"You have killed a participant (Modern Civilization World)."
"You have obtained three Divine Stone Shards."
"You have killed a participant (Steampunk World)."
"You have obtained two Divine Stone Shards."
"For the first-time elimination of a Steampunk World participant, you have received a reward: Mechanical Scarab x1."
Mechanical Scarab (Weapon) (Blue): Crafted from the hollowed-out body of a giant scarab, Effect: Aerial Barrage (The Mechanical Scarab can fly and shoot at targets. Its attacks carry a holy effect, effective against demonic creatures).
...
Bai Ye ran forward rapidly.
Passing by, he casually killed three individuals, earning five Divine Stone Shards...
Completing a restricted zone only required fifteen Divine Stone Shards.
So why would anyone be unwilling to fight?
Of course, fighting aside, restricted zones were irreplaceable. After all, restricted zones yielded other items that could be used to enhance strength.
Moreover, to take a step back, the existence of restricted zones, in a sense, was meant to gather people, forcing them to draw their swords against each other.
As Bai Ye pondered this, he suddenly sensed something and abruptly stopped.
Bai Ye quickly looked up at the sky. Towering trees surrounded him, their dense foliage obscuring the sky, allowing only faint glimpses of light.
This was why the Spider Demon family chose to live here.
Even during the day, sunlight had difficulty penetrating the surrounding trees to reach the ground on Mount Natagumo.
And just as Bai Ye looked up...
Shadows suddenly appeared overhead, falling from the treetops.
Bai Ye couldn't help but smile.
"It seems I'm on the right track," Bai Ye murmured. "It should be nearby."
While lost in thought, Bai Ye's movements were not slow.
The Southern Ming Li Fire Sword was drawn. Bai Ye then formed a sword seal, and the Southern Ming Li Fire Sword transformed into a streak of rainbow light, piercing the sky.
The sword hummed with a resonant sound!
As it swept through the air, the shadows falling from above were continuously sliced apart, plummeting to the ground.
These shadows were revealed to be colorful spiders, each as large as a washbasin.
There were over a hundred such spiders. Their sudden descent was quite terrifying.
However, these spiders were unable to breach the defense of the Southern Ming Li Fire Sword. Accompanied by the streaking rainbow, the spiders were dismembered before they could even touch the ground.
Bai Ye did not stop. He continued to run forward, retracting the Southern Ming Li Fire Sword with one hand.
Simultaneously, Bai Ye began to carefully survey his surroundings.
The Spider Demon family consisted of five members: parents and three children.
If Bai Ye remembered correctly, this area was the territory occupied by the eldest brother of the Spider Demon family, and there was also an injured Demon Slayer soldier present.
Defeat the Spider Demon, rescue the Demon Slayer, and two restricted zone missions would be completed.
The problem was, while Bai Ye had a vivid memory of Mount Natagumo, it was from his previous life.
He remembered the general route, which was fine, but precisely recalling the locations of the Spider Demon and the injured Demon Slayer was too difficult for Bai Ye.
Therefore, Bai Ye could only determine the general area and then search.
And at this very moment...
Zzzzzt!
A violent surge of electricity suddenly emanated from ahead.
Bai Ye stopped and looked forward.
Deep within the mountain forest, a glow of orange-yellow light suddenly bloomed. Then, accompanied by the intense sound of electricity...
A bolt of orange-yellow lightning shot up from the ground, soaring over the surrounding towering trees and piercing the clouds.
Bai Ye grinned. "Found it!"
Bai Ye quickened his pace once more, swiftly moving through the forest. He leaped over a patch of bushes and then saw a Demon Slayer, clad in orange and with orange-yellow hair, slumped at the base of a large tree.
The Demon Slayer bore no visible wounds, but showed clear signs of poisoning.
His face and arms had turned a bruised, purplish-blue hue due to the poison.
And the culprit...
Bai Ye looked up!
The treetops were entwined with spider silk, woven into a massive spiderweb.
And at the center of that web...
Was a Spider Demon!
The Spider Demon's body resembled a millstone-sized, colorful spider, but it had a human head.
Short white hair, skin as pale as if coated in lime, and red markings on its face resembling spider eyes.
It was the elder brother of the Spider Demon family!
As Bai Ye appeared, the Spider Demon noticed his presence. It crawled on the spiderweb, slowly turning its body.
"Another one. It seems my food supply has increased."
Bai Ye ignored the creature and went directly to the Demon Slayer's side. He felt for the Demon Slayer's breath, confirming he was still alive, then cut open his arm with a single stroke.
Blood flowed out, but it was not bright red; it was a poisonous purplish-black.
Bai Ye opened his mouth and began to suck the poisoned blood from the Demon Slayer's arm.
The Spider Demon blinked in surprise, then burst into laughter. "So, you're a fool who doesn't know his limits. Do you think this can save him? No, you can't save him, and you'll be poisoned to death yourself."
Ptooey!
Bai Ye spat out the poisonous blood, annoyed. "So noisy!"
As Bai Ye spoke, he casually tossed the Southern Ming Li Fire Sword into the air.
The Southern Ming Li Fire Sword instantly transformed into a streak of rainbow light that soared upwards.
The immense power unleashed in that moment, and the sharp aura emanating from the flying sword, startled the Spider Demon. It quickly leaped to the side, spitting out a silk thread and hanging from a nearby tree.
In the next instant, the rainbow streak swept past.
The spiderweb was instantly pierced with a large hole, and the silk threads wrapped around the surrounding trees were severed.
The Spider Demon was greatly alarmed. Its spider silk was no ordinary silk; each strand was as tough as iron, and ordinary swords could not easily cut through it.
The Spider Demon looked at Bai Ye and said sternly, "Who are you? Are you one of the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Bai Ye still ignored the Spider Demon, continuing to draw out the poisoned blood from the Demon Slayer until the flowing blood was no longer purple but a vibrant red. Only then did Bai Ye wipe his mouth and stand up.
This fellow's life was saved.
Next was to eliminate the noisy one.
As Bai Ye pondered this, he turned around and looked at the Spider Demon, saying, "Who I am is not important. What's important is that you are about to die."
The Spider Demon was stunned, then burst into laughter. "Presumptuous! You don't even know you're about to die. In no time, the poison will take effect, just like on that little brat beside you."
"Perhaps!"
Bai Ye shrugged indifferently and then snapped his fingers.
The Southern Ming Li Fire Sword began to vibrate.
...