Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yu stepped into Lei Qianjun's study for a third time. Like before, it was only the two of them there.

"Fellow daoist Qin Yu."

"City Lord Lei, may I ask why you requested for me to meet you?" Qin Yu lightly furrowed his eyebrows.

Lei Qianjun cupped his hands together. "I had no intention of disturbing your cultivation. But since this concerns Xiaoyu's injury, I had no other choice."

Qin Yu looked up, "City Lord Lei, you found a way?"

Lei Qianjun lowered his voice, his face darkened as he said, "An Origin God's corpse!"

Uh…

So it was this method. Qin Yu bitterly smiled. He already knew about this method, but the corpse of an Origin God wasn't something he could hope to obtain.

Seeing Qin Yu's silence, Lei Qianjun said, "I understand that this sounds easy, but it is incomparably difficult to achieve. However, since it is the last chance to save Xiaoyu's life, I have to try it."

Qin Yu shook his head, "City Lord Lei, I understand how you're feeling, but I urge you not to hold onto such a hope."

Lei Qianjun drew in a deep breath, "Fellow daoist Qin Yu, every other millennia, the imperial capital will commune with the heavens and earth, guiding the fall of a God Mark Holy Stone and naturally evolving the Great Dao. It is an enormous benefit to those that haven't broken into the God boundary yet."

Qin Yu's eyes flashed. While he had accompanied Lei Xiaoyu these past days he had inadvertently learned about this and also made some plans regarding it.

Why did Lei Qianjun mention this now?

Qin Yu's thoughts raced. He maintained his composure and asked, "How is this related?"

Lei Qianjun said, "I have obtained information that when the God Mark Holy Stone appears this time, there will also be news related to the corpse of an Origin God."

He stood up and cupped his hands together, bowing. "Fellow daoist Qin Yu, I hope that you can accompany Xiaoyu to the imperial capital and participate in the grand arrival ceremony of the God Mark Holy Stone. Of course, I won't make any extravagant demands. You may act as you see fit and if there are dangers you can leave at any moment."

Qin Yu was silent for several breaths of time. "When does the grand ceremony begin?"

Lei Qianjun said, "It is still around four months away, and the trip itself takes half a month. To be safe, you should leave in three."

Qin Yu thought for a moment. According to his current training progress, three months was enough to refine all the soul treasures.

The human race's imperial capital, news of an Origin God's corpse…just with these two points, there wasn't a need to guess anything else. It was sure to be a journey filled with perilous danger.

Logically speaking, Qin Yu should spend this time devoting all his efforts to cultivating, opening more and more paths to the God boundary so he could complete his ascent as soon as possible.

But this matter concerned Lei Xiaoyu's life or death…the little blue lamp had once mentioned this plan, and now Lei Qianjun also knew of it.

Qin Yu bitterly smiled. Was this fate? Was he destined to be involved in this, unable to avoid it?

Lei Xiaoyu's smiling face appeared in his mind. Right now she spent every day in incomparable bliss. She loved it most when Qin Yu temporarily stopped cultivating, because then she would bring him to the kitchen and make him all sorts of delicious foods.

But she had no idea that her life was approaching its end…even with the blue cloud lotus root extending her life, she only had around ten years or so. With every day that passed, she drew closer and closer to her last.

He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he slowly said, "Very well, I agree!"

…

In the distant imperial capital, the aura of the heavens and earth gathered together. In one's senses it was like nine dragons rising into the heavens, looking down upon the billions and billions of people with disdain. In the northeast corner of this vast imperial capital, there was a place where sunlight was never able to shine. It was covered in darkness all year long. Even if high level officials or the common people mentioned this place or even looked upon it, their complexions changed and their hearts filled with dread.

As an inner division of Celestial Retribution, this place was responsible for monitoring the regions within the empire. If they discovered any signs that there was someone or something capable of threatening the rule of the empire, they would eradicate it in advance. So, this division had a different name - the Heavenly Punishment Division. They punished others on behalf of the heavens, assisting the royal family in watching over and shepherding the world.

The Heavenly Punishment Division that was shrouded in darkness refused to be illuminated by the sunlight. Even though there were torches shining inside, the hall still remained dim and gloomy. Several figures sat around a round table. Their faces were partly visible in the flickering flames, and they added a sharp and steely coldness to the atmosphere.

Xiao Yunhai had a faint expression, "The royal family is the shepherd of all below the heavens, but the world is far too vast. We allow the existence of other shepherds so that the world is calmer and more stable. But, there are always some shepherds who develop ambitions they shouldn't have as their strength increases. This is when our Heavenly Punishment Division takes action, eliminating those shepherds that try to escape our control, and setting up others that are obedient to us and dependent on the royal family to survive. Only like this can storms be eliminated before they erupt."

