Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Three days later, demon wolves roared and howled, surrounding their chosen prey in a frenzy.

"Ahh! Save us! Save us!" A group of demons looked into the distance. When they saw a carriage slowly coming towards them, their faces lit up with joy.

Sparing no expense, they tore a gap through the encirclement of demon wolves and rushed towards the carriage.

The driver King Mystery looked up. With muffled popping sounds, heads shot up into the skies. The headless corpses continued to charge forward as blood sprayed onto the ground.

The sounds of frightened howls filled the air. A giant white wolf glanced at the carriage from a distance and then turned and fled without hesitation.

In an instant, the wolf pack vanished without a trace.

The carriage continued forward. The merchant caravan people following behind all paled. Because when they saw the heads of those that had died…they discovered they came from the merchant group that had left earlier.

They didn't stop; they didn't even move to take the things from the corpses…this was because those were all the spoils of battle belonging to the troop in front.

It wasn't that they didn't want it…it was that they didn't have the qualifications to take it.

…

The cold wind was biting, carrying with it the fishy smell of sea water as it filled the senses. King Mystery, who was driving the carriage, looked into the distance. As he looked upon the endless darkness, a strange color appeared in his eyes. He immediately calmed down before getting up and leaping off the carriage.

Cracking sounds rang out. The layer of ice that formed over his clothes shattered and fell to the ground.

"We've arrived." King Mystery said in a calm tone. Several breaths of time later the carriage door opened. Qin Yu smiled and nodded, "I've troubled you."

His complexion was still pale but his eyes were incomparably bright. When one looked directly at his eyes, there was even a faint burning hot feeling.

King Mystery was expressionless. He looked at Qin Yu and said, "We've crossed the endless abyss and arrived at the bank of the Cold Sea. Is it time for you to tell me what your goal is?"

Qin Yu stepped down from the carriage. He glanced at Mian Ya. When he saw her pale and shivering appearance, he waved his hand, signaling for her to go back. Then he said, "My apologies, there are some things that I haven't fully determined yet, so I really have no idea how to say it."

This was certainly a lie.

King Mystery furrowed his eyebrows, not saying much more. Since Qin Yu didn't want to talk about it, there was nothing he could do.

Old Fox got off his horse and came over. He respectfully bowed, "Young master, shall we go in?"

Qin Yu looked up. When he saw the great sea that was as dark as night, he smiled and nodded. "Of course. The reason we traveled so far is for this."

He took a step towards the seashore. This might be called the deepest seaside city in the abyss.

The materials used to build the entire city were black stones with a rough surface. They were weathered and showed traces of erosion. Looking from afar, it was almost impossible to distinguish them from the Cold Sea.

The city was built amid the freezing winds. It was silent like a giant beast. But even though it was quiet, it could open its bloody jaws at any time and swallow up its prey.

Fierce, violent, bloody…these were probably the first labels that one thought of when they saw this city.

There were people in the city. This wasn't just small talk, but to remind everyone that those who were capable of surviving in this city were all absolutely ruthless characters.

To them, scars were like hairs on their body. Each one of these people glared at others as if they had knives in their eyes.

Compared to them, Qin Yu was wearing a clean and luxurious black robe, walking among the black ice with a calm demeanor, and was followed by an extremely beautiful maid whose skin was pure and white. He was simply out of place.

Mian Ya had obediently returned to the carriage, wrapped herself up in thick clothes, and came back. Although she was covered in layers upon layers of clothing, her small face and limpid eyes were enough to attract attention.

Almost all demon men in front of her looked at her and stuck out their tongues, licking their lips. Their eyes were full of eagerness and greed.

There were a few exceptions…when their eyes fell on Qin Yu, the degree of heat there was no less than the way others looked at Mian Ya.

Of course, this was only an example, so there was no need to give more unnecessary details about this.

Black City was far too cold, so cold that it was impossible for delicate and charming women to survive here. And the women who managed to survive here were often far more terrifying than the men.

So in this damned land, women were the rarest commodity. As a result, this was the most money-making business of the merchants who risked their lives to come here.

An ordinary female slave that entered Black City would be able to fetch a profit over 100 times what they would elsewhere…but what a pity, these slaves wouldn't live long. Their numbers were only supplemented in batches when the merchants came to sell them.

And Mian Ya, no matter how one looked at her, could not be compared to these female slaves.

But no one spoke and no one approached and tried to do anything…even though the blazing heat in these demon men's eyes was so bright they almost burned her.

They watched as Qin Yu and his group peacefully entered Black City, eventually vanishing from sight. The merchants who stopped outside the city all rubbed their hands vigorously and sighed. A merchant speaker spit on the ground in disappointment. The spit instantly froze and landed on the ground with a loud 'pa'.

"This bunch of gutless bastards!"

"They are usually vicious and threatening to us, but now they don't even have the courage to do anything!"

"Cowards!"

The merchant leader cursed fiercely. He had to admit that these bastards really were smart to not cause trouble. He originally thought they would be rude and suffer a bit as a result. If that happened, they would be a bit restrained in their next transaction.

A merchant speaker wryly smiled. "Those that can survive in Black City aren't stupid. They can definitely guess what is happening."

He turned and looked at the subordinates following behind him. An earnest heat filled his eyes. "Everyone, we should enter the city."

"Let's go. Many people came this time. I'll say in advance that we are doing everything according to the previous agreement. No one is allowed to break the rules."

"That's right, we borrowed the light to smoothly come to Black City! It can't be wasted! With our good luck, we must make a ton of money!"

News of the arrival of a merchant caravan that far exceeded the usual scale of the past entered the city, infusing it with a short-lived freshness and vitality. The entire city seemed to come alive with it.

