Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Both Old Turtle and Stone Pagoda took turns to have a look at the item they got from Xu Wei, but they did not find out anything.

It was a good thing that Xu Wei did not have much expectations for it. When time was limited earlier on, he just kept it.

After all, Qin Yu was probably wondering what kind of valuable treasure could a small and weak cultivator hold anyway.

At this moment, he still did not know what kind of transformation this little unassuming shard could bring to the outside world now that it was in the Lost Garden.

Qin Yu was perfectly capable of pretending that he did not know the True Saint was after him as he continued to look for sources of life. However, his luck was not great.

For the past ten days, he had failed to find any sources of life. Moreover, he killed a few more people and he had yet to deal with the damage from the Rule System body.

Of course, more importantly, the Lost Garden had been open for a long time and it could close at any time.

Qin Yu made sure to not make any mistakes and give the True Saint an opportunity to strike. However, he could only delay it until the Lost Garden closed.

After all, the only thing his opponent stood to lose was the puppet and he would definitely attack Qin Yu. If he didn't, he would no longer have a chance after they left the Lost Garden.

In Qin Yu's current state, if he were to exchange blows with the True Saint, his body would definitely crumble. That meant he would die very soon.

If he did not die today, he would die tomorrow. If not tomorrow, he would die the following day…ultimately, his death was nearing.

This was not a pleasant situation to be in, and just as Qin Yu's face paled as he suppressed his dark thoughts, he felt something change in the shard.

The one that first felt this was Stone Pagoda. In his words, he said that he always felt there was more to this shard and had been monitoring it. He was just afraid of disrupting his master's plans.

Old Turtle thought about it and decided that there was no way Stone Pagoda could follow them anymore! If this continued, there was a possibility that Stone Pagoda would take his place.

Qin Yu took out the shard. A large web of red veins had appeared on the surface and each vein was extremely fine. However, they were all very clear and distinct. As they interlaced with each other, they created an intricate pattern that made one feel like it was grand and mysterious.

A warmth emitted from it. Although it was not very strong, Qin Yu felt a burning pain due to the current state of his Rule System body.

Moreover, what shocked Qin Yu was that after this burning pain, his internal body, which had been chaotic ever since he swallowed the Spiritual Snake, was finally stabilizing.

Although he still had a long way to go to repair the damage from the Rule System, Qin Yu felt that his body was more stable and he was not on the brink of death all the time…it meant that if Qin Yu could deal with the True Saint, he could survive a little longer.

After his body had somewhat stabilized, he felt a clear pull.

Qin Yu lifted his head and looked ahead. There was an old tree supporting the heavens. The whole area appeared extremely wild and deserted.

He suddenly understood why this thing had no reaction even after Xu Wei brought it into the Lost Garden. It was most likely because Xu Wei was too far from this for the shard to react.

If you imagine the Lost Garden as a completely closed area, the area where they first appeared when the Lost Garden opened would be the entrance.

The deeper they went, the more likely it was for them to find sources of life. In the deeper areas of the Lost Garden, the number of alive ancient creatures decreased, and the danger was higher. Even Qin Yu did not dare to disturb them.

And at this moment, the direction in which the shard was indicating was even deeper into the Lost Garden. If he wanted to resolve his curiosity, he had to go further in and prepare for more danger.

As someone whose future did not seem very bright now, Qin Yu barely hesitated as he made his decision.

He was going in!

Maybe there would be something that could change the situation he was in now. Even if there wasn't, there would not be much difference to the situation he was in now.

Stone Pagoda said, "Master, you are making the right decision. We have nothing to fear and cannot let go of any chances. No matter what we face in the future, I will stand by you!"

Old Turtle was speechless.

How did he always make his sucking up to Qin Yu sound so justified and noble? He just could not understand!

Qin Yu took a deep breath and made his actions bigger. His chest and back split open at the same time. The color of his red robe became even more distinct.

At this point, he was already immune to this little bit of pain. He merely frowned slightly as he proceeded on.

……

Zhang Zhongshi knew that he had been found out. He was already mentally prepared for this to happen, but he never thought that it would be so fast. Alas, his target was smart and was pretty lucky too.

