in size.

These strange insects were covered in a layer of black, giving them a very thick appearance. They also exuded an extremely unsettling aura, which wasn't merely demonic energy, but rather a destructive force that seemed bent on annihilating everything.

At that moment, the valley resonated with dense chewing sounds. The once lush, fragrant valley, filled with birdsong, was now desolate. Where the insects passed, not a blade of grass remained; even the topsoil had been stripped away. Conservatively, tens of thousands of insects had gathered, with more continuously emerging from the pit. As time passed, their numbers would only increase.

"It truly is an insect tide!"

Beside Lu Ye, Chen Yu also rode a beast, his own beast companion, which resembled a leopard. However, standing next to Amber, this beast had lost its usual formidable presence, appearing meek and docile instead.

Last night's pillar of thunder, descending from the sky, was clearly visible even from the Jade Blood Sect's outpost ten miles away. Chen Yu promptly reported the situation, surmising that an insect tide might be approaching.

At that time, Lu Ye had just finished inquiring about the insect tide with Senior Brother Li Baxian.

Insect tides were a major natural disaster in the Spirit Creek Battlefield, appearing periodically at irregular intervals, sometimes every few months, sometimes a year or two, or even longer.

The pillar of thunder descending from the sky was the sign of an insect tide's emergence.

Accompanying these thunder pillars were the pits in the valleys, which cultivators in the Nine Provinces called "wormholes." The creatures crawling out of these wormholes were known as "insectoids."

Insectoids were not the same concept as demon beasts. While there were insect-type demon beasts, they lacked the all-consuming, destructive aura of the insectoids.

Overall, demon beasts were considered a normal race in the cultivation world of the Nine Provinces. Many had transformed into human form, joined human sects, and interacted with human cultivators as fellow disciples.

This was entirely different from the mindless insectoids, whose sole purpose seemed to be destruction.

Insect tides were termed natural disasters because every time they occurred, the entire Spirit Creek Battlefield was affected. Wormholes would appear outside every sect outpost that had a presence there.

If not dealt with promptly, allowing the insectoids to multiply, it was not difficult for them to raze a sect outpost to the ground.

Every time an insect tide emerged, many sects would suffer misfortune. This time, it was unknown which sects would become the victims.

Insectoids were dangerous primarily because they consumed all life wherever they went. The biggest issue with insect tides was their extremely rapid growth and reproduction rates.

A single insectoid could achieve several months' worth of a cultivator's growth progress in just a few days. Therefore, once an insect tide appeared, it had to be dealt with immediately, or it would inevitably lead to the destruction of a sect.

However, corresponding to this danger were opportunities.

Cultivators could also earn merit by slaying these insectoids! Furthermore, the corpses of these insectoids could be sold to the Heavenly Secret Repository, though the price wasn't high. However, accumulating a large number could yield a substantial sum.

Therefore, for many cultivators, while the insect tide brought crisis, it was also a form of revelry.

Insect tides had erupted outside the Jade Blood Sect's outpost in the past. However, because there was no one stationed there, no one went to deal with them. As a result, the insect tide in this area once developed to a degree that left the outer sects helpless, even devastating several nearby major sect outposts. Ultimately, it was the experts from the core circle who came to deal with it.

After each insect tide, the area surrounding the Jade Blood Sect's outpost was left barren and desolate. Fortunately, the Spirit Creek Battlefield's spiritual energy was abundant, allowing life to quickly recover.

"You stay here," Lu Ye instructed. "If there's anything unusual, send me a message immediately."

"Understood!" Chen Yu replied.

Amber turned around and swiftly galloped towards the outpost.

Midway, Lu Ye sent a message to Hua Ci.

Having discussed it with his Fourth Senior Brother last night and now having seen it for himself, Lu Ye had a better understanding of the insect tide. If this had happened two months ago, with no one at the Jade Blood Sect, such a tide would truly have been unmanageable.

But things were different now.

Disciples constantly practicing in isolation was not ideal. For the Jade Blood Sect, this insect tide could well be an opportunity to train its disciples.

According to his Fourth Senior Brother, every sect with an outpost in the Spirit Creek Battlefield had to face the insect tide at their location. However, the intensity of the tide varied, perhaps due to the Heavenly Secret's tempering. For outer sects, the initial insect tide was not ferocious and could be managed if dealt with promptly.

This was unlike the core circle, where cultivators and insectoids were currently engaged in a ferocious battle.

Rushing back to the outpost, Lu Ye found everyone gathered outside the Heavenly Secret Hall. Hua Ci had assembled them after receiving his message, and they awaited him solemnly.

Currently, aside from Hua Ci and a few formal disciples, the sect only had the hundred registered disciples previously admitted. However, the number of rogue cultivators affiliated with the Jade Blood Sect had already surpassed six hundred, over a hundred more than initially.

