The corpse, corroded by venom, naturally looked gruesome, causing the complexions of the remaining three to change drastically.
Beyond its destructive power, the true terror of the Doku Doku no Mi's ability lay in its deterrence.
Who wouldn't be unnerved witnessing a perfectly healthy individual's flesh and blood instantly corroded into a skeletal husk?
However, Bai Ye clearly had no intention of stopping there.
*Sizzle!*
The sound of crackling electricity surged once more. In the next instant, Bai Ye's figure flickered, appearing before two of them.
*Thwack!*
Bai Ye thrust his sword forward, piercing the throat of one man. With his other hand, he seized the head of the other.
In the following moment, a torrent of flames erupted from Bai Ye's palm.
"Flame Blast!"
*Boom!*
A deafening roar echoed as the flames in his grip detonated, blasting off half of the opponent's head. Then, the charred corpse tumbled to the ground.
"You have slain a participant (Mechanical Civilization World)."
"You have obtained two God Stone Fragments."
"You have slain a participant (Xianxia World)."
"You have obtained three God Stone Fragments."
...
Bai Ye yanked out his sword, the Thunder Fang Beast pulling the corpse away as it was ripped from the man's throat. But at this very moment...
A searing heat suddenly appeared!
Bai Ye felt waves of heat rising behind him. Turning, he saw the bespectacled man holding a magic staff aloft. Above them, a massive fireball materialized.
The next instant, the man pointed his staff forward, and the fireball plunged towards Bai Ye.
Then...
As the incoming fireball approached, Bai Ye abruptly raised his sword and slashed forward.
In a flash, the fireball was cleaved in two, shattering instantly.
Bai Ye strode forward, the man's face contorted with fear.
But just then...
"Bai Ye!"
A voice called out from afar. It was Gao Ming, leading his men in a hurried approach.
"This is a misunderstanding," Gao Ming said breathlessly, arriving before Bai Ye. "Listen to me first."
Bai Ye chuckled, "Isn't he part of your Evil Spirit Gang?"
Gao Ming shot a venomous glare at the bespectacled man before replying, "He is one of ours, but believe me, this wasn't an order from me, nor from our leader. He acted on his own initiative."
Bai Ye asked, "Should I believe you?"
Gao Ming pleaded, "Please believe me, it truly is a misunderstanding. Our Evil Spirit Gang was only recently formed, still a fledgling organization. Our management isn't in place yet, which is why subordinates act independently. I will definitely give you an explanation."
The management of the Evil Spirit Gang?
Bai Ye curved his lips.
In his previous life, Bai Ye would have dismissed such nonsense outright. Harvey Stanson had built the Evil Spirit Gang from the ground up to rival the Hidden Dragon Society, not by having more members or more experts, but through its orderly management.
However, the term "fledgling organization" used by Gao Ming did lend some credibility. The Evil Spirit Gang was indeed in its nascent stages, with rules and order yet to be fully established.
"Then I'll reluctantly believe you," Bai Ye said. "As for an explanation, I don't need it from you!"
*Sizzle!*
Suddenly, electricity surged around Bai Ye's body. He then raised a hand and pointed towards the sky.
In the next instant...
*Sizzle!*
A bolt of electricity shot from Bai Ye's fingertip into the air. It rapidly thickened before plummeting down, striking the bespectacled man below.
"Ah!"
As the electricity engulfed the man, his body ripped and tore. When the current dissipated, he was a bloody mess, collapsing to his knees, black smoke rising from his entire body.
Then...
*Thump!*
The man's body fell forward. After a few twitches, he finally lay still, completely devoid of life.
"You have slain a participant (Bio-Gene Civilization World)."
"You have obtained three God Stone Fragments."
Bai Ye looked at Gao Ming and said, "I prefer to give myself my own explanations."
Gao Ming fell silent for a moment. "Of course, if that satisfies you, I have no objections. Neither does the Evil Spirit Gang."
Bai Ye nodded. "That's good."
"I hope this doesn't affect our cooperation," Gao Ming said as he produced a Den Den Mushi. "I forgot to give this to you earlier. This thing is called a Den Den Mushi..."
Bai Ye replied, "I know what this is."
Gao Ming smiled. "I hope we can keep in frequent contact."
"Of course," Bai Ye said. "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be going now."
Gao Ming nodded. "Please, go ahead."
Watching Bai Ye depart, Gao Ming turned to the group accompanying him.
"You all saw it, didn't you?" Gao Ming declared loudly. "The World Battlefield is this dangerous. For truly powerful experts, killing us is as easy as flipping a hand. It is precisely because of this that the Evil Spirit Gang exists. The weak gather together to resist the strong..."
Though Bai Ye had moved far away, his keen senses picked up Gao Ming's words.
He had to admit, Gao Ming was quite a talent.
The slaughter of so many people by Bai Ye's hand would undoubtedly be a significant blow to the morale of the Evil Spirit Gang.
The Evil Spirit Gang was ostensibly formed under the guise of the Hidden Dragon Society, but its core purpose was to unite the strength of its members to avoid being bullied, or more directly, to learn from the Hidden Dragon Society and bully others.
Therefore, when they gathered, they were still no match for their enemies...
Such a situation would surely cause wavering thoughts among these individuals.
However, Gao Ming managed to spin the event to his advantage, using it to reinforce the necessity of the Evil Spirit Gang's existence and rekindle the confidence of his followers. His capabilities were evident.
His reaction was indeed swift.
This piqued Bai Ye's curiosity. In his previous life, Bai Ye had considerable dealings with the Evil Spirit Gang, though mostly as adversaries.
However, he had never heard of Gao Ming's name back then.
This meant that in Bai Ye's past life, Gao Ming had not made a name for himself within the Evil Spirit Gang, or perhaps he had died.
Bai Ye felt the latter was more probable. After all, he recognized Gao Ming's capabilities and believed he had the potential to become a high-ranking member of the Evil Spirit Gang.
But these were internal matters of the Evil Spirit Gang. What did they have to do with him?
Bai Ye had already cast his bait. Whether the Evil Spirit Gang would take it...
Bai Ye believed that once they tasted success at Ju Xian Zhuang, the Evil Spirit Gang, like a large fish, would surely take the hook.
"I hope..." Bai Ye murmured, "that this time, I won't have to stay in this damned place for too long."
...