Refining the Mountains and Rivers

"Brother Qin!!" Ruan Jing cried, looking like the picture of heartbreak with tears flowing down his face. "Everything is my fault, I coveted the Space Laws and fought with you everywhere! I know that I have no right to beg you for mercy, but I ask you to please leave me a whole corpse so that I can be buried in the tomb of the Academy and accompany my late teacher!"

Zhou Lei's eyes widened. He looked at the lamenting Ruan Jing who seemed to be filled with deep pain, fear, and remorse. Just what sort of act was this?

Although he hadn't known Ruan Jing for long, he had an approximate understanding of what his personality was like.

Would he beg for death on his own initiative? And what was this garbage about leaving him an intact corpse?

To a cultivator, there were only two states in the world - something was either living or dead. The dead were dead. No matter how well preserved their body was, it didn't matter at all!

Qin Yu's eyes sparkled. He watched Ruan Jing's performance and said, "Ruan Jing, I won't hide it from you. When it comes to Guiding Chapter Academy as well as yourself, there are many things I don't know. So if you're trying to convey some point to me it would be best if you are direct, otherwise I might misunderstand you and really do as you ask."

Ruan Jing immediately stopped crying. He stared at Qin Yu. When he realized he wasn't joking, he couldn't help but shiver.

He had almost screwed himself over! Qin Yu didn't know anything at all, and his performance had been nothing but a show for a blind man.

Wiping away his tears, Ruan Jing clenched his teeth and said, "My master was the late Dean of Guiding Chapter Academy and he has countless disciples. The current Dean, the two Vice Deans, and over ten high level Professors are all my senior-apprentice brothers! If I am killed here, unless no news of this escapes, they will not hesitate to take revenge for me!"

Zhou Lei was left dumbfounded.

So there was actually this kind of comedy show in the world. It really broadened one's horizons.

No, this damned Ruan Jing had bad intentions. What did he mean by 'unless no news escapes'? It was clear that he was saying that unless Qin Yu killed everyone in this courtyard, there was no way he could ensure his own safety.

This bastard!

Out of everyone present, the person Qin Yu hated the most was Ruan Jing. If Qin Yu was going to kill someone, Ruan Jing would be the first.

But now, this bastard played some tricks to tie his life to everyone else here. Even if they made a vow that they would never speak of what happened today, would Qin Yu believe that? Haha, even an idiot knew the answer to that question.

Zhou Lei glared at Ruan Jing and nearly broke off a tooth in anger.

The other cultivators weren't idiots. If looks could kill, Ruan Jing would have already been dismembered where he stood!

But at this time, Ruan Jing's complexion didn't change at all.

Hum hum, compared to life and death, there was nothing more important in the world. Who cared if he was glared at? Even if he was beaten up he would accept it.

Qin Yu couldn't help but laugh. He thought that if he ignored this Ruan Jing's personality, he was actually an interesting fellow, so interesting that Qin Yu wanted to tear off his head right now.

He had strength and his thoughts were vicious and meticulous. He also had thick skin and knew when to advance and retreat…coupled with his background of Guiding Chapter Academy, such an opponent was far too dangerous.

But what a pity, Qin Yu couldn't. At least not today.

"All of you get out."

Qin Yu didn't laugh anymore. He grimly waved his hand.

Ruan Jing turned and walked away, not even slowing down as he vanished in the blink of an eye. Zhou Lei sighed at this reaction speed. But, sighing was just sighing; his own speed wasn't much slower.

Although they couldn't figure out why Qin Yu had let them off so easily.

Could there be a problem with him?

This thought appeared, but only circled around their heads for a moment. The matter of whether Qin Yu had a problem wasn't something they could figure out right now.

But there was one point that was without doubt. If Qin Yu wanted to kill them, none of them would be able to escape.

Shua -

Shua -

The garden fell silent.

Yun Shi's timid voice rose up from behind, "Big Brother Qin…"

She sounded confused.

Qin Yu bitterly smiled. "I want to kill those bastards, but this thing can only be used once. I can use it to frighten others, but if I actually use it, there will be trouble."

He put the red iron lump in his robes and glanced at Yun Shi, "My current condition is poor so I must train to heal my wounds. Stay with me and don't run all over the place."

