The forbidden zone formed by the eastern part of the Southern Phoenix Continent was not very big.
The ruins that Xu Qing and the others left from were at the edge of the forbidden zone.
This was also the reason why the scavengers could reach the city on the first day of sunlight.
Therefore, when the sky gradually darkened, they were about to walk out of the forbidden zone.
Although they encountered some mutated beasts along the way, they were quickly dealt with by the scavengers.
Xu Qing made a judgment in his heart after observing.
He felt that if he took action, he could fight against the six scavengers, except for the old man called Lei Dui.
"They are not cultivators, but their ruthlessness and grasp of timing, as well as their attitude of not caring about death at the critical moment, increase their lethality."
Xu Qing analyzed in his heart. He thought that except for Lei Dui, he could fight against the others alone.
If there were two of them, he could, but if there were three of them, he was afraid that he would not be able to.
With this judgment, Xu Qing became more cautious.
At the same time, he keenly sensed that as they got closer to the outside world, the scavengers' expressions became more relaxed.
They even joked with each other on the way.
Only the old man called Lei Dui did not say anything along the way.
The others were also very respectful towards him, which made Xu Qing curious about the old man's identity.
However, this curiosity did not reduce his vigilance. Even though they were about to walk out of the forbidden zone, Xu Qing was still vigilant. He did not completely get close to the scavengers when he followed.
Instead, he stayed at a distance behind, listening to their conversation while cautiously following them.
When the sky was about to completely fall, a warm feeling hit him in the face. Xu Qing stopped in his tracks, looked back at the barren land behind him, and then looked at the world in front of him.
Between heaven and earth, there seemed to be an invisible boundary in the place where he was.
Inside the boundary was the newly formed forbidden zone, cold and gloomy.
Outside the boundary was the normal world, and the land was rejuvenated.
They walked out of the forbidden zone.
Although it was night outside, the stars were bright and the moon was high in the sky.
Although the land was also desolate, it was far from the gloomy coldness of the forbidden zone. Occasionally, they could even hear the sounds of birds and beasts.
In the grass in the distance, Xu Qing even saw a rabbit, looking at them warily.
All this made Xu Qing a little dazed.
The scavengers also looked completely relaxed. Even Captain Lei's brows relaxed a little.
"I've finally walked out. This time, it was quite smooth. If possible, I don't want to take half a step into the forbidden area again."
"Not going to the forbidden zone?
If I want to survive in this damn world and live a better life, I have to risk my life in the forbidden area. Sooner or later, I will buy the right to live in a sub-city of Seven Blood-pupils! "
Outside the forbidden area, the scavengers were clearly in a relaxed mood, and they were talking to each other.
Xu Qing did not say anything, but he listened very carefully. Along the way, he had listened to the conversations of these people and had already learned a lot of information that he could not come into contact with in the past.
For example, he had heard the scavengers mention the Seven Blood Eyes many times. It seemed to be a very powerful force.
They had also mentioned the name Zi Tu several times.
"Is that all you've got?
There are many sub-cities of the Seven Blood Eyes. The neighboring Deer Horn City is one of them. However, you can't buy the right to live there with enough spirit coins. You also need the recommendation of a disciple of the Seven Blood Eyes. Besides, the right to live there is nothing. My goal is to get the qualification to enter the Seven Blood Eyes and become a disciple of the Seven Blood Eyes! "
"If you go to the Seven Blood Eyes, you won't live for more than three days. Who doesn't know how to boast? Why don't you say that your goal is to go to the Ancient Gazing Continent? There is the origin of the human race there."
When Xu Qing heard this, his heart moved. He had seen the name Ancient Gazing on the bamboo slip.
"Ancient Gazing?
If I have the ability to ignore the taboo in the sea, do you think I won't go? "
The two scavengers seemed to have some verbal conflicts with each other and were arguing with each other.
Xu Qing pricked up his ears and was about to continue listening to their conversation to get more information. Captain Lei glanced at the two of them and spoke for the first time along the way.
"It's not impossible to go to the Ancient Gazing Continent. There are four ways. You can think about which one is suitable for you."
"First, you can build your foundation before the age of 15 and become a rare genius.
Second, you can pay 300,000 tons of spirit coins and buy a migration quota from the Purple Earth Sacred Ground, the Seven Blood Eyes, or the Departure Sect. "
"Third, you can make outstanding contributions to the human race in alchemy.
Fourth, you can be accepted as a personal disciple by the major families of the Purple Earth Sacred Ground, the peak masters of the Seven Blood Eyes, or the sect master of the Departure Sect. "
"Oh, there is a fifth way. You can become a treasure keeper.
Think about it, which one is suitable for you? "
The scavengers were silent, especially when they heard the fifth way. Their expressions were very unnatural, and their eyes were filled with fear.
Xu Qing's eyes also focused. He had heard of the term treasure keeper before.
It was when he was in the slums. He once had a few familiar companions who were taken away by some people in luxurious clothes.
It was said that they were being trained to become treasure keepers. At that time, the other children in the slums were very envious.
So he hesitated for a moment, looked at Captain Lei, and asked softly.
"Excuse me … What is a treasure keeper?"
Captain Lei's gaze fell on Xu Qing, and he spoke calmly.
"They use their own bodies to nurture magic treasures, cultivate special cultivation methods, and rely on their flesh and blood to dilute the foreign pollution of magic treasures. Every time the magic treasures are used, the increase of the foreign pollution is alleviated, so that they can be used continuously, but they gradually wither and die."
Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, and he was speechless for a long time.
Everyone seemed to have lost interest in talking because of the words treasure keeper. They walked silently in the night.
Some distance away from the forbidden area, Captain Lei chose to camp on a plain.
Unlike the forbidden area, the camp outside had lit bonfires in addition to the tents themselves.
As the flames burned, the surrounding warmth became stronger. The scavengers also sat around the bonfire and took out food to roast. Gradually, the aroma spread.
Looking at their food, Xu Qing swallowed his saliva. He sat in the distance, took out half a piece of hard jerky from the leather bag, and put it in his mouth to tear it.
Captain Lei, who was beside the bonfire, looked over and walked to Xu Qing.
When Xu Qing looked up, Captain Lei tossed him a leather bag, which contained several hot steamed buns.
The instant he saw the steamed buns, Xu Qing's eyes widened, and he suppressed the urge to eat them.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Captain Lei didn't say anything. He returned to the bonfire, and one of the scavengers laughed.
"Captain Lei, why are you so good to this kid?"
"They're all pitiful people. It's fate that we met. If we can help, we'll help."
There were three steamed buns, and they were very hot in his hand.
Xu Qing hesitated for a moment. Seeing that everyone else was eating the same steamed buns, he first pretended to take a bite and observed the scavengers. After a while, he found that they were still normal. After a long time, he really did take a small bite and held it in his mouth for a moment.
After confirming that there were no problems, he slowly chewed until it was fragmented and swallowed.
After waiting for a long time and confirming that there were no problems, he let out a sigh of relief. Unable to hold back any longer, he ate the entire steamed bun.
Then he hesitated for a moment, and then ate the second one in small bites.
Although he was still hungry, he still wrapped up the last steamed bun and carefully placed it in his leather bag, as if it were a treasure.
Soon, the sky darkened, and the scavengers returned to their tents one after another. Captain Lei handed him the sleeping bag like yesterday, and said a few words before leaving.
"It's yours."
Xu Qing looked up at Captain Lei and suddenly said.
"Why?"
"Why what?
Three steamed buns and a sleeping bag … There's no why. If you have the heart, just get me something to eat in the future. "Captain Lei turned and walked back to his tent.
"What do you like to eat?"
"Me?" Captain Lei stood beside the tent and thought for a moment.
"Snakes. That thing tastes good." With that, he walked into the tent.
Xu Qing held the sleeping bag and looked at Captain Lei's tent for a long time. Then he nodded heavily, burrowed into the sleeping bag, and closed his eyes.
However, he didn't fall asleep immediately. Instead, he silently circulated the Ocean Mountain Art with his eyes closed. This had become a habit of his.
Even if it was extremely cold during cultivation, he didn't give up at all. He seized all the time to cultivate diligently.
Especially when Captain Lei said today that he could reach Foundation Establishment before the age of fifteen. Although he didn't compare himself with the prodigy in the words, he still had some ideas in his heart.
"I'm fourteen this year …" Xu Qing murmured and continued to cultivate.
Just like that, time slowly passed. Soon, five days had passed.
Xu Qing followed these scavengers over the mountains and across the grasslands.
On the way, three people left halfway, which confirmed Xu Qing's previous judgment. These people were temporarily grouped together.
On the seventh day, the two scavengers with sabers also left, leaving only Xu Qing and Captain Lei.
That night, at the foot of a mountain, beside a bonfire, Captain Lei looked at Xu Qing who was eating the steamed bun in small bites and carefully putting away the other half.
"Kid, we'll reach our destination at noon tomorrow. That's where I live. It's a camp where scavengers gather."
Xu Qing looked up at the old man.
The old man looked into the distance and continued to speak.
"Scavenger camps are often built next to forbidden areas, so the camp on the other side of the mountain is also a forbidden area.
"Compared to the newly formed forbidden area where you were before, that place has existed for a long time. Not only are there ferocious beasts, but there are also dangerous places with extremely rich heterogeneity. If an ordinary person goes in for a day and doesn't come out, they will definitely die. Even I can last seven days in there at most.
"But that place is rich in Seven Leaf Grass, which is a necessary ingredient to refine White Pills.
"White Pills are the basic medicinal pills that cultivators use to resolve their heterogeneity. So usually, many outsiders come here. They cherish their lives and are not familiar with the geography, so they rarely pick them themselves. More often, they spend spirit coins to let the local scavengers go in and pick them."
At this point, the old man looked at Xu Qing.
"Do you understand what I mean?"
"You mean that the local scavengers in the camp are all desperadoes who can do anything for money?"
After Xu Qing heard about the White Pills and their effects, he narrowed his eyes and spoke softly after thinking.
Captain Lei's eyes revealed a look of surprise and he smiled.
"Your answer is partially correct. What I want to tell you is that in the scavenger camp, the rule is that the strong preys on the weak, and strength is the most important.
"But at least it's a place to live, and there are markets and places to buy and sell necessities. There are even caravans that come here from time to time. So, each of the houses here is also of great value.
"So, not just anyone can enter. Every new face who wants to obtain the right to stay has to go through a beast training. This is the rule set by the camp master.
"And you, if you succeed, I can allow you to live at my place for a fee." Captain Lei looked at Xu Qing and spoke slowly.