But what he did not know was that Qin Yu not only found out that it was him, he also found out that he was a puppet and what the true intentions of the person controlling him were.

So, 'Zhang Zhongshi' did not see through Qin Yu's act and patiently continued what he was doing. He continued to convince people to send themselves to die. He was very patient. As long as the Lost Garden did not close, he would continue to do this.

It was because his senses were telling him that the person in the red robe had not made any mistakes. However, as time passed, his condition would worsen and this would increase 'Zhang Zhongshi's' likelihood of success.

However, as Qin Yu went deeper and deeper into the Lost Garden, the environmental conditions worsened. It became more and more difficult to trick people into finding Qin Yu.

Hmm?

'Zhang Zhongshi' suddenly frowned. From what he could sense, there was a change in Qin Yu's movements. Qin Yu no longer made detours or paused. Instead, he was moving in a straight line right into the depths of the Lost Garden.

What happened? Did he find something out? The direction he was heading into…could it be that place? That's impossible, he definitely does not know!

All of a sudden, numerous thoughts flashed through his head. It was the first time that 'Zhang Zhongshi' felt things were beyond what he had expected. This made him frown. But soon, he was calm again.

He could not waste any more time. He had found someone to check it out. He had to quickly follow them to prevent any incidents.

……

Actually, there was something else 'Zhang Zhongshi' did not know. Not only did Qin Yu find out about the secret of the puppet, he had also managed to successfully track his location. Hence, when 'Zhang Zhongshi' started to chase after him, Old Turtle and Stone Pagoda gave him a warning.

'Zhang Zhongshi' was actually personally chasing him.

This surprised Qin Yu but the good news was that the True Saint did not want to take action yet. Otherwise, he would not have maintained a distance. It seemed like it was more of a precaution in case something happened.

Qin Yu could more or less guess the situation. But since he was not taking action, Qin Yu decided to ignore him for the time being. He took a deep breath and continued on his way. He went even faster than before. With Old Turtle sensing the path and directing him, he managed to move without any trouble.

Two days later, Qin Yu caught sight of a majestic Heaven-holding Mountain.

Big. It was very big. It was massive!

It was so big that when Qin Yu finally caught sight of it, it occupied his entire vision. It made the people looking at it feel as if this was the center of the earth. It had a sense of overbearingness and seemed as if nothing could surpass it. It appeared to cut through the numerous clouds and disappear from sight.

It was extremely shocking!

At the same time, a profound sense of danger appeared in the hearts of all those who saw it…it was as if a huge beast, that had the ability to swallow the entire world, lay hidden in the mountain.

"Master, wait!"

"Master, be careful!"

Two voices simultaneously shouted. This was enough proof for Qin Yu that what he felt was true. He took a deep breath and spoke in a gruff voice, "The target is this mountain."

For Old Turtle and Stone Pagoda, who had been subtly crossing swords recently, to both remain silent meant that there was something extremely wrong.

After a moment of silence, Stone Pagoda was calm as he appeared to speak wisely, "Master, if it is possible, don't go into the mountain."

"What is in the mountain?"

"I don't know."

"Is it very dangerous?"

"Yes."

Their conversation was very short but there was a deep sense of seriousness and fear in it. Because just a few days ago, Stone Pagoda had said that there was nothing for them to fear. Yet now he was asking Qin Yu to retreat.

Old Turtle coughed lightly, "Regarding this, I have the same opinion as Stone Pagoda."

Qin Yu frowned as he turned back to look. He said warmly, "The both of you are asking me to retreat. This means that this mountain is extremely dangerous. But we don't know if it is scary enough to make the True Saint retreat as well."

His intentions were clear. If they went into the mountain, it meant that the puppet following them would have to do the same.

He was indifferent. After all, both paths would lead to a possibility of death. So why not take a risk? Even if he died, it would be better to die trying than to wait for death.

Old Turtle and Stone Pagoda had lived for so many years and were essentially two of the most knowledgeable beings.

Even if they were not smart to begin with, after going through so many years and experiencing many changes, they were extremely perceptive and could understand what Qin Yu meant.

