Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Soaring Sky's idea of recovering from his injuries as soon as possible ended up hollow. It wasn't that the strange cultivator who hugged the other stone lion was attacking him, but that the thick fog in the bamboo forest was beginning to tumble about once again.

Shua -

Shua -

The two people opened their eyes in unison. As if by prior agreement, they put the Origin God level spirit stones away.

The passage started to condense…there were two of them!

After several breaths of time, two figures flew out from the passages at almost the same time.

"Soaring Sky, you're here!" Ruan Jing's eyes lit up before revealing a surprised look. He had seen the Transcendent Sword cultivator's miserable appearance not too long ago.

Yet he had managed to recover from such a severe injury in such a short period of time. He must have had some kind of harvest.

Looking around at the surroundings, Ruan Jing observed the original positions of the stone lions. The ground was a different color and it was clear that something had been taken away.

And a similar mark was present on the other side of the doorway.

The cultivator who flew out from the other passage said, "It seems you two have had a harvest."

Soaring Sky looked at him and lifted his sword with his single hand, "If you want it, try and take it!"

The person's complexion changed and he coldly sneered. "Soaring Sky, how much strength do you think you have left? If Ruan Jing works with me, you will die here!"

The atmosphere turned tense!

Soaring Sky had a calm expression, "Then do it."

Ruan Jing laughed out loud, "I am friends with Soaring Sky and Guiding Chapter Academy has always had a good relationship with the Transcendent Sword Sect. How could I possibly harm him?"

He glared at the cultivator to the side and said, "Xu Zhu, if you keep trying to provoke conflict between me and Soaring Sky, don't blame me for being rude!"

In terms of absolute strength, Skyroving Tower could not compare with Guiding Chapter Academy or the Transcendent Sword Sect. But, one of their bloodlines, the Xu Family, was an exception.

A thousand years ago, one of the ancestors of the Xu Family was sitting in his final seclusion and managed to break through the confinements of his cultivation. He crossed the Dao Sea boundary and was regarded as a Half-Saint.

Even across the various Holy Lands, they still had to give this newly minted Half-Saint his due respect.

As a bloodline relative, Xu Zhu certainly had the energy to not fear the Transcendent Sword Sect. As long as the Half-Saint old ancestors still lived, no one would dare to target the Xu Family.

However, Guiding Chapter Academy and the Transcendent Sword Sect had the shadows of Saints behind them too. Everyone was more or less equal.

With a cold sneer, Xu Zhu cursed Ruan Jing for being useless. No wonder he had been overwhelmed by this Transcendent Sword cultivator for all these years. He had no idea how to take advantage of such a good opportunity!

If it was just him…dealing with Soaring Sky was too dangerous. And he would likely be benefiting others. He couldn't take such a risk.

There were two things. Soaring Sky's could be forgotten for now. If he was still interested, he could only find a way from the other one.

It wasn't just Xu Zhu that thought this. Ruan Jing also had some ideas. They really were curious what the two of them had obtained. It was well known that Soaring Sky had suffered heavy losses, and yet he now had the strength to protect himself. It certainly led to some envy.

Of course, besides curiosity there was also some indignation and unwillingness. They were just a step late and the treasure had been taken by others!

The unfamiliar cultivator noticed the eyes that fell on him. He furrowed his eyebrows and his face darkened, "Are you two trying to take it from my hands?"

He coldly sneered and stepped forward. A potent aura erupted like a volcano, recklessly releasing from him. Endless thunder appeared in the depths of his eyes!

Rumble rumble -

Shocking thunderclaps rang out continuously in the void!

Ruan Jing's complexion changed. "You are from Thunder Dominion?"

"Yes." The unfamiliar cultivator said without expression.

This…was a bit awkward…

In terms of fame, Thunder Dominion could not compare with Guiding Academy Chapter or the Transcendent Sword Sect; they were even worse than Skyroving Tower. But any cultivator who knew about Thunder Dominion would never underestimate them.

The reason was simple. The master of Thunder Dominion was a Half-Saint powerhouse who had lived for a gloriously long time, and his strength was unfathomably deep.

Long ago, a Saint broke into Thunder Dominion and tried to subdue its master. After the battle, the Saint returned in a rage…and after that, Thunder Dominion was still Thunder Dominion.

In the wake of that battle, the Thunder Dominion Master was recognized as one of the peak powerhouses beneath a Ruler in the myriad heavens.

He was known as an existence that could even face a true Saint in battle!

Ruan Jing smiled and cupped his hands together. "I've heard that Thunder Dominion cultivators train in thunder arts that allow them to control the power of the world's thunder. From what I see, you truly live up to your reputation."

Changing face applied no pressure to him. Moreover, none of them had torn apart the pretense of cordiality yet. Even if they were beaten up, as long as no one died then the situation could be turned around.

Losing face was unavoidable, but could a person eat it or drink it? It was clear that offending a Thunder Dominion cultivator was a stupid choice.

Let alone the fact that this Thunder Dominion cultivator was strong!

Cough cough…in the end, it all depended on strength. If this person was as weak as a chicken, who cared if they came from Thunder Dominion?

If he died in a mystic realm within the Land of Disorder, that only meant his skills were too poor and his luck was too bad. No one could be blamed for that.

Xu Zhu lightly coughed. Without looking at the Thunder Dominion cultivator, he sneered and said, "What's the situation inside the courtyard?"

Soaring Sky had no expression and obviously wouldn't answer. If no one answered, the situation would become awkward. Although it was okay to be awkward and it wasn't bad to see Xu Zhu humiliated, playing minor tricks in such a situation was pointless.

