Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yu had a trump card hidden that he did not even know about. However, after killing Black Shadow Half-Saint and that single sword blow that split the Great Dao, he knew what he had was real.

Yet, he still did not know where his trump card came from and what it meant.

As the darkness and light interchanged, a small figure appeared in front of him. She waved her hand and terrifying sword intent gathered to it.

Unleash!

Bam!

As the sword intent rushed through his palms, the entire surroundings split in half. The earth shook as though a massive earthquake had torn through it.

The Spiritual Snake cried in agony. There was no Great Dao nor a domineering force in its world, but the Spiritual Snake understood the sheer power behind the sword intent.

Its soul had been continuously battered and there was no way for it to defend itself against its attack. Death seemed to be the only way out for it.

As fear of death overwhelmed it, the Spiritual Snake made an ear-piercing shriek. All of a sudden, its mind cleared and it understood its origins.

It was born from the heavens and earth and it was destined to be a peak existence in the world. However, it was trapped in the Lost Garden and it could not reach its peak potential.

Right now, it was about to be killed by a mere human. What a pitiful life it had. How could it be happy?

No matter how dissatisfied it was, this was its reality.

In the instant before the sword came down on it, the Spiritual Snake could see a clear trajectory of its path of doom through the devastating power from the sword.

It knew that there was no way to avoid the sword and a pitiful sadness washed over it.

In despair and pain, the Spiritual Snake entered a tranquil state just before its death. It locked its eyes intently on Qin Yu, causing his heart to jump in fright.

Old Turtle screamed, "Master, be careful!"

Not even Old Turtle had imagined that the Spiritual Snake would realize its true origins just before its death.

Although the Spiritual Snake's powers did not surge in that short moment, it was still an innate spirit and it had connections to the energy from the heavens and earth.

The sword intent tore open the Spiritual Snake and slashed through its body. The huge eyes of the snake turned lifeless.

Just before it fell dead, the Spiritual Snake smirked coldly. The cold smile sent shivers down Qin Yu's spine and it seemed to be saying that it would be waiting for Qin Yu on the other side.

……

At that point, every living thing in the Lost Garden felt a deep and mysterious force sweep through them. It was so terrifying that everyone held their breaths at the exact same instant.

As they lifted their heads, they saw an ominous circle of black energy revolving in the sky. It was as though the sky had been painted with black ink.

This sinister feeling was so strong and overwhelming, it felt like eternal night was going to befall Lost Garden. All hearts felt unsettled and fearful and it seemed as though something was about to break out of the black circle.

Bam!

A loud explosion shook the lands, threatening to swallow the heavens and earth. Thunder clapped within the dark circle of energy and it shook violently. Suddenly, a deep, black streak of lightning appeared.

This lightning had a gloomy and disturbing aura. It was headed directly towards a single point, as though it was a large hammer that would strike its target.

Perhaps, this black lightning was the heavens' punishment!

……

Deep within the earth, Qin Yu had no idea what was happening outside in the world. However, dark and light energy in the Lost Garden swirled through the air in a chaotic manner. When the sky turned black, Qin Yu raised his head and took in the scene before him.

He saw the horrific darkness that flooded the sky and he also caught sight of the black lightning.

It was obvious that the black lightning was coming for him. Life and death would be decided for him at that moment.

This was what the Spiritual Snake mobilized from the heavens and earth right before its death.

A Vast Brightness holy way being could connect to the heavens and earth when it died. All living beings in its surroundings would be buried together with it.

Furthermore, it was an innate spirit that was being killed. This black lightning harbored menacing strength.

Before it even struck him, Qin Yu could feel his entire soul screaming from the pure darkness concealed in the lightning.

He could not withstand it!

This was the conclusion that he reached easily. An image of him being obliterated to dust flashed through his mind. This was his destiny if the black lightning struck him.

This was how he would die.

"Heavens' punishment!" In the deep darkness, the stone pagoda yelled. Qin Yu could hear amazement, fear, anger and hatred in its voice.

Without any hesitation, the stone pagoda shook violently. A sharp cracking sound split through the air from its cracked surface as it expanded.

