Refining the Mountains and Rivers

The flame column reached to the heavens and it was entering the furnace at the top. Qin Yu could clearly sense the excitement from the furnace.

He could also sense the inside of the furnace which was quickly awakening. More accurately, it was a huge power that was forming from the transformation.

Qin Yu had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He should be extremely happy. However, instead of feeling happy, he felt uneasy.

As he looked at the Inextinguishable Flame, Qin Yu knew that a massacre was about to happen.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he felt his heart clench with an intense pressure…

The Ruler's avatar had begun to act!

Qin Yu frowned but remained calm. He felt his body stiffen slightly like a marble. His inner emotions were unlike the calmness he portrayed.

Scary, it was extremely scary!

Although it was quite a distance away and the Inextinguishable Flame was in between them, Qin Yu could still sense that demolition power.

The feeling it gave Qin Yu was like…a black hole!

That's right. It was like a black hole that had a strong suction force occurring twenty-four seven, sucking everything around it into itself.

It also gave a feeling as if a horrifying beast was staring at him and it would be impossible for him to escape.

The only thing that made him slightly reassured was that the power of the black hole was now concentrated at one point and had yet to spread.

He guessed that the boundary was the palace that was shining vibrantly. If not, the Inextinguishable Flame before him would have been swallowed completely.

Was this the massacre sequence mentioned by the Ruler's avatar? This was slightly different from what Qin Yu had imagined.

Because at this moment, the horrifying power of the black hole gave him a feeling like the true swallowing…as soon as he thought of this, his heart sped up and the uneasy feeling intensified.

He felt as if the scenario that he was most afraid of had occurred.

Qin Yu was not new to the cultivation world. The fact that he had been able to survive till this day and have a glimpse of the Ruler's power was because he had been cautious.

He would never fully trust anyone that he met for the first time. Even if the other party was a Ruler and had some connection with him.

So although Qin Yu seemed to trust the Ruler's avatar, he still had his doubts.

But in Qin Yu's opinion, if the Ruler's avatar had meant him ill, there was no need for her to go through all this trouble. So he leaned towards trusting her.

However, now it seemed that perhaps she had another reason for not making a move on him back then…but all this was just Qin Yu's guess. He could not confirm his assumption. But since there was a possibility, he had to treat it seriously.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Yu growled, "Furnace, I need you to move faster, a lot faster than now!"

Boom -

While the furnace swallowed the Inextinguishable Flame, it vibrated. Its meaning was clear, this was the fastest it could go.

Stone Pagoda frowned, "Master, have you noticed something wrong?"

Qin Yu replied, "You have as well."

Stone Pagoda took a deep breath, "From the start, I felt something was wrong…" Pausing, he continued, "After all, staying alive is something no living thing would say no to."

Qin Yu waved his hand, "Stop pretending to be an academic, if you have an idea, hurry up. I believe you don't wish for us to suffer in the end."

Stone Pagoda spoke lowly, "Okay!"

Buzz -

His illusion immediately descended and landed on the furnace. He did something to the furnace and with a 'buzz', the swallowing power of the the furnace increased by more than two fold.

Boom -

The flame tower that reached to the heavens grew thicker and its speed increased by at least three times.

Qin Yu frowned. This was already very fast but he still felt like it was not fast enough.

He lifted his hand and touched the air. The flames shifted and Fire Spirit appeared, "Master."

Qin Yu was already familiar with dealing with her and spoke coldly, "Find a way to increase the rate at which the furnace is swallowing!"

He was cold and firm, leaving no room to argue.

An invisible flush appeared on Fire Spirit's face. She bit her lips as she screamed internally. Although Qin Yu was her master, his attitude was too much.

She could not give in and had to rebut him. She had to teach him what kind of attitude to use towards a lady.

But logic could not win over her innate personality. Her happiness washed away all thoughts of wanting to rebel and she gave in.

"Yes, Master!"

The only thing she could do was to try not to let the happiness be heard in her voice…that would be embarrassing and miserable!

Fire Spirit moved and entered the furnace. In the next moment, the fire column grew fatter.

The rate at which it was swallowing exploded!

Hoo -

Qin Yu let out a breath, and the anxiety and unease he was feeling lightened a little. He glanced up to look into the Inextinguishable Flame; the flame was burning intensely but it felt like night was going to fall forever…everything was going to be swallowed!

……

I am Close. My name is very weird but a long time ago, I climbed out from a pile of bodies and my teacher accepted me and gave me this name.

According to my teacher, a strange name often made it seem mysterious. This was what a cultivator from the Ghost Path needed.

But I always thought that this name was horrendous. So three thousand years ago, I took a chance to get rid of my teacher.

After that bloody night, I wanted to change my name and I already thought of a few. I don't know if it was because I was used to my old name, but the new name I chose felt unsuitable.

In the end, I just accepted it. Then I lived for many many years with this new name.

This was not just a broad description. I really lived for a very long time. It has been such a long time that I can no longer count.

Living for so long is a very lonely thing. It is torturous, and many ancient Saints that I knew could no longer take it and eventually committed suicide after going crazy.

But I am different.

I have always felt that living is an extremely blissful thing. Perhaps it was because of how I struggled to survive back then and became a Ghost Path cultivator.

But this is not the main point. The main point is that I have lived for a long time and know more secrets than others.

For example, Bounded Zero Place!

The place where a Ruler died and that was rumored to contain the Ruler's inheritance. It was the thing that would help to break through realms. Initially, I did not believe it. But as I got closer and found out more, my soul started to shake.

It was actually true!

