As time passed, the size of the Blood River expanded. The continuous influx of vibrant life force was the source of this change. Originally, when Lu Ye simply activated the power of the Talent Tree, the absorbed life force could quickly be converted into his own foundation. However, after the Blood River spread out, the absorption rate suddenly increased. Even the Talent Tree couldn't keep up with converting this massive energy. The excess life force had nowhere to go and accumulated in the Blood River, allowing its size to grow, with surging torrents. As the size of the Blood River grew, it covered a wider range and absorbed life force even faster. This cycle formed a positive loop. Even as the executor of the Blood River, Lu Ye was shocked by the accumulated life force within it. But at this point, he could only move forward without turning back. The most urgent issue to resolve now was the Insect Matriarch. Only by dealing with it could they complete the extermination of the Insect Race and consider the future. The Nine Provinces cultivators finally had a moment to breathe. Thanks to the battlefield environment that Lu Ye had created, they no longer needed to face the frantic attacks of the Insect bodyguards constantly. Furthermore, under Lu Ye's comprehensive surveillance, each person could make some adjustments at the appropriate time. Although this reprieve was short before returning to battle, it was much better than the previous conditions. This way, those at Level 9 were able to sustain their combat capabilities much longer. Outside the Blood River, the Insect Matriarch lamented and raged. At this point, it had a foreboding sense, yet the battle had developed to a point where it couldn't turn back. All its fury was merely impotent barking. One day later, the massive Blood River filled one-tenth of the underground space, like a scarlet dragon, rolling and writhing. Two days later, the proportion of space filled by the Blood River reached thirty percent, and the scarlet dragon began to swell. Now, the Blood River looked more like a bloodlake. Three days later, the Blood River occupied the majority of the space... The Insect Matriarch retreated. Although this was its home ground, amusingly, as the Blood River continued to expand, it kept backing away. It knew that once it fell into the Blood River, nothing good would come of it. By the fourth day, the vast underground space had less than twenty percent of space unfilled by the scarlet. The constant expansion of the Blood River greatly increased the space in which the Nine Provinces cultivators could move, making their situation considerably safer. It could be said that as long as Lu Ye was willing, he could hide anyone where no Insect bodyguards could find them, further facilitating the Nine Provinces cultivators' recovery. It was at this time that the Insect Matriarch suddenly waved its claws and charged straight towards the Blood River. It knew it couldn't delay any longer. Sooner or later, its territory would be completely filled by the Blood River, and that time wasn't far off. It aimed to rush into the Blood River in a desperate gamble. If it could find and kill Lu Ye within the Blood River, it could regain the initiative in this battle. The dozen or so Level 9 cultivators fighting it tried their best to stop it, but how could they? The Insect Matriarch wasn't afraid of any harm; its still-vast life force allowed for swift recovery from injuries. Such reckless impact soon sent it crashing into the Blood River. A dozen people followed suit, but once inside the Blood River, they lost sight of the Insect Matriarch amidst the crimson – even their Divine Sense deployment was seriously hindered. Fortunately, they soon received an audio transmission from Lu Ye. With their minds at ease, each person sat down and began to recover their strength. After days of continuous intense fighting, they were physically and mentally exhausted; even if the Insect Matriarch didn't rush into the Blood River, they wouldn't have lasted much longer. Within the Blood River, under Lu Ye's guidance, figures began to surround the Insect Matriarch's location. The strong enemy was now trapped; what followed was the classic strategy of "closing the door to beat the dog." Everyone was filled with sighs. After a grueling battle, the situation had taken an unexpected turn once Lu Yiye joined. By now, everyone realized that if Lu Yiye hadn't suddenly charged in, they likely would have faced complete annihilation. They had underestimated the foundation of the Insect Matriarch initially, thinking they could use their own methods to deplete its life force and secure victory. But now it seemed that even if they fought to the death, they wouldn't have been able to do anything to the Insect Matriarch. If they died here, they feared they would end up like those fallen Insect bodyguards, turned into nourishment for the Insect Matriarch... This was the most unacceptable thing. And if they died, it would undoubtedly be a significant blow to the entire Nine Provinces cultivation world. Finally, the scarlet filled the entire underground space. By now, the Talent Tree absorbed life force in an all-around, three-dimensional manner, with vast amounts of life force pouring into it each moment. During these days of fierce underground battles, the Nine Provinces Divine Sea Realm cultivators outside were also trying to find solutions. Previously, some of them followed Lu Ye into the underground passage