Bright lanterns were lit up across the city. Each shining lantern represented a place where a caravan was stationed.

They had all sorts of materials that were scarce in Black City. As long as one could afford it, they could get anything they wanted.

And female slaves were the most expensive commodity.

Mian Ya stood in front of a window. Her eyes fell on a courtyard not too far away that was covered with bright lights. Even though she was far away, she could still hear the terrifying peals of laughter and the screams of women.

She clutched herself and shivered. Only when she subconsciously turned around and saw Qin Yu quietly drinking tea at a nearby table did she calm down a little.

"Close the window, it's windy." Qin Yu lightly said.

Each place had its own rules and each person had their own destiny. It was impossible to intervene every single time. Even if someone wasn't afraid of trouble, they would eventually exhaust themselves to death.

Mian Ya closed the window and walked back, refilling Qin Yu's teacup. The steam that wafted up was especially clear in the cold environment.

Even if this was the best inn in Black City and the best room, it couldn't completely isolate the chill that seeped inside.

This cold came from the Cold Sea outside the city. It was also the most terrifying killer in the city. Through the countless years, it had swallowed innumerable lives.

For instance, the female slaves that were screaming pitifully would most likely suffer such a fate.

Mian Yu rubbed her stiff fingers. It was unknown what she thought of, but worry crossed her face.

Qin Yu said, "Don't worry. You should know that I won't let you suffer any accidents." He pointed at the bed. It was the only place in this cold room that warmth came from. It was also the greatest expression of value in this super-expensive room.

After all, while maintaining a bed that could emit warmth in Black City might not seem difficult, the actual maintenance costs were astonishing.

"Go rest. You've worked hard these past days."

Mian Ya nodded obediently. She took off her thick outer coat, revealing her seductive figure. She crawled into bed, only her small head popping out. When she looked at Qin Yu, she hesitated and said, "Young master, your body hasn't fully recovered…how about resting in bed with me?"

Qin Yu waved a hand, "No need."

There was no further explanation or any more words. Mian Ya's eyes flashed with disappointment. Then, the room fell silent.

Qin Yu lifted a teacup, feeling the warmth that rapidly faded away. He tapped his fingers against the table. Old Fox should have found someone already.

If there was a sea, there had to be a wharf.

Black City was no exception.

Or to be more exact, the basis for this city's existence was that wharf.

Black City originally existed because of the Cold Sea, and the wharf was the only place where one could enter and exit the Cold Sea.

Old Fox was there. Shadowless Demon hid in his shadow. Their strength was far greater than before, but even they felt cold from the bone-chilling wind as they stood on the wharf.

"My master wishes to go to sea. Are there any great ships that are about to lift anchor and set sail?" Old Fox said. He cupped his hands and bowed in a harmless manner.

But his appearance wasn't able to loosen the other party's vigilance. A cold pair of eyes looked over him in return.

"What is your goal for going out to sea?"

Old Fox honestly said, "My master's will is not something us servants can guess."

"If you don't explain then there's no need to board a ship." The man across from him exposed a dark and swarthy chest. The terrifyingly low temperatures seemed to have no effect on him.

On the contrary, a burning flame seemed to rage within his body. It turned the scars that crisscrossed him red, emanating a suffocating infernal energy.

Dense eyes stared at Old Fox, like a wolf that wanted to eat others.

Old Fox frowned. "Is there no other way?"

The shirtless man furrowed his eyebrows. The chill in the air deepened.

At this moment, a woman walked over and spoke some words in his ears. The man's eyebrows furrowed deeper.

Old Fox subconsciously looked at her. She was the first woman he had seen since entering Black City.

Her skin was rough and dark. This was the work of the sea breeze and cold chill. But unexpectedly, she was very beautiful.

With her strong body and cold eyes, she gave off a wild aesthetic sense.

If this were anywhere else, this woman would arouse the conquering desires of men…but this place was Black City, on the bank of the Cold Sea.

When Old Fox looked at her, the woman sensed it. She turned her head and their eyes met. Old Fox stiffened and forced out a smile.

The woman turned and left.

Old Fox darkly sighed. This place really was too dangerous. Even though he believed that he wasn't weak right now, he still felt a surprisingly intense sense of threat from her.

In terms of strength, he was definitely stronger. But if it was a life or death slaughter…the one to die would likely be him!

"You can leave. When your young master has figured out his purpose for entering the Cold Sea, you can come back and look for me." The man turned and started walking away. He paused and glanced back, saying, "My name is Casting Sea!"

Old Fox wanted to say something else but he kept his lips silent. He cupped his hands together and left in a hurry. Only after leaving the wharf did he let out a long breath, his face paling and his eyes shaking.

What a terrifying aura!

That Casting Sea was actually the most peak powerhouse of Black City. From the feeling he gave off, Old Fox believed that even Black Astral was a bit weaker.

Shadowless Demon's murky voice spread out from his shadow, "If we don't complete the young master's task, what will we do?"

Old Fox bitterly smiled. "We can only go back and speak the truth. It might be shameful, but the young master will understand. It's better than being killed."

Just now, he really felt a killing intent so strong that it was nearly condensed into reality. If he said a single word more, he might have welcomed a terrifying attack.

This was why he hurriedly left the wharf without saying another word.

Shadowless Demon sighed, "I hope it's like that."

The two returned without success. They stood in front of Qin Yu, a bit embarrassed. Qin Yu rubbed his chin and smiled, "It's fine. As long as you showed your faces and conveyed your meaning, that is enough."

After a brief pause, his eyes flashed with a sharp light. "The caravan group that followed behind us all this time suffered a lot fewer deaths than they usually should, so it's time they do something for us."