This was the price it had to pay. Bright light illuminated again and the stone pagoda's mirage flew out of Qin Yu's body. The arrow of light shot out and immediately tore the sky apart.

However, this was futile against the black lightning. As the arrow struck the black lightning, it dissipated.

It had not just been shattered but it had been completely annihilated by the black lightning.

This was more evidence of the sheer strength behind the black lightning.

Crack, boom!

The stone pagoda shook violently again as the cracks on its surface deepened. The darkness around it thickened again and grew wider, threatening to swallow up the space.

"He is going to die soon. What are you waiting for?"

The stone pagoda roared angrily.

Old Turtle jerked up, finally regaining his senses after being stricken by fear. As a terrifying Shadow of the Abyss, his fear of the black lightning went beyond what he could have ever imagined.

He had been bound to Qin Yu long before now and they were inseparable, sharing gains and losses together.

If Qin Yu died, he would perish too!

This was why his mind had gone blank due to his fear. He had fallen into a daze.

However, fear was also a powerful motivating force. With a pale face, Old Turtle burst forward with strength.

He did not hold anything back as his strength exploded. This was beyond what he unleashed before and it was on the level of the Scholartree Saint.

Boom!

The earth shattered and huge chunks of rock flew towards the sky. A pitch black hand rose upwards and slowly balled into a fist. It struck against the black lightning with a deafening sound.

As if the heavens and earth had collided, debris swept through the ground like a tsunami. A wild hurricane tore through the land and wiped everything out instantly.

No matter how far away one was, one could feel the force of this collision. Hearts jumped out of chests and many were in awe of this power.

What destructive strength!

The mirage of Old Turtle formed a thick fog through the air, and after a slight shiver, it crumbled apart completely.

This place belonged to darkness and light, and in the end, he was a shadow that came from the abyss. Despite his extraordinary life, he was just a shadow.

The explosion could not stop the black lightning. The hit from the bright arrow and the explosion from Old Turtle merely stopped it in its tracks for a mere moment before it continued descending.

Exhausted, fear overwhelmed Old Turtle for the first time. He no longer bothered about being cautious and he shouted hysterically, "He is going to die, what are you waiting for?"

This sentence from the stone pagoda was what shook him awake before. Right now, Old Turtle was also praying that the last power behind Qin Yu could awaken.

He was referring to the shadow with the slender figure of a woman.

While Old Turtle could not care less about women, this shadow was someone who he respected and even felt terrified of.

Since it had left its mark on Qin Yu, it would not give up on him easily. However, the problem was that the current circumstance was so dire, even that woman may not be able to run away from it.

Would she pretend to be dead and give up on Qin Yu? This was a possibility Old Turtle had considered.

If that was the case, they were all going to die!

At that moment, the black lightning was just about to hit the magma. The energy wave from it dispersed the dark and light shadows, and extremely dazzling rays of light illuminated the surroundings.

A majestic breath of energy was released and it filled one with a wondrous feeling.

As dark and light interchanged, a low sigh could be heard and the shadow opened her eyes. It was a calm, yet piercing gaze that was pure and vivid. It seemed as though those eyes had seen everything in the world and they could tolerate anything.

Her eyes landed on Qin Yu before she looked up and narrowed her gaze on the black lightning.

"Heavens' punishment…" She mumbled to herself. Her voice was lazy but also annoyed.

She lifted her arm and red-colored energy gathered in her palm quickly. Sharp cracking sounds split the air as she amassed the energy.

While this was not actual ice, the formation of icy layers was real. It absorbed all heat from the magma pool and reduced the once scorching ground to ice-cold stone.

All the energy and heat from the magma pool gathered onto the palm of the woman and morphed into a crimson red long sword.

This sword was not large, but its strength could be clearly felt. It was a mysterious power that made one uneasy.

No words seemed to be able to describe the might of the sword.

The woman frowned, seemingly dissatisfied. Her eyes swiveled around and fell upon the last bit of energy that had not completely solidified: the corpse of the Spiritual Snake. After a brief hesitation, she gave up on that thought and proceeded to suck the remaining energy from the lands.

She swept her hand out and slashed upwards.

Without the slightest warning, she released her attack. Since she could not grow the sword anymore, why would she bother waiting?