Thereafter, I waited for a long long time. It is because there were two extremely strong parties in Bounded Zero Place - they came from another world and possessed an ability to not die. They controlled many strong cultivators.

After I found out about them, I felt hopeless for a very long time and thought that I did not have a chance…but after living for so long, I had patience. Along with some other ancient Saints that also did not dare to act, I waited for a very long time.

Finally, the opportunity came.

The West Desolate clashed with that group. We did not know the real reason but guessed that it was because a third party interfered.

When the chance came, we acted!

Initially, everything was very successful. We activated the ship and reached the Mountain of Flames.

I thought it was my time to shine. As a Ghost Path cultivator who had been hiding, I had held back my desire for all these years.

But I was wrong. Very wrong!

In the first battle, I actually got duped and lost something very very valuable and it felt like someone grated my head against the ground.

It is hard to describe what happened after…but I actually became a 'combination of three'. Moreover, the other two are of the same gender…although my conscience won out in the end and my power greatly increased…fine, I admit that this actually feels good.

My confidence bloomed once more and I felt like I was extremely lucky. Everyone in the Mountain of Flames shivered in front of me.

But I was wrong once more!

I am a great elder of the Ghost Path and have lived for so many years. I am extremely intelligent and sharp, yet I was duped by the same person twice!

In the previous encounter, I swore never to make the same mistake ever again after losing such precious things.

But this time I made an even greater mistake. Not only did I repeat the same mistake, I lost something even more precious…and even possibly my life!

Bounded Zero Place is where the Ruler died and of course there will be danger. I have always known this. But I never thought that I would really lose my life here.

Ruler, are you the Ruler? She was clearly not the real body but she possessed such horrifying power…it was so scary that it was much stronger than the Rulers I have seen before.

I am called Close. Sorry for being a bit long-winded. But as a True Saint who has lived for a long time, I am about to die.

So everyone, please allow me to be long-winded for once.

……

Bom -

As the explosion sounded, Close Saint's body exploded in midair. Numerous bones and pieces of flesh gathered together as if trying to regrow.

But just when they forcefully struggled to form a human shape, the horrifying energy once again tore it apart.

This happened three times before Close Saint's disintegrated body truly died.

The ancient Saints in the main hall who were all struggling to escape looked extremely hopeless.

They knew that the reason why they were able to survive until now was not because they were stronger than Close Saint.

It was because this woman in front of them chose to kill the strongest one first.

Close Saint had died. His aura had completely disappeared and the ancient Saints could clearly sense it.

Next, it was their turn.

The Ruler's avatar licked the corner of her mouth, her red eyes looking victorious. She reached out and grabbed. Close Saint's dead flesh formed a ball and turned into a pill as big as a finger joint.

It was red in color and shone. It was an extremely pure gem - it contained all the power of the peak True Saint in it!

Gentle Spread Saint's expression changed as he paled, fear written all over his face. At this moment, the woman was looking at him.

"Wind, Cloud and Rain Saints, help me hold her off for a moment. If I die, you are next!"

Hearing him shout, the three Saints gritted their teeth. They did not hesitate as they dashed out.

"Wind!"

"Cloud!"

"Rain!"

When in the face of death, the three Saints did not hesitate as they activate all their strength.

In the main hall, a strong wind blew through the entire palace, then clouds filled the space and rain started pouring!

Boom booom -

The loud sound was caused by the auras of the three Saints combining together.

They were really giving it their all!

It was not that the three Saints were noble and were willing to help save Gentle Spread Saint. It was the fact that they knew collaborating was their only chance of survival.

Okay, the truth was that there was no chance. By killing Close Saint, the Ruler's avatar showed her incredible might.

But they would not give up till the end. Even if it was a slim and almost impossible chance, they would do their best!

The Ruler's avatar lifted her hand and tapped the air. Her finger was white and slender, giving a delicate feel. However, the power it emitted was enough to destroy everything.

Following her tap, 'bam', the torrent of rain shook and disappeared like a wave. Everything was gone!

"Gentle Spread Saint!"

Wind Saint cried out.

Gentle Spread Saint turned and his eyes landed on Gentle Smoke Saint. He looked pained but it disappeared immediately.

Gentle Smoke Saint took a deep breath and said slowly, "Brother, no matter what you do, I will not blame you."

Gentle Spread Saint frowned, "You…know?"

Gentle Smoke Saint smiled, "After all, I am a Saint." He bowed respectfully, "Thank you brother, for helping me live all these years and allowing me to see the changes on this earth. I can die today without regrets."

He lifted his hand and touched the space between his eyebrows. 'Crack', his entire body turned into an illusion. In the next moment, Gentle Smoke Saint turned into smoke and was absorbed into Gentle Spread Saint's body through his nose.

"Ah!" Gentle Spread Saint shouted. His entire aura exploded at this moment.

Crack -

Crack -

The air around him could not withstand his aura and cracks appeared. The Ruler's avatar looked over with surprise in her eyes. The corners of her mouth pulled up as a light smile appeared.

"Separation of Life…I did not recognize it. What a surprise."

As Gentle Spread Saint landed, he was like a meteorite dropping from the heavens, leaving a burning trial.

Crack -

Crack -

The air cracked. This time it was different from before; in the cracks, there was a horrifying splitting energy.

There was nothing it could not overcome and no being it could not destroy. It spread outwards like a spider web…cracks filled the entire hall!

The Ruler's avatar narrowed her eyes as she reached out and grabbed. 'Pop, pop, pop'. Soft popping sounds could be heard. The flesh on her hand was tearing, exposing numerous tiny cuts like exquisite porcelain that had been overheated.