He paused for a moment. Then, in an even colder voice he said, "Lei Qianjun is a shepherd that is beginning to show signs of revolt. He must die."

Another person spoke up, "Lord Xiao, we had started laying out the groundwork, but before it could begin, Lei Qianjun struck first and exterminated the Wu Family that we chose. Nowadays, Lei Qianjun is on guard. I fear we won't be able to do anything to him for some time."

Xiao Yunhai said, "Lei Qianjun is an outstanding figure. I also underestimated him before. But, anyone who dares to contend against the rule of the royal family will be destroyed. He is smart enough and cruel enough, but he miscalculated from the very beginning. The witchcraft bug planted by the Wu Family was secretly provided by my Heavenly Punishment Division, and the degree of its terror far surpasses his imagination.

"I have chosen a new shepherd. He will work together with us. Once Lei Xiaoyu dies, the witchcraft bug within her will cause a backlash to her bloodline and Lei Qianjun will be severely wounded. The following situation will be left to the rest of you to process. You must be quick and not give him a chance to do anything."

A killing intent condensed.

"Yes, Lord Xiao!"

…

Roc City, City Lord Mansion.

As the transmission array lit up, shocking fluctuations spread out, causing the surrounding space to violently roil like rolling waves.

In the next moment, space twisted. The figures of Lei Xiaoyu, Qin Yu, and the others in the array formation became blurry.

But suddenly, something happened.

The distorted space shook and trembled, as if a great invisible hand was repeatedly smashing into it.

Then, the inherent protection that the transmission array provided to the cultivators using it was ripped apart. With screams of panic and despair, massive splashes of dark red appeared, like crimson flowers blooming in the air.

Lei Qianjun roared out loud. A wild aura broke free from his body as he tried to stabilize the array formation and bring the transmission process to a stop. But, there was no longer any time. With a loud crash, the great hall where the transmission array was located was immediately torn into shreds underneath a horrifying impact of strength.

Countless stones and shattered pieces of wood howled out in all directions, wrapping up in a formidable strength. Wherever they went, everything was pierced through and destroyed.

Lei Qianyun brought down his hands. When he saw the ruined hall, his complexion paled and killing intent flooded his eyes like a tsunami.

"Who! Who is it! I swear I will find you and kill you!" Thunderous roars instantly reverberated in the skies above Roc City.

Countless cultivators paled. They looked towards the direction of the City Lord Mansion with panic-stricken eyes. They had no idea what happened to cause the City Lord to lose his composure like this.

Before they could think more, three tyrannical auras arrived at the City Lord Mansion. Then, a pitch black barrier of light appeared, covering the entire City Lord Mansion. It isolated out all aura and also obstructed any peering eyes.

Looking at the pitch black barrier of light, those with more information on the matter couldn't help but shiver, their faces draining of blood.

Heavenly Punishment Division, this was the Heavenly Punishment Division! They were moving against the City Lord Mansion!

No matter what the final outcome was today, endless wind and rain was about to rise in Roc City. Countless heads would roll on the ground.

Lei Qianjun's expression was sharp and dense. He swept his eyes across the three figures in the air and snarled, "So it really is your group of disgusting creatures that cannot be exposed to the light who are stirring up trouble!"

"Lei Qianjun, you have thoughts of conspiracy in your heart. I have been ordered to take your head." The black-robed Heavenly Punishment Division powerhouse had a faint expression. He looked as if he was already staring at a dead person.

This was no arrogance, and this wasn't because he didn't place Lei Qianjun in his eyes. Rather, he was confident in himself. Under the Heavenly Punishment Domain, the strength of the three was increased while Lei Qianjun was weakened. In this situation they occupied the absolute advantage.

The eyes of the three Heavenly Punishment Division powerhouses flashed with pity. Lei Qianjun had ruled over Roc City for many years and had even aroused the dread of the royal family. This was sufficient proof of his capabilities; he could even be called an overlord of his territory. But what a pity, he could not see his son for who he truly was. If he truly knew what his son was like, things would not have gone so easily.

"Stop talking. Kill him."

Another Heavenly Punishment Division powerhouse said. In the next moment a terrifying aura shot into the skies. Wild fluctuations of strength tore through space, grinding all to dust.

The earth shivered and the skies wailed. The entire City Lord Mansion fell into a precarious state.

