Ba Country, Demon Star Cave.
This is a deep, dark cavern, bottomless, with countless stone steps spiraling downward, seemingly extending all the way to the Earth’s core, never reaching an end.
Black Evil Qi swirls like smoke, emerging from the depths of the cavern, like a black Demon Dragon rushing toward the sky, baring its fangs and claws.
The air emits a hissing lament, as if heavily corroded by the black Evil Qi. Birds passing overhead flutter their wings a few times and then suddenly plummet, crashing straight into the depths of the cavern.
"Splat!"
The flesh falls, and the bird, as fragile as a sparrow, dies instantly.
As soon as the corpse lands, a pair of pale hands immediately reaches out, grasping the dead body tightly.
"Another foolish bird delivers itself to death. Looks like we can have an extra meal today..."
In the darkness, a deep voice resounds, as a young man in a cyan Daoist robe emerges.
The young man is tall but extremely thin, his hair dull and dry, his lips devoid of any color, his complexion pale as paper, as if he hasn’t seen sunlight for a long time, his whole person utterly weak.
His eyes, too, are murky and lack luster, seeming to have lost their vitality.
Yet his steps remain steady, as if he has not lost hope in this eternally dark Demon Cave.
Picking up the bird, the young man skillfully skins and plucks feathers, cleaning it thoroughly, then a faint phantom appears on the palm of his hand.
The phantom is about the size of a palm but square, resembling a seal, shining brightly in the young man’s palm, with a pattern of anomalies at the base, like seal characters, accompanied by a strange force surging from within the young man’s body. The seal suddenly radiates brightly, drawing in the surrounding Spiritual Qi, as if a scorching flame is about to ignite.
But at this moment, a black iron ring on the young man’s wrist suddenly vibrates, tightly clamping his wrist with a force so massive, it nearly embeds into his flesh.
The young man’s forehead instantly sweats coldly, seemingly in extreme pain, yet he grits his teeth and forcefully conjures mana, activating the Dharma Seal.
"Whoosh!"
A scorching bright flame erupts suddenly in the darkness.
The scent of sizzling oil from the bird meat in the flame makes one’s mouth water.
"Cough, cough!"
"Gu Yuan, stop using mana. This Spirit-Breaking Ring cuts into your veins and sucks blood; even if it doesn’t drain your blood mana, the pain alone could kill you!"
"For a piece of cooked meat, it’s not worth it!"
In the darkness, an old, weak voice accompanies a cough.
"Already trapped in the Demon Cave, if we resort to eating raw flesh and blood, we’d truly be no different from livestock!"
"It’s just a bit of pain, I can endure it!"
Gu Yuan wipes away the cold sweat on his forehead, ignoring the scorching bird in his hand, tearing it apart, splitting it in half and handing one half to the old man who just spoke, then carefully tearing his own half into three small pieces, chewing it thoroughly, until no taste remains, only then cautiously swallowing.
In reality, the roasted bird, lacking seasoning, is tasteless, yet the aroma of cooked meat still brings a sense of long-lost satisfaction to Gu Yuan, confined for so long.
Recalling his past life, he wouldn’t even glance at a roasted bird without salt; at the very least, it needed cumin, sesame seeds, chili powder, coated with oil and repeatedly grilled, served with lettuce to be edible.
But this half-year in another world has shown him the deepest and most terrifying prison suffering; a piece of cooked meat is enough to bring immense satisfaction.
Recalling all that happened in the past six months, he can’t help but sigh.
Half a year ago, he had just traversed worlds, awakening here, replacing a Cyan Wood Sect Inner Sect disciple of Ba Country, Gu Yuan.
This identity allowed him access to the sect’s True Inheritance Secret Technique, abundant cultivation resources, and a bright future.
Gu Yuan was delighted, thinking he hadn’t started as a mere weakling and could cultivate well, making his mark in the new world with hopes of Immortal Path–when Demon Slaughter Sect attacked the mountain gate of Cyan Wood Sect.
The battle darkened the skies; the sun and moon lost their light. Cyan Wood Sect’s Mountain Protection Array only lasted half a day before it shattered.
The Sect Leader died instantly, with other Elders and Stewards either dead or crippled. The once-great Cyan Wood Sect was instantly reduced to a Demon Cave.
The elite forces obliterated; how could Gu Yuan, merely an Inner Sect disciple with Qi Refining cultivation, escape?
Hundreds of disciples were all abducted to the Demon Star Cave of Demon Slaughter Sect, bound with Spirit-Breaking Rings, becoming miners in this cave.
Demon Star Cave, an ancient Spirit Ore site, produces Spiritual Objects, Demon Star Stones.
These stones can expand a cultivator’s Dantian, enhancing cultivation, with significant effects. Demon Slaughter Sect’s growth and deep foundation rely heavily on the production of these stones.
However, the ore veins within the production are accompanied by endless Demon Evil Qi, which erodes human flesh; mere mortals in this place would absorb the Evil Qi within days, their Five Viscera turning to blood sludge and dying.
Only cultivators can mine these ores.
Gu Yuan and others were bound with Spirit-Breaking Rings, restraining the exterior release of mana, losing spellcasting ability. But mana remained circulating internally, allowing them to neutralize some Demon Fiend Qi and gather Demon Star Stones.
This mining continued for over five months.
In the perpetually dark Demon Cave, hunger was constant, with only thin porridge and coarse small dishes daily, even often spoiled.
Life was extremely difficult.
Each day, one must collect at least three Demon Star Stones, or face a lashing of poison!
The bloodthirsty Evil Qi-laden rattan whip struck like hitting the Five Viscera, capable of killing through sheer pain.
Yet this Demon Star Stone ore has been mined for over a hundred years; the Star Stones are increasingly scarce, not so easily collected.
Even though Gu Yuan worked tirelessly daily, he frequently fell short, suffering harsh beatings, living in agony.
Nonetheless, this fueled the resilience in Gu Yuan’s nature, increasing tolerance for pain, reaching even a frightening degree.