The Golden Core evil cultivator, upon seeing the more than a thousand iron fire ants swarming towards him, immediately lost his will to fight and planned to flee.
While killing all these iron fire ants would indeed provide a substantial meal, their sheer numbers meant that without using his magic power for protection, he was bound to lose some flesh to their bites. Whether it would be a net gain or loss was uncertain.
Furthermore, there were no wild iron fire ants in the canyon. This suggested that someone had fallen into the canyon, or people from the lake had surfaced.
He had explored the lake in the canyon several times using a rope. Even with his Golden Core cultivation and magical protection, he couldn't reach the bottom of the lake. Each time, he was forced to retreat midway due to the bone-chilling cold of the water.
He recalled that a zombie and the Black Wind Old Demon, who had jumped into the lake, had gone missing from the lake. Perhaps these two had not died and had crawled back.
Xiao Fei had long noticed the rope that was used to climb up. He had deliberately left it there, hoping someone would survive and return. That way, he could interrogate them about the situation at the bottom of the lake.
He might not be able to deal with someone hiding in the lake, but if they climbed ashore, dealing with a few Foundation Establishment cultivators would be easy.
It was just that he hadn't anticipated Xiao Fei hiding so many iron fire ants.
With this thought, the Golden Core evil cultivator was about to charge out of the cave. The terrain outside was open, and with his Golden Core speed, he could easily shake off the encirclement of the iron fire ants.
However, the newly arrived thousand-plus iron fire ants had already formed a connected net at the cave entrance, blocking the exit.
"Hmph! Mere ants, do you truly believe this old man cannot handle you!"
The Golden Core evil cultivator patted his storage bag with one hand. A black short sword floated before him, shooting a beam of black light towards the cave entrance.
Wherever the black light passed, the iron fire ants' exteriors remained undamaged, but they instantly lost all vitality and fell to the ground.
Just as he was about to step out of the cave, ten more zombies appeared at the entrance, blocking him inside.
These zombies were all ordinary Bronze Corpses, with strength equivalent to the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
In the distance, large groups of iron fire ants and zombies were also rushing towards this location. The plan was to trap him inside the cave.
Xiao Fei directed the iron fire ants and zombies to besiege the Golden Core evil cultivator, while he himself hid far away, not even peeking outside.
He believed this Golden Core evil cultivator had exhausted all his spiritual resources and was now at his wit's end.
Since the canyon couldn't absorb spiritual energy to replenish his magic power, all they needed to do was deplete the magic power stored within the cultivator and force out all his trump cards.
At that point, he would dare to confront a Golden Core expert with his great saber.
For now, he needed the iron fire ants and zombies to slowly wear down the opponent, chipping away at his defenses step by step.
At this moment, the ten zombies blocking the cave entrance were already locked in fierce combat with the Golden Core evil cultivator.
The iron fire ant swarm, seizing every opportunity, crawled onto the cultivator's body, gnawing at the defensive shield he had conjured.
Although they couldn't break through the shield in a short time, they could consume the cultivator's remaining magic power.
Within mere moments of the engagement, four zombies had been killed, and hundreds of iron fire ants had perished.
Xiao Fei was indifferent to such losses. If they died, he would have reserves to replace them. He was determined to trap the Golden Core evil cultivator in the cave.
The cave's confined space could effectively limit the Golden Core evil cultivator's speed, which was advantageous to his side.
The black sword in the Golden Core evil cultivator's hand was an ominous magical artifact capable of extinguishing life. With every strike, dozens or even hundreds of iron fire ants lost their lives.
However, its effect on inanimate objects like zombies was somewhat weaker. It could only dismember them through the sharpness of the artifact.
The cave entrance was already piled high with corpses and remains. Outside, the iron fire ants and zombies seemed endless, inexhaustible, and still kept surging towards him.
Meanwhile, the Golden Core evil cultivator's magic power was rapidly depleting. Once his magic power was exhausted, he would only be able to fight with his physical body.
"You despicable and shameless scoundrel, hiding in the shadows, what kind of skill is that? If you have the guts, come out and fight me for three hundred rounds!"
The Golden Core evil cultivator was enraged by this underhanded tactic and began to curse loudly.
He was, after all, a Golden Core expert. After fighting for so long, his magic power had been significantly depleted, and he hadn't even seen the opponent's face.
Xiao Fei, hidden in the distance, sneered, completely unfazed, and continued to command the zombie and iron fire ant armies to attack.
If the opponent's magic power wasn't depleted, he wouldn't show himself even if all his iron fire ants and zombies were wiped out.
