"Retreat!"
After a brief pause, Yang Hong directly issued the order to withdraw.
The sword array carrying sword intent could indeed kill the Gold Devouring Ants effectively, but the disciples' consumption was immense. In just a short while, the disciples maintaining the array had their mana nearly depleted.
Sixty thousand against sixty million. Even though Yang Hong had broken the Five Elements Array, it only took a moment for the Flying General Ants to quickly readjust their formation.
Their efficiency was far greater than that of human cultivators.
The number of Flying General Ants far exceeded sixty million. Even if their individual strength was inferior to the Qingfeng Mountain Villa disciples, their overall power, amplified by the array, far surpassed that of Qingfeng Mountain Villa.
Furthermore, readjusting a million-level formation in such a short time was an efficiency that even legendary human novels wouldn't dare to depict.
The only fortunate aspect was that few Gold Devouring Ants could fly. So far, only fifth and sixth-tier General Ants, and seventh-tier King Ants were observed to be capable of flight. Even the seventh-tier Queen Ant could not fly.
If all the ants could fly, the threat of the Gold Devouring Ants would undoubtedly surpass that of the Li Fire Flying Locusts.
Moreover, the flight speed of the General Ants was not fast; it was comparable to the speed of an ordinary cultivator at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment.
Easily evading the pursuit of the flying Gold Devouring Ants, the ants surprisingly did not break formation to chase the Qingfeng Mountain Villa disciples. Instead, they advanced slowly while maintaining their formation.
They even retreated after pursuing for thirty miles.
This left Yang Hong, who was preparing to ambush them with an array, somewhat startled.
The intelligence level of the Gold Devouring Ants far exceeded imagination!
After retreating a hundred miles to the sand dunes where the "Steel Cage Great Array" was being vigorously set up, Gu Boji knelt before Yang Hong, his face pale.
"Please punish me, sect leader. It was my fault for not discerning the strength of the Gold Devouring Ants and for failing to discover that they could also use formations."
With that, Gu Boji kowtowed forcefully.
He had made a grave error in his duty this time.
"Get up. These Gold Devouring Ants have mutated, and perhaps even been cultivated. It is not your fault for not investigating thoroughly. Go and set up the Steel Cage Great Array; do not make any more mistakes this time."
"Yes, thank you, sect leader, for your leniency."
Gu Boji kowtowed again to express his gratitude before withdrawing.
Although Yang Hong dismissed Gu Boji's transgression lightly, he decided not to assign him any combat missions in the future, as he couldn't even properly handle a reconnaissance mission.
The comparison of the Gold Devouring Ants' strength that Gu Boji mentioned was not entirely inaccurate. The ants' speed was unexpectedly slow. A cultivator in the Fusion Realm, with sufficient patience, could fight ten ants of the same level individually without issue.
As long as their attacks were sufficient and their attributes were not countered, human cultivators could indeed defeat the Gold Devouring Ants through a "kiting" strategy.
However, the speed at which human cultivators could kill Gold Devouring Ants was definitely not as fast as the Queen Ant's egg-laying rate, and even further behind the ants' growth rate.
Coupled with the intelligence now displayed by the Gold Devouring Ants, their danger level had to be raised by at least two notches.
"Sect Leader, do you have a way to eliminate these Gold Devouring Ants? They are too terrifying."
Ye Yudong, Ke Ji Mei, and other high-ranking members of the sect looked at Yang Hong with lingering fear, their worries growing.
"There is one method that might be effective. If that method still cannot deal with them in large numbers, then we can only resort to gradually killing them with overwhelming magical power."
As he spoke, Yang Hong sighed with a hint of helplessness. These "Gold Devouring Ants" were not a natural disaster at all; they were purely man-made!
What were once insignificant ants used as refining materials had now become a terrifying insect plague.
"You all should rest and recover your mana. The great battle is yet to come."
"Yes, disciples take our leave."
Not only were the disciples who had previously formed the "Nine Revolutions Lotus Platform Array" resting, but Yang Hong also closed his eyes to begin healing his injuries.
