For cultivators, due to the spiritual energy enhancement, they can resist the miasma for a short period. However, one cannot stay inside for too long, as the flesh will still be corroded when the spiritual energy is insufficient.
"Before entering, everyone should take their Qing Shen Pills and then use spiritual energy to protect themselves before entering the forest," Niu Yong reminded. "The Qing Shen Pills are effective for five hours, but everyone's strength and spiritual power vary. So, later, watch your own timing and come out. Remember to protect yourselves!"
"Okay!" the students responded in unison, their spirits soaring.
Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) entered the "Corpse Erosion Forest" together with Yan Qinghuai. Accompanying them were the familiar Mao Peilan, Jin Lang, Bai Ruzhen, and the two brothers Zheng Yi and Zheng Er.
"Stinky cat, don't drag me down later! Just stay behind me, understand?" Jin Lang's words were still harsh, but in reality, the two demons had already become quite close.
"Stupid dog! You'd better not drag me down. Otherwise, I'll throw you in there!" Mao Peilan also refused to be outdone.
The other demons knew their personalities and all smiled without speaking, following Yan Qinghuai into the forest one by one.
Upon entering the "Corpse Erosion Forest," they saw the perpetual miasma filling the air. Everyone quickly circulated their stored spiritual energy to resist it.
However, for Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang), there was no need to use her own reserves, as she found that even in this miasma-filled environment, she could still absorb spiritual energy independently, albeit in smaller quantities than usual.
But before they could reach the areas of weakened barriers mentioned by the two powerful beings, several dark figures lunged at them.
Yan Qinghuai and Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) reacted with extreme speed, quickly casting their techniques to defend themselves. The other demons were slightly slower but soon grabbed their respective weapons.
Only the brothers Zheng Yi and Zheng Er reacted much slower than the others. They only saw the dark figures when they were right in front of them. Zheng Er was even scratched on the arm by one of the dark figures, and the wound burned intensely.
Although these dark figures were not very strong, their sheer numbers and speed made up for it. Thus, it took this group of demons quite some time to completely eliminate them. As they looked down to examine the corpses of these dark figures, they discovered they were of a species never before seen in the "Vast Wasteland."
"These should be creatures of the demon race, called Three-Headed Demon Rats. They are extremely fast, and their claws are highly venomous. Once scratched, the poison will spread rapidly until the entire body loses sensation and becomes immobile. When the poison reaches the heart, death follows!" Yan Qinghuai explained to the bewildered demons after observing them.
"Oh no, I was scratched on my left forearm just now." Zheng Er heard this and quickly looked down at his arm. The wound there had already begun to swell rapidly and was spreading upwards along his arm towards both his fingers and his shoulder.
"This is bad! Quickly take the antidote pill!" Zheng Yi quickly fed his brother a pill, but it turned out to be useless.
Seeing this, Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) quickly went forward to examine him and then cast "Qi Consolidation to the Body" on his arm, forming a shield of her demonic energy at his shoulder. "I've temporarily isolated the poison here, but after we leave, we'll still need to find an elder to get a stronger purification pill to try!"
Zheng Yi was extremely worried about his brother. For their Azure Hawk clan, the shoulder blade in human form was where their original wings were attached. If an Azure Hawk could no longer fly, it would be a terrible fate for him. "Brother, you should go back first! Don't wait any longer, if the poison spreads further, it will be too late."
"But I've only been in here for a short while! And Fellow Daoist Bai has already helped me control it, so it should be fine!" Zheng Er still had a lot of enthusiasm that he couldn't release, and naturally, he was unwilling to leave now.
However, Zheng Yi was still uneasy. Although Bai Qiushui had been very powerful before, she had not made any further progress in the more than four years that followed and was still a student with a red token! So, Zheng Yi turned to Yan Qinghuai, "Fellow Daoist Yan, do you have a better solution?"
Yan Qinghuai glanced at him, understanding that he was somewhat distrustful of Bai Qiushui. He replied with some displeasure, "Bai Bai has already done her best, and I have no other way to control this poison!"
"Then you should go back, brother! I'm afraid you'll lose your life here!" Zheng Yi insisted.
"I won't..." Before Zheng Er's protest could be fully expressed, Zheng Yi sneakily attacked, instantly transforming into his original Azure Hawk form, unable to move.
Zheng Yi picked up his brother from the ground and said to the remaining demons who had entered together, "I'll take him back first. I'll come back later to find you all!" With that, he left without looking back. For him, eliminating demons or contributing to the academy was not as important as his family's life!
Everyone has their own choices. Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) didn't say much and chose to continue moving forward with the other demons.
After passing through this section of the forest, they reached a large swamp. Looking around, there seemed to be no place to step.
Bai Ruzhen calculated the distance to the opposite bank of the swamp and stepped forward first. "My original form is a large snake, and I can probably reach the other side. How about I lie down and act as a bridge, and you all step on my back to cross?"
"But you won't have any support in the middle, and it won't be easy for you lying on the swamp, right? Besides, we don't know if there's any danger inside yet, so it's probably not a good idea to cross rashly!" Mao Peilan considered the situation.
Jin Lang heard this and picked up a few stones from the ground, throwing them into the swamp in different directions with varying force. Apart from sinking without a doubt, there were no signs of any living creatures hiding within. "It should be fine. See, nothing was provoked when the stones were thrown!"
"No, Ruzhen's entire body would be in contact with the swamp, and if there's any trouble, she won't be able to dodge in time." Mao Peilan was concerned for Bai Ruzhen's safety and didn't want her to take the risk.
"How about this, I'll fly up to scout first. Once it's safe, I'll fly you all over one by one." Yan Qinghuai was the only flying demon present now.
Without having to physically touch the swamp surface, everyone agreed to this approach. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Then the rest of us will guard you!" Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) suggested.
Yan Qinghuai conjured a pair of wings from behind him. Most of the feathers were white, with a few golden feathers faintly shimmering at the tips. Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) noticed that Yan Qinghuai's wings were slightly different from the ones he had when he escaped from the old turtle.
While Yan Qinghuai was flying up to scout, Jin Lang came over and asked gossipingly, "Little rabbit, is Yan Qinghuai's original form really a Cliff Swallow? Why do these wings look a bit different?"
"Perhaps the wings change with cultivation level!" Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) also had doubts in her heart, but everyone had the right to keep their secrets. Since he didn't want to talk about it now, there was no need to ask further.