The battlefield was engulfed in chaos, with countless Mutated Beasts locked in a frenzy of bloodthirsty combat. The air reeked of blood, feces, and a cocktail of foul-smelling superpowered fluids, creating a nauseating miasma. Zhang Ping’s roasted rabbit meat, fragrant as it was, didn’t stand a chance of altering the overwhelming stench of the battlefield.

That was exactly why Zhang Ping felt safe indulging in his meal; he was confident the scent wouldn’t attract any Mutated Beasts. But he miscalculated one crucial detail.

...

On the outskirts of the battlefield, a black dog’s nose twitched. Its sharp eyes zeroed in on Zhang Ping’s hiding spot behind a rock.

It was a Carrion Hound, drawn to the battlefield by the stench of corpses. These creatures had an extraordinary sense of smell, capable of detecting the scent of decay from miles away.

“Awroo! Awroo! Awroo!”

The Carrion Hound howled, its cry echoing like that of an African hyena. Within moments, two more Carrion Hounds gathered and began moving toward Zhang Ping’s location.

Behind the rock, Zhang Ping was savoring his meal. Tearing into a rabbit leg, he let out a small sound of satisfaction as his eyes lit up. The flavor was phenomenal—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with chewy meat that released bursts of savory juices with every bite.

The Aqua-Eroding Bullet Rabbit’s unique physiology contributed to this heavenly taste. Its venom glands, which typically made it deadly, transformed into a special flavor when heated with its blood. This was a delicacy no one on Earth could experience.

As Zhang Ping ate with gusto, his sharp ears picked up a faint noise. Instinctively, he leapt to his feet.

A Carrion Hound lunged at him from behind the rock. Zhang Ping quickly dodged backward, narrowly avoiding its fangs, only to find another Carrion Hound waiting behind him.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Ping unleashed his Nether Mist blade. The black dagger morphed into a throwing knife that zipped through the air with a sharp whistle. The Carrion Hound behind him tried to sidestep, but the knife curved mid-flight, piercing its skull. With a pitiful yelp, it collapsed.

Acting on pure instinct, Zhang Ping retreated further while extending his right hand forward. Flames erupted from his palm, forming a barrier that forced the second Carrion Hound to recoil. Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Ping’s black knife shot through the flames and struck the beast squarely between the eyes.

“Black fur, red eyes, human-like teeth—this is a Carrion Hound,” Zhang Ping muttered as he examined the dead creatures. His face darkened. He’d barely finished speaking when the ground beneath him exploded.

A third Carrion Hound emerged from the earth, its jaws snapping upward, narrowly missing a vital area between Zhang Ping’s legs.

"Die!" Zhang Ping cried out, his voice tinged with both shock and fury. He directed his Nether Mist knife to dispatch the third Carrion Hound, its blade driving through the beast’s skull with unerring precision.

Relief flooded him as he recalled Liu Tiefeng’s teachings about Carrion Hounds. These creatures were adept diggers, often coordinating two decoy attackers while a third launched a surprise assault from below. Their methods were disturbingly reminiscent of African hyenas’ precision strikes.

The thought of what could have happened sent shivers down Zhang Ping’s spine. His stomach churned at the idea of falling victim to one of their infamous “rear-end” attacks.

After regaining his composure, Zhang Ping began harvesting valuable materials from the Carrion Hounds, carving at their claws with his Nether Mist blade.

“You killed these?” a cold voice interrupted.

Zhang Ping looked up to see Liu Sishan approaching. Despite the chaos of the battlefield, she remained immaculate, encircled by shimmering spheres of water. In her hand was a single Saltfrost Berry. Clearly, obtaining the prized fruit had been no challenge for her.

Before Zhang Ping could reply, a whip of water coiled around his neck.

“Sisi, what are you doing?” Zhang Ping asked, raising his hands in confusion.

Liu Sishan didn’t answer immediately. She stepped closer, inspecting his eyes and circling behind him as though searching for something. After a long pause, she finally withdrew the watery whip.

“Did you encounter a Nether Mist Mutated Beast?” she asked, her tone serious.

Zhang Ping sensed the gravity of her question and recounted his experience in detail. There was no point in hiding it; once they returned to Mingzhu City, anyone could analyze his attributes. Secrecy was futile.

Liu Sishan listened intently, her expression darkening. She turned away and took several deep breaths, as though trying to calm herself. But when she spun back around, she slammed Zhang Ping against a rock, her eyes blazing with anger.

