Countless Mutated Beasts slaughtered one another on the battlefield, their eyes completely bloodshot with killing.
In truth, the aroma of Zhang Ping's little bit of roasted rabbit meat had no effect on the battlefield.
The main reason was that the battlefield itself reeked to high heaven—blood, feces, and all kinds of foul-smelling supernatural fluids. With so many odors mixed together, the scent on Zhang Ping's side was hardly worth mentioning.
Zhang Ping had made a round along the edge of the battlefield. What had left the deepest impression on him was the scorching wave of blood and vitality drifting from it, along with that indescribable stench. That was why he had dared to roast a rabbit. He knew full well it would not attract the Mutated Beasts' attention.
However, he had overlooked one thing.
At the edge of the battlefield, a black dog twitched its nose, then looked beyond the battlefield, its gaze locking onto the rock where Zhang Ping was hiding.
It was a Corpse-Eating Hound. It had appeared on the battlefield solely because it had been drawn by the scent of corpses.
Corpse-Eating Hounds had extremely sensitive noses and could smell corpses from several kilometers away.
"Awwooo, awwooo, awwooo!"
Having caught the scent of roasted rabbit, the Corpse-Eating Hound immediately let out a cry resembling that of an African hyena.
A moment later.
Two Corpse-Eating Hounds gathered together, then moved in Zhang Ping's direction.
Behind the rock.
Zhang Ping tore off a rabbit leg and took a bite, his eyes lighting up slightly. This meat tasted incredible.
It was not as though he had never eaten delicious food before, but this rabbit meat was better than every kind of meat he had eaten in the past. Charred on the outside and tender within, it had a satisfying chew, and every bite released rich, savory juices.
Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbits had numerous poison glands connected to their sweat glands. Once the corrosive water mixed with blood and was heated, it not only lost its corrosive properties, but also produced a uniquely delicious flavor.
It was a taste that could never be found on Earth.
Zhang Ping wolfed down the meat. Suddenly, his ears twitched, and he swiftly sprang to his feet.
All of a sudden, a Corpse-Eating Hound launched an attack from behind the rock. He hurriedly leaped backward to evade it, only to find another Corpse-Eating Hound behind him.
In that split second, he released the little Nether Mist knife in his hand.
The knife made of Nether Mist transformed into a flying knife in the blink of an eye and shot toward the Corpse-Eating Hound behind him with a sharp whoosh.
The Corpse-Eating Hound reacted quickly and immediately twisted aside to dodge, but it did not know that Zhang Ping's flying knife could turn. In an instant, the blade pierced through its head. It let out a miserable howl and collapsed.
No sooner had he dealt with the threat behind him than Zhang Ping continued retreating. At the same time, he swept his right hand forward. Flames burst from his palm, forming a barrier. The Corpse-Eating Hound ahead instinctively backed away, but a black flying knife bloomed from within the flames. Before it could react, its head exploded from a single strike.
"Black fur, red eyes, human teeth... Is this a Corpse-Eating Hound?"
Only after killing both Mutated Beasts did Zhang Ping have time to examine them.
But after recognizing the Corpse-Eating Hounds, his expression changed slightly. He immediately sprang up. The instant he jumped, the ground beneath his feet exploded open. A Corpse-Eating Hound burst out from underground, opened its mouth, and snapped upward fiercely, nearly biting his balls off.
Die!
Zhang Ping was both shocked and frightened. He immediately controlled the Nethermist Flying Knife and blew apart the Corpse-Eating Hound's head.
Fortunately, he had learned about Corpse-Eating Hounds from Liu Tiefeng. He knew they could dig burrows quickly and liked to have two hounds feint an attack while the other dug underground to launch a sneak attack.
Their habits resembled those of African hyenas. They were all experts at going for the ass.
When Zhang Ping thought about what would have happened if the Corpse-Eating Hound's ambush had succeeded, lingering fear rose in his heart, and his scalp tingled.
It took him quite a while to calm down.
Recalling what Liu Tiefeng had taught him, he began gathering useful materials from the Corpse-Eating Hounds.
"You killed them?"
Liu Sishan returned just as Zhang Ping was using the little Nether Mist knife to cut off a Corpse-Eating Hound's claws.
She was still spotless. Water spheres surrounded her, and she held a Salt Frost Fruit in her hand. Clearly, obtaining one Salt Frost Fruit had not been difficult for her.
Zhang Ping stopped what he was doing. Just as he was about to speak, a Water Whip appeared beside his neck.
"Sisi, what are you doing?" Zhang Ping quickly raised his hands and asked in confusion.
Liu Sishan did not answer. She slowly approached Zhang Ping, first pulling back his eyelids, then circling behind him to inspect something unknown. Only after quite some time did she withdraw the Water Whip.
"Did you encounter a Nethermist Mutated Beast?" Liu Sishan asked sternly.
Zhang Ping sensed something from Liu Sishan's attitude, then told her about what had happened earlier.
There was no need to hide it. Unless he had an item or ability that could conceal his attributes, others could still appraise them after he returned to Mingzhu City. There was simply no way to keep it hidden.
After hearing Zhang Ping's account, Liu Sishan fell silent for a while. Then she turned away and took several deep breaths in succession, as though trying to calm herself down. But in the end, she suddenly spun around, slammed Zhang Ping against a rock, looked up at him, and snapped, "Zhang Ping, are you tired of living? You dared to eat something of unknown origin? Do you know you almost died?"
