Chapter 6

Nanhuanzhou is vast.

If viewed from high above, one can see that its shape is an irregular ellipse, surrounded by the sea.

Although it is separated from the ancient mainland by the Endless Sea, it is more like an island, but its vast expanse is such that many people cannot traverse it in a lifetime.

However, most of its areas are difficult for humans to enter, as they are blocked by the Truth Mountains, which run diagonally across the entire Nanhuanzhou.

The southwestern part of the Truth Mountains is an extremely vast restricted area.

This area occupies nearly seventy percent of Nanhuanzhou, while only the northeastern part is the living area for humans.

Despite this, the number of humans is not small.

In this northeastern area, numerous cities, large and small, are densely scattered like stars, some sturdy, some simple.

However, the construction of these cities avoids the small restricted areas within the northeastern region.

If there is a choice, no one wants to live near the restricted areas, where danger can descend at any moment. Only those who are forced by circumstances, driven by desperation, gather together, their eyes red, their tongues licking the blades, struggling to survive.

Thus, scavenger camps are formed, and almost every restricted area has such a camp around it. Looking at the entire human area, the number of scavenger camps is quite diverse.

At this moment, standing on the mountain top, what Xu Qing saw was one such camp.

From a distance, the camp is not very large, with only a few hundred people living there.

Perhaps due to the early morning, smoke rises gently, and although it is not as bustling as within the city, it is quite lively.

There are faint shouts, curses, hawking, and unrestrained laughter, all mingling together and echoing far away.

However, the valuable houses mentioned by Lei Team Leader, from the inside out, become increasingly simple, with the outermost ones being just tents.

Not far behind the camp is a dark forest.

Fog shrouds it, as if hiding terrifying entities.

Even the intense sunlight cannot fully penetrate it, as if there are deities or demons inside, coldly intimidating all directions.

It is like a black mutation on a human body, shocking to see and distinctly different from other areas.

"What do you feel when you see this?" Lei Team Leader asked on the mountain top.

"It's similar to a slum," Xu Qing thought for a moment and answered honestly.

Lei Team Leader smiled, said nothing, and walked forward.

Xu Qing retracted his gaze and followed behind Lei Team Leader. The two of them went down the mountain, getting closer to the camp.

On the way, they encountered several people returning from outside, all dressed similarly, mainly in dark gray leather coats.

Xu Qing noticed that when these people saw Lei Team Leader, they all showed signs of respect, and their eyes were mostly filled with curiosity, scanning him.

This made Xu Qing speculate more about Lei Team Leader's identity.

Thus, when the sun was high in the sky, Xu Qing followed Lei Team Leader into the plain at the foot of the mountain, entering the scavenger camp.

The camp has no walls, the ground is very messy, with dust flying, dry leaves and garbage scattered everywhere, giving a sense of filth and disorder.

As they walked, the sounds heard from the mountain became clearer, reaching Xu Qing's ears.

What he saw were simple buildings and numerous scavengers.

Some were as tall and strong as oxen, some were emaciated with venomous eyes, some were old and feeble, yet no one dared to provoke them.

There were also some young people like him, huddled in corners, staring blankly at the sky.

Some of them were disabled.

Among them, many people made Xu Qing's eyes narrow slightly; the aura they emitted made him sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy.

Various people were buying and selling, fighting each other, or lying on large rocks to bask in the sun.

Some were pulling up their pants as they emerged from tents adorned with bright feathers, their faces showing lecherous expressions.

Xu Qing followed Lei Team Leader into the camp, which to outsiders seemed like entering hell.

But apart from being cautious, he felt nothing unusual, even a faint sense of familiarity.

"Indeed, it's very similar to a slum," Xu Qing muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping over the feather-adorned tents, seeing white figures inside.

Even in one tent, a young woman in a disheveled state emerged, looking lazy and smiling at Xu Qing, waving her hand.

"Don't look around," Lei Team Leader glanced at Xu Qing.

"I know what kind of place it is," Xu Qing retracted his gaze and replied.

Lei Team Leader's wrinkles formed a wry smile, saying nothing, and led Xu Qing through the camp until they reached their destination.

It was a large wooden structure in the center of the camp, circular, resembling an arena.

Xu Qing had been observing the entire time, and his mind had already mapped out most of the camp.

This was his habit; familiarity with the environment often changes the course of a crisis.

At this moment, he looked up at the arena-like structure, noticing that inside, besides the large area, there were many simple benches around the perimeter.

In addition, there were roars of fierce beasts coming from inside the structure.

Around it were some wooden sheds, with a few scavengers, dressed more cleanly, chatting outside.

As Lei Team Leader arrived, a lean middle-aged man soon staggered out of the arena.

This man wore a long robe different from the scavengers, had a mustache, and also emitted spiritual energy fluctuations. He came over, his face barely twitching, glanced at Xu Qing, and then looked at Lei Team Leader.

