Refining the Mountains and Rivers

He encountered the palace a while back. By chance, he became its master, but he only learned its name now.

Ring-like mountain palace!

It was so dull and plain.

This thought crossed Qin Yu's mind but he maintained a calm expression, never allowing his feelings to be seen.

It had not been long since he left the palace but the ring-like mountain felt like it had transformed. While the transformation was not obvious, Qin Yu had a deep impression of it.

He felt a deeper connection to it.

He wasn't sure if he was mistaking it, nor did he have time to think twice. He felt an aura speedily heading away from the ring-like mountain palace and he spat, "Now that I am back in the World of Darkness, what is next?"

These words were extremely abrupt and seemed to come out of the blue. Chicken overlord on his shoulder was stunned and he wondered, how was he supposed to know?

However, the jinx had spoken and chicken overlord did not dare to ignore him. Thankfully, Eye of Eternal Night picked up on the impatience from Qin Yu and he saved chicken overlord by replying to Qin Yu, "Master wants us to wait here."

Eye of Eternal Night would never doubt his master's instructions and he would wait patiently here per her instructions. Yet, Qin Yu had other thoughts. He rubbed his forehead as a cold flash crossed his eyes, "Just that?"

"Yes."

Qin Yu's hand dropped down and he sighed, "I think some clarification is needed." He paused before continuing, "There is no one else here and I control the palace. Ruler, please let your consciousness out."

Eye of Eternal Night frowned but before he could express his dissatisfaction, Qin Yu cut him off rudely, "I am in a bad mood so you better keep quiet."

Without further delay, a thought crossed his mind and the Sun Moon illusion appeared above his head. The light rays from the sun and moon interchanged and a blanket of silence fell upon the palace.

He did not receive an answer but Qin Yu knew that there was a watchful pair of eyes on him. As such, he remained silent but showed his determination and stubbornness.

A moment later, a soft but helpless voice came, "Qin Yu, you are really getting more bold."

Shoosh!

Dark energy shifted into the shape of Eye of Eternal Night. He knelt down and expressed his deep respect and sorriness. From the perspective of a loyal follower like him, it was his fault that his master was disturbed.

Chicken overlord who was perched on Qin Yu's shoulder was stunned. His eyes quivered in fear and he was as stiff as a block of wood. He did not dare to make a single sound.

A hand was slowly petting his forehead and the overwhelming fear crossed the boundaries of what chicken overlord could tolerate. There was lifelessness in his eyes - he had fainted with his eyes open!

The hand stopped moving and the Ruler stared at Qin Yu. With slight mockery in her tone, she commented, "This fellow isn't as bold as you."

Qin Yu looked on as the Ruler walked out of the Sun Moon illusion. He bowed, "Actually, I am not very courageous but I have to be bold sometimes. I hope you will forgive me."

This was his reply but he also showed his attitude - I refuse to be someone who is ignorant of his own future!

The shadow of the Ruler was very light, much lighter than before. She looked like an art piece that was painted with very dilute water paint. Evidently, she was being cautious and did not use too much energy to descend here.

However, she was still a Ruler, and it was obvious that she was much stronger than typical Rulers.

This was why chicken overlord had directly fainted when she petted him. It was also brave of Qin Yu to stand his ground and show his stubbornness in front of her.

There was a flicker of admiration in the Ruler's eyes, but it disappeared very quickly and everything returned to normal.

"You probably know very well that I will need your help soon. I can tolerate your outrageous behavior because of this and I am willing to give you an explanation after descending here…however, you need to know that my tolerance has a limit."

Qin Yu remained calm as he bowed. Yet, his back was drenched in sweat.

The sternness in the Ruler's eyes disappeared and she lightly said, "I know what you want to know. What a mouthful. I have to inform you that entering the Desolate Area is going to be more difficult than you think. I was making some preparations beforehand but it seems that a better opportunity has arrived. I have abandoned my first plan.

"But it is also because of this that you will be under much stricter scrutiny after you enter the Desolate Area…believe me, it isn't a wise choice to tell you everything now. It might even push you into a self-destructive abyss that you will never recover from."

Qin Yu shivered slightly and shock riddled his eyes. Logically, this seemed like her effort to push him away but his negative intuition made him silent.

The Ruler laughed and her voice became more warm, "I know that you are smart so you are doing a good job now. I don't have any reason to lie to you. Once you enter the Desolate Area and pass the inspection, I will tell you everything."

This was a promise.

It was definitely an achievement for him to have forced the Ruler to descend and give a promise to him.

