Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Peachy's eyes shined as they were fixed onto Qin Yu's back. As the peach garden's daughter, her status was special and she knew far more than others.

The source of darkness, the path of darkness!

Qin Yu not only grasped the Space Laws, he had even reached an incomparably high altitude in the power of darkness.

How did he accomplish this?

He had been ordinary when she first saw him many years ago. How many years had it been since then? Yet in such a short period of time, he had undergone earth-shaking changes!

Peachy had seen many talented people - even monstrous geniuses - throughout the years. Not to mention anyone else, just the elder senior-apprentice brother and second senior-apprentice brother of the peach garden were both freaks amongst freaks.

But their freakish abilities had required a massive amount of time to be slowly accumulated. Yet Qin Yu? From the moment he was born until now, could all of the time he spent cultivating even compare to a single period of time when elder senior-apprentice brother went into seclusion? Or had he fought for as long as second senior-apprentice brother?

Could this be why her father uncharacteristically allowed him to enter the peach garden, even unknowingly letting her become closer with Qin Yu?

At this moment, even the usually cold and indifferent Peachy's heart was in complete chaos.

The ones that were equally flustered with her were the four cultivators, Rice Paper, Ruan Jing, Soaring Sky, and Zhou Lei. If it was said before that Qin Yu gave them a feeling that they were falling further and further behind no matter how they tried to chase after him…

Then now, that feeling had turned into him soaring into the skies, leaving everyone behind as he flew into the horizon.

How could he be so strong? These words constantly tumbled in everyone's hearts. Finally, it turned into a powerless wail in their minds.

In the Endless Sea, while Qin Yu had displayed a level of strength that shocked them, it wasn't to this degree.

No one believed that Qin Yu's increase of strength had been gained during the short period of seclusion after he entered the peach garden. This was because that was simply impossible. No one could experience such a mind-boggling increase in power in such a short period of time.

Unless their body had been seized by someone else!

But the peach garden was under the protection of the Spring Master. Besides a Ruler, who else could achieve this? And would a supreme Ruler seize the body of someone they didn't even see as an ant?

Of course that was nonsense!

So in the eyes of Rice Paper, Ruan Jing, Soaring Sky, and Zhou Lei, the only possibility was that Qin Yu had been hiding his strength all this time. When he was in the Endless Sea, he hadn't used his full strength!

This was the only reasonable and also most probable guess. So, the faces of the four 'elite cultivators' were all extremely complicated at this moment.

The logic was simple. Qin Yu had been concealing his depths in the Endless Sea, so who here could guarantee that this was his true limit today?

As a person who now had a previous criminal record, it was hard to trust him. If this was true, then how strong was he?

They originally thought they had been thrown so far away that they couldn't see his shadow anymore, but now the disparity between the two sides was more like clouds and mud.

Between Qin Yu and them, who was the true 'elite cultivator', and who was the backwater cultivator?

Don't think about it, don't think about it, just the thought left them gasping for breath!

"Path of darkness!" Lian Yi slowly said, his eyes deep and solemn. When he looked at Qin Yu he couldn't help but frown. He never thought that a mere Qin Yu could possess such a powerful strength.

The Space Laws weren't much at all. But the power of darkness that his father called the most terrifying and unpredictable force of all could not be underestimated.

Yet Qin Yu controlled it!

Originally, Lian Yi simply didn't believe that Qin Yu and Peachy had obtained the Spring Master's approval. At most, Peachy was just a bit piqued by him…but now, it looked as if this matter might be true.

Because with such talent, Qin Yu could be called 'heaven-defying'. Even if Peachy's status was honored, he was more than a match for her.

If this was the case, Qin Yu had to die no matter what price Lian Yi had to pay!

Peachy was the woman he chose, the one who would accompany him by his side, crossing the endless future until they reached the end of days.

That's right. After erupting with the power of darkness, Qin Yu was able to frighten and shock the entire audience. But in Lian Yi's eyes, he could still be killed. Sea Gazing, Sea Watching, Sea Observing…these three different steps were three different boundaries, and each boundary represented an astonishing gap in strength.

He was just a single step from entering the sea. If it wasn't for the fact that he was trying to complement his shortcomings to make himself reach perfection and lay down a solid foundation to impact the boundary of a True Saint who reached the other shore, he would have already taken that final step and become a Saint.

The outside world only knew he was strong, but they didn't know Lian Yi was strong to the point that his path to becoming a Saint was unimpeded.

This so-called unimpeded meant that his road was flat and broad, without obstacles. The Saint's path was easily within his reach!

And with this unimpeded realm, even if he hadn't entered the Sea of Bitterness, he could still barely make use of a Saint's might.

Doing this was certainly risky, and it could even cause Lian Yi to suffer an injury, postponing his plans to reach the Saint realm.

But in his opinion, it was worth it. If he killed Qin Yu, it wouldn't just be eliminating a future competitor for Peachy's affections, but also ruining the peach garden's future.

The Western Mountain and peach garden were in a quiet and restrained state right now, but a great war was bound to break out between them sooner or later…this inevitability was fated since many, many years ago, when the Scholartree Saint and Spring Master both reached the other shore and became True Saints.

Lian Yi's heart flooded with killing intent!