She would go for it!

Every ignorant creature in the Lost Garden witnessed a striking scene that mimicked a sun rising from the ground. It slammed into the black lightning decisively.

This time, silence engulfed the lands.

The sun-like sword battled against the forces from the black lightning. This jaw-dropping scene was silent and the only explanation was that the collision had wiped out all other forms of energy. Such a scene did not seem to belong to this world.

Disoriented space seemed to form thick and sturdy layers that slowly shrouded the world.

No one had a clear sight of what was happening, and after space slowly dissipated away, the sun and black lightning had disappeared.

There were few who knew the outcome of what happened.

In the frozen pool of magma, a woman raised her hand to touch her forehead. There was a shallow wound in between her eyebrows.

Although she was silent, there was a forceful pressure around her that stopped anyone from breathing. She was in a bad mood.

"You ruined my face. I am going to remember this…"

Old Turtle's hearing was sensitive and he vaguely heard what the woman said. He did not respond and feigned unconsciousness. This was the best course of action for now.

Qin Yu's body shivered slightly from his injuries. Wounds cut across his entire body and he was in a dire state.

Although the black lightning had been demolished, the powers from the heavens' punishment tore through him like a thousand knives.

His bones peeked through his deep wounds and blood stained the long robe he wore.

His vision was dotted with blackness and his consciousness was fading. Yet, he tried to focus on the figure of the woman in front of him.

He knew he had been saved by her. She was the trump card that he did not even know existed.

Qin Yu wanted to bow to her to express his gratitude but only managed to say a sentence, "Thank you for saving me…" His efforts to say this ripped open more wounds on his body.

The woman lowered her hand and gazed at Qin Yu. Although she was enraged, she did not let this influence her actions. He was in such a pitiful state, and if she even touched him, he would be dead. How was she going to get back at him for the wound on her face?

This was not the right time for that!

Regardless, she would have her chance to retrieve her payment from him in the future. When that day came, she would squeeze everything out of him.

"You have seen me…I did not want to meet you now and it is hard to explain matters. But you must know that you will gain nothing from the knowledge of my existence. I will alter your memories.

"Don't worry, I will make sure you remember this wound on my face. Your memories will be like those of a dream. You will need to continue working hard. When you are ready, I will come and find you. Either that or you will reach out to me by yourself.

"Alright, that's it. Enjoy the meal you earned after almost sacrificing your life. Hang in there and don't self-destruct. Otherwise, you will owe me a huge debt."

She turned and left at the same time as the dark and light shadow disappeared back into the earth with a terrifying aura. There were no traces left behind and it seemed as though the woman was just a dream.

By this point, Qin Yu had no energy left to think about what happened. His eyes closed as night fell.

Old Turtle shivered slightly. It felt as though the woman was also directing her words at him, warning him to stay silent about her existence.

He would never reveal a single thing!

The heavens' punishment was a might that one had to experience personally to know its true power.

However, the heavens' punishment this time was stopped by a single sword force. Although the woman had suffered a tiny cut to her face, Old Turtle now viewed her to be a god-like existence that deserved his full admiration and respect.

Qin Yu was really lucky. With such a fated destiny, he was not going to die this time round.

As long as he lived, his future would be bright.

Old Turtle sighed as he suppressed his emotions and mustered the last bit of his strength to slowly pull the Spiritual Snake's corpse towards Qin Yu.

Creak, creak -

This entire process was slow, and the longer it took, the more Old Turtle worried over whether Qin Yu would end up taking his last breath before he absorbed the Spiritual Snake. What a shame that would be!

Thankfully, this did not happen. Once Qin Yu was stuffed into the Spiritual Snake's corpse, blood and flesh seeped through the only wound from the snake and flowed into Qin Yu's body. Unbelievably, it expanded and then disappeared.

Old Turtle sighed. In the end, the innate spirit was fully absorbed by Qin Yu. There was nothing left for Old Turtle.

Was he about to die? Old Turtle unconsciously shed a tear. Not long ago, he was still a shadow that was attached to the Great Dao.

At this point, he could only suffer slowly. Once Qin Yu survived through this, he would be saved too!