Chapter 2209: Divine Source Illusion Sea

Lu Ye was extremely cooperative while accompanying Li Qi, a demeanor that undoubtedly surprised Li Qi. He had truly never encountered anyone like Lu Ye; such a temperament was genuinely rare. Unfortunately, he probably wouldn't live long. Once the Bug Queen uncovered the secret of the Crane Wing Formation, Lu Ye would lose his usefulness. At that point, only two paths would remain for him: surrender or death! Although they had only just met, Li Qi could sense that Lu Ye was the kind of person who would rather be a shattered jade than an intact tile, so only one outcome awaited him.

A little over a day later, a giant star appeared ahead.

Li Qi suddenly spoke, "Do you want to make a move? If so, do it quickly, or you'll lose your chance!" His tone was flat, but there was a hint of mockery in his gaze towards Lu Ye. Along the way, he had more than once sensed Lu Ye's restless urge. What truly astonished him was that Lu Ye's restlessness wasn't merely a desire to escape, but an intent to kill him! An Initial Dao cultivator harboring killing intent towards a Fusion Dao like himself… what immense audacity. He even deliberately exposed some weaknesses, but Lu Ye unfortunately never actually made a move.

"Is that the bug nest?" Lu Ye seemed not to hear him, simply gazing at the brown star ahead.

Li Qi said, "That's right, the Bug Queen told me to bring you here."

"The Bug Queen…" Lu Ye focused, "What's her cultivation level?"

Li Qi looked at him with interest. At a time like this, he still had the presence of mind to ask about the Bug Queen's cultivation. Did this kid truly not know how to write the word ‘death’? He had no intention of answering the question. He urged his power, enveloping Lu Ye and sweeping him forward. After a moment's thought, he added, "If you want to live, don't conceal anything when you meet the Bug Queen. You should know why you were captured and brought here."

Lu Ye ignored him.

The brown star was vast, but there didn't seem to be many cultivators around; the entire star was eerily quiet. Looking down, the enormous star resembled a honeycomb, with countless dark, bottomless pits of various sizes dotting its surface. Li Qi led Lu Ye into a massive pit, descending deeper and deeper.

After an unknown period, a faint blue ripple suddenly spread upwards from below. The ripple resembled a layer of water, silent and imperceptible. Li Qi's body stiffened abruptly, and he quickly channeled his power to protect himself. Halting his movement, he turned to look at Lu Ye. He saw that Lu Ye, who had originally been curiously looking around, now wore a blank expression.

"Li Qi greets the Bug Queen!" Li Qi declared loudly, remaining still.

A lazy, soft voice responded, "Your task is done; you may leave."

"Yes," Li Qi replied, flashing outwards. As he glanced back, Lu Ye's eyes were vacant, his body supported by an invisible hand, slowly descending. The faint blue ripples spread layer upon layer, like ocean waves, engulfing everything.

The Divine Source Illusion Sea!

Li Qi was secretly startled, realizing then that he had underestimated how much the Bug Queen valued the Crane Wing Formation. He had initially thought that after bringing Lu Ye here, the Bug Queen would question him personally to ascertain the formation's mysteries. But the Bug Queen clearly had no intention of questioning him; instead, she directly employed the Divine Source Illusion Sea. The Bug Queen intended to fully extract the formation's secrets.

Admittedly, with the Bug Queen's mastery of soul arts, she could have directly performed a Soul Search. However, that method wasn't foolproof; Soul Search inflicted great damage on the subject's soul, and the information gathered wouldn't be comprehensive. The Divine Source Illusion Sea was different. Once this technique was deployed, an Initial Dao cultivator would be utterly helpless and would inevitably obey the Bug Queen completely. What secret couldn't then be uncovered? For a Fusion Dao like the Bug Queen to use such a secret art on an Initial Dao cultivator seemed like overkill, but if it concerned the Crane Wing Formation, it became understandable.

"Poor kid…" Li Qi cast one last glance at Lu Ye drifting downwards, then swiftly departed. Although the Bug Queen wasn't using her full power with the Illusion Sea secret art, he didn't want to be caught in it. This illusion art was greatly feared even by Fusion Dao cultivators like himself.

In the wilderness, amidst the forest, a rhythmic thudding sound echoed continuously. Lu Ye's movements suddenly paused. At that moment, he couldn't help but feel a little disoriented.

Who am I? What am I doing?

Faintly, a sense of unease rose in his heart, as if he had forgotten something, and he felt as though he was separated from everything by an invisible barrier, an extremely unreal sensation welling up within him. He looked at the axe in his hand again and suddenly realized. That's right, I need to chop wood to exchange for rice. The family has no food left, and Xiaodie is still waiting for me. In the deepest part of his consciousness, a thought inadvertently flashed: Who is Xiaodie? Immediately, a voice resonated in his mind: Xiaodie is my wife, the best woman in the world, who never abandoned me despite my poverty! His already weary body suddenly surged with boundless strength. He raised his axe high and toiled, beads of sweat dripping.

As dusk approached, Lu Ye, carrying a bundle of firewood, descended the winding mountain path. At the foot of the mountain lay a small village of only a dozen households. Wisps of cooking smoke rose, and a few children played happily at the village entrance. Passing the village entrance and walking a hundred paces forward, a tall figure stood in front of a crude thatched hut, stretching on tiptoes and gazing into the distance. She wore no makeup, her face bare. Her black hair, simply tied with a wooden hairpin, still couldn't conceal her delicate beauty. Her coarse, tattered clothes couldn't hide her impressive figure, and in the deepening twilight, her eyes sparkled like stars. Her face held an expression of worry and anxiety, but upon seeing the figure carrying firewood, she immediately broke into a radiant smile, like a blooming flower, and hurried forward to meet him.

