"Halt!" Pang Zhen's voice transmitted through the spirit force, and at his command, everyone stopped their forward steps. Lu Ye gazed ahead, the myriad Insect Race surged like a tide, menacingly advancing with claws extended. Despite being mentally prepared, his expression inevitably turned grave. The distance between them grew increasingly closer, and the spirit force of the vanguard camp's powerhouses began to fluctuate. In the center of the fan-shaped area, Pang Zhen pinched a Spirit Talisman imbued with spirit force and tossed it forward. In an instant, thunder rumbled, and the sky changed colors as thunderclouds gathered and swirled. As the shout of anger emerged from his mouth, lightning burst forth, and thick bolts of thunder struck down from the thunderclouds, crashing upon the insect horde like a heavenly punishment. Amidst the reckless lightning, large swathes of the Insect Race's vitality perished. This seemed to be a signal. When the lightning struck down, the vanguard camp's powerhouses also employed their own methods, attacking the swarming insect horde. In an instant, multicolored and powerful magic and spells took shape. Saber lights and Sword Qi crisscrossed, and countless weapon control lights zipped and flitted through the formation, bringing up sprays of blood. The Insect Race's screeches were incessant, falling in patches, and blood drenched the earth in an instant. To Lu Ye's left, the sect master and Yiyi cast their magic and spells together, slaughtering wantonly, though it was primarily the sect master's rampant killing while Yiyi contributed with her own embellishments... The gap in cultivation was too great, and Yiyi's attacks could only serve as a nice add-on. To the right was Nian Yuexian, with overwhelming Sword Qi crisscrossing the sky, traversing indiscriminately and sharply intimidating. However, whether it was the sect master or Nian Yuexian, in the choice of attack range, they both took into account the area Lu Ye faced. Probably, they thought that he, as a combat cultivator, couldn't quite play to his strengths in such a situation. But seeing Lu Ye's direction, where numerous Fire Phoenix Techniques and Fire Dragon Techniques connected one after another toward the insect horde, both of them put their minds at ease. The Insect Race's attacks came not only from the ground but also from the sky. Many in the Insect Race were naturally capable of flight, and even those without wings could travel through the air once their cultivation reached a certain level. Yet, under the vanguard camp's powerhouses' counterattacks, all the attacking Insect Race, whether on the ground or in the air, could not get closer than three miles. From the high ground looking down, the three miles of land in front of the vanguard camp's powerhouses had clearly become a death zone where no living being could approach. Any Insect Race crossing that line fell to the ground. The insect corpses on the ground quickly piled up, with insect blood pooling into rivers. This was destined to be a battle of no return. Facing these Insect Races, which had brought years of calamity to the Nine Provinces, the vanguard camp's powerhouses showed no mercy. The pressure wasn't great. If the Insect Plague's attack was only of this magnitude, resolving the insect disaster wasn't difficult. But everyone knew this was just the beginning; the real pressure had yet to come. Not to mention that there weren't many large insects among the attacking Insect Race, nor had there been a sighting of any giant insects that had appeared in imagery. Moreover, as time passed and the cultivators consumed their spirit force, even the vanguard camp's powerhouses couldn't maintain such an onslaught for long. The chaotic spirit force fluctuations attracted more and more Insect Race, and the scale of the Insect Plague expanded continuously, even though the Insect Race kept being slaughtered, more kept replenishing their numbers. At this juncture, everyone felt fortunate about one thing: the Insect Race didn't possess much spiritual intelligence. Otherwise, if such a large-scale Insect Plague were to appear in the Nine Provinces, the entire situation in the Nine Provinces would likely collapse. Then, it would surely be a disaster upon the world, leaving life in ruins. Lu Ye focused solely on defending his area, alternating between using the Fire Phoenix and Fire Dragon Techniques. He could also cast other magic and spells, but given the current situation, these two techniques were undoubtedly the most lethal and capable of inflicting area-wide damage. Having demonstrated his capabilities, the sect master and Nian Yuexian could focus on their defensive areas without needing to divert attention to relieve his pressure. The sound of air being cleaved resounded from behind, and soon, a series of figures stood beside him. Without any communication, the new cultivators immediately joined the ranks of the counterattack. After the array cultivators first came through the portal, the Nine Provinces army's reinforcements arrived. Most of them were magic cultivators because, in such a counterattack, magic cultivators could fully display their capabilities. There were also some physique cultivators and combat cultivators, primarily responsible for dealing with the Insect Race that broke through the frontlines, and they aided magic cultivators by using the As-Close-As-Siblings Array Disc for support. Each of the teams was pre-assigned, so even though a large number of people flooded in at this time, they appeared organized rather than