“Zhang Ping, are you tired of living?” she demanded, her voice trembling with rage. “How could you eat something so suspicious without knowing its origin? Do you realize how close you came to dying?”

“Dying?” Zhang Ping frowned, unable to believe her words.

Liu Sishan spoke sternly, "The Identification Skill can provide you with a lot of information, but it doesn’t mean it’s all the information. If the skill could really identify everything, do you know how vast the information about a single stone would be? It can’t even fully analyze a stone, so why would you assume it’s giving you a complete understanding of the things you examine?"

"Sisi, are you saying that the thing I ate might actually be dangerous?" Zhang Ping immediately caught on to what Liu Sishan was implying.

Liu Sishan’s tone was grave. "Nether Mist Mutated Beasts are mysterious creatures without a definitive form. They usually parasitize other living organisms. When their hosts die, they burrow into one of the host’s organs and lie dormant, waiting for a new host. In other words, you nearly became a host."

"What happens if you're parasitized?" Zhang Ping asked.

Liu Sishan glanced at the Nether Mist knife in Zhang Ping’s hand before responding. "Being parasitized by a Nether Mist Mutated Beast essentially means brain death. That Black Goat you mentioned was probably just a puppet controlled by the beast. Now, do you see the problem?"

Brain death—essentially the same as being dead.

Zhang Ping suddenly recalled the faint scream he’d heard when his abdomen had throbbed with pain. Was that the Nether Mist Mutated Beast attempting to parasitize him? Why had it failed?

Wait a minute.

The abilities shown by the Identification Skill seemed to be listed in the order they were acquired. The Mutant Eater ability appeared before the Nether Mist Body. Could it be that his reckless eating activated the Mutant Eater ability, which then consumed the Nether Mist Mutated Beast?

"If that’s true," he thought, "then the Mutant Eater might make this process safe... but I’d better confirm my theory before risking it again."

Liu Sishan’s anger subsided quickly after her initial outburst, especially since Zhang Ping wasn’t just unharmed but had gained a unique ability. She couldn’t stay mad, knowing it would be excessive to hold a grudge now. Her main concern was ensuring Zhang Ping wouldn’t take such reckless risks again.

"Let’s go. Big things are about to happen here," she said, glancing toward the battlefield.

"What kind of big things?" Zhang Ping asked curiously.

"Have you ever wondered why so many Mutated Beasts are fighting to the death here over a few berries that only increase potential?" Liu Sishan asked as they walked.

Zhang Ping nodded. "I have, but I couldn’t figure it out."

"The Saltfrost Tree absorbs a massive amount of blood in a short period. When it does, one of its berries will transform from an ordinary Saltfrost Berry into a Bloodsalt Berry. If a Mutated Beast consumes a Bloodsalt Berry, it has a chance to evolve again. That’s the real treasure they’re fighting for!" Liu Sishan explained, handing the Saltfrost Berry she’d collected to Zhang Ping while looking at the Saltfrost Tree in the distance.

"And humans?" Zhang Ping asked in surprise.

"Bloodsalt Berries are useless to humans," Liu Sishan replied. "Many have tried, and the result is always the same: death by internal rupture."

Some treasures of nature are beneficial only to humans, while others are exclusive to Mutated Beasts and act as poison to humans.

Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan returned to their camp. The nighttime camp bustled with salt carriers resting and others laughing around campfires.

Back in their tent, Liu Sishan handed Zhang Ping a water container and said, "Eat the Saltfrost Berry now and drink plenty of water."

"Okay."

Zhang Ping took a bite of the Saltfrost Berry, and his face immediately contorted. He quickly gulped down several mouthfuls of water.

It was unbelievably salty.

Though Liu Sishan had warned him about the extreme saltiness, he hadn’t imagined a berry could be so overwhelmingly bitter and sour at the same time. The unpleasant flavors were mixed with a strange fruitiness that made it nearly unbearable.

"Zhang Ping," Liu Sishan suddenly said, "has no one ever taught you not to casually drink water from others in the wild? You shouldn’t even trust water from natural sources."

Zhang Ping’s eyes widened in alarm as he felt the water sloshing violently in his stomach.

"Sisi, was that purified water you created?" he asked, his expression turning sour.

Liu Sishan replied indifferently, "Right now, your life is essentially in my han—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the purified water inside Zhang Ping’s stomach suddenly disconnected from her control.