Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Because of Lei Xiaoyu's 'great heart', Qin Yu discontinued the minor tricks he tried to use, lest the girl become even more interested in him. As a result, the ensuing journey proceeded smoothly.

With his sensory abilities, besides when he was caught off guard by the snake immediately after he broke free from the turbulent flow of space, if he wanted to evade others, he wouldn't be targeted.

They continued forwards at a fast pace. Lei Xiaoyu blinked her eyes, covering the happy look on her face. But as she glanced around she couldn't help but feel curious. Just where was Qin Yu going?

Two hours later, Qin Yu finally came to a stop. Right in front of them was a fathomless black abyss. It was like a terrifying maw that was wide open.

After a brief hesitation, Qin Yu said, "We must go down. I'll carry you on my back; remember to hold on tight."

Lei Xiaoyu sensed how wary he was. Without asking why, she climbed on his back and held tightly onto his clothes.

Qin Yu thought for a moment and took out something of unknown material that resembled a long silver whip, tying Lei Xiaoyu up with him. Then, he took a deep breath and stepped into the abyss, allowing himself to rapidly sink down.

But he was careful. Whenever his speed got to a certain degree, he would reach out and grab the walls, slowing himself down.

The darkness in the pitch black abyss was as thick as ink - it wasn't ordinary. Even a cultivator's divine sense would be hindered, and the deeper one went, the more interference there was until it was completely blocked.

The walls weren't smooth like a mirror. There were large bulges and also some withered vines. Lei Xiaoyu could only vaguely see their outlines as she passed by before she had moved far past them.

She had no idea what method Qin Yu used to avoid making any mistakes in the dark. At this moment as she laid against his back and wrapped her arms around him, she felt at peace.

As if the surrounding darkness and the bottomless abyss were no longer scary.

Even though Qin Yu constantly slowed his speed while the two dropped, as time passed, they went astonishingly deep down.

And this abyss was like a door connecting to hell; there was no end in sight.

After an unknown length of time, Lei Xiaoyu felt a cold chill. Qin Yu stabbed his hands into the stone walls, coming to a halting stop.

A transition from extreme speeds to a grinding stop would inevitably cause great pressure on the body. But, Qin Yu's movements were smooth and natural, and Lei Xiaoyu didn't feel too much impact.

Looking down, Lei Xiaoyu raised a hand to cover her mouth, blocking her cries of alarm. Her eyes widened until they were like full moons.

Tens of thousands of feet below, the darkness dispersed a little due to a faint light that was there from some scattered shrubs. Perhaps because the living environment here was too harsh, they didn't seem too lively, resulting in the light they sent out being much gloomier.

But since there was light, Lei Xiaoyu could see through the darkness. Her eyes grew increasingly large. Because in the dim light she saw a shockingly massive skeleton lying in the depths of the abyss.

It lay on the ground. Every rib was like a bridge that spanned the sea. And, only a small part of the skeleton was illuminated by light. More bones of the giant beast were hidden in the darkness.

What Lei Xiaoyu's mind logically told her was that this great beast had died a long time ago. But for some unknown reason, when she saw it, she felt an intense sense of threat.

As if this giant beast that had already been dead for countless years could come back to life at any time, opening its terrifyingly large mouth to tear all intruders into pieces.

"Big…Big Brother Qin…" Lei Xiaoyu shivered as she spoke. She felt even colder. A light frost unexpectedly began forming on her eyebrows and the tips of her hair.

"Shh, be silent!" Qin Yu didn't look back at her. "I have to continue down still. If you're afraid then close your eyes."

A warm flow of energy rushed out from his body, thawing Lei Xiaoyu from her soon-to-be frozen state.

"Mm." She nodded and closed her eyes. Although her heart still raced, she didn't try persuading Qin Yu to leave.

Because she knew that if Qin Yu came all the way down here and wanted to go even deeper, he had to have his reasons for doing so.

Of course, it was even more because the one carrying her was Qin Yu, and she believed in him.

Qin Yu took a deep breath and continued downwards. He no longer dropped down. Rather, he lay flat against the steep stone wall and slowly crept lower.

Kacha -

Kacha -

Tiny cracking sounds reverberated through the darkness without end. This was a sound coming from a black layer of ice on the stone walls being chipped apart.

The breath Qin Yu exhaled turned into countless tiny ice crystals the moment it left his body. Then, it fell onto the walls and tumbled downwards.

White frost spread across the surface of his body. But, an invisible line seemed to separate it from Qin Yu's body, making it so that the frost couldn't truly reach him or Lei Xiaoyu.

Suddenly, Qin Yu came to a stop. He was like a stone, melded into the walls. He could clearly hear Lei Xiaoyu's constrained breathing.

His intuition told him that this was the limit. If he continued down any further, something truly terrifying would occur.

He looked downwards. Because he had moved down even deeper, he could see the bottom even more clearly.

Qin Yu could not determine whether the giant skeleton buried at the bottom of this abyss was the same bone beast he saw on the night of the blood moon.

