Chapter 363: True Madness

Lu Ye’s desperate escape confused the cultivators of the Leaf Extermination Alliance. Before they could even turn around, a buzzing sound reached their ears.

Someone immediately asked, "What's that sound?"

As soon as the words left their lips, their eyes widened in terror. Where Lu Ye had appeared, the swirling mist began to churn and writhe as if something was about to burst forth. Accompanied by incessant buzzing, their vision was engulfed by a vast swarm of demonic bees.

The cultivators of the Leaf Extermination Alliance felt their scalps tingle. They finally understood why Lu Ye was running so fast: he had somehow provoked this swarm of demonic bees and was now being relentlessly pursued.

The demonic bees were incredibly fast; almost as soon as they appeared, they were upon the cultivators. The Leaf Extermination Alliance cultivators hurriedly activated their spiritual energy to protect themselves, dropping swiftly downwards. However, it was too late. Engulfed by the swarm, their protective spiritual energy rapidly disintegrated, and they were stung by venomous barbs, plummeting from the sky with screams.

After the demonic bees passed, over a dozen Leaf Extermination Alliance cultivators were gone. Cultivators rushing from afar were horrified by the sight. They all halted, watching the dark cloud of demonic bees disappear into the distance.

Only then did Lu Ye have time to pull out the venomous barbs embedded in his body. Each barb he extracted brought forth a gush of blood. The barbs were long and deeply embedded, but fortunately, they had not struck any vital points. After pulling out over a dozen barbs, Lu Ye looked back to see the swarm clinging to him like maggots to bone, impossible to shake off. What frustrated him even more was that these demonic bees were faster than his normal artifact flight.

Luckily, he was currently using his Winged Spirit Tattoo, so with a little time, he could outrun the swarm. It was a close call!

Just as he thought this, an unusual sensation emanated from the Winged Spirit Tattoo on his back; the spiritual energy he channeled into it felt sluggish. Lu Ye’s expression grew serious as he realized he might be in trouble. This Winged Spirit Tattoo had been personally etched by Madam Yun before he participated in the Spirit Stream Fortification Battle. Madam Yun had stated then that this temporary tattoo would only last for a total of three hours; beyond that limit, it would become ineffective.

Over this long period, Lu Ye had used the Winged Spirit Tattoo intermittently, and the cumulative duration was now nearing its limit. He had vaguely sensed this himself, which was why after reaching the eighth-layer cultivation and being able to fly with artifacts, he rarely activated the Winged Spirit Tattoo unless absolutely necessary. It was meant to be a life-saving tool for critical moments. He hadn't expected that, at this crucial moment, the Winged Spirit Tattoo would be reaching its limit.

Left with no choice, Lu Ye summoned his spirit boat, switching to artifact flight before the Winged Spirit Tattoo became ineffective. He then activated a flying spirit pattern on his spirit boat, barely maintaining his previous speed. He took out several spiritual pills, swallowing them whole, and then guzzled a bottle of breath-fruit wine, allowing his depleted spiritual energy to recover quickly. Using the Winged Spirit Tattoo consumed a great deal of spiritual energy, and maintaining the wind-riding spirit pattern on his spirit boat was equally draining. Therefore, Lu Ye had to ensure a continuous supply of his spiritual energy.

The chase continued, moving ever forward. It took a full hour for Lu Ye to finally shake off the pursuing swarm. He let out a long breath, descended his escape light, and found a safe spot to rest briefly.

While Lu Ye was resting, cultivators from all factions of the Leaf Extermination Alliance received news that Lu Ye was being chased by a bee swarm and had fled. This greatly infuriated the Leaf Extermination Alliance cultivators. They had been chasing him for days in Mistshroud Mountain, losing hundreds of people, only for him to escape. How could they accept this? Although they didn't know why Lu Yiye was being chased by a swarm of demonic bees, he possessed numerous abilities and was fast with artifact flight, making a safe escape highly probable.

With Lu Ye's trail lost, there was no longer any need for the Leaf Extermination Alliance to continue their pursuit. After a brief exchange of messages, all sides had to accept the failure of their operation. Streaks of light rose into the sky, weaving through the misty sea, preparing to depart.

Just then, however, more news arrived: Lu Yiye had surprisingly returned, still trailed by the vast, dark swarm. Cultivators who encountered him directly couldn't evade in time, resulting in another dozen casualties. It was utterly chaotic. The cultivators of the Leaf Extermination Alliance were dumbfounded. They genuinely couldn't fathom how Lu Yiye had provoked that swarm of demonic bees, which were now pursuing him so relentlessly.

However, this was good news for them. Originally, only they were chasing Lu Ye, but now a swarm of demonic bees was assisting them. This greatly pleased the Leaf Extermination Alliance cultivators, who murmured about good deeds being rewarded and evil deeds punished. While they themselves had lost some personnel to the demonic bees, had their losses been small during this period? As long as Lu Ye could be killed, all previous losses would be worthwhile.

