The Nine Provincial States, each controlled by both the Haotian Alliance and Ten Thousand Demons Ridge with three territories, while the disputed regions of Bingzhou, Tianzhou, and Dingzhou are evenly split between them. Thus, the vanguard camp in Bingzhou this time is composed of powerhouses from both factions, gathering strong figures from both sides. Such a grand gathering is only possible in these special times and environments, rarely seen in ordinary times. On the third day back at the mountain pass, before dawn, Lu Ye pushed open the door and stepped out of his chamber. Amber was perched on his shoulder. Compared to more than a year ago, Amber's aura had become much stronger. Over a year of continuous cultivation and consuming a plethora of demonic pills had marked a noticeable growth in Amber. After all, it is an exotic beast, and with Yiyi cultivating alongside it, its growth, although not as rapid as Lu Ye's, is much faster than that of an average human race cultivator. Amber is not yet at the level of a demon beast in the Divine Sea Realm, but it's not far off. For Lu Ye, during the war, as long as Amber was by his side, he could draw strength from it, so a slightly lower power level in Amber wasn't a concern. For this reason, Lu Ye kept Amber by his side; the counterattack on the Insect Race's Great Secret Realm wasn't a war that could be won in one stroke, and every bit of external aid was crucial. Looking up at the stellar space, the Myriad Stars were still scattered across the sky, promising a fine day. His gaze inadvertently swept over a part of the stellar space and noticed a star that appeared much brighter than when he last observed it, though he didn't know the reason why. Soon, however, his attention was drawn to a figure nearby. After a brief observation, he exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Sister Nian?" Nian Yuexian was unexpectedly here, and by the looks of it, she seemed to be waiting for him. "About to set out?" Nian Yuexian asked. Lu Ye nodded, "I'm, after all, a junior and kind of a host here. It's not good to keep those seniors waiting for too long; it's better to go early. Senior Sister Nian, you are..." "I'm also part of the vanguard camp," Nian Yuexian clarified. Given Nian Yuexian's strength, it was only natural for her to be assigned to the vanguard camp. "Then let's go together," Lu Ye invited. Leading Nian Yuexian into the Heaven's Augury Hall, they arrived near the ground fissure through the teleportation array. The hundreds of cultivators from the two mountain passes continued to fulfill their duties, slaying the Insect Race creatures crawling out from the fissure. This task had become routine; often the Insect Race barely showed up before being scattered and killed. It was still early, and apart from Lin Yue, who was stationed on duty, no other Divine Sea Realm figures were present. Approaching, Lu Ye exchanged a few words with Lin Yue and then waited quietly in place. As the daylight brightened, one strong aura after another flew in from different directions, descended here, and clearly, they were all vanguard camp members gathering at this place. There were those from both Ten Thousand Demons Ridge and Haotian Alliance, and with their powerful auras converging, the pressure on the hundreds of cultivators at the two mountain passes became immense, and they dared not slack off in the slightest. By the time daylight fully arrived, there were already over two hundred members of the vanguard camp gathered here, and their numbers continued to grow. Feeling the aura of those arriving, Lu Ye was secretly astonished. Although he knew the Nine Provinces were places where hidden talents and powerhouses kept emerging, hearing about it was one thing, but seeing it with his own eyes was another. None of the vanguard camp cultivators gathered had a cultivation level below Level 7, and a shocking twenty percent were at Level 9. At this rate, the entire vanguard camp's membership would easily reach several hundred. Moreover, this wasn't the full capability of Bingzhou. It was impossible for all the cultivators above Divine Sea Level 7 to charge into the Insect Path. Both Ten Thousand Demons Ridge and Haotian Alliance needed to leave some forces to maintain stability in Bingzhou. If one provincial state had such capabilities, what must the entirety of the Nine Provinces look like? Lu Ye found it quite interesting that these powerful figures gathering did not have such clearly defined boundaries, nor did they draw swords upon meeting as one might imagine. Many of them, despite belonging to different factions, exchanged friendly words and laughter upon meeting. This phenomenon was hard to observe in lower-level cultivators. The lower the cultivation, the more likely conflict would break out when they clashed; but the higher the cultivation, the more experienced they became and able to carry themselves with grace and ease. Lu Ye sensed many scrutinizing gazes intentionally or unintentionally sweeping over him. Among the Divine Sea Realm cultivators present, he had the lowest cultivation and was the youngest, partly due to the spread of certain news. Nowadays, who doesn't know the As-Close-As-Siblings Array Disc originated from him, or that he ventured deep into the Insect Race's Great Secret Realm to bring back extremely valuable images, even contributing the Insect Race's refinement method. It could be said that the Nine Provinces' opportunity to counterattack the Insect Race's Great Secret Realm, he played a decisive role in promoting. Coupled with the fact that, despite his young age, he had already attained the cultivation of Divine Sea Level 4, anyone with half a brain would realize that regardless of future changes in the Nine Provinces, he would secure a place. Given the current situation, the entire Nine Provinces owed him a debt of gratitude, so although there were many