His eyes slowly landed on the huge head of the bone beast. Half of it was obstructed by a boulder, revealing one hollow eye socket.

Hou -

Without warning, the beast's roars crashed into his mind. His eyes turned blank for a moment before clarity was instantly restored. He coughed and stabbed his hands into the walls, forcibly stabilizing himself.

Then, without hesitation, Qin Yu's arms tensed and he howled upwards.

He used his hands and feet, racing up the stone walls like a racing horse as he dashed through the darkness.

If someone could clearly see what was happening, they would see a layer of ice extending up the stone walls below Qin Yu…it was silent, like the world's most terrifying hunter, ruthlessly chasing after him.

Whoosh -

He shot into the skies, leaving the range of the abyss. Then he flew into the distance without pausing. Faintly, he thought he could hear the angry and unwilling roars of a beast in his ears.

Lei Xiaoyu opened her eyes. She saw Qin Yu's entire head covered in white frost, almost as if he were an ice sculpture.

She looked at his clean back and herself who hadn't been touched by frost at all. She bit her lips, her expression turning complex.

You were the one who wanted to estrange yourself from me, but you treat me so well. Big Brother Qin, you're such a contradictory person.

Sensing Lei Xiaoyu's eyes on him, Qin Yu paused and placed her on the ground. He shook off the white frost that covered his body and smiled, saying, "It just looks bad. I'm not injured at all."

Lei Xiaoyu bit her lips. "I was the one who involved Big Brother Qin in this."

Qin Yu waved his hand. "Don't say that. There are two of us here. Without you to accompany me, I might not have dared to go down just then."

Though she clearly knew this was a lie, Lei Xiaoyu still smiled. Because she knew that Qin Yu was trying to comfort her.

Qin Yu laughed. "There's still a place we need to go. Don't worry, there's no danger this time. I just want to verify a thought I have."

He grabbed onto Lei Xiaoyu and hurried along. But, he was clearly going much faster than before, as if he were rushing for time.

An hour later, as they stood before a black stone wall, Qin Yu loosened his hand and said, "You can take a look around, but don't go too far."

As he spoke he walked up to the stone wall, looking at the bulges atop of it. Hesitating for a bit, he placed his hand above it.

Lei Xiaoyu quietly stood behind him. She looked at the stone wall before her. While she had no idea what these bulges were, she felt restless being here.

"Ah…Big Brother Qin, come and look…" Lei Xiaoyu suddenly shouted after a while.

Qin Yu looked up, following the direction of her finger. His eyes flashed with a sharp light.

The originally smooth stone wall slowly bulged out, as if a new fruit had been born.

Qin Yu stepped up into the air until he reached this new bulge. Then, he punched without hesitation. The stone wall was harder than he expected. This punch only caused several stones to fall down.

Taking a deep breath, a dark golden light flashed in Qin Yu's eyes. The bulge in front of him immediately became incomparably clear.

Bang -

Qin Yu punched again. This time an enraged roar came from the bulge. A large crack appeared in the stone wall.

With the third punch, the bulge was blasted open. Qin Yu's pupils shrank as he saw what was revealed within.

In the bulge, there was a growing embryo egg. It was thick and covered with black blood vessels that drilled out from the stone walls, submerging into a black-armored warrior within.

Its growth wasn't complete. Only one of its fleshy wings was grown and half of its body wasn't covered in black armor yet.

It was only now that Qin Yu learned that the black armor these warriors wore was not equipment, but something they were born with.

When the stone wall was forcefully destroyed, the black-armored warrior was exposed to the light. As if tossed into a vat of hot cooking oil, it started to scream with pain.

The black armor that grew over its body rapidly rotted away, turning into thick black and red goo that dripped down it.

Qin Yu's complexion changed. As the black armor melted off, the warrior's face was revealed. Unexpectedly, it was one of the cultivator corpses that had been dragged away during the slaughter at the mountain valley.

It was him!

With a roar, the black-armored warrior screamed fanatically. Its violence-filled eyes stubbornly glared at Qin Yu.

A throbbing feeling erupted from the bottom of Qin Yu's heart. He flew away from the stone wall without hesitation.

After losing its obstruction, the broken stone wall squirmed and regrew, quickly returning to its original appearance.

Lei Xiaoyu had long since been shocked speechless. She mumbled, "Big Brother Qin, this is…"

Qin Yu arrived by her side. "I'll explain it to you later. Let's leave."

He grabbed onto Lei Xiaoyu and rushed towards the dead tree.

An hour later, the two people shot into the skies. Space twisted and vanished, revealing the entrance to the tree hole.

Pa -

Qin Yu landed and let loose a long breath. The fierce unease that lingered in his heart finally began to dissipate.

He turned and looked at the puzzled Lei Xiaoyu. Without saying much, he pointed a finger, "Look."

Lei Xiaoyu blinked her eyes. The outside was peaceful, exactly the same as when they returned.

What was she supposed to be looking at?

But before this thought ended, the world outside of the hole fell into sudden darkness.