Refining the Mountains and Rivers

The day after Qin Yu and Lei Xiaoyu left the imperial capital, a case of theft occurred at the Hall Beyond the Hall. From the start, it grew larger and larger until even peak God boundary existences were entangled in it.

Before guards from the imperial capital arrived to subdue the commotion, several people died. A third of the exquisite and luxurious Hall Beyond the Hall was flattened in the violent chaos.

Something so disastrous hadn't occurred for years. The lively and excited imperial capital citizens surrounded the Hall Beyond the Hall, waiting for those outsiders to pay the price for their reckless behavior!

The emperor personally commanded the imperial capital. Who dared to be so dissolute?

And facts proved that the troublemakers subdued by the city guards were indeed outsiders. Facing the mighty strength of the capital guards, they actually chose to resist. This caused the imperial capital citizens to widen their eyes with shock. Then, they scolded these outsiders for being idiots, simultaneously sentencing them to death.

Anyone who dared to fight with the capital guards, no matter what background or status they had, must die…this was one of the immoveable iron laws of the Great Chu Empire that had existed for countless years.

Because the imperial capital's guards represented the dignity of Great Chu. They could not be provoked.

For a time, heads rolled. So what if some were peak God boundary experts? The city guards were vassals of the royal family and were said to have gathered a tenth of all masters in the world. This was not an unearned reputation.

The royal family used cruel and callous methods to reveal their own great power once again. Things should have ended like this, becoming a topic that people spoke of during mealtimes, and then being slowly forgotten.

But as people died, news started to spread from an unknown source - the corpse of an Origin God had been discovered in the Severed Heaven Abyss. Their origin had still not dispersed. Meaning, if anyone could obtain it, they could leap into the skies with a single bound and directly enter the Origin God boundary!

In the eyes of those who possessed even a little bit of critical thinking, this news didn't seem trustworthy at all. But, what happened next caused their eyes to shine with burning heat.

The root cause for the theft at the Hall Beyond the Hall and the slaughter that followed was all because of the Origin God source. Someone had found the corpse of the Origin God in the Severed Heaven Abyss!

Even if the person had been killed, clues and traces were still left behind. Soon, it was determined that there was at least a 70% chance of there being truth behind the news of this Origin God source.

This was more than enough!

It had to be known that even incomparably arrogant and confident people like Xiao Qi who had opened eight paths to the God boundary didn't dare to say they had an absolute assurance in breaking through to the Origin God boundary.

But if he harvested the source of an Origin God, then along with his foundation, his chances would rise to at least 90%!

And in the vast world, there were countless cultivators who wildly yearned for the Origin God boundary.

With the imperial capital as the center, a blazing heat spread out at a rapid rate, soon covering the entire Great Chu Empire.

Cultivators all around the world began to flow in like a tide. Those that were able to break into the God boundary were all outstanding individuals.

And in the God boundary, those that had the power and ambition to reach the peak and step near the realm of an Origin God were even rarer.

They were not resigned to dying at their current boundary, stranded forever. Even if there was only a faint trace of hope, they would hold onto it without hesitation.

For this hope, who cared if it was the Severed Heaven Abyss!

…

Li Hongyi's eyes shined with sword intent. "Origin God source."

She silently stepped forward. The space in front of her burst apart and she stepped inside.

Moments later, Tang Yi's complexion changed. When there was no response to his call, he broke through the door.

He swept his eyes around. When he saw the empty training room, his face darkened.

As he thought, that girl had already heard the news.

Tang Yi drew in a deep breath. Without daring to delay, he turned and ran out.

He wasn't sure what was happening in the Severed Heaven Abyss, but he knew it was incomparably dangerous.

Tang Yi could not allow Li Hongyi to suffer an accident. Her future was bright and radiant. Not only was she the future of Myriad Sword Mountain, but she was also his greatest pride in life.

He quickly sent a message to the sect saying that they needed to negotiate with the royal family. Once Tang Yi stepped outside he soared into the air. Then, with the hum of a sword, he vanished.

…

"My lord, we have found a letter from the young miss. She has gone to the Severed Heaven Abyss." A Light Guard bowed.

Silent Light thought for a moment. Then, he stood up and walked out.

In this world, all he had left was his daughter. He could not allow her to take such a risk.

So, Silent Light was willing to pay a price and bargain with the imperial palace.

…

The Ding Family Old Ancestor was furious. Everyone shivered beneath his rage.

Ding Hao had left without a word, secretly fleeing the imperial capital. While he didn't tell anyone where he went, everyone already knew.

The Taoist calmly said, "For there to be a junior with such willpower and boldness, that is the good fortune of the Ding Family."

The Ding Family Old Ancestor shook his head. "If it was the past, I would have been gratified. But you should understand what the Severed Heaven Abyss opening this time means."

After several breaths of silence, he stood up.

The Taoist furrowed his eyebrows. "Old Ding?"

The Ding Family Old Ancestor waved his hand. "As you say, Ding Hao is the junior most favored by me. I cannot let him die like this."

"You haven't gone to the imperial palace for many years. Allow me to go in your place."

The Ding Family Old Ancestor said, "This time, you are not enough."

…

No one knew, including the royal family, what sort of game was being played amongst the several peak powers of the Great Chu Empire.

This included news of the Severed Heaven Abyss and its smooth spread.

But cultivators who were sensitive to the situation could vaguely feel an icy undercurrent beneath the scorching hot atmosphere in the imperial capital.

