Chapter 2

"If it's a living person, it might really be related to the purple light... but it could also be a trap."

Xu Qing's eyes showed a thoughtful expression as he pondered deeply.

During his days in the ruined city, he had come to deeply understand that every creature transformed by the divine aura was extremely ferocious and powerful.

However, perhaps because the forbidden zone had not yet fully formed, these creatures mostly slept during the day.

Unless, like when he obtained the bamboo slip last time, he intruded into the peripheral area of their sleeping grounds.

Otherwise, being cautious on a daily basis would not pose a significant threat.

Compared to these creatures, Xu Qing was more wary of living people, as sometimes human hearts were more treacherous than fierce beasts.

After some thought, his eyes gradually turned cold and stern. Regardless of whether it was a living person or a trap, he was prepared to go to that area again.

However, he needed to make thorough preparations before going.

With this in mind, Xu Qing gripped the cultivation bamboo slip in his hand.

The changes in his body over these few days of cultivation gave him some confidence, and the content of the bamboo slip, apart from the cultivation techniques, also introduced the concept of cultivation.

Cultivation was passed down from the ancient times before the arrival of the divine remnants.

Although it has changed, it still largely follows the old system.

It is divided into Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul stages.

As for the stages beyond Nascent Soul, perhaps due to their high level, the bamboo slip did not record them, but it clearly pointed out the helplessness of cultivators.

Due to the divine aura's invasion of spiritual energy, the spiritual energy became polluted, and this pollution was like a deadly poison to all things.

At some point, people began to refer to the divine aura as "heterogeneous."

Xu Qing was very clear that the coldness he felt during his previous cultivation was actually due to the mixture of heterogeneous elements in the absorbed spiritual energy.

Once this heterogeneous element accumulates to a certain extent in the body, it will cause the cultivator to mutate, either dying and turning into blood mist or transforming into a mindless creature.

When the divine eyes opened and looked at a certain area, the concentration of the heterogeneous element instantly increased, accelerating this transformation.

Cultivation is dangerous.

But not cultivating, in this world filled with divine aura pollution, would result in a shorter lifespan and more diseases, making life akin to living in a hellish abyss, with almost no one able to die a natural death.

Therefore, cultivation became the only path after having no other choice.

Over countless years, people, based on the inheritance, evolved various cultivation methods.

The current methods involve absorbing spiritual energy while using cultivation techniques to separate the heterogeneous elements mixed in the spiritual energy and compress them in a specific part of the body.

This part is called the "mutation point."

Thus, the proportion of heterogeneous elements separated became an important standard for distinguishing the quality of cultivation techniques.

Almost all high-separation-ratio techniques are controlled by major forces or families, as they are important resources, regardless of whether the divine has arrived or not.

Depending on the cultivation technique, the degree of separation of the heterogeneous elements varies, and the location of the mutation point also differs.

However, as long as one cultivates, there will be heterogeneous elements, and a mutation point will gradually form.

Theoretically, the mutation point is irreversible, and although it can be alleviated with some pills, it does not address the root cause.

As for the method to completely purify the mutation point, the bamboo slip mentioned it briefly.

In the world of the End Earth, apart from the Southern Phoenix Continent, there exists a vast land called Wanggu.

There, the origin of the human race, although also affected by the divine aura pollution, seems to have found a way to completely purify it.

However, this method is not quantifiable, and only the most esteemed can enjoy it.

Ordinary cultivators can only aspire to it but cannot achieve it.

As for the numerous low-rank scattered cultivators, it is even more impossible for them to obtain it.

The cultivation techniques of scattered cultivators generally have a very low separation rate, making cultivation difficult and the risk of mutation higher.

Despite the great risks of cultivation, for most people, the presence of cultivators is still common.

For example, Xu Qing knew that he could now be considered a scattered cultivator.

Although, according to the records on the bamboo slip, every cultivator in the End Earth is walking on a difficult and dangerous path, like a mortal swimming towards the deep sea, heading towards a distant and unreachable shore.

Often, before they even see the legendary shore, they are already exhausted and die.

But Xu Qing, who grew up in the slums, deeply understood that a single conflict or illness could cost a life.

"So instead of worrying about future mutation, it's better to worry about whether I will still be alive tomorrow."

Xu Qing muttered, touching the scar on his chest and looking at the sky outside the gap.

At this moment, it seemed that dawn was not far off, and the howls and wails had decreased significantly.

"If the blood rain continues and the purple light is not found, I will have to consider leaving and going to other cities to find medicinal herbs." Xu Qing looked down at his wound.

Due to the spread of the divine aura and the continuous blood rain, almost all items in the city were severely polluted, including medicinal herbs, making resources scarce.

Xu Qing raised his hand and pressed on the scar on his chest, causing some blood to seep out.

His face was somewhat pale, and he took a deep breath, removing the inner layer of his fur coat and wrapping it around his back to bind his wound. He then gathered his strength and waited for dawn.

