Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yu remained silent. At this moment, countless images suddenly appeared in his mind. They were of a woman who smiled smugly and laughed arrogantly. Her appearance was blurry to him, a woman who had snapped her fingers at him many times.

No wonder Feature placed the demon medicines she refined in special jars and inscribed her name of Abyss' Number One Demonic Refining Master on them.

It was because she was worried she would be forgotten, and wanted to use this method to leave behind traces of herself in the abyss.

In the last ten days, Feature should have known the final result that would welcome her. It was no wonder she acted the way she did.

Qin Yu recalled the early morning of the last day. Feature looked at the small and weak insects in the puddles beneath the waterfall…at that time, her heart must have been filled with panic and fear.

He clenched his fists beneath his sleeve and closed his eyes. The image of Feature in his mind became even clearer.

The day Feature vanished, Qin Yu knew she was the shadow of some formidable existence. But he had no idea what the disappearance of a shadow meant.

And today, he finally understood.

He owed her so many favors and was originally thinking of a way to repay her in the future…but now it seemed he wouldn't have this chance again.

Maybe in the future, Qin Yu would meet a woman who looked exactly like Feature, and there was a high chance she would know who Qin Yu was as well.

But she wouldn't be Feature…

Because this name, along with the woman who slowly turned transparent in his arms, had forever faded away.

"Are you truly dying? You know what I am speaking about, so please be serious with me."

"Of course…it's not true! Brat…we will meet again…

"I'm sleepy. I'm resting for a moment."

Qin Yu turned around, the corners of his eyes shimmering. He took a deep breath, unable to hold back the emotions surging in his chest.

To be honest, when it came to Feature his emotions were complex. On one hand, he felt some dread due to her mysterious origins. On another hand, he had received her graciousness and thus held a deep gratitude towards her.

They hadn't interacted much and had hastily said their goodbyes after getting along for a period of time. At most they could be regarded as friends.

But now, Feature used her death to leave behind a wound on Qin Yu's heart.

So when she said she was tired and wanted to sleep, she was saying her final farewell to him.

To Qin Yu, Feature was only a hasty traveler in his life. She crossed the skies like a meteor, vanishing in an instant.

But to Feature, Qin Yu was the person who existed through her entire life, who had borne witness to everything she had done in her short existence.

This was why she was casual in front of Qin Yu and even allowed him to take some advantages so she could laugh at his embarrassed appearance.

Perhaps subconsciously, she was hoping that Qin Yu would have an even deeper impression of her, right?

Feature had drilled her way into Qin Yu's arms in the cave. In his arms, she had fallen asleep. In his arms, she had vanished.

Because to Feature, Qin Yu was the closest, most intimate, and most trustworthy person in her short life.

Perhaps when she was in Qin Yu's arms, she was able to feel less fear when she greeted the arrival of death.

Old Turtle had no idea if he said something wrong, but Qin Yu's mood was clearly off. He smartly didn't say anything and lowered his head, rolling himself into a ball. He wished he could slap himself. If there was nothing, why did he have to talk randomly?

"This isn't related to you…" Qin Yu's voice was hoarse. He paused and continued to say, "Moreover, I should thank you. I should thank you because you let me know that I lost a very good friend."

Shua –

Qin Yu's figure vanished from the world of his mind. In the real world, he opened his eyes. When he wiped his face, his fingers felt something wet and cool.

So he really had been crying.

It had been a long, long time since this had last happened to Qin Yu…Feature, you really are a walking disaster…

Qin Yu took a deep breath. He revolved a bit of demonic energy, drying the tears on his face. He soon composed himself.

After a long silence, his lips curved up in a bitter smile. He thought that today really was a sad day. He had received two pieces of bad news.

Ning Ling could not be freed…Feature had died…

But this was destiny. You never knew what you would find next. Was it a fragrant and sweet candy, or something bitter? But regardless of what it was, life marched on and you had to accept and get used to it.

But destiny could be changed. And to change destiny, a formidable strength was required.

While Qin Yu had become the new Nightmare King and had stepped onto the peak of the abyss, he was still far away from being able to grab destiny by the throat.

He looked down. Then he looked up.

Qin Yu's expression returned to normal. He calmly looked out the window at the nighttime sky that was different from the bright and living world. His thoughts became increasingly clear.

He really should return.

…

The new Nightmare King was born. Because of this, numerous undercurrents that gathered were rapidly extinguished and all returned to serenity. With a King protecting the Nightmare Clan, they had returned to their peak strength. Unless someone was impatient to die, they wouldn't willingly provoke them.

According to the traditions of the Nightmare Clan, when a new King was born, a coronation ceremony had to be conducted on a grand scale and guests from all over would be invited to attend. They would take this chance to inform everyone of this, and various agreements from the previous King's era would be changed and confirmed.

Qin Yu had no reason to refuse this, so he nodded and agreed. But he didn't plan to waste time. He formally summoned all high level decision-making figures of the Nightmare Clan. After carrying out a series of arrangements, he announced to the outside world that he was going into seclusion.

