Chapter 14

"Purple crystal, what exactly is it? And that shadow possessing evil intent, what is it? Does the disappearance of the alienation point have anything to do with it?"

Xu Qing couldn't figure it out; while pondering and analyzing, the figures of the Lei Team and others returned one after another; every person looked at him as they swept past.

Xu Qing put away his thoughts, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

No matter what that was, it didn't matter at this moment.

After resting, it was his turn to continue striking.

Xu Qing stood up, wiped the iron sign on his body, and after making its cold glint shine again, the moment Shi Zi walked past him, he rushed out violently.

The speed was so fast that he approached the chasing wolf pack in an instant.

The sounds of slaughter and miserable shrieks mixed together, as if it were a baptism for the youth.

Making him, who had survived the god opening his eyes and lived through the bloody rain, reflect the sharpness that was gradually being honed in the scattering sunset glow!

This time, he persisted for even longer.

And time also passed slowly under the Lei Ting Team's continuous retreat and rotational resistance.

The sunset disappeared, the bright moon hung high, and the night in the forbidden zone arrived, but the sounds of slaughter were still continuing.

Until... when their fatigue reached the limit, the White Pills were all eaten, and the concentration of exotic quality in their bodies was about to approach the alienation threshold, dawn arrived.

The wolf pack finally began to retreat.

With the morning light scattering, inside the forbidden zone jungle, the last Black-Scaled Wolf looked at them tiredly and disappeared into the distance, and the surroundings slowly quieted down.

Everyone was covered in thick blood plasma, lying on the ground at this moment, panting heavily.

Xu Qing was no exception; even with the purple crystal's recovery, the tension from his spirit still made his whole person exhausted.

"Finally... survived." Luan Ya beside him whispered, struggled to crawl up, and when she looked at Xu Qing, she spoke softly.

"Thank you."

Man Gui was also panting heavily, stretching out his thumb toward Xu Qing.

In this night's slaughter, Xu Qing's strikes and time exceeded the Lei Team and Shi Zi; it could even be said that if it weren't for him, I'm afraid that before the wolf pack retreated, someone among them would have already alienated.

Only Xu Qing, he lay there looking at the sky, exhausted while also having deep confusion in his heart.

In this night's battle, the speed at which he accumulated exotic quality in his body was clearly much slower than in the past.

He even had a feeling that it was as if his own exotic quality was disappearing on its own at all times.

And during everyone's rest, the Lei Team rubbed his brows, his serious gaze swept over Shi Zi and the others, and he spoke hoarsely.

"This matter cannot be a coincidence; the continuous pursuit of the Black-Scaled Wolves is more like something is attracting them, so, you take out the external items you have obtained during this period, and we will inspect them carefully; I suspect this matter... is man-made."

With the Lei Team's opening, Shi Zi and the others also deeply agreed, so they inspected themselves one after another and took out external items.

Xu Qing's heart also skipped a beat; he was considering whether it was the reason for the iron block in Ma Si's relics when Luan Ya beside him suddenly let out an exclamation, pointing toward Man Gui's side.

Among the items Man Gui took out, there was a wooden box.

The wooden box was broken, as if it were continuously corroding on its own, and a wisp of faint aura was emitted; because the scents in the forbidden zone jungle were mixed, it was difficult to distinguish without smelling carefully.

"How come this thing is corroding itself." Man Gui was surprised.

The Lei Team immediately stepped forward, picked up the wooden box, and handed it to Luan Ya; Luan Ya smelled it carefully, her complexion ugly, and she nodded.

"How did you get this thing?" The Lei Team looked at Man Gui.

"I bought it at the stall in the camp the day I came back; it contained insect repellent powder..." Man Gui scratched his head.

"This thing is made from the feces of a butterfly rabbit; it will ignite itself when encountering external stimulation and can attract scaly creatures... Black-Scaled Wolves are also considered a type of scaly creature."

Luan Ya looked at Man Gui and spoke slowly.

Man Gui stayed there.

The atmosphere in the surroundings also solidified all at once, and Xu Qing also narrowed his eyes.

Until half a while later, the Lei Team shook his head.

"Man Gui was deceived; one can imagine who it is that can set up such a trap for us in the camp."

"Blood Shadow Team!" Shi Zi, on the side, spoke coldly.

"The Blood Shadow Team setting it up like this, it's hard to say there are no follow-up moves, and our state is not good at this moment..." Luan Ya hesitated.

