Refining the Mountains and Rivers

…

Bang -

He punched out a fist!

Space fiercely shook. The Saint's might with some added extras came rumbling back at Lian Yi. Since this was something he borrowed, of course it belonged to him.

The moment it approached, there wasn't any slowing down as this Saint's might blasted into Lian Yi's body. His eyes widened with shock and anger, but since he was preoccupied with the backlash of the heavens and earth, there was simply nothing he could do to resist it.

Like a drop of black ink falling into clear waters, it rapidly spread out, forming large swathes of ink. This was an almost true portrayal of what was happening inside Lian Yi's body. The Saint's might that entered him dispersed in an instant, merging with his own body.

To his panic and horror, he discovered that the strength he was using to suppress the heavens and earth backlash turned into fuel for its combustion.

Like pouring another bucketful of oil onto a burning stack of hay, the only result was…bang, flames roaring to the skies!

"Ahh!" Lian Yi screamed in pain. Large scorch marks appeared all over his wounded body, as if he were being burned by flames.

The blood that spewed out tumbled like boiling water, rapidly evaporating in the air. In the blink of an eye, a strong smell of blood flooded everyone's senses.

He had been set on fire!

"Qin Yu! Qin Yu!"

Lian Yi shrilly screamed. A moment ago he had been thinking about using the most brutal methods to kill Qin Yu. He never imagined that in the blink of an eye, he would be the one dying instead.

He had no idea what happened to the Saint's might, but it had been assimilated by the backlash of the heavens and earth. All of the power he possessed had become a sharp sword that turned on him!

The entire process could no longer be reversed…unless his father was here and used the power of a True Saint to save his life.

But now, the Scholartree Saint was entangled with the Dragon Saint and wasn't here at all.

How could this be? How could this be!?

He was the Western Mountain's Lian Yi, the most favored son of the Scholartree Saint. He had lofty ideals and matching ambitions. He had a long, long plan for his life.

But on the day he stepped into the Sea of Bitterness and was about to take the first step in his grand plan, he was actually going to die instead.

Laughable!

Truly laughable!

Lian Yu suddenly thought that he was truly pitiful. After making countless preparations and working so hard for so many years, he had been destroyed by a boy who came out of nowhere.

And the most pitiful thing was that until the moment his death came, he still didn't see this boy in his eyes.

As the flames within his body grew increasingly hot, Lian Yi could feel that his life was about to burn away to cinders. But how could he die like this?

His death could no longer be changed. Then, what he could do was to pull Qin Yu down with him!

…

Old Turtle always thought that this boy Qin Yu was too violent. He liked to be aggressive in whatever he did. He had no idea how to enjoy the pleasures of life and instead spent all his time fighting and killing. It was just too senseless.

With a master like this, sooner or later he would overplay his hands and end up with a tragic fate…why did he say that?

Heh, it was simple. Just who was he?

He was called the will of the abyss' Shadow of Betrayal. Even if he was just a shadow, if he could still remain alive and jumping today, just how many secrets did he know? He could even give Qin Yu guidance in his cultivation, so even an idiot could guess he wasn't that simple, right?

Qin Yu was more shrewd than a monkey, so how could he not realize this? It was definitely impossible. He clearly knew everything yet he still chose to take these risks.

In case, and really just in case, if his existence was detected, then let alone Saints, even Rulers would begin to move!

Would Qin Yu still have good days after that?

Aiya! The young are impulsive like this. They have no idea how to patiently endure things. Being able to live is the greatest pleasure in life, so why care about other things? In order to kill such a little thing he had put himself in a dangerous situation. It wasn't wise at all!

The more Old Turtle thought about it, the more he sighed. Qin Yu was too impulsive, too rash, too naïve, too insolent, too…too delicious!

It really was like this. At this moment, even Old Turtle was stunned. It was like a man sitting at home and as he reared his head back and yawned, a giant meat pie fell between his lips.

This was the perfect description without any deviation at all. It really was a meat cake, an absolute meat cake amongst meat cakes, a perfectly cooked delicacy. Its fragrance and taste were incomparable.

After a little, and really just a little bit of time, Old Turtle used his hands and feet to tightly grab hold of that 'meat cake'.

There was nothing to say. This was a great meal that suddenly chose to deliver itself to his door. If he didn't eat it now, was he supposed to wait for lightning to strike him?

As for his various complaints and grievances he had towards Qin Yu…cough cough, this boy was at least good in this way. Following by his side, he was never lacking for food.

Okay, I am going to eat, so change your perspective first!

