Mud and blood coated his entire body! That attack just now involved at least a hundred giant lizards!
Even though everyone present was a top-tier master, they were thoroughly battered! "Is everyone alright?" "We're fine," Long Xiang's voice drifted from the darkness.
"It’s just that Long Fei got scratched." "It's nothing, just a graze," Long Wen Fei said with some embarrassment. "These monsters are incredibly fierce." "Five Ice Wolves also sustained scratches!" Chen Guang checked the squad's casualties, his voice laced with worry.
"And two were bitten to death." "..." Everyone gasped, truly shocked. "Even the Ice Wolves were killed by them." Wen Fei and the others gathered beneath a tree!
Two Ice Wolves, each the size of one of them, lay sprawled in the muck, their necks and bellies ripped open, revealing stark white bone and dull, blackish flesh—a truly gruesome sight! "Such potent toxins," Chen Guang exclaimed in surprise.
"The wounds are necrotizing this quickly." "That only happens if they are directly sprayed by the venom," Luo Ye explained. "For the other scratched Ice Wolves, applying Purple Soul Grass to the wounds will neutralize the toxins." Luo Ye continued, "And a few cans of Golden Healing Elixir, and they'll recover." Chen Guang quickly rummaged through his spatial pouch, pulling out several cans of Golden Healing Elixir and the pre-prepared Purple Soul Grass!
The others immediately began tending to the injured Ice Wolves, bandaging their wounds! "Aside from these giant lizards, are there any other monsters?" I asked instinctively.
"Giant lizards are the most common predators in the Misty Marsh," Luo Ye stated. "They are fiercely territorial.
With them around, no other large predators venture close. However, we must leave this area quickly.
The scent of the lizard corpses will attract other venomous insects! Those things are much harder to deal with than the lizard horde." "What!
More monsters!" Long Xin and Matcha’s faces turned ashen! As if to confirm Luo Ye’s analysis!
Buzz buzz buzz! A strange, continuous whirring sound immediately filled the surroundings!
It was like the roar of fighter jets! Even though the light was already dim, I could clearly see a vast, dark mass approaching rapidly on the horizon!
"Ah, what is that?" Matcha cried out! "So many!" Long Xin looked even greener with fear!
"Damn it," Luo Ye's expression also changed drastically. "It’s the Marsh Locusts!
Light the Ink Scent Torches, quickly!" Ink Scent Torches! Made from branches of the highly aromatic Ink Scent Tree, these torches possessed strong repellent effects against mosquitoes, insects, and snakes—an essential item for travel on the Snow Domain Continent!
Before setting out, everyone had been allocated a dozen of these special torches in their spatial pouches! Without hesitation, everyone whipped out their Ink Scent Torches and lit them!
A rich, heavy fragrance immediately diffused into the air! And illuminated by the firelight, we clearly saw the massive, dark blur sweeping past us!
Though they moved swiftly, I managed to get a good look! They were creatures resembling both scarabs and locusts, each about the size of a fist!
At that moment, tens of thousands of these insects nearly blotted out the entire sky, roaring past almost skimming my head like low-flying bombers! Perhaps deterred by the torches we held, this overwhelming swarm actually veered around us as they approached!
They then descended like rain upon the dozen lizard corpses we had killed! In the blink of an eye, the bodies of the giant lizards were completely engulfed by the deluge of locusts!
Wen Fei Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch! A grinding sound followed!
The bizarre sight left everyone momentarily stunned! These insects were voraciously devouring the giant lizard carcasses!
In mere moments, one of the lizards was stripped clean, leaving nothing but a skeletal frame! "My heavens," Long Xin’s voice was almost a shaky squeak!
"What terrifying bugs," Mo Hui and Matcha exclaimed in unison. Even I, usually self-proclaimed fearless, couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath, a chill running down my spine.
"These are the legendary Marsh Locusts..." Before entering the Misty Marsh, Luo Ye had thoroughly briefed everyone on the terrible creatures they might encounter! And the Marsh Locusts were one of them!
According to Luo Ye’s description, Marsh Locusts were a type of extremely fierce, mutated grasshopper that would attack all living things, especially targeting any wound smelling of fresh blood! These creatures always moved in swarms!
Within the Misty Marsh, the locusts were virtually the natural enemy of all large life forms! "It’s a good thing we lit the Ink Scent Torches," Wu Feng said.
"Otherwise, we would have ended up like those corpses." "Let's move away from here quickly!" Luo Ye urged. "For now, it’s only the locusts we’ve attracted.
Worse venomous insects will appear soon!" "Even worse things?" Long Xin gasped. "If we run into them, there’ll be no escape," Wu Yin stated grimly.
The group dared not delay any further, holding their torches high as they quickly relocated! Along the way, we still encountered swarms of locusts whistling by, but every swarm cleverly avoided the area illuminated by our torches!
