The sect asked me to marry, and I cultivated to the pinnacle of martial arts!

Now, the herb garden no longer exists, and the fragrance of herbs no longer wafts out.

What are these people guarding?
Lu Ye frowned in thought.

Judging from the strength of these guardians, the force controlling this area should not be too strong, perhaps only at the level of an innate family.

Even stronger, then, would it be a Grandmaster-level force?
After a moment's thought, Lu Ye walked toward the guarded area.

After all, this area is not large, and there is nowhere to hide, so it is impossible to hide from their eyes.

Moreover, given the current situation above, Lu Ye guessed that someone must be exploring something inside the crack.

Sure enough, Lu Ye was stopped by the guards scattered around him before he could get close.

"Halt! This place is currently impassable. Please take a detour, fellow Daoist."

Beside her, Youluo gave a subtle wink, as if to say, "These people are only this strong, why bother talking nonsense with them?"
They won't let us in? Then let our fists do the talking.

Lu Ye waved his hand slightly, signaling Youluo to calm down, and asked, "Fellow Daoist, what are you doing?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Meddling in other people's business is never a good thing," the guard said impatiently.

Upon hearing this person speak in such a manner, Youluo immediately straightened her face.

This is like a turtle eating mung beans—are they courting death?!
Lu Ye patted her again, indicating that there was no rush. Just then...

Suddenly, a noise came from a crack in the mountain not far away.

A faint scream came from inside, and then the screams grew closer and closer.

A moment later, more than a dozen figures rushed out of the crack, each covered in insects.

Some insects even burrow directly into a person's body through places like the mouth and nose.

"Run! There's no treasure down there, just bugs!"

"Ouch...they're biting me so badly!!"

Those who came up from the crack screamed in terror, as if they had witnessed some hellish scene below.

The horrific commotion startled the guards, who quickly sent out a message.

Before half a cup of tea could be brewed, another group of people rushed over from outside the mountains, anxiously asking, "What happened?!"

The leader was a man who looked to be under thirty years old. He was at the second level of the Innate Realm, just one step away from advancing to the third level.

When they saw that several of the dozen or so people who had been sent down to investigate had already disappeared.

The remaining people were groaning in pain, some even scratching their skin until it bled, yet they still hadn't stopped...

Upon seeing such a horrifying situation, the man's face suddenly changed color.

"How is this going?!"

"There shouldn't be any treasures down there, just a lot of insects," Lu Ye said from the side.

At this moment, the man who rushed over discovered that there were two other people standing not far away. He didn't recognize one of them, and the other was dressed in a black robe to conceal his figure.

"Who are you?" the man asked, puzzled.

"Those who are just passing by are also here to eliminate these insects," Lu Ye said calmly.

“Young Master, there are no treasures down there, only insects… Several brothers have died down there without realizing it! Ah! It hurts so much!” A ninth-level Acquired Realm cultivator, who was enduring the insects gnawing at his body, also spoke up, his voice filled with pain.

"What?! They're all bugs?!" The man's pupils contracted slightly, then he remembered what Lu Ye had said—that he had come to exterminate these bugs—and immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lu Ye.

"My name is Zhang Chong. May I ask your honorable names, fellow Daoists?"

"Lu Fan, this is Lu You," Lu Ye said calmly, having come up with a name for Youluo on the spot. Hearing Lu Ye's words, Youluo glanced at her master and husband, but remained silent, following his arrangements.

Lu You... that sounds pretty good.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Lu." Zhang Chong clasped his hands in greeting and said, "You two just said you've come to clean up the insects beneath the cracks in this mountain range?"

“That’s right. If the insects here grow up and leave this place, it will be a disaster for any place.” Lu Ye nodded.

Zhang Chong was startled, as his family lived in a city not far from here.

If that's the case, then we'll be the first to suffer...

It's most likely Fushan City!
“Fellow Daoist, are you confident? My clan’s ancestor is a Grandmaster. If these insects are truly causing such great harm, may I ask my ancestor to come and assist you in dealing with them?” Zhang Chong quickly asked.

The realm of a grandmaster...

Upon hearing this, a hint of reminiscence appeared in Lu Ye's eyes.

Before I knew it, I had gone from becoming a grandmaster two and a half years ago to now...

Only Lu Ye himself knows how much hardship he endured and how much sweat he shed.

"No need, thank you for your kindness, fellow Daoist. We can handle it." Lu Ye smiled and nodded to Zhang Chong.

Then, he led Youluo toward the crevice in the mountain range.

At this point, no one stopped them from moving forward.

Watching the two who had suddenly arrived disappear into the crevice, Zhang Chong thought for a moment, then quickly led his men back to the clan to explain the matter to his father.

...

Lu Ye, with You Luo in tow, quickly descended the crevice and entered the cave they had previously visited.

At this moment, a faint smell of blood still lingered in the passage.

Previously, the traces of those Devouring Worms only appeared in the middle area of ​​the passage.

But right now, Lu Ye was only standing in front of the passage, not even entering, when he already saw something that looked like dust, spread out near the entrance of the passage.

Once someone steps inside without any precautions...

Clearly, Youluo, arriving for the first time, didn't notice anything unusual and instinctively wanted to go inside after coming down.

"Wait... didn't you notice?" Lu Ye spoke up behind her.

"What?" Youluo glanced again at the passage in front of her and the slightly dim space around her.

"Did Jiang Qingge teach you to be so careless?" Lu Ye walked over and tapped Youluo's head.

Youluo became even more confused.

Lu Ye shook his head. He stretched out his palm, and suddenly... a terrifying Grandmaster-level aura burst forth.

It blasted towards the ground of the passage not far away!

Squeak!
Suddenly, a series of eerie, teeth-grinding sounds emanated from the mouths of those dust-like "dead things"! It sent chills down one's spine!

Youluo's slightly eerie eyes narrowed instantly; she finally understood what her master husband was babbling about...

These seemingly ordinary dust particles... were actually a disguise!

Immediately, Youluo waved her hand, and a surge of violent Origin Qi erupted from her palm, annihilating wave after wave of the disguised Devouring Insects within the passage. (End of Chapter)