Chapter 222: Heavy Strike

Senior Brother He, what should we do? a Layer 6 cultivator, covered in insect blood, asked.

Should we send a message to Senior Brother Cheng and have him lead people here to support us? Someone suggested.

Unlike the Bloodfiend Sect, which had deployed all its forces to counter the insect tide, other sects typically kept disciples stationed at their strongholds when dealing with insect swarms. A stronghold was the very foundation of a sect, so they could never be careless, no matter the circumstances. For instance, the Sky Demon Palace had dispatched around five hundred cultivators this time, while over a hundred remained at their stronghold. Among those staying behind was Cheng Bo, the deputy stronghold defender, a Layer 7 cultivator who had only recently been promoted.

Currently, the Sky Demon Palace cultivators were in a dire situation. The insect tide was surging, and there were Heaven Alliance cultivators ambushing them at the wormhole exit. Trapped between a rock and a hard place, their best chance of escape was for Cheng Bo to lead reinforcements.

It's too late. He Meng shook his head. Although the stronghold was only ten miles away, it would take time for Cheng Bo to gather his forces. By the time they arrived for support, it would be far too late.

Follow me and break through! A fierce glint flashed in He Meng's eyes. He didn't know which faction these people belonged to, or why they acted so recklessly. However, as a Layer 7 cultivator who had faced life-and-death situations before, he wasn't intimidated by their current predicament. He knew their only path to survival was to fight their way out; staying put meant certain death. The insect tide had been unexpectedly fierce this time, suddenly intensifying for unknown reasons, leading to the Sky Demon Palace's current defeat.

Time was short. With a command from He Meng, he ordered his left and right flanks to hold back the insect tide while he withdrew, selecting a few Layer 6 cultivators to follow him.

About ten breaths later, below the wormhole, several Layer 5 cultivators crouched down, their hands clasped over their knees. One of them grunted, "Come!"

A dozen yards away, He Meng and the Layer 6 cultivators ran, instantly reaching the Layer 5 cultivators. He Meng placed a foot on the clasped hands of one of his junior brothers.

"Go!" As the Layer 5 cultivators roared in unison, their spiritual power surged, and they thrust their hands upwards. He Meng and his companions used this force to launch themselves skyward, instantly reaching the area above the wormhole entrance.

With spiritual power surging around him and a murderous expression on his face, He Meng's heart sank. He saw that the wormhole entrance was surrounded by people, packed in from all directions, numbering no less than six or seven hundred.

How could there be so many? He had previously heard that Heaven Alliance cultivators were ambushing the entrance, but he had assumed the number wouldn't be large. At this time, every sect was dealing with insect tides at their own strongholds, and even if they had spare manpower to harass hostile forces, the numbers wouldn't be substantial. However, it now seemed this assumption was completely wrong. Six or seven hundred people—that was nearly the entire complement of cultivators from a sect's stronghold. Was this sect truly neglecting the insect tide at its own stronghold?

Before he could fully process these thoughts, two streaks of light struck in quick succession, followed by a barrage of spells and talismans. Screams erupted beside him. The Layer 6 cultivators who had charged out with him fell downwards like dumplings, before they could even grasp the situation. Only He Meng, relying on his Layer 7 cultivation and the long spear in his hand, managed to block a few attacks. However, immediately after, a fiery red streak of light pierced his body, drawing out a spray of hot blood. He plummeted rapidly downwards, but a fire dragon pursued him closely.

Beside the wormhole, Lu Ye was somewhat surprised. "These guys really know how to make a show of it," he mused. He vaguely understood how these people had gotten up there and what their original intention was. Unfortunately, the enemies had clearly underestimated their numbers and strength, which meant they only managed to show their faces before being dealt with.

Below the wormhole, the Layer 5 cultivators who had launched He Meng and his companions watched helplessly as their senior brothers ascended quickly and returned even faster. Accompanying their return was a burning fire dragon. Thudding sounds echoed as bodies hit the ground, flames engulfed them, and the smell of scorching flesh filled the air. The Sky Demon Palace cultivators who were still climbing up using ropes were also disoriented by the flames, screaming as they fell.

"Senior Brother He!" Someone cried out, rushing to He Meng's side to extinguish the flames on him.

He Meng was barely breathing at this point. He had been wounded by Lu Ye's controlled artifact and then struck by a Fire Dragon spell. It was a miracle he was still alive. He suddenly lifted a hand, grabbed the Layer 5 cultivator's collar, and gritted out, "It's the Bloodfiend Sect!" In the brief moment he fell, he had seen a large white tiger and the young man beside it. How could he not know who their attackers were?

After saying this, He Meng's head lolled to the side, and he breathed his last.

The Layer 5 cultivator beside him had tears in his eyes, but there was no time for grief. The insect tide was already pouring out, and the wormhole entrance was blocked by Bloodfiend Sect cultivators. With He Meng dead and several Layer 6 senior brothers also gone, there was no way out for the remaining Sky Demon Palace members.

Screams rose and fell. With no Layer 6 or 7 cultivators to hold the line, the remaining individuals couldn't withstand the insect tide at all. Some, unwilling to die so easily, desperately climbed up the wormhole, but they too perished at the hands of the Bloodfiend Sect cultivators. The Layer 5 cultivator stood up, tapped his battle imprint, sending out a message. Then, holding his spiritual artifact, he turned and charged into the insect tide. Since death was certain, it was better to die at the hands of these insects than to give the Bloodfiend Sect the satisfaction! Many others shared his resolve. For a time, the battle was incredibly fierce, with cultivators constantly falling amidst screams.