"Newcomer?"

"The rules are already known," Lei Team Leader said slowly.

"What's your name?" the mustachioed man asked casually.

"Just a kid, what name does he have? Call him Kid," Lei Team Leader said indifferently.

"Then follow me, Kid. You're lucky; there are already a few before you, and we can start tomorrow," the mustachioed man yawned and turned to walk towards the sheds.

Xu Qing looked at Lei Team Leader.

"Go, I'll come for you tomorrow," Lei Team Leader looked at Xu Qing, his eyes filled with some expectation.

Xu Qing gave Lei Team Leader a deep look, nodded, and followed the mustachioed man without a word.

When they reached the sheds, the mustachioed man instructed a scavenger nearby and then left.

Xu Qing was arranged into the sheds and told not to go out without permission.

As he stepped into the sheds, he saw four pairs of eyes from different parts of the room focusing on him.

They were three young people around his age and one young adult, three males and one female.

The two young men seemed a few years older, and after scanning Xu Qing, they paid no attention.

As for the girl, who was a bit younger than Xu Qing, she was huddled in a corner, with a large scar on her face.

She looked nervously and vigilantly at everything around her, including the original three and the new arrival, Xu Qing.

The oldest young adult, who seemed to be a scavenger, now just changed camps.

So when he saw Xu Qing, he curled his lips, indifferent, and turned his gaze, with a predatory look, towards the girl in the corner, licking his lips.

But clearly, without officially obtaining the right to live in the camp, he did not dare to act recklessly.

Xu Qing ignored them, found a spot near the door, and sat cross-legged, closing his eyes to meditate.

Time passed slowly. Perhaps because Xu Qing was too quiet, the three in the shed, except for the girl, gradually ignored him and started talking to each other.

The two young men's words clearly showed a desire to flatter the young adult.

Their conversation was mostly about the upcoming trial.

From their talk, Xu Qing learned that the camp held a trial every so often, when enough people wanting to obtain the right to live in the camp had accumulated.

The rules of the trial were simple.

Since the camp leader raised many mutated fierce beasts, the trial for obtaining the right to live in the camp involved drawing lots and fighting the beast one drew.

Either live or die, each other being prey.

The survivors could take the spoils and obtain the right to live in the camp.

The dead would become food for the beasts.

Each trial was held in the arena.

At that time, most of the scavengers in the camp would buy tickets to watch the bloody spectacle, gaining pleasure from it, while the camp leader would run a betting ring to profit.

In this cruel world, human life is not valuable.

But if one cannot enter the city and cannot live in the camp, living alone in the wild carries a greater risk of death.

Of course, the slums are also an option, but those who decide to enter the scavenger camp clearly have their own reasons for coming here.

Xu Qing meditated while listening.

Until they mentioned the event of the deity opening its eyes a few days ago, one of the young men suddenly spoke.

"I heard that you are a survivor of that disaster?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes.

He noticed that the young man was not talking to him but to the girl in the corner.

The girl's body trembled, and she silently nodded.

Xu Qing's gaze fell on the girl.

Others had only heard about it, but he had experienced it, so he deeply understood that those who survived the disaster and came here might not be as weak and simple as they appeared.

Seemingly noticing Xu Qing's gaze, the girl looked up at him.

Xu Qing closed his eyes again and continued to meditate, striving to use every moment to cultivate, which was the foundation for him to live better.

Thus, the night passed.

The next morning, amidst the chaos and shouting outside, the door of the shed was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

Sunlight streamed in, covering the body of the scavenger standing at the door, and his shadow fell into the room, enveloping the girl in the corner, as a cold voice came.

"Pack up and follow me, your show is about to begin."

"Finally, it's here."

The young adult, who seemed to be a scavenger, was the first to stand up, smiling and greeting the person at the door.

The two young men quickly followed, and Xu Qing was the fourth to leave, while the girl was the last.

The scavenger at the door seemed to know the young adult, exchanged a few words, and then ignored the others, leading the young adult towards the arena.

As they approached, the noise, shouting, and calls grew louder and more intense.

When they entered the arena, the surrounding sounds erupted.

One could see that there were already over a hundred people on the benches around the arena, men and women, like a group of demons, watching the show.

Their voices were loud, and the girl's body clearly trembled, while the two young men's faces turned pale.

Only the young adult looked excited, his eyes on the audience.

As for Xu Qing, his expression did not change much, and he began to observe the environment of the fighting area in the arena.

"The area is not large, unsuitable for maneuvering, no cover, unsuitable for hiding."

"The surrounding wooden boards are high, unsuitable for leading danger to the audience, but there are some door marks, suggesting other passages."

"So... either drag it out, using the scavengers' shouts to scare the beasts and find the right moment to strike, but this could also enrage the beasts. Therefore, a quick and decisive victory would be most advantageous."