"Then, should we continue forward to the picking point to complete the mission, or should we retreat now; what do you think?" The Lei Team looked into the distance and spoke slowly.

Xu Qing revealed contemplation and didn't speak.

Others also looked at each other, and finally, Shi Zi spoke with difficulty.

"Captain, it's not very far from our picking point here, and everyone's consumption this time is too great; if we return empty-handed..."

The Lei Team was silent, swept his gaze over Man Gui and Luan Ya; the former lowered his head in guilt, the latter had unwillingness in her eyes; after a while, he sighed softly.

"Continue forward; after arriving at the picking point, collect as soon as possible, then everyone disperse on different roads, leave separately, and gather at the camp."

The Lei Team made the final decision; after a simple rest, the group continued forward in this forbidden zone jungle.

On the road, Xu Qing approached Luan Ya, took out the amber obtained from Fatty Shan, and consulted her on what this was.

After seeing this amber, Luan Ya was shocked, took it over to inspect carefully, and informed Xu Qing that this item was the poisonous tail of a Ghost-Faced Scorpion.

This scorpion is poisonous, but it is not unsolvable, and it has good medicinal properties; after being poisoned, one can instantly erupt one's own potential, but it cannot be sustained; after erupting, one needs to detoxify immediately, so most are raised by people, and the value is not low.

Xu Qing understood, thanked her, and put it away.

Afterward, the group remained vigilant, while closely observing the surroundings, and shuttled forward at high speed.

It was just that compared to before, this time they were more silent all the way.

Perhaps it was because of the appearance of the Black-Scaled Wolves yesterday, which caused most of the other fierce beasts in this area to be driven away.

So walking all the way, the Lei Ting Team didn't encounter any danger; just like this, two hours later, they finally arrived at the boundary between the outer area and the depths of the forbidden zone.

The terrain here was no longer just jungle, but also appeared with some small mountains and streams, only the stream water was black and could not be drunk.

And in a place where the jungle was dense, a small path was hidden, and the end was a different world, actually a small canyon.

When Xu Qing and the others walked into this canyon, what entered his eyes was as if it were another world.

The top here was covered by dense vines growing all around, as if it were a roof, the sunlight couldn't fall in completely, and inside there were no large trees, but flowers and grass everywhere.

Flowers the size of fists, of different colors, permeated the whole canyon, accompanied by many grasses emitting blue crystal light.

Each plant had seven leaves.

They emitted light like stars, making the quiet canyon as if it had transformed into a tranquil starry sky, possessing a very unique beauty.

Here was the picking point that the Lei Ting Team had discovered before, and every such picking point was a top secret and the foundation of the team's survival.

After arriving here, because picking required special techniques, they didn't let Xu Qing participate, but dispersed to pick on their own; this way, the speed was faster and there was no loss.

Xu Qing paid attention to their techniques, didn't force himself to join, but sat cross-legged and practiced breathing silently.

Experiencing the battle yesterday, he discovered that his cultivation seemed to have improved quite a bit in the continuous tempering, and now it had reached the threshold of a breakthrough.

In order to possess better survival ability in the upcoming crisis, Xu Qing didn't waste time; even in the forbidden zone, he still operated the Haishan Technique in his body, absorbing spiritual energy from all directions.

With the emergence of spiritual energy, wind rose in the canyon.

The Lei Team looked at Xu Qing and didn't stop him; he knew very well that the road back had a high possibility of being ambushed. At this time, the growth of strength was the guarantee of survival.

Time didn't last long; during their picking, Xu Qing's body gradually made 'bang-bang' sounds.

Bursts of filth overflowed from all the pores of his whole body, melting the blood plasma outside, and when it fused with the filth, the flesh and blood of his whole body were also absorbing spiritual energy at high speed, being nourished and becoming increasingly tough.

Until this sound became stronger and stronger, and after reaching the limit, it stopped suddenly, and Xu Qing's brain echoed with rumbling.

The blood vessels of his whole body bulged suddenly under the skin, and the flesh and blood were filled with spiritual energy at this moment, as if containing more astonishing strength and speed than in the past.

All this transformed into a sharp aura, permeating his body, and the spiritual energy fluctuations outside his body also spread to all directions along with it.

Haishan Technique, Third Layer.

Xu Qing slowly lowered his head and opened his eyes.

