The corpse corroded by poison naturally looked ghastly, causing the expressions of the remaining three to change drastically.
Apart from its destructive power, the true horror of the Dú Dú Fruit's ability lay in its deterrent effect.
Who, upon seeing a healthy person suddenly have their flesh and blood corroded down to a skeleton, wouldn't feel a chill?
However, Bai Ye clearly had no intention of stopping.
Zzlā!
The sound of surging electricity echoed again, and in the next instant, Bai Ye's figure flickered, appearing before the two remaining individuals.
Pū!
Bai Ye thrust his sword forward, piercing the throat of one of them. With his other hand, he grabbed the head of another.
The next moment, a torrent of flames surged from Bai Ye's palm.
Yan Bao!
Hōng lóng!
A thunderous roar erupted as the flames in his palm exploded, blowing off half of the opponent's head. The charred corpse then tumbled to the ground.
"You have slain a participant (Mechanical Civilization World)."
"You have obtained two God Stone Shards."
"You have slain a participant (Xianxia World)."
"You have obtained three God Stone Shards."
...
Bai Ye yanked his sword out. As Lei Ya Nu Shou was pulled from the enemy's throat, the corpse was flung away. It was at this moment...
A searing heat suddenly appeared!
Bai Ye felt a wave of heat rising behind him. Turning his head, he saw the bespectacled man raising a magic staff. A colossal fireball materialized above.
The next instant, the man pointed his staff forward, and the fireball hurtled towards Bai Ye.
Then...
Facing the incoming fireball, Bai Ye suddenly raised his sword and slashed forward.
In an instant, the fireball was cleaved in two by Bai Ye's sword, shattering into pieces.
Bai Ye strode forward, and the man's face contorted in fear.
But at this moment...
"Bai Ye!"
A voice called out from a distance. It was Gao Ming, arriving in a hurry with his men.
"This is a misunderstanding," Gao Ming said, rushing to Bai Ye's side. "Listen to me first."
Bai Ye smiled, "Isn't he one of your Evil Spirit Gang members?"
Gao Ming shot a fierce glare at the bespectacled man. "He is indeed one of ours, but believe me, this was not my order, nor was it our leader's. He acted on his own."
Bai Ye asked, "Should I believe you?"
Gao Ming pleaded, "Please believe me, it truly is a misunderstanding. Our Evil Spirit Gang is newly formed, still in its infancy, and our management is not yet adequate. That's why subordinates act on their own. I will definitely give you an explanation."
The Evil Spirit Gang's management?
Bai Ye curled his lips.
In his past life, Bai Ye would never have believed such nonsense. Harvey Stenson, who built the Evil Spirit Gang from scratch to rival the Hidden Dragon Society, did so not because of more members or more experts.
It was due to the orderly management within the Evil Spirit Gang.
However, the term "infancy" used by Gao Ming did lend some credibility. The Evil Spirit Gang was indeed in its nascent stages, and rules and order had yet to be fully established.
"Then I will reluctantly believe you," Bai Ye said. "As for an explanation, you don't need to give me one!"
Zzlā!
Suddenly, electricity surged around Bai Ye's body. He then raised a hand and pointed towards the sky.
The next instant...
Zzlā!
A current shot from Bai Ye's fingertip into the air. It rapidly thickened and then plummeted downwards, striking the bespectacled man.
"Ah!"
As the electricity enveloped the man, his body was instantly torn open, flesh and blood exposed. When the current dissipated, the man was a bloody mess, collapsing to his knees with black smoke rising from his entire body.
Then...
Plop!
The man's body fell forward. After a few twitches, he finally ceased all movement.
"You have slain a participant (Bio-Genetic Civilization World)."
"You have obtained three God Stone Shards."
Bai Ye looked at Gao Ming and said, "I prefer to give myself an explanation."
Gao Ming was silent for a moment. "Of course, if this satisfies you, I have no objections, and neither does the Evil Spirit Gang."
Bai Ye nodded. "That's good."
"I hope this does not affect our cooperative relationship," Gao Ming said, pulling out a Den Den Mushi. "I forgot to give this to you earlier. This is called a Den Den Mushi..."
Bai Ye replied, "I know what this is."
Gao Ming smiled. "I hope we can keep in touch often."
"Of course," Bai Ye said. "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be going now."
Gao Ming nodded. "Please do."
Watching Bai Ye depart, Gao Ming turned to the people who had accompanied him.
"You all saw it, didn't you?" Gao Ming said loudly. "The world battlefield is this dangerous. For true powerhouses, killing us is as easy as flipping a hand. It is precisely for this reason that the Evil Spirit Gang exists. Only by gathering together can the weak resist the strong..."
Although Bai Ye had walked far away, his sharp senses picked up Gao Ming's words.
Bai Ye had to admit that Gao Ming was quite a character.
The deaths of so many people at Bai Ye's hands would undoubtedly be a significant blow to the morale of the Evil Spirit Gang.
The Evil Spirit Gang, while using the Hidden Dragon Society as a guise for its establishment, fundamentally aimed to pool collective strength to avoid being bullied, or more directly, to bully others like the Hidden Dragon Society.
Therefore, when they gathered, they were still no match for their opponents...
This situation was bound to cause wavering thoughts among these individuals.
However, Gao Ming had managed to turn the situation around, using it to advocate for the necessity of the Evil Spirit Gang's existence and re-inspire confidence in the masses. His capability was evident.
His reaction was indeed quick.
This made Bai Ye somewhat curious. In his past life, Bai Ye had interacted with the Evil Spirit Gang many times, though most often as adversaries.
But at that time, Bai Ye had never heard of Gao Ming's name.
This meant that in Bai Ye's previous life, Gao Ming had not achieved any prominence within the Evil Spirit Gang, or perhaps he had died.
Bai Ye felt the latter was more likely, as he did appreciate Gao Ming's abilities. This individual had the potential to become a high-ranking cadre in the Evil Spirit Gang.
However, these were internal matters of the Evil Spirit Gang, what did they have to do with him?
Bai Ye had already cast his bait. As for whether the Evil Spirit Gang would take the hook...
Bai Ye believed that once they tasted success at the Gathering of Heroes Manor, the Evil Spirit Gang, a substantial fish, would surely bite.
"I hope..." Bai Ye murmured, "that this time, I won't have to stay in this damned place for too long."
...