"Almost died?" Zhang Ping frowned in disbelief.
Liu Sishan said seriously, "The Appraisal Technique can indeed provide you with a great deal of information, but that does not mean it gives you all information. If it truly could provide everything, do you know how much information a single rock contains? You cannot even appraise every last detail of a rock, so what makes you think you understand the things you appraise?"
"Sisi, are you saying that thing I ate was actually dangerous?" Zhang Ping immediately understood what Liu Sishan was trying to say.
Liu Sishan said in a low voice, "Nethermist Mutated Beasts are creatures of unknown origin. They have no fixed form and generally inhabit the bodies of certain creatures, much like parasites. But after their hosts die, they burrow into one of the host's organs and wait for their next host.
"In other words, you nearly got parasitized."
"What are the consequences of being parasitized?" Zhang Ping asked.
Liu Sishan glanced at the little Nether Mist knife in Zhang Ping's hand and answered, "Once you are parasitized by a Nethermist Mutated Beast, it is equivalent to brain death. That black goat you mentioned was probably a puppet of a Nethermist Mutated Beast. What do you think the consequences are?"
Brain death was the same as dying.
Zhang Ping suddenly recalled the faint scream he had heard when his abdomen had been wracked with pain. Had that been the Nethermist Mutated Beast trying to parasitize him?
Then why had the parasitism failed?
Wait.
The order in which the Appraisal Technique displayed abilities seemed to be related to the order in which those abilities had been obtained.
Other-Eater came before Nethermist Body. Could it be that I had activated Other-Eater by eating something recklessly?
Then Other-Eater had digested the Nethermist Mutated Beast?
"Listen carefully, Zhang Ping. I am telling you this seriously: any external thing that may grant you an ability carries unknown risks. There is no free lunch in this world. If you easily obtain an item that can grant abilities, the first thing you should do is remain wary.
"Think carefully. How many people in Mingzhu City have more than two supernatural abilities? If supernatural abilities were really so easy to obtain, do you think there would be so few Awakened with two abilities, or even three?" Liu Sishan said earnestly as she looked at Zhang Ping.
Only then did Zhang Ping realize it belatedly.
Looking across Mingzhu City's history, countless heroes had emerged, yet there really were very few Awakened with dual abilities.
There were exceptions, of course.
But those were all abilities derived from their original powers.
For example, Situ Shibai's replication, or the Awakened Liu Sishan had mentioned earlier whose ability was Supernatural Adaptation. Their other abilities all came from the effects of their original abilities, rather than external objects.
However, Zhang Ping thought of his earlier guess.
If Other-Eater really had digested the Nethermist Mutated Beast, then perhaps it would not be impossible for him to try again in the future.
But he first had to verify that guess. Otherwise, he had better not casually court death.
Liu Sishan's anger faded quickly after her outburst. The main reason was that Zhang Ping had not only suffered no serious harm, but had even gained a very unusual ability. Continuing to berate him would have been a little excessive.
Ultimately, she simply did not want Zhang Ping to take such risks again.
"Let's go. Something big is about to happen here," she said after glancing at the battlefield.
Zhang Ping asked curiously, "What big thing?"
"Have you ever wondered why so many Mutated Beasts are fighting to the death here over just a few fruits that increase potential?" Liu Sishan asked as she walked.
"I have, but I couldn't figure out the answer," Zhang Ping replied with a nod.
"When a Salt Frost Tree absorbs a large amount of blood in a short period of time, one of its fruits will change, transforming from an ordinary Salt Frost Fruit into a Blood Salt Fruit. Once a Mutated Beast eats a Blood Salt Fruit, it may undergo Evolution again. That is the true treasure the Mutated Beasts need!" Liu Sishan said as she turned and handed the Salt Frost Fruit to Zhang Ping, looking at the distant Salt Frost Tree.
Zhang Ping asked in surprise, "What about humans?"
"Blood Salt Fruits are useless to humans. The seniors of Mingzhu City tested them in the past, and the result was that their bodies exploded and they died," Liu Sishan said.
Some natural treasures only worked on humans, but Heaven was fair. There were also some natural treasures that only Mutated Beasts could consume and were instead poison to humans.
Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan returned to the camp.
Quite a few salt carriers were resting in the camp at night, while others gathered around bonfires, chatting and laughing.
After the two returned to the tent, Liu Sishan took out a canteen of water and handed it to Zhang Ping. "Eat the Salt Frost Fruit quickly, then drink plenty of water."
"Okay."
Zhang Ping took the water, bit into the Salt Frost Fruit first, and his face immediately twisted up. He hurriedly gulped down several mouthfuls of water.
It was far too salty.
Although Liu Sishan had told him earlier that Salt Frost Fruits had an extremely high salt content, he had never imagined a fruit could be so salty that it tasted bitter and sour.
That sour-bitter flavor was mixed with a strange fruity taste. It was awful.
"Zhang Ping, didn't your teacher teach you not to casually drink water given to you by others in the wild? Even water from nature should not be drunk lightly," Liu Sishan suddenly asked.
In the next moment, Zhang Ping's narrowed eyes flew wide open. He discovered water crashing around inside his stomach.
"Sisi, was the water I just drank Pure Water that you created?" he asked Liu Sishan with a bitter expression.
Liu Sishan said calmly, "Right now, your life is practically in my—"
Before she could finish speaking, the Pure Water inside both her and Zhang Ping's stomachs lost contact with her.