Refining the Mountains and Rivers

There was so much rotten flesh and the pungent smell of blood penetrated his nose. Qin Yu searched for a very long time and he finally decided to use a ball of Inextinguishable Flame to light up the palace.

Once the rotten flesh was set on fire, the Inextinguishable Flame would burn endlessly until everything was gone.

The fire ignited with intensity and the flames died down a while later. Wind blew against Qin Yu's robe and swept up the ashes in the area, revealing the Darkness Ruler's crown placed on the ground in the empty palace.

Qin Yu glanced down at Eye of Eternal Night on the ground. His complexion was bad but he survived.

Guess he was a lucky man. After being crushed by the Darkness Ruler and receiving the backlash of the Great Dao, he had still survived.

Qin Yu knew that the seal around the palace had been broken already. Otherwise, he would not have been able to step in. There was nothing else that he needed to be concerned about and he could walk in casually to grab the Darkness Ruler's crown.

Eye of Eternal Night seemed to have sensed Qin Yu's aura and there was a dull flash of light across him. A pair of eyes slowly appeared and they looked at Qin Yu with a very dreary look.

Qin Yu wasn't sure if he was dreaming but he felt that there was a complicated look in the eyes. There was hesitation, surprise, fear, and disbelief.

However, these emotions quickly disappeared before Qin Yu could get a closer look. It almost seemed like Qin Yu had been mistaken.

He frowned slightly and asked, "Explain what happened. You were the one who lured the Darkness Ruler out to kill him. Why did you end up in such a sorry state?"

After a few moments of silence, a weak wave of consciousness from Eye of Eternal Night flowed into Qin Yu's mind, "I was careless to fall into the Darkness Ruler's trap…thank you for saving me."

Hm? Now this is strange!

Ever since Eye of Eternal Night saw how the Ruler treated Qin Yu, he had treated Qin Yu with some hostility. Qin Yu could feel that Eye of Eternal Night treated him like his enemy. It was truly unexpected that Eye of Eternal Night would thank him.

This bewildering feeling continued to flood Qin Yu and he coughed lightly, "Glad that you know. I had to pay a large price to save you this time. You had better remember this!"

Qin Yu had spoken the truth. He had sacrificed his sturdy Great Dao during the fight and it was not an exaggeration to say that he paid a large price.

Cough cough…actually, it would be awkward to admit that the sacrifice of his Great Dao did not influence the battle at all.

Qin Yu would never admit that!

There was a slight wonder in Eye of Eternal Night's voice as he said, "Okay…I will keep that in mind…"

Qin Yu could finally ascertain that Eye of Eternal Night was a strange man. Was he affected by the Great Dao backlash? Qin Yu's heart clenched. The Great Dao backlash ordeal from the Darkness Ruler was still etched firmly in his mind and Qin Yu did not want to deal with another one from Eye of Eternal Night.

He could sense that Eye of Eternal Night was weak but his condition could be considered stable and his strength did not seem to be explosive and out of control. With this, he could eliminate the possibility that Eye of Eternal Night had suffered the backlash from the Great Dao.

Was he frightened?

After all, Qin Yu had only witnessed things personally. Compared to Eye of Eternal Night who had been devoured by the Darkness Ruler, his own experience was much less intensive.

Hehe, who knew how long Eye of Eternal Night had lived already? He was actually pretty timid!

Unknowingly, Qin Yu had guessed the truth - Eye of Eternal Night was frightened!

The reason why was not what Qin Yu thought.

The real reason why Eye of Eternal Night was frightened was because he had sensed the aura from that mysterious being in time and space…that aura…

No way!

Definitely no way!

Eye of Eternal Night was in turmoil as numerous messy thoughts crossed his head. He felt like his mind had turned into the violent rapids of a river.

He was in disbelief but the truth was right before him and he had many chances to verify his guesses from his personal encounter with it.

Yes, he was real!

Eye of Eternal Night was determined to stay beside Qin Yu. Qin Yu's relationship with the mysterious being in time and space was definitely not normal.

If he followed Qin Yu, he would be able to discover the truth.

Either way, he would not let his master suffer!

With this thought, Eye of Eternal Night made his decision. There was a light buzzing sound in the air and Qin Yu witnessed as Eye of Eternal Night merged with the Darkness Ruler's crowd. Their auras integrated harmoniously and the two entities could not be split from this moment on. Qin Yu's eyes widened.

What… What is this?

Eye of Eternal Night explained, "To express my thanks with you. I have decided to give up my freedom and merge with the Darkness Crown. This will make it stronger and it will be a better guarantee to hide your identity. No one will discover anything strange."

He was very sincere and he repaid Qin Yu for saving his life logically. However, Qin Yu felt uneasy. Somehow, it felt like after Eye of Eternal Night merged with the Darkness Crown, he was staring intently at him, observing his reactions.

