Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Yun Xueqing lived in the valley for some time, and luckily enough there was still a spare room in the wooden house. The young miss was smart enough and knew what to do; after entering the room, she didn’t take a single step outside. But thinking about it a little more, Qin Yu actuated the array formation to temporarily hide the Radiant Red Wood. This had nothing to do with trust, but was simply the most basic level of caution that a cultivator should have.

There was no scent of romance nor was there some heart-stirring love story. Besides the time when she first entered the valley, five days passed without them meeting again.

This left a chicken who was harboring evil thoughts of watching an entertaining play unfold utterly disappointed. It curled its beak in disgust and glared are the one-eyed wild wolf in the distance, clearly disdaining its supposedly virtuous thoughts. Perhaps others might not know, but it saw that when this young miss first arrived, that wild wolf’s eye had shined, and who knew that an eye could actually shine so brightly!

In an instant, nine days passed.

A loud explosion rang out in the distance, deep and low like a stroke of thunder. The sunny skies rapidly darkened, and strong winds rose up from the void, constantly tearing through the fog.

The chicken overlord shrank back, panic-stricken. The wild wolf howled towards the heavens.

Shua –

Qin Yu appeared in the valley, looking towards the source of the sound, his complexion uncertain. Several powerful auras loomed in the distance and gave off a somewhat familiar feeling. If he wasn’t wrong, then they were War Bear, Gu Shengping, and the others. But what were they doing? Could it be that the treasure land they mentioned before was in Severed Spirit Mountain?

Inexplicably, Qin Yu thought of the exhausted heaven and earth spiritual strength here, as well as the pure spiritual strength that had appeared not too long ago. His thoughts raced.

“Senior Qin, is something wrong?” Yun Xueqing stepped out from the wooden house, worry etched on her face.

Qin Yu turned. “I don’t know, but it shouldn’t be related to us. Don’t think about it too much.”

Soon, the winds scattered and the skies cleared up.

But Qin Yu’s complexion actually became even more dignified. “Miss Yun, return to your room first!”

Yun Xueqing’s heart trembled. She turned and left.

Shua –

Qin Yu shot up into the skies. With a wave of his hand, clouds parted. The surrounding atmosphere rolled about him, his momentum forceful to the limit.

Outside the valley was War Bear and the others.

Sensing Qin Yu’s irate mood, Daoist Wuyuan cupped his hands across his chest and said, “Fellow daoist Qin, don’t be angry. We have no ill intent in visiting this time.”

War Bear coughed several times, his face slightly pale, as if he had been injured. “Fellow daoist Qin, could it be that you can control some strong power of thunder?”

Qin Yu nodded, “That’s right.”

War Bear was overjoyed. “Fellow daoist Qin, allow me to invite you to join us once more. To be honest, we have already found the location of the treasure trove, but we need the support of a strong power of thunder to open it.”

Qin Yu frowned. “I have no interest.”

War Bear said in a low voice. “Fellow daoist Qin should understand that we don’t hope to become enemies with you. If you aren’t willing to join us, then I can only ask you to temporarily leave here.”

Daoist Wuyuan explained, “We have discovered that the treasure trove we are looking for is in this mountain range. With someone of fellow daoist Qin’s cultivation here, it would be difficult for us to have any peace of mind.”

Qin Yu fell silent.

These people shouldn’t be lying. But, if they believed someone would easily leave after refusing them, then they were too naïve. What would they do if he left for a moment and then returned through the back?

Even if he didn’t come back, he already knew too much. Just passing out some of this information outside would cause a great deal of trouble.

In reality, the meaning behind their words was quite clear.

Either he could join them or they would tear apart any pretense of face. It was just that this way of initially indicating was being a bit tactful.

Qin Yu looked up. He lightly said, “Since everyone is so sincere, then it would be unappreciative of me to continue refusing.”

War Bear laughed. “If fellow daoist Qin joins us, we will be even more powerful. We will definitely be able to smoothly open the treasure trove!”

The tense atmosphere was swept away.

“Allow me to officially introduce everyone. This is fellow daoist Wuyuan, fellow daoist Gu Shengping, and Fairy Xiang.”

Qin Yu cupped his hands together.

War Bear took out a jade slip. “What fellow daoist Qin wants to know is in here.”

Qin Yu received it. He frowned. “Right now, there is another matter I must attend to.”

