8: The rich are feasting and drinking

It was only because this withered forest was filled with a subtle mist that was imperceptibly influencing Shen Xi.

Previously, he had wandered around in a circle, and returning to the starting point was the mist's doing, numbing Shen Xi's nerves and preventing him from noticing the deviation in direction.

Seeing the already dead fellow now was also due to the mist.

Because Shen Xi and Wang Xiangui had different experiences, affected by the mist, the things they saw were naturally different.

It was precisely this flaw that allowed Shen Xi to immediately detect the problem.

Otherwise, continuing to be affected by the mist, the Two People would definitely get completely lost in the withered forest, eventually dying painfully from hunger and fear.

"Please, spare me!"

"I will worship you day and night, I only ask that you spare my life."

"All the mistakes are mine, but I couldn't help it!"

As the saying goes, a thief has a guilty conscience, Wang Xiangui kept kowtowing towards the withered tree.

Shen Xi said with some impatience, "If you don't run now, you'll stay here and wait to die!"

The face on the tree trunk was an illusion, but the withered trees approaching them were real.

Each of these withered trees was at the Blood Refining and Energy Transformation Realm.

Although Shen Xi was in the Yuánqì Realm, an army of ants can still kill an elephant, and the countless withered trees, as far as the eye could see, could also take his life.

"Right! Run!"

"I still have a Yuánqì Realm expert by my side!"

"That's right, with a Yuánqì Realm expert to save me, I'm not afraid of you."

Wang Xiangui said with extreme excitement, as if he had grasped a life-saving straw.

He followed closely by Shen Xi's side, and the Two People fled all the way, running deeper into the Forbidden Ground.

It wasn't that Shen Xi didn't want to leave this cursed place, the Forbidden Ground, but he found that the closer they got to the outside of the Forbidden Ground, the more withered trees there were, and with his strength, he simply couldn't break through.

Conversely, there weren't many withered trees inside the Forbidden Ground.

Although he knew very well that there must be more dangers inside the Forbidden Ground, Shen Xi had no choice.

The Two People, one after another, escaped from the withered forest.

And as soon as they stepped out of the withered forest, the withered forest immediately quieted down.

The previous illusions, the previous rampage of withered trees, all seemed like just a dream.

Observing the withered forest from the outside, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary forest.

Only Shen Xi and the Two People who had personally experienced it knew how terrifying the withered forest was.

This withered forest had at least a thousand withered trees, each at the Blood Refining and Energy Transformation Realm, which was like an army.

Even a Yuánqì Realm cultivator, once trapped inside, would be beyond help.

If Shen Xi hadn't discovered it in time and escaped the encirclement early, he would be a corpse by now.

"Are we safe now?"

Wang Xiangui asked cautiously.

He no longer dared to leave Shen Xi's side.

"Not necessarily."

Shen Xi shook his head and walked forward.

Since he was here, he would make the best of it; besides, the way back was blocked by the withered forest, so he could only continue forward.

"Don't leave me behind!"

Wang Xiangui yelled, and hurriedly followed.

This was a swamp.

The name Demon Swamp Mining Area came from the fact that this mining area was located in a swamp.

However, the swamps outside the Forbidden Ground would hide monsters, and the visibility was higher.

But in the swamp within the Forbidden Ground, even with Shen Xi's strength, he could only barely see about ten meters ahead.

This was obviously not a good thing for him.

No one could guarantee whether the swamp would hide any dangers.

With such low visibility, if there was danger, there might not even be time to react.

"Found it!"

Just then, Wang Xiangui suddenly shouted in surprise.

About five meters in front of the Two People, there was a piece of Ore emitting a glazed light.

Shen Xi understood, "Is this the mineral that can increase the speed of Cultivate?"

"That's right, it's this stuff, one gram is worth five hundred, and this piece of Ore alone weighs at least one catty, that's twenty-five thousand!" Wang Xiangui couldn't hide the greed in his eyes.

Merchants pursue profit.

Even in this situation, he couldn't help but be tempted.

"Twenty-five thousand, that's enough for an Outer City family's annual income."

Even Shen Xi was somewhat tempted.

The Outer City was a slum, and a family of four or five people, all together, could only earn tens of thousands a year.

Now, a small piece of Ore was equivalent to the annual income of an Outer City family.

This made him feel a bit disillusioned.

"If I could find nine more pieces, I could afford one square meter of housing at the very edge of the Inner City."

Wang Xiangui sighed again.

Hearing this, Shen Xi felt even more the disparity in the world, truly like the rich having too much to eat while the poor freeze to death on the streets.

Ten pieces of Ore, worth over two hundred thousand, could only buy one square meter at the very edge of the Inner City.

This was still the most peripheral area, how much would one square meter cost if they went further in?

Shen Xi couldn't imagine.

He only knew that Outer City residents would never be able to afford a house in the Inner City in their lifetime.

And to live in the Inner City, the most basic condition was to own a house in the Inner City.

This goal was a long and arduous Dao!

"Let's save up slowly!"

Shen Xi sighed helplessly.

He knew the gap between the Inner City and Outer City was large, but he didn't expect it to be so immense.

This somewhat overturned his worldview.

As he spoke, Shen Xi was about to approach the Ore, but as if he thought of something, he stopped.

"You, go and collect the Ore."

Shen Xi commanded Wang Xiangui.

He couldn't guarantee whether there was danger ahead, and since he had Wang Xiangui as cannon fodder, he might as well use him.

Besides, he already knew what the Ore looked like, and the other party's utility was only as cannon fodder.

Shen Xi had not developed any good feelings for Wang Xiangui because of these few life-and-death experiences; he remembered very clearly that the other party had once tried to kill him.

"Me?"

Wang Xiangui swallowed hard, somewhat hesitant.

Seeing this, Shen Xi immediately understood that the other party must have hidden something from him.

"If you don't want to go, that's fine, I can kill you and get it myself."

Shen Xi said with a grim face.

"I'll go, I'll go, isn't that enough!"

Wang Xiangui said quickly.

He knew that this young man looked young, but he was very cautious, and it was almost impossible to trick him.

Next to the Ore, there would generally be guardian spirits, which were symbiotic creatures formed by absorbing the special energy of the Ore.

Originally, Wang Xiangui wanted to take advantage of Shen Xi's youth and unfamiliarity with the characteristics of this Ore to trick him, but he didn't expect Shen Xi to be unwilling to even get close.

Thinking of this, Wang Xiangui reluctantly took out a bottle of amber liquid and dabbed a drop on his glabella.

Then, he approached the Ore.

He successfully collected the Ore without any incident.

The effect of the liquid made the guardian spirit think that Wang Xiangui was of the same kind, and it did not suddenly attack.

All of this was naturally seen by Shen Xi.

He sneered continuously, and casually took the Ore and the amber liquid from Wang Xiangui's hand.

"These things are mine!"

"Also, if you try to trick me again, I won't mind killing you right now!"

Shen Xi lowered his voice, speaking word by word.

The invisible threat was like an Asura from the underworld, making people shiver.

Wang Xiangui trembled all over, and quickly stammered, "How could I trick you, I just momentarily forgot that there were guardian spirits next to this kind of Ore."

"I hope so."

Shen Xi did not delve deeper; he still needed this cannon fodder.