"Hey!" Bai Ye was deep in thought when Ziyuan suddenly lowered her voice and said, "We're here."
Bai Ye snapped back to reality, shook his head, and dismissed his thoughts. He could ponder how to become stronger later; the most important thing right now was the hidden mission in the Land of Demons.
Bai Ye quickly crouched and moved to Ziyuan's side, looking ahead.
As the name suggested, the swampy wetlands were a large expanse of water, with many puddles scattered everywhere, interspersed with muddy, indistinguishable bogs. Falling into one would be troublesome.
Of course, the Lizardmen, as old residents of this land, wouldn't be easily trapped by these bogs. They even used them as defensive barriers to ward off invading demons.
However, against the Pig-headed Man army, the bog barrier seemed to have been ineffective, or at least, it had an effect but didn't stop the Pig-headed Men.
At this moment, the puddles and bogs ahead were filled with the corpses of Pig-headed Men. The sheer accumulation of their bodies had somehow filled a path through the swamp, allowing the Pig-headed Men to charge through the area.
Ziyuan said, "Keep moving forward. There are some wetland caves, which are the Lizardmen's dwellings. As for this area..."
Ziyuan reached out and pointed to a broken stick, next to which lay a Lizardman's skull.
"That's the Lizardmen's battle banner," Ziyuan said. "As long as the banner stands, the soldiers don't retreat. This area must have been breached... Huh? Why are you looking at me like that? Like I'm an idiot?"
"An idiot would still be smarter than you," Bai Ye retorted. "With so many corpses, even an idiot would know this place has been overrun."
Ziyuan gritted her teeth. "Do you want a beating?"
"Save your strength to beat the Pig-headed Men!"
As Bai Ye spoke, he gestured forward with his chin.
Although the outer wetlands had been breached, about a dozen Pig-headed Men were still lingering, likely acting as guards. Bai Ye and Ziyuan had to defeat this group before they could pass through this area.
Ziyuan took a deep breath. "There are quite a few of them. This won't be easy."
"It's fine," Bai Ye said, patting his chest. "I'll handle it."
As Bai Ye spoke, he leaped out of the bushes.
"Wait, Bai Ye..." Ziyuan called out anxiously. "Come back quickly."
Ziyuan admitted that Bai Ye was a bit stronger than her, but even so, dealing with a dozen Pig-headed Men at once was quite difficult, especially since these creatures grew stronger by devouring the corpses of their own kind.
But Bai Ye seemed not to hear her and continued to walk forward. The Pig-headed Men lingering in the swamp, twitching their noses, immediately caught Bai Ye's scent and turned, looking in his direction.
Bai Ye let out a cold laugh, spread his arms, and soon...
Purple venom seeped out of Bai Ye's pores, covering his entire body.
"Damn it, this ability..." Bai Ye looked at his palms speechlessly. "Have I become a juicy beast tamer like Goodra... No... maybe a juicy beast tamer? With built-in lubricant?"
"ROAR!"
As Bai Ye was complaining about his Venom-Venom Fruit ability, a Pig-headed Man roared, gripping a giant axe, and charged towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye looked up abruptly, 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 to form a dragon shape, flying straight towards the Pig-headed Man and swallowing him with its gaping maw.
Instantly...
*Sizzle, sizzle!*
The Pig-headed Man's body was enveloped in venom. He roared in agony as his flesh began to corrode, rot, and gradually dissolve.
In an instant, the Pig-headed Man 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, so powerful!"
And...
Bai Ye realized this ability seemed very suitable for dealing with Pig-headed Men!
A major characteristic of Pig-headed Men was their ability to grow stronger by consuming. By corroding their flesh with venom, Bai Ye prevented them from eating!
Bai Ye thought this, licked his lips, and quickly sprinted forward.
He splashed through puddles, sending water flying!
Two Pig-headed Men charged at Bai Ye, raising their axes and sweeping them horizontally.
*Bang!*
Feeling the rush of wind, Bai Ye leaped directly over their heads. In mid-air, the purple venom from Bai Ye's body scattered, landing on the Pig-headed Men.
*Hiss, hiss, hiss...*
Upon contact with the Pig-headed Men's bodies, the venom caused their skin to sizzle and burn, with wisps of black smoke rising.
In mere moments, the flesh on the Pig-headed Men's bodies vanished, leaving wounds deep enough to expose bone!
Bai Ye landed and swiftly punched out. The Poison Dragon reappeared, engulfing the two Pig-headed Men. In a short span, both Pig-headed Men were reduced to skeletons.
The next moment, Bai Ye heard shouts from behind and quickly turned around. The remaining Pig-headed Men had raised their weapons and were charging at Bai Ye together.
"Poison Cloud!"
Bai Ye took a deep breath and exhaled forward. Purple poisonous gas appeared and spread outwards, enveloping the surroundings.
The charging Pig-headed Men suddenly stopped, appearing agitated, and began hacking wildly at their surroundings with their weapons.
*Chop, chop, chop...*
The Pig-headed Men seemed to have gone mad, their weapons striking their comrades, hacking at each other.
This was not their will...
It was Sensory Deprivation!
When the Poison Cloud's gas invaded their bodies, it caused the targets to gradually lose their five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste!
With all sensations gone, only terror remained, leading to...
Frenzied, wild...
Attacks!
Watching the Pig-headed Men descend into madness, the rest was naturally simpler. All that was needed was to finish them off.
Bai Ye continuously conjured venom and sprayed it forward, corroding the Pig-headed Men's bodies until they all fell, their bodies riddled with holes, sinking into the puddles or mud, their lives completely extinguished.
Looking at the surrounding corpses and then at the venom on his body.
After a brief skirmish, Bai Ye had a rough understanding of the Venom-Venom Fruit's abilities.
After some thought, Bai Ye came to a very practical conclusion: This was a very troublesome and disgusting ability!
...