Heart of the Exile Ruins
Above the vast and boundless "Exile Ruins," a place where knowledge and danger coexist, a Spiritual Sense, like an invisible giant net, continuously swept across the void.
The person with Spiritual Sense consciousness, Hua Qiang, had his eyes slightly closed, his body radiating a faint light, and he was completely immersed in exploring this ruin.
Hua Qiang's Spiritual Sense swept over a dilapidated corner, where he saw Xing Ming slumped on the ground with a look of utter despair, his body covered in wounds and his clothes tattered.
Even so, his eyes still revealed a desire to survive as he struggled to find food among the rubble and debris, looking extremely disheveled and distressed.
Hua Qiang only glanced at it briefly before looking away. In his eyes, Xing Ming was nothing more than an insignificant survivor in these ruins, no longer qualified to be his opponent.
Immediately afterwards, the Spiritual Sense captured the busy figure of the Rat King Xiao Hui.
This was his "working mouse," and at that moment it was intently searching for and digging for Blood Crystal.
Its little paws kept digging in the soil, and its little eyes darted around, not missing any corner that might hide Blood Crystal.
Every time Little Gray finds a Blood Crystal, he carefully puts it away, as if he were guarding the most precious treasure in the world.
As his Spiritual Sense continued to penetrate deeper, Hua Qiang discovered countless treasures hidden within these ruins.
In various mysterious areas, there grow spiritual Spirit Fruit that are thousands or even tens of thousands of years old.
These spiritual Spirit Fruit exude an alluring light and a rich fragrance. Each one contains powerful Spiritual Power, and if consumed, it would greatly enhance a cultivator's strength.
However, these precious medicinal Spirit Fruit are not easily obtained, as powerful guardian beasts lurk nearby.
These guardian beasts are enormous and menacing, with fierce glints in their eyes. They will attack without hesitation if they detect any outsiders approaching.
In addition, various insects are hidden underground, either darting through the soil or lurking in the crevices of rocks, waiting for their prey to come.
These monstrous insects possess unique monstrous power; if they can be subdued, they can become a great help in cultivation.
Hua Qiang's lips curled up slightly, and a hint of greed flashed in his eyes.
With a thought, he activated the Space Law, unleashing the Spatial Divine Ability "Near as a Step, Far as the Horizon".
In an instant, his figure vanished from the spot, and the next moment, he appeared before those spiritual Spirit Fruit.
With a wave of his hand, as if sweeping away fallen leaves in autumn, he collected each spiritual herb Spirit Fruit into his own Small World.
The spiritual Spirit Fruit and fruits quickly accumulated in his Small World, soon forming a small mountain.
However, Hua Qiang's actions quickly alerted the nearby guardian beasts.
A gigantic guardian beast roared and charged forward, its gaping maw revealing sharp teeth as it launched a fierce attack on Hua Qiang.
Hua Qiang remained calm and unhurried, raising his hand and unleashing a powerful force.
Before this power, the guardian beast was like an ant, instantly annihilated and reduced to nothingness.
Thus, Hua Qiang continued to traverse the Exile Ruins, using his powerful strength and Spatial Divine Ability to collect treasures from one place after another.
Blood Crystal, spiritual herbs, and spiritual Spirit Fruit all became his spoils of war.
In this dangerous ruin, he was like an invincible plunderer, looting everything in his path, leaving nothing behind.
After searching, Hua Qiang's Small World was filled with all sorts of precious items.
The Blood Crystal emitted a dark red light, and the spiritual Spirit Fruit exuded a rich fragrance that permeated the entire Small World.
Looking at his substantial gains, Hua Qiang nodded in satisfaction, his eyes gleaming with pride.
Amidst the tremors of the void, he sat cross-legged atop the crystal pile, his body shimmering with starlight, and fine Dao patterns appeared on his skin, resembling an ancient starry sky.
Each Blood Crystal instantly transformed into a stream of crimson light and disappeared into the space between the eyebrows.
In an instant, violent Blood Qi raged through his meridians, like thousands of savage beasts charging and crashing about.
