Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Dragini had been sobbing hard and she was not dressed properly. Qin Yu immediately regretted his words as soon as he said them. How could he ask her to dress properly now? He felt like a demanding bastard.

Pst -

He had good intentions in asking her to escort him to the palace. How did things become so strange?

At the same time as Qin Yu was scolding himself, Dragini's first thoughts were, "Oh no, Qin Yu is after Father!" If he did not come here for that, why would he go to her place and ask her to lead the way? He was using her as a cover.

Although I am afraid to die, I will not help you in your quest to harm Father.

Dragini wiped her tears away but she still felt gloomy. She had seen through Qin Yu's plan. After his initial embarrassment, he was angry. How could she let him get his way?

Qin Yu knew exactly what Dragini was thinking. He gritted his teeth, "Stop overthinking. If I wanted to harm the East Sea, I could have done so directly? Why would I try to trick you?"

His attitude was very bad and it also showed his disregard for the East Sea. At first Dragini was annoyed, but this quickly turned to doubt…like what Qin Yu said, doing all this was pointless if he wanted to harm the East Sea. Even if his target was her father, he would be able to achieve his aim easily.

As Qin Yu turned around, his robe swayed behind him. He barked, "Wear your clothes properly!"

Dragini's appearance was really improper. Even if she was in her own inner palace, she could not dress so casually.

She wore minimal clothing and was very revealing. Not to mention how sharp Qin Yu's senses were now, even if he had just swept his glance over her, he would have seen things that he should not.

Furthermore, Dragini had been so devastated and pitiful as she cried endlessly. She had totally ignored the way she looked.

After the second reminder, Dragini finally regained her composure. Her head dipped and she quickly glanced at herself. Her face flushed red and she hurried to adjust her clothes. As she did this, she realized how indecent she looked. Her shirt was rolled up and her long legs were exposed. Scrambling for a long skirt, she finally tidied herself and sighed in relief.

Oh, this was the first time she had felt so ashamed in front of someone of the opposite sex. However, it was Qin Yu opposite her. On second thought, it had been an adrenaline-pumping encounter.

Ah, I can't believe I am thinking about this now. I must be mad… After these crazy thoughts and embarrassment, Dragini finally regained her composure.

If Qin Yu had to remind her to wear her clothes properly, he probably wasn't going to kill her right? Otherwise, there was no reason for him to remind her. Furthermore, he had respectfully turned away, giving her space…wait, if he turned around, it meant that he must have seen her!

As she thought of how indecent she looked, her cheeks turned bright red. By this point, she was no longer fearful.

Qin Yu coughed lightly. The more she had time to think, the deeper she would go down the rabbit hole. He quickly changed the topic, "Make the preparations. We are going to the East Sea!"

Dragini heaved a sigh of relief but she could not help feeling disappointed. Qin Yu was in a rush and that meant he wanted to get out of this awkward situation as fast as possible…but that also meant that he was not interested in her.

Somehow, Dragini felt humbled by this experience. This must be the wild thoughts of a woman again. The corners of her lips twitched and she bowed, "Yes, Mister Ninth, please wait a moment."

A while later, the sea chariot was prepared and they headed to the East Sea in it.

Qin Yu sat with his eyes closed in the chariot. He kept to himself and did not want to be interrupted.

Dragini pouted but her eyes twinkled as she stared at him intently. Just as Qin Yu could no longer take her staring, they reached the East Sea.

The short journey felt inconceivably long For Qin Yu.

He stood up and pushed the doors of the chariot open. Glancing at the subordinates in front of the palace, he ordered, "Bring me to the Dragon Saint!"

Dragini chuckled to herself as she saw him off. She suddenly felt that Mister Ninth was not scary even though he had the reputation of killing Saints.

Dragon Palace seemed to have turned into a school of anxious flying fish. After sensing Qin Yu's aura, the Dragon Saint was about to turn and flee in fright. Thankfully, he realized that Qin Yu was here with Dragini. After a moment of hesitation, he mustered all his courage to meet Qin Yu.

"Mister Ninth, it has not been long since we last met but you have achieved so much. I am truly in admiration of you!" The Dragon Saint welcomed Qin Yu with a smile. His attitude was very harmonious and he acted like they were relatives. However, Qin Yu could sense the nervousness in his words.

Qin Yu coughed lightly and he finally threw aside all feelings towards the encounter with Dragini previously. He had been ashamed by his own actions.