chaotic. Originally, there was a bit of distance between Lu Ye and the sect master and Nian Yuexian, but with the reinforcements from the Nine Provinces army, the previously empty space between them was quickly filled by the newly arrived cultivators. The reinforcements kept coming until the later arrivals found no place to land. With these people's support, the vanguard camp's powerhouses dealt with the onslaught of the Insect Plague more effectively. The second stage, the most dangerous initial phase, had passed. "Advance!" Another command came from Pang Zhen's direction. When the order was given, everyone stepped forward in unison, advancing ahead. From above, a semicircle five miles in diameter was advancing outward at a steady pace, expanding the territory behind and extending their battle line. Only in this way could the cultivator army's power be fully utilized to effectively damage the Insect Race. Otherwise, confined within the five-mile radius semicircle, many would find no position to launch their attacks, wasting their forces. Furthermore, for the entire Bingzhou cultivator army, a five-mile range was ultimately too small. The counterattack line was pushing forward, but three miles out was still the death line for the Insect Race; most couldn't surpass this limit. Occasionally, a few large insects would break through but were quickly targeted and eliminated by the combat cultivators. As the front extended, Lu Ye found himself farther from the sect master and Nian Yuexian, meaning he could scarcely expect support from either flank. If a powerful Insectoid appeared in his designated area, he'd need to handle it himself. He spread his Mental Consciousness slightly and perceived that on his side, there was one Divine Sea Level 8 cultivator, four at Level 7, over twenty other Divine Sea Realm cultivators, and the rest were in the True Lake Realm. Such a force was quite formidable and more than capable of handling regular situations. Initially, the advancement was smooth and unhindered. Despite the extended battle line, more cultivators joined the counterattack sequence, which increased Bingzhou's attack intensity, so there was no pressure. Over time, however, the pressure began to mount, with the Insect Plague growing larger on one hand, and the stretching battle line diluting strength on the other. Fortunately, at this moment, Pang Zhen's voice rang out again, "Halt!" He was obviously overseeing the whole scene, issuing the right order at the right time. Otherwise, without ceasing the advance, their front line would surely break first. At this point, the situation was just right; there was some pressure, but not overwhelmingly so, still within manageable limits. By now, the foremost line had been extended to over ten miles from the portal's location. The magic cultivators continued to lead the action. In such defensive counterattacks, their contributions were unmatched by other factions, showcasing the advantage of range. The combat cultivators, physique cultivators, and even ghost cultivators now primarily supported the magic cultivators with the As-Close-As-Siblings Array Disc, and ensured their safety in case any insectoids broke through. But so far in the fierce battle, none had breached the magic barrier, resulting in idle cultivation for the other factions. Cultivators with weapon control could alleviate their boredom by using their weapons amidst the spectacular massacre of spells, but those without were truly at a loss. After all, weapon control was used by cultivators with lesser cultivation to make up for their lack of attack methods. As their cultivation grew, weapon control became less valuable. Like Lu Ye, who rarely relied on the power of weapon control in battles nowadays; instead, a saber light slash might be more powerful. "Hey brothers, let some insectoids through. We short-ranged fighters hardly get to join in; we can't just watch." "Exactly, exactly. Magic cultivator brothers and sisters, don't hog it all. Share a bit so we can stretch our limbs at least!" "Lu Yiye, you're a combat cultivator. Where did you learn these superb magic skills? Is this fair?" A noisy group disrupted the solemn war atmosphere. Primarily because Lu Ye's area lacked a Level 9 master, so everyone was more relaxed. In sections guarded by Level 9 cultivators, things weren't as lax. The magic cultivators, taking the hint, intentionally allowed some insectoids to pass through under the massive assault, hoping to relieve the boredom of the combat, physique, and ghost cultivators, but the noise only grew louder. "Hey, you sword cultivator! Which sect are you from? You look decent, yet you're grabbing our insects. Just use your flying sword for long-range attacks!" "Fellow Daoist, stop cutting with saber light! Killing insects from a hundred feet away is just like magic cultivator tactics. We combat cultivators should fight up close to showcase our prowess." "To the one using Spirit Talismans, aren't you overdoing it? Everyone's got some talismans..." In the midst of the chaos, insectoids still couldn't get within a hundred feet, while combat, physique, and ghost cultivators criticized each other. Though verbally rejecting each other's methods, their actions were decisive—typical double standards with saber lights, punch shadows, weapon controls, and Spirit Talismans doing their work. "Watch out, a big one is coming!" an urgent cry suddenly rang out. Everyone saw the incoming insectoid; the term "big" didn't refer to its size but its power. The aura emanating from it was clearly of Divine Sea Level 9 caliber.