Without returning to his territory and having no way to practically test these new troops, Du You could only examine them.
After looking them over, Du You turned his attention to the new objective ahead. In front of him was a vast forest, resplendent in red. These were not autumn leaves, but the natural hue of leaves here.
"The Blood Centipede Forest, this place is even more hazardous compared to the Great Black Mountain, nobody around here dares to approach. We will need to spend several days to clean up this area."
Upon his arrival at this place, a new hidden task emerged for Du You— to clear this Blood Centipede Forest.
The very name of the forest suggests it’s filled with a species of blood-colored centipedes, many magical beasts are of a fiery-red hue. These centipedes are highly venomous and quite formidable themselves.
According to Du You’s research, any fully matured centipede here is guaranteed to reach the third tier. Fortunately, due to their bloodline, these centipedes can’t advance to the fourth tier, otherwise, Du You wouldn’t dare to gamble with his life here.
Motioning Lin Yucha, she immediately summoned the Platform Floating Cloud. It was safer being up in the air while dealing with large numbers of magical beasts.
The three of them swiftly leaped onto it and made their way into the dense forest. Before long, they spotted the numerous red centipedes below, basking in the sun atop a large rock.
"These centipedes indeed behave differently after metamorphosing into magical beasts, they now sunbathe."
As Du You spoke, he scanned the surroundings, noting the high concentration of centipedes. It was time to start.
"Let’s start here," said Du You. Lin Yushi unleashed a series of Explosive Scatter Shots, instantaneously killing a large number of centipedes on the rock.
The attacked centipedes all raised their heads without intending to escape, instead, they opened their mouths towards the sky.
Some of them spit out poisonous gases incomparable due to their high altitude. Others expelled sharp spikes from their mouths, which were significantly lethal.
These centipedes certainly caught Du You off guard with their surprising assortment of skills. Compared to the uniformed ants, centipedes have a more diversified set of abilities. After all, ants are a type of army, relying on collective strength. Meanwhile, centipedes individually tackled tasks, hardly ever collaborating.
Unfortunately, the primary damage from these poisonous spikes came from the venom itself. The direct damage caused was minimal and the spikes were incapable of penetrating the Floating Cloud. They were all blocked by the cloud.
Undeterred, Du You released a Putrid Insect Mist towards the ground. Following suit, Carrion Dark Scarabs flocked to the carcasses and burrowed inside, quickly multiplying in number. These then continued to spread, initiating attacks on the living creatures. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝙣𝙚𝙩
Not only were there centipedes, but various other animals also reside here that served as food for the centipedes. Now, the Carrion Dark Scarabs had turned these animals into food for their proliferation.
A moment later, a large group of Dark Scarabs had formed and started to expand in all directions. The sight of so many black scarabs spreading out like a heavenly disaster was truly dreadful to behold.
"From now on, there’s not much left to do." Du You remained still, continuing to emanate magic power.
A vast amount of magic power gushed from his body, as though he was engulfed in a dark flame. Anyone who observed from afar could easily mistake him as a demon lord.
Indifferent to this display, Du You continued to advance, hurling a fireball towards the forest. The fireball took countless centipedes along its path.
The landing of the fireball was akin to poking a hornet’s nest. The centipedes inside were startled, and realizing the turmoil, raced toward its source. Some winged centipedes even started flying from the sky.
Unexpectedly, the centipedes were not completely defenseless against the Carrion Dark Scarabs. Their venom was incredibly effective, killing many scarabs with every spray.
Some centipedes, exhibiting robust combat abilities, coiled themselves into a spherical shape, each leg sharp as a blade. Rotating this formation turned the centipede into a deadly sphere. Any Dark Scarabs that ventured close were sliced apart, their bodies dispersing into dark elements.
Other centipedes spat spikes accurately from afar. Each spike eliminated at least one scarab, proving alarmingly efficient.
If it weren’t for the presence of other creatures in the forest that the Carrion Dark Scarabs could feed on to multiply, they would have struggled against these centipedes.
"I have overestimated the power of this skill. It makes sense. If a skill is so invincible, it would’ve been long unbeatable. It can’t possibly have been so easily obtained. It’s likely others also have methods to counter this skill," Du You thought to himself.
Du You no longer deemed the skill necessary to keep hidden.
So far, he has been worried that the revelation of this formidable skill would draw unwanted attention. But if there are numerous ways to counter this skill, there is no need for panic. On the contrary, exposing it could serve as a deterrent. Du You believed that even though there may be ways to counter this skill, those ways would not be many.
Besides, this skill is not very effective against a single powerful enemy. Du You does not intend to keep it as his ultimate trump card.
Speaking of dealing with a mass of opponents, he had plenty of options. He decided to let it be.
He didn’t intend to expose this skill deliberately. So, Du You just watched as the Carrion Dark Scarabs multiplied and battled against the centipedes while releasing Destruction Flames to combat more centipedes.
This Blood Centipede Forest, having remained peaceful for an unknown number of years, has finally met a fearsome destroyer. For the centipedes, this was a heavenly disaster falling from the sky.
In the meantime, the sister duo, as usual, started to collect items from the spherical objects. They gathered a large amount of Crystal Coins and decent crafting materials and equipment while discarding the low-end ones. Even the opportunity to handle them later has been lost.
This place is too far from their territory. The people of their territory would have to pass through a few territories to reach here, and those lords would never allow it. Thus, these items were eventually wasted, discarded in this place. Of course, Du You won’t make it easy for others. He intended to hide them.