Without giving Yun Shi a chance to do anything, he began to control his breathing.

Seeing Qin Yu close his eyes, Yun Shi bit her lips and obediently sat to the side.

She looked at Qin Yu, and then looked at him again. Her large eyes blinked. It was unknown what she was thinking.

The days began to pass by in peace.

Of course, the so-called peace was restricted to the small garden where Qin Yu and Yun Shi were. The poison fog that had been burned away by the iron lump was like an apple that had a piece gnawed off. For some unknown reason, the fog here wasn't able to restore itself.

Since they were able to avoid the intrusion of the poison fog, Qin Yu and Yun Shi were even more relaxed. But what the others experienced was a purgatory-like nightmare.

People died every day. Their human beads were swallowed down. The slaughter within the fog was the only constant.

The poison fog grew thicker and the toxicity became increasingly more intense. More treasures were required to counterbalance the poison that tried to contaminate their souls.

Fortunately, the cultivators that survived grew stronger and stronger as they swallowed more human beads. They were just able to resist it.

But a faint restlessness started to rise in everyone's hearts, beyond their control.

No one knew how long their current situation would last. The treasures in their hands were constantly being depleted. Everyone wanted to guard against possible accidents in the future, so they had to figure out ways to seize more treasures…of course, by killing others, stealing their treasures and eating their human beads, one could live even longer.

So as time passed by, the cultivators who still survived were all tyrannically strong and they all dreaded each other.

But dread was just dread - the slaughter had to continue. So, the battles became brutal and frigid. The victor would obtain an even greater advantage.

It was like an invisible hand constantly whipped at the survivors in this courtyard, forcing them to fight each other.

Qin Yu frowned. He looked at the thick poison fog in the courtyard and a thought in his heart grew increasingly clear - bug raising!

That's right, the cultivators in this courtyard were like bugs in a jar. After a massive amount of food was thrown in, they started to slaughter each other.

But when it came to raising witchcraft bugs in a jar, only one could survive in the end. Could it be that the master of this courtyard planned on only allowing one cultivator to live?

If this was true, then a brutal battle was inevitable. None of the cultivators who had survived up until now were easy to deal with.

Although Qin Yu had the iron lump as protection, once things reached the end he would still have to desperately fight. There was bound to be trouble. And more importantly, he wasn't alone. Yun Shi was at his side.

Thinking of this, he turned and glanced at Yun Shi. She was sitting not too far away, leaning forward with her hands beneath her chin, the spitting image of a young miss.

As if sensing Qin Yu's gaze, Yun Shi turned and gave him a wide smile.

It was a bright and beautiful image.

Qin Yu faintly smiled, his eyes warm and his expression gentle.

So Yun Shi's smile had become even more dazzling…one had to admit that her smile was beautiful to look at.

It was so beautiful that Qin Yu subconsciously forgot about taking back the dark moon and red sun.

…

Old Turtle no longer dared to run away. According to what he said, the poison in the fog was to the point where it could harm him.

If someone else said it, Qin Yu might believe them. But since these words came from the mouth of Old Turtle, they had to be given a discount.

According to Qin Yu's calculations, Old Turtle probably felt a threat. But, the poison fog was still far from being able to harm him.

However, with things having reached this stage, there wasn't much significance in having Old Turtle come out to probe around.

Originally, a massive number of cultivators had poured into this courtyard. They thought they had discovered treasures and had gone mad with desire for them. However, the vast majority of them had died by now, and the ones that survived could be counted on two hands.

Even if this was raising bugs in a jar, it should almost be over. Did the master of the courtyard really plan on only allowing one survivor in the end? Even if they were a bit stronger, what use could they be!

Another two days passed. Two great battles erupted during this time. One of the killers was the Transcendent Sword Sect cultivator Soaring Sky. His strength had undergone terrifying improvements compared to the start, and even Qin Yu felt chills when he sensed the final sword strike that slayed his enemy.

The day after, the poison fog that shrouded the courtyard began to retreat.

A sharp light flashed in Qin Yu's eyes. This cruel killing drama was finally coming to an end! But, what sort of act awaited everyone next?