Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Inside the mountain, the human slaves were rapidly mining crystals with stone awls.
Their speed had increased due to their strengthened power. Even with only half the original number of people, they could still collect ten carts of crystals before sunset.
As they grew stronger, they could also secretly hoard many crystals.
As for Number One, everyone simply ignored him during the division of labor. This was not only because of his superior strength but also out of respect for him. Therefore, after arriving here every day, Number One only needed to do whatever he pleased. For instance, he could cultivate or guide the cultivation of others. Even if he were to idly play with mud, no one would say a word.
'Shan' was originally a sort of minor leader within this quarrying team. Now, Number One had implicitly become the leader of the entire group. 'Shan' had no objections to this and proactively took on most of the miscellaneous tasks. Moreover, like everyone else, he took turns mining. Today, it was his turn to cultivate, so he was not mining.
After Number One had inspected the cultivation progress of others and found a spot to sit cross-legged, 'Shan' sidled over.
He whispered, "Boss, should we bring over the human slaves working at other locations to join us?"
The so-called joining naturally referred to cultivation. This would enhance the strength of the human slaves, and in the future… they would have sufficient power. However, this also meant sharing the cultivation method.
Number One did not ponder the matter for too long; he had already considered this issue before. With the current number of people in the cave, it was still a long way off to resist the demons and break free from their control. Enhancing their strength was necessary.
"Be careful about screening people. Don't let the news reach the demons so quickly," Number One said.
"Okay, I will. I'll bring in the trustworthy ones first."
'Shan' nodded. He understood Number One's intentions. Although the human slaves had begun cultivating, they were not yet strong enough. If someone with ill intentions exposed them, everything would be ruined. They needed to secretly accumulate strength and then launch a full-scale counterattack!
In the following days, through the discreet contact of 'Shan' and other slaves in the quarrying team, the cultivation group gradually expanded. However, because the processing group was constantly guarded by demons, they could not cultivate in turns like the quarrying group. Their cultivation progress was generally much slower.
Still, according to 'Shan', there were a few individuals with good talent and diligence. They basically used their sleeping hours at night to grind, so it would not be long before they caught up to their progress. Among them, a young slave named 'Nian' had the fastest cultivation speed. Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Until one day, as the sun began to set, teams of human slaves from the quarrying group pushed carts filled with crystals and moved forward in an orderly manner. In the interplay of the dim, golden light, they resembled a long dragon from afar. At the tail of the dragon, an adult human slave and a young slave who had just started learning pushed along little by little. They appeared very relaxed, not even breaking a sweat.
This puzzled and annoyed the chicken-headed demon nearby.
"Are these guys slacking off?" the chicken-headed demon asked, frowning.
Beside it stood a tall sheep-headed demon with a scar running from its brow across its face to the right side. The flesh was distorted, giving it a particularly ferocious appearance. It scoffed, "I heard these guys laughing last night, hehe…"
As it spoke, it swung its whip down, leaving a trail of black afterimages. Its voice was fierce: "What are you looking at? Hurry up and push!"
*Crack!*
The man slave pushing the cart instinctively dodged. With his current speed and strength, he could have easily avoided it. After dodging, he only then realized what had just happened.
"Ah!"
The young slave beside him took the full force of the whip, his back flesh tearing open. He collapsed onto the ground, unable to move.
"You dare to dodge again?!"
*Crack!*
Another whip landed on the man slave. This time, he suppressed his instincts and took the blow squarely. He lowered his head, looking at the ground, daring not to speak.
"Why are you lying there? Get up and get back to work!"
*Crack!*
The chicken-headed demon also moved, striking the ground next to the young slave. However, the tip of the whip still swept across his arm. The young slave grunted and struggled to get up, only to collapse again twice.
At this moment, the chicken-headed demon noticed that the human slaves pushing the carts in front had all slowed down, while keeping an eye on the situation here. Seeing this, a fierce glint flashed in its eyes.
These human slaves had been different lately. Whether it was their work attitude or their usual behavior. They were more obedient, yet also more disobedient than before. This feeling was hard to pinpoint, but it was like a small thorn stuck in their throat, making them extremely uncomfortable. But they had the option to remove this thorn!
*Crack!*
"I told you to slack off! I told you to slack off!"
*Crack!*
"Can't even push a cart properly, useless!"
*Crack, crack…*
The young slave lay on the ground. Each time the barbed whip fell, it tore away more flesh, leaving him bloody and mangled. At first, he could still grunt a couple of times, but later, his sounds almost disappeared.
*Crack!*
"I'll make you slack off! Make you slack off!"
Unknowingly, the long line of human slaves pushing the carts had completely stopped. The air was filled only with the sound of the chicken-headed demon swinging its whip and its disdainful curses. It was as if it were merely disciplining a disobedient puppy.