After packing his belongings, Grey unblocked the entrance and stepped out. He moved quickly, gliding down the broken streets and past the weathered buildings. He stopped abruptly when he caught sight of something unusual. A deer with a coat of blood-red fur and teeth as sharp as a wolf's was chewing on the rocks of a building.
The creature stopped and looked at him. Grey's breathing grew labored under the intensity of its gaze. He sensed strong spiritual energy from the deer and an astonishing amount of corrosive substance in the air. He slowly began to back away, but the deer did not move, simply watching him. Only when he was far away did he finally let out a breath of relief.
This was the second mutated creature he had encountered, and its spiritual energy fluctuations were enough to terrify him. Thankfully, like the leopard, it didn't seem hostile, just observant.
After what felt like an unknown amount of time, Grey leaned against a tree, exhausted. He unscrewed his water bottle and gulped a large portion down. He was almost certain he was lost, having strayed from his intended path and now heading toward the outer layer of the corroded zone.
Just as he was planning his next move, he heard a slight rustle in the bushes. It was subtle, but his ears, sharpened by cultivation, caught it. He stood up warily and retreated several feet. At a distance of thirty feet, he called out, "Hello?" He wasn't sure why he did it; it could have been another creature. But then, he sensed a small trace of spiritual energy, filled with malicious intent, leak out.
He was about to retreat when a figure emerged. It was a middle-aged man, his clothes in dirty rags like Grey's. His face was covered in grime, but the evil glint in his eyes was unmistakable. He had a few wrinkles and emitted the energy fluctuations of a fourth-level Qi Accumulation cultivator.
Grey should have been happy to see another human, but the man radiated a strange, unsettling aura. It suddenly clicked: the dark clothes, the malignant gaze, the wicked aura… this person was a scavenger.
Scavengers were rogue cultivators who wandered the earth, committing heinous crimes and preying on others. They were notorious thieves and murderers, and their camps were often found near corroded zones, which provided an abundant supply of resources.
The scavenger laughed loudly at Grey's frightened expression. A dagger suddenly appeared in his hand, and he pointed at Grey's pouch. "I'll make this easy, kid. Give me your pouch, and I'll let you walk out of here with your two legs."
An Unconventional Fight
Grey's surprised expression turned solemn. He was not intimidated. After breaking through to the third realm of Qi Accumulation, he could sense the depths of this cultivator's power. He knew he could take him. Instead of handing over the pouch, his hand moved to his side, where his knife was concealed.
The scavenger, mistaking Grey's silence for fear, repeated his demand. "Let me repeat. Give me your pouch, and you can leave." Even more baleful aura emanated from him.
'First a leopard, then a deer. Now I'm facing a middle-aged fool,' Grey thought, a dark expression on his face.
He didn't waste any more time. With a burst of power, he launched forward, covering several feet in a couple of breaths. The scavenger smiled maliciously and rushed to meet him.
They met in a violent collision. Grey landed on the ground, a mouthful of blood spewing from his lips. He looked at his arm, which had a deep cut. He glanced at the scavenger and saw a shocked expression on his face as a crack appeared in his dagger.
In their clash, Grey had thrown a punch with his right arm while holding his knife in his left. When the scavenger tried to plunge his dagger into Grey, Grey's left hand moved with lightning speed, blocking the incoming strike. The knife bounced off the dagger, but the scavenger used his free palm to block Grey's fist before elbowing him in the stomach.
Grey had not expected a full strike from a fourth-level cultivator to hurt so much that his internal organs churned. But he had accomplished his goal. The scavenger's dagger was slowly shattering. Grey watched as the man's expression twisted into a crazy rage.
He wiped the blood from his lips as his cultivation base circulated. The purple crystal was already healing him.
'Ah, so where were we...'
"That knife cost me money! I'm going to cut you up!" the scavenger roared, rushing toward Grey even faster.
Grey's expression changed, but he could only bring his arms up to block. Another bang rang out, and Grey was flung away again. His face was pale, but this time he didn't cough up blood. A faint smile touched his lips.
The scavenger kept rushing at Grey, but each time a loud bang rang out, Grey only smiled wider. The cultivator was burning spiritual energy with every dash, while Grey was simply trying to tire him out before attacking.
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