Following the intricacies of the Insect Path, Lu Ye ventured deeper, progressing smoothly. As Lu Ye spread his Mental Consciousness, he could sense that this worm nest was not vast. After all, this was a temporary construction by the Insect Race cultivators, only meant to provide a territorial advantage for likely incoming battles. Naturally, it wouldn't be too elaborate, and the Insect Race cultivators hiding here probably neither had the inclination nor the time. Compared to the Blood Race's prior strategy of forming an alliance and laying ambush, the approach of the Insect Race undoubtedly seemed somewhat rigid, yet it had both advantages and disadvantages. The benefit was that they could remain hidden here, with nobody daring to provoke them randomly. Generally, the inside of an insect hive was easy to defend and hard to attack, forming a rather remarkable defensive force without needing too many people. To conquer this place, one would need to deploy several times the manpower, and the narrow Insect Path wasn't conducive to many people getting entangled in combat. As a result, the Insect Race cultivators would remain in a safe state for a long time once the Divine Sea Battle started. However, the drawbacks were also apparent; they were ill-equipped for offensive action. Once they left the worm nest, they would lose the territorial conveniences. Without taking the initiative to attack, it would naturally be challenging to achieve anything fruitful, detrimental to their final ranking. Even if they were lucky enough to survive until the end, their ranking would inevitably be at the bottom. Yet the Taichu Realm is constantly shrinking. Even if this area is now the Core Circle, nobody can ensure this region will endure until the end. If during one of the shrinkages, this area is excluded, then the worm nest built here by the Insect Race will no longer be functional, and the Insect Race cultivators will be forced to leave here and participate in the final battles. The Insect Race is obviously gambling! They're betting that the location of this worm nest can persist until the final stage of the Divine Sea Battle, allowing them to maintain a territorial advantage. By then, they could win without fighting, easily securing a reward spot. Since they're gambling, they certainly wouldn't put all their eggs in one basket. In other words, there's undoubtedly more than one such worm nest, and the entire Core Circle might have several. The strength of the Insect Race cultivators must be dispersed, and as long as any worm nest location remains until the end, it's a victory for the Insect Race. Compared to the Blood Race's tactics, the approach of the Insect Race is undoubtedly more passive but also safer. To prevail in this battle, which gathers prodigies from various domains across the stellar space, every race with some ability is exhausting their resources, sparing no effort. While Lu Ye ventured deeper, his mind turned over these thoughts, quickly piecing together the Insect Race's plan. Of course, whether things were indeed as he imagined still needed confirmation. As far as he was concerned, encountering the Insect Race here meant he couldn't let go of the opportunity. However, before that, he needed to figure out the overall strength of the Insect Race here. The most crucial point: Can he handle them all in one go? As he ventured deeper, the situation gradually became clearer as dozens of powerful auras converged from the depths underground. Lu Ye found the situation seemed somewhat different from what he anticipated. Could it be that all the Insect Race cultivators were gathered here? How else could there be so many? Yet upon careful sensing, he discovered that only a few of those auras were exceptionally powerful; the rest were formidable but merely ordinary Divine Sea Level 8 or Level 9 cultivators. Understanding dawned that those gathered here weren't solely Insect Race cultivators but likely consisted more of Insect Race bodyguards! These Insects were quite formidable, constructing a worm nest here in just two months and even summoning dozens of Insect Race bodyguards. With such a force gathered here, which cultivator from other races participating in the Divine Sea Battle could break in? Who dared to break in? Anyone braving an intrusion was likely simply offering up their head. The Blood Cloud drifted down, landing in the core space of the worm nest, and immediately a figure welcomed him with hearty laughter, "Fellow Daoist of the Blood Race, it's been a long journey, but we were eagerly awaiting your arrival." Within the Blood Cloud, Lu Ye lifted his brows, what's this supposed to mean? The implication in the other's words suggested some prior agreement between the Blood Race and the Insect Race. These two races had long been in cahoots in the stellar space, so if there was some earlier collusion, it wouldn't be surprising. While doubts stirred in his heart, he remained calm and poised on the surface, responding steadily, "There were various combats along the way, causing some delays." The Insect Race cultivator nodded repeatedly, "That's to be expected, but why have you come alone, where are the other members of your noble tribe?" Lu Ye answered offhandedly, "It's still early, and my fellow Daoists are still out hunting, letting me come ahead to scout the situation here." Another Insect Race cultivator said admiringly, "The Blood Race sure knows how to act leisurely. If you ask me, we should imitate them, charging out to cause mayhem is better than waiting idly here, speaking of which might end in vain." The first to speak among the Insect Race immediately admonished solemnly: "Silence, the Blood Race can act that way because they have the Blood River Technique to rely on. What do we have, as the Insect Race? If we recklessly charge out like scattered sand, we will inevitably be targeted by the combined forces of the major races. Constructing the insect hive and waiting for the right opportunity is the strategy set by our elders across various