"This item …"
Xu Qing's eyes shone brightly. He recalled the unscathed corpse before he took the purple crystal away.
"It can make a corpse unscathed and heal a living person's injuries quickly?"
Xu Qing held the purple crystal in his hand. His heart raced as he quickly looked around.
Although he knew there were no other living people in this place, he was still instinctively vigilant due to the treasure he obtained.
At this moment, he did not stay any longer. Instead, he ran at full speed, heading straight for the hole he was hiding in.
Along the way, he vaguely discovered that not only were his injuries healing rapidly, but even the fatigue in his body seemed to have lessened a lot.
In the past, when he ran like this, he would need to rest after an hour. However, an hour had already passed. He felt warm all over and his strength seemed to be abundant.
On his way back, he had even caught a bird that had fallen from the sky.
He did not kill it, but knocked it out because living creatures could be preserved for a longer time.
Even so, the time it took for him to return to the hole was reduced by a lot.
When there was still some time before night, he could already see his hole in the distance.
Xu Qing's mood had never been better. However, he did not let down his guard.
This was because he knew that perhaps it was due to the opening of the eyes of the gods and the formation of the forbidden zone. In this area at night, other than the awakening of strange beasts, there would also be some strange existences that would appear.
He had heard from people in the slums that there were many places in the world where death was common, and such strange existences would form.
For example, the laughter that came from outside at night was made by such existences.
It was widely acknowledged that such strange existences were not to be seen, touched, or encountered.
Although in his previous experience, those existences appeared at night, Xu Qing was not sure if they would occasionally appear during the day.
Therefore, he did not reduce his speed at all. Soon, he approached the hole and entered in a flash, sealing the hole's crack.
Then, he sat down cross-legged and opened his tightly clenched palm.
Purple light spread out from his palm, illuminating the small hole. Under the light, Xu Qing's face and eyes were also dyed purple.
He stared at the purple crystal in his palm without blinking.
The crystal was long and about the size of his finger. There seemed to be some floccule in it. The purple light was emitted by those floccule.
"Healing wounds, huh …" Xu Qing observed for a long time before taking off his clothes to examine the wound on his chest. He found that the wound had already healed by 90%.
Now, the remaining part would be completely healed in no time. Even the surrounding scars were disappearing.
Thinking back to the fact that he had run all the way back and felt much less tired than before, Xu Qing had a rough idea of what this purple crystal was.
It was obvious that the function of this item was recovery.
Recover his injuries, recover his strength, and recover his vitality!
"I wonder if there are any other effects," Xu Qing murmured, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
He did not know if the purple crystal had anything to do with the gods opening their eyes, but it was probably the case.
Regardless, it was still a treasure. At the very least, Xu Qing had never heard of an item with such astonishing recovery ability.
Keeping such an item by his side was equivalent to having a second life.
However, Xu Qing knew very well that the reason he was able to possess this item now was because there was no other living person in the city other than himself.
But once the rain of blood ended and he walked out … he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to protect such a treasure.
Therefore, the only way was to hide this purple crystal …
Xu Qing pondered for a long time. He glanced at the unconscious bird that he had captured and raised his hand to take it.
After pinching its beak so that it could not make a sound, he pulled out the dagger on his calf and directly cut a wound on the bird's body.
While the bird was struggling, Xu Qing stuffed the purple crystal into its body.
Then, he paid close attention to it without blinking.
He saw that the bird was still struggling at first, but soon, there was an undercurrent surging around it.
The spiritual energy seemed to be attracted, even more than the spiritual energy that appeared when Xu Qing was cultivating, and it went straight into the bird's body.
The bird's strength in struggling was also much stronger than before. Compared to its strength, Xu Qing seemed to be unable to hold it.
This scene made Xu Qing's eyes shine brightly.
The bird's neck that he could crush in the past had to be squeezed several times before he could break it.
He quickly took out the purple crystal from its body and wiped it. He closed his eyes and pondered.
