The advancement of the Nine Provinces' army encountered little resistance, thanks to the overall excellent quality of the Nine Provinces cultivators. All of them were True Lake Realm cultivators. Having cultivated to this realm, who hadn't waded through a sea of blood and storm? The environment in the Nine Provinces is not stable; from the Spirit Stream Realm onwards, cultivators must enter the Spirit Stream battlefield to contend with opposing forces. This remains true into the Cloud River Realm, and later, they join the provincial guard, fighting against others, against the heavens, and against themselves, overcoming obstacles to achieve what they have today. It could be said that each of them has rich combat experience. Plus, the insect plague has persisted for several years, and everyone is familiar with the attack methods of different Insect Races, making it naturally uncomplicated to handle them now. However, some casualties are inevitable, which cannot be avoided. Whether due to reckless bravery, a rush for achievements, or inadequate support from nearby Divine Sea Realm cultivators, various reasons cause death to descend unexpectedly. But relative to the overall size of the Nine Provinces army, these casualties are insignificant. The entire outer perimeter of the Great Secret Realm of the Insect Race is almost everywhere covered with insect corpses lying on the ground, the peculiar color of insect blood dyeing the earth colorful and green. After completing his support once again, Lu Ye looked into the distance. Over there stood a giant and hideous figure, towering thirty zhang high. The giant insect is a more formidable existence than the larger insects. How strong is it exactly? No one knows, for no one has interacted with them to date. But just from their aura, they are definitely comparable to Divine Sea Level 9, and combined with their massive size, they're clearly not to be trifled with. Yet at this moment, several figures are provoking this giant insect. As Lu Ye observed, he saw several streaks of flowing light weaving around the giant insect, with powerful spirit force fluctuations continually emanating from there. Among them were two particularly familiar figures, the sect master and Long Bai. Pang Zhen, Su Xiu, and Muk Suifeng were not seen around, suggesting they had other tasks at hand. The responsibility of dealing with this giant insect fell to several Divine Sea Level 9 experts led by Long Bai and the sect master. With cultivation strength at their level, it could be said they have almost reached the end of their journey, having ample time to refine their lethal moves, all executed with exquisite precision and unrivaled might. Moreover, their teamwork was extremely proficient. While the giant insect's aura wasn't weak, its enormous size made its movements clumsy. Just a little test by the Divine Sea Level 9 cultivators revealed its superficial strength, making it not difficult to deal with. The only challenge was its incredible defense, requiring more potent offensive means. This realization put them at ease. Since they started assaulting the Great Secret Realm of the Insect Race, they had always been worried about these giant insects, as no one knew their capabilities. But upon understanding, they found their concerns somewhat unwarranted. Thus, they cooperated, employing various techniques to weaken the giant insect's defenses, and everyone tacitly focused their attacks on the same area for more effective strikes. The confrontation had been ongoing for some time, and the carapace on the giant insect's neck began to show cracks, on the verge of breaking. Opportunity came and went briefly. Just as Long Bai was about to deliver a fierce strike, a figure suddenly appeared atop the giant insect's head, followed by a series of crackling explosions. A three-zhang tall crimson figure appeared in everyone's sight. The figure appeared so abruptly that neither Long Bai and his companions nor the giant insect noticed. Until that three-zhang tall crimson figure raised an exaggeratedly styled long blade, spirit force surged. The blade suddenly ignited with blazing fire, aiming for the neck of the giant insect, viciously cleaving down! The bone carapace at the neck of the giant insect, poised to shatter, could not withstand such a cut. The descension of the long blade only paused momentarily before smoothly slicing through the insect's head. The enormous head tumbled down, spraying insect blood, drenching the just-arrived Long Bai in head and face. He cursed angrily, wiped his face, and upon reopening his eyes, he saw a familiar figure swiftly retreating in what seemed like a stance of resolving a matter, then leaving with accomplishments and fame hidden. "Thang Yifeng, your well-taught disciple, do you not intend to control him?" Long Bai wore a furious expression. This was the first giant insect slain by the Bingzhou side, holding significant symbolic meaning. He originally wanted to deliver the strike himself, only to be thwarted at the last moment, making him look rather embarrassed. He recognized immediately who that sneaky figure was that infiltrated the battlefield. Such a menacing and fierce aura, along with that iconic cover armor, could belong to none other than the boy from the Righteous Blood Sect. Brazenly stealing credit right under the elders' noses was excessive. The sect master remarked nonchalantly, "The child has grown, cannot be controlled." Long Bai felt helpless, what more could he say? Claim his merit was stolen by a youngster? If