"Hey!" Bai Ye was thinking when Zi Yuan suddenly lowered her voice and said, "We're here."
Bai Ye snapped back to attention, shook his head to clear his thoughts. He could think about how to get stronger later; the most important thing right now was the hidden quest in the Demon Beast Kingdom.
Bai Ye quickly crouched down and moved beside Zi Yuan, looking ahead.
As the name suggested, the wetland marsh was a swampy area, filled with large puddles and treacherous mud. Falling into one would be troublesome.
Of course, the Lizardmen, being old residents of this land, wouldn't be tricked by the swamps. They even used the marsh as a defensive barrier to fend off invading monsters.
However, it seemed the swamp barrier hadn't worked against the Pigman army, or rather, it had worked but hadn't stopped the Pigmen.
At this moment, the puddles and marshes ahead were littered with Pigman corpses. The sheer accumulation of bodies had actually formed a path through the swamp, allowing the Pigmen to advance through this area.
Zi Yuan said, "Keep moving forward. There are some wetland caves, which are the Lizardmen's dwellings. As for this area..."
Zi Yuan reached out her hand, pointing to a broken stick next to a Lizardman's skull.
"That's the Lizardmen's battle standard," Zi Yuan said. "As long as the standard stands, the soldiers don't 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 retorted. "With so many corpses, even an idiot would know this place was captured."
Zi Yuan gritted her teeth. "Do you want a beating?"
"Save your strength for beating Pigmen!"
Bai Ye said, nudging his chin forward.
Although the outer wetland marsh had been breached, about a dozen Pigmen were still lurking around, possibly guarding the entrance. Bai Ye and Zi Yuan had to eliminate this group of Pigmen before they could pass through this area.
Zi Yuan took a deep breath. "There are quite a few. This won't be easy."
"It's okay," Bai Ye patted his chest. "I'll handle them."
As Bai Ye spoke, he leaped out of the bushes.
"Wait, Bai Ye..." Zi Yuan anxiously called out. "Come back!"
Zi Yuan admitted that Bai Ye was a bit stronger than her, but even so, dealing with over a dozen Pigmen at once was still quite difficult, especially since these creatures could grow stronger by eating their fallen comrades.
But Bai Ye acted as if he hadn't heard her and walked forward. The Pigmen patrolling the wetland marsh sniffed the air and immediately caught Bai Ye's scent. They all turned around and looked in his direction.
Bai Ye let out a cold laugh, spread his arms, and soon...
Purple venom oozed from Bai Ye's pores, covering his entire body.
"Damn it, this ability..." Bai Ye looked at his palm speechlessly. "Did I turn into a juicy beast tamer like that creature...? No... should be a juicy beast tamer? With built-in lubricant?"
ROAR!
As Bai Ye was muttering about the abilities of the Poison-Poison Fruit, a Pigman roared and charged towards Bai Ye, wielding a giant axe.
Bai Ye looked up sharply, then grinned ferociously and punched forward!
"Poison Dragon!"
As Bai Ye's fist moved forward, a large amount of venom was sprayed out, condensing in the air and forming a dragon shape. It lunged towards the Pigman, opening its gaping maw and swallowing the Pigman whole.
Instantly...
Sizzle, sizzle!
The Pigman's body was enveloped by the venom, and it roared in agony. Then, its flesh began to corrode, rot, and gradually dissolve.
In an instant, the Pigman turned into a pool of blood, leaving behind only a skeleton floating on the water.
Bai Ye looked at his fist. It was indeed a red-quality ability, so powerful!
And...
Bai Ye realized this ability seemed perfectly suited for dealing with Pigmen!
A major characteristic of Pigmen is their ability to grow stronger by consuming. By corroding their flesh and blood with his venom, Bai Ye ensured the Pigmen had nothing to eat!
Thinking this, Bai Ye licked his lips and ran forward quickly.
Splashing through puddles!
Two Pigmen charged at Bai Ye, raising their axes to sweep at him.
Bang!
Feeling the wind of the blow, Bai Ye leaped directly over their heads. In mid-air, the purple venom on Bai Ye's body dispersed and landed on the Pigmen.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
As the venom came into contact with the Pigmen's bodies, their skin immediately began to burn with a hissing sound, and wisps of black smoke rose.
In a mere instant, the flesh on the Pigmen's bodies vanished, leaving gaping wounds that went deep to the bone!
Bai Ye landed and quickly threw a punch. The Poison Dragon reappeared, engulfing the two Pigmen. In a flash, both Pigmen were reduced to bones.
The next moment, Bai Ye heard shouts from behind and spun around. The remaining Pigmen had already raised their weapons and charged at him together.
"Poison Cloud!"
Bai Ye took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully forward. Immediately, purple poisonous gas appeared and spread forward, engulfing the surroundings.
The charging Pigmen suddenly stopped, becoming extremely agitated, and swung their weapons wildly.
Slash, slash, slash...
The Pigmen seemed to have gone mad, their weapons slashing into their own comrades, attacking each other.
This was not the Pigmen's will...
Five Senses Deprivation!
The poisonous gas from the Poison Cloud invaded their bodies, causing the targets to gradually lose their five senses – unable to see, hear, feel, smell, or taste!
With all senses gone, all that remained was panic, and then...
They began to attack wildly and indiscriminately!
Watching the Pigmen descend into madness, the rest was naturally much simpler. All Bai Ye had to do was finish them off.
Bai Ye continuously condensed venom and sprayed it forward, corroding the Pigmen's bodies until they all fell, their bodies riddled with holes, sinking into the puddles or mud, their lives extinguished.
Looking at the surrounding corpses, and then at the venom on his body.
After this brief engagement, Bai Ye had a general understanding of the Poison-Poison Fruit's abilities.
After some thought, Bai Ye came to a very practical conclusion: this was an extremely troublesome and disgusting ability!
...