This forced me to secretly marvel at the wondrous intricacies of nature! I never would have imagined that these terrifying swarms would be afraid of the scent of Ink Scent!
But more than anything, I felt immense relief! If Luo Ye hadn't been our guide this time, Wen Fei, I couldn't possibly imagine the consequences of blindly charging into this swamp!
Luo Ye led us for a good thirty li straight before stopping! Similar to the previous resting spot, this area was a sparse patch of woodland.
The air in the woods was incredibly heavy with moisture, saturated with the stench of decaying leaves, silt, and various other foul odors that washed over us! It was incredibly unpleasant!
But the fortunate thing was that the ground here was remarkably solid! "We'll spend the night here," Luo Ye decided.
"Mm!" Everyone instinctively looked back! "Surely we're far enough away now," Long Xin panted.
"The locust hordes’ sense of smell can track scents from a great distance," Luo Ye corrected. "But since there are no corpses here, we don't need to worry about attracting those bugs." "Phew!" Mo Hui and Matcha breathed sighs of relief, still rattled.
"This Misty Marsh is truly not a place for humans." The previous intense battle, compounded by the sheer terror induced by the horrific swarm of insects, had left everyone physically and mentally drained, utterly exhausted! As soon as the tension broke, they all slumped down like broken dolls, leaning against tree roots—a truly pathetic sight!
"We're only at the edge of the Misty Marsh here," Chen Guang remarked thoughtfully. "Who knows what we’ll encounter if we go deeper." "What's wrong?
Are you scared?" Mo Hui teased. Wen Fei rolled his eyes at Mo Hui without preamble.
"Aren't you?" "Heh heh," Mo Hui didn't press the point, but I figured everyone else harbored the same unease he did! "I apologize for leading everyone into such danger," I said with a hint of remorse.
"Your Highness, don't say that," Chen Guang quickly countered. "This pursuit of Yue Che isn't just about Your Highness's matter!" "That's right," Wu Yin stated seriously.
"We all have sufficient reasons for venturing deep into the Misty Forest this time. Your Highness has no need to blame yourself.
Besides, with Luo Ye Wen Fei here, no matter how perilous the journey, we are certain to overcome it." "That's true," Mo Hui chuckled. "I didn't expect someone so young to know so much." "..." Luo Ye remained impassive, as if he hadn't heard Mo Hui’s comment at all.
Instead, he meticulously surveyed the surrounding conditions! Everyone was long accustomed to Luo Ye's aloofness, knowing it stemmed from his nature rather than any dissatisfaction with Mo Hui!
"It's getting late," Luo Ye announced. "Rest early; we have a long road ahead tomorrow!" The others nodded in agreement and began preparing their resting spots!
After scrambling for most of the night, they could finally rest! The specialized hammocks were the Mist Clan's prized possession, perfectly suited for the unique environment of the swamp!
Once three stable anchor points were found, they could be set up! Though they looked rickety, they were surprisingly steady!
Each hammock hung like a small boat suspended between tree trunks, at least ten meters above the ground, safe from most snakes and insects! The top of the hammock also featured a wind- and rain-proof canopy!
Under special circumstances, these lightweight hammocks could even be used as small rafts—they were incredibly versatile! Furthermore, several hammocks, when disassembled, could interlock like building blocks to form a larger vessel!
This made me marvel at the ingenuity of the Mist Clan people; such convenient and lightweight travel gear was unheard of on the Mafa Continent! After some effort, the hammocks were finally strung up!
Long Xin, already exhausted, scrambled into one without delay. Even in such a perilous location, she could fall asleep instantly!
This earned her my admiration for her nerves of steel! The duty of keeping watch was once again assigned to Luo Ye and Da Huo!
It was known that even during sleep, Da Huo’s spiritual awareness instinctively monitored everything around them; the slightest disturbance within ten li could not escape its intuition! With it standing guard, everyone felt a deep sense of security!
However, I had no desire to sleep. I turned onto my side, circulating my gong to regulate my internal energy while releasing my spiritual sense to observe the Misty Marsh of this continent!
Following the recent upheaval, I had gained a deeper understanding of the Misty Marsh! Of course, I knew this was just the beginning!
As we ventured deeper, we would encounter more terrifying phenomena! Would we be able to evade them as luckily as we had now!
Thinking of this, I instinctively glanced toward Luo Ye resting against a tree nearby, his eyes closed, the torch flickering beside him! The success or failure of this mission now rested entirely on him!
It was hard to imagine such a young man being so intimately familiar with the terrifying Misty Forest! I truly wondered what kind of past he had, what experiences had shaped him!
Lost in thought, the heart-palpitating buzzing sound reached my ears again! The sound originated from the direction where we had previously killed the giant lizards!
Using my spiritual sense, I discerned that another swarm of locusts was flying toward the spot where we had slain the lizards! It seemed that place had now become a feast ground for the Marsh Locusts!
At this thought, I subconsciously looked at the burning Ink Scent Torches surrounding us! It was hard to believe that something so inconspicuous could possess such astonishing power!
