619: What a tragic fate!

The result was that later, during a conflict with others, he was severely injured. Coupled with the prolonged erosion by filth, his strength was far less than before, and he didn't have a backup chaotic soul stone for emergency use. He managed to stubbornly hold on for three months, but in the end, he still died...

Therefore, while you have just arrived and your strength is at its peak, you should quickly store up some chaotic soul stones...

He sighed deeply, as if trying to exhale eighty-three years of bitterness.

He patted his backside, stood up, and offered a final piece of advice:

"Little brother, listen to this old man's advice: hurry up and start working. This place doesn't believe in Genius, it only believes in the pickaxe. Get moving quickly, or sooner or later, you will regret it."

"Oh, right, I mentioned before that I created a mining Cultivation Technique. If you want this mining Cultivation Technique, you can come to me. One chaotic soul stone is all it takes."

After speaking, he leaned on his pickaxe and limped toward his own mining tunnel.

Lu Hao watched his retreating figure; this old man still had some capability.

Was he pitiful?

Perhaps.

But in the world of cultivation, weakness itself is the greatest misfortune.

Although his ultimate goal was still to sell his mining Cultivation Technique to him... Lu Hao still respected this type of Cultivator.

He withdrew his gaze, preparing to continue resting with his eyes closed, when his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of Old Man Qin, who had just left, stopping again not far from him.

Lu Hao followed the direction of his finger and saw a young Cultivator slumped on the ground, his chest heaving violently, his breathing frighteningly ragged.

That person's face was no longer pale, but a strange, deathly gray.

Black blood vessels crawled across his skin, and the soul locking ring on his wrist emitted a faint black light.

Noticing Lu Hao's confused look, Old Man Qin transmitted his voice to Lu Hao, saying:

"His name is Qi Wen. He's been here for three months. From the start, he was the lazy type, only mining one piece a day, never more."

Old Man Qin's voice was calm:

"But two days ago, for some unknown reason, he failed to complete his quota and took two hundred lashes. If he doesn't manage to dig one out today and takes another hundred lashes, his Divine Soul will likely completely dissipate."

Lu Hao did not reply, simply watching the person named Qi Wen.

Under Lu Hao's gaze, the young Cultivator named Qi Wen suddenly stood up.

He staggered toward the rock face, swung his pickaxe, and let out a hoarse roar of rage.

"Ahhh!!! Break for me! Ah!!!"

He had gone mad.

The pickaxe became a blur in his hands, furiously smashing against the rock face.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang..."

The dense sounds of impact merged into a continuous rhythm; sparks flew everywhere, and broken stones scattered.

The other Cultivators in the cave all stopped what they were doing and turned to look.

Some sighed, some shook their heads, and others had expressions of schadenfreude flash in their eyes.

"This Qi Wen is fighting for his life... With this level of intensity, if he doesn't dig it out this time, he'll surely be exhausted, and it will be impossible for him to dig anything out later."

"I heard he's already taken the whip twice. Today is his last chance. If he can't dig it out, he'll die!"

"You can say that again. I wonder if he'll survive."

"Hmph! Trash like that, if he dies, he dies. What's there to discuss? We should hurry up and mine!"

... Qi Wen seemed not to hear these words. His speed grew faster and faster, and his strength increased.

However, his complexion also grew increasingly deathly gray.

Black blood vessels spread from his neck to his face, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his eyes were completely bloodshot.

"Roar!!!"

He roared again, smashing the pickaxe heavily against the rock face.

Finally!

"Crack!"

The rock face finally split open with a fissure.

Qi Wen's eyes burst forth with ecstatic light. He gripped the pickaxe tightly with both hands and brought it down again.

"Crack!"

The fissure widened.

He saw it.

Deep inside the fissure, a fist-sized chaotic soul stone was quietly embedded.

"Hahaha!!! I dug it out! I dug it out!"

Qi Wen laughed loudly, tears rolling down his cheeks.

He dropped the pickaxe and reached out to pry the chaotic soul stone loose.

But just then... "Pfft..."

A mouthful of black blood spurted from his mouth.

Qi Wen's laughter came to an abrupt halt.

He lowered his head and looked at his hands.

His hands were shriveling up at a speed visible to the naked eye. His skin turned grayish-black, and his knuckles protruded, making them look like a pair of withered bones.

"No... no... I dug it out... I clearly... dug it out..."

He opened his mouth, trying to say something, but only "ho ho" sounds escaped his throat.

The next moment.

His body fell straight down.

"Bang..."

He hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

With a whoosh, a blur flashed past, digging out that chaotic soul stone before anyone else with lightning speed, and placing it into a Storage Pouch!

Everyone who had just started moving immediately burst into curses!

"Damn! That bastard got lucky!"

"That scoundrel actually benefited from this! That hateful fellow!"

... Inside the Chaotic Soul Mountain, private fighting is strictly forbidden, and no one is allowed to snatch another person's chaotic soul stone.

This is because such actions could lead to widespread looting, which would accelerate the death of Cultivators, and that is not what those in charge want to see, hence this regulation exists.

After a round of furious cursing, the cave fell into a brief silence.

Was this... their future fate?

After a moment, the sound of "clang, clang" returned, and everyone resumed their mining work.

No one cared who had died, nor did anyone pay attention to the corpse.

Old Man Qin shook his head, stood up, and leaned on his pickaxe to continue digging at his rock face.

"Little brother, if he had learned my Cultivation Technique, he could have saved some strength, and if he had obtained a pure filth pill, he might have survived."

Lu Hao ignored him, narrowing his eyes.

This was the rule here.

The living continued to mine, and the dead didn't even have their bodies collected.

And those who managed to survive were merely clinging to life...

After witnessing what happened with Old Man Qin, Lu Hao cast a lifelike illusion in place.

The illusory Lu Hao was holding a pickaxe, mechanically striking the rock face stroke by stroke, his movements standard and his expression numb, perfectly blending into the surrounding environment.

Meanwhile, his true body leaned against the wall on the other side, arms crossed over his chest, resting with his eyes closed.

This way, he avoided anyone coming to lecture him.

Mining?

What a joke.

He came here to find someone, not to be a laborer.

However, this chaotic soul stone was indeed a pleasant surprise.

However, since the Demonic Thought was currently mining, he naturally didn't need to do it himself.