Lei Jinyun killed everyone in the hall. Standing in a pool of blood, he looked at the battle up above. Horror flashed in his eyes, finally turning into madness and resentment.

"Father, you were the one who forced me! All of this is because you forced me! But I promise you, the Lei Family will not fall here. I will continue your rule and lead the Lei Family to a new peak!"

Lei Jinyun roared into the air. He raised a hand and slashed open his palm. His blood flowed down into the pool of blood below.

Gurgle -

Gurgle -

Bubbles appeared in the pool of blood. It began to tumble around like boiling water. A ghostly face appeared in the blood. It had curved horns on its head and its entire face was even and flat, without any facial features.

"Now, I ask father to go in peace. From now on, this world no longer belongs to you!" Lei Jinyun howled out loud. He knelt to the ground and stabbed his hands into the boiling blood.

The blood within his body seemed to be drawn by something. It gushed out of him, causing the pool of blood to tumble around even more fiercely. The horned ghost face rapidly condensed into reality. Then, it roared out loud, like crackling thunder.

It was low and deep, filled with endless slaughter intent. It seemed to come from the deepest parts of the abyss, capable of destroying all.

Already fighting one against three, Lei Qianjun suddenly frowned. He spat out a mouthful of blood. At first it was bright red, but then it turned pitch black. It was thick and dirty, emitting a rancid smell.

Through his bloodline, he instantly knew what happened. He roared out, "Traitorous child!"

"Lei Qianjun, don't resist anymore. If the three of us kill you, you might have a chance to reincarnate through samsara. But if you are destroyed by the projection of the abyss, your soul will thoroughly vanish and there will be no trace of you left behind!"

"Resign yourself to death and you may still die happily. But if you continue to struggle, you will discover what infinite purgatory truly is!"

"Give up! With all of us joining together, there is no chance you will survive!"

Lei Qianjun roared at the skies. "Shut up!" He lifted a hand and grasped between his eyebrows. Then, he maliciously tore out his flesh and blood.

"Come out!"

Across from him, the faces of the three Heavenly Punishment Division powerhouses changed. They could clearly feel changes happening in Lei Qianjun's aura.

"This is bad, he was hiding his strength!"

Bang -

Bang -

Bang -

Without hesitation, the three Heavenly Punishment Division powerhouses attacked with all their strength. Heaven-shaking rumbles filled the air, and terrifying fluctuations of strength covered all. No one could see what was happening.

But at this time, calls of fury and alarm spread out, flooded with disbelief.

"Impossible, how did you accomplish this!"

"Run, it's a trap!"

"Ahh! Damn it, I've been tied down!"

At the same time, Lei Jinyun stiffened in a kneeling position. His eyes widened as black tentacles drilled out from the pool of blood, winding around him and imprisoning him.

"No, how can it be like this, I don't believe it!" Facing his cry of alarm, the ghost face within the tumbling blood suddenly opened a pair of eyes. There was ridicule in them.

In that instant, all of Lei Jinyun's strength was drawn out of his body. He crashed into the pool of blood, his face ashen gray with despair and defeat.

Pa -

Pa -

The sound of footsteps rang out. The steward appeared, a calm look on his face. He glanced over Lei Jinyun and said, "Young master, while you are master's son, you never truly understood him, otherwise how could you do something so stupid?"

As if seeing his final ray of hope, Lei Jinyun struggled to say, "Uncle Jin, please save me Uncle Jin. I was only fooled by others for a while, that's the only reason I would do something like this! You have watched me ever since I was a child. I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"

The steward gently shook his head. Without saying anything, he moved to the side.

Lei Qianjun walked into the hall. There was no expression on his face. Besides a slightly pale complexion, there were no other wounds on him. The three Heavenly Punishment Division powerhouses who fought him had disappeared. Besides him, no one knew what happened to them.

But it was clear that victory and defeat had already been decided.

Lei Jinyun looked at Lei Qianjun and trembled. His body subconsciously curled up. At this moment...he felt infinite cold.

"Father…"

Lei Qianjun slowly said, "I won't kill you."

Joy flashed in Lei Jinyun's eyes. But before he could say anything, Lei Qianjun turned and walked away. As if he only came here to see Lei Jinyun one last time, to say one last word to him.

"Thank you father, thank you! Your son knows he is mistaken!" The black tentacles that bound him fell off. Lei Jinyun bowed again and again, unable to conceal the happiness on his face.

The steward looked at him with pity. Even now, the young master did not understand his father.

Sometimes, death was forgiveness and living was the greatest punishment.

He shook his head and followed behind Lei Qianjun. The great doors of the hall closed behind him.