Despite the fact that it had been a while since he was close to a woman…cough cough, he could have been more gentlemanly. He had been excited…after all, Dragini was so revealing and her little tail…pst! Come on, pull yourself together!

He would be overstepping his boundaries if he continued thinking about this. Furthermore, her father was in front of him. Pull yourself together!

Qin Yu suppressed these thoughts and maintained a straight face, "Dragon Saint, I need your help with a few questions."

The Dragon Saint heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Qin Yu was probably not here for trouble otherwise he would not have started the conversation like this. However, another part of him continued to worry…what does he want to know? Would Qin Yu lose his temper if he could not answer his questions?

"Cough! What is troubling you? If there is anything I can help with, I will definitely let you know…but please forgive me if I am not knowledgeable enough."

Qin Yu could guess what the Dragon Saint was thinking but he did not bother explaining, "I will have to trouble you!" Breathing in deeply, he continued, "I wanted to know more about the Great Dao Spirit."

"Great Dao Spirit?" Dragon Saint was surprised as he scanned Qin Yu. He never expected that Qin Yu would ask him this.

Qin Yu maintained a calm expression and continued, "Not long ago, I killed a True Saint who lost control of himself and I encountered the Great Dao Spirit then. I am puzzled because of it and I wanted to seek your advice."

The Dragon Saint immediately gasped, "Backlash of the Great Dao!" His eyes widened and he stared at Qin Yu incredulously, "Mister Ninth, did you really meet a True Saint who lost control?"

Qin Yu nodded, "That's right." He briefly explained how the Darkness Ruler lost control of himself. Granted, he altered a bit of the story to cover up the fact that he was in the World of Darkness.

The identity of the Darkness Ruler was the key for him to enter the West Desolate. He could not reveal it.

The Dragon Saint looked at Qin Yu carefully to confirm that he was healthy and his aura was strong. He was secretly impressed.

Furthermore, the Dragon Saint could confirm that Qin Yu had really encountered a True Saint who lost control. Otherwise, he would not have been able to describe his story so vividly.

Coughing lightly to calm himself down, the Dragon Saint asked, "Mister Ninth, what do you want to know?" The Dragon Saint had lived for a long time and he naturally had a deeper understanding of things.

Qin Yu's eyes sparkled and he knew he had found the right person. He replied enthusiastically, "Everything! I want to know everything about the Great Dao going out of control. I hope that you will be able to share your knowledge."

The Dragon Saint nodded as his heart jumped. If Qin Yu was so eager to learn about this, was it because…he was fearful of Qin Yu and the moment this thought crossed his mind, he shuddered in fear.

If things were truly as he guessed and if Qin Yu lost control in the East Sea, the entire bloodline of the dragons would end!

The Dragon Saint never wanted to hide anything from Qin Yu but he was now more eager to share what he knew. He would tell Qin Yu everything that he wanted to know but he would not stimulate Qin Yu.

"If that is the case, I will start from the beginning. Please sit down for some tea Mister Ninth. Let me sort out my thoughts."

He raised his cup of tea and sipped it. Warm tea soothed his throat and allowed him to remain calm. The Dragon Saint asked, "Do you know that the refinement of the Great Dao is actually a process of replication?"

Qin Yu's eyes sparkled as he nodded, "Yes I do."

The Dragon Saint nodded, "That simplifies things a lot." He drummed his fingers against the table and his voice deepened as he explained, "Actually, from what I understand, as we refine our Great Daos, we will become stronger. But at the same time, we are also seeking out an ancestor for ourselves that we cannot provoke."

He looked at Qin Yu, "Since you know that the refinement of the Great Dao is a replication process, then you probably know that we are copying the world's Great Dao and its shadow. The world's Great Dao is one of the most mysterious powers in this world and even a shadow would have its own consciousness. As such, the ancestor that I am talking about is the Great Dao Spirit!"

This explanation corroborated what elder apprentice brother said but it was clearer and more understandable. Evidently, the Dragon Saint was much more knowledgeable.

Seeing how Qin Yu paid such close attention, the Dragon Saint knew that Qin Yu was receptive to his explanation. He loosened up and continued, "We all know that the Great Dao is the root of a True Saint and we should never use it unless absolutely. We should also never cause harm to it.

"Firstly, the Great Dao is linked to our lives and any harm to it will cause a devastating impact to our Holy Way. Aside from that, and more importantly, the harm done to a Great Dao will upset the spirit within. It should be fine if it occurs once or twice, and with time and care, it will recover. However, if it sustains heavy or repeated damage, the Great Dao Spirit might be infuriated and this may cause the backlash to occur."

