Refining the Mountains and Rivers

"Hahaha, all you big fellows, I'll accept your crystal nucleuses today!" Cloud Boundless laughed out loud. A nightmare beast king howled in pain before him, terrifying wounds marring its body from a number of powerful punches.

"Die!"

Seven Wounds Clan Elder coldly shouted. Countless sword phantoms instantly appeared in the air, tearing open large wounds on the nightmare beast king he fought.

Everyone else followed the Nightmare Clan powerhouses that arrived in the Nightmare Beast Territory. In just one clash, the nightmare beast kings…were ruthlessly crushed.

The Nightmare Clan had arrived with Cloud Boundless and Seven Wounds as their representatives. Their strength was indeed extremely tyrannical.

In addition, the two top beast kings, the Giant Alligator King and the Golden Eagle King, were not here to participate in the battle. This was a substantial reason for the beast kings being suppressed.

"Damn it! The Nightmare Clan was prepared for this. They intentionally provoked a battle!"

"We aren't prepared, hurry and flee!"

"Summon the power of our race and fight to the death with the Nightmare Clan!"

"Escape first and then regroup! We aren't their match today!"

With a roar, the nightmare beast kings turned tail and fled. Those that were able to rise to their level weren't idiots.

Because if they were truly fools, it would be easy for blood to rush into their heads and muddle their thoughts. And then unless they had heaven-defying good luck, they would have been eliminated by now.

Since the Nightmare Clan had decided to wage war they absolutely wouldn't have any more scruples. Seeing their eyes shining with greed, even the formidable nightmare beast kings were frightened.

These Nightmare Clan bastards had come for their crystal nucleuses. If they didn't escape now they would likely be killed off.

Whoosh –

Whoosh –

The nightmare beast kings fled even faster.

"You want to leave? You're all staying behind!"

"Kill them!"

"Hand over your crystal nucleus and you'll be spared death!"

When the fleeing nightmare beast kings heard this last shout, they almost stumbled onto their faces. If they gave away their crystal nucleus, would they still be alive? To think that they could shout such shameless words!

They turned and glanced at Cloud Boundless' face, keeping his image marked in their mind. If there was a chance in the future this old man would be the first one they killed off. An enemy that didn't care about face at all was far too dangerous!

"How hateful! These nightmare beast kings have none of the bravery that their ancestors once had! The battle has just begun and they've all fled!" Cloud Boundless stomped his feet in anger. Although he had the winning advantage, it wasn't an easy matter to kill a nightmare beast king.

There was enough time to be anxious if he didn't get this right. If this situation blew up, not only would he not be able to catch his prey but they would have stirred up a mess for nothing.

There was a risk in chasing down the nightmare beast kings. Cloud Mist was still here, and if there was an ambush…he at least had to put on a show to the others that he was trying to ensure her safety.

However, in this sudden war against the Nightmare Beast Territory, far too many mighty characters had come. It would be difficult to manipulate things with them all watching. He had to carefully proceed with the plan, otherwise not only would he not be able to fool these people, he would provoke trouble instead.

Cloud Boundless mulled over the situation and then glanced at Thousandhonor Marquis behind him. This fellow…was he really not aware of this? He thought that this person had hidden himself well, but only now did he discover that he had been underestimating him for all this time.

Thousandhonor Marquis…hehe, the people from the Ancient King's Lineage might be feeling nervous right now.

Seven Wounds Clan Elder had an ugly complexion. He glared at Cloud Boundless, wondering what that old schemer was looking at them for. He wasn't nervous, not at all!

But at this time, Thousandhonor Marquis' focus wasn't on them. He didn't care about their inquisitive looks at all.

He looked down, his eyes soon falling on Qi Zhen. Qi Zhen's lips were curled upwards and he was faintly smiling back at him.

Thousandhonor Marquis lightly said, "The throne is vacant and the Patriarchs of the different families have yet to arrive. So in the Nightmare Beast Territory, I am the one with the highest status. Thus, I am temporarily taking command of the war against the Nightmare Beast Territory."

He scanned the surrounding area. When no one objected, he continued to say, "First, I need to figure out the specific reason and process for why the contract was torn apart. I will need some people to cooperate with me…Qi Zhen, come with me."

Qi Zhen cupped his hands together, "Yes, Thousandhonor Marquis."

He stood up, glancing at Qin Yu. The person he waited for had now arrived.

And he didn't conceal this at all.

After all, if he wanted to cooperate with Qin Yu, Thousandhonor Marquis was a key figure he couldn't avoid.

…

…

To the Nightmare Clan, the Nightmare Beast Territory was like their personal vegetable garden. Every now and then they would have to harvest it. Although they could be a little greedy when eating, destroying it was impossible.

So the war against the nightmare beasts had to be waged, but the process was a technical one that had to be carefully planned out. They couldn't slaughter indiscriminately.

Because of this, after seeing the nightmare beast kings, the eyes of Cloud Boundless and the others lit up with greed and excitement for a moment before they managed to suppress it and avoid a killing spree.

Once the distribution of benefits was decided…yes, even though the war hadn't truly started, the result was already determined in the eyes of the Nightmare Clan Elders.

When the benefits were divided, that was when they could begin the harvest…as for Thousandhonor Marquis discussing the situation with Qi Zhen, that was only a formality.

And the reason had been said before. The contract with the Nightmare Beast Territory represented the will of the previous Nightmare Kings. Tearing it apart was a technical job.

Even with Thousandhonor Marquis' status and his special characteristics, he still had to go through the motions.

But in fact, what was happening in Thousandhonor Marquis' tent surpassed everyone's expectations.

Qi Zhen was Qi Zhen. Yet after completely awakening the 'royal bloodline' within his body, he was no longer only himself.