After a brief discussion, the Leaf Extermination Alliance, who had been preparing to leave, decided to stay. Even if they couldn't kill Lu Yiye with their own hands, they wanted to witness his downfall! It would be even better if they could coordinate with the demonic bee swarm.

Lu Ye was truly speechless at this point. Perhaps it was because he had killed some demonic bees in the hive earlier, or perhaps some imperceptible scent lingered on him. Even though he had shaken off the swarm before, they resumed their pursuit without a moment's rest. During his escape, Lu Ye changed all his clothes, from inner to outer, and even rinsed his body several times with clean water, yet he still couldn't completely shake off the swarm.

If he could continuously imbue his spirit boat with flying spirit patterns and maintain artifact flight, Lu Ye was somewhat confident he could outrun the swarm. However, even as a Heavenly Seven-level cultivator, he couldn't sustain such a drain. Powering a spirit boat for flight consumed a vast amount of energy, even more than activating his Winged Spirit Tattoo, and his spiritual energy reserves simply couldn't maintain it for long.

Unable to escape via artifact flight, Lu Ye could only turn back, hoping to use the cultivators of the Myriad Demon Ridge to briefly impede the swarm. This did cause some casualties among the Myriad Demon Ridge members, but it didn't change the overall situation. Left with no other option, he dispelled his escape light and moved through the dense forest, using its natural barriers to slow the swarm's flight.

While rushing through the forest, he abruptly encountered a group of Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators. The moment they met, both sides froze. However, Lu Ye quickly pulled an item from his storage bag and hurled it directly at them. It was a one-zhang-square beehive.

Someone struck the beehive, blasting it apart in mid-air. A sweet scent immediately permeated the air, and fragments of the honeycomb scattered everywhere. Smelling the sweet scent, many Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators' expressions immediately changed, growing increasingly panicked. Everyone knew that Lu Yiye was currently being pursued by a swarm of demonic bees. Their initial thought upon encountering him was that if they could just slightly delay his escape, once the swarm caught up, Lu Ye would be in grave danger. No one had expected him to throw a beehive first...

The buzzing sound rapidly approached from behind Lu Ye. Looking up, they saw a dense black cloud emerging between the trees. Lu Ye, who had thrown the beehive, had already fled sideways, leaving them to face the horror of the swarm directly.

"Run!" someone roared, immediately summoning their flying artifact and soaring into the sky. Others turned and ran backward, creating a scene of immediate chaos. The swarm chasing Lu Ye suddenly split into several groups. Most of the swarm continued to pursue him like maggots clinging to bone, while the separated groups went after the fleeing Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators.

Moments later, screams erupted. Not only did the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators fleeing backward fail to escape, but even those flying on artifacts were caught by the demonic bees. With the strength of core-circle cultivators, a few dozens or even a hundred of these demonic bees posed no threat. But when their numbers grew, they became irresistible. Once their protective artifacts and spiritual energy were breached, and the bee stings pierced their bodies, allowing the venom to seep in, death was virtually certain.

As he fled, Lu Ye's eyes suddenly lit up. While being chased by the swarm, he had been pondering one question: how did these demonic bees find his location? His clothes were changed, and his body was washed clean. The only remaining factor was an imperceptible scent, like the unique sweetness of honey. When he had plundered the golden honey from the beehive, he had inevitably picked up that scent, which was difficult to wash away quickly by normal means. Throwing a beehive at the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators was just an experiment. He had many ordinary beehives on him, so losing one was no big deal. The result, however, surprised him.

Seen in this light, being relentlessly chased by such a swarm of demonic bees might not be a bad thing after all. The Myriad Demon Ridge team just now had over thirty members, a force he originally couldn't contend with. Yet, using others to do his bidding, he could easily deal with them. He just wondered how many such teams there were!

Lu Ye then remembered Ju Jia and Yiyi. In the midst of his desperate flight, he sent them a message, telling them to evacuate the area first and that he would find a chance to reunite with them later. These demonic bees were truly frenzied now, and it was too dangerous for Ju Jia and the others to remain nearby. A short while later, Yiyi replied, urging him to be careful. Without needing to worry about the safety of Ju Jia, Yiyi, and Amber, Lu Ye could act without restraint.

Moving through the dense forest was much slower than flying with an artifact, but the natural obstacles and cover made the situation slightly better than when he was flying. However, he dared not rest for a moment.

The situation suddenly grew even more chaotic. In Mistshroud Mountain, Lu Ye darted around with the swarm in tow, and every Myriad Demon Ridge team that encountered him suffered greatly.

After suffering several major losses and losing over a hundred members, the many cultivators of the Leaf Extermination Alliance had to concede that the current situation was no longer suitable for them to remain; otherwise, their losses would only escalate. With much reluctance and frustration, the Leaf Extermination Alliance cultivators took to the sky, preparing to withdraw from Mistshroud Mountain. As for Lu Yiye, they decided to let him fight it out with the bee swarm. Being continuously hunted by such a swarm, a Heavenly Seven-level cultivator could not possibly survive.