domains of the Insect Race. We need only follow orders. If you have grievances, bring them up with your elders once we're out of the Taichu Realm. Do not speak recklessly here and disrupt the morale of the army!" The rebuked Insect Race cultivator felt reluctant but knew better than to argue, so he muttered awkwardly, "I was just saying." The rıghtful source is 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝘯𝘦𝘵 "You're not even allowed to say that!" Turning his head, he looked towards Lu Ye's Blood Cloud: "I apologize for letting you witness such a scene, Fellow Daoist." Lu Ye simply responded, "What do I need to do?" The Insect Race cultivator said, "For now, there's nothing required from you, Fellow Daoist, because it's still uncertain whether this place will hold until the end. So, you just need to stay here and wait. If this place survives till the end, there might be some blind fools coming to provoke us; at that time, your assistance will be needed to join us in killing the enemies. If this place doesn't hold, then we can only fight our way out to seek a chance of victory, and at that time, we'll rely on the power of your Blood Techniques." Lu Ye nodded; the situation was almost as he had expected. The Insect Race building insect hives was indeed a gamble, betting that the location of the insect hive would remain until the end. Thus, with the help of the Blood Race, they could win effortlessly. "How many insect hives has your race built?" Lu Ye asked, knowing that since this was a gamble, there would be more than one hive. The number of Insect Race cultivators gathered here was also off, as it was impossible that only a few cultivators participated in the Divine Sea contention. "There are four!" the Insect Race cultivator replied. "Understood." Lu Ye nodded, "Then I'll handle the defense here. With me around, if this place remains till the end, no outsider will break in!" The Insect Race cultivator was greatly encouraged, "With your assistance, Fellow Daoist, we will definitely succeed with half the effort." Then expressing some concern, he added, "But you are only one person, and this space is vast, I fear you might be overwhelmed..." The implication was that Lu Ye should summon more Blood Race cultivators to help. Lu Ye could summon a ghost; most of the Blood Race participants in the Divine Sea contention had been killed by him, so there probably wasn't even one left alive. Without speaking, he urged the Blood Cloud, and with a crashing sound, the Blood Sea rapidly spread out, radiating in all directions. In just two breaths' time, the massive core of the insect hive was enveloped by crimson color, causing dozens of insect bodyguards to instinctively screech in unease. Several Insect Race cultivators, however, were amazed. Although they all had some understanding of the Blood Race, it was their first time personally experiencing the wonders of the Blood Technique. They immediately felt the immense power contained within this Blood Sea. With such a Blood Sea as protection and concealment, plus their own power, who could invade this Taichu Realm? They were all very satisfied, and the Insect Race cultivator who first greeted Lu Ye was full of admiration, "I've long heard of the Blood River Technique's unsurpassed brilliance, and seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation. Fellow Daoist, your skill in this technique must be unmatched in the Divine Sea Realm level." That was obviously flattery, as he didn't know how other Blood Race cultivators performed the Blood River Technique. But since they needed his help, saying a few good words wouldn't hurt. "Fellow Daoist, you can retract your wonderful technique and only display it when needed," he suggested, mainly because the Blood Sea's cover was somewhat uncomfortable, though since the Blood Race was on their side, there was no worry about any harm coming to them. "No problem," Lu Ye replied while swiftly condensing his doppelganger and unsheathing the Boulder Mountain Saber at his waist, then disappearing from the spot. Amidst the sea of red, a sharp blade light flashed by, accompanied by the eruption of violent spirit force and a sharp, brief cry of alarm. "What happened?" an Insect Race cultivator shouted, but there was no response. Another brief scream rang out, which the other Insect Race cultivators clearly felt. With the emergence of that sound, it was obvious that a life was extinguished. "Enemy attack!" the shout resonated, and the core space of the insect hive was suddenly a chaotic scene, with the Blood Sea surging and flashes of blades and swords continuously erupting, the situation a complete mess. What frustrated the Insect Race cultivators was that they had no idea where the attack came from. Without a sense of the attack's origin, there was no way to defend against it. An Insect Race cultivator shouted, "Rally to me!" With the situation unclear, it was unwise to spread out. Gathering together was the only way to have enough power to counterattack. However, when the other Insect Race cultivators tried to move, they were shocked to find that the Blood Sea had become extremely viscous, and there was a vague confinement force holding them in place, making their movements exceptionally difficult. "Fellow Daoist of the Blood Race, what is the meaning of this?" If they couldn't discern who was manipulating things in the dark by now, they were unworthy of being considered talents of their home world. The Insect Race cultivators couldn't understand why, despite being natural allies and having some agreements already, this Blood Race individual would come here to attack them. The binding and obstruction of the Blood Sea were the most obvious evidence! Lu Ye remained indifferent, utilizing Void Spirit Runes to move stealthily through the Blood Sea, continuously constructing numerous Formations within the Blood Sea to entrap his foes. With the efforts of his true self and doppelganger combined, he systematically targeted and eliminated the Insect Race cultivators.