Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Feeling scared was something that was very useless because it did nothing to help the current situation. He could only vent these emotions in the future.

However, no one knew what the future held. Qin Yu did not even know whether he would have a future.

He wanted to curse!

Qin Yu tried very hard to control this desire. Right now, he ought to focus on how to survive.

He could only have a future if he lived!

He breathed in deeply to calm himself down. The Great Dao that he formed using the power of the furnace hummed lightly as it was activated.

Back in Bounded Zero Place, Qin Yu had used it for a strike when he was forced into a corner.

The power that it unleashed was strong enough to force back Soft Peach who had merged with a Ruler's avatar.

Back then, the Great Dao was only half formed and it was far inferior to the complete Great Dao he had today.

As such Qin Yu was confident that his next strike was going to be very strong. But he did not know exactly how strong it would be.

After all, this could be considered the first time that the East Sea Sword would unleash its full potential after many years.

Buzz -

A soft hum of a sword rang in Qin Yu's mind. In the obscure darkness, there seemed to be anticipation from the sword.

Evidently, this sword had been tired of being kept in the dead waters for so many years and it could not wait to be used again. Qin Yu refined his Great Dao from the furnace and his powers could qualify as being worthy of the sword.

As such, Qin Yu and the East Sea Sword were both excited and eager for the next sword strike.

After so many years, will my sword strike still be sharp?

Eye of Eternal Night had been very straightforward with his instructions. He truly could not hold on for long and the turbulent sea of darkness suddenly became stagnant.

Although this lasted only a split second, it was enough to determine the fate of this powerful being.

A light chuckle came from the Darkness Ruler. It was full of excitement and anticipation as though he envisioned the moment that he killed Eye of Eternal Night.

Qin Yu's heart clenched but his expression was calm and he did not reveal any nervousness.

The reason why was simple. He did not believe that the confident Eye of Eternal Night would fall so simply.

As he expected, Eye of Eternal Night's voice boomed in his head in the next instant, "Right now!"

Qin Yu had prepared his blow beforehand and there was no way to back out now. He could only trust in Eye of Eternal Night's judgement.

With a low grunt, he jumped forward, causing the ground beneath him to shake violently. Numerous cracks burst open in the ground like a fine spiderweb that continued to stretch out in all directions.

He clenched his fingers shut and the silhouette of a sword appeared. Within a split second, the silhouette materialized.

The edge of the sword vibrated slightly and invisible auras gushed out of it into the surroundings, directly cutting everything in its path.

The Great Dao in Qin Yu's body suddenly whimpered, as though it had suffered a huge blow to its head.

'Crack crack'. These sounds echoed through Qin Yu's ears but they sounded like deafening thunder. There was a dull pain in his chest, compressing his lungs such that it made it difficult to breathe. Qin Yu withheld the urge to spit out blood.

As he expected, once a Great Dao was refined, it would become closely connected to his physical body.

While he had guessed that the cracking of the Great Dao would do him harm, this backlash was harsher than he imagined.

His vision blurred but thankfully, he did not need to see where the Darkness Ruler was. The Darkness Ruler was an endless abyss that flooded the world and shrouded everything in darkness.

Gritting his teeth, Qin Yu sliced his arm forward roughly. There was a buzzing sound and it felt like his consciousness was leaving his body. This time, he was much stronger than he was in Bounded Zero Place. He bit down on his tongue again to force himself to stay awake. In the past, he had not even known how he made his sword strike.

Because he stayed conscious, Qin Yu had the time to think and he suddenly grew worried because of Peachy in the Peach Garden.

His Great Dao was destroyed and that also meant that Peachy lost her lifeline. Had elder apprentice brother awoken? The letter he left behind would be discovered soon.

……

Elder apprentice brother was awake.

Not long after Qin Yu left the Peach Garden, elder apprentice brother finally passed the last hurdle to break through his Great Dao. He had survived.

The breaking of a Great Dao would kill a True Saint!

This was the will of the Vast Brightness World. Despite the furnace giving elder apprentice brother a chance to change his fate, there were a lot risks and dangers that he had to go through.

In the beginning, the condition of the sleeping elder apprentice brother was far worse than what Qin Yu described. It was only through trust in the furnace's ability that he finally stabilized his condition.

