Chapter 464 - 453-

With his next step, Grey appeared on the ground directly beneath the Mosasaur. Piles of corpses were scattered across the area, stacked so densely in some places that they had formed small hills of dead, mutated creatures.

Grey briefly glanced upward at the enormous Mosasaur before waving his hand.

A wave of flames immediately surged outward.

The mutated creatures that were still moving, struggling, or attempting to crawl away were instantly engulfed by the blazing inferno. Their bodies convulsed for a few moments before being completely consumed, and the surrounding area was filled with the crackling sounds of burning flesh.

After confirming that the Mosasaur was still doing fine, Grey prepared to take another step. However, just as he was about to move, a black blur suddenly flashed behind him.

It was as fast as lightning.

In less than a second, the black figure had already crossed several meters and appeared directly behind Grey. It made almost no sound as it launched a vicious attack toward his back, its claws gleaming coldly in the dim light.

But at the critical moment, Grey’s body shifted. He turned around abruptly, causing the attack to narrowly miss his body. The sharp claws swept past his clothes, carrying a chilling gust of wind with them.

Grey’s eyes narrowed as he finally got a clear look at his attacker.

It was a fox.

Its entire body was covered in sleek, pitch-black fur, while its eyes were an extremely vivid shade of crimson. Several strange bumps resembling overlapping scales protruded from its back, giving the creature an unusual and intimidating appearance. Its legs were slim, yet they were clearly built for explosive speed, with powerful muscles hidden beneath its dark fur.

Grey immediately recognized the beast.

It was an Iron Back Fox.

Iron Back Foxes were relatively common inhabitants of the Corroded Zone, but that did not mean they were easy to deal with. Their greatest advantage was their speed. Under the right conditions, especially when they were able to launch a surprise attack, an Iron Back Fox could kill creatures several times stronger than itself before its prey even realized what had happened.

If not for Grey’s enhanced perception and powerful divine sense, he might not have noticed the creature until its claws had already torn into his back.

The Iron Back Fox realized that its ambush had failed and immediately retreated.

Its body transformed into a black streak as it attempted to flee.

Grey’s eyes narrowed into thin slits.

"The term ’Iron Back’ in the Iron Back Fox’s name refers to the toughness of their backs. Their scales are incredibly difficult to penetrate, almost as tough as iron itself. In the cities and sects, the scales are highly valuable and can fetch quite a good price. Naturally, the stronger the fox, the more valuable its scales."

A strange glint flashed through Grey’s eyes.

"Bao asked me to find some more durable materials so that he can further upgrade my Magic Ship. Although it’s already quite good, there is still plenty of room for improvement."

Grey’s gaze followed the fleeing fox.

Then he thought about how much its scales could potentially be worth.

He was already running short on funds. Since he had come all the way into the Corroded Zone, there was no reason for him to ignore an opportunity to make some additional profit.

At this point, Grey was beginning to suspect that the Captain’s greedy nature had rubbed off on him.

He immediately shook the thought away.

But even though he rejected the idea of becoming as shamelessly greedy as the Captain, he had absolutely no intention of letting the Iron Back Fox escape.

The moment it transformed into a black blur and attempted to disappear into the distance, Grey burst forward at his maximum speed.

His figure shot through the air.

The Iron Back Fox was extremely fast. With its speed, it could easily weave through groups of mutated creatures without allowing any of them to touch it. Even though many of the creatures in the surrounding area were enormous, none of them could compete with the fox in terms of pure speed.

Unfortunately for the fox, its opponent was Grey.

The moment it sensed Grey pursuing it, the Iron Back Fox began performing a series of evasive maneuvers.

It suddenly changed directions.

Then it twisted its body and darted between several mutated creatures.

A moment later, it abruptly turned around and attempted to flee in another direction.

Its movements were extremely unpredictable, and an ordinary cultivator would have found it almost impossible to keep up.

Grey, however, was hardly fazed.

His divine sense remained firmly locked onto the fox’s movements, allowing him to predict its changes in direction almost as soon as they occurred.

The distance between them rapidly decreased.

When Grey was finally close enough, he flicked his robes and threw a seemingly casual punch into the air.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion resounded. The air directly in front of his fist violently compressed before exploding outward. An invisible air cannon shot forward at terrifying speed, tearing through the surrounding air with a deafening roar.

The Iron Back Fox was directly in front of Grey when he launched the attack.

It had nowhere to dodge.

Bang!

The compressed air slammed into its body with tremendous force.

A sharp, ear-piercing cry escaped the fox as its body was sent flying through the air like a black meteor. It crashed heavily into the ground several meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.

Despite its astonishing speed, it couldn’t outrun the speed of sound.

Grey did not give it even a moment to recover. He instantly charged forward.

The Iron Back Fox struggled to regain its footing, but Grey was already upon it. His fists rained down rapidly, each attack carrying tremendous force.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The attacks struck its body one after another.

However, the Iron Back Fox’s back was incredibly tough. Even Grey’s powerful attacks were unable to cause significant damage to the thick scales covering its back.

Grey’s eyes flickered.

He knew that repeatedly attacking its back would only waste his time.

The fox suddenly twisted its body and attempted to flee again.

But in its haste, its underbelly was exposed.

Grey immediately spotted the opening.

He did not hesitate.

A dark light flashed through the air as Grey pulled the glistening black dagger from beneath his robes.

His wrist moved. The dagger descended like a streak of black lightning.

Puchi!

The sharp blade pierced directly into the Iron Back Fox’s exposed underbelly.

Grey’s movements were frighteningly fast. Before the fox could react, he stabbed again. And again.

Over and over again, and in the span of only a few breaths, he had stabbed the dagger into its body multiple times, leaving several deep holes across its underbelly.

The Iron Back Fox let out a furious and agonized cry. It struggled violently, its claws desperately swiping toward Grey in an attempt to retaliate.

Grey simply shifted his body and avoided the attacks.

Then, without giving it another opportunity, he moved the dagger toward its neck.

The fox’s crimson eyes widened in terror and fear. But Grey’s expression remained indifferent. With a swift motion, he sliced downward.

Blood sprayed into the air. The Iron Back Fox’s body violently trembled before finally going limp.

Some of its blood splashed onto Grey’s face, but he didn’t even bother wiping it away.

He simply stared at the corpse for a moment before storing it inside his storage ring.

There was no reason to waste any more time.

Grey turned his gaze toward the towering Heavenly Vine in the distance.

The enormous green vine seemed to pierce through the heavens, its massive body stretching endlessly upward. Even from where Grey stood, its overwhelming presence could still be clearly felt.

Without another second of hesitation, Grey took another step forward.

The world around him blurred.

When his vision became clear again, he had already appeared several hundred feet beyond the Mosasaur.

The massive beast was now behind him, while the distance between Grey and the towering Heavenly Vine had become noticeably shorter.

Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared ahead.

He could already sense that something was different.

The closer he got to the Heavenly Vine, the heavier the atmosphere became.