Chapter 649: Slavery of the Zerg

After a brief moment, Lu Ye returned to the special building.

He wasn't forced back because all the insectoids were killed, but because the increasing number of gathering insectoids made him feel threatened. To avoid any accidents, he had no choice but to retreat.

His initial hypothesis had been validated, and Lu Ye's spirits were undoubtedly lifted.

However, he soon realized that things were not as simple as he had imagined.

The short period of combat had left him feeling somewhat weak. This weakness was different from the exhaustion caused by injury; it felt more like a heavy burden from excessive consumption.

He immediately understood that while the unique environment and his own state had allowed him to prematurely wield abilities typically reserved for Divine Sea Realm cultivators, his soul's foundation was still too shallow.

Indeed, his soul power was exceptionally strong compared to cultivators of the same realm, but it was still insufficient to sustain him in continuously crafting divine patterns to kill enemies.

In this environment and with his current physical state, spiritual energy could be replenished by consuming elixirs. However, if his soul power was severely depleted or injured, he would have to consume Soul Cleansing Water.

He had a limited supply of Soul Cleansing Water and had already used one drop, so Lu Ye was unwilling to consume more unless absolutely necessary.

This meant that this effective method of killing insectoids could not be frequently employed; otherwise, if his supply of Soul Cleansing Water ran out, he would be completely out of options.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. In that short time, he had gained nearly two thousand battle achievements. If he could have unleashed divine patterns without restraint, his rate of gaining battle achievements would have been terrifying.

Outside, the sounds of insectoids crashing against doors and windows resumed, but Lu Ye remained unperturbed. Buildings with lanterns hanging at their entrances were protected by a miraculous power and could not be destroyed.

Lu Ye also had an idea about the origin of this miraculous power.

The commotion outside lasted for a while before gradually quieting down. Such was the limited intelligence of insectoids; even if they saw Lu Ye enter, they would eventually forget him if they couldn't find him for a long time, and then go about their usual business.

Lu Ye quietly recovered inside. Once it was completely silent outside, and after waiting for a long time, he went to the door and peered through the crack.

The insectoid corpses on the street had vanished, leaving only streaks of emerald green blood splattered across the long street as evidence of the recent battle.

As for where the killed insectoid corpses went… they were naturally devoured by the living insectoids. These creatures would eat anything that contained energy.

Lu Ye had also experienced insectoid swarms in the Spirit Creek battlefield. Wherever those insectoids passed, all life was extinguished, leaving not even a blade of grass.

However, the presence of insectoids implied the existence of a hive. Where was Xian Yuan City's insectoid hive?

Lu Ye immediately recalled the tear in the sky he had seen earlier, from which a continuous stream of insectoids was falling…

The hive might be within that tear!

Under normal circumstances, to resolve an insectoid infestation, one must first destroy the hive to tackle the problem at its root. But the issue in Xian Yuan City clearly exceeded Lu Ye's capabilities. Upon realizing the hive's location, he abandoned any further thoughts of it.

Aside from other considerations, Xian Yuan City had an anti-flight array, limiting him to flying a mere ten zhang. The tear in the sky was at least several hundred zhang from the ground; even if he were stronger, he couldn't fly that high.

A few insectoids still roamed the street outside the door. Lu Ye applied concealment and aura-masking spirit patterns to himself, quietly pushed open the door, and stepped out once more.

This time, his objective wasn't to kill insectoids; he was looking for a specific type of insectoid that met his requirements.

Regardless of why he had entered Xian Yuan City, now that he was here, he had to find a way to gain some advantage.

Soul Cleansing Water and the battle achievements earned from killing insectoids were benefits rarely accessible to ordinary cultivators. While crisis loomed, it also presented immense opportunities.

Divine patterns couldn't be constantly activated due to their heavy consumption. Although Lu Ye had concealment and aura-masking spirit patterns, allowing him to move stealthily, it would still be very difficult to pass through the insectoid blockade and reach the City Lord's Mansion.

Moreover, in this state, he couldn't kill insectoids to gain battle achievements.

To solve these problems, he would have to take a risky approach.

Lu Ye wasn't sure if it would succeed, but one had to try.

Moving stealthily, he walked through street after street, observing one insectoid after another, and gradually ascertained his current location.

