462: Chapter 462 Heavenly Palace Mining Star

[However—]

[The expected pain did not arrive.]

[You opened your eyes and met Liu Xuerong's cold gaze.]

["You think death is the greatest pain?" She rose slowly, the nine jade steps beneath her feet seeming to shorten into a single stride.]

["Death is only the beginning."]

[She raised her hand, her fingertip touching the space between your brows.]

[In an instant—]

[You felt your consciousness being torn apart alive.]

[It was as if someone were using a blunt knife to slice away at your Soul, bit by bit.]

[Pain.]

[It was too painful.]

[Indescribable pain.]

[It wasn't the pain of the Physical Body, but the pain of the Soul being torn, burned, and crushed.]

[You wanted to scream, but could make no sound.]

[You wanted to struggle, but could not move.]

[You wanted to faint, yet your consciousness remained terrifyingly clear.]

["This is the Soul Refining Incantation." Liu Xuerong's voice sounded as if it were coming from a distant place. "Once a day, for a thousand years."]

[An unknown amount of time passed—]

[Perhaps it was a moment, perhaps it was a year.]

[She withdrew her hand.]

[You collapsed to the ground, your whole body twitching as you gasped for air.]

["Have you made up your mind?" She looked down at you, her voice as calm as ever.]

[You looked up, a smile tugging at the corner of your mouth.]

[That smile was bloodshot and filled with madness.]

["Is... that all?"]

[Liu Xuerong stared at you, remaining silent for a long time.]

[If she could have used the Slave Contract Secret Method to control you, she would have done so long ago.]

[But you were now at the Void Refining stage, your Primordial Spirit shifting from solid to ethereal and back again—the success rate of a Slave Contract was extremely low, and it might even result in a backlash.]

[Otherwise, the mighty experts in the Immortal Suppressing Tower would not have been merely imprisoned.]

[Those people were all targets that the Heavenly Palace wanted to recruit.]

[But those people would rather be imprisoned for life, ending their days in captivity, than serve as dogs for the Heavenly Palace.]

[You would be no exception.]

["Take him away." Liu Xuerong withdrew her gaze. "Send him to the Mining Star."]

["Yes!" a guard outside the hall responded.]

[Several days later,]

[A spirit boat of the Heavenly Palace traversed the vast starry sky.]

[On the spirit boat, a Body Integration Cultivator stood with his hands behind his back. Behind him stood ten Law Enforcement Guards of the Soul Transformation Stage, each with a cold and stern expression.]

[You were held in the middle of the group, your cultivation sealed, making you no different from a Mortal.]

[The spirit boat broke through the clouds and descended toward a grayish-black star below.]

[This was a Mining Star.]

[A Mining Star, as the name suggests, was a Star Continent dedicated to mining.]

[The Heavenly Palace's Mining Stars were as numerous as the hairs on an ox. It was said that mighty experts used heaven-defying methods to transplant a large number of Spiritual Veins from various places to create them artificially.]

[On every Mining Star, mineral veins crisscrossed, and mine shafts were as numerous as ant holes.]

[Here, there were only two types of people—Heavenly Palace guards and miners.]

[The spirit boat flew over various colorful mineral veins. Crimson, deep blue, brilliant gold... Ore was exposed within the mountains, shimmering with strange lusters like the veins of the earth.]

[Before long, the spirit boat hovered over a black stone mineral vein.]

[Below, inside and outside the black stone mine, a dense mass of heads looked up simultaneously.]

[Tens of thousands of miners in rags, their gazes numb yet tinged with a hint of curiosity, all looked toward the sky.]

[The Body Integration Cultivator looked down. His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly: "Steward Tu."]

[A middle-aged man in a black robe emerged from the mine, cupped his hands, and bowed. "Elder Qi!"]

[Elder Qi spoke slowly:]

["This person is named Qin Chen."]

["Venerable Liu personally ordered—treat him well, but do not let him die."]

["Otherwise, you will face the consequences."]

[Having said that, without waiting for Steward Tu's reply, he flicked his hand.]

[You felt a massive force envelop your body, and you fell uncontrollably from the spirit boat. With a 'bang', you slammed into the gravel ground outside the mine, kicking up a cloud of dust.]

["Ptooey!"]

[You spat out the sand and dirt from your mouth, licked your parched lips, and slowly stood up by pushing off the ground, looking up at the person opposite you.]

[Steward Tu was walking toward you.]

[His pace was neither fast nor slow. He merely glanced at you casually before withdrawing his gaze and cupping his hands toward the sky again.]

["Elder Qi, why not come down and sit for a while?"]

[Elder Qi waved his hand, his tone indifferent. "No. Remember what I just said."]

[Steward Tu nodded repeatedly. "This subordinate understands!"]

[Elder Qi said no more. With a light tap of his foot, the spirit boat suddenly turned into a streak of light, streaking through the air and vanishing at the horizon in an instant.]

[This scene, witnessed by the tens of thousands of miners around, caused an immediate uproar.]

["Good heavens... who is this? Elder Qi personally escorted him?"]

["Elder Qi? Which Elder Qi?"]

["Are you new? The one at the Peak of the Body Integration stage in the Heavenly Palace, the number one person below the Mahayana stage! Have you heard of him?"]

["Holy crap, then what's this guy's background?"]

["Didn't you hear just now? Venerable Liu personally ordered it—treat him well, but don't let him die."]

["'Treat him well'? 'Can't let him die'? This treatment... interesting."]

["Tsk, looks like a man with a story."]

[You ignored the discussions of these people and simply glanced around.]

[In this black stone mining area, there were as many as tens of thousands of miners.]

[The Heavenly Palace guards numbered only a few hundred, scattered sparsely throughout the mine—their cultivation levels ranged from as low as Foundation Establishment to as high as Soul Transformation.]

[Only Steward Tu was at the Void Refining stage.]

[You withdrew your gaze, the corner of your mouth twitching slightly.]

["Kid." Steward Tu casually tossed a jade token to you, his tone flat. "Daily task: ten thousand pieces of Ore. For every piece missing, you'll be rewarded with one strike of the Soul Whip."]

[The soul whipping lash—of course you knew about it.]

[When that thing strikes the body, it doesn't harm the flesh but specifically tears at the Divine Soul.]

[One lash, and the pain goes deep into the marrow, feeling worse than death.]

[However, compared to the Soul Refining Incantation on you, it was like a small sorcerer in the presence of a great one.]

[You caught the jade token, tucked it into your waist, and twitched the corner of your mouth. "Understood."]

[One who understands the times suffers less.]

[You understood this truth better than anyone.]

[Seeing your submissive appearance, Steward Tu nodded in satisfaction and then shouted into the distance:]

["Le Qing, he's assigned to your mining area. Take him there."]

[As soon as he finished speaking, a figure arrived in an instant.]

[It was a young man with a cold expression and a Soul Transformation Stage cultivation.]

[Le Qing glanced at you without saying much. An invisible force swept you up, and he sped toward a mining area.]

[Upon landing, he threw a mining pick at you—though called a mining pick, it was actually a low-grade Magical Artifact.]

["After completing the task, find me to hand in the count." He paused, flipped his palm, and a soul whipping lash shimmering with a cold light appeared. He casually cracked the whip, producing a crisp 'snap'.]

["If you can't complete it... I believe you won't want to try the soul whipping lash."]

[With that, his figure flashed, and he disappeared.]