Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yu was very unhappy!

He had just started on his grand feast and it was suddenly taken away from him.

After all, going through these halls was a piece of cake for him. All he needed to do was to drip blood off his finger. This low cost effort made it worth a try.

What if he had other finds? Even one more would be brilliant!

Facts had proven that no matter how strong, calm and self-collected a person was, it was very hard to keep all these qualities when faced with a huge opportunity.

This human nature was very understandable. However, reality was disappointing. The more halls Qin Yu walked through, the more disappointed he was.

There was nothing!

Qin Yu felt helpless but he knew he had been very lucky. Among all the halls, there were only five with rewards and he had taken them all.

What luck!

Never mind, men should not be too greedy. Since he could not find more rewards, he should search for the Inextinguishable Flame. After all, these techniques were surprise finds.

He comforted himself and was just about to open the hall doors. However, before the doors were opened, he jumped in realization and his expression hardened.

There were people outside!

It was not a single individual. From the commotion, they were at odds with each other.

He focused himself and peered outside through the small gap in the door. He figured out their identities.

The two parties were familiar to him.

It was the twin Xu brothers and the somewhat weaker group of the three True Saints fighting against each other.

……

The palace grounds were large. But with the Pass Token, the twin brothers navigated through the halls with ease. It was only a matter of time before they met the three True Saints.

As such, their confrontation directly happened.

"Twin Xu brothers!"

"Wind, Cloud and Rain!"

The two sides glared at each other with hateful eyes. They each viewed the other party as their enemy and they were so agitated, they were going to fight directly.

They knew how valuable the Divine Ways were. Hence, they could not be bothered to waste time confronting each other and talking it out.

Their fists would prove their strength and this would decide the outcome of the battle…furthermore, if they tried to communicate with each other, what if the other party took advantage and escaped?

Both parties shared similar thoughts. As such, they hopped directly into battle the moment they met.

The battle between the five True Saints was chaotic. If not for the fact that the palace had the Ruler's aura supporting it, it would have been demolished by the commotion.

Oh, if that had happened, Qin Yu's hiding spot in the hall would have been exposed. Till now, he had been silently observing everything.

"Space Demolishment!" Gentle Spread Saint yelled as he unleashed his attack. Gentle Smoke Saint quickly followed suit.

Boom, bam!

The two explosions came one after another and violent shock waves resonated with each other through their vibrations. Like a huge boulder being dropped into the sea, a demonic tsunami was set off.

Terrifying forces spread through the air and tore the space apart. This formed countless dark cracks that spread out like a grid on the opposing side.

"Wind!"

The first ancient True Saint attacked. Fierce winds formed in the atmosphere and the Inextinguishable Flames that danced in the air originally were separated.

"Cloud!"

Soon, the second True Saint hopped onboard. A blanket of clouds rolled over the palace grounds.

"Rain!"

The third True Saint pointed a finger and the clouds shook violently. Then, a heavy downpour rained down. These dense rain droplets connected with each other to form a curtain of rain.

As the space forces and the rain droplets met each other, booming sounds formed.

"Hand over the five Divine Ways!"

"You should die!"

"How dare you leech off us? No way!"

Sharp cries and yells could be heard throughout the intense battle. No one held back.

……

Behind the doors of the hall, Qin Yu shuddered a little. He suddenly felt a chill that poured out of his heart and spread through his whole body.

First of all, he realized that he had been too careless. He could not believe that the twin Xu brothers could collaborate with each other so smoothly. Their combined force as they unleashed the two spatial attacks together was powerful.

Additionally, there were Wind, Cloud and Rain.

Have you ever seen such coordinated attacks at the level of a True Saint? He had witnessed a perfect choreography where they complimented each other entirely.

The three True Saints before him could achieve strength that was double their individual powers when they teamed up.

If he had a conflict with either party before, Qin Yu was sure that he would have been at a huge disadvantage.

He might even have suffered if he had been careless.

The other point was that Qin Yu had made a few inferences from the exchange between the two parties.

The five Divine Ways!

Qin Yu instantly thought of the five rewards that he had obtained.

Star Retrieval, Moon Embrace, Soul Hiding, Shield Guard and Defensive Attack… Coincidentally, there were five of them. Could they be what the True Saints were referring to?

With how much anger the two sides held against each other and their murderous intent, it was highly possible it was because of the five skills he had obtained.

However, why did they pin the blame on each other? Why wouldn't they know that Qin Yu was the real culprit?

Qin Yu was still slightly perplexed. However, he quickly decided not to meddle with it.

It was nice to watch a grand battle happen in front of him. However, if he was probably the cause of it, he ought to leave.

Nonsense, if he stayed here for the joy of it, what would happen once he was discovered? Time to run!

Without hesitation, Qin Yu turned and fled through the entrance of the hall. He needed to be as far away as possible from this bunch of hateful, agitated old farts whose eyes were red from anger.

