The life force contained within the flesh wall is evidently a more mysterious form. Compared to normal life force, it's like the difference between water and ice. Although fundamentally the same, the life force in the flesh wall is much more refined and exquisite. This might be why it can quickly multiply and repair the flesh wall. An insect hive, as such an entity, inherently stores a vast amount of life force. This is the energy source for the insect race's incubation; every insect hive contains a vitality core. Now, this life force is so refined and exquisite, naturally making it difficult to handle. Lu Ye isn't sure what exactly the sect master and the others are facing, but judging from the changes in the flesh wall, their opponents likely possess such characteristics. Otherwise, the top practitioners of the Nine Provinces wouldn't be in such a predicament. If he can deplete this life force, it could alleviate some pressure for the sect master and the others. This is why Lu Ye surmised that even if he doesn't go to the battlefield, he can still provide help to the sect master and the others by staying here and acting appropriately. His method is to devour! He uses the power of his Talent Tree to devour, which is his forte. In an instant, an endless stream of life force is absorbed through the roots of the Talent Tree and injected into Lu Ye's body. Upon internal observation, large clouds of gray mist immediately ignite on the Talent Tree. It's not that this life force is toxic; it's just that, being an external power, it must be converted into Lu Ye's pure energy through the burning of the Talent Tree. The restrictive force of the surrounding flesh wall also continuously strengthens, forcing Lu Ye to activate the Lotus Sun every so often to secure enough breathing space and time for himself. The Tyrannical Saber 3rd Movement grows more powerful with each move, and correspondingly, the consumption increases as well. However, with the devouring and absorption by the Talent Tree, the spirit force Lu Ye expends replenishes rapidly, with even a large surplus remaining. This cycle repeats endlessly. Until one moment, when Lu Ye once again activates the Lotus Sun, breaking the tight constraints of the surrounding flesh wall, the area turns spacious and empty. The flesh wall ceased to regenerate, and not only that, even the area beneath his feet, originally occupied by the flesh wall, rapidly dissipates, revealing the passageway's original form. Lu Ye's eyelids droop slightly, this sudden change underscores a certainty in his mind. The previous changes in the flesh wall were all controlled by a consciousness. But as he employs the power of his Talent Tree, that consciousness recognizes the bizarreness of his methods, knowing it cannot confine him and would only have its own power absorbed, thus it ceases to resist forcibly. Lu Ye turns to look around, the passage behind him is completely filled with flesh wall, and the passage ahead is the same. Only the area where he stands, roughly three zhang in length, displays the original look of the underground passage. It seems as though he is trapped here. But how could this truly confine him? Holding the Boulder Mountain Saber, he steps forward. If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain. The flesh wall ahead starts wriggling and dissipating as he steps forward, disappearing bit by bit with each step. Conversely, the flesh wall behind begins to regenerate and grow, always leaving him with just a three zhang range of free space. It looks as if the flesh wall has truly developed its own consciousness, continually retreating with his advance. Even when Lu Ye changes his speed, the front and rear flesh walls keep pace with the synchronized diminishing and growing. Lu Ye gains an understanding. This isn't out of fear of him; it is a silent invitation! Inviting him into the true battlefield, that hidden consciousness understands that mere flesh walls can no longer restrain him. To deal with him, he must be brought into the battlefield. This aligns perfectly with Lu Ye's intentions. He was initially worried about finding the correct path in the winding underground passage, but since the opponent is extending an invitation, finding the way is no longer a concern. He just needs to follow the direction where the flesh wall dissipates. His speed increases, and Lu Ye can clearly feel the battle fluctuations drawing closer and closer. Until a moment when he suddenly charges into a vast space. Instantly, the roar of turbulent spirit force comes from all directions. In his vision, figures shuttle back and forth, various mystical techniques bloom relentlessly, creating a lively scene. Before Lu Ye can observe this battlefield, the sound of something shattering comes from the side, immediately followed by a swift, sharp aura attacking. He quickly turns his head and sees a mantis insect race brandishing its mantis saber, striking at him. This mantis insect race is noticeably larger than those he had encountered before, and under the flickering light, he can clearly see several intricate patterns on its body. Even the carapace on its back glows with a faint metallic sheen. Not far away, on the flesh wall, is a ruptured flesh sac, like a scar on the flesh wall, but it is rapidly mending. This is clearly a newly hatched Insect, and its aura is actually at the