scrutinizing glances, they carried little hostility. Even if there's fear in their hearts, no one dares to show any hostility on such an occasion, at such a time. "Hahaha, I am late." A hearty laugh came, followed by a silhouette sweeping in from the direction of the Dark Moon Forest Pass, behind which followed more than ten powerful warriors. "City Lord!" The many strong warriors of the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge greeted him, and even many cultivators of the Haotian Alliance also clasped their fists in greeting. Lu Ye recognized this person as Long Bai, the City Lord of Ten Thousand Demons City in Bingzhou, whose status was equivalent to that of Pang Zhen on the Haotian Alliance's side. He had not personally seen this person, but last night Long Bai, leading some Divine Sea Realm vanguard camp members, rested in the Dark Moon Forest Pass and had summoned the doppelganger Li Taibai. As the brightest rising star of this generation of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, Li Taibai naturally gained the favor of the upper echelons of Ten Thousand Demons City. Long Bai did not withhold admiration and praise for the doppelganger, which gave Lu Ye a chance to slightly understand this person. After some pleasantries, Long Bai turned his head to look at Lu Ye, laughing as he said, "This young friend must be Lu Yiye, truly extraordinary in demeanor." Lu Ye saluted, "I have seen City Lord Long." "I have been paying attention to many of your matters, young friend. If there comes a day you aren't happy in the Haotian Alliance, you're always welcome to my Ten Thousand Demons Ridge!" As he spoke, he winked at Lu Ye, implying something. Yu Huajin went as far as to defect from the Haotian Alliance just to use the power of the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge to kill Lu Ye. This matter happened in the Dark Moon Forest Pass. How could Long Bai, as the City Lord of Ten Thousand Demons City, not know? It's even said that all the decisions of that matter were personally made by him, and he also sent a warning to Lin Yue's side to alert Lu Ye to be cautious. After he said this, many people on the Haotian Alliance side frowned, although they knew Lu Ye was unlikely to agree to such a thing. Digging the wall right in front of others was indeed somewhat vile. A voice came from afar: "If you can't speak, don't speak at all; no one considers you a mute!" As the words fell, several figures had already entered the scene, it was Pang Zhen and the sect master and others. Long Bai laughed heartily, "Old Pang, you're late." Pang Zhen nodded slightly, "There were some matters that caused a slight delay." One was the City Lord of Ten Thousand Demons City, the other the Vice Alliance Hierarch of the Haotian Alliance. In terms of cultivation, status, and strength, both are equal, and both are the main figures of this vanguard camp attacking the Insect Race's Great Secret Realm. The two gathered together briefly to discuss. After a moment, Pang Zhen spoke loudly, "The insect disaster has ravaged the Nine Provinces for more than three years, causing the Nine Provinces cultivators to be exhausted and the common people to live in distress. Today we gather here to act as the vanguard, break into the Insect Path, and counterattack the Insect Race's Great Secret Realm. The task is heavy and must not fail. Past grievances need not be mentioned; there are no factions here today. I hope all can unite and jointly exterminate the Insect Race!" These Divine Sea Realm experts have been cultivating for a long time, each at Level 7 or above, and do not require too much stirring war motivation. Everyone knows what they will face when they receive the orders, so Pang Zhen only said a few simple words. Next, insect blood was distributed. Everyone received a jar, and Lu Ye also got one. "Wait here for me!" Nian Yuexian, after receiving her jar of insect blood, flashed away into the distance. Not only her, but all the female cultivators did the same. This was mainly because applying insect blood is a delicate task, leaving no inch uncovered, which the female cultivators cannot perform under all eyes. With the female cultivators leaving, the male cultivators were less modest, applying the insect blood all over themselves, even on their hair, turning green all over within moments. After one incense stick's time, everyone gathered again. Lu Ye looked around, seeing one green-skinned figure after another, feeling the scene quite comical. Of course, in the eyes of others, he surely looked equally ridiculous. "Let's move out!" With a low shout from Pang Zhen, he and Long Bai first headed toward the ground fissure, with others following closely, the scene instantly becoming lively. Below the ground fissure, those Insect Race members climbing out met their doom, as places passed by numerous Divine Sea Realm experts were instantly barren, leaving not a single piece of armor behind. Lu Ye mingled among the crowd, with Nian Yuexian beside him, feeling somewhat idle. With such a scene, such an array, he wasn't needed to act at all. What he needed to do was wait for those ahead to capture some Divine Sea Realm insects alive and use means to enslave them. The light above gradually disappeared, and soon they arrived at the mouth of the Insect Path. Still, Pang Zhen and Long Bai led the way, with the others following. Having once delved into the Insect Path, Lu Ye was not unfamiliar with it. Several hundred people moved like the wind, and in a moment, they all entered the Insect Path, though due to its limited size, they couldn't advance side by side, so the whole team formed a not too long line. Lu Ye was positioned slightly toward the front since he needed to enslave the Insect Race, which would be difficult to do if he were too far back. Nian Yuexian seemed responsible for guarding his safety, sticking close and not straying a step away.