If not for his powerful divine sense, anyone else in his position might have had their mind directly blown into fragments by the backlash of the recent divine sense attack.
The time spent healing passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was sunset. The Gold Devouring Ants had advanced to within ten miles of the "Steel Cage Great Array," and swarms of golden ants could be seen flying in the distance.
A fiery red glow could be seen through the swarm, emanating from the ground.
Witnessing this scene, Yang Hong himself felt a pang of alarm.
"Ye Yudong, has Ran Boren not returned yet?"
"Reporting to the Sect Leader, Senior Brother Ran has not returned. However, Qing Zhongying has returned with half of the Azure Sky Willow Tree demons."
"Qing Zhongying is back. Have him come over; I will brief him on the upcoming battle."
Upon hearing that the Azure Sky Willow Tree demons had returned, Yang Hong's eyes lit up.
Qing Zhongying, having been notified, quickly arrived. Upon seeing Yang Hong, he immediately began to complain.
"Master, our teleportation arrays are almost covering the entire Taiyuan Continent. But they are only planted; many of them have not yet grown. Why have you recalled us?"
"To fight. I will now impart a battle array to you. Quickly pass it down and prepare to fight the Gold Devouring Ants."
Yang Hong had no time for Qing Zhongying's chatter and directly used "Spiritual Light Impartation" to transfer the knowledge.
"Uh... Master, we... we are not good at fighting!"
Upon hearing that they were to fight, and against such a dense swarm of Gold Devouring Ants nearby, Qing Zhongying's plump body immediately trembled with fear. Even as Yang Hong imparted the knowledge, he trembled and pleaded for mercy.
"No close combat. Use ranged spells to bombard them. Quickly pass this array down; the practical combat will begin soon."
Having finished imparting the technique, Yang Hong gave the nagging little fatty a decisive "slap" to interrupt his rambling.
"Oh..."
Qing Zhongying nodded a little aggrievedly and retreated.
Just like the spiritual plant demons that were quickly endowed with knowledge through the system, the Azure Sky Willow Tree demons had the disposition and mentality of adolescents.
If Yang Hong did not have absolute control over these endowed young demons, these little fellows would have caused a great deal of chaos.
This was precisely why Yang Hong needed to recall these Azure Sky Willow Tree demons, and why he needed Ran Boren to take his sect leader token to find them.
The high-ranking management of Qingfeng Mountain Villa was simply unable to command them.
Because of the collective sluggishness of these little fellows, Yang Hong had no choice but to abandon the "Steel Cage Great Array" that the Qingfeng Mountain Villa disciples had painstakingly built day and night. The entire force retreated a thousand miles.
At this point, they were only four thousand miles away from "Wanren," the outermost plain planted by Qingfeng Mountain Villa, entering a truly dangerous zone.
One day later, Qing Zhongying gathered all the Azure Sky Willow Tree demons at the new Steel Cage Great Array and began preparations.
"Qing Zhongying, I'm telling you, if you cannot eliminate the Gold Devouring Ants, I will plant all of you on the front lines. You'd better pray that the Gold Devouring Ants don't eat willow trees."
Yang Hong was still quite angry about their tardiness.
"Master, rest assured. We have all learned the 'One Yuan Annihilation Array' and will definitely eliminate the Gold Devouring Ants."
Sensing the tangible killing intent emanating from Yang Hong, Qing Zhongying quickly patted his chest and guaranteed it. He also knew that his clansmen's gathering speed was too slow; he himself was frustrated.
This frustration would then be directed outwards, with the targets being the approaching ant swarm.
"Brothers, have you all heard what Master said?
To avoid being gnawed by ants, all of you must be spirited."
"Yes, boss!"
The Azure Sky Willow Tree demons responded loudly. Immediately, silver-white spatial energy emanated from them, and under the array's connection, a colossal silver axe appeared in the sky.
"Slash!"
With a tender yet firm voice, a silver-white axe blade silhouette slashed across the heavens, striking towards the larger swarm of Gold Devouring Ants!