Qin Yu's expression stiffened and he coughed lightly, "Hm…you don't have to go to such an extent…you are so serious…in the end, this helps me."

Eye of Eternal Night calmly replied, "Master's desires must be fulfilled to perfection. I am doing this to ensure that nothing goes wrong with your plans in the future."

Qin Yu knew how loyal Eye of Eternal Night was to that woman. Although he found this strange, he accepted it.

Pfft, such extreme loyalty. You are probably the one with the most twisted brains in the entire world.

Qin Yu coughed again to calm himself down. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Since you have merged with the Darkness Crown, you will be interacting a lot with it. So…can you stop staring at me? I feel that I am constantly being watched."

Eye of Eternal Night jumped in surprised and he said, dryly, "Sorry, I am not familiar with it. I will not do it again." With that, Qin Yu felt the feeling of being watched disappear.

Qin Yu rubbed his forehead. Although he still felt that something was off, there did not seem to be anything majorly wrong. He cleared his throat and got to the point, "How do you use the Darkness Crown?"

"The Darkness Ruler has died and the crown no longer has a master. Offer it a drop of your blood and it will recognize you as its new master."

Qin Yu's eyebrows raised and he questioned, "Just like that?"

"Yes, just like that." Something seemed to have popped into Eye of Eternal Night and he paused before he explained, "Actually, the more valuable an item is, the easier it is for it to recognize its owner. The real challenge would be to obtain it. As such, incredible treasures of the world would fall into the hands of capable men. Since these men managed to get ahold of them, the items would naturally recognize these men as their new masters."

Although this explanation was very direct, Qin Yu felt that it made sense upon considering the logic behind it. It almost felt like Eye of Eternal Night was trying to suck up to him.

Qin Yu was secretly happy because he managed to control the prideful Eye of Eternal Night. This sense of achievement took over the physical fatigue he felt, making him feel much better.

Qin Yu smirked as he pointed his finger forward and allowed a drop of blood to fly out. It landed on the Darkness Crown and merged into it.

Closing his eyes, Qin Yu got a good sense of the Darkness Crown. He lifted the crown onto his head and with a mental thought, it vanished.

Qin Yu smiled. When his eyes opened again, a glimmer could be seen in them.

The Darkness Crown could truly aid him in altering his aura. This would allow him to imitate others without being suspected.

However, this was not the only ability of the Darkness Crown. In fact, this was just one of the insignificant abilities it had.

If one were to say that the Darkness Ruler's status in the World of Darkness could compare to a Ruler of the Vast Brightness World, a good half of the credit should fall on the Darkness Crown.

Right now, Qin Yu was the main controller of the World of Darkness.

Qin Yu allowed his imagination to run wild. Would he be able to fight against a Ruler in the World of Darkness in the future? There was probably still a while before he could achieve that level of power. After all, he was much weaker than the Darkness Ruler.

Luckily, Qin Yu could refine a Great Dao and he also had the East Sea Sword on hand… Combining the two together, his power could also scare Rulers in the World of Darkness.

This could be considered an unexpected win for his powers? He at least had another hidden card he could use to protect his life.

Qin Yu's smile grew wider at this thought. Eye of Eternal Night told him that he would go into hibernation to recover and Qin Yu immediately agreed.

He looked at the palace. Perhaps because it had been devoured by the backlash of the Darkness Great Dao and Qin Yu was now the new master of the Darkness Crown, there was a strange linkage between him and the palace.

Qin Yu had a feeling that he could devour the palace and refine it…it was a palace but it felt more like a materialization of dark energy. If he could refine this energy, it would be beneficial for him.

Devour it? Qin Yu was tempted.

Stone Pagoda's voice rang, "Master, this palace is from the West Desolate. Something might happen if you refine it." He paused before continuing, "Eating things off the ground randomly will eventually result in a tummy ache. You merely saw it twice; you ought to be more careful."

After thinking through it, Qin Yu found his words very logical. He breathed in and suppressed the urge to devour the palace. After all, this was his already. There was no harm in consuming it in the future.

Qin Yu looked carefully around him. Once he confirmed that nothing was wrong, he turned and left the palace. He scanned the ring-like mountain; there did not appear to be anything different from when he last saw it.

In reality, there was already change.

The ring-like mountain, like the palace, was a part of the seal. Right now, the palace had established a connection with Qin Yu.

The outcome…

Qin Yu stepped out of the palace and the ring-like mountain turned as soft as mush. He easily walked through it.

Then, the ring-like mountain hardened and it transformed back to what it was.

It was ultimately different from before. When Qin Yu took on the Darkness Ruler's aura previously, he was sealed in.

Now, the same seal was voluntarily allowing him to leave. What a vast difference this was.

Sure enough, the Darkness Ruler had been imprisoned here and he was under the control of the West Desolate. He could not get rid of his shackles even till death, but now, Qin Yu controlled this power.

