Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Strictly speaking, Qin Yu had underestimated the determination of Li Hongyi and the others. They saw the blood field and also sensed the dangers hidden within it, yet after a brief pause, they still chose to enter.

After paying the price with the death of two monks, they came to realize how incredibly stupid it was to fly over the blood field.

After rushing into the red snow, passing through the layers of ice, they used up a great deal of energy and escaped the terrifying creatures up above.

At this time, even the formidable Li Hongyi started to feel grief. The others were all injured.

A flame silently burned above their heads. It released heat but didn't melt the snow, only forming an invisible repulsion that shoved away the red snow to form an empty space and also isolated their auras.

The corpses of two cultivators were placed in front of them. Zhuo Han looked away and slowly said, "We must process the corpses of these two fellow daoists. Otherwise, once the smell of blood is revealed, it will bring about a great deal of trouble."

He took a breath and said, "I need another fellow daoist to exit with me and bury them." He swept his eyes around. "I know that doing this is troublesome, but we have no idea which one of us will keep on living. If it was you or I that died, I would hope that I can be buried peacefully and not casually abandoned."

After a brief silence, a cultivator lifted a hand. "Brother Zhuo is correct. I am willing to go with you."

Lu Hongyi opened her eyes and glanced at Zhuo Han. "Be careful."

"Miss, please rest assured." Zhuo Han cupped his hands together. From the flame above their hands, he reached up and took out a palm-sized piece. Then, he lifted a corpse on his back and headed outside.

The other cultivator picked another piece of the flame and lifted the second corpse, silently following behind.

The two people walked slowly, not making a single sound. Soon, they vanished from sight. Luckily, as they travelled, they didn't encounter any dangers.

After determining that they were far away enough from the camp, Zhuo Han stopped. He turned and looked at the silent cultivator behind him. "Let's choose this area." He knelt down and put the corpse on the ground. As he took a breath, his eyes turned red.

Terrifying blood runes began to appear on the edges of Zhuo Han's eyes, crawling down his face and the nape of his neck. Then, traces of black energy were released from his pores.

A guttural, beast-like roar came from deep within his throat. Zhuo Han abruptly got on all fours and took a bite from the corpse's neck.

At almost the same time, there was the sound of tearing flesh and blood from behind him, followed by loud chewing and swallowing. It sounded like a starving beast in the winter finally catching a prey and being able to eat its fill.

When all sounds disappeared, the two corpses had vanished. Besides ripped pieces of clothing, there was only the even darker red snow, silently speaking to what had happened here.

Zhuo Han opened his eyes and let out a satisfied groan. He felt as if he had come back to life again.

He stretched out a tongue and wiped the blood from his lips. He looked down at his blood-soaked clothes. With a thought, all of this blood quickly disappeared, fusing into his body through his skin.

"That's enough. We've been out for too long. If we don't return now, they might begin to suspect us."

The cultivator behind him sighed, "A dead corpse is much worse than a living cultivator. In my current condition, I can barely suppress the seething blood energy within me."

Zhuo Han nodded, "That's right. We need to find a way to eat a living person."

His complexion suddenly changed and he shouted, "Be careful!"

The cultivator behind him turned around to avoid. But, then he froze in place, anger and shock in his eyes.

Zhuo Han stepped away, a flame in each of his hands.

"Give me back the fire!"

The cultivator screamed and wildly chased after him.

Zhuo Han didn't stop. He rapidly withdrew backwards.

The pursuing cultivator grew slower and slower, white frost covering his body at a speed visible to the naked eye, freezing him.

His eyes were wide open, full of hatred and despair.

Zhuo Han lifted a hand and tapped the man's forehead. "My problem is much more serious than yours, so a corpse simply cannot satisfy me. So, I really do apologize, but only by eating you will I be able to survive."

Pa -

The frozen cultivator's chest was pierced through and his heart shattered. He fell backwards, landing on the ground. Zhuo Han pounced on him, his mouth gulping and gobbling. His aura began to rise at a noticeable pace.

In this world, only one type of existence could swallow other cultivators to increase their own cultivation - they were the Great Dao Seizers!

He had unexpectedly degenerated to such a state.

After drinking the warm heart-blood, Zhuo Han began to eat meat. He chewed happily and with joy, blood splashing from his lips and teeth. Suddenly, Zhuo Hand stiffened and his gnawing mouth stopped in place.

The red snow in front of him was pushed out from within. A figure walked out, her eyes taking in the scene.

Silent Kite's eyes widened. Then, without hesitation, she stormed away.

If she was in her prime, she was strong enough to kill Zhuo Han. But after entering the blood field, no matter how many methods she had, the cold chill still pierced through her defenses, causing her strength to drastically fall.

"Stop there!" Zhuo Han roared. He tossed away the corpse in his hands and chased after her.

His body shivered. All the satisfaction and enjoyment in his eyes had turned to unease and fear.

No one wanted to turn into a devil, and he didn't want to either. But, Zhuo Han's original talent could only be considered ordinary at best. He wasn't resigned to being mediocre for the rest of his life, becoming a common, unnoticeable foil to those truly talented geniuses.