Qin Yu could not help feeling proud. However, this did not resolve the helplessness, conflict, and dissatisfaction in his heart.

He had not managed to achieve his goal despite the struggle. Yet, he knew better than to press her for it. This was especially so given her status compared to him.

"Thank you for the explanation, I will do what I am supposed to do."

The Ruler nodded in satisfaction. She pointed her finger and a speck of light appeared. It entered Qin Yu's body.

"This is for you. You will need it in the future and it might save your life. Even if you don't have a use for it, take it as my compensation to you." She paused and sighed softly, "After all, this task is very dangerous, much more dangerous than I expected. You need to be extra careful."

Qin Yu bowed.

When he raised his head again, the Ruler had disappeared. Qin Yu took a few moments to use his sensory abilities to examine himself, but he did not find a trace of that light speck.

As expected of the Ruler, he could not examine her skills. A smile played on his lips and Qin Yu gave a long sigh.

Qin Yu was dissatisfied and feeling helpless, but he was unaware of the utter shock Eye of Eternal Night was feeling right now.

Although the Ruler did give a warning to Qin Yu, in Eye of Eternal Night's opinion, it was completely unbelievable that she descended to the World of Darknes at all. With her status, why would she bother about anyone else?

He could not think of any other explanations as his gaze fell on Qin Yu and a look of suspicion crossed his eyes. This matter must be very important to Master. Since that was the case, the mission must be accomplished at any cost.

Shoosh!

The darkness dissipated and the crown with Eye of Eternal Night flickered slightly before it fell silent.

"Ah!"

As though he stepped into empty air in his deep sleep, chicken overlord flapped his wings wildly as he screamed. He barely managed to keep himself balanced on Qin Yu's shoulder.

He whipped his head around several times with his eyes filled with disbelief. However, he found that nothing had changed in the palace. He was still alive.

"Master…that…that was…"

Chicken overlord shuddered like he recalled the feeling of being petted by the hand. He went silent.

Qin Yu simply said, "You had a bad dream."

A bad dream was a dream. However, chicken overlord did not think that he fell asleep.

He remembered what happened exactly, with all the details. It was not a blurry memory either; how could it be a dream?

"Master…"

He wanted to continue but Qin Yu cut him off with a wave of his hand, "You had a bad dream, remember that."

If he had to repeat his words, it was not a mere repetition to chicken overlord but an instruction.

Chicken overlord's eyes flickered but he quickly said, "Master, you are right. I had a dream!"

As he said this, he carefully observed his surroundings, wondering if that person was taking note of his actions.

Too much knowledge in this world was not a good thing and ignorance could prolong your life.

Qin Yu smiled but did not say anything else. Chicken overlord must be on edge after the incident; he would not speak recklessly.

He walked deeper into the palace and sat down on the only grand seat there. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

Since he did not get an explanation, he could only follow her instructions and wait here. Hopefully, she would abide by her words.

The other thing was…something unexpected must have happened and she had to take corrective action.

Was it going to be more dangerous?

It must have been something unique!

His heart clenched as his mind spun quickly. Once Qin Yu sensed any danger, he would immediately do an analysis and assess the best possible outcome for himself. This was deeply imprinted in his nature.

However, Qin Yu quickly stopped this and laughed bitterly. Till now, he only knew that he had to go to the Desolate Area - everything else was uncertain. It was useless no matter how sensitive or smart he was in his analysis.

Wait!

Qin Yu threw these thoughts aside and composed himself. He did not attempt to cultivate.

If that woman personally descended to give him an explanation, regardless of his attitude, the biggest deduction he had was that there was not much time!

The path may open at any moment and she would not allow Qin Yu to act recklessly. As such, he could only peacefully wait.

After a long while, the eyes hidden beneath the black robe opened. Sitting on the grand seat, Qin Yu looked towards the entrance of the palace with an expression of shock and realization.

The palace doors were slowly opened and Hundred Saint walked in with a calm expression. He said, "Darkness Ruler, the Desolate King has ordered you to enter the Desolate Area with me."

It was here!

Qin Yu expected this a while ago. Since that woman mentioned that the plan had changed, it must be related to the West Desolate. After all, they controlled the Connecting Passage.

Despite knowing it all, Qin Yu had to maintain a puzzled look. He paused for a while and asked in a deep voice, "What is it?"

There was hesitation in his tone, some excitement, and wariness.

Despite the short sentence, Qin Yu could not help praising himself for his performance. The conflicted emotions in his words fully depicted what the real Darkness Ruler would feel under such a situation.

He almost believed himself!