Chapter 99

The resounding clanging of metal never ceased, echoing across the vast, crimson land. Three hundred thousand slaves toiled inside and outside the mines and furnaces. The rumbling of the mine water, like the surging blood of the endless mine, was accompanied by the rising and falling screams and roars, creating the most tragic melody of this hellish world.

The life of a mine slave, a tragic symphony played with their lives.

Baked by the scorching heat, doused by the mine water, and whipped by the overseers, torn by the iron-backed dogs, and threatened by the ghost-faced spiders!

Death was a constant performance, a display of the world's deepest sorrows!

Tang Yan was in the midst of it all, feeling it deeply.

A fifty-meter square area, half a meter deep, didn't sound difficult, but the ground was as hard as steel, and Tang Yan and his companions had spent sixteen hours digging!

The deeper they went, the harder it became. This wasn't mining; it was chiseling through steel!

In sixteen hours, Tang Yan didn't know how many times he had swung his pickaxe, but he remembered receiving at least eight hundred lashes! Eight hundred?! His bones had been shattered many times, and the indescribable pain had made him faint.

Many times, the black girl clinging to his body couldn't bear it and was about to burst, but Tang Yan quietly stopped her.

He was too old, and his physical strength couldn't withstand such intense labor. Under the whips, his body was torn to shreds, his energy drained, his blood dried, and he finally collapsed like a pile of mud, unable to move.

Du Yang's condition was no better. Without the healing power of the Immortal Heaven Technique and with his spiritual energy severely depleted, he fainted on the ground, with no part of his body left unscathed.

With them as the focus, Hoffman seemed to have forgotten the other three, occasionally lashing them, but mostly concentrating on Tang Yan and Du Yang.

"Rest now. You are allowed to absorb the energy here, but remember, only three hours!" Hoffman waved his whip and finally let them rest.

"Eat something and absorb the energy quickly, or you'll die in the next round." Xu Yan brought dry meat and steamed buns to Tang Yan and Du Yang.

The environment was harsh, but the food was decent, to ensure they could work better.

Tang Yan and Du Yang were barely alive, taking a long time to struggle to sit up. Xu Yan was quite loyal, allowing them to lean against his broad back, maintaining a sitting position.

"Little guy, come here, listen to your ancestor." The blood doll in the sea of qi showed half its head, grinning maliciously.

Tang Yan's weak breath sank into the sea of qi, his voice trembling: "Speak."

"The energy here is ten times richer than in the outside world! Staying here for a long time is definitely beneficial, provided you can endure the suffering! For you, the most important thing is... the Soul of Life! Death is always present here, and the Soul of Life permeates the entire space. This mine is special, and the Soul of Life lingers longer." The blood doll spoke without its usual sarcasm, finishing in one breath.

Tang Yan's spirit, which had been listless, was suddenly invigorated. He leaned against Xu Yan, opening his mouth to absorb the energy.

A hot breath entered his chest and abdomen, and the surging, restless energy quickly impacted his spiritual meridians. Indeed, the energy here was nearly ten times richer than outside! Tang Yan held his breath, reciting the broken incantation, separating the Soul of Life from the energy. In a short moment, he found two, and their auras were very strong.

Misfortune and fortune are intertwined! This ancient saying is so true!

Tang Yan's dim eyes finally sparkled: "Du Yang, the spiritual energy here is very abundant, refine it quickly!"

After reminding Du Yang, he didn't hesitate, greedily absorbing the energy. He silently refined it, nourishing his dry meridians, capturing the threads of the Soul of Life, nurturing his own vitality!

After three hours, Hoffman returned, his iron whip shaking in the air, announcing the start of new work.

Tang Yan and Du Yang were covered in blood, looking utterly wretched, but when they looked at each other, they saw determination and encouragement in each other's eyes. They were ruthless to their enemies, but even more ruthless to themselves! Training? Persistence!

"One pit per round, rest for three hours after completion. Five pits make one cycle, and after completing them, you get a fifteen-hour rest. You can rest in the house or here, understood? Just four more pits, and you can take a long break." Hoffman cracked his whip, shouting loudly.

Five pits per cycle? Tang Yan felt like cursing! One pit took sixteen hours, and five pits would take at least seventy hours! Seventy hours of continuous work?!

The blood doll lounged in the sea of qi, leisurely saying, "Little guy, though the environment here is harsh, there are many benefits. I suggest you endure more whips, treating it as a way to temper your body. A world-class sword needs thousands of hammerings, and if you want to forge a body of steel, you can follow this method."

Temper the body with the iron whip? Tang Yan's eyes twitched, almost cursing back!

"You don't have to listen, just pretend I didn't say anything. But to be blunt, your foundation is still too weak. Your strength has increased too quickly, and your physical strength and body are very poor, extremely poor!

Physical strength, muscle strength, and mental resilience are the foundation for future growth. Little guy, being ruthless to yourself is always beneficial. I've said my piece, enjoy it."