But some other precautions needed to be taken in this matter. Qin Yu's strength was unexpected, and the difficulty of killing him had increased accordingly.

The Dragon Saint's avatar was in the hall. If he made a move at the critical moment, he could take control of the situation and save Qin Yu's life.

Since Lian Yi made up his mind, he wouldn't leave any hidden dangers behind. He curled up his lips and said, "I take back what I said before. Besides having a nimble tongue, junior-apprentice brother Qin is also quite strong."

Qin Yu had a calm expression, "Senior-apprentice brother Lian Yi, what do you want to say? Just get straight to the point. You're meandering and circling and pretending as if you're some kind of fog-shrouded mountain; I'm sure that's difficult for someone with your brains, and I'm also tired of listening to it."

The hall fell silent.

But at this moment, no one looked at Qin Yu with mockery and disdain in their eyes, thinking he was just a boy who had no idea of death or danger. This was because Qin Yu had used practical actions to indicate he really did have strength to directly face-off against Lian Yi.

It sounded unbelievable, but this was reality!

Lian Yi's eyes twitched and his smile vanished. He coldly said, "Fine, then I'll get to the point. Once we continue fighting, I plan on using a hidden card. But, this card will cause damage to me.

"If I take damage, I won't return empty-handed…so, Qin Yu, if you have the courage then form a contract with me. On the arena stage today, unless one side gives up, then no one can interfere."

He was indeed direct.

Peachy clenched her fists together. "Qin Yu!"

Qin Yu turned and looked at her, his gaze calm. "Senior-apprentice sister, don't worry. Since senior-apprentice brother Lian Yi is so interested, how can the peach garden retreat?"

He turned back and sneered, "But swords have no eyes. If I can't hold back and an accident occurs, I fear the Scholartree Saint will blame me."

Lian Yi laughed out loud, his voice shaking the skies, "Rest assured, junior-apprentice brother Qin, if I somehow die here today, then that will be because my skills are inferior to others'. The Western Mountain will not investigate this."

He looked at Qin Yu as he spoke.

"Great. Since senior-apprentice brother Lian Yi is so brave, I shall do the same. If I die on this arena stage today, the peach garden will not vent their anger upon you."

He turned and cupped his hands together, "I ask the Lord Dragon Saint to bear witness!"

Lian Yi bowed, "I ask the Dragon Saint to bear witness!"

After a short silence, the Dragon Saint's dignified voice resounded from behind the crystal wall. "I shall." As his voice fell, the space within the longevity feast hall rapidly expanded once again.

An invisible strength spread outwards, pushing the spectators away. Translucent chains emerged from nothingness. They wandered about like giant dragons, intertwining with each other and forming a terrifying barrier.

Lian Yi's goal had been achieved. He locked his eyes onto Qin Yu and no longer concealed his emotions. Ice cold killing intent flooded out from his body.

He placed a finger between his eyebrows. A cracking sound instantly came from his body. What erupted was an earth-shatteringly terrifying aura. It was like a giant vicious beast had broken free from the cage that was his body.

The chains in the air crashed against each other, colliding and rubbing as clanging sounds filled the air. Peachy stood up. She was no longer able to maintain the indifference in her eyes.

Saint's path!

This was the aura of a Saint!

She turned and looked towards the crystal wall, "Lord Dragon Saint!"

The Dragon Saint's voice was low and deep, "Both sides have established a contract. Unless Qin Yu admits defeat…I shall not interfere."

The words and promise of a True Saint resonated with the heavens and earth and could not be easily broken. This was also the reason why Lian Yi immediately attacked Qin Yu and was no longer worried about being interrupted.

But as Peachy spoke up and the Dragon Saint responded, Lian Yi, who had opened up his seal and borrowed a part of a Saint's strength, instantly attacked. The only thing that he worried about now was that Qin Yu would not be able to withstand his strength and would open his mouth to admit defeat. Naturally, he didn't pause at all as he raised his hands and thrust them forward.

He hadn't entered the Sea of Bitterness, yet he was able to borrow the strength of a Saint - this was something that violated the rules. So the moment he attacked, before he had even injured Qin Yu, Lian Yi's complexion paled and blood flowed out from the corners of his mouth.

Before harming others, he had already harmed himself!

The backlash was greater than he imagined. Luckily, he could still withstand it. At most the price he would pay would be higher than he imagined.

This…was a Saint's strength. It was formidable and reckless, completely unfettered by the heavens and earth.

Bang -

Space violently shook, as if all the air was instantly compressed, turning into a moving mountain that crashed down.

This strike was mighty and magnificent, coming from all directions. It could not be escaped or avoided. It was like punishment from the heavens and earth itself…this was because someone who became a Saint had condensed their own Great Dao and could be considered the will of their own minor 'world'!

Of course, this minor world was different in the literal meaning, but it essentially wasn't much different.

With the might of a Saint, they looked down upon all from above, viewing all beings as nothing but ants unworthy of mention and that could be casually eliminated.

So what if Qin Yu had the Space Laws? So what if he had perceived the path of darkness?

It was after knowing this and experiencing that power of darkness that Lian Yi was even more confident he could kill Qin Yu!

Because someone who wasn't a Saint could use the power of a Saint.