Clever Uses for the Detoxification Pill

Poison is indeed a formidable ability. Everyone present knew exactly how strong Lei Potian was, yet a single tiny Poison Bee had managed to kill him. Although Niu Geng was the weakest in terms of raw power, his understanding of poison made him no less valuable than anyone else.

Facing the Poison Moth, Lu Yuling and the others wore grim expressions. Not only was it a Two-Star Demonic Beast, but it also possessed the poison attribute. In terms of threat level, this beast was far more terrifying than the Two-Star Demon Bear they had encountered earlier. On top of that, it had a certain degree of intelligence, making it even harder to deal with.

Demonic beasts were powerful, but they were still beasts at heart. Intelligence was always the ultimate weapon against them. With proper strategy, even killing a higher-ranked beast was possible—just like how Zhuge Xiang had perfectly executed his plan against the Demon Bear. But when the beast itself had intelligence, scheming became far more difficult.

A person's combat effectiveness depended on many factors: cultivation level, skills and techniques, artifacts, strategy, luck, timing, terrain...

There was no denying that intelligence was a crucial element in dealing with demonic beasts. But this Two-Star Demonic Moth not only had a terrifying poison attribute and the ability to fly, but also possessed a certain level of intelligence. Its threat level was simply incomparable to the Demon Bear from before.

"Can we escape?" Staring at the Demonic Moth circling in the air, Hua Nongying gripped her short knife, cold sweat dripping from her hand as she whispered. She didn't ask if they could kill it—only if they could flee.

Zhuge Xiang's expression was equally grim. He said nothing. Dealing with this Two-Star Demonic Moth, even he had no confidence. Looking at his own equipment, he saw no possibility of victory.

The Blood Refinement Saber's blood-draining effect? A Two-Star Demonic Beast could kill him in one hit—what use was blood-draining? The Frost Headband? The flying Demonic Moth was clearly fast; even with a 20% speed reduction, it probably wouldn't make much difference. And most importantly, the Demonic Moth's powder-coated wings fluttered, spreading poisonous mist everywhere—who dared get close? But if they couldn't get close, could they rely solely on ranged attacks?

Ling Wufeng's Flying Daggers and his own Hundred Refinements Bow—could they kill this Demonic Moth? There was no need to even think about it; it was completely impossible. If there was one thing that might help, it was that Detoxification Pill, which could cure poisoning below the Two-Star level. It seemed he could be immune to the moth's poison for a certain period. But even without the poison, it was still a Two-Star Demonic Beast.

Whoosh...

Having watched the internal conflict among Zhuge Xiang's group play out and enjoyed the show, the Demonic Moth had no intention of letting them think further. Its colorful, powder-covered wings vibrated, and its elephant-sized body charged straight at them.

Seeing the moth rushing toward them, everyone reflexively retreated. The poisonous mist swirling around it made them lose all courage to get close. How vicious was a Two-Star Demonic Beast's poison? They had no interest in finding out.

Drawing his bow like a full moon, a blood-red Qi Energy surged around him, and ferocious Ghost Faces materialized in the air. At that moment, Zhuge Xiang raised the Hundred Refinements Bow and activated Bloodthirsty Technique. He wasn't skilled in archery, but the secret chamber was only so big, and the moth was enormous—anyone who wasn't blind could hit it.

Swish...

An arrow shot out, a scarlet arrow light wrapped in blood-red Ghost Faces. With a range of a hundred meters, it carried immense kinetic energy, ignored 30 points of defense, and was further boosted by Zhuge Xiang's Bloodthirsty Technique. This arrow was terrifyingly powerful.

It was the first time they had seen Zhuge Xiang use a bow, and Lu Yuling and the others watched him in surprise. As Zhuge Xiang attacked, Ling Wufeng reacted quickly—worthy of a genius who had stood out from the Hundred Thousand Disciples. With a flick of his hand, a Flying Dagger shot out alongside Zhuge Xiang's arrow light, heading straight for the moth's compound eyes.

Any living creature would instinctively feel a great threat from something aimed at its eyes. The moth's powder-covered wings swept forward to block, deflecting Ling Wufeng's Flying Dagger. But could that thin layer of powder-covered wings stop Zhuge Xiang's arrow light?

A Two-Star Demonic Beast's body was indeed tough, but how could a moth compare to a thick-skinned, tough-fleshed Demon Bear? Its natural physical defense was far inferior, let alone its wings, which were just a thin layer of powder.

Zhuge Xiang's arrow light, boosted by Bloodthirsty Technique's 50% attack increase, came from the Hundred Refinements Bow itself—a Two-Star Artifact with around 30 attack power. Combined with the effect of ignoring 30 points of defense, this arrow, though lacking a skill, was enough to rival a cultivator at the fifth layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm.