They understood clearly that since he was trapped between two choices that seemed to lead to death, why not just try and see if an opportunity would arise.

But as they stood here and faced the massive aura of the mountain, they were fearful. It was as if there was some natural force suppressing them, making them respectful and fearful of its existence.

The feeling was so terrifying that without any hesitation, they had called for Qin Yu to stop and tried to convince him not to enter.

There was no reason, just fear…but this in itself, was the biggest reason.

But this was not enough to convince Qin Yu. Both Old Turtle and Stone Pagoda could tell how determined he was from his tone.

Knowing there was a high chance he would die, yet choosing to continue. This had happened in the past, like when getting rid of the Spiritual Snake and taking its energy…Qin Yu used his actions to show his intentions.

Qin Yu laughed. He laughed to his heart's content and his laugh caused many cracks to appear all over his body. Yet, he did not stop laughing. "I know that both of you are actually dissatisfied with me as a master. But have you ever wondered why I am the master and not either of you? It is simple, it is because the both of you are not brave enough. And in this world, only crazy people have a future!

"I am not crazy, but I have always been brave and my luck has always been good. I have been so lucky that I think I won't die if I enter this mountain today. On the other hand, if the puppet dies after following me, the True Saint will be furious. Hence, in the future, if he still wants to kill me, he will know that it is not an easy task!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he did not give Old Turtle or Stone Pagoda a chance to say anything as he started running towards the Heaven-holding Mountain.

……

It was really here!

'Zhang Zhongshi' looked extremely sour. Things had developed in the direction that he dreaded the most. The only good thing was his decision to stop finding people to kill the man in the red robe and deciding to follow after him.

So now, he still had a chance to take action. If the man in the red robe entered the mountain, he would be left outside.

It was not because 'Zhang Zhongshi' had developed a soft spot for the man in the red robe. He just could not let him die inside!

That was right. Regardless of who the man in the red robe was, he held a power that made 'Zhang Zhongshi' fearful. But now that the man had entered the mountain, he should forget about making it out alive.

'Zhang Zhongshi' was extremely confident of this.

So even if he did not have the best chance now, he had to take action.

Boom —

'Zhang Zhongshi' no longer bothered hiding his aura. A majestic energy filled the surroundings, causing the air in front of him to appear distorted.

A powerful confinement force suddenly fell upon him. This was the restriction from the Lost Garden. It did not allow the power of a Saint in this place.

However, in the second that this confinement force came into contact with 'Zhang Zhongshi' a scale appeared in his plans. It cracked with a bam sound.

When the scale cracked, an aura surrounded him. The confinement force from the Lost Garden stopped. 'Zhang Zhongshi' did not hold back as he disappeared like lightning.

……

Qin Yu's face changed. He never expected the True Saint who had held back the entire time to suddenly make a move.

His first thought was that the Saint knew about the mountain. Perhaps he knew even more about it than Qin Yu, and hence he would rather make his move now and prevent Qin Yu from entering.

His second thought was that this mountain was truly dangerous. Even the True Saint did not want to enter.

His third was…I already made up my mind to try my best to survive. Am I going to die without even getting a chance to try?

It looked like this was the case. Behind him, the puppet that contained the True Saint was approaching at a horrifying speed. He was fast enough to stop Qin Yu from entering the mountain. If he moved forward, he might die. If he stayed where he was, he would also die…Qin Yu chose to proceed onward!

Because as he moved closer towards the mountain, the shard in his hand was becoming hotter and hotter. Slowly, it felt like he was holding a piece of iron that had been heated up in a furnace and was burning red.

This thing had led him to the mountain and that was what had forced the True Saint to take action.

Hence, Qin Yu felt like this thing had to take responsibility. It could not just do nothing…so if you really have a way, hurry up and awaken. I am about to die!

As he moved quickly, the red robe flew in the air behind him and a red string extended back. Behind him, the air was fuzzy due to the distortion. Within it, 'Zhang Zhongshi' had his eyes locked on Qin Yu's figure.

He reached his hand out to pull!