"The bird is not dead. Instead, spiritual energy is pouring in, and the bird's strength has suddenly increased … It should be fine."
After a while, Xu Qing opened his eyes. There was decisiveness in his eyes, and he stuffed the purple crystal into the wound on his chest that was about to completely heal.
The process of stuffing it in was a little painful, but Xu Qing gritted his teeth and endured it.
There was no safer place than hiding it in one's own body.
He had also tested it briefly, and it seemed that the effect would be better if it was placed in one's body.
As the purple crystal entered his body, the wound on his chest healed. Before Xu Qing could examine it carefully, there was a roar in his body.
A surge of spiritual energy that was even more powerful than the absorption force of the bird came from all directions, penetrating the soil and rushing toward him.
This spiritual energy was too shocking. Xu Qing's body turned pale green in an instant, and an indescribable coldness spread throughout his body.
This was caused by the spiritual energy being too strong.
However, Xu Qing was already prepared. At this moment, he did not hesitate to activate the Sea and Mountain Art.
As he activated it, the spiritual energy that surged into his body was suddenly separated into a large amount of foreign matter.
The remaining pure spiritual energy flowed through his meridians and throughout his body, causing Xu Qing's body to emit popping sounds.
It was as if some blockages in his body had been opened in an instant. His flesh and blood were nourished and refined at this moment.
The diagram that he visualized in his mind seemed to come alive at this moment, and it automatically assumed various postures.
Although the Sea and Mountain Art was a cultivation method, it was not a cultivation method, but a body tempering method.
It was divided into ten levels, corresponding to the ten levels of the Qi Condensation Realm.
There was a clear introduction on the bamboo scroll. Each level could increase the strength of the cultivator by one tiger. Five tigers were a spirit, and two spirits were a chief.
It was said that a spirit could move mountains, and a chief could move seas. That was why it was named the Sea and Mountain Art.
At this moment, the purple crystal that was buried in his chest was like a vortex that was constantly sucking in spiritual energy. It was as if spiritual energy was pouring into him.
Xu Qing's cultivation speed also increased exponentially.
After an unknown period of time, the popping sounds in his body suddenly became louder. A large amount of impurities in his body flowed out of his pores.
A fishy stench also filled the cave.
As the impurities flowed out, Xu Qing's body became much more crystalline. His face, which was covered in dirt, became more delicate.
After a long while, as the popping sounds in his body and the spiritual energy gradually disappeared, Xu Qing's eyes opened abruptly.
A purple light flashed in his eyes.
After returning to normal, Xu Qing's expression was blank.
The pitch-black cave suddenly became clearer in his eyes. He hurriedly lowered his head to check his body. Gradually, his expression became one of disbelief.
"This feeling …."
Xu Qing's expression carried a trace of excitement. He stood up and punched out, causing a sharp sound of wind.
Because the cave was very small, he could not test his speed. But the feeling of lifting his leg and punching out told him that he had improved greatly in all aspects compared to before.
Then he immediately rolled up the sleeve on his left arm.
When he saw a black dot the size of a fingernail on his forearm, Xu Qing took a deep breath and suppressed the excitement in his heart.
"So this is the first level of the Qi Condensation Realm!"
This black dot, according to the description on the bamboo slip, was a mutation point. The mutation point of the Sea Mountain Technique was on the left arm. It increased by one with every level.
Touching the mutation point on his arm, Xu Qing was more excited about his obvious strength. So he looked up at the entrance of the crack, thinking that he would wait until dawn to test his speed.
But soon, Xu Qing was surprised. He approached the entrance of the crack and listened carefully.
The outside world was still pitch-black, but there was not the slightest bit of sound.
This was something he had never encountered in the many days he had been here.
In the past, even after dawn, when there were no strange beasts or strange sounds, the sound of rain was always there.
But now, the sound of rain was also gone.
"Could it be …."
Xu Qing's heart trembled, and a guess appeared in his heart.