At worst, he would retreat to the lake's bottom space and cultivate more ants for a few years before returning.
The Golden Core evil cultivator discovered that the number of zombies and iron fire ants not only wasn't decreasing but was actually increasing.
If this continued, he might truly be worn down to death here.
With this thought, the Golden Core evil cultivator roared, and a skull flew out from his body, hovering before him. A surge of malevolent energy shot up into the sky.
Even Xiao Fei, hiding in the distance, shivered at the aura, grateful he hadn't charged forward.
Xiao Fei unleashed all the remaining iron fire ants and zombies he had, charging towards the cave where the evil cultivator was.
His own gaze was fixed on the lake, preparing to flee at any moment.
Just then, the skull conjured by the Golden Core evil cultivator opened its mouth in the air and spewed out a stream of black demonic flames.
The demonic flames swept out, centered on the cave entrance, surging forward in a fan shape. All zombies and iron fire ants within a hundred-zhang radius were instantly reduced to ashes.
Xiao Fei, hiding in the distance, witnessed this and was utterly shocked.
This single attack had annihilated over 30 of his zombies and more than 20,000 iron fire ants.
His entire fortune would only last the opponent a few such attacks.
Xiao Fei immediately ordered the remaining iron fire ants and zombies to continue their suicidal charge, to tie down the Golden Core evil cultivator, as he was already preparing to escape back to the bottom of the lake.
He would return to cultivate a hundred thousand iron fire ants before coming back to fight.
At this moment, the Golden Core evil cultivator finally emerged from the cave.
Facing the iron fire ants and zombies that continued to surround him, he did not unleash the powerful demonic flames again.
Instead, he conjured his black sword and charged towards Xiao Fei's hiding place, intending to decapitate him.
Xiao Fei got up, ready to flee, but he quickly reacted. The old man wasn't charging aggressively; it seemed like a feint, an attempt to bluff him.
Moreover, if he retreated to the lake bottom again, and the evil cultivator removed the rope, he might not have another chance to come up.
Or worse, he might set up traps at the place where he landed, and the next time he surfaced, he would directly fall into the opponent's trap.
With this in mind, he immediately ordered the remaining iron fire ants and zombies to continue their encirclement.
He himself remained in the distance, observing.
Gradually, the remaining iron fire ants and zombies regrouped, surrounding the Golden Core evil cultivator in the center.
Another batch stayed a hundred zhang away, serving as a second echelon.
If the opponent could still unleash two more attacks like the previous one, his iron fire ants and zombies would be completely wiped out.
At that point, whether he wanted to or not, he would have to retreat back to the lake bottom.
However, Xiao Fei waited for a long time, but the Golden Core evil cultivator never unleashed that demonic flame again.
It wasn't until his magic power was exhausted, and his black sword could no longer emit the life-extinguishing black light, that a large number of iron fire ants crawled onto the cultivator and began to bite him.
Xiao Fei still chose to observe from a distance. He didn't charge forward with his saber. What if it was a stratagem to lure him in?
After a while longer, the Golden Core evil cultivator's body was already pockmarked and scarred from the bites, with some areas revealing pale bone.
If the iron fire ants were allowed to continue biting, he would have to switch to the path of a skeleton.
Just then, a vast surge of magic power erupted from the evil cultivator's body, shaking off the iron fire ants covering him. The black light reappeared on his sword, and he sliced two zombies in half.
This old schemer indeed had a hidden hand, planning to strike Xiao Fei when he got close.
However, Xiao Fei was too timid and afraid of death, refusing to approach. The evil cultivator, on the other hand, could no longer endure the bites from the iron fire ants.
The Golden Core evil cultivator, after cutting down two zombies, turned and fled.
"Chase!"
Seeing the evil cultivator flee, Xiao Fei breathed a sigh of relief and ordered his iron fire ants and zombies to pursue. He still lagged far behind. The canyon wasn't large, so the cultivator couldn't escape his grasp.
For the next few days, Xiao Fei witnessed the profound reserves of a Golden Core expert.
The Golden Core evil cultivator continuously used various talismans, formations, and single-use magical artifacts, killing a considerable number of iron fire ants.
Seven days later, the Golden Core evil cultivator was utterly destitute, unable to use any more means.
At this point, he also followed the example of the Black Wind Old Demon and leaped into the lake.
Two days later, Xiao Fei found the Golden Core evil cultivator's corpse at the bottom of the lake.
Throughout this battle until the evil cultivator's death, Xiao Fei never got the chance to fight a Golden Core expert head-on, which left him feeling a slight regret, as he lacked a boastful story.