Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Countless torches were burning at the bottom of a giant underground cave. But even so, they couldn't scatter the darkness on the altar.

Thick and vicious black gas tumbled around, giving off a sound similar to surging liquid. It bubbled like boiling porridge.

Numerous figures prostrated themselves at the base of the alter, low and deep syllables coming from their mouths.

The atmosphere was cold and tense!

A woman was tied to a wooden frame. She was the sacrificial offering of this ritual. She had witnessed the fate of the sacrificial offerings that went before her, and now her face was deathly pale.

If possible, she would rather choose to end her life here. She didn't want to undergo that inhuman torture and pain.

But it was clear that a sacrifice didn't have the qualifications to choose how they died.

Gurgle –

Gurgle –

More and more air bubbles popped. The tumbling black gas grew increasingly violent. The worshiping figures down below all revealed frantic and enthusiastic expressions. Their eyes were both expectant and terrified as their chanting grew faster.

The lord from the abyss was about to arrive. This woman was the best sacrificial offering they could find. They hoped it could satisfy their lord and grant them more dark strength.

Pa –

With a light sound, the fierce and tumbling black gas broke from within. Then, a slender hand reached out.

As the sacrifice, the woman's eyes widened with despair, horror, and disbelief.

Abyssal life form…it was actually an abyssal life form…in her mind, she remembered the terrifying situation caused by the arrival of the last abyssal life form.

Their strength was formidable beyond all belief. And they had a terrifying destructive power against all flesh and blood beings.

Even Senior Westgate had barely been able to persist. Luckily, that abyssal life form had voluntarily dissipated from this world, otherwise everyone would have been swallowed up by the darkness.

Today, because of her, another abyssal life form had been summoned…a calamity would begin once again, and she would be the source of it.

Whoosh –

Below the altar, everyone was in an uproar. Even the sounds of chanting came to a stop. But soon everyone came to their senses, endless excitement in their eyes.

An ordinary sacrificial offering had summoned a lord from the abyss…and what was most important was the hand that reached out from the black gas.

In terms of appearance it was fair and slender, a man's hand. Compared to the life forms of the vast brightness world, there was no difference at all.

The more powerful abyssal life forms were, the more similar their appearance to flesh and blood beings. This was something they all knew.

"We welcome the lord's arrival to the vast brightness world!" Below the altar, the foremost supplicator roared with excitement. He looked up. His face was covered in dense black snake scales and his eyes were vertical slits, just like a snake's. Because of his excitement, his body shook and trembled.

He had only bathed in two dark baptisms to obtain his current strength and become the leader of this stronghold.

If he underwent another dark baptism, his strength would surely experience a drastic rise. He would even have a chance of transforming into a devil and becoming a truly great figure of the dark world.

As this thought appeared, the half-snake person was even more excited. His chanting and prayers soared with blazing fervor. Behind him, numerous dark followers cried out together with their leader, using all of their strength to praise and sing the adulations of this abyssal lord.

As if sensing their sincere invitation, the palm that reached out of the black gas paused for a moment before turning and clenching hard.

With the sound of shattering, a channel appeared deep within the black energy. The summoned abyssal life form was about to descend.

Bang –

The entire cave shook. All of the kneeling dark followers held their breath, their hearts nearly coming to a stop.

At this moment, they felt a mountain pressing down on top of their heads. The aura of a creature that stood at the peak of the food chain shrouded them, leaving them gasping in desperation and terror.

The half-snake man's eyes widened with ecstatic joy and shock. Even though he had already expected this, he never thought that this lord's strength would be so great.

He suppressed his shivering emotions and looked up. What entered his vision was an incomparably handsome face.

Luxurious black robes, faint and cold eyes, and every inch of him was flooded with a mystical, honored, and formidable aura.

In particular, that flavor of darkness…

If darkness could be divided into ranks, then the darkness within this lord was the greatest eternal night in the world, the source of all darkness.

It was pure and incomparably powerful.

This person before them was absolutely a peak figure of the abyss. None of the dark followers here had ever come into contact with such a formidable existence.

The half-snake man's tongue was twisted into knots. He firmly believed that as long as he could curry this lord's favor, he could transform into a devil life form, and an extremely powerful devil at that.

Great figures of the abyss would never come to the vast brightness world easily. This was something that the ancestor of darkness had told every believer.

So, there had to be a reason for this great figure's arrival. In the half-snake man's eyes, the only possible reason was the sacrifice imprisoned on the altar.

Fortunately, he had repressed his desire and hadn't touched this beautiful woman. That must have been the reason why he was able to summon such a formidable abyssal existence. She had to have some secret on her.

Taking a deep breath, the half-snake man raised both hands and said in the most respectful tone, "Honored and great lord, this is our gift to you. We beg that you accept the humble offering of your dark believers!"

Gu Ling'er's eyes widened. As she saw the figure break out from the altar, her body trembled and her face filled with disbelief.

His facial appearance had changed a little, giving off a more aesthetic sense that made him far more handsome than before, but no matter how much he changed, she would never mistake that familiar face.

But how was this possible? How could he return here using the summoning of the dark power?

"Big…Big Brother Qin Yu…"

Qin Yu was pleasantly surprised. He never thought that just after returning, he would meet Gu Ling'er. Amongst all of the people in his life, this girl was one of the genuinely important ones.

