Refining the Mountains and Rivers

The Ruler's avatar was strong. This could be seen from the battle against the six True Saints earlier. After merging with Soft Peach, her powers naturally grew stronger. Otherwise the Ruler's avatar would not have agreed to do this.

Right now, Soft Peach was an individual made out of the Ruler's will…a change of topic. The combined body of the vengeful spirit, Li Four Seasons and Close Saint was grotesque and disgusting.

On the other hand, Soft Peach and the Ruler's avatar merged with complementary bodies. The final outcome was mysterious and intriguing and there was an invisible aura around them…as expected, there were differences between men and women.

We are straying from the point.

Qin Yu raised his head and looked at Soft Peach with a serious expression. His body reacted even before his mind did.

A heavy punch from him caused a deafening explosion. It was as loud as a big stone exploding and the howls from a stormy sea.

However, as soon as the waves washed ashore, they were crushed by a big mountain. The waves were stopped immediately like they were slashed by a blade. Qin Yu retreated backward sharply. His clothes were torn in the middle of his chest, revealing a clear handprint.

She was so strong!

At that moment, an overwhelming sense of devastation filled Qin Yu. They were not on the same level and he would lose. Soft Peach did not hesitate before she struck again.

She did not waste her movements and she made the same attack as before. Yet, as her palm swung forward, a more ominous feeling went through Qin Yu.

His chest expanded as he breathed in deeply, "Shield Guard!"

Kaboom!

A sweeping force tore out of his body and the space around him vibrated strongly. Soon, a mirage of a shield appeared. Its transformation proceeded quickly and the mirage took form in the blink of an eye.

The shield illusion had a silvery white body and its surface had a rough texture with countless marks lined across it. As the shield formed, the spatial vibrations continued, growing stronger with each passing second.

Space energy!

Each of the markings on the shield illusion gave off a powerful space aura.

This was the root energy of the shield.

The surrounding space looked chaotic but it was actually formed from many layers of space force. Every layer of space protected him from offensive force from the outside.

However, Qin Yu had merely learned the basics of the skill and he was a far cry from mastering it. He could not unleash its full potential. Furthermore, Soft Peach was insanely strong now.

As such, the first time that Qin Yu used the divine way after learning it could only be described as pathetic.

The layers of space were as vulnerable as bubbles and they were penetrated without much effort. Qin Yu was flung backwards from the impact and his injuries were much more severe than after the first strike.

His chest was torn through and many of his bones were broken. Moreover, the powerful forces from the blow had entered his body and they were forcefully spreading through him. In seconds, the area they covered would explode.

His crushed bones lost their vitality and his internal organs were smashed. If not for the incredible recovery strength of the Rule System Body, he would have lost his life with this blow!

Despite surviving this hit, the Rule System Body needed some time to recover and Soft Peach was obviously not going to give him that time.

In the end, any trickery used fell back to her own strength. As long as she was powerful enough, she could do anything she wanted.

This was Soft Peach's mentality. She executed her third blow with a forward press of her hand.

Mm, it looked completely casual and simple. There wasn't any intense murderous aura or violence. However, as she glared at him coldly, her eyes did not waver and it made her seem more scary.

Qin Yu gritted his teeth and activated a good half of his Great Dao. He had no other choice and he had to pull out this hidden card.

If he had to pay a price, he would do it. It would be better than being killed by Soft Peach. He knew that even if he used that sword, he would only be able to take one more blow.

If Soft Peach continued to attack him, he would have no other choice…his previous intuition had been right. This woman was an unlucky star. In the end, he would suffer by her hands.

Why hadn't the Ruler's Great Dao been used?

This was the true reason why Qin Yu could remain calm no matter how tired or injured he was.

The Scholartree Saint and Spring Master had been summoned and they supplied strength to the Ruler's Great Dao after being swallowed by it. If things went smoothly, it could be awakened soon.

Otherwise, why did the Saints do what they did back then? Was it just to allow Qin Yu to merge with the Ruler's Great Dao and then let him be killed by Soft Peach? No way!

The greatest possibility was that some time was required before the Ruler's Great Dao could be activated.

As such, Qin Yu was determined to survive till then. He would give his all just to survive.

