355: Chapter 355 Scavengers? The Consequences of Following the Imperial Clan to Pick Up the Losses

The Xu Family's massive starry sky fleet was like a red-hot blade, effortlessly slicing through the deathly mist that struck fear into the hearts of the world.

As the warships pushed forward, the Bone Dragons formed from condensed Death Qi on the periphery were all blasted into fragments by the Star-Falling Heavy Crossbows.

Before the carrier-less Death Qi could reform in mid-air, Xu Chen secretly circulated the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art, drawing it all into his Saint King Origin.

This method of advancing by sustaining war with war allowed the Xu Family fleet's spiritual energy reserves to increase rather than decrease.

Time passed until noon.

The sky above remained hidden from the sun, but the surrounding black mist gradually thinned, shifting into a depressing shade of gray. The pungent scent of decay in the air grew stronger, and the surrounding Law of Space became chaotic.

This was already the Gray Zone of the Forbidden Zone of Life, only one step away from the true core region.

On the wide keel deck of the main ship, Xu Chen sat on a large chair covered in snow-white beast fur. He held a cup of steaming Enlightenment Immortal Tea, looking relaxed, as if he were truly touring a lake in his own back garden.

About dozens of miles behind this steel torrent.

The path through the deathly mist forcibly opened by the Xu Family fleet had not yet fully closed, faintly leaving a relatively safe vacuum zone.

A bronze shuttle covered in patches, with even its defensive Formation patterns incomplete, was like a hyena that had caught the scent of blood, sneakily following along this vacuum zone.

Inside the shuttle, dozens of Cultivators with sinister faces and blood-scented auras were crammed together.

These people were all outlaws wandering the edges of the Eastern Desolation's Laws, frequenting the peripheries of major dangerous lands year-round, living off the scraps left behind by great powers, mockingly called "Void Scavengers" by the world.

Their leader was a scarred-face old man who surprisingly possessed an Early Stage Saint cultivation.

"Boss, your plan to be the oriole behind the mantis is truly brilliant!"

A one-eyed subordinate leaned against the shuttle's porthole, watching the massive skeletons pinned and shattered by the heavy crossbows, rubbing his hands in excitement.

"This is the legendary Forbidden Zone of Life! Normally, we wouldn't dare come within half a step even if we had a hundred times the courage. Who would have thought that the high-and-mighty Xu Family would actually act as our vanguard!"

The scarred-face old man sneered triumphantly, a greedy light flickering in his eyes.

"Those Imperial Clans have always been arrogant, only eyeing the Great Emperor's Legacy in the deepest parts of the Forbidden Zone. They wouldn't care for the scraps out here. We aren't greedy; we'll just follow behind them. As long as we pick up a few Vicious Beast spirit bones tainted with an immemorial aura or dig up some mutated Rotting Spiritual Plants to sell on the black market, we'll have all the Cultivate resources we need for the rest of our lives!"

The scavengers inside the shuttle suddenly burst into a fit of greedy laughter.

To them, the behemoth that was the Xu Family was a free bodyguard shielding them from the elements. This kind of guaranteed profit without investment was like a pie falling from the sky.

On the deck of the main ship.

Xu Chen gently blew away the tea leaves at the rim of his cup, preparing to take a sip.

In his deep eyes, brilliant golden runes silently circulated for a moment.

The ability of the Heavenly Dao Divine Pupils to see through all illusions instantly penetrated the gray mist dozens of miles behind, locking onto that sneaky bronze shuttle with perfect clarity.

The subtle spatial fluctuations around that shuttle were as conspicuous as a torch in the night in Xu Chen's vision.

Xu Chen set down his teacup, a cold, mocking sneer curling his lips.

"This Young Master spent a fortune to open this path, yet some blind rats actually want to avoid the toll."

Hearing this, Pojun Commander Xu Zhan, who was standing guard nearby, immediately turned around and gripped the heavy sword at his waist.

"Young Lord, is there something unusual behind us?" Although Xu Zhan's perception wasn't as sharp as Xu Chen's Heavenly Dao Divine Pupils, his combat intuition as a Saint King also made him sense something was off.

"Just a group of Void Scavengers following us to pick up trash. The leader is an Early Stage Saint trash."

Xu Chen's tone was indifferent.

Xu Zhan's face darkened, killing intent leaking from his eyes.

"They're courting death! Such gutter rats who can't stand the light dare to take advantage of my Xu Family. I will personally lead a squad of Pojun Imperial Guards back to wipe these scumbags out!"

"No need for such trouble."

