Chapter 646: Unusual Sense of Familiarity

Rustling sounds emerged. A multitude of insects swarmed into view, rushing towards him. It was too late to activate his concealment and aura-suppression spirit patterns. Lu Ye immediately took flight, preparing to escape to one side.

However, just ten zhang high, a sudden sensation of a mountain pressing down upon him surged, preventing him from flying any higher.

For a moment, Lu Ye found himself in a peculiar situation, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

In the Spirit Land of Huantian Valley, he had repeatedly used anti-flight formations to counter cultivators from the Myriad Devil Ridge, causing them numerous defeats. He never expected to be suppressed by an anti-flight formation himself today.

This was truly a case of karma coming full circle, a fitting retribution.

Although he didn't know where he was, it was clear that an anti-flight formation was active here. Ten zhang was the absolute limit; flying any higher was impossible.

Due to the slight delay, the insects drew closer. Their mandibles hissed and wings buzzed, the sounds constantly filling his ears.

Lu Ye had already darted out of the second-story room he was in, sweeping towards one direction.

As he looked around, that inexplicable sense of familiarity resurfaced.

This appeared to be a city. Although he couldn't see very far, within his line of sight, he could still discern neatly planned streets lined with buildings. Many of these structures had been destroyed by the insects, reduced to broken walls and ruins, while others remained intact.

The house he had initially appeared in was clearly one of them. He had first thought it was a safe place, but it proved not to be.

Like salt scattered into a hot oil pan, the moment Lu Ye revealed himself, the insects in the vast area erupted into a frenzy. They converged from all directions, encircling Lu Ye, and among them were several powerful entities.

A fiery red light ignited on his Pan Mountain Saber. Lu Ye pushed his perception to its limit, trying to avoid directions where powerful presences were detected, and carved a bloody path through the dense encirclement.

His saber light flashed incessantly. As each insect lunged forward, they splattered green blood, their life force dissipating. His passage left a trail of gore and a stench of blood.

During his escape, Lu Ye also noticed some strange things. For instance, his perception was much stronger and more detailed than before.

Previously, when he perceived his surroundings, he could only get vague sensations, and the range was only about ten zhang.

But now, when he activated his perception, its range suddenly expanded to several dozen zhang. The sensations were no longer vague; a wealth of external information clearly appeared in his mind.

This change was likely related to how his soul had departed his body. Previously, his physical body had imposed limitations, preventing him from fully utilizing his strong soul power.

Now, without this restraint, his soul's full power could be manifested.

His perception became more refined, with numerous feedbacks appearing in his mind, showing subtle signs of divine sense.

Furthermore, the spirit patterns he had constructed... seemed different from usual.

However, being in the midst of escape, Lu Ye had no time to ponder these things. He could only suppress the various doubts in his mind.

The city was teeming with a vast number of insects, with various forms and strengths occupying almost every corner. While Lu Ye could escape for a time, he couldn't keep running indefinitely.

As time passed, his situation worsened. The powerful insects he had evaded relentlessly pursued him, seemingly determined to kill him. This meant that the farther he ran, the more powerful insects joined the chase.

In previous illusions, Lu Ye wouldn't have worried too much; at worst, he would die and re-enter as a strong contender.

But regarding the nature of this current illusion, Lu Ye had no clue. Who knew if dying here meant truly dying? Therefore, even with the slightest possibility, Lu Ye dared not relax.

While fleeing, a pink, cone-shaped insect suddenly appeared high in the air ahead. Its body was plump and rounded, with four legs, making it look, at first glance, like a bald, chubby man.

This insect had no wings, and Lu Ye didn't know how it was flying, but the plump pink creature gave him an incredibly dangerous feeling.

The moment it appeared in his sight, a strong sense of alarm surged within Lu Ye.

Lu Ye immediately intended to change direction, but it was already too late. The insect opened its mouth and spat out a crystal-clear thread that, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a large net, covering a vast area.

Lu Ye was unable to dodge in time and was firmly ensnared by the net, plummeting uncontrollably towards the ground.

This inexplicably appearing net not only had a binding effect, but Lu Ye also distinctly felt unusual activity within his Talent Tree.

He had no time to investigate, but unusual activity in his Talent Tree usually indicated he had been poisoned.

In other words, the threads of this net were highly venomous.

Any True Lake Realm cultivator encountering such a situation, even if they could break free from the net's restraint, the potent venom would be enough to incapacitate or even kill them.

But poison, for Lu Ye, had always been ineffective.

