Chapter 2213: Life Chain

The chains that had just appeared slowly vanished, but You Die could feel that although they were gone, the tight connection between her and Lu Ye remained unbroken. This was originally the purpose of her Divine Source Illusory Sea secret technique and a sign of their bond forming, but at this moment, she couldn't bring herself to be happy. From her recent experience alone, she could tell that those chains… were a major problem!

“What exactly is this?” she asked coldly. Even as a peak Dao Integration master with extensive knowledge, she had never encountered such a bizarre phenomenon.

Lu Ye calmly looked at her. “Life Chains! Xiao Die, from now on, we’ll share good fortune and bad, bound together in life and death, never to be separated again. Aren’t you happy?”

You Die’s expression shifted, then became truly fascinating as she recalled how she felt after injuring Lu Ye. She had already sensed the power of that strange Dao pattern, but she found it hard to believe. After a moment’s thought, she said with a cold face, “Are you trying to trick me?”

“You know very well whether I’m tricking you or not,” Lu Ye said, looking at her provocatively. “Want to try again?”

As he spoke, he flipped his hand, and a long blade appeared. It wasn’t a real blade but one formed from soul power. He turned the tip towards his own soul body, ready to stab.

“Stop!” Xiao Die cried out, flashing instantly before him and seizing his wrist.

The sensation she had just experienced made her realize that half of Lu Ye’s injuries would indeed transfer to her. Therefore, she truly dared not let Lu Ye act so recklessly. She was a peak Dao Integration master, and her very being affected the outcome of the entire war zone. How could a mere Dao Entry practitioner be compared to her?

Standing so close, Lu Ye looked at her with a half-smile.

You Die’s expression changed repeatedly. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and asked, “What exactly do you want?”

Lu Ye calmly replied, “That’s what I should be asking you! Everyone has their secrets. If you hadn’t probed mine, everything would be fine. But if you insist on doing this, then we might as well go all out. I’m just a Dao Entry practitioner; trading my life for yours, a Dao Integration master, is a worthwhile exchange!”

You Die snorted coldly. “Do you really think I have no way to deal with you?”

The so-called Life Chains were unheard of, and they indeed made her wary. However, they were ultimately something created by a Dao Entry practitioner; she wouldn’t truly take them seriously.

“I’ll be waiting to see!” Lu Ye said, reaching out and tapping his own eye.

“You just wait!” You Die said, and then suddenly vanished.

Lu Ye didn’t even see how she disappeared, but this was an illusion she had created, so she naturally had control over it. Everything around him shattered, leaving only chaotic void.

Lu Ye simply sat cross-legged on the ground and let out a slight breath. He knew, of course, what You Die had gone to do. In the current situation, she must be trying to unlock the Life Chains. Only by dissolving this Dao pattern could she free herself from his control and threats. However, Dao patterns are much simpler to construct than to dissolve, and this particular Dao pattern was extremely complex. Lu Ye was confident that even if You Die was a Dao Integration master, she couldn’t undo it quickly. Furthermore, as long as he didn’t cooperate, how could You Die undo it?

Life Chains…

This was a spirit pattern originating from the Mermaid race. Back then, Princess Bailu of the Mermaid race used a similar method to bind herself to the Specter, and that connection has yet to be severed. However, she didn’t use a spirit pattern, but rather a wondrous conch from the Sky Snail Palace. Lu Ye had seen the mysterious patterns on that conch. Using them as a foundation, and incorporating some intricacies of the Rainbow Phoenix Dual Flight spirit pattern, he had deduced this spirit pattern in the Myriad Elephant Sea. He hadn’t used it until now because it came with both advantages and disadvantages; once used, his own life and fortune would be tied to another’s.

Until now! Facing a powerhouse like You Die, he was no match for her in terms of strength. To save his life, he could only use the Life Chains. Fortunately, to probe the secrets in Lu Ye’s mind, she had used the Divine Source Illusory Sea secret technique, and the experience of ten reincarnations had created a deep bond between them, allowing Lu Ye’s plan to succeed. Without that marvelous bond, the Life Chains could not have been cast on You Die.

Under the current circumstances, his life was temporarily safe. You Die shouldn’t attack him before dissolving the Dao pattern. But what about later? Now trapped in the insect hive, how could he escape? Another point left Lu Ye helpless: he had been abducted in plain sight this time. Even if he escaped, would the War Alliance trust him upon his return? This was troublesome. One could say that You Die’s act of abducting him had almost cut off his retreat.

In the void, Lu Ye sat in quiet contemplation, barely sensing the passage of time. Moreover, this was ultimately an illusion; even if he wanted to pass the time with cultivation, he couldn’t. After an unknown period, he finally couldn’t bear it any longer. He looked up and shouted, “You Die, get out here!”

“You Die!”

He shouted for a good while but received no response.

“If you don’t come out now, I’ll die right in front of you!”