Mm…

Qin Yu jumped suddenly. Why did the Ruler's Great Dao enter his body? Was Qin Yu being used as a sacrifice to buy itself some time?

He did not have time to think about this!

Buzz…

The sword started to buzz and Qin Yu grunted as his face turned pale. Every inch of his body shook violently and this process made him feel as though he was being taken away by an invisible hand. The feeling of his body being ripped apart caused him excruciating pain and it felt like every piece of him was being sucked away cleanly.

Despite the pain, Qin Yu's body moved uncontrollably. He reached his arm forward and squeezed his hand. The shadow of a sword quickly materialized.

Buzz -

The sword started to hum again. Qin Yu felt like he was whacked by a tough stick and his vision blurred. A sharp pain pierced through his soul as though something blunt but rusty had viciously pierced him.

Pain shot through him like fire and the agony inhibited all his other senses as his body shook violently. Although he did not reveal any change in his emotion, his aura was dark and cold.

Qin Yu gripped the sword tighter and he slashed down with it sharply!

Boom!

A deafening sound boomed through the air like thunder. As the sword slashed down, his consciousness also blacked out. When Qin Yu regained his senses, he found that Soft Peach had been forced backward.

Her hands were placed in front of her to block the blow and a clear wound stretched across the smooth skin on the back of her hands.

The wound appeared shallow but her face was pale. At the same time, there was a large stain on her skirt, and this showed that the wound was not as simple as it seemed.

Despite her injury, Qin Yu could not continue attacking her. But he could not take the opportunity to run away either!

Whimper whimper!

His heavy breathing felt extremely labored. Every time he breathed, pain ripped through his lungs.

The pain he felt was obliterating and his body grew limp. All his energy was put into his breathing.

He was at his limit!

Even if Qin Yu still had a hidden card, he did not have the energy to use it anymore.

He slumped to the ground with a 'slam'. Clutching his mouth, he coughed violently. Instinctively, he knew there was blood without looking down. Blood spurted out of his mouth and formed large splats on the ground. His hand was drenched with blood.

Not everything proceeded according to plan. He began by tricking others and he tried to take advantage of them. However, he was the one who fell into the trap made by another and there was nothing he could do to get out of it.

After a long while, his coughing finally eased and he struggled to breathe. Qin Yu suppressed the surging hatred in his heart and said, "You should awaken soon. I am already at my limit. The next time she attacks me, I will definitely die."

There was no reply!

There wasn't a trace of the Ruler's Great Dao that had merged into him.

At that point, Soft Peach started to make her next move. She stepped forward and closed the distance between them. In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of him.

She stared down at him nonchalantly. Then, she reached her arm forward and her five slender fingers wrapped around Qin Yu's neck.

……

There were no words exchanged and her eyes were emotionless as her grip tightened. Qin Yu could hear the snapping sounds from his throat as it was crushed under the pressure.

Once again, if not for the Rule System Body, his throat would have been crushed to pieces already!

There was still no reaction from the Ruler's Great Dao and Qin Yu could only laugh bitterly to himself. His only regret was not killing Soft Peach when he could. Things would not have ended up this way…never did he imagine that he would die by this woman's hands!

Suddenly, a trace of emotion crossed Soft Peach's cold eyes. Her fingers froze and she muttered to herself, "You promised me that you would only attack three times."

"I did say that but he has the woman's aura in him. I have to kill him."

"He cannot die."

"Are you defying me?"

It was Soft Peach who was speaking. Her voice and tone sounded the same with every sentence she spoke but her words were strange.

It seemed like there was another entity in Soft Peach.

The Ruler's avatar!

Qin Yu came to a sudden realization. This explained how Soft Peach suddenly became so strong. Could it be that in this world it's recently become popular to 'play the same tricks that others do'?

Soft Peach grunted and blood seeped out from the corner of her mouth. Numerous scratches started to form on her skin.

They were very tiny and easy to miss. However, these scratches were deep and they penetrated through her body, slicing her into many pieces.

"You promised to only strike three times. Since he survived, it means that he has a reason to continue living.

"So you cannot attack him now…believe me, you will not want to see the consequences if you kill him!"