"Hey!" Bai Ye was in thought when Zi Yuan suddenly lowered her voice, "We've arrived."
Bai Ye snapped back to attention, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He could ponder how to become stronger later. The most important thing right now was the hidden quest in the Demon Beast Country.
Bai Ye quickly crouched and moved beside Zi Yuan, looking ahead.
The swampy marsh, as its name suggested, was indeed a wetland, with large puddles everywhere, interspersed with muddy, treacherous bogs. Falling in carelessly would be troublesome.
Of course, the Lizardmen, being long-time residents of this land, would not be fooled by the swamps. They had even used the marshland as a defensive barrier to ward off invading monsters.
However, against the Pig-Head Demon army, the swamp barrier seemed ineffective, or rather, it had an effect but failed to stop the Pig-Head Demons.
At this moment, the puddles and swamps ahead were littered with the corpses of Pig-Head Demons. The accumulation of their bodies had actually created a path through the swamp, allowing the Pig-Head Demons to charge through this area.
Zi Yuan said, "Keep going forward. There are some wetland caves, which are the Lizardmen's dwelling places. As for this area..."
Zi Yuan reached out a hand towards the front, pointing at a broken staff. Beside it lay a Lizardman's skull.
"That's the Lizardmen's battle standard," Zi Yuan said. "As long as the standard stands, the soldiers do not retreat. This area must have been breached... Hmm... Why are you looking at me like that? Like I'm an idiot?"
"Even an idiot would be smarter than you," Bai Ye replied. "With so many corpses, even an idiot would know this place has been conquered."
Zi Yuan gritted her teeth. "Are you looking for a beating?"
"Save your strength for beating Pig-Head Demons!"
As Bai Ye spoke, he gestured forward with his chin.
Although the outer wetland marsh had been breached, there were still over a dozen Pig-Head Demons lurking around, possibly acting as sentries. For Bai Ye and Zi Yuan to pass through this area, they had to eliminate this group of Pig-Head Demons first.
Zi Yuan took a deep breath. "There are quite a few of them. It won't be easy."
"Don't worry," Bai Ye patted his chest. "I'll handle them."
With that, Bai Ye leaped out of the bushes.
"Wait, Bai Ye..." Zi Yuan called out urgently. "Come back quickly."
Zi Yuan admitted that Bai Ye was a bit stronger than her, but even so, dealing with over a dozen Pig-Head Demons at once was still quite difficult, especially since these creatures grew stronger by consuming the corpses of their companions.
But Bai Ye seemed not to hear, walking forward. The Pig-Head Demons patrolling the wetland marsh twitched their noses, immediately smelling Bai Ye's scent, and turned their heads in unison towards him.
Bai Ye sneered, then spread his arms, and soon...
Purple venom seeped continuously from Bai Ye's pores, covering his entire body.
"Damn it, this ability..." Bai Ye looked at his palms speechlessly. "Have I turned into a juicy beast tamer, like a goopy creature... No... a juicy beast tamer? With built-in lubricant?"
Roar!
As Bai Ye was muttering about the power of the Poison-Poison Fruit, a Pig-Head Demon roared, brandishing a giant axe, and charged towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye looked up sharply, then grinned ferociously, and punched forward!
"Poison Dragon!"
As Bai Ye's fist shot forward, a large amount of venom was sprayed out, which condensed in the air, forming a dragon shape, and flew straight towards the Pig-Head Demon, its gaping maw swallowing the creature whole.
Instantly...
Sizzle, sizzle!
The Pig-Head Demon's body was enveloped by the venom, and it roared in agony. Then, its flesh began to corrode, rot, and even gradually dissolve.
In a flash, the Pig-Head Demon turned into a pool of blood, leaving only a skeleton floating on the puddle.
Bai Ye looked at his fist. As expected of a red-quality ability, it was so powerful!
And...
Bai Ye found this ability to be extremely suitable for dealing with Pig-Head Demons!
A major characteristic of Pig-Head Demons was their ability to grow stronger by consuming. By using venom to corrode their flesh, Bai Ye prevented the other Pig-Head Demons from eating!
Bai Ye thought this, licked his lips, and quickly ran forward.
He stepped through puddles, splashing water!
Two Pig-Head Demons met Bai Ye, raising their axes and swinging them horizontally.
Bang!
Feeling the rushing wind, Bai Ye leaped directly over their heads. In mid-air, the purple venom from Bai Ye's body scattered, landing on the Pig-Head Demons.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
Upon contact with the Pig-Head Demons' bodies, their skin immediately began to burn with a sizzling sound, and wisps of black smoke continuously rose.
In an instant, the flesh of the Pig-Head Demons vanished, leaving deep, bone-revealing wounds!
Bai Ye landed and quickly threw a punch. The Poison Dragon reappeared, engulfing the two Pig-Head Demons. In a short moment, both Pig-Head Demons were reduced to bones.
The next moment, Bai Ye heard shouts from behind and quickly turned around. The remaining Pig-Head Demons had all raised their weapons and charged towards Bai Ye together.
"Poison Cloud!"
Bai Ye took a deep breath and blew forward forcefully. Immediately, purple toxic gas appeared and drifted forward, shrouding the surroundings.
The charging Pig-Head Demons suddenly stopped, appearing incredibly frenzied, swinging their weapons around wildly.
Splat, splat, splat...
The Pig-Head Demons went mad, their weapons hacking into their companions, attacking each other.
This was not the Pig-Head Demons' own will, but rather...
Sense Deprivation!
The toxic gas of the Poison Cloud, upon invading the body, would cause the target to gradually lose their five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste!
When all sensations disappeared, only fear remained, and then...
They began to attack frantically and indiscriminately!
Seeing the Pig-Head Demons fall into a frenzy, the rest became much simpler. All that was needed was to finish them off.
Bai Ye continuously condensed venom and sprayed it forward, corroding the Pig-Head Demons' bodies until they all fell, their bodies riddled with holes, sinking into puddles or falling into the mud, completely devoid of life.
Looking at the corpses around him, and then at the venom on his body.
After the brief exchange, Bai Ye had a rough understanding of the Poison-Poison Fruit's ability.
After some thought, Bai Ye came to a rather practical conclusion: this was a very troublesome and disgusting ability!
...