Chapter 503: Encounter (Part 2)
He didn't think there was any connection between Li Yuanba and Li Shiming. One was a Thunder Cultivator, the other a Sword Cultivator, both professions that revered attack, but the difference was significant, heading in two opposite directions.
Lai Li, although wary, wasn't particularly fearful.
Li Yuanba's level was somewhat low, even if a Sword Cultivator could only exert limited combat power.
Lai Li patted his waist, and three black Flying Needle Magical Treasures shot out, while a swarm of Flying Ants flew out from another pocket.
The Flying Ants entered into the grass. With their independent attack consciousness, they required only a single command from him, then he didn't need to bother anymore.
This allowed the Flying Ants to enter the grass, using the isolating effect of the grass, making their attack even more sudden.
However, the three Flying Needle Magical Treasures couldn't launch their attack under the cover of the grass, as the grass's isolating effect significantly impacted the control of the magical treasures.
Without the ability to fly, the two sides discovered each other at close range, making the onset of the battle extremely perilous.
Li Yuanba retreated into a man-high grass, a Longsword appearing in his hand, precisely the Third Grade Sword Base.
He crouched, simultaneously releasing the Silver Corpse General and instructing it to unleash Sword Intent.
Although the Silver Corpse General's Sword Intent was different from his own, it could mislead Lai Li in the short term.
Once the Silver Corpse General appeared, it continually retreated, almost perfectly continuing Li Yuanba's retreat motion.
Li Yuanba used the 'Sky Concealing Secret Technique' to completely hide his presence.
The moment he crouched and activated the 'Sky Concealing Secret Technique,' a group of Flying Ants swarmed through the crevices of the grass.
Li Yuanba didn't move. Lai Li commanded the Flying Ants to chase the cultivator with Sword Intent. Despite their keen perception, the Flying Ants detected a difference from the grass but didn't attack him first, instead targeting the primary target.
Deemed the primary target by the Flying Ants was naturally the Silver Corpse General.
Li Yuanba was indeed bold. An average cultivator, even faced with this scenario, wouldn't dare gamble on whether the Flying Ants would attack them.
Being the Body Refining Grand Elder, he had some confidence in his own defensive power. Adding the Third Grade Sword Base in his hand, coupled with his close combat swordsmanship, he believed he could counterattack under a Flying Ant assault.
Xingyi Sword didn't follow him but rather stayed with the Silver Corpse General, seemingly protecting it.
Lai Li, using his vague perception through the Flying Ants, assumed Li Yuanba had retreated a distance away.
Flying Ants, a type of spiritual insect, had extremely low intelligence. Through secret techniques, he only received very vague feedback information.
He had confidence in the Flying Ants, perhaps due to their extensive collaboration.
When the Flying Ants flew past the man-high grass, he also followed through it.
Just as he was about to pass through the man-high grass, he saw a silhouette, nearly colliding with it.
Li Yuanba's setup was to engage Lai Li at close range.
The restrictions of the Green Field Cave Heaven hindered his strongest Divine Foot Skill and even greatly impacted the speed of his Sword Escape.
This meant he couldn't easily approach Lai Li, forcing him to rely on minor tactics.
Sure enough, Lai Li fell for it, and they encountered each other in the grass.
Li Yuanba lunged forward, his terrifying Body Refining Grand Elder blood energy surging. The Third Grade Sword Base in his hand brimmed with Sword Intent, appearing like a lightsaber under the Supreme Yang Sword Intent's enhancement.
Lai Li reacted quickly, enveloping himself within a Copper Bell Magical Treasure, leaving no defensive blind spots.
He also recalled the three Flying Needle Magical Treasures and the Flying Ants to extricate himself from the situation.
Li Yuanba's eyes gleamed as he activated 'Divine Eye Skill,' connecting with the original body a reasonable distance away, analyzing and identifying the weakness of the Copper Bell Magical Treasure during his attack.
All magical treasures have weaknesses. The node of the Spiritual Power Pattern was the weakness, and attacking that would disrupt the Spiritual Power Pattern.
A disrupted Spiritual Power Pattern would decrease the magical treasure's defensive power and even cause loss of control.