"Ling'er!"

But soon, his eyes flashed with ice cold killing intent. She was clearly the sacrificial offering placed on the altar.

If Qin Yu hadn't intercepted the summons, the consequences would have been inconceivable!

Pa –

The ropes formed from the power of darkness that bound her were cut apart. Her body slumped into his arms.

"Big Brother Qin Yu…it's you…it's really you…where have you been for all these years…"

Gu Ling'er's appearance hadn't changed much from in the past. But, the passing of years had left its traces on her body. Her youthful charm had faded away to reveal her mature bearing.

Her hair was combed up in a lady's bun. From her appearance, she was already married.

Guilt flashed in Qin Yu's eyes. He had indeed been away for too long. He was even absent for something as important as her marriage.

"I've gone to many places in these past years. If I have time in the future, I'll tell you all about it. Your condition is weak right now. Don't speak."

Gu Ling'er's eyes widened as if she suddenly thought of something. Using all of her strength, she screamed, "Big Brother Qin Yu, hurry…hurry and save Senior Westgate…"

Her panic aggravated her injuries and she fainted.

"Ling'er!" Qin Yu's complexion changed and he grabbed her. Luckily she had only fainted and there weren't any major problems.

He channeled some strength into her, warming her weakened body. Then he looked below the altar.

The half-snake man was stunned. He looked at the sight before him, feeling as if he had been struck by thunder.

The sacrificial offering they caught was obviously acquainted with the abyssal lord who just arrived. Not only did they know each other, they were extremely intimate with each other.

He had been able to catch every change in Qin Yu's expression.

Doomed! We're all doomed!

How could something like this happen? Could someone tell him why a lord from the abyss would know a woman from the vast brightness world?

This didn't make sense at all. It was utterly illogical!

But logic wasn't something to be considered right now. The half-snake man had sweat pouring down his face as he stammered, "Great…great lord…please listen to my explanation…I…I had no idea that you knew this young lady…"

There were many words he wanted to say, and he had even thought about it. As long as he could save his life, he was willing to agree to the most vicious and rare dark contract. Working himself to the bone was always better than dying.

But what a pity, Qin Yu didn't give him a chance to finish speaking. With a dull pop, the half-snake man's head shattered. That incomparably fierce half-man half-beast face burst into countless pieces.

"Ahh!"

The cave was in chaos. Seeing their leader die, the countless dark followers felt ice cold.

"Forgive us my lord!"

"We had no intention of offending you!"

"We ask the lord to be merciful and forgive our sins!"

Qin Yu furrowed his eyebrows and glanced around the cave. He could feel a faint abyssal power coming from these people. It wasn't pure and was obviously mixed with many other things.

After absorbing this power, their life characteristics had changed…to say the least, they were no longer purely flesh and blood beings.

His eyebrows tightened further and he coldly snorted. They could have lived their lives as humans, but for a little bit of strength, they became something that didn't resemble man or ghost.

Puff –

Puff –

In an instant, with a cold cough, every dark follower in the cave stumbled forward on their face.

The weak abyssal strength in their bodies was forcibly shaken away. It turned into black gas that vanished in the air.

After finishing this, Qin Yu held onto Gu Ling'er. Once he had sensed his surroundings, he lifted a hand and cut open space, stepping directly into it.

…

Hou –

With a roar, an incomparably large white-boned giant was smashed apart by the power of darkness. Shan Wugu opened his mouth and vomited blood. His chest cracked as countless bones broke.

He retreated backwards, eventually falling to the ground and spewing out even more blood that was mixed with organ fragments. His aura crazily deflated like a punctured balloon.

"Lord White Bone!" Several cultivators surrounded him, their expressions anxious and their eyes filled with fear.

Senior Westgate was being blocked by the abyssal life form, their battle being fought high in the clouds. Right now, the only one that could resist the invasion of darkness was Lord White Bone, who had been defeated in a battle of attrition. The rest of them could do nothing but wait for death.

The power of darkness that crushed the white-boned giant quickly reformed into a figure. It was a large fellow with a horn drilling out of his head who hadn't fully demonized yet.

He roared out loud, pointing at the terrifying scar between his eyes. "Shan Wugu, you almost chopped me to death with your palm in the past. I bet you never expected today would come, did you? Hahaha, today is the day you die. You Demonic Path remnants will be buried in the darkness!"

"Protect Lord White Bone!" With roars, several figures flew into the skies. But they were struck flying back at an even faster speed.

A dark energy twined around their bodies. When it came into contact with their flesh and blood, a horrifying corrosive sound rang out. The people who saw this screamed, their faces turning deathly pale.

"By fusing with the power of darkness, you can obtain a new life, even gaining a more formidable strength…if you don't, you will end up like them. The power of darkness will melt you to your bones and your souls will vanish in the pain!"

Crack –

Space suddenly shattered. The wildly laughing large man blew apart, his body split into countless pieces.

A rich power of darkness erupted. It madly surged, trying to reform the body. But, the explosive power was too great and exceeded the limits it could endure.

"No!"

With a howl of despair, the power of darkness collapsed and vanished from sight.

The scene fell deathly silent!

Everyone widened their eyes and looked at the torn space. A cold voice spread into all of their ears.

"Anyone who dares to attack again, that will be your fate."