Refining the Mountains and Rivers

There was a moment of awkwardness that went away after a while.

Qin Yu squatted down and allowed his finger to touch the floor. Like the dry desert, his blood seeped into the ground quickly.

This…

It could still absorb his blood after so much had been given already…it definitely wanted more.

Stone Pagoda felt like he was about to faint. However, he had to resist it this time or Qin Yu would fly into a rage.

The two of them could sense each other's feelings and Qin Yu knew what Stone Pagoda was feeling.

His lips twitched and he scoffed coldly as he strode away.

The plan of offering his blood was a failure!

Fire Spirit had a tough personality. After receiving two slaps, she rushed over quickly.

"I have had enough…"

Slap!

A third slap.

Qin Yu used her to let out some steam and his expression slowly softened. In a low voice, he said, "Alright, let's begin official matters. What do you think now?"

Stone Pagoda fell silent. He cleared his throat and continued, "Master, I mentioned about the levels of illusion and reality in the Great Divine Ways of a Ruler before. Do you recall that?"

He had purposely shown a calm, solemn attitude…how dare he! Stone Pagoda, just you wait. When the chance is right, I will make you pay the price. I am remembering this.

Sighing deeply, Qin Yu probed, "Yes. Continue."

Stone Pagoda answered, "There isn't a definite boundary between illusion and reality. Compared to the outside world, our current location appears to be reality. However, this reality might not actually be one and it is just a comparison. There might be an even deeper secret."

Qin Yu's eyes flashed brightly, "Are you saying that there might be a hidden state of the Mountain of Flames?"

Stone Pagoda confirmed, "That's right. This might also be able to explain why Fire Spirit led you in circles despite following her senses."

After a slight hesitation, he continued, "Perhaps the real Mountain of Flames is here and we are only separated from it by a barrier. This would explain why we are unable to reach it."

Although Stone Pagoda had been a cunning brat, Qin Yu had to admit that his explanation made sense. The line between illusion and reality…such a complicated state was something a Ruler would be capable of.

If this guess was right, how was he going to enter the deeper level of this 'reality'? He slayed a Fire Phoenix previously and he came here by chance. The flame crystal nucleus within its body had been a key… if he was right, he would need a new key.

Stone Pagoda said, "Master, don't look at me. I don't know much and this is just a guess. I might be wrong."

This simple sentence cleared up loose ends for him. He left a way out for himself. This crafty fellow!

Qin Yu smirked. Only a child would need to be reasoned with. The adult world needed a tough heart and a scheming mind. If I want to deal with you, I have a hundred ideas to do so.

However, this was no time to be thinking nonsensical thoughts. The most important thing now was to obtain the real key to go deeper.

Stone Pagoda's warning that his guess might be wrong was ignored by Qin Yu. Even if this guess would eventually be found to be wrong, Qin Yu did not have any other heading right now.

Ever since he entered the palaces, Qin Yu did not see any hints related to a key…this was true even after he went through his memories thoroughly.

Ah, his heart hurt!

Qin Yu frowned and did not know where to begin. Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows and turned to look behind him.

In that instant, a strong wave of force pushed out from the middle of a hall. Vicious auras spread across the area.

It was the bunch of old farts again!

These old Saints had lived for a long time but they were still so ruthless with each other. The battle was still going very intensely.

That's right, these uninvited guests were the twin Xu brothers and Wind, Cloud and Rain. The very group that Qin Yu had been trying to avoid.

Although the Saints were engaged in battle, their senses were sharp and they all spotted Qin Yu at the same time.

"Virtuous Nine!"

"You are here too!"

Qin Yu grunted to himself. He had seen the surprise and doubtful looks in the eyes of the old farts and he knew what they were thinking.

Their thoughts were right, but this did not mean that Qin Yu would admit to it.

Nonsense, of course he was not going to admit to it. He did not think he would be able to take on five True Saints simultaneously.

He mind spun quickly and an idea popped into his head. Without hesitation, Qin Yu urgently cried, "True Saints, please help me. Close Saint is actually a powerful Ghost Path user. Soft Peach and I almost died because of his tricks!"

Like he expected, the expressions of the five True Saints faltered slightly. As ancient Saints, they knew the terror of Ghost Path users even more so than Qin Yu.

If these were just empty words, they would not have believed Qin Yu. However, these ancient Saints roamed Bounded Zero Place for a long time and they had collaborated with each other on a few occasions before. While they had some earlier suspicions, they did not have the proof.

However, Close Saint's identity had been revealed and it explained all their suspicions. The mysterious and strange happenings around Close Saint for all these years could now be explained.

Gentle Spread Saint frowned deeply, and asked, "Is Close Saint here too?"