The profound mystery of nature was truly awe-inspiring! It also underscored an eternal, immutable truth!
Everything in the world is subject to checks and balances; even the strongest creature will always have its natural predator! Just as I was contemplating this!
Another strange disturbance registered in my spiritual sense! This time, however, it was not the buzzing of locusts!
It was a series of eerie rustling sounds! Like fallen leaves settling on the ground!
Yet I knew this was absolutely not the sound of leaves! What could it be!
In the three-dimensional map displayed in my mind, a vast expanse of dense, tiny points of light appeared in the distance! Each about the size of a fist!
But their numbers were staggeringly enormous! Spreading across lengths and widths of several hundred meters!
Moreover, I could even sense that these creatures were brimming with a brutality and frenzy that seemed intent on destroying everything—far more intense than the preceding locusts! This dense mass was also heading toward the location where we had killed the giant lizards earlier!
I immediately leaped down from the hammock and went to Luo Ye’s side. "Did you hear that?" Luo Ye had clearly sensed it too!
But for a moment, he couldn't confirm exactly what it was! After listening intently for a moment, he said grimly, "Those are the Marsh Soldier Ants.
They are still some distance away! It seems they were also drawn by the scent of blood." "That's strange.
Logically, those corpses should have been entirely consumed by now. Why are so many creatures still heading there?" "The corpses are merely the catalyst," Luo Ye explained.
"They attract more predators. Once these creatures gather, it triggers new conflicts.
Even the same type of locust swarm can belong to different clans; if two distinct clans meet, conflict is inevitable. This results in more casualties and more corpses, creating a vicious cycle that draws even more predators." "So, the place where we killed the lizards has now become a battleground for these monsters?" I was greatly alarmed.
"Yes," Luo Ye confirmed. "Giant lizards are usually not easily killed, but today more than a dozen were slain at once.
That scent of blood is enough to draw every predator within a hundred li radius. You could say that within a hundred li of the swamp tonight, a terrible war is erupting." "Pulling one thread moves the whole tapestry?" I mused aloud.
"If that's the case, won't this cycle continue viciously, until these creatures kill each other off entirely?" Wen Fei "Not quite," Luo Ye replied. "Once daylight breaks, these creatures will disperse on their own." "I see." Hearing Luo Ye’s explanation gave me a deeper layer of insight into the Misty Marsh.
If merely a dozen corpses could cause such a commotion, it demonstrated just how vicious and aggressive the life forms in the Misty Marsh were, and highlighted the terrifying danger of the swamp itself. "It seems everything in the Misty Marsh is incredibly fearsome." "Naturally," Luo Ye said solemnly.
"To survive in such a perilous environment, none are weak. Even powerful large predators like the giant lizards, upon encountering small things like Marsh Soldier Ants and Marsh Locusts, can only dive into the muck to save their lives!
Conversely, the Marsh Locusts and Soldier Ants fear a peculiar bird called the Fire Sparrow—a type of fire-breathing avian that also likes to travel in swarms! The flames spat out by thousands of Fire Sparrows simultaneously can stretch for dozens of li!
That scene is truly spectacular. Even overwhelming swarms of locusts and soldier ants meet their end if they run into the Fire Sparrows!" "And what is the natural enemy of the Fire Sparrows?" I asked curiously.
"The natural enemy of the Fire Sparrows is the giant lizard!" Luo Ye replied. "What?
That's impossible," I almost couldn't believe it. "Fire Sparrows can fly and spit fire, while the giant lizards are confined to the ground.
How could they possibly be their natural enemy?" "The giant lizards emit a strange sound," Luo Ye explained. "It's a very odd noise that we humans cannot hear at all, but for the Fire Sparrows, it is a lethal sonic attack!
No matter how numerous the Fire Sparrows are, once they enter the giant lizard's territory, they are subjected to the lizard's sonic assault, falling from the sky to become food in the lizard's maw." "Sonic waves," I realized suddenly. "Is that ultrasound?" "Ultrasound?" This time, Luo Ye looked utterly blank.
"What is that?" "It's sound that human ears cannot hear," I quickly clarified. "It's hard to explain, but sound can be categorized in many ways!" "That sound can be categorized in many ways, I do know that," Luo Ye responded, showing strong comprehension.
"Is ultrasound one of those categories?" "Yes!" I nodded repeatedly. "It seems the creatures in the Misty Marsh are mutually restrained, maintaining the balance and stability of the entire ecosystem.
Locusts prey on lizards, lizards prey on Fire Sparrows, and Fire Sparrows prey on locusts, forming a cycle of mutual creation and restriction." "As expected of Your Highness, seeing the key to this relationship at a glance," Luo Ye displayed a rare flicker of surprise. "All things in the world must adhere to the laws of ecological balance, or extinction is only a matter of time." As someone from the modern era, I naturally understood the vital importance of ecological balance.