The scarlet arrow light pierced straight through the moth's powder-covered wing and struck its body. Though it made the moth shriek, the injury was clearly minor. Only the sharp tip of the arrow had penetrated—a mere scratch for a beast the size of an elephant.

"As expected of a Two-Star Demonic Beast. Even a moth with naturally low defense has a body as hard as steel," Zhuge Xiang muttered inwardly, though it was within reason. The fact that his arrow had pierced the wing and caused any damage at all was thanks to the Hundred Refinements Bow's attack power and its defense-ignoring effect. Otherwise, even piercing the wing would have been questionable.

The moth roared. It had been injured before even launching its own attack—this was unacceptable. It had been hurt by humans who hadn't even reached the level of One-Star mid-grade demonic beasts. Though the wound was trivial, the moth couldn't stomach it. With its newly awakened intelligence and unique thoughts, it had the pride of a Two-Star Demonic Beast.

Drawing from their experience with the Demon Bear, Ling Wufeng reacted quickly when he saw the moth open its mouth to roar. He flung his hands, sending four Flying Daggers straight for the moth's soft oral cavity. Seeing the daggers already at the moth's mouth, impossible to dodge, Ling Wufeng felt a surge of hope. Had he succeeded?

Sssss...

But a Two-Star Demonic Beast wasn't so easily killed—especially one with awakened intelligence. Just as the four Flying Daggers were about to enter its soft mouth and kill it, white Silk Threads shot out from the moth's throat, pushing the daggers back.

"Damn, poisonous Silk Threads. I forgot moths come from cocoons—I didn't expect it to still have the ability to spin silk," everyone thought helplessly as Ling Wufeng's four daggers returned fruitless.

Escape. If they could escape, they would have long ago. But now, they couldn't flee. The moth, surrounded by poisonous mist and capable of spitting toxic Silk Threads, made it impossible to get close. At this point, everyone was at a loss. They couldn't fight, and they couldn't run.

They kept retreating, but there was nowhere to go. Lu Yuling sent her Mechanical Puppet forward to engage. Though the puppet was immune to the poison mist, the moth's teeth crushed it in an instant. Its wings vibrated, and its massive body slammed hard toward the group.

Explosive Steps!!!

With a sharp cry, Zhuge Xiang moved like a ghost at the critical moment, blocking the moth's path. The Blade of Blockade appeared in his hand again. Its once-a-day block effect—this was his only chance.

"Zhuge Xiang!!!" Seeing him recklessly throw himself in front of the moth, everyone's faces changed. A full-force charge from a Two-Star Demonic Beast meant certain death. Even if he survived, the poison would be devastating.

The Blade of Blockade could block a full-power strike from the Refining Essence to Qi Stage, so poison and other attributes would naturally be perfectly blocked as well. Zhuge Xiang's body was tiny compared to the moth, yet when the moth's high-speed charge hit his Blade of Blockade, it came to an abrupt halt.

The moth, which had been charging with murderous intent to crush Zhuge Xiang, now had a very human look of shock in its compound eyes. It clearly couldn't understand how this seemingly weak human had stopped its full-force charge.

"Now!" Seizing the moment, Zhuge Xiang flicked his hand. A black dot shot out, landing accurately inside the moth's mouth.

Flipping backward and landing on the ground, Zhuge Xiang grabbed the Blood Refinement Saber and charged at the moth again, shouting, "Don't just stand there! Attack now—this is our only chance!"

Attack? Seeing Zhuge Xiang charge fearlessly, Hua Nongying and the others hesitated. The moth was wreathed in poisonous mist—how could they get close?

But soon, they understood why Zhuge Xiang had said that. The moth, which had been hovering in midair, suddenly let out a violent shriek and began to wobble, crashing down crookedly.

"What did he shoot into its mouth?" Only Lu Yuling, with her Mind's Eye realm, had seen a black shadow fly into the moth's mouth from Zhuge Xiang's hand. But she couldn't tell what it was. It had been shot from point-blank range, a black dot that vanished in a flash.

"Ding. Detoxification Pill effect activated. Demonic Moth's poison attribute attack temporarily cleared for 1 minute. All attributes reduced by 40% for 1 minute."

"Heh, it worked..." Hearing the system's mechanical prompt in his mind, Zhuge Xiang smirked.

If a Detoxification Pill could cure poisoning below the Two-Star level, what would happen if it was thrown directly into the moth's stomach? The thought had flashed through Zhuge Xiang's mind, and he had acted on it. Unexpectedly, the pill's effect reacting with the moth's poison had yielded an unexpected result.