…

Lian Yi was deeply aggrieved, deeply angry, and deeply in despair.

He had become a Saint. Within the vast brightness world, he could be called one of the most formidable existences. Yet, how come someone like him ate repeated losses in front of Qin Yu? Even at the very end when he had been thinking of dragging Qin Yu into the grave with him, he had instead delivered himself to his enemy's door.

Lian Yi had no idea what this thing was that imprisoned his soul and was rapidly chewing on him. But it was undoubtedly terrifying. With a simple grab, even his solemn Saint soul had lost all strength to resist and could only be freely butchered.

Moreover, its speed was far too quick, so quick that the moment his soul broke into Qin Yu, he had been rendered helpless before he could release his big killing move.

Lian Yi suddenly became aware. No wonder Qin Yu was able to become so strong. It was because he was unexpectedly hiding such an astonishing secret. If this secret were exposed, he would certainly die a miserable death.

Sometimes treasuring a jade ring was a crime, just like how a person's talent aroused envy. Lian Yi certainly understood this. What made him angry was that he had already found Qin Yu's weakness, yet he wouldn't have the chance to use it.

He really was unwilling!

But no matter what, his father would take revenge for him…Qin Yu, I'll be leaving first and waiting for you in hell!

Bang -

Lian Yi's body ruptured and blazing flames blew out, turning all of the flesh and blood fragments into ashes. If it weren't for the burning smell in the air and the light layer of dust falling on the ground, everything that just happened would have seemed like an illusion.

But this wasn't an illusion at all!

The entire hall fell deathly silent and not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Countless eyes widened in panic and horror.

Lian Yi died…the Lian Yi who had stepped into the Sea of Bitterness and became a Saint…had died…

He had died in front of them, and besides some ashes, it was like he had been completely erased from the world, with not a single trace of him left.

Insane!

This was definitely insane!

A Saint! Lian Yi had become a Saint! They had all borne witness to a Saint being killed! Although they weren't sure of the exact details, what they knew for sure was that Qin Yu had killed Lian Yi!

He…had actually…slayed a Saint…

Gulp -

It was unknown who swallowed first, but it was like a switch had opened as similar sounds occurred throughout the entire hall.

Within the quiet hall, this sound was especially loud!

Had there ever been a situation where someone who hadn't reached the Saint boundary directly faced off against a Saint and killed them in the vast brightness world? There had to have been, otherwise the extremely arrogant and impudent title of Saint Slayer never would have existed.

But such situations were too far and few between, so rare that even with these people's statuses and their abilities to look through the historical records, such events rarely happened.

But without exception, every cultivator who became a Saint Slayer would become renowned throughout the world and be remembered by countless cultivators.

This wasn't just because of their great strength. Rather, because a Saint Slayer themselves was a moving buried treasure to the other cultivators of the world.

By stepping into the Sea of Bitterness and condensing their Saint's path, a person could form their own 'individual heaven and earth'. This 'heaven and earth' was acknowledged by the vast brightness world. Although it wasn't the exact same, it was somewhat similar to the abyss' will in the abyss world acknowledging an Abyssal Demon King.

When one killed a Saint, no matter what the reason was, they would be marked by the vast brightness world. Any cultivator that killed the Saint Slayer would then receive a reward from the vast brightness world.

No one knew exactly what this reward was, but legends said that it could help cultivators step into the Sea of Bitterness…this alone was enough to make the world's cultivators go crazy!

This matter had nothing to do with right or wrong. It was the respect that the world itself held for powerful beings, and stepping into the Sea of Bitterness was the threshold for obtaining this respect. Thus, every Saint Slayer would usher in an endless torrent of blood and slaughter.

They lived until they were killed!

Some died and some survived. But no matter whether they lived or died, there were only a handful of Saint Slayers, and each one was able to burst out with a ferocious strength that shocked the world and earned them their own ominous names.

And these ominous names were built on the foundation of those cultivators that tried to kill these Saint Slayers but ended up being killed off instead.

As for Saint Slayers that survived, without a doubt, all of them became some of the most peak existences of the vast brightness world.

For instance, the Scholartree Saint.

It was rumored that before he condensed his Great Dao, the Scholartree Saint had found the perfect opportunity to kill an extremely wounded and weakened ancient True Saint. After plundering that True Saint's flesh and blood essence, he broke through his limits and achieved his current accomplishments.

The Scholartree Saint had become a True Saint who reached the other shore with his Saint Slayer status. Now, his son had just become a Saint but had been struck down by Qin Yu in return. In a way, perhaps this was the karma of the world.