He waited silently until a dazzling ray of light shone in through the crack at the entrance of the cave. It was reflected in Xu Qing's pitch-black eyes, as if it had lit up his world.
The moment he saw the light, Xu Qing's body trembled.
He raised his hand and slowly approached the ray of sunlight, placing it in his palm. The long-awaited warmth slowly awakened his sleeping soul.
"Sunlight …."
After a while, Xu Qing's eyes shone brightly. He pushed aside the debris blocking the crack, and as more rays of light came in, he slowly made his way out.
The moment he walked out of the exit, he raised his head. What he saw was no longer thick and gloomy clouds, but a bright and brilliant sun.
It was like an old man in the morning light, who had been seriously ill for many days, had regained his vitality. The curtains were slowly drawn, and fresh air once again descended upon the world.
"The rain has stopped."
Xu Qing took a deep breath of the air that contained the sunlight, and silently looked at the city covered by the rosy clouds of the morning sun.
Under the dazzling red sun, everything in the city seemed to shine with a different luster.
The bright red rosy clouds on the horizon shone down through the cracks in the clouds, like countless whales spitting out a golden waterfall. It washed away the haze and fog that covered the city, revealing mottled scars.
The collapsed houses, the greenish-black corpses, and the ghastly blood-red puddles seemed to remind Xu Qing of the calamity that had occurred here.
A complicated look appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. He had lived in the slums outside the city for six years, and he had also seen this city for six years.
Although he had not come here many times, this was the place he had yearned to live in the past six years.
"I obtained a cultivation method here."
"I obtained the purple crystal here."
"I … survived here," Xu Qing murmured. He was silent.
After a long time, he let out a soft sigh and walked to the side of a greenish-black corpse. He lowered his head and looked at it for a moment, then carried it on his back and walked forward.
He walked all the way to a nearby square, then put the corpse down. Then he turned around and carried a second corpse, a third corpse, a fourth corpse …
Some corpses were scattered on the streets, and some were crushed under the rubble.
When he carried all the corpses in the nearby area to the square, the corpses piled up like a mountain. Some were complete, and some were incomplete.
Xu Qing stood there and lit a fire. Perhaps it was because of the strange nature, but the fire burned even more fiercely, and thick smoke rose up …
Xu Qing looked at the smoke for a long time, then silently walked off into the distance to the second area. Soon, another area was filled with smoke. More and more smoke rose up … more and more smoke …
Just like this, on the first day that sunlight shone into the ruined city, besides light, there was also thick black smoke from the cremation of corpses.
The black smoke rose up into the air, blocking out the sunlight. At this moment, the morning sun was filled with powerlessness. It turned a dim red, as if it were hiding a deep sigh.
It was as if the thick smoke had become its tears.
The reflections on the ground seemed to have turned into tears of the earth.
The final tear was the place where Xu Qing had discovered the purple light.
Over there, Xu Qing laid down the corpse of the old man from the medicine shop. As the corpse was burned, waves of heat brushed against his face. He silently stood beside the fire, the roiling flames reflected in his pitch-black pupils, constantly swaying.
His withered and messy hair was bent by the waves of heat. After a long time, Xu Qing's body also bent and he bowed his head.
"May … you rest in peace."
At this moment, the flames suddenly burned fiercely, becoming more and more intense. Countless dandelion-like flames spread out, drifting away with the wind.
But the thick smoke that rose into the air still carried with it the unwillingness and regret of the deceased. The wind couldn't blow it away.
It rose higher and higher, like several scars in the vault of heaven.
It was insignificant and filled with helplessness.
…
After a long time, accompanied by the sound of chaotic footsteps, a strange yin and yang voice suddenly sounded out from behind the youth.
"I was wondering why I didn't see any corpses along the way. So it turns out that there was a foolish boy who didn't hesitate to exhaust his own strength to move the corpses here to be cremated.
"Fine. Since you miss them so much, I'll help you and throw you in with them."
Xu Qing suddenly turned around.