level of Divine Sea Level 8, which is somewhat illogical. Because while hatching is simple, the growth of the Insect Race has a gradual process. It's impossible for it to have such powerful strength right out of the egg. If that were the case, there wouldn't be so many low-level Insect creatures. Lu Ye wasn't sure what this big bug was up to, but anything hatched in this place was obviously a bodyguard of the insect hive. Moreover, it was specifically aimed at him; otherwise, there would be no reason for it to appear at such a close distance. The confidence of that consciousness in placing him on the battlefield must have stemmed from this! The flesh wall couldn't deal with Lu Ye, and was even restrained by him, but these bodyguard insects could. If it were any other Divine Sea Level 4 being ambushed by an insect bodyguard , they might really have bad luck, but that consciousness clearly underestimated Lu Ye's skills. The Boulder Mountain Saber thunderously unsheathed, and in the next moment, the sound of metal clashing rang out as the mantis saber of the Mantis Insect was blocked. Following the motion, Lu Ye pushed, sending the Mantis Insect reeling, its center wide open. The next moment, an endless stellar space unfolded, and stars fell from the sky. In the blink of an eye, the Mantis Insect was struck dozens of times, blood gushing, yet it didn't die. Its already ferocious aura became even more violent, and a rapid and shrill screech poured from its mouthparts, as though it was enduring great pain, its figure staggering drunkenly. Although its bodily injuries were severe, they weren't lethal to it. But ever since the Boulder Mountain Saber merged with the Soul Severing Saber, it could slash at the psyche even while wounding the body. This invisible and intangible damage was the most deadly. Even though it was a giant bug comparable to Divine Sea Level 8, its spiritual intelligence was ultimately low, and its psyche weak, making it unstable under such attacks. Seizing this opportunity, Lu Ye moved past it, sword light flashing, and the giant bug's body stiffened. By the time Lu Ye regained his stance, its head had tumbled down, the headless corpse twitching continuously. Lines of Mental Consciousness from all directions began probing this way, clearly those of the Level 9s who noticed Lu Ye's intrusion, which was only natural. They were all Level 9s, and a sudden burst of Level 4 energy was as conspicuous as a light in the night. After discovering his traces, they were all astonished. A figure wrapped in a ribbon-like sword light darted to Lu Ye's side—it was Nian Yuexian: "Why did you come here!" "Just came to take a look." As Lu Ye spoke, his gaze turned toward the center of this space. Under the flickering glow around, there was a very bloated figure, resembling a fat fleshy worm. Yet it had over a dozen thin, long claws splaying out on either side, flailing madly at the moment, blocking all oncoming attacks. Approximately at what counted as its head were two scarlet eyes unwaveringly fixed on Lu Ye. In the instant their eyes met, Lu Ye understood that this was the source of the consciousness controlling the flesh wall. In other words, it was this bloated insect controlling the flesh wall, and it was it that led Lu Ye into this battlefield. Suddenly, an invisible force gathered and surged forth, transforming into a shockwave crashing toward Lu Ye. Nian Yuexian's expression changed: "Be careful!" She swooped in to block Lu Ye and the insect, spirit light bursting around her. Yet she was still a moment too late. Besides, Mental Consciousness attacks are extremely swift and can't be intercepted just by wanting to. They are unlike ordinary, substantive attacks. Nian Yuexian knew well the strength of this insect's Mental Consciousness. Everyone present had suffered at its hands, so she couldn't help worrying about Lu Ye, fearing he might come to harm. Precisely because the opponent's Mental Consciousness was so terrifying, they did not seek assistance. By comparison, that force of Mental Consciousness was somewhat beyond the realm of Divine Sea; even for those of Level 9, withstanding it was incredibly challenging. Only people like them could barely hold on under such Mental Consciousness attacks. Lower cultivation individuals would die in an instant. The few Level 9s who died previously fell because their psyche was not strong enough and was shattered by that bloated insect. When the enormous Mental Consciousness impact hit, Lu Ye's psyche barrier was as delicate as paper, instantly torn apart, and the force blasted into his Divine Sea. The next moment, waves surged within the Divine Sea, but under the suppressive force of the Soul Suppressing Pagoda, the turbulent waves soon calmed. No serious harm was done; the feeling was like someone angrily swinging a large hammer made of cotton at him. The impact was significant, yet unable to cause any real damage. Meanwhile, the flesh walls around Lu Ye swelled rapidly, turning into pockets of flesh that burst open, revealing insect bodyguards swarming toward him. The numbers were so many they startled even Nian Yuexian. Even she couldn't handle so many insect bodyguards at once. These creatures, each one at the giant bug level, were even more troublesome than ordinary giant bugs. Immediately, she enveloped Lu Ye in sword light and dashed away with him.