Chapter 107: Reduced to a Miner

The timing of Qingxu’s choice was impeccable, coinciding exactly with the moment the Ice Ancestor’s teleportation formation was about to complete—a moment when he was most relaxed.

Faced with a matter of life and death, Qingxu fled desperately. He initially intended to use spatial displacement, but his injuries had not yet healed, making such a technique unsuitable. If his divine power faltered or he lost his way in the void, and if the connection to his true self weakened, this clone would be ruined.

Due to the damage sustained in the ice formation, Qingxu’s speed was greatly reduced, roughly half his usual pace. At this rate, reaching the North Sea would take at least several days.

“I’m already overexerting my divine power reserves. My true self is also struggling to keep up. At this rate, I won’t last more than a few days. Now, I can only hope the Ren-Gui Radiant Veil can conceal me from the Ice Ancestor!” Qingxu was somewhat confident in the veil. Though it lacked offensive or defensive capabilities, its concealment was sharp and precise—an ordinary quasi-Sage would hardly detect it.

In truth, Qingxu’s sense of crisis had diminished considerably. Reflecting on his prior encounters, he believed the Ice Ancestor could not truly harm him. Otherwise, why use the ice formation? Why not simply capture him outright? Without the threat of the formation, why fear the Ice Ancestor?

As the teleportation formation’s pattern was finalized, Qingxu was already tens of thousands of miles away.

“Hmph! Sworn allegiance or not, you think you can escape so easily? What a joke! As the progenitor and Heart of the Northern Abyss Ice Soul, how could such a vast Northern Abyss be any different from a small confined space?” The Ice Ancestor muttered coldly, anger blazing. This was not the first time he had encountered such defiance, and it vexed him greatly.

Suddenly, with a faint sound, the ice-blue glowing teleportation formation vanished instantly, and the next moment, it reappeared right before Qingxu.

Bang!

“How could this be? How is this possible?” Qingxu asked in disbelief, unable to accept the situation. The Ice Ancestor not only saw through him but also transported the formation tens of thousands of miles to appear before him. Now trapped within the formation, escape was impossible.

“Foolish youngster, don’t you realize who I am? The Ice Ancestor, the very Heart of the Northern Abyss Ice Soul. Though I have not yet taken form, I can expend my spiritual power to shift the formation within the Northern Abyss without difficulty. You’re too insolent, forcing me to waste precious spiritual energy. I had intended to assign you an easy post, but since you lack wisdom, you shall be relegated to the lowest, most menial labor! Hmph!” The Ice Ancestor roared in fury, clearly pained by the spiritual power he had squandered.

“I thought myself clever all my life, yet I’ve made such a foolish mistake! How did I not think it through? With the name ‘Ice Ancestor,’ he must be expert in this art. Now that he’s anchored within the Heart of the Northern Abyss Ice Soul, sensing the vast Northern Abyss is no challenge. I cannot leave this domain before he responds—no matter how far I flee, it’s useless! He must have planned this from the start, choosing the central region of the Northern Abyss to strike, confident I would not escape. How foolish I was to think myself smart!” Qingxu was filled with regret, but there was nothing he could do.

As Qingxu despaired, the teleportation formation began to activate, its intricate runes spinning both forwards and backwards in a dizzying array that blurred the senses. At the same time, an invisible pulling force gripped Qingxu, growing stronger with each passing moment, as if about to tear the fabric of space itself.

Suddenly, the ice-blue radiance flared dazzlingly bright, so intense even the spirit could not bear to look. At that moment, Qingxu felt his body grow light. The next instant, as his feet touched solid ground, the glow faded. Looking around, he found himself in an unfamiliar place.

The ground and surroundings were composed of uneven ice-blue crystals. Behind him was a dead end; ahead lay a winding, twisting path whose destination was unknown—like a cavernous passage. The space was vast, at least several miles wide and over a dozen zhang high.

“These are all the essence of billion-year-old profound ice! How extravagant! If Yun Zhongzi were here, he’d be ecstatic!” Qingxu gaped in awe, feeling as if in a dream.

The essence of billion-year-old profound ice was the treasure of treasures! Even adding a small fragment to a cold-attribute artifact would yield at least a twentieth-tier postnatal forbidden spirit treasure. Such ice was coveted not only for refining artifacts, pills, or talismans but also for cultivation—especially prized by cold-attribute cultivators.

“Boy, don’t just stare—there’ll be plenty more for you to see later,” a chilling voice whispered suddenly beside him, ghostlike.

