Chapter 589: Tempered in Fire

"Use the heat to temper your flesh." Chu Miao added solemnly.

"And...." she glanced at Ye Xuan, "Absorb energy while doing so."

Ye Xuan nodded.

Gu Fan let out a long breath.

"...This Soul Ring really doesn’t let us rest."

"No," Chu Miao said with a faint smile.

"It’s making sure we become strong enough to overcome the apocalypse. After all, that was why it was made."

Without another word, she took another step forward and reduced the barrier blocking her body.

The heat rushed into her body instantly.

Her skin reddened, her blood seemed to boil, and even her bones felt like they were being roasted.

But Chu Miao didn’t stop, instead, she began circulating her spiritual energy rapidly.

Cycle after cycle. She repeated it circulating spiritual energy faster and faster.

The others watched for a moment before gritting their teeth and following her lead.

"Damn it... if I die, I am blaming you, boss," Pei Ming muttered as he stepped forward.

"You won’t die," Ye Xuan replied calmly.

"...Probably."

"HEY!"

Laughter broke the tension slightly, but no one dared to relax.

Step by step, they advanced into the desert.

Each step felt like walking into a furnace.

Sweat evaporated before it could even drip.

Their clothes clung to their bodies, and their breathing gradually became heavier.

However, unknown to them, their bodies were already changing. Being tempered by the heat.

Their flesh became more

resilient.

Cracks formed on their skin before healing almost instantly.

Qi Long’s muscles tensed as his aura became sharper.

He could feel how the muscles were melted by the heat and rebuild again.

The pain was almost unbearable, but everyone gritted their teeth and kept going.

Even Li Pan and Li Han, who were slightly weaker, had no choice but to endure.

They would stop at intervals to drink spiritual spring water, which seemed to help in increasing their spiritual power and speed up healing.

Hours passed as they walked, then....

A sudden rumble echoed beneath the sand again.

They had walked for so long that they had forgotten about the fire lizard.

Now it seemed another one was appearing.

Everyone froze for a moment, then

BOOM!

The sand beneath them exploded once again.

A massive creature burst out from below, sending sand flying in all directions.

This time it wasn’t a lizard but it was a giant scorpion.

Its body was covered in dark red armor just like the lizard and it glowed faintly under the heat.

Its tail arched high into the air, the stinger dripping with a black liquid that radiated a dangerous aura.

Anyone could tell it was poisonous.

Getting stung would probably send a normal person to death in seconds.

"Another guardian beast?" Gu Fan muttered.

"No," Ye Xuan said, his eyes narrowing.

"This one..."

"...is hunting us."

The creatures in the desert had probably been alerted by their earlier battle with the lizard. Or maybe they were just hunting for food.

The scorpion let out a sharp, piercing screech before it charged towards the group of humans.

"Scatter!" Chu Miao ordered instantly.

The group split apart.

The scorpion’s tail slammed into the ground where they had just stood.

BOOM!

The sand exploded again, leaving behind a deep crater.

Chu Hao whistled.

"Yeah... I officially hate this place more than Russia."

"You didn’t go to Russia." Chu Miao reminded her brother.

"Doesn’t matter. I’ve heard the stories." Chu Hao quickly countered.

"You two, focus." Ye Xuan reminded the siblings who didn’t seem to understand that they were in the middle of a battle.

Chu Miao’s figure flickered and in the next moment, she appeared on top of the scorpion.

Her hand was shining with a white light.

Chu Miao’s palm descended like a streak of golden lightning.

Unlike before, when she relied heavily on her light element to erase enemies from existence, this time, she suppressed most of her spiritual energy and focused on the strength of her body.

She wanted to test if the tempering had done anything.

She had tempered her body before, so her body was already stronger than other people.

With the heat tempering, it should become even tougher.

Her palm collided directly with the scorpion’s armored back.

BOOM!

A shockwave rippled outward, sending sand flying in all directions like a storm.

For a brief moment, everything seemed to freeze.

Then, a small crack appeared on the scorpion’s back.

It was very small, barely visible. But it was there.

Chu Miao’s eyes lit up.

Even though it was only a small crack, being able to create it on the armored back was not a joke.

But she wanted better results.

Before she could react further, the scorpion let out a furious screech.

Its massive tail whipped upward with terrifying speed.

Chu Miao vanished.

The tail slammed into the air where she had been standing and went all the way down, missing the scorpion’s back by barely an inch.

The impact created a deep crater, sand collapsing inward like a whirlpool.

"This thing is fast!" Li Kian shouted. "If not for her teleportation ability, sister-in-law would be a goner." He added.

"It’s not just fast," Ye Xuan added calmly as lightning flickered faintly around his body, "its senses are extremely sharp."

"Then stop talking and hit it!" Chu Hao yelled as he charged forward.

This time, he didn’t rely on his spiritual techniques either.

Instead, he clenched his fist tightly and punched straight at one of the scorpion’s legs.

BANG!!!

The impact sent a metallic sound echoing through the desert.

Chu Hao’s arm trembled slightly.

"...Okay," he muttered, shaking his hand, "that thing is definitely harder than it looks. My bones nearly shattered."

The scorpion turned its attention toward him instantly.

Its red eyes gleamed with a cold, predatory light as it lunged at him at the speed of light.

"Big brother, move." Chu Miao shouted as she teleported to intercept the attack.

Chu Hao didn’t hesitate.

He stepped back instantly, his figure retreating dozens of meters in a single breath.

The scorpion’s claw clashed with Chu Miao’s palm causing both to move back a few steps.