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The man who had crushed the Flesh-Eating Pincer Bug looked remorseful, his face paling.
"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to. Would it help if I buried it now?"
Ling Qingxue shook her head. "It's no use, unless we have a purifying potion to eliminate all the odor."
A sense of unease settled in; encountering this so soon after entering was understandably disorienting.
Anyone else would probably have instinctively crushed the Flesh-Eating Bug.
Ma Rendong stepped forward from the crowd, taking out a packet of powder.
"Indeed, heroes step forward in crucial moments! I, Ma Rendong, Ma Family Medical Clinic's 38th generation successor, finally have my day!"
Zhou Weiwei's face lit up with hope. "Brother Ma, is this powder effective?"
Ma Rendong smiled and nodded. "This is my Ma family's ancestral all-purpose powder. It can be taken internally or applied externally; it can detoxify and stop bleeding—a one-medicine-all-purpose remedy! It'll definitely purify these Flesh-Eating Bugs. I trust my grandfather wouldn't lie to me!"
A person nearby immediately smiled and massaged Ma Rendong's shoulders.
"Great! Brother Ma, hurry! Any later and we might attract those bugs."
Ma Rendong opened the medicine packet and poured the powder onto the bug's corpse.
Instantly, the powder began to corrode the corpse like sulfuric acid, emitting an unpleasant odor, though the peculiar smell previously emitted by the insect was significantly reduced.
"Amazing! But can this stuff really be taken internally and applied externally?"
"Of course! My grandfather has taken it!" Ma Rendong said confidently. Just as he was feeling smug, a rustling sound came from the surroundings.
"Hiss!"
The hiss startled everyone.
A Blood Crystal Beetle, the size of a hunting dog, crawled out, its enormous pincers sending chills down their spines.
"Damn it, didn't we use medicine? How come it still attracted a monster?!"
"Damn it, Ma Rendong, this is fake medicine!"
Ma Rendong frowned. "That shouldn't be the case. My grandfather said this medicine was passed down from our great-grandfather, 100% authentic."
Everyone: ???
"Great-grandfather? This medicine has long expired! What pharmacy can store medicine for hundreds of years?!"
Ma Rendong gasped. "So that's it! I was wondering why my grandfather died after taking this medicine. It wasn't that the medicine was ineffective, it was expired..."
This wasn't a family of doctors; it was clearly a family of quack doctors!
And to think they were relieved that Brother Ma had stood up, only for him to drop a massive turd...
Ling Qingxue slightly tilted her head, signaling Wu Liang to make his move.
Wu Liang's phoenix wings flapped as he flew out, killing the Fourth Rank early-stage Blood Crystal Beetle with a single claw strike.
They then found a warm and cozy spot for its corpse, allowing it to continue radiating light and warmth.
"This medicine is somewhat effective; it won't attract too many beasts. We'll guard this place and wait for Beiming Yan to return; it shouldn't be too long!"
The Kunpeng's speed was extremely fast; finding a river or lake in this dense forest shouldn't be difficult.
The rustling sounds around them grew more urgent, and small insect-like beasts began to rush in, each one as frenzied as wolves seeing sheep.
The highest-level among them was a Fourth Rank mid-stage Thunderwing Locust, smaller than the Blood Crystal Beetle, but still big compared to the other insect beasts.
Wu Liang, with his 'Size Control' skill activated to its limit, was the size of a small mountain, capable of crushing a large group with a single stomp.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!
Everyone released their magical beasts from their beast pouches and began to fight the insect beasts.
Wu Liang transformed into a meat grinder and instantly activated his Devouring Domain. The weak insectoids were completely unable to withstand the bloodthirsty slaughter of the Taotie.
That Fourth Rank mid-stage Thunderwing Locust couldn't even withstand a single slap from him before being crushed to death.
Slapping was indeed the most straightforward and unadorned form of attack; no matter how strong the opponent, they're all crushed!
"These insect-type beasts are much weaker individually than other types of magical beasts, but their sheer numbers give them a huge advantage, making them perfect food for me," Wu Liang muttered.
Ling Qingxue nodded slightly. "That's right, especially under the leadership of the Insect King, all the insect beasts attack together, and their offensive is relentless, posing a great threat to us!"
The insect race had a numerical advantage, and some were poisonous. Wu Liang wasn't afraid, but Ling Qingxue needed to be wary.
Creating a safe place was the top priority right now.
Ling Qingxue activated her spiritual power to set up a killing formation. Countless streaks of Cold Moon Sword energy shot out, slaying the approaching insect beasts, while Wu Liang feasted.
Their numbers —only about twenty people— were too small. Their firepower was insufficient when facing the dense swarm of insects.
But fewer people also had their advantages; the risk of exposure was lower.
There was always someone with a knack for doing crazy things in a group, like the person who trampled the Flesh-Eating Bug earlier. Even one such person could endanger the entire team.
Gradually, no more insects approached, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness, I didn't die on the first day! But why isn't Sister Yan back yet? It's been over half an hour. With the Kunpeng's speed, she should be quite far by now!"
"Perhaps some flying insect beasts are blocking her way. She should be back soon."
About ten minutes later, Beiming Yan finally returned on her Kunpeng.
She patted her chest. "I was scared to death! I was chased by Poisonous Soul Bees the whole way. Luckily, my little Kun is fast!"
The Poisonous Soul Bees' venom wasn't fatal, but it could affect the mind, causing unconsciousness. Their stings were also extremely penetrating, able to pierce even scales. Combined with their high speed, they were quite troublesome to deal with.
"So, did you find a suitable location?" Ling Qingxue asked.
Beiming Yan's face showed a mixture of joy and worry.
"Good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"What's the good news?" Zhou Weiwei asked curiously.
"The good news is I've found an excellent habitat, a perfect island in the middle of a lake. The island is over 500 meters from the shore, and only flying beasts can enter it."
Hearing this, everyone immediately became excited.
The island in the middle of the lake was exactly the perfect habitat they had just envisioned. Isolated from the mainland, it would greatly reduce attacks from insect beasts, and even cooking wouldn't be a problem!
After all, who wants to eat dry bread? Hot food was fit for humans to eat!
"The bad news is that it's already been taken over by Poisonous Soul Bees. Were you chased by them when you went to scout the island?" Ling Qingxue asked with a smile.
Beiming Yan nodded reluctantly. "As expected of Qingxue, you guessed it right away. That island in the middle of the lake is a giant beehive, teeming with Poisonous Soul Bees. I sensed that the queen bee was probably at the Fifth Rank. It won't be easy for us to deal with it."
The two of them were able to kill the Fifth Rank late-stage Hurricane Eagle King thanks to the power of their Taotie and Northern Sea Kunpeng bloodline divine skills.
Even without bloodline divine skills, killing a Fifth Rank late-stage enemy wouldn't be easy for them.
Furthermore, the number of those Poisonous Soul Bees in the hive was overwhelming; dealing with them might not be simple.
Wu Liang smiled disdainfully.
"Just a few little bees. I'll take you guys to seize that territory!"