“Ah?” Startled, Qingxu turned quickly to look but saw no one at first. Then he noticed a figure beside him—a man with a bare upper body, a beast’s hide wrapped around his lower half. His emaciated frame was covered with scars, his hair wild and tangled like weeds. Most strikingly, his face bore one pair of eyes, two noses, three mouths, and four ears.

Such a bizarre appearance was unprecedented, yet what shocked Qingxu even more was the man’s cultivation level—he had approached silently without Qingxu sensing him. Such strength was truly formidable, though Qingxu could not determine its exact depth.

“Hiss hiss, you must be the new laborer the Ancestor mentioned. Your cultivation is mediocre; I hope you last longer than that giant turtle who died at mid-stage Dao Sovereign after just thirty years,” the strange man said, causing Qingxu’s heart to leap.

Laborer?

“Enough nonsense. Let me introduce myself—I am Jukun, captain of the eighth squad. From now on, you’re a low-tier laborer under my command. Come with me to get your tools and start work,” Jukun said impatiently.

“Wait! Captain Jukun, could you kindly explain the hierarchy here in detail? I offer this small token as a gesture of respect,” Qingxu said with a sycophantic smile, handing over a Fate Pill—part of his last resources from his brother Ao Fei.

At the sight of the pill, Jukun’s eyes flickered, his smile thin and insincere. “Not bad, kid. Interesting.”

He snatched the pill, playing with it as he explained casually, “There aren’t many rules here. One, no escaping—if caught, immediate execution. Two, no laziness—heavy punishment if discovered. Three, no insubordination—that depends on the mood of your superior. As for ranks...”

Qingxu hesitated, then reluctantly presented another third-grade immortal pill, also from Ao Fei’s reserve. These two pills meant little to him now, but to avoid stirring Jukun’s greed further, he feigned having no more resources.

Jukun grabbed it deftly, sneering inwardly. “Still holding back? All your resources will eventually be mine. Once you’re drained, you’ll have no value and can die.”

“Hmm? The ranks here, from lowest to highest, are: low-tier laborer, mid-tier laborer, high-tier laborer, squad captain, and corps commander. Low-tier laborers work tirelessly without rest; mid-tier can rest one day per month; high-tier get one rest day every ten days; squad captains rest one day every three days; and corps commanders rest every other day,” Jukun said, his eyes shining with unhidden envy when mentioning the highest rank.

“Damn! Sounds official, but it’s all just a life of toil,” Qingxu thought bitterly, though he showed a pained expression outwardly.

“Alright, kid, you’re new today. I’ll show you around. You start work tomorrow.” Evidently, Qingxu’s pills had some effect; Jukun was somewhat considerate.

Following Jukun deeper into the cavern, Qingxu listened as the man spoke intermittently, gradually piecing together the situation.

The Heart of the Northern Abyss Ice Soul was vast beyond imagination—tens of thousands of miles in size. To be capable of taking form, it needed a fragment at least a hundred miles wide, but the Ice Ancestor demanded fragments over a thousand miles in size. Since the Ice Ancestor’s anchoring here, over four hundred cultivators had been captured and divided into roughly ten squads. The ranks were set by the laborers themselves, with the Ice Ancestor indifferent so long as the work got done. Naturally, some shirked their duties, while others had to work harder.

Promotion depended either on cultivation—dominate all others and become corps commander—or on connections, which was difficult. Bribery? Superiors with some power could siphon your resources but had little incentive to promote you.

Among these four hundred-plus captives were ancient wild beasts, demonic beasts,妖兽 (monstrous beasts), spirit cultivators, and giants... Most were Dao Sovereigns; fewer than thirty were at the pinnacle of True Immortal rank. The ten squad captains were roughly late-stage Dao Sovereigns; corps commanders were likely peak Dao Sovereigns or quasi-Sage-level.

Learning this, Qingxu felt overwhelmed. With such a lineup, he could only bully the True Immortal elites, but they were senior to him—one misstep might bring disaster.

Escape was impossible here. The Ice Ancestor’s restrictions prevented spatial displacement, and hundreds of watchful eyes eagerly awaited to capture anyone fleeing to gain merit. In this environment, Qingxu had to abandon all thoughts of escape. Even if he managed to flee, as long as he remained in the Northern Abyss, the Ice Ancestor could easily recapture him.

“This trip to the Northern Abyss was a grave miscalculation. I gained a little benefit, but now I’m reduced to a mining laborer, forced to work endlessly. How frustrating!” Qingxu lamented inwardly.