All in all, he had survived the ordeal of his Great Dao breaking. After the recovery of his Great Dao, he also managed to stabilize his cultivation base.

Qin Yu could not really be considered a Saint but apart from him, the Peach Garden had another True Saint guarding it.

As such, the Peach Garden could celebrate after the ordeal. Once the news was spread, many groups of people started to seek the Peach Garden out. Their numbers grew exponentially.

Firstly, the ninth disciple of the Peach Garden killed both Zhou and Lin Saints in one go. He was exceptionally powerful and his actions shocked the world.

Furthermore, the eldest disciple of the Peach Garden, who had always remained mysterious, broke through two realms to become a True Saint. His powers surged through this.

Two True Saints in one place!

Many people were in amazement about what happened. The Peach Garden must have been very lucky. Because of the Spring Master's death, the Peach Garden's standing declined and they had to go through a great catastrophe soon after. Everyone thought they were doomed thereafter.

Unexpectedly, through twists and turns, the Peach Garden did not falter but it instead became stronger in a short period of time. Their strength and status became better than when the Spring Master had still been around.

Yet, just as everyone outside remained in amazement of the Peach Garden, there was internal chaos that came without any warning.

Peachy suddenly spat out blood and her aura dissipated very quickly. Anyone who saw her state thought that she would die at any moment.

The servant serving her gasped and screamed in panic. If anything happened to Peachy, she would not be pardoned.

The first person who got the news was Lei Xiaoyu and she immediately informed elder apprentice brother. True Saints could be relied on. Then, she dashed into Qin Yu's manor.

Brother Qin and senior sister Peachy were engaged and everyone knew his concern for her. After such a thing happened, he had to be informed as fast as possible.

Qin Yu had announced that he would be closing himself away in cultivation. Yet, Lei Xiaoyu realized that he had left the Peach Garden a long time ago. There was no trace of him again. Instead, there was a letter placed on the table. It stated that anyone could open the letter only if elder apprentice brother was around. Lei Xiaoyu sighed in relief that she informed elder apprentice brother first. With nothing else she could do, Lei Xiaoyu took the letter and rushed to Peachy's living quarters.

Every disciple in the Peach Garden came out of their closed cultivation and gathered there.

White Phoenix frowned and he asked in a deep voice, "Where is junior-apprentice brother?"

Lei Xiaoyu smiled bitterly, "Third apprentice brother, Brother Qin has already left the Peach Garden. I do not know where he is." Right at that moment, her heart suddenly jumped and she looked at the small yard where Peachy was. A startling thought crossed her mind and she started to tremble - could Peachy's condition be related to Qin Yu?

The moment this thought appeared, she felt a huge sense of unease. Lei Xiaoyu thought about the letter in her hand and urgently asked, "Where is elder apprentice brother? Brother Qin has a letter for him!"

"I am here." The steady but warm voice came as the space in front of her parted and elder apprentice brother stepped forward.

His expression was calm and there was not a hint of panic in his eyes. As the most senior disciple of the Peach Garden, he had to be calm and composed.

However, he used his teleportation skills when it was just a distance as short as a few steps. This showed his true thoughts and emotions.

Lei Xiaoyu quickly gave the letter to him and as elder apprentice brother glanced at its contents and read it, his expression changed slightly but he quickly calmed himself down again.

He pressed his fingers together and the letter tore into pieces that scattered across the ground. He surveyed the crowd and said, "I know Peachy's situation. Everyone, go out and wait. There should not be anything wrong."

White Phoenix heaved a sigh of relief. He cupped his hands together and said, "If that is the case, thank you elder apprentice brother." He turned and left but soon realized that Lei Xiaoyu was still rooted to her spot. He was just about to say something but he suddenly frowned.

Worry was wiped across Lei Xiaoyu's face. She thought of something and bit her lip, "Elder apprentice brother, is this related to Brother Qin?"

Elder apprentice brother knew that Lei Xiaoyu had a close relationship with Qin Yu. However, there was no time for him to do any explanation and he said warmly, "Let me save her first. Please leave."

Sometimes, not answering was an answer in itself. Lei Xiaoyu was briefly stunned but she bowed and then left.

White Phoenix was surprised. It was junior-apprentice sister Peachy who was in trouble. Why was this related to junior-apprentice brother?