His brows were furrowed, a low groan escaped his throat, his hair moved without wind, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
Those Blood Crystal containing violent energy were exploding in the sea of consciousness at an alarming speed, turning into a torrent of crimson energy that continuously washed over and expanded it.
Hua Qiang suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes flashing red light, and his hands rapidly formed hand seals.
As the spell was cast, the Blood Crystal mountain trembled violently, and countless tiny crystal fragments floated up, as if drawn by an invisible vortex, continuously flowing into his mouth, nose, and nostrils.
His skin began to glow with an eerie red light, and crackling sounds came from his body, as if countless stars were constantly condensing and exploding in his dantian.
As time slowly passed, the Blood Crystal that had piled up like mountains melted away at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Hua Qiang's Blood Qi grew increasingly dense, forming a tangible crimson Gang Qi that distorted the surrounding space, causing it to shimmer and sparkle.
As the last piece of Blood Crystal turned into specks of light and dissipated, a deafening roar erupted from his body, and the aura of the Starry Sky Realm spread out like a tsunami.
The previously ethereal realm was as if it had been forged with immense black iron, becoming indestructible, and even showing a faint tendency to break through.
Slowly opening his eyes, Hua Qiang smiled.
He raised his hand and waved it lightly, unleashing a fist gust of wind containing terrifying pressure, causing distant mountains to collapse instantly.
Feeling the surging power within him, he knew that his foundation in the Starry Sky Realm was already far superior to that of other cultivators of the same level.
As Hua Qiang's Blood Qi gradually subsided, and he raised his hand to wipe the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, a gray figure suddenly emerged from the pile of rubble.
The Rat King Xiao Hui, its whiskers covered in dirt and its round body adorned with a few grains of sand, darted forward as if riding on wheels of fire, its beady eyes sparkling with a fawning intent.
"Hey, hey! Little Gray, I'm digging a hole along the Blood Crystal vein, digging a place that makes a 'thump thump' sound!"
"What?" Hua Qiang's eyes suddenly sharpened, and the aura that had just calmed down around him rippled again.
He picked up Little Gray with one hand and examined its soul memories.
However, deep in my memory, it appears as a pitch-black Abyss, with a faint, dark red pulse emanating from its bottom.
Legend has it that the Heart of the Ruins can control the flow of Spiritual Power in the entire area, and if one can refine it, the entire ruins will become his personal property.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Hua Qiang said three good words in succession, and his fingertips condensed into Star-Glow Brush, outlining a spatial coordinate in the air.
"If this succeeds, I will reward you with ten thousand-year-old cinnabar beads!"
Little Gray was so excited that it rolled around in his palm, its tail tip flicking out afterimages. It immediately scratched the ground with its claws, and the sand automatically solidified into a three-dimensional route map, clearly marking several hidden protective formations along the way.
Following the route, in less than half a day, a black abyss hanging upside down came into view.
The walls of the abyss were covered with strange runes, and eerie blue flames would occasionally burst out. The air was filled with the stench of rotting flesh and rust.
Hua Qiang flicked three starlight beams with his fingers, Rune Array exploded with a bang. He formed a hand seal with both hands and whispered, "Borrowing the power of Kun Yuan, clearing the path through the earth's veins!"
The entire Abyss suddenly trembled violently, and the rock walls surged on both sides like melting wax, revealing a tunnel leading underground.
The deeper you go, the heavier the Air Pressure becomes, and a deafening pulsation can be heard in your ears, as if the heartbeat of the entire world is contained here.
When the diving depth exceeded 20,000 meters, Hua Qiang's pupils suddenly contracted.
In the darkness ahead, a dark red heart, comparable to a mountain, was slowly rising and falling. Thick black liquid flowed through the vein-like patterns on its surface, and each beat stirred up a surge of Spiritual Power.
The three-headed, bone-armored Demonic Flood Dragon, still clinging to the surface of the heart, was startled. Its snake eyes glowed crimson, and it roared as it opened its massive, barbed maw and lunged forward.