Not long after, news came from the grapevine concerning the imperial palace. In Imperial Zenith Hall, the First Emperor was enraged. He executed 3000 palace members in a single day. Even His Majesty the current Great Chu Emperor personally knelt outside the hall.

No one knew the truth behind the situation, but it was clear that waves were occurring within the peak influences of the empire.

…

Before all the disturbances occurred, Qin Yu and Lei Xiaoyu calmly and quietly left the imperial capital. As the 'loser', this was an additional advantage.

Otherwise, if he had his previous reputation, once news of the Origin God source spread out he would surely attract attention from all sides. How could he have his currently quiet and peaceful time?

The carriage was ordinary and the horses that pulled it were normal. Although one was a little old and the other was a little lame, they pulled the carriage at a steady pace.

Qin Yu lied back on a soft bed. Lei Xiaoyu was across from him, with a chess board separating them.

She moved a piece. After Qin Yu furrowed his eyebrows for a long time, he threw aside the chess piece in his hands.

"I'm tired. Let's rest a little."

Lei Xiaoyu quirked her lips. "Big Brother Qin, you're doing it again. I was about to win."

Qin Yu comfortably leaned back. "Since I haven't lost, that means you haven't won."

He picked up a teacup and slowly took a sip. The fragrance flooded his senses.

He slightly narrowed his eyes, a satisfied expression on his face. His eyes gazed through the carriage windows to see the scenery on both sides.

Without a word, he was relaxed and at ease.

Within his soul, a trillion Great Daos were reflected like stars in the skies. Qin Yu was subconsciously influenced by them.

Lei Xiaoyu looked at him and bit her lips. Qin Yu seemed normal and his aura was even more peaceful than before.

But Lei Xiaoyu saw all the changes occurring to him. The Big Brother Qin she knew before had worked hard and never forgot to cultivate. But now, he was being 'sloppy'. Had the name of holy forsaken caused him to lose his confidence?

And most importantly, the 'disaster' that Qin Yu suffered was all because of her.

If he hadn't accompanied her to the imperial capital, none of this would have happened to him.

"Big Brother Qin…"

"Mm?" Qin Yu lazily replied. At the start, he didn't notice the unusual change in Lei Xiaoyu's mood.

After waiting a moment and hearing no response, he opened an eye to see her face covered in tears.

He quickly sat up. "Everything was fine just now. What happened?"

Lei Xiaoyu sobbed louder. "Big Brother Qin, it's all my fault. If you're unhappy then let it all out. Holding it in like this will only make it worse."

Qin Yu bitterly smiled and wiped a tear from her face. "Really, what is going on in that head of yours? I've already told you that my current condition is great. Why don't you believe me?"

Lei Xiaoyu had an expression indicating that the more he tried to comfort her, the worse she would feel. Qin Yu rubbed his forehead and said, "Fine, fine, if you don't trust me, then look for yourself."

He glanced around and the sun and moon force field quietly spread out, isolating the carriage from the outside. Qin Yu lifted his hand and launched his fingers outwards. Starlight flew out, turning into radiant stars in the sky.

They twinkled without end.

Qin Yu smiled. This was his own brand mark from the jade embryo egg fragment that contained a trillion Great Daos.

Of course, this was only a superficial image. What he truly understood was not even a millionth of it.

But this didn't affect the infinitely mysterious aura coming from the starry skies of his palm - because to a certain degree, this could be regarded as a reflection of the vast world.

With Lei Xiaoyu's strength, she should be able to feel this. So, she should understand that he was completely fine and even better than before.

But soon, Qin Yu discovered he was mistaken. Lei Xiaoyu's eyes widened for a moment and then more tears started to flow out.

She threw herself over, hugging onto Qin Yu. Her voice was full of sorrow and guilt, "Big Brother Qin, it was all my fault! You should have had a dazzling future and stepped onto the peak of the world, but because of me you have fallen so low…Big Brother Qin, I'm so sad!"

Qin Yu: …

He really had no idea how to further explain things. Could it be that he had to have Ban Bu and Snowside stop the carriage so he could display his powers?

But if he really did that, he feared Lei Xiaoyu would think of even more random things. As he thought, when it came to certain matters, it was impossible to understand the thinking of a woman!

"Xiaoyu, I'm really alright. You have to believe me…"

Lei Xiaoyu stood up and wiped away her tears. "I trust you Big Brother Qin. You'll be fine. You will definitely be fine!"

Qin Yu decided to no longer dwell on this matter. In any case, she would understand sooner or later.

He looked outside the carriage and coldly snorted, "Stop dawdling. Hurry up!"

Snowside had been suppressing a laugh as she watched this. Her lips twitched and she pulled the reins. "Hurry up, someone is about to get angry."

The lame horse snorted before hurrying along. The old horse that was trying to be more intimate with it snorted out loud and glanced back.

Snowside curled her lips. "What are you staring at? I didn't use the whip again. If you want to curry favor then it's best to show some strength."

The old horse thought for a moment and believed that this was the truth. He turned his head and started to sprint forward like an eager child. He decided to show off his strength in front of the lame horse.

As if wanting to tell the lame horse that even though he might look old…and yes, he was old…but his physical fitness was excellent!

So, the carriage raced forward. When the sun rose they had left the imperial capital, and when the sun set the world was white and snowy. The giant crack in the earth was already in sight.

After crossing a million miles in a day…the Severed Heaven Abyss was before them!