Thousandhonor Marquis bowed and said with a voice full of veneration, "Thousandhonor greets my King!"

Qi Zhen waved his hand, not caring about this at all. He turned and took a seat, "That's enough. Since we don't know who is who, we don't have to play these imaginary games."

Thousandhonor Marquis stood up and faintly smiled, "That may be so, but rituals cannot be ignored. How can I not pay my courtesies when facing my King?"

Qi Zhen curled his lips, "You sure are discreet. You've been wanting to kill me for so many years that you've probably been going crazy thinking about it, and yet you can still laugh and make jokes. I have to say that I really admire your patience."

Thousandhonor Marquis said, "My King must be kidding. I am a Nightmare Clansmen, so how can I have thoughts of murdering you? It must be a misunderstanding."

"Let's stop messing around. If we keep wasting time, we won't get to proper business even by nighttime." Qi Zhen took a cup of tea and leaned back against a comfortable chair. "You want me to die sooner, and I want to die sooner. However the key issue is that it doesn't matter what you want, and it doesn't matter what I want either.

"But now, a chance has appeared in front of us. The premise is that your cooperation is needed for a chance to succeed. So stop talking nonsense, unless you plan on continuing to live in such a vexing way."

Thousandhonor Marquis' smile vanished. After several breaths of silence he bowed and said, "I do not understand my King's meaning."

Qi Zhen coldly sneered and placed the teacup on a table. "Thousandhonor Marquis, you really are boring like this…I'll say it again, if you want to cooperate, then show the proper attitude. Otherwise, just assume that I didn't say anything today. You will continue being your Thousandhonor Marquis and I will continue being my Nightmare King."

Thousandhonor Marquis stood up, his eyes dark and cloudy. Although his aura hadn't changed, he felt like a completely different person.

Ancient and mysterious, he was like an existence that had been in this world for countless years and would continue to exist, without any end in sight.

"Shadow, how can I trust your words?"

Qi Zhen laughed and pointed a finger, "I knew that you were hidden deeply and couldn't hold it back anymore…it seems you understand my origin. Then, let's have an open and honest conversation and not hide anything anymore."

He flicked his sleeves. The space within the tent twisted slightly. Changes appeared in the abyssal rules there.

"Thousandhonor Marquis, if you choose to join hands with me, then there really is a chance you and I can obtain freedom this time!"

Thousandhonor Marquis was expressionless. "I must know what sort of chance you are speaking of…otherwise it is impossible for me to cooperate with you."

After a pause, his lips curled up into a cold stare, "After all, my identity is not the same as yours. I don't want to die yet."

Qi Zhen revealed an excited expression, "Of course, we are old acquaintances. After so many years, I've never deceived you, right? And if I didn't have some assurance, I wouldn't have asked this…although I don't fear death, if I am accidentally discovered there is a chance I will be forced to fall into a deep slumber…the taste of that, you've also tried it…"

Thousandhonor Marquis' lips twitched. As if he remembered some unpleasant memories, a gloomy expression appeared on his face.

"Tell me, what did you discover? Could there have been some changes in the ancestral land?"

Qi Zhen tapped his fingers against the tabletop. "The ancestral land remains the same as before. It won't give you or I a chance to do anything…in truth, the opportunity I speak of is a person."

Thousandhonor Marquis' complexion changed. His eyes clouded over, as if he was suspecting Qi Zhen was bored and purposefully playing games with him.

A person?

In the abyss, who had the qualifications to interfere with the survival of the Nightmare Ancestral Land? It was simply impossible!

"You don't believe me? In truth, at the beginning I felt even more disbelief than you, but the truth was laid bare in front of me." Qi Zhen slapped his chest, "You know what we are. And you should also know how we were born.

"But now, I am responsibly telling you that an anomaly has appeared. He isn't like us, but he shares our similar characteristics…or to be more accurate, he can substitute for us to become the new Nightmare King!"

Thousandhonor Marquis' eyes widened. "Impossible!"

His tone was firm and decisive. His eyes fixed onto Qi Zhen, capturing any slight change in emotion.

"I can guess what you're feeling right now, but I am telling you this is real." Qi Zhen lifted a finger and pointed at the void. With a light 'pa' sound, the aura fluctuations in the tent instantly turned disorderly.

This was complete disorder, with only chaos. Everything was covered up.

"He is here. If you agree to cooperate with me, I will bring him in so you can personally confirm whether or not I speak the truth."

Thousandhonor Marquis clenched his teeth and roared, "So what if such a person exists? Through countless years, any variable is possible…"

Qi Zhen sneered, "Why deceive yourself? You and I both know that the appearance of any variable is necessary. Although I don't know why he appeared, there must be some existence behind him. If you and I move now, we would be collaborating with that unknown existence…as for what the result would be, I cannot guarantee. But without a doubt, for the time that you and I have lived so far, and for the endless years in the future, this will be the only chance for us to succeed.

"If you still don't dare to make a move in this sort of situation…you are doomed to forever remain a puppet that wallows in his own sorrow. You will never have your own will."

Thousandhonor Marquis fell silent. After a long time he looked up, "Bring this person over. Only after determining his status will there be a chance for further discussion. Otherwise anything else you say is meaningless."

In the end, he still wasn't able to give a clear statement.

But from the moment he spoke these words, it indicated his manner.

Qi Zhen smiled, "Believe me, you won't regret the choice you have made today."

He stood up. The chaotic aura within the tent instantly calmed down, as if everything that happened was merely an illusion.

He stepped out and directly vanished from sight.

Thousandhonor Marquis slowly let out a breath, a look of struggle in his eyes. But soon, he composed himself.

It wasn't that he could suppress his thoughts and stopped thinking about this, but that he didn't dare to continue.

Without 'Shadow' here, any extraneous thoughts might be perceived and bring about his own destruction!