However, since elder apprentice brother did not say anything, it was not White Phoenix's place to continue asking. Lei Xiaoyu smiled weakly as she shook her head, "Third apprentice brother, I was just making a guess and I don't know the specifics. Let's just wait for elder apprentice brother to explain later."

Peachy finally regained consciousness. Her first words were that Qin Yu was in trouble. Elder apprentice brother knew the situation already and he could only sigh internally.

"Junior-apprentice sister, don't worry. Back then, my Great Dao was almost destroyed but I was saved by junior-apprentice brother. He is reliable, you don't have to worry."

Although elder apprentice brother said this to reassure Peachy, he was feeling conflicted.

The destruction of a Great Dao was different from it being almost destroyed.

It was also a hard rule in the history of the Vast Brightness World that no True Saint would survive their Great Dao being destroyed…elder apprentice brother could not be certain with Qin Yu's situation.

Peachy must have sensed what he was thinking as a complicated look crossed her face. Nonetheless, she shut her eyes and remained silent.

Elder apprentice brother sighed. He wiped the few droplets of sweat on his pale face. After instructing Peachy to rest well, he turned and left the room.

Once outside, he glanced at White Phoenix and then Lei Xiaoyu. After a moment of silence, he admitted, "You are right, junior-apprentice brother is in trouble, but I believe that he will be able to return safely."

There were two reasons he considered before he made this judgement. First, Qin Yu had a mysterious and powerful furnace that could heal the Great Dao. Secondly, Qin Yu had prepared a letter for him and this meant that he had predicted that he might end up in trouble during his journey.

With Qin Yu's intelligence and strategic mind, he must have made the necessary preparations. Perhaps everything that had happened had been in his considerations from the start.

Elder apprentice brother pushed aside these thoughts. He turned to look at Peachy's manor with a complicated look in his eyes. He finally understood why his master died; it was because of this.

Junior-apprentice brother was willing to give so much to save her…relationships were moving.

Before this, Qin Yu had made many contributions to the Peach Garden, even saving it from the brink of destruction. However, elder apprentice brother always felt like there was an invisible barrier between Qin Yu and the Peach Garden. This had made elder apprentice brother feel uneasy.

These worries were slowly disappearing. Junior-apprentice brother could be trusted…the only wish was that he would return back safely soon!

Beside him, White Phoenix frowned. Even though he could not be bothered with internal affairs, he already guessed that Peachy was connected to Qin Yu.

Lei Xiaoyu unconsciously bit her lip. Her eyes stared blankly into the distance as she thought of something.

……

Like a thunderbolt from the heavens, the sword strike penetrated through thick layers of clouds and sliced through the endless abyss.

A muffled scream came as the Darkness Ruler was injured by the sword strike that was created from the sacrifice of a Great Dao.

The strike was meant to kill the enemy in a single blow. But the fact that the Darkness Ruler had screamed meant that it had failed.

Eye of Eternal Night had purposely revealed a loophole to lure the Darkness Ruler to attack. This gave Qin Yu a chance to attack.

Kaboom!

All the darkness in the surroundings of the Transcendent Sword Sect gathered together and was swallowed clean.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye and the eternal darkness scattered. Then the sun hung high in the air. As though it was seeking revenge for what just happened, it shone with the brightest light.

Sun rays hit Qin Yu's body as he kneeled on the ground, revealing his face that was as pale as a sheet.

The sword in his hand had disappeared but there was a soft nagging in his ear. The voice was full of dissatisfaction and annoyance. It was obviously very annoyed by the blow.

I was almost drained by you but you are still blaming me? Qin Yu laughed bitterly to himself and he immediately restrained the consciousness of the sword. He lifted his head with much effort.

Although he had attacked along with Eye of Eternal Night, the short but terrifying battle had not reached the end.

In other words, it was not known who would have the last laugh.

Right now, there was a long wound that stretched across his chest. His robe drooped lazily over his body, revealing the hideous wounds. Blood continuously poured out of him; the scarlet blood dyed the cloth. No matter how honorable this man once was, he now looked extremely dishevelled.

The only pity was that the Darkness Ruler's face could not be seen. His expression after he suffered the sword strike was hidden.