Qin Yu's eyes brightened. Through the Dragon Saint's explanation, he felt like he had a much clearer picture of what was going to happen.

No wonder True Saints from the shore took such great care of their Great Dao…Qin Yu had even mocked them for it before.

As the strongest weapon of a True Saint, it was also sturdy and powerful. It was not easy to damage it and Saints appeared to be overly cautious of it. They even appeared timid.

After learning about the Great Dao in depth, Qin Yu finally realized that True Saints were not only worried about harming their Great Dao, they were afraid of infuriating the Great Dao Spirit hidden within!

The Dragon Saint observed the uneasiness in Qin Yu's eyes and he stopped his explanation. He drank his tea but he could not help glancing at Qin Yu every now and then. The more he looked, the more he could confirm it…something was wrong with Qin Yu!

He managed to become so strong in such a short period of time. This might have been possible through a cheat method…evidently, a price had to be paid for walking down this path.

Silence filled the palace.

A few moments later, Qin Yu sighed and slowly said, "Thank you for your explanation, Dragon Saint."

Dragon Saint smiled, "Don't worry about it, I have merely lived longer than you and have therefore accumulated more experience. Even if I did not explain this, you would have understood this by yourself Mister Ninth."

Qin Yu did not dwell on this topic and he asked, "Dragon Saint, do you know how to prevent the backlash of the Great Dao? In a more direct way, is there a way to eliminate the risk of the Great Dao backlash?"

The Dragon Saint started to break out in a cold sweat. It was not easy to get rid of Qin Yu and he always had other ways up his sleeve.

As he expected, Qin Yu came up with a hard question for him despite his calm expression.

So many True Saints came and went after so many years. Who would not want to get rid of this problem?

After all, anyone who became a True Saint wouldn't want to voluntarily provoke the ancestor.

Why seek trouble voluntarily?

However, this matter involved the world's Great Dao. It wasn't that simple.

Looking at Qin Yu's expression, the Dragon Saint knew that he could not turn Qin Yu down directly. He gritted his teeth and said, "This problem has always been a major headache for True Saints. I have never heard of anyone who managed to get rid of the possibility of the Great Dao backlash. But I once encountered someone many years ago and I heard that…"

He glanced at Qin Yu and suddenly swept his robe aside. The space suddenly shuddered and a seal formed around the palace. After the Dragon Saint carefully inspected and confirmed that there was nothing amiss in the surroundings, he said, "This person told me that the Great Dao backlash comes from the Great Dao Spirit…perhaps if the spirituality of the Great Dao can be removed, leaving behind only the Great Dao energy, the Great Dao backlash can be avoided!"

The Dragon Saint broke out in buckets of cold sweat after the short explanation. His complexion was pale and he looked like he was sick. The shadow of the world's Great Dao was hidden in a Saint and it was the link between the Saint and the world. Although he made precautions to seal the inner palace from the outside, he could not prevent everything from leaking out.

What if the world's Great Dao caught ahold of this conversation? Do you really think that the world would let him off? Hehe!

Don't forget about the terrifying thing in this world - the heavens' punishment!

Although it did not often occur and ordinary cultivators heard only rumors of it, the heavens' punishment would mean certain death!

Even a True Saint would not be able to pull through the heavens' punishment. Death would be his only way out!

Qin Yu's heart trembled. As he looked at the Dragon Saint, numerous thoughts circled his mind and slowly formed a strong intuition.

The Dragon Saint was right!

Removing the danger of the backlash of the Great Dao was only possible through eliminating the Great Dao Spirit. This spirit was related to the world's Great Dao, and eliminating it would mean going against the heavens!

This was definitely not something the world would allow and a heavy punishment would come for him. However, he could only remove the threat of backlash entirely by using such extreme ways against the world.

Qin Yu sighed deeply and cupped his hands together, "Thank you Dragon Saint."

The Dragon Saint breathed out deeply and removed the seal around the inner palace. Qin Yu had nothing else to say and the Dragon Saint smiled bitterly, "Try not to think about such things…this is my advice for you."

Qin Yu nodded and stood up, "I have other things that I need to attend to so I won't stay in the Dragon Palace for long. Goodbye."

He turned and stepped forward, vanishing in a second.

The Dragon Saint looked at where Qin Yu disappeared and he raised his shaking hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He slumped back into his chair in exhaustion and prayed that they would never meet again!