After several days of bumpy travel, Xiao Yan and the others finally arrived at the so-called Yang Origin Mine. During these days, thanks to the healing effects of the Life Spirit Flame, the Three Thousand Burning Flame, and the Undying Flame, the severe injuries ravaging Xiao Yan's body had slowly begun to recover. Though he was still in a state of grave injury, it was far better than the previous condition where even a slight movement could have shattered his entire body.
In this period of rest, Xiao Yan managed to restore a trace of Dou Qi within his body. Though it was only a sliver, for someone like him, it was a tremendous relief. With Dou Qi, he could begin refining some pills to speed up his recovery.
More importantly, the return of Dou Qi meant that he once again possessed combat power beyond mere soul strength. A trace of Dou Qi from a Nine-Star Dou Sheng was more than enough to kill an ordinary Dou Sheng. Moreover, judging from the size and activity of Qingyang Town, which was even smaller than Wu Tan City, it was unlikely that anyone of Dou Sheng level resided here.
While circulating the Dou Qi through his meridians, Xiao Yan suddenly noticed something strange: a faint grayish energy flowed alongside his Dou Qi. Within this strand, he sensed a unique ripple—it was reminiscent of the time turbulence he had encountered. It seemed that when he was sucked into the turbulence, some of its chaotic power was absorbed into his body.
Previously, Xiao Yan had never been exposed to anything related to time manipulation. That was a power only Dou Di could grasp. But now, with a sliver of temporal power integrated into his body, he seemed to have gained some faint control over time. Of course, reversing time or manipulating it freely was still out of reach, but minor effects might be possible. He would need to fully recover to explore this ability.
Under the watchful eyes and shouting of several overseers, Xiao Yan and the other prisoners were forced off the iron prison wagon. As they were herded toward the entrance of the Yang Origin Mine, Xiao Yan caught sight of something familiar on one overseer's hand—his Youhai Storage Ring.
That overseer seemed to have high standing among his peers. Xiao Yan observed the fawning attitudes of the other guards toward him. At least the ring was nearby. That was good news. Keeping his emotions well hidden, he bowed his head and silently split off a wisp of soul power, attaching it to his own aura. Once night fell, he planned to retrieve his belongings.
Of course, Xiao Yan wasn't one to let a thief off lightly. This man had dared to enslave him and steal everything he owned. There was no way Xiao Yan would let him live. The "Wrathful Demon Saint" wasn't someone people plundered and walked away from. He had always been the one who stripped others of everything—not the other way around.
On their first day in the mines, they were not immediately put to work. Instead, someone explained the basics of mining Yang Origin Stones. They were also warned of strict quotas. Anyone who failed to meet them would be punished severely.
The instructor, upon noticing Xiao Yan's pale and sickly appearance, frowned. It was clear to him that this "sickly youth" wouldn't be able to meet the quota. And those punishments could easily kill someone in such a state. While killing a slave was of no consequence, failing to produce the required amount of stones would be a problem.
Through the conversations around him, Xiao Yan learned what these Yang Origin Stones truly were. They were rare minerals formed only in the depths of volcanoes and were said to contain a trace of yang energy. Though Xiao Yan didn't know exactly what "yang energy" referred to, he speculated it might be a form of fire-attribute power—which could potentially aid his recovery.
Because of that possibility, Xiao Yan decided not to immediately retrieve his ring and escape. Instead, he chose to stay a while longer to test whether these Yang Origin Stones were useful to his healing. Of course, escaping could be delayed—but revenge could not. That very night, he retrieved his Youhai Ring and, in the same breath, killed the overseer.
The death of a senior overseer naturally caused quite a stir. However, Xiao Yan had acted with extreme precision. Though the overseer suffered inhuman torment before death, his corpse bore no visible wounds. With no clues to follow, the authorities could only chalk it up to "death from overwork."
By the next morning, Xiao Yan was already mingling with the other slaves, pickaxe in hand, heading to mine Yang Origin Stones. While everyone else worked, Xiao Yan took advantage of moments when no one was watching to test the stone's energy by absorbing it.
Just as he had suspected, the stones did contain a type of fire energy. For fire-attribute cultivators like himself, this energy was easily absorbed and provided decent recovery benefits. However, the energy was far too meager. Even if he absorbed every last stone in the mine, it likely wouldn't restore even one percent of his full power. That being the case, he decided not to waste time here any longer.
"Watch where you're going, idiot!" a crisp and slightly angry voice rang out nearby. Xiao Yan looked over and saw a white-clad girl glaring furiously at a miner. Scattered Yang Origin Stones littered the ground around them.
It looked like the miner had accidentally bumped into the girl while carrying the stones, dirtying her pristine white dress in the process—hence her indignation.
She appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, with snow-like skin and a graceful figure. Her big eyes sparkled with life, and even while angry, she didn't seem frightening. Instead, she resembled a child having a tantrum, reminding Xiao Yan somewhat of Zi Yan.
But for some reason, he felt a faint sense of familiarity when he looked at her. He was certain he had never seen her before, yet her face seemed familiar. Then it struck him—this girl looked quite similar to the white-robed woman who had tricked him into coming to this world. Could they be related?
"The fault is mine!" The overseer near the scene quickly cracked his whip across the miner's back, drawing a series of agonized screams.
Watching the punishment unfold, the white-clad girl seemed somewhat distressed. After a moment, she waved her hand and said, "Forget it, that's enough. He didn't do it on purpose. But he'd better be careful next time. No more accidents."
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. 'Interesting,' he thought. 'She doesn't seem like someone on the same side as the overseers.'
He remained silent, but his attention stayed fixed on the girl. If she really was connected to the woman who brought him here, she might be a key to understanding this new world—or even finding a way back.
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Memebers on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.