"Xiaodie, I'm back." Lu Ye called out to the approaching woman. His heart swelled with warmth, yet at the same time, an extremely strange feeling arose within him.

"Husband, why are you so late today?" Xiaodie approached, attempting to take the bundle of firewood from Lu Ye, but he refused. She could only pick up the rusty hatchet.

"The weather was good today, so I chopped wood for a bit longer," Lu Ye replied, walking forward.

"You can't be so late next time. Aunt Liu and the others say there are big beasts on the mountain that eat people; it's very scary."

"You're listening to Aunt Liu and the others talk nonsense again."

Xiaodie smiled, a hint of shyness in her already charming face. "Aunt Liu and the others are very nice. They even took me to dig wild vegetables today, and I made some vegetable gruel."

"Then we're in for a treat," Lu Ye chuckled, his stomach rumbling.

Back home, after washing his hands, Xiaodie brought a bowl of vegetable gruel and placed it before Lu Ye. She lit a candle, then sat across from him, resting her chin in her hands and watching him, her clear eyes reflecting an entire world.

"Where's yours?" Lu Ye asked, picking up his bowl and about to eat, when he suddenly remembered something.

"I ate before you came back, husband," Xiaodie said with a smile.

Lu Ye sighed, stood up, and brought another bowl. He divided the gruel in half and pushed it towards Xiaodie. "Let's eat together. I can't eat all this."

"No need, husband. You work hard all day; you should eat more to have strength!" Xiaodie poured the gruel back. "Besides, I really have eaten. If you don't believe me, smell my breath." As she spoke, she leaned closer to Lu Ye, opened her mouth, and exhaled towards him. Her breath was fresh and subtly fragrant. The candlelight flickered, and the person before him was endlessly charming. Lu Ye's heart suddenly skipped a beat. The young couple had only been married for a few days, a time when they were inseparable, and with his youthful vigor, how could he resist such temptation? Lu Ye quickly lowered his head to eat. Xiaodie's face also flushed, and she turned away, busying herself. As he ate the gruel, Lu Ye secretly resolved that tomorrow, when he went to the market to exchange firewood for rice, he would definitely make sure Xiaodie ate two more bowls.

After dinner, they extinguished the candlelight and both went to bed. With Xiaodie's soft and warm body beside him, Lu Ye felt his heart pounding fiercely. Xiaodie turned over, her small hand resting on his waist, her face pressed against his. Lu Ye could even feel her eyelashes trembling.

"Husband…" Xiaodie whispered softly.

Lu Ye unconsciously swallowed, feeling as though his entire body was aflame. Invisible flames burned away his reason. Just as he was about to lose control, a sudden wave of nausea hit him. He quickly got up, rushed out of the room, and knelt under the eaves, dry-heaving.

Xiaodie, having put on her clothes, came out and gently patted his back, her face pale with fright. "Husband, what's wrong? Did I pick the wrong wild vegetables and upset your stomach?" Lu Ye was still retching, waving his hand at her, unable to speak.

"Clip-clop, clip-clop…" A dense, urgent sound suddenly echoed from the village entrance.

Lu Ye, who had been retching uncontrollably, hastily looked up. Under the moonlight, a dozen riders, like phantoms, burst into the small village. They held torches high, and in the combined glow of fire and moonlight, each person's face appeared savage and terrifying. Torches were thrown, and the thatched huts burst into flames. Cries erupted as villagers fled in disarray, while the ghostly riders laughed heartily, wielding sharp weapons and hacking through the chaotic crowd, blood splattering everywhere.

"Band… bandits!" Lu Ye's face turned pale. He turned, grabbed Xiaodie's hand, and was about to flee.

A neighing sound rang out as a dark shadow soared over their heads, blocking their path like an insurmountable mountain. Lu Ye's heart sank to the bottom. On the black horse ahead, a one-eyed bandit held a machete. His gaze swept over Lu Ye, then settled on Xiaodie, and his eyes immediately showed a look of astonishment. He lowly chuckled, "What a beautiful young woman! I'm certainly lucky today, hahaha!"

"Husband." Xiaodie was utterly terrified, her whole body hiding behind Lu Ye.

Lu Ye was also in a panic, but for some reason, he wasn't truly that afraid. He turned his head, saw the hatchet nearby, clenched his teeth, darted out, grabbed the hatchet, and with a roar, lunged towards the one-eyed bandit.

"Seeking death!" The one-eyed bandit snorted coldly, bringing his machete down. Lu Ye's body swayed, then collapsed into a pool of blood. The bandit laughed heartily, dismounted, and walked directly towards Xiaodie, who was crying out and huddled over Lu Ye. He reached out, scooped Xiaodie up by the waist, and headed straight into the house.

"Husband!" Xiaodie continued to cry, tears streaming down her face, but she was getting farther and farther from Lu Ye. She struggled and resisted, but how could a weak woman be a match for such a ferocious bandit?

In the pool of blood, Lu Ye watched Xiaodie being carried into the house. He felt his body growing colder and colder, his entire being continuously falling into an abyss, endlessly!