"Poison Butterfly Sound Beast?!"
As the voice in the spiritual light faded, everyone except Li Xuan’s expression changed slightly. Even Qiu Jiuqian and Gong Hanfeng looked a little solemn.
"What is the strength of the Poison Butterfly Sound Beast?" Li Xuan asked, sensing the gravity of the situation from everyone's reaction. It seemed the mission to kill ten Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts would not be simple.
"The Poison Butterfly Sound Beast's strength lies between the early and middle stages of the Phenomenal Transformation Realm. If it were a one-on-one fight, it wouldn't be too difficult. However, the combined power of a swarm of Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts is something even beings in the Divine Transformation Realm would hesitate to confront."
"Moreover, these Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts are always social creatures, and each swarm has a Poison Butterfly Sound Beast King. Its strength has already reached the middle stage of the Divine Transformation Realm. Under the command of this Beast King, even a mid-stage Divine Transformation Realm expert might not dare to harbor any malicious intent," Gong Hanfeng sighed helplessly.
"That powerful?" Li Xuan was taken aback. If even a mid-stage Divine Transformation Realm expert couldn't defeat them, how could their team possibly complete the mission?
"More than just powerful, the name Poison Butterfly Sound Beast actually comes from the combination of two beasts. Each Sound Beast carries a Nine-Colored Poison Butterfly. They are essentially one entity."
"When attacked, the Nine-Colored Poison Butterfly will spew potent venom. Legend has it that once this venom touches, even the soul cannot escape, it is that formidable. And the sonic waves that the Sound Beast excels at are extremely alluring."
"Anyone with a wavering will who hears it will, more often than not, voluntarily abandon their attacks, cease their defense, or even be devoured by it," Qiu Jiuqian added with a bitter smile.
"I didn't expect this mission to be so difficult," Li Xuan said, his scalp tingling. This disciple trial was truly not easy. Even a qualifying mission was this terrifying.
At this moment, Li Xuan finally understood why the entire team was needed. If he had to complete it alone, the chances of success would be slim.
"The mission has been issued, and we can only act according to it. Moreover, time is short. Commander Li, please make the arrangements," Qiu Jiuqian sighed helplessly.
"Although this mission is difficult, since it was issued by the Wood Pavilion, it should not be impossible to complete. For now, let's make arrangements based on the actual situation, prioritizing everyone's safety while ensuring the mission is completed," Li Xuan pondered for a moment.
"That's a good idea. Everyone's strength has improved considerably in the past few months, so safety should be somewhat enhanced. As for the Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts, since the mission has been issued, they are likely not too far from us," Qiu Jiuqian agreed, nodding.
"Everyone, adjust yourselves. We depart in one minute!" Li Xuan closed his eyes slightly. He indeed sensed a group of life fluctuations in a valley about twenty miles away. The aura was very powerful, and Li Xuan dared not probe further, quickly retracting his divine sense and giving the order.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Jiuqian, Gong Hanfeng, and the others immediately began to adjust their states.
"Depart!" A minute later, Li Xuan’s eyes moved, and he waved his hand. Hearing this, everyone concealed their figures and swiftly moved towards the valley Li Xuan had sensed.
"Commander Li, look." On the mountaintop overlooking the valley, Li Xuan and his group quietly arrived. Gong Hanfeng glanced below and then pointed, speaking in a low voice.
In the valley below, fourteen Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts were dozing peacefully. At the entrance of the valley, only one Poison Butterfly Sound Beast was on guard duty.
"Fifteen Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts. With our entire team's strength, directly taking them down might be a bit tricky," Li Xuan said with a slight frown. Although the team members' strength had improved over the past few months, it was still insufficient to face these fifteen Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts, each possessing the strength of the Phenomenal Transformation Realm.
"Commander Li, why don't we use our previous method?" Qiu Jiuqian suggested after some thought.
"Brother Qiu, you mean the method we used at the Crown of Purgatory?" Li Xuan asked, his heart stirring.
Qiu Jiuqian nodded slightly. "At this point, it seems to be the only way to complete the mission, and our time is limited. However, we have far more people this time, and with everyone's combined effort, we can achieve the kill quickly."
"It might be relatively easy at first, but once the Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts detect something is amiss, we will face the full assault of the entire swarm."
"This method is feasible and certainly simpler than directly confronting these fifteen Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts. But how do we lure the Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts?" Li Xuan asked, nodding slightly.
"Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts love to eat Honey-Digging Ants, which can serve as natural bait. Furthermore, Honey-Digging Ants only possess the strength of the Insightful Realm, posing no threat to us. If we can find some Honey-Digging Ants, we can easily lure the Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts," Gong Hanfeng said in a low voice.
"Since there are Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts in this valley, there should also be Honey-Digging Ants. This way, everyone split up and search, but remember to proceed cautiously and prioritize safety," Li Xuan said, nodding with delight.
"Commander Li, rest assured. If we can't even complete this task, we'll truly be ashamed of ourselves," Wen Qing and the others replied with smiles.
Subsequently, the seventeen people quickly moved away in four directions to search.
Time gradually passed. After five minutes, Wen Qing, Bai Xinghan, and the other seventeen returned. Seeing the joy on Wen Qing's face, Li Xuan felt a sense of relief.
"Commander Li, we have fulfilled our mission!" Wen Qing handed a spatial ring to Li Xuan.
"Well done." Li Xuan sensed it slightly. The spatial ring contained over a thousand fist-sized ants. From their appearance, they were likely the Honey-Digging Ants. With these ants as bait, half the battle was already won.
"Brother Qiu, it's up to you now." Li Xuan directly handed the spatial ring to Qiu Jiuqian.
"Leave it to me." Qiu Jiuqian nodded, then took the spatial ring and swiftly moved towards a point a kilometer away from the valley entrance.
"Brother Gong, you take everyone and make preparations. Once the Poison Butterfly Sound Beasts emerge, be sure to kill them immediately," Li Xuan said to Gong Hanfeng after seeing Qiu Jiuqian reach his position.
"Understood!" Gong Hanfeng nodded in response, then waved his hand and led Wen Qing and the seventeen others quickly towards the area behind Qiu Jiuqian.
Three minutes later, at Gong Hanfeng's signal, Qiu Jiuqian directly took out the Honey-Digging Ants from the spatial ring. Under Qiu Jiuqian's control, more than ten Honey-Digging Ants crawled towards the guard Poison Butterfly Sound Beast.
Li Xuan, observing from the valley above, watched all of this intently. At the same time, he felt a subtle tension. If everything proceeded as planned, this mission would indeed be significantly less stressful.
Watching the Honey-Digging Ants approach the guard Poison Butterfly Sound Beast, Li Xuan murmured, "I hope everything goes according to plan."