The Third Grade Sword Base, coupled with his Body Refinement ability, exceeded the ordinary Third Grade Upper Stage quality. Though not on par with the Fourth-Grade Magical Treasure, its power far surpassed the Third-Grade Magical Treasures.
Li Yuanba's skin was like white jade, a state when fully executing the 'Fiery Sun Jade Body Technique.'
With the combination of Body Refining Grand Elder and the Third Grade Sword Base enhanced by Supreme Yang Sword Intent, a full-force strike targeted at the Copper Bell Magical Treasure's weakness.
A loud 'Dang' reverberated as the Copper Bell Magical Treasure surface cracked.
Lai Li, with his magical treasure destroyed, felt his mind struck as if with a hammer, nearly spitting a mouthful of blood. Though forcibly suppressing it, blood still trickled from the corner of his mouth.
With one sword strike, Lai Li's defensive magical treasure was breached, and at that moment, neither the Flying Needle Magical Treasures nor Flying Ants were recalled to join the battle. Li Yuanba's second sword followed.
Realizing something was amiss, Lai Li immediately activated a talisman, a Far Escape Talisman.
Unfortunately, this life-saving talisman he had pinned his hopes on failed to activate, suppressed by the rules of the Green Field Cave Heaven.
At this point, he attempted to think of other methods, but the Third Grade Sword Base had already struck.
A Devil Cultivator adept in ranged attacks facing off against a Sword Cultivator skilled in close combat, with the latter being a Body Refining Grand Elder — the result was inevitable.
Li Yuanba's second sword extinguished Lai Li's life force. At this point, the Flying Needle Magical Treasures and the Flying Ants were within a three-meter range of Li Yuanba.
Once Lai Li's life force was extinguished, the Flying Needle Magical Treasures plummeted from the sky, and the Flying Ants went berserk without their owner's control.
The Flying Ants, devoid of rationality, attacked their nearby companions instead of targeting Li Yuanba.
Li Yuanba collected the Flying Needle Magical Treasures from the ground. They were quite good, being Third Grade Upper Stage treasures, considered top quality for the Golden Core Stage, and they weren't life-bound treasures.
Of course, the Flying Needle Magical Treasures held little significance to him or his original body. The main body, Li Shiming, had reached the Great Elder Level, preparing to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage.
The other treasures hadn't been used. A hundred and ninety-one 'Flowing Light Star Meteor' were enough to handle any trouble.
With Flying Sword Magical Treasures equivalent to Fourth Grade, how could Li Shiming be interested in the Third Grade Flying Needle Magical Treasure?
Li Yuanba, even less so, rarely used other types of treasures apart from sword-type ones.
He took Lai Li's Mustard Seed Ring from his body, finding another Spirit Pet Bag on Lai Li's waist, which he also took.
By then, the Flying Ant battle had almost ended, with only about ten remaining.
Li Yuanba waved his hand, Xingyi Sword, carrying Supreme Yang Sword Intent, swept over the ten Flying Ants, turning them into ashes.
He checked the Mustard Seed Ring, finding two Third-grade Spiritual Medicines inside, both collected from the Green Field Cave Heaven.
"Quite lucky!" He remarked upon seeing the two Third-grade Spiritual Medicines, thinking he only found one that day.
If this were the ninth day and he went for a robbery, that would be a real windfall.
But he was also acutely aware of his shortcomings, having encountered a relatively weaker Lai Li. If it were a Great Elder, it might not have been possible to defeat them.
Even in his battle with Lai Li, he used some tactics.
His Sword Cultivation skills provided a significant advantage over ordinary cultivators, but against those from large sects, the advantage disappeared.
The 'Sky-Surging Sword Intent Technique' was strong, yet many cultivators from major sects also had top-level Cultivation Techniques. Although not as powerful as the 'Sky-Surging Sword Intent Technique,' Li Yuanba's stage wasn't particularly strong among Late-stage Golden Core Cultivators.
Especially with his greatest reliance on Divine Foot Skill being restricted, many fight strategies couldn't be employed, greatly reducing his combat power.
He then retrieved the Silver Corpse General. Uninjured, the Silver Corpse General missed Lai Li's Flying Needle Magical Treasures and Flying Ants due to Li Yuanba's quick assault.