He was roughly in the outermost area of Xian Yuan City.

The entire Xian Yuan City was quite vast; he hadn't managed to traverse the entire city even when he first entered with an Eighth Level Spirit Creek Realm cultivation, so he wasn't entirely sure of its exact size.

However, the center of Xian Yuan City should be located in the direction of the tear in the sky.

It was worth noting that few insectoids were now appearing from the tear in the sky; perhaps all the insectoids within the hive had already been dispatched.

Insectoids have low intelligence, but their other abilities are unfathomable. Generally, each different type of insectoid possesses a unique strength.

Take the mantis-like insectoids, for example; they were the most skilled in combat among all the insectoids he had encountered, wielding their two blades like true swordsmen.

Meanwhile, the dog-like insectoids possessed extremely keen senses.

Even with Lu Ye's current concealment and aura-masking spirit patterns, he had several close calls with these insectoids, so he now made sure to avoid them from afar.

There was also a hedgehog-like insectoid, covered in sharp bone spikes, with virtually no weaknesses. Lu Ye felt that only a soul attack could defeat such an insectoid; otherwise, there was no way to engage it.

Additionally, the pink, round, plump, and caterpillar-like insectoids Lu Ye had encountered previously were completely saturated with potent venom, even their fine silk was incredibly toxic.

These insectoids posed the least threat to Lu Ye; with his Heaven's Mandate, he feared poison the least. However, these insectoids were not only venomous but could also weave their silk into large nets to ensnare enemies, which was quite troublesome.

As he walked, Lu Ye carefully noted down all the buildings with lanterns hanging at their entrances, marking them as potential retreat points.

Overall, such buildings were few, typically only one within the span of several streets.

After two full hours of searching, Lu Ye finally found an insectoid that somewhat met his requirements.

He had encountered suitable ones before, but most were clustered with other insectoids, making it difficult for Lu Ye to execute his plan.

Now, he finally found a lone one.

This insectoid was quite large, resembling an eight-legged spider at first glance, with thick, protective carapaces on its back and underside. Its menacing, serrated mouthparts were chilling to behold.

Though he hadn't engaged it in battle, Lu Ye could immediately discern that it was a True Lake Realm insectoid.

The reason he chose it was primarily its size and broad back, which would allow him to sit on it steadily after concealing himself.

Of course, this depended on the successful implementation of his plan. If things didn't go as he imagined, none of his subsequent plans could proceed.

However, he believed it would be largely fine. The insectoids' low intelligence was a critical weakness. While the method might not be very effective against cultivators of the same realm, it would undoubtedly work wonders against insectoids.

He moved silently towards the spider insectoid, stopping two zhang in front of it.

This distance was already very dangerous. Even if this spider insectoid wasn't known for its keen sense of smell, its close proximity made it sense that something was amiss.

However, before it could react, Lu Ye actively revealed his presence.

In that instant, Lu Ye's eyes met the spider insectoid's compound eyes. Lu Ye's large hand pressed against the hilt of his Panshan Blade, power surging, ready to draw the blade and strike if things went awry.

The spider insectoid's front legs were also raised high. Its furry front legs, now covered in a stark white bone-like substance, became extremely robust. Coupled with their inherent sharpness, their thrusting power was no less than a full strike from a True Lake Realm combat cultivator.

A battle seemed on the verge of erupting.

However, the spider insectoid's raised front legs froze mid-air and never descended. Not only that, but its mouthparts, which had been writhing and hissing the moment it discovered Lu Ye, now fell silent.

Its once agile compound eyes now looked as if covered in dust, gradually dimming.

In contrast, Lu Ye's eyes grew brighter than usual. If one observed closely, one could even see complex patterns appearing within his eyes. These myriad patterns converged and interlocked, forming a marvelous design.

The Bewitchment Divine Pattern!

Unlike spirit patterns such as Sharpness or Guard, which were spirit patterns when activated by spiritual energy and divine patterns when activated by soul power, Bewitchment was a divine pattern that could *only* be activated by soul power.

Lu Ye had obtained this divine pattern after slaying the fox demon from Fox Immortal Valley and devouring its core flame.

He had initially thought he couldn't unleash this divine pattern before ascending to the Divine Sea Realm, but he never expected to re-enter Xian Yuan City in this unique state, allowing him to activate his soul power.