Daoist Wuyuan smiled. “Feel free to do as you like; we also need some time to recuperate. How about meeting tomorrow?”

“Alright!”

War Bear and his group left.

Qin Yu stood still, his complexion cloudy. After some time, he turned and flew back into the valley.

“Miss Yun, tomorrow I must leave for an errand. You should wait for me to return before you leave.” Qin Yu got straight to the point. “After I leave, I will activate the entire array formation. Miss should stay in your room and not walk about.”

Yun Xueqing nodded, not asking any more.

Qin Yu began his preparations. War Bear and those three others weren’t easy to deal with. If he were to cooperate with them, he had to be particularly careful. In order to prevent some accident, he naturally took the Soul Mushroom, Greatsun Mulberry, and Skythunder Bamboo. As for the Purpleback Bluewing Ants, he carried them off in his imperial spirit bag. They had become much stronger during this time period of absorbing the aura of the Greatsun Mulberry, and if an incident were to occur, they would be able to give his enemies a considerable surprise.

As for the Radiant Red Wood, the space in his storage bag was limited so he couldn’t place a tree that was dozens of feet high in it. And, moving it would harm its growth, so he had to leave it here. However, with the valley’s protective array formation activated to its greatest level of strength, and with the 36 Skythunder Bamboo flying swords added onto that, even if someone were to try and break into here, they still might not be able to accomplish anything.

Finally, he carefully inspected his storage bag and made sure he had a full plethora of various pills. He sat down and took out the jade slip. He probed it to make sure there was no problem with it, and then read through it with his divine sense. There was a little bit of resistance, but as he strengthened his divine sense it easily broke.

After a long time, Qin Yu opened his eyes, a sharp light surging in them.

There were many contents within the jade slip. The massive number of bits and pieces seemed disorderly, but a simple summary was as follows: In ancient times, there was a Nascent Soul powerhouse who had died in meditation and sealed away their cave dwelling. After a great deal of research, it was determined that this matter was true, and this was the treasure trove that War Bear referred to.

A Nascent Soul’s cave dwelling…

Ancient times cultivator…

No wonder War Bear and the three others had been so careful. In order to prevent the news from leaking, they didn’t hesitate to attack and kill Qiu He.

With the Southern Empire and Northern Dynasty added together, that was a landmass hundreds of thousands of miles wide. Just how vast and boundless was that? Even if the world of cultivation here was on the wane, there were still hundreds of Golden Core cultivators. But as for Nascent Soul powerhouses, if one counted them all, there were only 10 or so. Even if one were to add in the old monsters that had hidden themselves away, there were 15 at most!

Which Golden Core didn’t dream of becoming a Nascent Soul? And, the cave dwelling of an ancient cultivator might contain such a lucky chance! Once news of this were to spread out, countless storms were sure to be set off here. It might even move the righteous and demonic paths to violently and brutally fight each other.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing his shaking heart, Qin Yu’s eyes became increasingly bright. After learning about this Nascent Soul cave dwelling, his opinion had also changed. So since he was interfering, he would interfere with all he had! Perhaps this matter might be a turning point in his cultivation.

He closed his eyes. Magic power circulated. Calmly, he made sure that his entire state was at its peak!

The next day, as the skies began to darken, War Bear and the others arrived.

Shua –

The fog separated and Qin Yu stepped out.

Gu Shengping looked at the fog. “Has fellow daoist Qin safely hidden away your treasures yet? If someone like me were to come before we returned, the entire place might be cleaned out.”

Qin Yu lightly said, “There’s nothing I would miss.”

A fist falling on cotton, it was this sort of feeling.

Gu Shengping’s complexion turned green.

War Bear changed the topic. “If there isn’t a problem, we can leave now.”

“Humph!” Gu Shengping was the first to fly away.

Daoist Wuyuan smiled and followed behind.

War Bear and Fairy Xiang glanced at each other, revealing a bit of worry.

Qin Yu followed at the rear. As he looked at Gu Shengping’s back, he frowned. This person’s disciple had been severely wounded by him, and at that time he had been able to patiently endure that loss without revealing anything. So why was he repeatedly trying to stir up trouble afterwards?

It was as if he were deliberately trying to form enmity between them…but he was likely thinking about it too much. This Gu Shengping had too many secret plans.