The blood doll laughed strangely and sank into the sea.

Temper the body! Temper the body with the iron whip?! Tang Yan's face was grim. This was treating him like a piece of steel, not a human!

"Damn old man, what are you daydreaming about?!" Hoffman swung his iron whip, lashing him. Each lash tore his flesh, and the bones were visible.

Tang Yan's body trembled violently, his aged face pale.

A fierce light flashed in his eyes. Damn it, I'll do it!

Since the iron whip wouldn't spare him, why not use it to temper his body?

Tang Yan gritted his teeth, enduring the lashes, and forcefully circulated the Immortal Heaven Technique, using his spiritual energy to heal his wounds!

Crack! The crisp sound echoed in his ears. His back was torn open, and his spiritual energy surged, mixed with the essence of life, quickly healing the wounds and tempering the damaged flesh.

One lash after another, the same spot would heal and then be torn again, heal and tear, heal and tear, like a cycle of life and death, enduring and tempering.

Inhuman torture!

Even with Tang Yan's willpower, he almost begged for mercy, but he gritted his teeth and held on.

Crack, crack, crack! Hoffman got addicted, roaring and lashing continuously.

Tang Yan endured the pain while swinging the iron pickaxe. The healing of the wounds used spiritual energy, but the swinging of the pickaxe used his own strength. The clanging of metal, sparks flying, his hands torn open, the ground unmoving, but Tang Yan persisted, using his arm strength.

Again and again!

Sixty to seventy hours of persistence!

In the first cycle, Tang Yan fainted fifty-nine times, was doused with cold water, and continued working; his body endured six thousand lashes, covering his entire body, bones shattered, and sometimes internal organs were visible. Hoffman didn't overly torment them, leaving them to rest, and then left.

Tang Yan, Du Yang, and Xu Yan chose to stay and absorb the energy, while the other two chose to rest.

They were exhausted, wanting to sleep.

But Tang Yan and Du Yang couldn't, they had reasons not to sleep.

Xu Yan sat cross-legged, his messy hair sticking to his face, greedily absorbing the energy. Tang Yan and Du Yang, covered in blood, lay beside him, their bodies weak, their consciousness fading, but they persisted through willpower.

The crimson land was always accompanied by death, the air filled with the souls of countless victims, who had fallen in humiliation after enduring countless trials, some melted by the mine water, some devoured by beasts, some killed by the iron whips.

Tang Yan had no time to pity these unfortunate souls. He must absorb enough Soul of Life to nourish his vitality and slow the aging of his body.

Fifteen hours passed quickly, and with Hoffman's whip, they had to stand up again.

But whether it was Tang Yan, Du Yang, or Xu Yan, they all seemed to have undergone subtle changes, hidden under their dirty clothes and sticky blood, changes that others couldn't see.

In the second cycle, Tang Yan fainted fifty times, swung the iron pickaxe eight thousand times; his body endured six thousand five hundred lashes, six thousand five hundred temperings!

In the third cycle, Tang Yan fainted forty-five times, swung the iron pickaxe nine thousand times, and his body endured seven thousand lashes; in the fourth cycle, he fainted thirty-seven times, swung the iron pickaxe ten thousand times, and his body endured seven thousand five hundred lashes; in the fifth cycle, he fainted thirty times, only six times per cycle, swung the iron pickaxe ten thousand times, and his body endured eight thousand lashes!

In the sixth cycle, Tang Yan fainted only twenty times, but he still swung the iron pickaxe ten thousand times, and his body endured nine thousand lashes!

In the seventh cycle...

"Ah!!" A roar rolled in his throat, Tang Yan, with a fierce expression, swung the thick iron pickaxe wildly, the ground trembling, sparks flying, and rock fragments scattering.

Hoffman, holding the iron whip, stared at Tang Yan, his eyes finally changing after six cycles, becoming incredibly strange. What kind of monster is this old man? The more he is beaten, the more energetic he becomes? The more he is beaten, the more excited he gets? His body, though torn to shreds, seems to heal quickly? Is it an illusion?

After each cycle, his body showed no signs of injury, and his mental state improved significantly; after each cycle, he moved like a dragon and a tiger, his strength increasing dramatically, almost like a different person.

At first, Hoffman could easily tear open Tang Yan's flesh with a single lash, but now he had to use his full strength to achieve the same effect. What does this mean? It means Tang Yan's body strength is gradually increasing!

Xu Yan and the others' looks at Tang Yan also changed. As fellow mine slaves, others were exhausted, but he became more energetic, more powerful, and even sought out Hoffman to be lashed.

What is he doing? What is he trying to do? Temper his body with the iron whip? What a crazy and cruel method! What terrifying willpower and endurance!

Xu Yan, watching Tang Yan's wild swinging, saw a strange look in his eyes, while the other two mine slaves secretly grimaced, feeling uneasy. Is he a madman? A complete madman!!