The purple light that flashed in his eyes for a moment could not be seen by anyone, but there was no joy of breakthrough in his eyes, but it was replaced by deep confusion.

What he looked at when he lowered his head was his own complex shadow that appeared in the scattered sunlight.

When he was practicing just now, he clearly felt something was wrong; the spiritual energy he absorbed through breathing, after being separated by the Haishan Technique, the pure part nourished his whole body.

And the exotic quality... actually didn't flow into his own arm to form an alienation point, but... flowed into his own shadow.

It was as if the shadow had swallowed that part of the exotic quality.

After a while, Xu Qing raised his head and suppressed all the confusion in his heart.

He looked at the Lei Team and others who were about to finish picking, looked into the distance, followed the end of the canyon, and looked into the depths of the jungle.

Faintly, he could see that in a place very far ahead, there seemed to be some buildings, as if temples were connected into one piece, silent in time, permeating an ancient aura.

"That is the boundary left by some unknown era, and it is also the furthest limit scavengers can go; one cannot exceed it, but if one encounters danger nearby, one can also go there to hide for a while."

The Lei Team, who had finished picking his own share, came to Xu Qing's side, looked at the temple group along his gaze, and spoke slowly.

"A limit, huh." Xu Qing nodded.

"Right, some people say that in the era that once was, the reason this forbidden zone formed was because the gods looked at these temples; there were also scavengers who went over to explore, but there was nothing there, except for a kind of special small stone that could appear from time to time."

The Lei Team took out a portion of the Seven-Leaf Grass he picked and put it in another leather bag.

"How special?" Xu Qing asked curiously.

"Grind it into powder and sprinkle it on scars that haven't formed for a long time; it can remove scars without leaving any trace; however, it's useless to us scavengers, but occasionally some big figures need it." After the Lei Team finished speaking, he looked at Shi Zi and the others.

At this moment, Shi Zi, Man Gui, and Luan Ya had also finished picking; under the Lei Team's arrangement, everyone took out a portion and placed it in the leather bag the Lei Team was holding.

Finally, after dividing the Seven-Leaf Grass into five portions, the Lei Team handed the fifth leather bag to Xu Qing.

"This is yours; from now on, everyone disperse and leave, turning the whole into parts; the probability of getting out is greater." After the Lei Team finished speaking, he looked at Xu Qing and gave him a map.

"Kid, my target is too big; I am definitely the focus of the Blood Shadows' attention, and as a captain, I also have to cover for you all; you get out as soon as possible and return to the camp to wait for me."

The Lei Team spoke in a deep voice, and under the silent gaze of other teammates, he walked out of the canyon and disappeared in a flash.

Xu Qing wanted to say something, but before he could speak, the Lei Team had already gone far away.

Shi Zi patted Xu Qing on the shoulder and left as well.

Finally, it was Man Gui and Luan Ya; each of them told him their experience in detail, and then left in a hurry.

Xu Qing watched them silently, put away the Seven-Leaf Grass, and turned back to look at the temple group in the distance.

After a while, Xu Qing turned around, took a deep breath, and galloped toward the canyon entrance; his speed was clearly faster than before after his Body Tempering reached the third layer, and he disappeared at the entrance in an instant.

Inside the forbidden zone jungle, Xu Qing shuttled continuously like an agile ape; he didn't walk the road he came from, but followed the map markings and took a detour.

He also followed the experience learned on the road he came from, distinguished crises, and occasionally encountered a few exotic beasts, all of which were successfully resolved by him.

At the same time, he also paid attention to his own shadow in the sunlight many times, and a strange color flashed in his eyes.

He had already tried; whether it was absorbing spiritual energy or breathing deeply, the exotic quality contained in all things, after entering his body, was the same as what he felt when he broke through before, slowly pouring into the shadow!

Tracing back, this matter began to appear after the purple crystal emitted the cold current.

Until his Haishan Technique reached the third layer, it was expressed more and more clearly.

His own shadow seemed to have mutated... after the purple crystal swept away the Black-Scaled Wolf's shadow.

This strangeness made Xu Qing's eyes narrow slowly.

He rolled up his left sleeve to look; there was only one alienation point on his arm, and it was extremely pale at this moment; if one didn't look carefully, it was hard to see the trace.

According to this development, the exotic quality in his body would become less and less, until it reached a state of purity and perfection.