This was the advantage of having affiliated rogue cultivators: if anything happened at the outpost, Lu Ye would have a large pool of people to deploy. Otherwise, relying solely on the hundred registered disciples, they might not have been able to cope with this insect tide.

Lu Ye dismounted from Amber. Over seven hundred pairs of eyes turned towards him. Though so many people were gathered, there was no idle chatter, and the atmosphere was solemn.

Standing before the crowd, Lu Ye spoke in a deep voice: "I'm sure you've all heard by now: the insect tide has arrived! This is something every sect in the entire battlefield must face; no one can escape it. In the past, our sect was sparsely populated and lacked the strength to deal with an insect tide. But now, we have the resources to fight back."

"During this time, you have all worked hard in your cultivation. I've seen it; many of you have improved your cultivation level, which is excellent. As cultivators, your cultivation is your foundation. But cultivation alone isn't enough; you also need experience in life-or-death battles against enemies. This insect tide is an opportunity. Senior Brother Chen Yu and I just went to the Worm Valley to observe. The number of insects there is already very high, but rest assured, they are only numerous; their strength is not great. Even a second-level cultivator can take on ten of them!"

"This is an opportunity that will not only hone your enemy-slaying skills but also allow you to earn merit by killing these insects. I don't need to elaborate on the importance of merit; the insects in the Worm Valley are merit points scattered everywhere. Do you want them?"

"Yes!" the crowd roared in unison, their voices echoing to the heavens.

"If you want them, go and take them yourselves! Our Jade Blood Sect is different from other sects. Other sects have grand protective formations, allowing them to retreat to their outpost and temporarily secure safety even if they're disadvantaged against the insect tide. But what about us? We have no grand formation, nothing at all. So, if we can't resist this insect tide, our outpost will be leveled by the insectoids. Your diligently cultivated spirit fields and carefully planted spirit herbs will all become food for the insectoids. Therefore, we have no retreat. To win this insect tide, we must actively attack!"

"No one needs to remain at the outpost. All registered disciples and affiliated rogue cultivators, listen to this command: you have half an hour to form teams of five to ten people. Each team must elect a captain, who will be responsible for tallying the merit points of their members. After the insect tide, based on the number of merit points acquired, the top ten individuals—regardless of whether you are a registered disciple or a rogue cultivator—will receive varying amounts of spirit stones as a reward. The top three will each be awarded a Nine-Restriction Spirit Artifact!"

A stir went through the hundreds. The reward of spirit stones was one thing; though the quantity was unknown, as this was the Jade Blood Sect's first major operation since admitting disciples, the rewards were sure to be generous.

But for the top three to receive a Nine-Restriction Spirit Artifact was truly remarkable. A Nine-Restriction Spirit Artifact was a spirit artifact with nine restrictions, making it the best among low-grade spirit artifacts. Any single one in the Heavenly Secret Repository cost over a hundred merit points.

"If any team performs exceptionally well, there will be a special reward: every member of that team can make one request of me. As long as it is within my capabilities, I will not refuse."

In the crowd, a small, fair hand suddenly shot up, followed by a voice: "Fifth Senior Brother, I have a question!"

Lu Ye turned his head and saw that the one who had raised her hand was the girl named He Xiyin.

"Speak!"

"A friend of mine wants to ask if that special reward can be used on Sixth Senior Sister?"

"Your friend certainly has a lot of questions!" Lu Ye glared at her. This girl, for some unknown reason, greatly admired Hua Ci. However, she was one of the few capable experts in the entire Jade Blood Sect at the moment, simply because she was a sixth-level cultivator.

Currently, Lu Ye and Chen Yu were at the seventh level of cultivation in the Jade Blood Sect. Among those at the sixth level, besides Hua Ci and He Xiyin, there were only three other individuals.

Lu Ye turned to glance at Hua Ci, who nodded gently.

"Yes!" Lu Ye declared firmly, then added, "But only for you."

He Xiyin's expression immediately brightened. She clenched her small hands into fists, instantly brimming with renewed motivation.

"Everyone, get moving! You have half an hour. After half an hour, we march to battle in the Worm Valley!"

As Lu Ye's words fell, the square instantly became a flurry of activity. Cultivators who knew each other gathered, formed small teams, and nominated their captains.

Meanwhile, Lu Ye took out several blank jade slips and channeled spiritual energy into them to engrave information. He had obtained much useful intelligence from his Fourth Senior Brother, such as the characteristics and weak points of different insectoid types. Having slain so many insectoids himself in the Mirage, he naturally also possessed his own valuable experience.

All this information was extremely valuable knowledge for cultivators experiencing an insect tide for the first time, and it could prove useful at any moment. He intended to disseminate this information before the battle began.