After verifying the changes in patterns like Sharpness, Lu Ye wanted to test the power of Bewitchment, and he already had a plan centered around this divine pattern.

In Fox Immortal Valley, that fox demon, relying on her innate ability, had controlled nearly a hundred cultivators, some of whom were at the Ninth Level of the Cloud River Realm.

The power the Bewitchment Divine Pattern could exert was similar to the fox demon's talent—both confused minds and controlled hearts—but it wouldn't be as exaggerated as what the fox demon had demonstrated.

Recall that when Giant Armor faced that fox demon, a mere glance from her had caused Giant Armor to fall under her sway. The method the fox demon used on Giant Armor then was similar to what Lu Ye was now employing on this spider insectoid.

This time, Tang San's grasp of time, position, and distance was incredibly precise.

He knew that despite possessing all the Tang Sect's unique skills and a third-tier Mysterious Heaven Skill cultivation, he might not be a match for a wolf demon in a direct confrontation. Their innate abilities granted them powerful bodies. Especially being young and lacking vitality, he certainly couldn't sustain a long battle. If that shapeshifter hadn't killed one wolf demon, he might not have even intervened against two third-tier wolf demons; his own life was the most important thing.

However, if he was going to attack, he absolutely had to land a hit.

The wolf demon was in an extreme state of rage at this moment, so it only realized when Tang San's palm had already struck the side of its eye. It snapped its head around, its wolf maw lunging directly at Tang San.

Tang San's other hand, however, grabbed its fur at that moment. Using his small, slender frame to his advantage, he tugged the wolf fur, changing his direction. He flipped almost pressed against the third-tier wolf demon's chest, landing on its other side.

His right index and middle fingers formed a sword-finger. With Mysterious Jade Hand activated, the two fingers shimmered with a pristine, jade-like luster, stabbing like lightning towards the wolf demon's turning eye.

*Puff!* The slender fingers instantly plunged into warmth. In terms of physical strength, Tang San was undoubtedly far inferior to this third-tier wolf demon, but once a vital point was struck with equivalent energy, there was no room for luck.

Mysterious Heaven Skill, infused through Mysterious Jade Hand, rotated almost like a drill as it plunged into the wolf demon's brain. This caused the wolf demon's other eye to instantly burst open; its brain had already been twisted into a pulp. Its roar choked as if its throat had been cut, and its powerful body consequently plummeted to the ground.

Tang San kicked off its body, flipping to a distant spot.

The success of this strike owed much to his rich combat experience from his previous life. The child's small body and the cover of night provided the best concealment, combined with the third-tier wolf demon's state of fury which had dulled its perception.

In a head-on confrontation, Tang San's Mysterious Jade Hand might not even have been able to pierce the wolf demon's thick hide. However, the eyes were the most vulnerable point. Piercing an eye and injecting Mysterious Heaven Skill energy meant absolute death.

As his feet landed, the other third-tier wolf demon also fell silent. Only then did Tang San breathe a sigh of relief. He did not rush to check on the human but quickly lay on the ground, pressing his ear close to listen for any further pursuers.

With his current strength, a head-on confrontation with a third-tier wolf demon was very difficult. No matter how refined his technique, his young body was simply too frail. A single hit from the wolf demon could very likely be fatal. That seemingly simple attack was, in fact, his full effort, elevating his mental will to its highest degree.

There were no other movements, clearly indicating that only two third-tier wolf demons had been pursuing the shapeshifting human. This also relieved Tang San; otherwise, he would have had no choice but to escape.

He then approached the human, while maintaining his vigilance.

As he neared the person, he immediately noticed that the fur which had previously grown on their body had now disappeared. This caused Tang San's heartbeat to quicken slightly.

Given his young circumstances and having no familial connection to the shapeshifting human, the safest option would have naturally been to do nothing and wait for the wolf demons to leave. Yet, he chose to act. One reason was that the pursued individual was human. Another crucial reason was the shapeshifting itself.

In Tang San's original Douluo Dalu world, there were Spirit Masters with beast martial souls who possessed similar abilities. They could also continuously grow stronger by cultivating their beast martial souls.

If similar abilities existed in this world, being able to learn them would naturally be of great benefit to his own strength, and it would make it easier for him to integrate into this world!