to support the Level 9 cultivators; however, they retreated soon after due to the overgrowth of flesh walls. So, although they were anxious and worried about the evolving battle below, no one dared to rashly advance without figuring out a solution to the flesh wall problem. The tragedies that had befallen several Divine Sea Realm cultivators, who perished within the growing flesh walls, served as a serious warning. The situation changed on Lu Ye's fifth day underground. The Divine Sea Realm cultivators outside discovered that the flesh walls congesting the passage were rapidly shrinking and dissipating. No one knew the cause of this change, but it offered a glimmer of hope. When the situation is at a stalemate, unchanged equals the deepest despair. As long as there is change, it is good. Initially, the flesh wall's shrinkage and dissipation speed were not fast, but as time passed, the shrinkage and dissipation became faster and faster. A large number of Divine Sea Realm cultivators hurried deeper through the underground passage. Until finally, they were blocked by a thick layer of flesh wall. It was clear that on the other side of the flesh wall lay the battlefield of the Level 9 cultivators, as chaotic spirit force fluctuations emanated from within. What shocked them further was the presence of an existence with such an immense life force, it was terrifying to sense it. They naturally assumed that this immense life force was the opponent of the Level 9 cultivators... Little did they know, it was a gigantic Blood River filling the entire underground space. The people engaged in the final battle with the Insect Race were naturally unaware of the changes in the flesh wall within the passage outside. If they knew, they might deduce that the Insect Matriarch was at its last gasp. Its life force was severely depleted, making it difficult to maintain the existence of the flesh wall, which could only continue to envelop the final battlefield. What an ironic situation, the once immense life force was its greatest reliance, yet now it has become the means for the enemy to turn the tide. Amidst the fierce battle, Level 9 cultivators noticed other changes. The Insect Race bodyguards were noticeably fewer. Originally, no matter how many they killed, new bodyguards would continuously emerge, forcing them to join another battle immediately after finishing one, even if the Blood River's cover allowed a brief rest, it wasn't long. But now, the rest times were longer, and fewer Insect Race bodyguards were being killed. A voice rang out from within the Blood River: "Lu Yiye, what's the situation now!" The speaker was an unknown cultivator from one of the provinces. Soon after, Lu Ye explained: "The Insect Matriarch is probably on its last legs, everyone, give it your all!" The Level 9 cultivators in battle felt something, how could Lu Ye, overseeing the entire battlefield, not notice? Due to the massive loss of life force, it was difficult for the Insect Matriarch to hatch enough bodyguards of the Insect Race, and even its own injuries weren't recovering as rapidly as before. Previously, it healed its injuries instantly, returning to perfect condition, but now it required more and more time. Laughter erupted from a certain blood-red spot: "This is the best news I've heard in my life!" After several days of bitter fighting, from hopelessness to victory within reach, even a group of Level 9 cultivators couldn't help feeling elated. It wasn't easy; with their cultivation level, there were virtually no opponents for them within the Nine Provinces, yet so many of them joined forces, relying ultimately on a young man's remarkable secret techniques and strategy, taking days to wear down the Insect Matriarch to this extent. It was truly not easy. "If that's the case, let's finish it all in one last strike!" someone shouted. Lu Ye's voice rang out again: "My seniors, please wait for one hour, adjust yourselves as much as possible, and recover; we've come this far, there's no need to rush." "As young as he is, he does things reliably, so we'll listen to you!" someone responded. Silhouettes either stood or sat all over the Blood River, taking out elixir pills to swallow, recovering as much as possible. Some were not at leisure, as someone still needed to checkmate the Insect Matriarch, and despite a large reduction, the bodyguard numbers hadn't completely vanished, so they still needed handling. Yet, with Lu Ye's coordination, almost everyone received some period of rest. An hour passed in a flash, and the final battle commenced. Over two hundred Level 9 cultivators, except for dozens handling the newly hatched Insect Race bodyguards, the rest followed Lu Ye's guidance to the Insect Matriarch's location. Days of pent-up fury erupted at that moment. Such a large scene of Level 9 cultivators acting together was spectacular, their dazzling array of secret techniques on display, spirit force surged, gun beams, knife gleams, and sword shadows rampant, the blood-colored river waters churned into a raging torrent. In an instant, the Insect Matriarch's body became tattered, with half of its dozen claws broken. It screamed and resisted, but it was to no avail. At the wounds, the flesh twisted, attempting repair under remaining life force, but its healing speed was no longer as fast, unable to keep up with the damage speed caused by the Level 9 cultivators. From the moment the final battle started, the Insect Matriarch's body was never whole again!