Different people had different destinies and this was a heart-wrenching truth. Thankfully, the Darkness Ruler was already dead. Otherwise, he would be devastated.

There were many twists and turns in the process of killing the Darkness Ruler. Qin Yu had not truly been forced to a point of no return. Instead, his powers came from a mysterious force that helped him.

It was a pity that till now, Qin Yu still did not know why this being was helping him. Furthermore, he had a worrying feeling that someday, this helping hand would push him off a cliff…as such, he had to be extra careful. He could not be too careless!

He shook his head and calmed himself down. With a swipe of his hand, he opened a teleportation door that led him out of the World of Darkness.

Shoosh!

In the next instant, Qin Yu appeared in a foreign small world. This place was barren and Qin Yu could not sense much life here. Using his divine sense to scan the area, he found only a few weak auras.

Qin Yu's sudden appearance and his lack of hiding his aura frightened the weak beings in the area.

He could not be bothered with these beings and he swiped his hand again. The portal door to the Peach Garden appeared and Qin Yu pushed it open and entered it.

Junior brother was back. He was not gone for a long time, but what made White Phoenix stunned was that Qin Yu's Great Dao had been shattered again.

Although elder apprentice brother had a calm expression, he could not hide how stifled he felt.

"Elder apprentice brother…" White Phoenix hesitated for a long time before he asked.

Before he could continue his sentence, elder apprentice brother laughed lightly and waved his hand to cut White Phoenix off, "Junior-apprentice brother is extraordinary and none of us can imagine what he goes through. You don't have to pursue this matter anymore."

Even if White Phoenix asked, elder apprentice brother would not know how to reply.

The Great Dao of a True Saint was a key source of life for Saints once they crossed the Sea of Bitterness. It was the root of all True Saints from the shore.

However, it seemed like the universal law of a Saint dying when their Great Dao shattered did not apply to their junior-apprentice brother.

This was the second time. Furthermore, this was only the second time that they had personally seen this. Who knew if Qin Yu's Great Dao had been shattered more times before?

After all, junior-apprentice brother appeared unbothered by the shattering of his Great Dao. It was not difficult for him to refine one again.

He took five days to do it last time? Mm, my memory is pretty good and I have not lost my mind.

However, this short period of five days was all it took for his Great Dao to be reformed. His powers even increased after that…although they witnessed this personally, it still felt like a fantasy…no one could believe it!

Elder apprentice brother trudged away with a sluggish look in his eyes. His lips twitch and he was in a daze.

Ten days later, Qin Yu came out from his cultivation. Without hesitation, he headed to elder apprentice brother's living quarters. Elder apprentice brother had been trying very hard to maintain a calm face but when he heard Qin Yu's first question, he was stunned.

"Elder apprentice brother…how do I take care of my Great Dao?"

Elder apprentice brother looked at the serious expression on Qin Yu's face. He was utterly sincere in his desire to learn. Elder apprentice brother's lips twitched. What a simple question. You shatter and reform your Great Dao repeatedly. Is this really something you should ask?

He took ten days this time right? Yup, it was ten days. Thank goodness for my memory.

It was twice as long as the previous time. However, five days to reform a shattered Great Dao? Perhaps junior-apprentice brother was only trying to make his reformed Great Dao even sturdier than before.

After all, he was absolutely frightening when he used the power of his Great Dao. He could have accidently shattered it.

Elder apprentice brother surveyed Qin Yu's aura. It was much stronger than before…he was right!

In other words, if Qin Yu had not been bothered about making his Great Dao sturdier, he could have completed his cultivation much earlier if he had just been focused on repairing it.

Elder apprentice brother did not know the reason why, but thinking about it made his heart ache.

Looking forlorn, elder apprentice brother squeezed out a smile and tried to maintain a calm tone, "Junior-apprentice brother, why do you ask me this?"

Qin Yu shifted slightly and he briefly explained about how he had been frightened after he witnessed a True Saint lose control of himself.

Elder apprentice brother felt nervous as he wondered what junior-apprentice brother did when he went missing. How often would one see a True Saint lose control?

If this really happened, there would have been a great catastrophe. However, the Vast Brightness World had appeared relatively stable recently and there had not been any news of anything wrong.

Qin Yu sensed the suspicion in elder apprentice brother's eyes and he knew that elder apprentice brother must have seen through his excuse. He quickly spun his mind trying to think of another reason. In the end, he coughed lightly and said, "Elder apprentice brother, I have to keep some secrets and I can't tell you the full reason."

Elder apprentice brother waved his hand, "I understand. You don't have to tell me if you should not." He breathed in deeply and stared at Qin Yu with a serious look in his eyes, "I only activated my Great Dao recently so I am not too sure of the specifics, but I have to tell you…the Great Dao has a spirit. You can understand it as a consciousness that exists beyond what we can understand."