However, what were the Divine Ways? From the reactions of the True Saints, they must be really incredible.

The True Saints were evidently familiar with the Divine Ways.

Perhaps they had a much deeper connection with Bounded Zero Place.

When Qin Yu flew out of the hall, he could not help turning back to look at the battle. He found a newfound respect for the Ruler.

He was so close to the great battle between the five True Saints but he could not sense any aura leaking out.

Thankfully, he had reacted quickly and he did not open the doors of the hall fully. Otherwise, the consequences would have been deadly!

He quickly asked Fire Spirit where the Inextinguishable Flame was. Without wasting a second, Qin Yu flew over.

It was not a direct route.

Instead, passing through the halls was a very easy process for him and Qin Yu would rather cross through them for additional safety.

Receiving gifts was a joyous occasion for anyone and it would make them excited as they anticipated the rewards. However, if he continued to seek gifts even after there were none left, it would be very boring.

This was exactly what Qin Yu felt like now. He passed through the empty halls and lamented at how boring this was.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Qin Yu frowned. He stood still in the hall after his blood dripped down. As he scanned his surroundings, a look of surprise crossed his eyes.

This was a familiar place to him.

However, he was not sure of it. He had passed through so many halls and although each one was different, he felt like they were mostly the same after a while.

Knowing this, Qin Yu stepped forward and flew ahead.

A few moments later, Qin Yu stopped in another hall. His expression was hard and he scanned his surroundings. After confirming that he did not miss any corners, he realized that this place was exactly the same as what he recalled.

Unless the Ruler who lived here constructed two identical halls with the same markings, he was not wrong.

He came across this hall not too long ago!

He turned and tried to back out of the hall. As he stood before the narrow entrance, he looked around…Qin Yu sighed in exasperation a few moments later.

He was going in circles.

"Fire Spirit, what is going on?"

She had been giving him directions this whole time and she naturally had to shoulder the responsibility.

Fire Spirit had already been frightened by him and her voice sounded pitiful as she cried, "I do not know. I sense that it is in this direction."

It was unlikely that she was lying. Furthermore, there was no reason for her to lie. Qin Yu frowned deeply. Had his luck gone dry after obtaining the five Divine Ways? He was in trouble now.

The Inextinguishable Flame was here and Fire Spirit could sense it. Yet, she led her in circles…what was going on?

"Cough!" Stone Pagoda finally suggested, "Master, why don't you try splattering some blood out."

Qin Yu was at a loss for words.

Stone Pagoda, this brat!

Let me give you a solid slap that will send you flying.

Oh…after his initial anger, he could not help being influenced.

What if it succeeded…it was just blood and nothing major!

As though he sensed Qin Yu's hesitation, Stone Pagoda added in a solemn tone, "Don't feel pressured, Master. My generation of cultivators are only obsessed with the Great Dao and we will always try to advance it. There aren't any sick thoughts like killing your wife and eating your child to pursue demonic ways. Giving your blood is a very normal thing…"

Qin Yu's lips twitched and he waved his hand dismissively to cut Stone Pagoda off, "Shut up!"

Stone Pagoda obeyed.

There was a strange silence in the air and Qin Yu lightly coughed. He allowed his blood to drip down again.

Slap!

The graceful figure outlined by the flames suddenly felt like it was hit by a hammer and it dissipated directly.

It had been a clean hit and Stone Pagoda held in his breath and shrunk inwardly. He did not want to experience something like that too.

However, his actions had been so obvious. If he had not done anything, it would appear more natural.

Qin Yu's lips twitched and he sighed deeply as he walked out of the hall. Stretching an arm out, he waved his other hand…

Since he made his decision, hurry up and stop wasting time!

Then, the air grew silent.

There was only the dripping sound as his blood dripped onto the ground. This sound felt extra clear and loud now and Qin Yu's expression turned ugly.

The floor was a blanket of red. His blood could be pooled together to form a swimming pool to wash his clothes. This was not fun.

Although he had prepared himself for this already, his heart wavered.

Stone Pagoda's aura was completely gone but Qin Yu knew that he was resisting now.

He was making a game out of Qin Yu's blood. How bold of him!

Shoosh!

The furnace vibrated and Fire Spirit flew back with a lot of unwillingness. Even if Qin Yu was strong, how could he be so unreasonable? She did not do anything but he had been so violent towards her!

I am angry, I don't want to play with you anymore! You better give me a good explanation or I am done with you! Yet, Qin Yu did not wait for the angry Fire Spirit to speak. He pointed a finger at her.

Slap!

Fire Spirit was crushed again.

Pfft -

Stone Pagoda had been holding it for so long and this was the final straw. He broke into an outburst of laughter.

"Ha ha ha, Master…listen to me…ha ha ha…I did not laugh on purpose…ha ha ha…you have to believe me."

As if I would believe you!

Qin Yu's expression was dark and he demanded, "You come out."

"No!"

"Come out!"

"No way!"