stolen, it was because he was late in his action; it was the young one who seized the opportunity. By now, Lu Ye had already fled ten miles away. It wasn't that he intentionally sought to steal any credit; he merely wished to experience the aura of that giant insect up close. On seeing an opportunity, he couldn't help but act. To ensure a one-hit kill, he even summoned the Dragon Throne, and fortunately, everything proceeded smoothly. Three days after the Nine Provinces army advanced, some unexpected changes occurred on the battlefield. When Lu Ye received the transmission to head to a gathering point, many cultivators had already assembled there. Among them were more than a dozen Divine Sea Realm cultivators and at least several hundred True Lake Realm cultivators, and more nearby cultivators were rapidly arriving. Among the Divine Sea Realm was a familiar face, Nian Yuexian, the highest cultivation level here, naturally commanding the most respect. Lu Ye stepped forward and asked, "Senior Sister Nian, what's the situation now?" Nian Yuexian replied, "There is an insect hive ahead, but there's a large gathering of the Insect Race around it, so we need to gather more manpower." The number of Insect Race gathered was too large, something no single Divine Sea Realm or even a True Lake Realm team could handle. Under these circumstances, the only option was to summon nearby cultivators to unite and achieve success in one strike. This was the first insect hive encountered as the front line advanced in this direction. Lu Ye pondered briefly and said, "I'll go take a look." With that, he leaped forward, heading deeper into the front lines. Although he had explored the Insect Race's Great Secret Realm before, he had only skirted the edges of this world last time due to being on his own and not daring to expose himself. He truly had no idea what the situation inside the Great Secret Realm was. Knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. In this current war, gathering intelligence was a priority. As he sped forward, strangely, he didn't encounter a single Insect Race along the way, an unusual occurrence. Only after flying several dozen miles did he see an insect hive standing ahead, surrounded by a large gathering of the Insect Race. The Insect Race crowded the periphery of the insect hive like a well-trained army, standing vigilantly ready. He ventured a bit further, spreading out his Mental Consciousness to investigate the situation around the insect hive. Under normal circumstances, the spirit force fluctuations from Lu Ye at this distance would attract the Insect Race, yet Lu Ye found that although the insects showed signs of unrest, none actively charged forward, remaining in place. Lu Ye frowned. The situation seemed strange. It was known that the Insect Race had little spiritual intelligence, acting purely on instinct, whether weak or at the Divine Sea Realm. Such a vast number gathering outside the insect hive, forming a seemingly impregnable defense, was unusual. However, it might be reasonable if guarding the insect hive was an instinct, taking precedence over spirit force fluctuations. After a brief investigation, gaining some understanding of the Insect Race's strength here, Lu Ye returned. More cultivators had gathered by then. Nian Yuexian was not inclined to give orders, having been alone guarding a pass for many years without any subordinates. Lu Ye once took orders from her during his time at the Cangyan Mountain Pass. But now, since she had the highest cultivation, everyone naturally looked to her for guidance. Reluctantly, she had to take charge, assigning tasks to the Divine Sea Realm gathered there. Fortunately, there was no need for any complex strategies. A straightforward division of forces into several routes for a direct assault would suffice. Half an hour later, twenty Divine Sea Realm cultivators and over a thousand True Lake Realm had amassed, enough to take the insect hive ahead. Thus, at Nian Yuexian's command, all cultivators divided into three groups and charged towards the insect hive. Lu Ye was positioned in the left route, alongside other Divine Sea Realm cultivators, whose cultivation varied, the lowest being Divine Sea Level 2, and the highest Level 7; his Level 4 was considered mid-range. But even those with higher cultivation didn't underestimate him at all. Lu Ye's fearsome reputation for slaughtering enemies across realms since the Spirit Stream Realm had left a deep impression, such that almost all Divine Sea Realm cultivators in Bingzhou knew not to judge him by his realm alone. This was something nine out of ten geniuses in Nine Provinces history had not achieved. The three groups steadily advanced. Gradually, the insect hive came into view, and the Insect Race gathered outside it became clearly visible. Cultivators quietly stirred their spirit force, readying for battle. Combat cultivators and physique cultivators were at the front, ghost cultivators at the rear, and magic cultivators held the back position. As the three groups closed in, the Insect Race outside the hive showed obvious agitation, yet none made a move, still surrounding their hive like stars circling the moon. From the central route, Nian Yuexian's flying sword darted out, its hum rising as magic spells rained down upon the insect swarm. At the same time, the Insect Race quickly launched a counterattack. Although most of the Insect Race lacked long-range attacks, a small portion did, their assaults resembling more innate abilities than spells.