So after being tempted, he didn't hesitate to degenerate.

The first person Zhou Han ate with his big brother. They had been a close relative who called him brother, but regarded him as a slave.

He would never forget the first time he ate the flesh and blood of another person. His soul had trembled, making him wallow in the feeling.

From that moment on, he leapt up and became a new generation of genius within the Zhuo Family. He enjoyed the most beautiful scenery he had ever experienced.

This was the first time Zhuo Han had ever been discovered by others. He stubbornly chased after Silent Kite. The fear and horror in his eyes gradually transformed into a cruel killing intent.

No matter what, Silent Kite had to die. His status as a Great Dao Seizer could not be exposed.

Of course, a reason why Zhuo Han dared to have such intensely murderous thoughts was because he discovered that Zhuo Han had been injured by the cold chill. Right now, she was in a state of unprecedented weakness….this was a chance that the heavens had granted him to correct his mistake.

"You cannot escape. I will catch you and slowly eat you! You will become a part of my body, and I will become more powerful than before!"

"Hahaha, Silent Kite, this is your fate!"

Zhuo Han fiercely bellowed. More and more black energy emitted from his body. It wrapped around him until only a pair of red, animal-like eyes were revealed.

He fell to the ground, running on all fours, his speed growing faster and faster.

An anxious look entered Silent Kite's eyes. After she stumbled into Zhuo Han and discovered his identity as a Great Dao Seizer, there was no more hope for reconciliation between the two. Once he caught up to her, all that remained was a dead end.

She clenched her teeth and pressed a finger between her eyebrows. Light released from all around her body. As she bathed in it, her speed increased.

At the same time, black and blue spots appeared on the surface of Silent Kite's skin. This was the power of cold invading her body. After it was no longer suppressed, it began to wreak havoc through her body. But even though she did this, she couldn't cast him off. Rather, Zhuo Han started to close the distance between them even faster than before.

Silent Kite had personally witnessed before what happened to a person who fell into the hands of a fallen Great Dao Seizer. She could never accept such a result. If she couldn't escape, then she would risk her life and fight!

Shua -

Silent Kite suddenly stopped and spun around. She lifted a hand and thrust out a palm.

"Great Sun!"

Bang -

A blazing light erupted and the temperature in the air dramatically rose. Even the icy red snow wasn't able to withstand the heat and began to melt.

Silent Kite went all-out in this attack, exhausting her final strength.

"Ahhh!" Zhuo Han roared in pain. The black energy that wrapped around his body seemed to have encountered its natural enemy. As the light shined on it, most of it dispersed into nothingness.

His half-exposed face rapidly turned red and swollen like a vicious ghost.

The Light Guard's cultivation method inherently restrained all dark and evil forces in the world. And, a Great Dao Seizer was themselves the most evil and corrupt existence of all.

As the cold energy within her body completely erupted, a layer of ice began to appear on Silent Kite's body. She looked at Zhuo Han who was fiercely rushing at her, and her lips curved up in a mocking taunt.

Even if she died, she would not allow herself to fall into his hands.

Hou -

A roar echoed in the air. The red snow all around began to rise and fall like a stormy sea.

Zhuo Han stopped. Although his blood thirst continued to wear away at his mind, he knew that he couldn't continue going forward. Otherwise, once the terrifying creature hidden deep within the snowfield locked onto him, there was no way he would be able to escape by himself.

"Ahhh!" He howled in rage and anger before turning and fleeing. As black energy continued to swirl around him, he rapidly vanished from sight.

Silent Kite relaxed. She really was worried that Zhou Han would be overcome with his desire to eat and swallow, and he would risk his life to reach her.

Even if she was only bitten once, that was an incomparably disgusting matter to her.

Although both paths led to dying, not dying to a degenerated human was already lucky.

She closed her eyes. Within her mind, all sorts of thoughts flickered by. She thought back to her father at the imperial capital. After she died, he would be left alone in this world. Would he be lonely? Perhaps she should have listened to her father's words and not come here. But, there was no medicine to eat for regret.

The red snow tumbled more and more. Silent Kite could hear loud and cruel breathing in her ears. Death should be coming for her soon.

Her final thought was of Qin Yu. According to his speed, he should have entered the snowfield already.

But what a pity, she had never been able to meet him. She still owed him an apology and a thanks.

If there was no fate for them in this life, she could only look forward to the next…if there was a chance…

Silent Kite's field of vision darkened. She saw the fierce head rise up from the tumbling red snow and its drooling teeth and lips.

This fellow's mouth was very large and its teeth were also very sharp. If it ate her, she shouldn't feel any pain and she shouldn't smell its breath either, right?

Silent Kite closed her eyes. So, she didn't see that just as the fierce mouth was about to close down on her and swallow her, a shadow tore out from the raging red sea of snow, grabbing her against his chest and avoiding the sharp teeth by the mere breadth of a hair.

Kacha -

The teeth snapped shut and broke. As roars of pain and hatred filled the air, the shadow rushed into the roiling red snow and vanished from sight.