"We canât fight them head-on; letâs retreat for now!" Master Ren Mu shouted loudly.
Donât be fooled by the ease of his previous strike; in reality, he had used a significant amount of Rule Power to enhance the ice needles.
However, the effect was far from ideal; he initially estimated that each ice needle could kill at least a hundred Marching Demon Ants.
But in fact, an ice needle only managed to kill five or six Marching Demon Ants before its energy was exhausted.
Seeing tens of thousands of Marching Demon Ants, and sensing more of them coming from afar, he lacked confidence in battling these ants.
"Thereâs no escape!" The Phoenix Palace Master summoned the Red Gold Phoenix and said helplessly.
At that moment, the figures of Marching Demon Ants emerged from all directions, blocking all the paths of escape for the three.
"Mr. Li, do you have any ideas?" Master Ren Mu turned to Li Yuanba and asked.
He knew Li Yuanbaâs strength was formidable; escaping from the ant siege without a cost depended on Li Yuanbaâs combat power.
"Easy!" Li Yuanba smiled slightly.
With a thought, the âThunder Sound Bellâ appeared above his head.
Then, the âThunder Sound Bellâ rang, and thunder sound emanated from it in all directions.
The Marching Demon Ants had strong defensive power; this was evident from the fact that even ants of the mere third rank required only five or six of them to absorb a single ice needle from Master Ren Mu.
But the greatest weakness of these spiritual insects was their soul strength.
The soul strength of spiritual insects was generally weak, much weaker than spiritual beasts of the same rank, and even weaker compared to human cultivators of the same rank.
The âThunder Sound Bellâ was the nemesis of Marching Demon Ants; the shockwaves triggered by thunder sound swept through the ant swarm, causing all the ants to fall into the sea.
The thunder sound continued to expand outward, and within a radius of ten thousand meters centered on Li Yuanba, everything was subjected to the indiscriminate attack of the thunder sound.
Fortunately, Li Yuanba consciously controlled the thunder sound, avoiding attacks on the Phoenix Palace Master and Master Ren Mu.
The two Peak Great Cultivators stared at the scene in front of them in amazement; from the moment the ant army appeared, they knew today would be troublesome.
The best outcome would be to use life-saving items to escape in disgrace; thereâs even a possibility of falling in battle if careless.
Yet, what did they witness? Li Yuanba, with just one strike, eliminated the ant swarm.
Whether they were ants of the third or fourth rank, the result under the thunder sound was the same.
"Is this the âThunder Sound Bellâ of Da Leiyin Temple?" The Phoenix Palace Master recognized the âThunder Sound Bellâ and asked in astonishment.
"Itâs my trophy, obtained from the Great Venerable Ming Hai of Da Leiyin Temple during a combined ambush by Ming Hai and other super force masters!" Li Yuanba explained.
The âThunder Sound Bellâ, although a treasured item of Da Leiyin Temple, was retained by Sword Elder, who warded off the Bodhisattva of Da Leiyin Temple.
As long as Li Yuanba wasnât flaunting the âThunder Sound Bellâ around openly, using it privately wasnât a big deal.
Didnât Da Leiyin Temple know the âThunder Sound Bellâ was in Li Yuanbaâs hands?
Of course, they knew; this involved contests between great powers, and without their word, Da Leiyin Temple pretended not to know.
The Phoenix Palace Master and Master Ren Mu were increasingly astonished; they knew some details about that ambush, but didnât realize the Great Venerable Ming Hai had used the treasure âThunder Sound Bellâ.
Crucially, even with the âThunder Sound Bellâ in use, Ming Hai failed to defeat Li Yuanba and lost his life, leaving the âThunder Sound Bellâ in Li Yuanbaâs possession.
The two Peak Great Cultivators were silent, doubting if they truly were Peak Great Cultivators, or if they deserved the title.
Li Yuanba, also a Peak Great Cultivator, effortlessly wiped out the ant swarm that the two couldnât face.
Moreover, hearing details of the battle that shook the Central State Continent and the cultivation world, Li Yuanbaâs mysteriousness and strength were more evident.
"It seems that inviting Mr. Li to help was the right choice; with his assistance, acquiring the materials will be easier!" The Phoenix Palace Master said with a smile.
"Iâll do my best!" Li Yuanba replied with a wave of his hand.
With the crisis resolved, the three Peak Great Cultivators returned inside the Flying Boat, where the female cultivators looked at Li Yuanba with gratitude.
They were well aware that if the two Peak Great Cultivators couldnât resolve the ant swarm, they themselves wouldnât escape.
Li Yuanbaâs eradication of the ant swarm equated to saving their lives.
Additionally, Li Yuanbaâs flawless appearance deeply moved the female cultivators.
Li Shimingâs positioning of the clone Li Yuanba was purely for cultivation, to provide combat and training experience for the main body; Li Yuanba never intended to seek a Daoist couple.
The Flying Boat resumed its journey, albeit at a much slower pace, with its scanning formation fully activated.
The invisibility state of the Flying Boat wasnât effective against spirit beasts, due to their unique perception, similar to the Marching Demon Ants attracted by the Flying Boatâs energy.