Ten miles away, at the Sky Demon Palace stronghold, Cheng Bo's face instantly turned ashen upon receiving the message. Stronghold Defender He Meng was dead, the insect tide was unstoppable, and the wormhole entrance was blocked by the Bloodfiend Sect. The Sky Demon Palace was trapped, and the survivors wished to fight the insect race to the death!

He hurriedly checked his battle imprint, feeling familiar imprints within it disappear one after another. Cheng Bo collapsed into his chair. By this time, many of the remaining disciples had received news from the wormhole and rushed over to inquire. Seeing Cheng Bo in such a state, they knew the situation was far worse than imagined.

"Bloodfiend Sect!" Cheng Bo gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

Naturally, Cheng Bo knew a great deal about his famous neighbor. Especially after the great battle at Golden Light Peak, where Lu Yiye became renowned after a single fight, Cheng Bo and He Meng had privately discussed their concerns and precautions regarding the Bloodfiend Sect. This was a very unusual sect. It hadn't accepted disciples for decades, then suddenly took in one, who then accomplished such an earth-shattering feat. That Lu Yiye, a Layer 5 cultivator, fought forty-three consecutive battles at Golden Light Peak without a single defeat. If he were to advance to Layer 7, neither of them would likely be his match.

Fortunately, Lu Ye had been quite stable during this period. Before the Spirit Stream Stronghold Battle, there hadn't even been any news of the Bloodfiend Sect accepting disciples. This had somewhat reassured the two stronghold defenders of the Sky Demon Palace. Even if Lu Yiye was formidable, he couldn't accomplish much alone. However, after the Spirit Stream Stronghold Battle, a piece of news arrived that instantly made both of them uneasy. The Bloodfiend Sect had widely opened its gates, accepting disciples and instantly taking in a hundred nominal disciples, with an additional five to six hundred rogue cultivators joining them.

This was already a force to be reckoned with. In recent days, the Sky Demon Palace had indeed been wary of the Bloodfiend Sect, fearing that Lu Yiye might not be content with keeping to himself. Fortunately, their worries seemed excessive, as the Bloodfiend Sect had consistently appeared to be aloof from worldly affairs. Who would have thought this was merely a facade! Appearing peaceful on the surface, but striking with heavy blows in secret, they had caught the Sky Demon Palace completely off guard. A total of four hundred ninety-three cultivators—in less than two hours—had been completely annihilated, and even Stronghold Defender He Meng was dead! Since its establishment, the Sky Demon Palace had never suffered such immense losses.

"Lu Yiye, I swear I will never rest until one of us is dead!" Cheng Bo's roar echoed throughout the Sky Demon Palace stronghold, and the faces of the remaining hundred-plus disciples were filled with grief.

At this moment, at the wormhole entrance, hundreds of Bloodfiend Sect cultivators waited, somewhat bored. Since earlier, no more Sky Demon Palace cultivators had climbed up, and the screams from below the entrance had become significantly sparser. This meant they couldn't even earn merit points. A moment later, no more screams were heard. Rustling sounds emerged from below—the insect race was climbing up.

The hundreds of cultivators immediately perked up. Earlier, everyone had been happily accumulating merit points in the insect lair, but then Yiyi came and took the vitality core, causing that insect lair to wither, leaving many feeling unsatisfied. Now, another opportunity had presented itself, and this one was seized from others. The allure of what was forcibly taken from others was undeniable.

Chen Yu excitedly asked, "Senior Brother Five, shall we go down and kill them?" Having experienced dealing with an insect tide once before, if they acted as they had previously, the Bloodfiend Sect could once again charge into the insect lair.

Lu Ye shook his head and waved his hand. "Retreat!"

Chen Yu was stunned. "Retreat?"

"Retreat!"

At Lu Ye's command, hundreds of cultivators rumbled away. Although no one knew what Lu Ye intended, it was the Stronghold Defender's order, and both the nominal disciples and rogue cultivators had to obey.

Back on the same mountain peak where they had ambushed earlier, hundreds of people rested and waited. Lu Ye stood on the summit, gazing down at the valley below. They said they were retreating, but they only retreated this far.

Hua Ci stood beside Lu Ye, puzzled. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Lu Ye watched the insect race slowly gathering in the valley below, a hint of worry in his voice. "We might have nurtured a batch of monsters," he said.

"What do you mean?" Hua Ci frowned.

"Haven't you noticed that these insects are generally stronger than the ones on our side? Of course, some of the weaker ones were killed by the Sky Demon Palace, but that's not the main reason."

"Then what is it?"

"Senior Brother Four mentioned in a message to me earlier that when fighting the insect race, you must never let them easily obtain cultivators' bodies. Not only because cultivators' bodies contain immense energy, but also for other reasons. If the insects acquire them, they will be significantly enhanced." He let out a soft sigh. "How many Sky Demon Palace cultivators died in that wormhole, roughly?"

Hua Ci's eyelid twitched. "At least three or four hundred, wouldn't you say?"

"Then it's over. This insect tide is beyond what outer-ring sects can handle."