And this kind of perfection... Xu Qing had seen it on the bamboo slips of the Haishan Technique; only those with extremely noble status in the human origin place of the Wanggu Continent could enjoy it.

"Is it the effect of the purple crystal?" Xu Qing muttered, crouched on a tree branch, and stared at the sky for a while.

For a long time, he touched the place where the purple crystal was buried in his chest, was silent for a moment, and when he raised his head, he suppressed all the confusion in his heart, his figure flickered, and he drilled into the jungle to continue forward.

Although the exotic quality was temporarily no longer a threat to him, this was just one of the many dangers of the forbidden zone; on the road afterward, Xu Qing still encountered some crises.

For example, at this moment, he saw two alienated bears whose aura exceeded the Lei Team.

On the back of this kind of bear actually lay a huge colorful spider, and countless silk threads were emitted from the spider's abdomen, drilling into the bear's body, as if controlling it.

Making these two violent bears lose self-control while running.

Trees were smashed directly by them, and if they encountered other exotic beasts blocking, they were also torn in half directly; the sense of cruelty was incomparably obvious.

If it weren't for the fact that their target of pursuit was a red tiger and they didn't pay attention to Xu Qing, and Xu Qing also escaped rapidly at the first moment, I'm afraid it would have been extremely dangerous.

And the danger from the forbidden zone was not just this.

An hour later, when Xu Qing was cautiously checking the surroundings on a tree crown, he saw from afar a creature that seemed not to appear in the jungle.

That was a... jellyfish that emitted icy cold all over and had a huge body like a mountain peak.

It emitted ghostly light all over its body, drifting past in the mid-air above the forbidden zone.

Through the penetration of sunlight in its semi-transparent body, one could see countless residual corpses of exotic beasts that were being corroded inside.

Among the large number of tentacles swaying, every tentacle was covered with strange eyes, it was just that most of these eyes were closed at this moment and didn't open.

At this moment, it was drifting leisurely toward the depths of the forbidden zone; where it passed below the jungle, it was instantly frozen, and all existence could not escape the cold calamity.

The strength of the aura on its body was unknown how much it exceeded Xu Qing; in Xu Qing's feeling, even those two violent bears were incomparably fragile in front of this jellyfish.

Even just looking at it from afar at this moment, Xu Qing's body was stiff, and a strong crisis rose from the depths of his soul.

Until the jellyfish went far away and disappeared, Xu Qing then let out a breath, looked at the frozen jungle area in the distance with lingering fear, like a straight line extending to the depths.

"If the direction of this jellyfish is here..." Xu Qing took a breath.

He understood that in this forbidden zone jungle full of crises, because his exotic quality could be absorbed by the shadow, he had some advantages compared to others.

But this advantage now only allowed him to stay in the forbidden zone for a longer time.

Unless one day, he became stronger; at that time, this advantage would be infinitely magnified.

After a while, when Xu Qing left, he was even more cautious in this forbidden zone.

Just like this, time passed, and soon the sunset was about to fall, with only the afterglow reflecting.

More roars gradually came from the jungle, and Xu Qing, who was galloping inside, calculated the direction of the map silently in his heart, knowing that if he traveled at night, he should be able to walk out of the forbidden zone before dawn.

And just as he was pondering whether to walk at night, suddenly, rumbling came from the jungle in the distance, accompanied by miserable shrieks that were almost miserable; the sound was very familiar.

"Man Gui?" Xu Qing's eyes focused, and he recognized the voice.

He leaped up and approached cautiously immediately; his thin and small figure was agile and hidden in the jungle, very hard to be discovered by people.

So not long after, he arrived at the place where the roars were emitted, hid in a tree crown, and saw six or seven corpses below, one of which... was exactly Man Gui!

His whole body was blue-black, clearly alienated, his head and body were separated, and the state of death was extremely miserable.

The huge refined steel shield was also split into two, becoming one large and one small piece, and the mace was also scattered on the side, covered in fresh blood.

Clearly, he had exhausted everything before he died, and perished together with his opponent during alienation.

Xu Qing was silent, sorrow rose in his heart, and he saw not far away, the Lei Team, who was being besieged by five people, his whole body turning blue, gradually unable to support and about to alienate!

This scene made Xu Qing's pupils contract, the iron sign in his hand was gripped tightly, and the sharp murderous intent in his eyes erupted in an instant.

Seeing that everyone likes this book, I am very happy, and even more so seeing your requests for more updates; received!