Severed Spirit Mountain covered an extremely vast range and the landscape seemed harsh and severe. If these mountains were to be traversed by a mortal, they might not be able to pass it in several days. But for a Golden Core cultivator, a hundred miles was just the blink of an eye.

When Gu Shengping stopped, the entire group came to a pause between two barren mountains. These mountains looked like two spears thrusting straight into the skies, seeming somewhat fierce and overbearing. The ground was a mess, charred black with cracks running all over it. Moreover, there was a round hole that went straight into the ground. Just glancing at it made one’s eyes hurt and tingle, as if they would cry soon.

Qin Yu’s heart chilled. It seemed that this so-called treasure trove wasn’t as simple as he thought.

War Bear shook his head and bitterly smiled. “Yesterday we also came here, but we suffered a great hardship. Luckily we have fellow daoist Qin Yu with us here today, so we should be able to safely enter.”

Gu Shengping coldly humphed. “That will depend on whether his power of thunder is strong enough!”

Fairy Xiang said in a soft voice. “Enough of that, it’s almost time. Fellow daoist Gu, please begin.”

Gu Shengping smiled. “Fine, then I will begin.” He coldly glanced at Qin Yu. “Wait until my command, and then display your power of thunder.” He flew into the skies until he stood at the point exactly between the two mountains. At this moment, the weather seemed clear yet not clear. A dawn light seemed to rise from the east, and a remnant moon seemed to wane in the west.

Gu Shengping took a deep breath, his face solemn and earnest, revealing the aura and bearing of a grandmaster. A mote of brilliant light glowed from his fingertip and fell atop the void, causing mighty waves to stir up. Although his actions weren’t fast, they were extremely stable. Every time he thrust out his finger and drew it back, it would take the same time.

With every circle, mighty ripples spread out and light dispersed. The dawning sun in the east and the waning moon and the west suddenly brightened. This wasn’t an illusion, but real light that was being released, illuminating this part of the world. Or, it would be more accurate to say that some invisible strength was dragging in every ray of light and concentrating it on this narrow and small area. This was because outside of the two mountains, the world began to darken.

Qin Yu was filled with acclaim. No matter who this Gu Shengping was or what his attitude was like, his cultivation and talent in array formations could be called outstanding. As for the mysterious might and power of this array formation, it left behind a profound mark in his heart, strengthening his desire to study them in the future.

Gu Shengping’s complexion became increasingly dignified. His fingers fell and rose in an increasingly fast and dramatic manner until they linked into a single stretch.

War Bear, Daoist Wuyuan, and Fairy Xiang began to surge with magic power.

Qin Yu knew that the critical moment had arrived!

Suddenly, a blinding golden light rose up from the east. There were clearly countless wisps of light, but as these wisps gathered between the two mountains they condensed together into a long arrow, like a blazing sun that was being born anew. At the same time, the pale waning moon in the east erupted with light. Wisps of silver light also fell between the two mountains.

Gu Shengping roared, “Bring the thunder!”

Qin Yu flicked his sleeves. Lightning surged outwards, like a raging river of purple that had burst past a dam.

Nearby, War Bear, Wuyuan, and Fairy Xiang were overjoyed to see this. With such a formidable power of thunder, it was more than enough to open the entrance.

Of course, at the same time, they felt a bit more fear towards Qin Yu from deep in their hearts.

As the purple lightning gushed out, it was attracted to the point above Gu Shengping’s head where it rapidly condensed. It concentrated into a dazzling purple, just like an ‘evil star’!

At this moment, the light of the sun and moon between the world had gathered.

Gu Shengping pressed forth. The ‘evil star’ fell down where the sun and moon had gathered.

Dang –

With a dull thumping sound, like the strike of a great drum, great trembling fluctuations shot up into the skies.

Awoo –

The howl of a wolf sounded out, shaking the world!

Throughout the mountain forests, countless wild animals bowed their heads, their hearts filled with fear and excitement, all of them sobbing and wailing. But, what was strange was that the sounds they emitted were all limited to the mountain range. If one stepped even an inch outside the scope of the mountain range, they wouldn’t hear these sounds anymore. Moreover, from the outside, this mountain range didn’t seem to have changed in the least.

Between the two mountains, the phantom of a great wolf appeared, rearing its head back and roaring at the skies.

With one eye, the black eye patch wolf opened its great jaws to reveal a pitch black space, leading to an unknown location.

Gu Shengping laughed. “The entrance has opened!”

 

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