Before he even hit the ground, sharp saber light spread in all directions. Lu Ye had already freed himself from the net. He hastily stabilized his posture, ready to continue his escape.

However, at that very moment, dense shadows overhead had already blotted out the sky—it was the relentlessly pursuing insects...

This momentary delay had already put him in an extremely disadvantageous position.

Insects surrounded him above and below, cutting off all escape.

There was no escape!

This thought crossed his mind, and Lu Ye, saber in hand, lunged towards one direction, engaging the insects there in fierce combat.

His brief experience fleeing made him realize that in such a strange environment, no place was safe. No matter where he escaped, insects would always pursue him.

Therefore, there was only one way to survive: eradicate all insects within his sight. Only then might he have a chance to breathe.

But this was undoubtedly extremely difficult.

The insects currently surrounding him were all at the True Lake Realm, numbering at least several dozen. Among them, the plump pink insect felt the most dangerous.

Moreover, once the fight began, it was hard to say if more insects would be attracted. Based on past observations, this was highly probable.

However, Lu Ye couldn't simply wait for death or risk finding out the consequences of dying here.

So, he had only one choice.

In the past, no matter how dangerous the situation, he always had Amber and Yiyi by his side.

But this time, he was truly alone. Without Yiyi and Amber, he couldn't rely on any external help. While his strength had indeed reached the True Lake Realm due to breaking free from his physical body's constraints, the enemies he faced were also more powerful.

This time, his chances were likely slim.

In the midst of the fierce battle, insects were constantly being cut down. Lu Ye's figure weaved and surged across the battlefield, his Pan Mountain Saber's light flashing crisscross.

Despite his many grievances with Xia Liang, at this moment, Lu Ye felt grateful to him because Xia Liang had taught him the Secret Art of Mind's Eye in Fox Immortal Valley.

When fighting a single opponent, the Secret Art of Mind's Eye's effectiveness wasn't very apparent. However, in an environment where he was outnumbered and surrounded by enemies, its utility was incredibly potent.

Many times, Lu Ye relied on the Secret Art of Mind's Eye to parry fatal attacks.

But it was futile. Although Lu Ye continuously cut down insects, the remaining ones showed no fear whatsoever, relentlessly attacking him with disregard for their lives. Lu Ye's body accumulated more and more wounds.

No blood flowed, but the various effects of the injuries were no different from normal. The numerous wounds caused him pain and accelerated his own depletion.

As time passed, the battlefield was littered with insect limbs and wreckage. Lu Ye's offensive gradually weakened.

He was reaching his limit...

Inevitably, the question that troubled him resurfaced: If he died here, would he truly be dead?

If so, then Yiyi and Amber wouldn't survive either. Amber had formed a Life-Essence bond with him, linking their fates. Yiyi, as Amber's companion spirit, meant that the lives of the man, the tiger, and the spirit were now intertwined.

He felt he had let them down somewhat...

When he saw the second large door, Lu Ye knew the world beyond it was exceptionally perilous. However, relying on past experiences, he had always believed that dying in an illusion wouldn't mean true death, which was why he had pushed the door open.

Yet, his presumed assurance had turned out to be merely a preconceived notion, leading to his current predicament.

A massive impact struck him from the front. Lu Ye was sent flying by a hound-like insect's charge. In that instant, his vision blurred...

It was also in that instant that a flicker of red light flashed across his vision.

That fleeting glimpse of red light once again evoked an odd sense of familiarity in Lu Ye...

At the brink of life and death, time seemed to stand still. Numerous thoughts flashed like lightning through Lu Ye's mind. In that very moment, he actually recalled the origin of that familiar sensation.

That fleeting red light... he had seen it before.

Impossible, right?

How could that be?

If things were truly as he suspected, it would be utterly inconceivable.

Regardless of whether his suspicion was true, he needed to verify it. If it was indeed as he thought, then he might just have a chance to survive.

As Lu Ye's figure soared into the air, numerous insects swarmed from all directions. What awaited them was a crescent-shaped, fiery red slash!

The power of this saber strike was greater than at any previous time; it was the strongest blow Lu Ye had unleashed since he began his cultivation.

Several insects were dismembered on the spot, and more were sent flying. Lu Ye landed, immediately applied the Wind Travel spirit pattern to his legs, and charged towards the direction where he had seen the red light.

A dozen breaths later, Lu Ye, dragging his heavily wounded body, fought his way out of the encirclement. He looked up and saw a fiery red lantern hanging in front of a building not far away.

The red light he had seen was precisely the color of this lantern's shade.