Chapter 117 Insect Repellent Technique
Deep within the Blackwater Marsh, the fog grew increasingly thick, to the point where one could hardly see their own hand in front of their face.
The swamp beneath their feet gurgled and simmered, as if concealing countless deadly traps. The cloying, stench in the air grew even stronger, and even after taking the herbal medicine to clear the miasma and covering their mouth and nose with a cloth soaked in the medicine, they still felt a nauseous headache.
"This miasma is strange; it can erode internal energy. Everyone, circulate your inner energy and protect your heart meridians," Lou Jin reminded in a deep voice. He keenly sensed that the flow of his own internal energy was somewhat sluggish than usual.
Ye Xunyang gripped his longsword tightly. Since the gun wasn't very effective in the dense forest, he switched to another weapon.
He felt the spontaneous resistance of the masculine internal energy within him and nodded, saying, "Your Highness, rest assured, I can still hold on."
His practice is extremely yang and strong, and has a certain restraining effect on this kind of yin evil miasma.
Arno walked slightly behind them. She seemed to have anticipated this situation. She took out a small sachet from her bosom, crushed it, and released a refreshing herbal scent, temporarily dispelling some of the unpleasant sweetness in the surroundings.
"This is a mind-awakening herb, which can temporarily counteract the bewitching effects of miasma, but it won't last long."
The team struggled through the mud and fog, moving slowly.
Wushan led several guards ahead to scout the way, taking each step with extreme caution and using a long staff to probe the area ahead.
Suddenly, a short, low shout came from ahead: "Watch your step!"
Before the words were finished, there were several "plop" sounds, and the ground beneath the feet of the two scouting guards suddenly collapsed, instantly swallowing half of their bodies by the dark mud.
They reacted extremely quickly, immediately channeling their energy, but the swamp seemed to have a suction force, dragging them deeper and deeper.
"Don't move!" Arno shouted urgently, "It's a man-eating swamp, the more you struggle, the faster you sink!"
Lou Jin threw out two specially made ropes, which accurately wrapped around the arms of the two guards.
"pull!"
Ye Xunyang and several strongmen beside him immediately stepped forward and worked together to pull the rope.
The swamp had a strong suction force, and it took several people using all their internal energy to barely drag the two guards out of the mud little by little.
When the two were pulled up, they were covered in foul-smelling black mud, their faces were pale, and they were still shaken.
"Thank you, Master!" the two said breathlessly.
Arno looked at the swamp that had returned to calm, his expression grave: "This Blackwater Swamp truly lives up to its name. The Man-Eating Swamp is just one of the dangers. Everyone must stay close and watch your step. Areas that are too dark green or where there is no vegetation around are likely to be traps."
After this experience, the group became even more cautious in their march.
As we passed through an area where the fog was slightly thinner, a sudden, dense rustling sound came from all around.
"Here they come again!" Ye Xunyang gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and looked around warily.
However, this time it wasn't corpse puppets that appeared, but countless colorful poisonous insects!
Centipedes, scorpions, spiders... and many other strange insects whose names I don't know emerged from the mist. Their eyes gleamed with an eerie light, clearly indicating that they did not gather naturally.
"It's an insect repellent spell!" Arno's expression changed slightly. "Be careful, most of these insects are highly poisonous!"
The swarm of insects moved extremely fast, and in an instant they were upon us.
The guards brandished their weapons to slash at the insects, but there were too many of them, and they were too small to defend against.
Soon, several people were bitten by the poisonous insects, and their wounds quickly swelled and turned black, causing them to groan in pain.
"Try it with fire," Lou Jin ordered.
The guards lit torches and waved them to drive away the swarm of insects.
The fire was indeed effective; the insects feared fire, and their attack slowed down slightly.
But the swarm of insects seemed endless; as those in front were burned to death, those behind immediately took their place.
Ye Xunyang channeled his inner energy into the longsword, causing the blade to faintly glow. With each swing, the sword energy became scorching, and any poisonous insects that approached were either killed or burned.
However, his internal energy was also being depleted very quickly, and fine sweat seeped from his forehead.
Arno took out several medicine packets from his pocket and quickly distributed them to the people around him: "This is insect repellent powder. Crush it and sprinkle it around here to try."
The powder emitted a pungent odor, forming an invisible barrier. As expected, the swarm of insects retreated upon contact with the powder, daring not to approach.
This temporarily alleviated the crisis.
"This can't go on; our internal energy will run out sooner or later." Lou Jin scanned the direction from which the swarm of insects was coming. "The manipulator must be nearby!"
He listened intently, and amidst the rustling of insects and the shouts of the crowd, he caught an extremely faint sound of a flute.
The flute's eerie sound, with its distorted melody, was what was guiding the swarm of insects.
"Over there!" Lou Jin suddenly pointed to a strange forest covered with vines in the left front.
Before he finished speaking, Ye Xunyang had already shot out like an arrow, his long sword pointing straight at the strange forest!
Lou Jin followed closely behind, and the two worked together seamlessly, instantly bursting into the forest.
The flute music in the woods stopped abruptly.
A dark figure swooped down from the treetops, a curved blade in hand slashing towards Ye Xunyang with a stench.
The man was thin and dressed in Nanzhao clothing, with strange paint on his face.
Ye Xunyang raised his sword to meet the attack, and the swords clashed, producing a piercing metallic sound.
The man's movements were unpredictable, as slippery as an eel, and his knife skills were ruthless and cunning, targeting vital points.
Lou Jin did not interfere in Ye Xunyang's battle; his goal was to find the Piper.
Suddenly, he sensed a faint presence emanating from a huge, withered tree to his right rear.
"Found you!" Lou Jin turned around and slapped the withered tree with his palm.
"Boom!" The dead tree exploded, and amidst the flying wood chips, a dwarf huddled in a tree hole, holding a bone flute, was revealed.
When the dwarf realized his whereabouts had been discovered, he opened his mouth as if to blow the bone flute.
Lou Jin would not give him another chance. He shot out a hidden weapon that instantly pierced Lou Jin's throat.
The dwarf's eyes widened as the bone flute slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
With the death of the manipulator, the surging swarm of insects outside seemed to lose its command, instantly becoming chaotic and disorderly. Instead of attacking the crowd, they tore at each other, scattered and crawled away, and soon disappeared into the thick fog and swamp.
The battle on Ye Xunyang's side was also nearing its end.
Seeing his companion dead, the man with the curved sword lost his composure. Ye Xunyang seized the opportunity, piercing his heart with his sword, and he fell to the ground dead.
The battle ended, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but the atmosphere became even more oppressive.
The series of attacks showed that they had indeed found the right direction, but it also meant that they were completely exposed to the sight of the Candle Dragon, and the road ahead would only become more dangerous.
Clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded.
The people who were bitten by the poisonous insects took the antidote pills prepared by Yu Beichen, and their condition has temporarily stabilized, but their mobility has been affected.
Arno examined the bodies of the dwarf and the man with the scimitar and found the Shadow Guard's mark on them as well.
"They're all Shadow Guards. Zhulong is really going to great lengths to stop us."
She stood up and looked deeper into the Blackwater Marsh, where the mist churned, as if concealing the gaping maw of a giant beast.
"The more he acts like this, the more it shows that General Ye may still be alive, and that we are getting closer and closer to him."
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