My Martial Arts Level Never Drops

Chapter 432: Chapter 200: Erosion Puppet

’What terrifying corrosive power!’

’This white smoke is probably highly toxic, too!’

Qin Fang’s heart sank.

Fortunately, worried that the thick smoke might be poisonous after catching the first foul whiff, he had immediately held his breath.

So he didn’t feel any discomfort at the moment.

He watched as several large trees melted into pools of black liquid, like wax statues. The black liquid even continued to eat away at the ground, though its speed had clearly slowed significantly.

’What in the world is this monster?’

Qin Fang frowned deeply, turned his head, and swept his Divine Sense over the monster.

The monster was completely frozen solid. His Profound Nether True Essence was even continuing to exert its power, slowly thickening the Ice Crystal encasing it.

But Qin Fang wasn’t sure if the thing had truly been incapacitated.

Naturally, he didn’t dare approach it rashly.

The monster was obviously covered in poison, and this poison was clearly in a completely different league than that of the Giant Bees.

Qin Fang wasn’t one to take unnecessary risks.

’And most importantly... where did this monster come from?’

’Did it just appear in these mountains out of nowhere?’

Qin Fang’s brow furrowed. He recalled the scent of blood he’d smelled on the air earlier. After pondering for a moment in mid-air, he turned to look at Xile, who had run far away but was clearly still watching the battle. He projected his voice with True Essence, saying, ”Stay put. I’ll be over in a bit.”

Once he was sure Xile had heard and wasn’t approaching, he glanced back at the ice-bound monster. He determined that even if it wasn’t dead, it likely wouldn’t be able to move again anytime soon. With that, he tore through the sky, flying in the direction of the bloody scent.

After flying for about two kilometers, Qin Fang stopped in mid-air.

His gaze hardened as he looked down... at a decimated village that had appeared before him.

The entire village, the ground itself, was covered in vast quantities of black liquid, a scene of utter destruction.

But the most crucial part... amidst the village coated in black liquid, were countless mutilated corpses.

These bodies were mostly melted, like wax statues. There was hardly an intact corpse to be found.

Black liquid and crimson blood mingled, flowing together.

Wisps of white smoke rose from the grotesque remains, gathering in the air before being scattered by the wind.

’...Did that monster do all this?’

Even Qin Fang, who was long accustomed to the sight of corpses and had even lived through the True Martial Chaos, felt his pupils shrink at this scene.

’...What is the origin of this monster?’

He had initially smelled blood and thought he’d run into the Blood Luo Sect.

’But looking at it now... this doesn’t seem like the Blood Luo Sect’s handiwork.’

The monsters transformed from Blood Luo Sect experts at the Anjin realm and above were tumor-like creatures... even when they evolved, they just became bigger tumors.

Those tumors looked disgusting, covered in slime... but that slime wasn’t poisonous.

After all... Qin Fang had personally cut down one of those monsters up close. He’d even been sprayed in the face with its blood and slime, and nothing had happened.

’...Those things were just gross to look at, that’s all.’

But the monster he encountered this time was clearly different... The slime on its body was obviously full of deadly poison.

It could melt trees and people like wax statues!

’...This is obviously a completely different MO from the Blood Luo Sect.’

’Then what could it be?’

’The work of another evil faction?’

’Or... is this monster some kind of naturally occurring... Poison Demon?’

Qin Fang looked around... Because he had taken a roundabout route, he didn’t even know which County he was currently in.

’...What should I do now?’

’I don’t know if that monster is dead or not. If I don’t deal with it, and it manages to withstand the Profound Nether True Essence and revive, I’m afraid... it will cause another huge tragedy nearby.’

’But if I try to deal with it... the monster is covered in poison. Since my ranged attacks didn’t work, I might have to handle it up close... If I’m careless and get tainted by that poison, I’ll be in big trouble.’

Just as Qin Fang was hesitating, a clear, piercing whistle suddenly rang out.

This instantly alerted Qin Fang in the air, and his pupils contracted sharply...

’Someone’s here?’

The whistle was long and drawn out, and he couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

But Qin Fang acted decisively. With a flicker, he vanished from the sky and dropped into the dense forest below.

He immediately activated his ’Deep Stream Returning Technique’, which he had already brought to Great Success.

Instantly, his entire aura was suppressed into a state of complete nothingness.

All fluctuations of his True Essence vanished.

He retracted his Divine Sense.

He began the Contemplation of the ’Deep Stream’ in his mind, making himself as still and silent as a deep pool.

...Even if a Divine Sense were to sweep over him, it would be difficult to detect him, unless the other party had cultivated some kind of Investigation Leaf Skill.

...It would be like scanning a stubborn rock.

Qin Fang hid silently in the forest, observing the destroyed village in the distance.

A short while later, he heard the sound of footsteps.

The footsteps paused.

”Hm? Where’s the Erosion Puppet?”

A confused voice spoke up.

”Over there... that looks like it was caused by the Erosion Puppet’s poison.”

”How did it get over there?”

”I’ll go take a look. You guys collect the Filthy Earth Source Material. Hurry up.”

”Yes.”

In the forest, Qin Fang’s brow furrowed slightly...

’...Filthy Earth Source Material?’

’What’s that?’

’And...’

’Erosion Puppet?’

’...Sounds like they’re talking about that monster from before?’

Just as he was pondering this, a dark figure suddenly shot through the air. It tapped its feet on the treetops, as if intending to head for the distance.

But just as the person passed over Qin Fang’s head, their eyes suddenly glanced down.

Their gazes met.

The person wore a grayish-brown hooded robe.

The robe was far from ornate. It was tattered and ragged, with an uneven hem. Its surface resembled dry, cracked earth, covered in a mottled pattern of intersecting dark brown and murky green.

It was cinched at the waist with a reddish-brown cord, from which hung several grayish-white containers of various sizes. They looked like they were made of bone or pottery, their surfaces also covered in fine pores or stains.

...The clothes alone gave off a viscerally unsettling feeling of filth.

And in that brief moment of eye contact, Qin Fang saw clearly...

...within the shadows of the hood was a pair of bizarre eyes with abnormally pale, almost grayish-white pupils.

The instant their eyes met, those grayish-white pupils constricted slightly.

A look of clear astonishment also appeared on the person’s face.

SWISH!

A faint whoosh suddenly echoed as a dark glint shot up from below, heading straight for the space between the person’s eyebrows.