Xu Chen raised his hand, stopping Xu Zhan's request for battle.

"The Law in this Gray Zone is extremely chaotic. It's not worth letting the soldiers take risks for a few rats. Since they like following us to pick up scraps so much, let's give them a full meal."

Xu Chen stood up from his large chair, his gaze passing over the fleet's wake and pointing directly at that gray void, his voice carrying the absolute coldness of a superior toward ants.

"Xu Zhan, turn the three Auxiliary Formation Cannons at the rear of the main ship. No need to lock on; just fire a round of saturated spiritual energy coverage at the spatial coordinates thirty miles directly behind us."

Xu Zhan understood perfectly, a savage smile creeping onto his face.

"Using physical armor-piercing at the front was to deal with the Death Qi Bone Dragons. Now that the Death Qi at the rear has been exhausted by the Bone Dragons, it's the perfect time to give these scavengers a hot bath with the spiritual energy cannons!"

"As you command!"

Xu Zhan's hands quickly formed seals, and orders were instantly transmitted to the rear of the fleet through the Formation hub.

"Buzz—"

The dull sound of Formation patterns charging suddenly echoed in the gray space.

The three massive spiritual energy auxiliary cannons at the rear of the main ship, whose muzzles were originally dim, instantly lit up with a blinding purple-gold light. The terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations pushed away all the remaining gray mist.

Meanwhile, inside the bronze shuttle thirty miles behind.

The scarred-face old man was fantasizing about how to squander his wealth once they left. The warning Formation Plate inside the shuttle erupted with a sharp, ear-piercing shriek, red light flashing wildly.

"What's going on?!" The old man stood up abruptly.

The one-eyed subordinate pointed out the porthole in terror, his voice shaking uncontrollably: "B-Boss! The Xu Family fleet's cannons... they've turned around!"

The old man's pupils constricted. Through the porthole, he saw three columns of destructive light as bright as suns, tearing through space at high speed, striking directly toward their bronze shuttle.

Those were the spiritual energy main cannons of an Imperial Clan warship! Forget this raggedy shuttle, even a mountain cast from refined iron would be instantly vaporized!

"How did they find us?! Quick! Full evasive maneuvers! Activate all defensive Formations!"

The old man roared shrilly, his Early Stage Saint cultivation frantically pouring into the shuttle's hub.

In the face of absolute firepower suppression, any struggle was futile.

The Imperial Clan's spiritual energy cannons, carrying world-destroying power, struck the bronze shuttle without any fancy tricks. That paper-thin defensive Formation pattern didn't even last half a breath before shattering like a bubble.

"Rumble!"

An earth-shattering explosion rang out in the Gray Zone. A violent purple-gold spiritual energy storm instantly swallowed the entire shuttle.

This group of self-proclaimed clever scavengers, along with their dreams of wealth, were directly vaporized in the scorching beams of spiritual energy, their existence completely erased.

The aftershocks of the distant explosion turned into a scorching gale that blew across the deck of the main ship.

Xu Zhan looked at the churning spiritual energy turbulence behind them and snorted coldly: "To think they thought taking advantage of an Imperial Clan would be so easy."

Xu Chen slowly extended his right hand, curving his fingers into a claw, and made a grabbing motion toward the center of the explosion from afar.

Law of Space!

An invisible ripple in the Void Realm rapidly spread out.

Although the scavengers had been vaporized, the high-level Storage Rings they had scavenged over the years barely managed to survive the explosion.

Under the precise guidance of Xu Chen's Law of Space, over a dozen shimmering Storage Rings broke through the Void Realm and landed steadily in Xu Chen's palm.

Xu Chen scanned them with his Divine Thought, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

Although these rats were weak, they had frequented various dangerous lands for years, and their stock was not to be underestimated. The Storage Rings were not only filled with various messy Spirit Stones and ore veins but even contained a few rare poisonous plants tainted with ancient Evil Qi that had long been extinct in the outside world.

"A mosquito's leg is still meat, no matter how small."

Xu Chen unceremoniously poured all these spoils into his Natal Space, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips. They hadn't even reached the Forbidden Zone's core, and he had already made a profit.

"Xu Zhan, pass down the order. Maintain cruising speed and stay on high alert. The true hard battle is still waiting for us ahead."

Xu Chen casually crushed the empty Storage Rings into powder, letting the night wind blow them away.

"This general understands!"

Xu Zhan took his leave, and the fleet resumed its solemn and oppressive Formation.

The gray mist ahead grew thicker, faintly emitting a nauseatingly strong scent of blood.