He entered the abyss because of Feature. Although she never said it, Qin Yu knew this was the truth. But Feature wasn't here any longer. If he wished to return to the vast living world, he had to rely on himself.

This certainly wasn't simple. But the good news was that Qin Yu was the new Nightmare King and could easily obtain any information he wanted. He could search any ancient texts he desired.

And more importantly, with the little blue lamp's help, Qin Yu was able to subdue Old Turtle that feared death. As a shadow of the abyss, he knew many matters.

Of course, although Qin Yu had made up his mind to leave the abyss, there were many matters to process before then.

For instance, once he left, who would handle the Nightmare Throne? He said before that he would return the throne to the Old King's Lineage, but after learning of his true status, there was no way they would ask for this again.

The abyss and the vast bright world were hostile existences after all, even if there were some other facts behind it all…if it weren't for Feature, Qin Yu would never have given birth to such a mood. As a being of the vast bright world, all life forms of the abyss should be destroyed!

In short, keeping control of the Nightmare Throne to himself was the best choice. At worst, he had helped the vast bright world place a high-level chess piece in the abyss world.

…

My name is Black Astral, I come from the Three-headed Hellhound Clan and belong to an abyssal royal family. From the day I was born, I had a splendid bloodline.

When I was young, others envied me and complimented me. I also once thought that I would definitely become a great figure of the abyss that dominated his own domain.

Indeed, the first half of my life went as smoothly as my imagination. I broke through to the Demon Commander realm and my entire family cheered in happiness.

A bright future slowly opened up for me. I even fantasized that I would one day break through the limits of my bloodline and become an Abyssal True King.

But accidents came suddenly and without warning. I suffered a heavy injury. Although I was barely able to preserve my boundary, my bloodline withered, severing my road of cultivation.

My status suffered a disastrous decline. Because of the rampant arrogance in the first half of my life, me and my family suffered. It was true that some people were taking advantage while we were down, but for most of it I only had myself to blame.

I am willing to acknowledge this.

Finally, I left the royal bloodline and entered Great Deer City, becoming the master of the Merry Forest. I did this as punishment to myself in exchange for my family's peace and safety.

This truly was a period of wasted years. I lived every day in pain and agony. Perhaps the reason why I named that place the 'Merry Forest' was because that was what I longed for most in my heart.

But naming something was simple. Truly being merry was difficult. Until that day when I met Miss Feature and the young master. That was the day my destiny began to turn once again.

Then, I had today…miss hadn't been wrong. The young master carried a great destiny to complete a great undertaking in the abyss.

Otherwise, how could anyone explain him abruptly becoming the new King of the Nightmare Clan?

Okay. To be honest, I did have some suspicions about Miss Feature's words.

But miss was sufficiently formidable and she had given me enough benefits, so I chose to believe her by default. But now I truly believe her. If anyone dares to suspect the young master, I will be the first to break their head!

The young master was a man chosen by the heavens. Becoming the new Nightmare King was just the opening move in the war of him unifying the abyss…and he would achieve other incredible achievements because of his great cause.

I, Black Astral, vow to fight to the death for the young master. I will overcome any difficulty for him…no matter the cost!

…

His trance-like train of thought was suddenly interrupted. An armored guard suddenly knelt down and respectfully said, "Master Black Astral, the ceremony is about to begin!"

Black Astral's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He slowly stood up straight. Right now he wore the heavy armor of the Nightmare Clan. The complex patterns were not just beautiful to look at, but also represented terrifying defensive power.

His current status was the Commander of the Throne Guards. He was in charge of one of the most potent combat forces of the Nightmare Clan. His status…was approximately similar to Thousandhonor Marquis.

He was a person below one and above 10,000!

Armor plates collided with each other, releasing a loud crashing sound. Black Astral lifted a hand and gestured ahead, "Forward!"

With loud shouts, the Throne Guard poured out like a tide. They divided into two black lines that extended all the way outside the palace.

The grand coronation ceremony of the new Nightmare King was about to officially begin!

Rustle rustle –

With Black Astral at the head, innumerable Throne Guards knelt down. They spoke in unison, their voices like thunder, "We welcome our King to ascend the throne!"

Deafening roars, filled with endless majesty and solemnity, burst out and rushed into the skies.

The palace gates opened. Qin Yu stepped out, dressed in voluminous black royal robes. He slightly narrowed his eyes and looked into the heavens, a smile touching his lips.

Then, he looked down at the respectfully kneeling Black Astral. He smiled and said, "My most trusted Commander, come with me!"

He strode forward.

Black Astral looked up. When he saw the back before him, there was a hint of hesitation in his eyes. The young master was indeed the young master. There was no mistaking the aura connection between the two.

He didn't know why, but it gave him a strange feeling and a bit of alienation. Perhaps this was because the young master was now the new Nightmare King…

Shaking his head, Black Astral suppressed these thoughts. He stood up and followed behind.

The coronation ceremony proceeded smoothly. Surrounded by countless abyssal demons, Qin Yu accepted their homage and congratulations, his performance flawless in all aspects.

But at this moment, no one knew that while this present Nightmare King was Qin Yu, it wasn't the true Qin Yu.