A ripple appeared in the void, followed by You Die’s figure. She looked at Lu Ye with a gloomy expression, clearly unhappy. For these past days, she had been trying to comprehend the mysteries of that Dao pattern. She finally realized the gravity of the situation: the pattern was deeply imprinted within her divine soul, almost fused with it, making it far from easy to dissolve. Of course, if she were truly ruthless, she did have a method: abandoning this portion of her split soul. But this split soul comprised thirty percent of her total divine soul, and the Mother Insect herself primarily cultivated divine soul. If she were to abandon it, her strength would be instantly diminished by thirty percent. This represented countless years of arduous cultivation; how could she possibly bear to give it up? She finally realized that she had unexpectedly capsized in a ditch, a dignified peak Dao Integration master inadvertently manipulated by a mere Dao Entry practitioner. This was simply a humiliation!

“What do you want to do?!” she said coldly.

Lu Ye clicked his tongue. “Before, you kept calling me ‘Brother Ye, Brother Ye,’ wishing you’d never be apart from me. Now you’re so impatient?”

“Just say what you want!” she gritted her teeth, her charming face clouded with deep anger.

Lu Ye took his time. “Actually, dissolving the Life Chains is quite simple…”

You Die’s ears immediately perked up.

“Just like how your bond was formed, it requires mutual willingness. As long as neither party resists, it can naturally be dissolved.”

You Die fell silent. Of course, she knew Lu Ye wasn’t telling her this out of kindness. That Dao pattern was Lu Ye’s means of survival; how could he willingly undo it?

“What are your demands?” You Die asked. Although she knew there wasn’t much hope, asking wouldn’t hurt.

“I don’t know!” Lu Ye spread his hands.

A slight twitch appeared at the corner of You Die’s eye.

“I’m trapped in here, and I’m in a very bad mood. When I’m in a bad mood, I can’t be bothered to think about anything. Come ask me again when I’m in a better mood.”

You Die pondered for a moment, then said, “I can let you out, but…”

“I’ve thought about it, and it’s quite nice here. No disturbances, no battles. It’s a bit lonely, but I can always talk to you, right?”

You Die was left speechless, feeling extremely vexed.

“Stay or leave, I don’t care!” You Die snorted coldly, then waved a hand. A portal appeared in the boundless void, and her figure vanished instantly.

Lu Ye let out a soft hum, looked at the suddenly appearing portal, and then stood up to walk towards it. This portal was undoubtedly the exit from this place. You Die had originally intended to negotiate terms with him, but clearly failed to achieve her goal.

Stepping through the portal, Lu Ye felt his consciousness sink rapidly, accompanied by an extreme sense of etherealness. It was several breaths later before a feeling of reality suddenly emerged. Regaining sensation of his body, Lu Ye immediately opened his eyes!

He was currently sitting cross-legged in a massive cavern. Beneath him was a thick fleshy wall, and all around him were bulging sacs of flesh, subtly emanating vitality, as if something could burst out of them at any moment. This place gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

The core of an insect hive!

He immediately remembered that he had entered many insect hives in the Nine Provinces back then, and their cores generally looked like this. But his gaze was quickly drawn to a “mountain of flesh” in front of him. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a mountain of flesh at all; it was clearly an extremely bloated, brownish, giant insect, resembling a silkworm cocoon magnified countless times. At this very moment, the cocoon’s two eyes, like lanterns, were staring at his location. Faint, familiar soul power fluctuations emanated from the direction of the cocoon.

Lu Ye froze for a moment, then realized something, his face turning extremely grim. He tentatively called out, “You Die?”

A voice, enchantingly soft and utterly familiar, echoed beside his ear: “It seems you’ve never seen a Mother Insect before?”

It made sense. Mother Insects were at least Dao Integration masters; how could a Dao Entry practitioner ever have a chance to see one? As the voice sounded, Lu Ye’s expression began to change, and scenes from his previous reincarnations involuntarily flashed through his mind. Not only that, but also all those exceedingly intimate forms of address…

His face turned pale, and he felt an inexplicable discomfort in his body, wanting to vomit! He could face even the strongest enemies without changing his expression, but the current situation made it difficult for him to look directly at her… Lu Ye subtly averted his gaze.

You Die seemed to notice, and a hint of slyness flashed in her lantern-like eyes. Her voice became even softer: “Husband, are you feeling unwell?”

It was as if a muffled clap of thunder had struck the top of his head, causing a wave of dizziness. Lu Ye immediately stood up, rushed to the side, and dry-heaved against the cavern wall.

“Husband, what’s wrong? Don’t scare Xiao Die.” You Die was clearly enjoying herself, her voice brimming with concern and worry, as if still in one of their reincarnations.

Lu Ye retched for a while but couldn’t bring anything up, making him feel even worse. He instinctively reached for his blade, only to find his waist empty. Then he remembered that Panshhan Saber was still in the Minor Flower Realm. He turned around in a fury. “If you keep this up, I really will die right in front of you!”

“Giggle, giggle…” You Die laughed happily, her bloated body trembling slightly. “Husband, why bother? But if you die, Xiao Die won’t live alone; I’ll definitely accompany you. It’s not like Xiao Die hasn’t done such things before.” She looked as if she had Lu Ye exactly where she wanted him. Before, when Lu Ye used that threat, she truly hadn’t dared to be reckless, but this time, she didn’t take it seriously at all. She knew Lu Ye wouldn’t risk his life over such a minor matter. “You have your day now!” You Die felt triumphant, all her recent frustrations swept away.