Qin Yu hurriedly nodded, "Yes, he isn't the only one. He teamed up with a prince from the West Desolate and it seems that this prince has another motive."

This made everyone's faces fall again. Their first reaction was disbelief. The ancient Saints had allied together to confront the West Desolate and that clan. Why would Close Saint ally with a prince from the West Desolate after taking advantage of the two clans?

However, if it was a lie, anyone would be able tell how terrible it was. Virtuous Nine would not be so dumb.

Would anyone be so stupid as to tell an obvious lie?

Think about it. Close Saint was actually a Ghost Path user and the ancient Saints had been allying with a demon for all these years. It was a miracle that they were still alive.

If such a terrifying thing was true, it was not impossible for Close Saint to have linkage with the West Desolate. After all, Ghost Path users were crazy. They had traumatic memories of their experiences with this bunch of men a long time ago.

The whole scenario instantly turned way more dangerous!

Close Saint was strong and if he used Ghost Path methods unscrupulously, it would be very difficult to contest him. If any one of them met him, thye would be in deep trouble.

They could not delay this any longer and the battle had to be settled once and for all!

Gentle Spread Saint breathed in deeply and suddenly said, "Virtuous Nine, we have a very valuable item on hand. If you team up with us and kill Wind, Cloud and Rain, we will share the spoils with you."

On the other side, the three True Saints' expressions hardened and their eyes glared angrily. They had not expected this.

Qin Yu was confused. Weren't the True Saints fighting for the Divine Ways? Why was another item mentioned? He did not understand the context but he kept up his pretense. Qin Yu frowned and his expression turned doubtful as he asked, "Gentle Spread Saint, what item are you referring to?"

Gentle Spread Saint flipped over his hand and revealed a Crystal Token. This token was a deep red color and light rays reflected brilliantly in it. It was obviously a valuable item.

"This is a key and it unlocks a path to this mysterious place that houses treasures. It can open a way up for us three!"

Qin Yu's eyes glittered, but not because of Gentle Spread's words. In fact, he did not believe a single word Gentle Spread Saint said. It was a lie that the key would accommodate three people.

However, Gentle Spread had not been lying that the Crystal Token was a key. It was just the item that Qin Yu had been troubled about.

He could confirm this with Fire Spirit.

After three consecutive beatings, Fire Spirit was enraged but she dared not disobey Qin Yu and she answered him instantaneously. She felt like she was the victim of Qin Yu's anger but surprisingly, this made her slightly excited.

Yes, she had to admit that she was slightly excited!

Was she crazy? Did she lose her sanity? In the midst of her panic and confusion, Qin Yu nodded, "Alright, I agree to it!"

Wind, Cloud and Rain's expressions fell. They could barely stand their ground against the twin brothers. If Virtuous Nine teamed up with the twins, the balance of power would be tipped. Their only remaining choice was to run, and that would mean missing out on the treasure.

Cloud Saint sighed in exasperation and he cried, "Virtuous Nine, Gentle Spread Saint has always been unfriendly to you and he is proposing an alliance only because he wants to take advantage of you. After this ends, he will hunt you down!"

Obviously, Qin Yu recognized this. But he felt that he could take advantage of this too.

As such, Qin Yu frowned and gave a look of hesitation as he glanced at the twin brothers. He looked very nervous.

Rain Saint quickly added, "Please ally with us instead, Virtuous Nine. Once we defeat the twins, I swear that we will share the treasures with you."

Gentle Spread Saint suddenly scoffed, "You are so desperate, it is so funny!" Gentle Spread Saint lifted his arm and said, "I can let you hold on to this item for now to express our sincerity."

Qin Yu was stunned. He was flabbergasted by Gentle Spread Saint's proposal as he had just been wondering how he should trick the twin brothers to give the key to him.

Such kind actions by the twin brothers moved him to tears! They were such kind souls.

He quickly formed a plan in his mind. Without hesitation, he reached his arm out. 'Slam', the key was sucked towards his hand.

It was real!

Qin Yu was giddy with happiness.

Gentle Spread Saint asked, "Virtuous Nine, do you trust us now?"

Qin Yu quickly nodded, deciding to agree to whatever Gentle Spread Saint said.

On the opposite bank, the three Saints had a solemn look and they cursed at the brothers.

It was obvious that Gentle Spread Saint had made a move on the Crystal Token to trick Qin Yu. Otherwise, he would not hand over the key so easily to Qin Yu.

However, Qin Yu could no longer be convinced and he had chosen his side.

"Come on!"

With a yell, the three True Saints attacked. Wind howled as thick clouds formed in the sky. Then, a downpour of rain brought about fierce winds through the sky.

They would never give up.