BANG!!BANG!!BANG!The constant sound of pounding was all that could be heard. pestle against iron,night and day.The air was thick with the stench of boiled flesh and scorched blood. Each impact sent a dull vibration through the cavern walls, followed by the squelch of meat ground to paste and the muffled screams of those still alive within the writhing vines.Days had passed since their capture. Days since Hú Lì had been thrown into the furnace and refined into something unrecognizable. Since then, the old figure had rarely shown himself. He spent most of his time at the furnace’s side, muttering incoherent incantations, performing strange hand signs, and ranting in a feverish ecstasy. The only time he appeared before the captives was to drag another group of mortals to the cauldron’s hungry mouth.Duō Yī, Zhāng Wei, and Xiǎo Yǔ had tried everything to escape. They clawed at the vines, whispered chants under their breath, even tried to forcefully ignite their qi. It was useless. Ea

Pain!! Unbridled, merciless pain. It was as if searing hot knives coated in molten lava pierced through every fiber of his being. Every cell screamed in agony, a relentless symphony of torment that threatened to shatter his mind. His body felt like a vessel about to explode, bloated beyond its limits, veins distending painfully under the pressure. The qi inside him roared like a wild beast, surging uncontrollably, desperately seeking an escape.Duō Yī's vision blurred, red haze swallowing everything. His thoughts were a chaotic scramble—if he didn't find a way to release this excess qi soon, he would burst, ending his suffering in a single, final moment of annihilation. The pain was relentless, a white-hot white noise that drowned out reason. Seconds stretched into what felt like days, each moment a torment, each breath a struggle.In the chaos of his mind, a fragment of will flickered remembering an ability he had not used in a while due to scarce resources. A flicker of hope amid t