The Thunder Dominion cultivator said, "We just came a moment earlier than you two. We haven't had enough time to go in and check."

Everyone glanced at Soaring Sky. Seeing that there was no response, Ruan Jing smiled and said, "If that's the case, how about the four of us investigate the courtyard together? We can watch over each other."

The Thunder Dominion cultivator falsely smiled, "Isn't that the truth."

Everyone could say nonsense. When they truly encountered danger, they would all fly away separately to see who could flap their wings faster. It would already be good enough if they weren't pulled down, tripped, or stabbed in the back in the process.

Of course, even though everyone was thinking this, since no one had flipped the tables yet they should still maintain some semblance of peace.

"Let's go." Soaring Sky was the first to speak. He walked towards the entrance.

Xu Zhu followed behind. Intentionally or not, he stayed.

Soaring Sky glanced at him. There was a cold flash in his eyes before he calmed down.

Ruan Jing sneered inwardly. The Xu Family had risen too fast and thus their vision was too shallow. Soaring Sky was indeed in a distressed state and appeared to be in the worst condition amongst them.

But if Xu Zhu thought he could use Soaring Sky as a target to take a knife just because of that, he was far too naïve.

The Transcendent Sword Sect's methods focused on decisive killing. They either killed their opponent or were eliminated themselves.

To use them as a walking target? That possibility didn't exist at all!

Hum hum, just you wait. Once something happened, the first to cry would be Xu Zhu!

As Ruan Jing thought this, he turned and smiled, "Brother Zhou, please."

The Thunder Dominion cultivator's cheeks twitched. He thought that the Dominion Master had been correct. These scholars from Guiding Chapter Academy really had the thickest facial skin.

Of course, in direct proportion to the thickness of their facial skin was how black their heart was…he had to be careful against this boy, otherwise he would be the one who was tricked.

"Brother Ruan, please!"

The two smiled at each other, seeming close and intimate.

As they stood at the shut doors of the courtyard, the four each had their own thoughts. Then, they reached forward and pushed them open.

Just like what Qin Yu experienced before, nothing happened. The front doors opened quietly, exposing the storage of treasures within.

Hu -

A gust of wind swept through everyone's robes.

Then, the atmosphere fell eerily silent.

In all fairness, the four people that stood in front of the doorway all had extraordinary backgrounds, and it wasn't an exaggeration to say that their status was noble. It was a must for them to have extensive knowledge and a high field of vision. But even with these two advantages, they couldn't help but be left dazed by what they saw.

Treasures…they could even exist in such a way?

The impact that Qin Yu withstood was now rumbling through their hearts like a tsunami, endlessly ringing around!

The yellow flower on the rock garden sculpture, that was a Soul Life Flower?

The vine crawling in the corner. Its leaves were small and it was blue and inconspicuous. If they weren't wrong, that plant was called a Soul Hook.

Its name was the same as the Sly Fate Clan's Soul Hook. Its effect was to suppress soul injuries. No matter how serious one's injuries were, as long as someone ate a part of it, they could guarantee that their soul wouldn't disperse.

It was simply a divine life-saving treasure!

There were also flowerbeds on both sides of the path. As far as they could see, even the grass itself emitted an enticing scent.

Treasures, these were all treasures!

Xu Zhu's eyes reddened and his breathing deepened.

But if there had to be one person whose mood changed the most, it was the cultivator surnamed Zhou from Thunder Dominion. After being stunned for a moment, he smiled bitterly.

If he knew earlier what he would see inside the courtyard, he wouldn't have hesitated to do everything in his power to kill the Transcendent Sword Sect cultivator.

At that time, all these treasures would have been his. But there was no medicine for regret in this world. Thinking about these things was useless.

Whoosh -

A sword cry rang out. The Transcendent Sword Sect cultivator roared away. He ignored the treasures in the front courtyard as he disappeared into the depths of the building.

Ruan Jing's fingers shook but he suppressed his impulse to attack. He smiled and said, "Since Soaring Sky has left, how about we discuss how to divide these things?"

The Thunder Dominion cultivator said, "If you and I can arrive here, that means that others will soon be coming in after us. There's no time to delay. We will each choose our own directions and our harvests will depend on our luck!"

No one argued back.

None of them were idiots. It was impossible to leave a pile of treasures here untouched while they tried to figure out how to divide things. The other cultivators would all take advantage of them.

What else was there to say! Move!

Ruan Jing stared at a green grass in front of him, a bit of hesitation in his eyes. He felt that there was something off with this courtyard full of treasures.

But before he could think more, he heard movements. The Thunder Dominion cultivator started to move. He was fast, and he completely disregarded whether or not his crude collection methods would cause damage to the treasures themselves. He only cared to take as much as he could as quickly as possible.

Ruan Jing's heart filled with urgency!

Soon, others would come here. If he didn't take these things, other cultivators would. After probing a bit more and sensing nothing wrong, Ruan Jing took a deep breath and clenched his teeth.

Being cautious was a virtue. Indeed, he had managed to avoid danger many times throughout the years thanks to that.

But today, he didn't find anything wrong…perhaps this scene was too impactful so it caused him to feel a bit sensitive.

Of course, the fact that the Thunder Dominion cultivator who started to recklessly gather treasures was still safe and fine let Ruan Jing relax a little.

He reached out a hand and took hold of the green grass. A sweet fragrance spread through his senses, scattering the last bit of wariness in his eyes.

With a little force, the entire green grass was pulled out. Then, a sense of joy gushed out in his heart.

Ruan Jing smiled. This treasure was now his!