Not long after, the howls and wails outside decreased even further.

Until they completely disappeared, Xu Qing noticed through the gap that the sky was already faintly bright.

Based on his past experience, it was now safe to go out.

However, he did not immediately set off but stood up and moved his stiff body.

Once he felt a warm sensation, he moved the rocks and debris blocking the gap, using the weak light from outside to open his leather bag and organize it.

He tied a rusty dagger to his calf and placed the black iron rod in the most convenient position.

He also carefully opened and checked a snake head wrapped in hemp cloth, then cautiously put it back.

After doing these things, Xu Qing closed his eyes, and after a few breaths, he opened them again, his eyes now calm.

He quickly crawled out of the gap and paused at the exit.

After cautiously looking around and confirming there was no danger, Xu Qing dashed out as the sky gradually brightened, heading towards the area where he saw what seemed to be a living person yesterday.

Due to the continuous blood rain and dense clouds, the sky was dim, with no sun and no strong sunlight.

The dim dawn was like a severely ill old man with many age spots, his murky gaze still retaining the frost of the night.

His breath turned into the morning wind, carrying the smell of death, cold and chilling.

If one had not warmed up, the wind would cause the body to shiver involuntarily.

However, for Xu Qing, his body still retained the warmth from earlier, so he was not greatly affected.

He maintained his speed, heading straight for the area where he saw the person yesterday.

From a distance, in the empty city, Xu Qing's figure leaped over the ruins, moving smoothly without any pause.

Accompanying him were a group of birds flying in the sky, but they were high up and hard to catch.

While running, Xu Qing looked up at the birds in the sky and licked his lips.

He did not know why, but after the divine eyes opened, all living things were polluted and almost all died, including animals, but birds survived the most.

These birds were the focus of his hunting to satisfy his hunger during this time.

Although the birds were also trapped in the blood rain, they seemed to instinctively find some safe shelters, like the hole Xu Qing discovered by following the birds' tracks.

These shelters were not absolutely safe, but they were relatively easier to be overlooked by the mutated creatures and strange things.

Xu Qing had discovered two such places, one being his stone cave, and the other outside the city lord's residence.

However, he only scanned the sky briefly and then focused on a specific location in the city, getting closer and closer.

Soon, Xu Qing approached the area he saw yesterday. He did not go directly but circled around to find a high point.

After carefully climbing up, he lay down, motionless, narrowing his eyes to avoid revealing any light, and slowly looked down.

At first glance, Xu Qing's pupils contracted; he saw the person from yesterday again!

The person was sitting against the ruins, dressed neatly, with normal skin.

Most importantly... his demeanor, his body, everything was exactly the same as what Xu Qing saw yesterday.

It seemed that the person had not moved at all throughout the night.

This was highly unreasonable.

If the person was alive, the dangers in the city at night would not have been ignored.

If the person was dead, the unpolluted corpse would have been the best food for the mutated creatures, so it would not have remained until now.

Xu Qing fell silent, pondering as he lay motionless. Growing up in the slums, he was not short of patience.

Thus, under his careful observation, time slowly passed, and by noon, the person was still motionless.

After waiting for three hours, Xu Qing pondered and then lightly raised his right hand, grabbing a pebble and launching it towards the person.

The pebble moved quickly, with considerable force, and when it hit the figure by the ruins, it made a "bang" sound.

The figure wobbled and fell to the side like a corpse.

At the moment it fell, a purple light appeared on the ground where it had been sitting.

Seeing the purple light, Xu Qing's eyes lit up, and his breathing quickened.

He had been searching for the purple light that had descended in the city for several days.

At this moment, he forcibly suppressed the urge to rush over and waited a bit longer, confirming there was no danger, before he suddenly dashed out.

His speed was so fast that he almost burst with all his strength, like a hunting eagle, heading straight for the purple light.

After arriving quickly, he grabbed the purple light and immediately retreated without hesitation.

The entire process was extremely fast, and after retreating over ten yards, Xu Qing stopped, panting, and looked at the purple light in his hand.

It was a purple crystal, clear and transparent, with a dazzling beauty.

Xu Qing's heart beat faster, and when he looked up, he saw the fallen corpse, which seemed to be corroding visibly due to the loss of the purple light's protection, and its skin instantly turned black.

This scene made Xu Qing instinctively grip the purple crystal tighter and turn to run quickly towards his hole.

After running for a while, Xu Qing suddenly paused, his expression somewhat puzzled.

He untied his fur coat and looked at the wound on his chest.

There was no more blood seeping out, and instead, a tingling sensation appeared.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, and he tore open the bandage on his wound, his mind strongly shaken when he saw it.

He clearly remembered that in the morning, the wound had not healed and was even more blackened, but now...

The wound on his chest had healed by more than half, and the edges were only a faint scar!

"This..." Xu Qing's breathing quickened, and he then looked sharply at the purple crystal in his hand.